Snakes and Shadows Read online

  “You came to us for a reason,” Amelia reminded him gently. “We can help, Agent Crenel. Just tell us what to do.”

  Crenel’s eyes darted around the room again. “They’re planning to summon a vampire. If they pull it off?” He lifted his hand and clicked his fingers. “Boom. They’re done. Domestic terrorism charges, conspiracy, you name it.”

  “Well, shit.” Cisco leaned back, gently thumping the table. “I’m assuming you think we can prevent that?”

  Crenel shrugged. “Maybe. Either talk them down or kill whatever they summon before it can do any damage.” Crenel’s eyes dropped. “I don’t know how much good it’ll do, but it might gain them some leeway.”

  “How do we find them?” Penny asked. “I’m guessing they won’t be meeting at Mark’s any time soon.”

  Crenel appraised her. “So that’s it? You’ll do it, no hesitation?”

  Bewildered, Penny looked at Cisco and Amelia. “Well, duh! These kids are under a freaking Cupid spell! We’re not going to say no.” The other two responded with silence, and Penny’s resolve faltered. “Are we?”

  “What?” Amelia jumped. “No! I was just wondering if a crossbow is better for vampire-slaying, or hand stakes. I mean, you can’t sneak a crossbow into a nightclub.”

  Cisco shook his head. “Look, I really won’t feel comfortable unless we take even the smallest sized flamethrower the Academy has. You know, the little ones that fit in your hand?” He chewed his lip. “Stakes, holy-water bombs, and maybe some general weapons, just in case they pull something else at the last minute.”

  Their matter-of-fact acceptance of the situation brought the sting back to Penny’s eyes. These are good people, she realized. Really, honestly, good people. They’d go anywhere for me. Can I truly throw that away?

  Aloud, she asked, “What about Red?”

  “Oh, he’ll love this!” Amelia clapped her hands. “You know, every time we do something dangerous together, when we get back to the dorms, he—“

  “Stop!” Cisco clapped his hands over his ears. “He’s my roommate. I already hear too much.”

  “Wow, Amelia, that boy of yours is toe-ier than a Roman sandal.” Penny ignored the puzzlement that crossed Crenel’s face. “So? Where are they?”

  Crenel laughed, shaking his head. “I’ll be in touch as soon as we know, kid.” He stood but paused before leaving. “You know, you folks have a good thing going here. It’ll be a real shame to see it end.”

  Just like that, Penny’s mood popped like a balloon.

  Amelia reached out and rubbed her arm. “It’s ok, hon. We’ll make the best of it while we can, right?”

  Penny had to clear her throat before answering. “Yeah. While we can.”

  Penny didn’t catch up with Cisco until after their afternoon class. She chased after him in the hall, grabbing his elbow just before he disappeared around a corner. “Can we talk?”

  He nodded. “Library?”

  They walked there together, Penny itching with impatience under the silence. They found the library deserted, much to her relief.

  Cisco sank back into a plush corner chair and gestured to the leather bench next to it.

  Penny sat, leaving room for Boots to pull herself up onto the chair beside her a moment later.

  Penny took a deep breath. “Cisco, I’m sorry I—”

  Cisco spoke at the same time. “Penny, you know you don’t owe me an—“

  Penny laughed self-consciously. “Look, I’m sorry.” She held up a hand to forestall his objection. “I know you don’t need me to say it, but I’m going to anyway. I’m sorry.” She looked down into her lap and fondled Boots’ head, waiting for his response.

  Cisco leaned forward and took her hand. “Penny, I know Boots has to come first. Those protestors? They scared me as much as they did you. I don’t blame you for not wanting to stay.”

  Boots raised her head. Her beady black eyes stared right into Penny’s soul. A forked tongue flicked out and Boots reached her head up to nudge Penny’s cheek, pushing her head up so that Penny faced Cisco.

  Cheeky shit. Penny gave the serpent one last daggered glance before reluctantly raising her eyes to meet Cisco’s.

  “I don’t want to leave,” she admitted. “But I don’t know how to make it work if I stay.”

