The Second Dark Ages Boxed Set by Michael Anderle

Author:Michael Anderle [Anderle, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2019-08-02T06:00:00+00:00

Three Days Later

Michael took a sip of the drink in his hand as he and Akio sat in the old café looking at the city’s skyline in the evening light. He made a face. “Gahh!” He put down the small cup. “This is making me wish for Starbucks, and that is saying something,” he admitted as he looked around the city block.

Akio just smirked and took a sip of his tea. He had plenty of leaves from Japan with him and had purchased some hot water to steep it in.

Both men flitted their minds from person to person, trying to catch anyone thinking about the Duke. Unfortunately, those thoughts had been pretty sparse. Their best plan wasn’t working worth a damn.

“You would think,” Michael continued, leaving the cup of burnt-bean-flavored water on the table, “that a scary bloodsucking man would have more than absolutely no one worried about him.”

“He has been,” Akio answered, sipping his tea and bringing his thoughts back to Michael, “annoyingly intelligent about his proclivities.”

Michael turned back to Akio. “Damn large words, Akio.”

“Hai, Michael-san. Need me to provide a few words with less syllables?”

Michael pursed his lips. “Good test. I didn’t even consider hurting you at all.” He shrugged. “Since he’s a genocidal megalomaniacal bastard, I thought for sure we would have an easy time finding a hint of where he is.”

Akio stayed quiet.

Michael reached for the cup as he thought and brought it toward his mouth. Stopping mid-lift, his eyes opened in alarm, and he leaned forward to set it down on the far side of the table. “That was too close,” he mumbled. “Thank God for alien-enhanced olfactory senses.” Michael resumed his previous commentary. “Seven syllables, one word. Beat that.”

Akio’s lips pressed together, then he slowly grinned as he shook his head. When he noticed Michael smirking like a mischievous boy across the table from him, he started chuckling. “Can I use Japanese?”

“Hell, no,” Michael responded. “I never learned your language, so you could say something, and I’d never know it wasn’t seven words all strung together.”

“You’re suggesting I would cheat?” Akio raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t get your honor in a twist, Akio,” Michael responded, waving his hand. “I’ve been down that path, and it doesn’t end up in a good place. You need to allow the simple comments to float over you.”

Akio took a sip of his tea. “You happened to find a good woman at the end.”

Michael grunted. “Took a thousand years,” he whispered. His head started tracking to his left and Akio’s head turned to the right as they both caught the thoughts of an older man. He was well dressed and had just roughly pushed another person out of his way as he mumbled under his breath. His mind was a jumble of anger, hostility, and fear.

Both men caught the face that caused the man’s emotions.

Michael stood up and threw a small tip on the table for those who would clean it, and the two stepped out of the café into the darkness.

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