The Brotherhood of The Black Rats

3.19 The Nine of Hearts and The Queen of Clubs

Making his way in from the back alley behind the House of The Gilded Crane, Simon nodded to the grey-coated man standing watch at the back door. His matching grey fedora and slim fitting leather gloves named him for a member of the Grey Guard. His presence was not something the Alchemist had accounted for; an unwelcome surprise at best.

“Hey pal, got a light?” asked Simon, dropping his native Irish brogue for a more local sounding accent as he pulled a cigarette from the pocket of his shirt. Any wizard who knew enough about magic to cast a spell knew what it meant to cross a Grey Guardsman while he was on duty. So Simon opted to play the fool and take his chances. 

“Get lost,” replied the guardsman, exhaling a wispy cloud of smoke from his own nearly finished cigarette straight into the Alchemist’s face. 

“Well, alright then,” replied Simon, leaving the man outside in the alley. 

A small scattering of drunken revelers and busy wait staff milled about the hallway upon his return. Simon moved carefully, taking his time to admire the vast collection of artwork that lined the House of The Gilded Crane. Suits of antique Chinese armor stood sentry next to paintings both mundane and magical in appearance. He kept an eye for any that would mark a gateway to some far off land out of legend, figuring the knowledge of one could come in handy.  

Once certain he was alone in the narrow corridor that lead back into the festivities of the main hall, Simon instinctively reached for his playing cards before calling out, “Doc, you with me?” in a voice not much louder than a whisper. 

“Simon, I’m going to kill you,” came the reply. 

“Why’s that. Aren’t you and the Twins enjoying the tea party?” asked the Alchemist. 

“You and Spider have placed us smack dab in the middle of the Grey Guard and one cast-happy gang of lethal ladies. That’s why.” 

“So it wasn’t my imagination? The Grey Guard are definitely here?”

“The place is swarming with them, at least on the upper levels.” 

“Think it’s a sting?” Simon inquired, as he continued to make his way down the hall.

“Not as far as I can tell. In fact, both parties seem to be well aware of each other,” answered Doc.

 “That can’t be right,” said Simon. “How are the others faring?”

“The Twins and I are fine. With any luck, we’ll be joining you shortly. Gabriel and Thompkins have made it down to the lower level. That’s where I think the Spell Door is, though there are wards in place I can’t see through.” 

“Damn,” said Simon. “And Kai?” 

“Ask him yourself.” 

Rounding the corner of the hall, Simon nearly bowled over his fellow Black Rat before Doc’s words finished resonating. The Cartomancer had taken to activating one of the invisibility spells in his deck to move more freely around the halls. Which Simon soon implemented himself drawing forth the nine of hearts, as he carefully made sure no one else was around to see him vanish into thin air. Reunited, the two made their way to the lower level, following Doc’s voice as their guide.   

“You enjoy that last group of gamblers?” Simon asked as they came to a stairwell door. 

“Oh yeah, they were great,” replied Kai, adding a note of sarcasm to his speech. 

“It’s locked,” said Doc, as Simon reached to turn the handle. “The wards start here and get stronger as they go further down. 

“Well,” said Simon, looking towards where he thought Kai was standing. “Time to see if our Cardsharp knows his stuff.” 

“Stand clear of the door,” said the voice then.

“Already am,” noted Simon.

Simon noted the sound as Kai brought out his deck and shuffled forth the Queen of Clubs. Holding it in front of the seemingly normal looking keyhole, he activated the spell by slightly bending the card to send a thin stream of energy in through the doorknob. A moment later they heard a subtle metallic click, and the door pushed itself ajar. 

“All clear,” said Doc. 

“That’s one,” said Kai, doing his best to silently return the card to his deck.

“Well done Kai,” stated Simon. “The next one’s on me.” 

The stairwell was uninspiring, given the ornate trimmings of the rest of the House of The Gilded Crane. Its paint-chipped white concrete walls leaned more towards the Mundane than the magical, marking the building with a kinship to others of its generation whether it liked it or not.  

 As silent footpads, Simon and Kai made their way down three flights of stairs to the bottom level with barely a sound made between them. Another ward was waiting, when they got there. 

“I can’t see past it,” Doc whispered to both of them. “But this is where Thompkins and Gabriel were taken.” 

“My turn,” said Simon, following the motions from Kai with his own Queen of Clubs in hand. 

The ward removed, the pair waited for word from Doc on what lay beyond the door in front of them.  Several moments passed. 

“There’s some serious shit going on down here,” said the invisible voice when it returned. 

“Do you see The Spell Door?” asked Simon. 

“Which one?” asked Doc then. “There is a pile of them stacked against the far wall in one of the closets just past the auction.” 

“Alright then,” began Simon. “We sneak in invisible, snag one off the top, then get the hell out. Any sign of Thompkins and Gabe?” 

“Yes,” answered Doc. “But they are currently indisposed of at the moment.”  

“Well, they better get un-disposed…” Simon added, shuffling for the Kings of Clubs and Hearts in his deck. “Real quick…”