  “Maybe you don’t.” Cisco pulled back, dropping her hand. He smiled, though, a kind grin that made his eyes sparkle. “But with me, Amelia and Red on the case? We can totally figure this out!”

  “It’s not that easy. There’s so much stuff, Cisco.” Penny’s face dropped. “The laws here are changing so much faster than back home. That law that passed? It means Boots is at risk. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to her here.”

  Boots roiled, raising her head to hiss angrily. Startled, Penny jerked back. “Woah, buddy. What’s up your nose?”

  Boots responded by rolling herself off the leather bench seat and up onto Cisco’s lap. She nuzzled his chin, one sly eye on Penny as she did so.

  Penny scowled. “Hey, it’s you I’m trying to protect, fang-face. Behave, or I’ll change my mind and make a nice pair of shoes out of you instead.”

  Cisco barked a laugh, quickly masked by a cough when Boots pulled back to glare at him. “That was how she got her name?”

  Penny nodded warily. “She’s a pain in the ass, really. Obstinate, foolhardy, and downright mean sometimes.” She reached over to tweak the scaled tail still draped over the edge of her chair. Boots flicked it away hurriedly, burying her head in Cisco's neck in an all-too-obvious sign of manipulative affection. “But I still love her, even when she’s acting like a complete drongo.”

  “Ah.” Cisco carefully dislodged Boots from his neck, where she’d pushed all the way around to give Penny a haughty glare from his other shoulder. “Far be it from me to come between a girl and her snake. I don’t want to get bitten—by either of you.”

  I’d only bite if you asked. Penny snapped her jaw shut, thankful the errant thought hadn’t slipped out. Where the hell did that come from?

  She stood with a nervous laugh. “I really have to go. I haven’t finished my Folklore homework, and Craster’s insisting it be done by tomorrow. See you around?”

  Cisco leaned back and flashed her an easy grin. “Sure. See you around.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Days passed. The end of the first semester drew closer with each passing moment, as did the end of the year. Knots of anxiety clenched in Penny’s gut each time she thought of Felicity and her friends.

  She checked in with Agent Crenel daily. “They’ve gone underground,” was all he could tell her. “As soon as I know something, I’ll tell you.” Still, he never disclosed even a hint of weariness at her questions; rather, his face etched deeper with worry with each passing day.

  Penny blinked and shook her head, trying to bring her focus back to the fat textbook before her. The freshly-printed anthology of American Modern Myths had only arrived the week before, and Craster had allowed them this lesson to study for the upcoming exam.

  The Mothman is, rather than a malicious entity in itself, a harbinger of news. It appears only when—

  A rustle nearby pulled her attention away again, and she looked up to see Cisco thrusting a thin stack of papers at her.

  “You forgot to pick yours up this morning,” he explained sheepishly.

  Penny scowled. The dean had called a meeting before classes to explain the new merger with the FBI. “It won’t mean a great deal of difference for you yet,” she explained. “But the paperwork you all signed on enrollment is unfortunately now void. Please return the new forms by the end of this semester.” Her eyes had brushed over Penny as she spoke.

  Penny hadn’t grabbed a copy, and apparently, Cisco had noticed. Of course, he had. She shook her head, refusing, but Boots coolly slid up to gently take them in her mouth, then dropped them on the textbook.

  Penny bared her teeth at the serpent and stuffed the papers in the
back of her folder, ignoring Cisco’s victorious smirk.

  “Remember, students, chapters twelve through twenty-five will be our focus for the exam.” A chorus of groans met Professor Craster’s announcement. “The book is fascinating and thus easy to read for pure enjoyment, but I would advise you to pay particular attention to read those sections before the end of term.”

  “So enjoyable,” Kathy groused. She flipped a page with an exaggerated sigh.

  Heddy raised her hand. “Professor, is the exam content focused more on the evolution of the older myths, or the discovery and interpretations of—“

  A knock at the door cut Heddy off as the professor hurried to open it.

  Crenel stepped inside, eyes quickly alighting on Penny. “Morning, Jim. I’m afraid I need to borrow Penny for a moment.”

