Let’s head to the sewers!”
Morgan looked dubiously down at his expensive suit. “I have a feeling that my dry cleaning bill for this month is going to be through the roof!”
* * *
Newcomers to the city of Sovereign sometimes commented on the odor that permeated the place. It was a heady mix of moist earth, saltwater and human sweat. Within weeks of being there, the smell became so commonplace that few of the locals were even aware of it.
Lazarus had long since stopped noticing such things. As he trudged through the ankle-deep water in the sewer system, he was reminded of it for the first time in years. The scent was so much stronger down here, as if it had seeped into the plumbing and become much worse as it mixed with the wastes of humanity.
Getting into the labyrinth of tunnels below the city had been quite simple. Lazarus had simply looked over a map provided by the water department and picked the manhole cover closest to their goal. Since the city had already begun their renovation project, the entrance was blocked off to the public but it had taken nothing more than jumping over a few barricades to gain entrance. Thankfully, the workmen were in another area of the sewers and hadn’t yet reached the portions that Lazarus was interested in.
Now the entire Assistance Unlimited team and Catalyst were moving beneath City Hall. Up above, the building was churning with activity. It was early afternoon and the movers-and-shakers were busy with meetings and pontification.
The current mayor was Rainsford Byles and he’d proven to be a staunch ally of Lazarus Gray. Unfortunately, he’d grown tired of fighting a seemingly insurmountable battle to clean up Sovereign. As such, he wasn’t seeking reelection. The field had become crowded with challengers since then, with a mysterious figure named Mortimer Quinn slowly positioning himself as the front-runner. Most people in town wondered about his somewhat murky past but Lazarus knew the truth. Quinn had once been a Gravedigger and had operated in Sovereign City not long after the town’s founding. Once Quinn’s time as a Gravedigger was over, he’d found that his extended life had slowly grown boring. Now he was finding new excitement in politics and Lazarus thought it could only be a good thing to have another friend in office.
“I think we’ve found it, my friends.” Catalyst slipped past Lazarus and placed his palm against one of the walls. “I can feel it pulsing away in there.”
Eun regarded the bricks with a wary eye. “Are you going to be able to wave your hand and make the wall disappear? Because otherwise I think we should have brought some heavy equipment with us.”
Catalyst glanced over at Eun and said, “Actually I do plan to make the wall disappear but that doesn’t mean that our work is done. As I said earlier, I imagine that Lowenstein left behind a few surprises.”
Lazarus put a hand on Eun’s shoulder. “Please take up a position near the front, just behind Andre and myself. Samantha and Morgan, I want you to stand near the entrance to the tunnel. If something comes out of there and gets past us, you’re to stop it. Do you understand?”
Morgan nodded though he looked puzzled. “Are you saying you think there might be something alive in there?”
“We’ve seen stranger things.”
“That’s true.” Morgan drew his pistol and took his assigned spot. He offered a smile to Samantha as she did the same. Both of them were using weapons that packed more than the usual ammunition. The bullets were silver-tipped and each had been soaked in holy water for several days. Those were tricks that The Peregrine had passed on to the group and it had paid off on several occasions. If they faced something that was traditional flesh and blood, the bullets did their standard work but if they squared off against something supernatural, the silver and holy water sometimes worked when more mundane things would have failed.
For his part, Lazarus was
Morgan looked dubiously down at his expensive suit. “I have a feeling that my dry cleaning bill for this month is going to be through the roof!”
* * *
Newcomers to the city of Sovereign sometimes commented on the odor that permeated the place. It was a heady mix of moist earth, saltwater and human sweat. Within weeks of being there, the smell became so commonplace that few of the locals were even aware of it.
Lazarus had long since stopped noticing such things. As he trudged through the ankle-deep water in the sewer system, he was reminded of it for the first time in years. The scent was so much stronger down here, as if it had seeped into the plumbing and become much worse as it mixed with the wastes of humanity.
Getting into the labyrinth of tunnels below the city had been quite simple. Lazarus had simply looked over a map provided by the water department and picked the manhole cover closest to their goal. Since the city had already begun their renovation project, the entrance was blocked off to the public but it had taken nothing more than jumping over a few barricades to gain entrance. Thankfully, the workmen were in another area of the sewers and hadn’t yet reached the portions that Lazarus was interested in.
Now the entire Assistance Unlimited team and Catalyst were moving beneath City Hall. Up above, the building was churning with activity. It was early afternoon and the movers-and-shakers were busy with meetings and pontification.
The current mayor was Rainsford Byles and he’d proven to be a staunch ally of Lazarus Gray. Unfortunately, he’d grown tired of fighting a seemingly insurmountable battle to clean up Sovereign. As such, he wasn’t seeking reelection. The field had become crowded with challengers since then, with a mysterious figure named Mortimer Quinn slowly positioning himself as the front-runner. Most people in town wondered about his somewhat murky past but Lazarus knew the truth. Quinn had once been a Gravedigger and had operated in Sovereign City not long after the town’s founding. Once Quinn’s time as a Gravedigger was over, he’d found that his extended life had slowly grown boring. Now he was finding new excitement in politics and Lazarus thought it could only be a good thing to have another friend in office.
“I think we’ve found it, my friends.” Catalyst slipped past Lazarus and placed his palm against one of the walls. “I can feel it pulsing away in there.”
Eun regarded the bricks with a wary eye. “Are you going to be able to wave your hand and make the wall disappear? Because otherwise I think we should have brought some heavy equipment with us.”
Catalyst glanced over at Eun and said, “Actually I do plan to make the wall disappear but that doesn’t mean that our work is done. As I said earlier, I imagine that Lowenstein left behind a few surprises.”
Lazarus put a hand on Eun’s shoulder. “Please take up a position near the front, just behind Andre and myself. Samantha and Morgan, I want you to stand near the entrance to the tunnel. If something comes out of there and gets past us, you’re to stop it. Do you understand?”
Morgan nodded though he looked puzzled. “Are you saying you think there might be something alive in there?”
“We’ve seen stranger things.”
“That’s true.” Morgan drew his pistol and took his assigned spot. He offered a smile to Samantha as she did the same. Both of them were using weapons that packed more than the usual ammunition. The bullets were silver-tipped and each had been soaked in holy water for several days. Those were tricks that The Peregrine had passed on to the group and it had paid off on several occasions. If they faced something that was traditional flesh and blood, the bullets did their standard work but if they squared off against something supernatural, the silver and holy water sometimes worked when more mundane things would have failed.
For his part, Lazarus was
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