Naming Day (Jake Underwood Book 1) Read Online Free
Author: Michael Ruger
symbols on the floor. I had seen permanent circles carved in rosewood and inlaid with gold. Such craftwork was beyond my need. Temporary circles were all I generally needed simply because I do so little with the craft work compared to the average adept.
I stepped back and viewed my work. It paid to double check such things. Many would be will workers had suffered for carelessness. A dropped symbol or a smudged one would weaken or even negate the protection of the Compact.
My guest was unlikely to wish me harm, but members of the Court of Dawn, even those only loosely affiliated, didn’t take chances with the Court of Twilight. While some Twilight court members could be as charming as any might wish, others were decidedly less so. If you ever wondered where all those charming tales about blood sucking parasites come from, look no further than the Court of Twilight. There were enough unsavory creatures associated with the Court that caution was always the proper path. Many cases of “demonic” influence could be traced there as some of the Fey who liked the dangerous game of fooling mortals and teasing the infernal forces. If the powers of the Damned discovered such meddling, nothing could protect the malefactor from retribution. No one in the game undertook tweaking the nose of the Adversary lightly. No one that is, except perhaps fools and angels. I stood behind my desk and addressed the room.
“The Circle is prepared. Let all who have business in this place draw near and attend this meeting under the protection of the Compact.” With that I declared the circle open and waited for my eleven o’clock to show up.
There was a slight rustle of blinds and an inrush of air as the manifestation began. Bright specks of light began to gather in the midst of the circle and low hum filled the room. The motes of light coalesced into a vaguely man shaped form. There was a crackle of static electricity being discharged and a faint smell of ozone as the shape grew more solid. One could almost see a hint of another form in the circle, but whatever was there slowly flowed into a human looking form.
Once the pyrotechnics settled, I was left with a rather tall, dark individual in what appeared to be a rather expensive pinstripe. Pierre Cardin or Armani, I suspected. He was fair of feature but dark of aspect. His face was an ebony black mask framed with golden hair and with twin golden eyes staring back at me. His brow had little bone ridges that gleamed like they had been polished. His hands had long nails perfectly manicured and undoubtedly quite sharp. He smiled at me and revealed a row of pointed teeth that seemed to interlock.
“Mr. Underwood? Mr. Jake Underwood?” He raised his brow and the bony ridges actually moved. His smile grew broader revealing even more of his disturbing teeth.
“Yes. I’m Jake Underwood. I understand that you wanted to see me.” A few days ago I‘d had a rather disturbing dream which could only have originated from the Court of Twilight. In the dream I had arranged this interview with my current visitor. Of course in the dream he had looked a lot less threatening. But what he looked like meant nothing. Some of the Court of Twilight were true shapeshifters and didn’t need glamours to appear in other forms. Who knew what this guy, if he was a guy, actually looked like? It didn’t really matter. The Compact should protect me and if not the Compact, the silenced Glock might do the trick.
“This is a genuine pleasure! It’s rare to meet an operator of your caliber! I must say, your boldness surprises me in some ways. Considering the incident at Tuatha Dun Torin, the last thing I suspected was to find you listed in the …ah… phone book. Brave, I must say, foolhardy almost.”
“Uh…Yes…Well, you know what they say, the coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave man drinks but once and all that.” I replied glibly. This was not good. Not good at all. I had no idea what the hell this guy
I stepped back and viewed my work. It paid to double check such things. Many would be will workers had suffered for carelessness. A dropped symbol or a smudged one would weaken or even negate the protection of the Compact.
My guest was unlikely to wish me harm, but members of the Court of Dawn, even those only loosely affiliated, didn’t take chances with the Court of Twilight. While some Twilight court members could be as charming as any might wish, others were decidedly less so. If you ever wondered where all those charming tales about blood sucking parasites come from, look no further than the Court of Twilight. There were enough unsavory creatures associated with the Court that caution was always the proper path. Many cases of “demonic” influence could be traced there as some of the Fey who liked the dangerous game of fooling mortals and teasing the infernal forces. If the powers of the Damned discovered such meddling, nothing could protect the malefactor from retribution. No one in the game undertook tweaking the nose of the Adversary lightly. No one that is, except perhaps fools and angels. I stood behind my desk and addressed the room.
“The Circle is prepared. Let all who have business in this place draw near and attend this meeting under the protection of the Compact.” With that I declared the circle open and waited for my eleven o’clock to show up.
There was a slight rustle of blinds and an inrush of air as the manifestation began. Bright specks of light began to gather in the midst of the circle and low hum filled the room. The motes of light coalesced into a vaguely man shaped form. There was a crackle of static electricity being discharged and a faint smell of ozone as the shape grew more solid. One could almost see a hint of another form in the circle, but whatever was there slowly flowed into a human looking form.
Once the pyrotechnics settled, I was left with a rather tall, dark individual in what appeared to be a rather expensive pinstripe. Pierre Cardin or Armani, I suspected. He was fair of feature but dark of aspect. His face was an ebony black mask framed with golden hair and with twin golden eyes staring back at me. His brow had little bone ridges that gleamed like they had been polished. His hands had long nails perfectly manicured and undoubtedly quite sharp. He smiled at me and revealed a row of pointed teeth that seemed to interlock.
“Mr. Underwood? Mr. Jake Underwood?” He raised his brow and the bony ridges actually moved. His smile grew broader revealing even more of his disturbing teeth.
“Yes. I’m Jake Underwood. I understand that you wanted to see me.” A few days ago I‘d had a rather disturbing dream which could only have originated from the Court of Twilight. In the dream I had arranged this interview with my current visitor. Of course in the dream he had looked a lot less threatening. But what he looked like meant nothing. Some of the Court of Twilight were true shapeshifters and didn’t need glamours to appear in other forms. Who knew what this guy, if he was a guy, actually looked like? It didn’t really matter. The Compact should protect me and if not the Compact, the silenced Glock might do the trick.
“This is a genuine pleasure! It’s rare to meet an operator of your caliber! I must say, your boldness surprises me in some ways. Considering the incident at Tuatha Dun Torin, the last thing I suspected was to find you listed in the …ah… phone book. Brave, I must say, foolhardy almost.”
“Uh…Yes…Well, you know what they say, the coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave man drinks but once and all that.” I replied glibly. This was not good. Not good at all. I had no idea what the hell this guy
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