  Craster nodded at Penny, who had already shoved her book and notebook into her bag. Rather than wait for Boots to make her way into her knapsack, she gestured for the snake to follow as she trotted to the door. It was only ten minutes until the end of class. Crenel would have waited if his summons wasn’t time-sensitive.

  Crenel led her to an office on the lower floor, a tiny study tucked away from the main passages of the school. Penny perched on the desk, Boots wrapped protectively over her shoulders while Crenel paced. The snake could taste Penny’s anxiety.

  “I haven’t been entirely honest with you,” Crenel started. He stopped and looked at her, then glanced away and started pacing again. “We’ve had an agent on the kids’ tail for the last two weeks. She was trying to infiltrate the organization and get some information on what the East Coast team was planning.”

  “And?” Penny didn’t chastise him for his silence. She knew that no matter how much she cared, he would always put his country first.

  “She’s gone silent.” Crenel turned back to her, his eyes bright with worry. “We haven’t heard from her in three days.”

  “Why are you pulling me in now?” Penny gripped Boots’ tail, squeezing it. The snake didn’t mind. She flicked her tongue at Penny’s neck and squeezed tighter, the sensation a steady grip in a tumultuous sea of emotion. He must know something, or I wouldn’t be here now.

  Crenel dug in his pocket and took out his phone. He tapped the screen, the glow reflecting on his face as he opened a new, darker screen. He passed it to Penny.

  It was a text, an unsaved number with no prior history. It showed the current date at the top and a timestamp of only a half-hour earlier.

  An image of a satellite shot was attached. It looked like an industrial park. Below it, a message read, Red door 3 from end. send the kids, not the guns.

  Penny handed the phone back. “Your missing agent?” she guessed.

  Crenel nodded. “No one else knows. I wanted to let you in first.”

  “So, where is it?” Penny asked impatiently. “Let’s go!”

  Crenel shook his head. “Kid, number one rule: never rush into a situation unprepared.”

  Penny frowned. “I thought the number one rule was ‘always trust your team?’”

  Crenel smirked. “I’m glad you’re paying attention to my lessons.”

  Penny slid off the desk. “Your advice has been noted. I’ll assemble my team, and we’ll prepare.”

  For the first time in weeks, a genuine smile creased the face of the aging agent. “Your briefing is in twenty minutes.”

  “I don’t understand why we can’t tell the dean,” Amelia said for the third time as she pulled her belt tight. “I mean, maybe she can help?”

  Penny shook her head. “Crenel is already treading the line between right and ‘sanctioned.’ He’d get his ass kicked if he brought her in.” She blew out an anxious breath. “Where the hell are the boys?”

  Right on cue, the dorm room door flew open. Cisco shuffled in dragging a duffle bag, Red behind him.

  “I told you, get another bag,” Red insisted. “That big lump of weaponry will have every damn eye in the city on us if you insist on dragging it with us.”

  “Red’s right.” Amelia hustled the boys inside and closed the door behind her. “What do you have in there?”

  Cisco grinned, sheepishly. “Everything. Damn near it, anyway.”

  He hefted the bag onto Penny’s bed and tipped it over. Out spilled two crossbows, a sword, three rolls of vampire stakes, two small flamethrowers, the hand of glory, a gold pocket watch, and an assortment of blades and guns.

  “You’re kidding, right?” Penny perched on the edge of the bed. “We can’t carry all that!”

  Cisco raised his hands in defeat. “Fine! Who cares that I spent all afternoon signing this stuff out?”

  With some arguing—Red insisted on taking the sword despite the others voting against it three to one—they soon had the weapons pared down to what they could hide on their bodies, one crossbow, and the vampire kits.

  The staff was a sticking point. “We can’t hide it,” Penny pointed out. “It’s big and awkward, and a pain in the ass to carry. If we lose it…”

  Cisco groaned. “You’re right.” He moved it to one side. “It’s too big. And so is that sword, Red. I really don’t see why we need it.”

  Red tossed the Arthurian legend on the bed in disgust. “And what if it’s not vampires, hey? Those eejits could be bringing all kinds of Mythers over!”

