Awakening - The Last Science #1

Chapter 18 - Breaking the Rules - IV

  Boris locked the door behind them. Hailey had swooped in through the door at the last moment, coming to a landing by slamming into a chair and sending it tumbling over backwards.

  "Sorry," she cried, awkwardly getting back to her feet.

  "Not at all, Miss Winscombe," Boris answered, hurrying to shutter the windows. "I think we have more important concerns than my furniture presently." The old man scratched his stubble. "What has happened?"

  "Doctor Smith was killed out in the woods," Hailey answered. Rika had taken a seat behind the counter, well away from any windows. Alden stood around awkwardly, not sure where he should be or what he should be doing. "Probably by magic."

  Boris looked like he'd been slapped in the face. "Henry is dead?"

  "Yeah, and apparently I might be next," Rika muttered. "Hailey heard them mention my name."

  "A couple times," Hailey said. "Although they were mostly shouting things like 'Justice for Jenny' and stuff about grey cloaks. I wasn't really sure what they were talking about."

  "Greycloaks is Cinza and her cult, but I don't know a 'Jenny' either," Rika replied. "They probably think I'm one of Cinza's flunkeys now too. Fuck."

  "Do these people mean you harm?" asked Boris.

  "Yeah. You don't happen to have a stash of rifles in the back, do you?"

  He shook his head. "I gave those up many years ago."

  "It's okay, Rika. They're still just human, I'm pretty sure I can take them," Hailey said, hands balled up in fists.

  'Just human?' Alden wondered.

  "As long as we stay quiet, I doubt the hunters will have any reason to come to my shop," Boris said calmly. "I shall inform the Summit that we are barricading ourselves in."

  "Hang on, the what now?" Rika asked, sitting up straight.

  "The Summit, a leadership council between the town and the awakened. I am a member, though I mostly just sit and observe."

  "Who all's in this summit?"

  "Your friend Rachel, of course, along with the mayor, the town journalist, the athletic blonde one—"

  "Ryan? Didn't think he had it in him."

  "—the sheriff and the leader of the Greycloaks."

  "So Rachel finally formed a government. Good for her." Rika let out a huge sigh and relaxed once again. "With that sort of influence she can probably get this back under control. We can just wait it out."

  Alden was just about to relax when there was a knock at the door. The closed blinds and shutters made it impossible to see who was there, but the voice wasn't one he recognized. "Hey, ruskie! We need you out here!"

  "I'm a bit occupied, my friend!" Boris called back without hesitation, sounding perfectly normal. Alden was impressed at his composure under pressure. "May I take a rain check?"

  "You can track damn well better than most of us. We need to root those damn cultists out of our forest."

  "Give me a minute and I suppose I could join you."

  "What's up, man? Why are all your windows closed?"

  Boris shot them a worried look. His voice dropped to a whisper. "I cannot prevent them from looking inside now." He paused. "Please, move into the staircase. I'll do my best to send them away."