Merlin's Mantle by Theophilus Monroe

Author:Theophilus Monroe [Theophilus Monroe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Theophilus Monroe
Published: 2024-04-04T00:00:00+00:00

13. Dicks and Daggers

The skyscrapers towered above my truck as I approached the address Alessandro gave me. I reached for my phone, thinking maybe I could call Em and have her listen in. Maybe I could find out if she’d learned more using her violin about what was going on, but another text popped up before I could dial.

Still watching.

Dammit. These creeps were really starting to piss me off. “How the hell are you watching me in my truck?”

We have our methods.

I snorted. “You can hear me too? What the hell?” The Rockwell song “Somebody’s Watching Me” started playing in my head, and I found myself humming the tune. My phone buzzed again.

You’re not as funny as you think you are.

“Alright, you’ve crossed a line,” I said. “Threatening my family is one thing, but insulting my comedic genius? Now it’s personal.” No response. Typical.

The address led to a parking garage, because of course it did. I parked my truck, locked it up, and stepped outside. Immediately, a black van pulled up, and three guys in black robes jumped out, grabbed me, and tossed me inside.

My head throbbed where it smacked into the van wall. Before I could protest, one of the men in the van tied my wrists together with zip-ties. “Really, Alessandro? I came here willingly. Was that necessary?”

But when I looked closer at the robes, the symbol was different from the cultists in the park. It wasn’t the symbol I’d seen tattooed on Alessandro’s wrist. This was two blank twelve-sided dice stuck together, like the kind people use for role-playing games.

For some reason, though, I doubted they’d snagged me for a D&D adventure. Though if there were dungeons or dragons involved, it wouldn’t be the first time.

“You’re not Alessandro,” I said. My heart raced. I’d walked into a trap, and now I was in a van with three strangers wearing creepy robes, cut off from any way to call for help.

The van rumbled to life and started moving. I struggled against the ropes binding my wrists, but I couldn’t get free. All I could do was brace myself for whatever came next and hope I’d find an opening to escape. The dice-worshippers, whoever they were, clearly had sinister plans, and if I couldn’t get away…

Let’s just say I really hoped Em was practicing her violin. That she knew people were watching the house and she’d have a plan to get out of there. I knew Alessandro had people watching the house. What about these people? They were clearly some kind of rival sect of Weavers. But what was their agenda? Alessandro hadn’t given me much reason to trust him. These people were probably worse.

Maybe Alessanrdo was telling the truth. Perhaps protecting Merlin and his destiny was in their interest. Maybe they really needed my help to… stop these people instead.

Whatever the case, there was too much I didn’t know to draw any definitive conclusions regarding my predicament.

One of the robed figures lowered his hood, revealing a face painted with strange symbols and markings.

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