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Izzy pulled a stick of gum out of her pocket, unwrapped it and tossed the wrapper back into the train. She shoved the gum into her mouth and smiled. "Sure, Bain." To me, she smiled with mock sweetness. "Sorry, I'm supposed to guide you and stuff."
"Yeah, whatever." I smiled back with the same amount of sincerity. "I didn't need a nursemaid and I'm sure he was cuter than me." Not that I wasn't pretty fucking cute. I was, but she was not my type and vice versa.
"Yeah, well, I wasn't paying much attention, except to his size. If you get my drift." Izzy grinned.
"We get it," Bain said. "Let's get going. We've dicked around here long enough." He stomped off toward a set of stairs at the end of the platform.
Strange.
Now I was able to look more closely, the station didn't look as worn as I'd first thought. In fact, the railings shone and the concrete under my boots looked as though it dried the day before. Even the benches looked like they'd only just been painted and bolted into place.
The train rumbled and pulled away from the station. Before it picked up speed, it wound around a bend and was gone. Not just from sight; I could no longer smell or hear it. I strained for a moment, but it was absolutely gone, as though it had never been.
Fuckingstrange.
"First time in the Vault?" Izzy asked. In spite of the question, she didn't seem interested in the answer. She glanced over her shoulder at me, then away.
"Yeah," I said, sure neither she nor Bain heard me.
Izzy gave a soft laugh, an edge of bitterness to the sound. "Don't worry, we're mostly harmless. Well, I am. Bain is known to kill people for no reason."
He regarded her from under heavy brows, but said nothing to confirm or deny it.
Well, that's reassuring.
"If the rumours are true, I do the same," I said.
Izzy glanced back at me again, surprise on her face this time. She looked me up and down and clearly decided I was joking. She gave an awkward laugh. "Well, I'm sure you'll have an interesting time here then."
"I'm sure I will," I agreed. "Someone had to accompany the artefact." I nodded toward my suitcase.
"We could have sent a courier," Bain said. He seemed to think all of this was a waste of time.
"Apparently the Covener doesn't trust couriers," I said. The head of the Witches' Council didn't trust anyone, especially Bain's boss, the current Keeper of the Vault.
Bain shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'm sure he knew what he was getting you into."
He was right, the Covener knew. That was why he sent me. Him and his asshole of a son.
I followed Bain down the stairs, to a street which was almost dark at the tunnel. I drew in a deep breath and let my mind sift through the smells. There was lavender again, the sandalwood scent of Bain, a peach perfume from Izzy, the faint smell of a normal city, and something else I couldn't place.
A black car waited for us by the side of the road. At least, I assumed it was for us, since Izzy led the way right to it.
"Come on, Jaq charges by the hour," Bain said with a grunt. He opened the boot of the car and reached for my suitcase
"Thank you." I hefted it high enough for him to grab hold and swing it into the boot before he slammed it shut.
Slamming doors; that was the perfect metaphor for my life right now.
I wanted to turn away, to leave the artefact with them and go home. I could trot back up the stairs and sit on the platform until another train came.
I set my lips in a line.
That would be pointless. Even if I had a home to go to, the train only stopped at Copper Square when the Vault ordered it to. They could easily leave me waiting on the platform forever.
I opened the door to the back of the car and slipped in behind Bain. With his back to me, I was able to draw in his scent. The sandalwood infused me with enough power to force my body and mind to calm. With a jar of whatever he washed with, I could sink the Vault and half the city into the harbour.
I couldn't leave, but I could take them all to the bottom with me if I wanted to.