  “Fine!” Penny threw her hands up in defeat. “Take the damn sword, but don’t let anyone see it, and don’t stab yourself!”

  Red grinned and quickly belted on the leather sheath. “Aye, that’s what a real man feels like.” He swaggered across the room, almost clipping Boots on the head with the wrapped blade.

  “Kill me now,” Amelia moaned. “You know he thinks he’s actually King Arthur when he’s wearing that thing?”

  “Are we ready?” Cisco asked.

  “Just one more thing.” Penny reached under her pillow and drew out the gift Crenel had left with her at the briefing. The lead arrow looked plain compared to its silver counterpart, but in her opinion, it was even more valuable. It was Felicity's ticket to freedom.

  Amelia shook her head in wonder. “Who knew Cupid had two arrows?”

  “Wikipedia,” Red shot back. He grinned. “I looked it up earlier. It makes sense, though. What if he stuck himself with that silver one and fell in love with a hairy linebacker? He’d want a way to reverse the spell, wouldn’t he?”

  The four students filed out, Cisco carrying the bag over his shoulder, Penny with the arrow tucked in her belt. She turned to say farewell to Boots.

  “I’m sorry we can’t take you, dear.” Boots hissed angrily and jabbed her tail toward the backpack Penny used to carry her around.

  Penny shook her head. “Not this time. It’s too dangerous.”

  Boots hissed again, then yanked the bag down.

  “No!” Penny stood back, hands on hips. “Absolutely not.”

  Boots tightened her grip on the bag and awkwardly made her way to the door. She gave a sideways hiss at Penny on her way past.

  “Boots!” Penny grabbed at the serpent’s tail, only to be rewarded with an angry snap.

  “She’s as stubborn as you are, Penn.” Amelia squatted to take the bag from Boots, then held it open for her to climb in. “Either she comes with us and we keep an eye on her, or she sneaks after us and gets into trouble on her own.” With Boots safely inside, Amelia hoisted the bag over her shoulder. “Which would you prefer?”

  “Remind me never to let you babysit my kids.” Penny didn’t offer to take the bag. Let Amelia deal with a sore back for a change, you heavy beast of a snake.

  The team made their way downstairs, only for Cisco to freeze at the bottom. Penny pushed forward to see Dean March standing at the door. She gave a tight smile and opened it for them.

  “Out for a stroll?” she asked primly.

  “Uhh, yeah.” Red tipped an imaginary hat. “Some fresh air, you know?“

  “We’re working on our Items Acquisitions assessment,” Cisco added. “I’ve got pe
rmits for everything, I swear.”

  The dean nodded her head. “I know.”

  The four students exited the door under her piercing gaze. Penny stepped through last and looked up to see the dean’s hand outstretched toward her. Dean March faltered.

  “Good luck, Penny.” She smiled, this time something real and heartfelt, if small. “I hope you can save her.”

  “You knew?” Penny asked in disbelief.

  Dean March nodded. “My husband is a good man—and a good agent. He’s terrible at keeping secrets, though.”

  The door shut before Penny had time to pick her jaw up off the ground.

  “Husband?” Penny whispered. “Well, stone the flaming crows.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Red crouched by the warehouse door. “Got it yet?”

  “Shh!” Amelia twisted the lock pick one last time. “Got it.”

  “How do you know how to do that, anyway?” Penny asked.

  Amelia winked but didn’t answer. Instead, she turned to glare at Cisco. “I told you the Hand of Glory would be useless. There are probably a million locked doors in this place!”

  Cisco pulled a face, then quietly slipped inside the building. Penny followed, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the low light.

  Amelia waited for Red to pass, then let the door shut behind her.

  The dim light was extinguished, leaving them in darkness.

  “You were saying?” Cisco murmured.

  Penny snapped her flashlight on. “Come on.”

  The narrow shaft of light illuminated an empty warehouse. Penny’s stomach sank as she looked around.

  “There!” Cisco nudged her, his own light pointing toward a door at the back.

  Penny adjusted the backpack. She hadn’t been able to resist Boots' apologetic head-butt as they’d climbed out of the car. Now, Boots watched over Penny’s shoulder as they advanced toward the door.