Shadows of New York Read online

  “Um, let’s see. I guess I know enough about fighting wraiths. Frank’s been a big help,” Aiden said, noticing a slight hesitation in Stelo’s pace when he said this.

  “Ah, yes. How is Frank?”

  “Fine. He’s fine.”

  Stelo came to a stop in front of a plant that stood taller than Aiden, its bright red flowers giving it the impression of an overgrown poinsettia. She plucked off one of the red petals and raised it to her face. It disappeared into an unseen mouth. Another petal was taken and held out toward Aiden.

  He raised a hand and said, “No, thank you.”

  With a shrug, Stelo ate the second petal as well. After a moment, she asked, “What do you know of our history?”

  “Not much.” Aiden gave a shrug of his own.

  “It goes back very far. Back to Mira, in fact.”

  The former feeling of anticipation sprang to life as the subject was brought up again. “Can you tell me about her?”

  Stelo paused. Aiden had the feeling that he was being examined closely.

  “I am afraid Edgar is correct,” she said with a hint of sadness in her voice. “It is his place, not mine, to decide upon your education. But allow me to enlighten you regarding my people. Perhaps it will help. Long ago, we traveled about the forests of England—before that place had such a name, in fact—communing with nature and enjoying the peacefulness of the green, growing things that are so dear to our kind. In time, humans came to our lands. However, our attempts to coexist with these beings did not go as well as we’d hoped.” Stelo looked down at the third red petal, which she’d plucked from the plant as she’d talked. She let the petal fall to the stone path.

  “What happened?” Aiden asked.

  “Many things happened. None of them good.”

  Stelo resumed her stroll along the path, Aiden at her side. “After a time, we were forced onto an island just off the southern coast of England.”

  “Wait,” Aiden interrupted. “Isn’t that the Isle of Wight?”

  “Yes,” Stelo answered. “Wight, of course, being another term for ‘wraith.’ There have been many stories over the years of how this island got its name. None of them are correct. You are now one of the few to know the true tale.”

  Aiden nodded.

  “We took to the cliffs,” Stelo continued, “keeping clear of the island’s other inhabitants. We had no wish to commune with them any further.”

  “I can understand that.”

  “Yes. Well. The population of the island grew. We were in danger of being found out, our peaceful lives would be disrupted once more. That is when Father Andrew came to us with a plan.”

  “Wait—Father Who?”

  “Father Andrew, a priest with whom one of our number had become acquainted, unbeknownst to the rest. Imagine our surprise when a human walked into our midst.”

  Stelo was telling the story as if she’d actually been there, but she couldn’t be that old. Could she?

  “Having been told of our plight, Father Andrew proposed that we board a ship—The Dove—that would be stopping at our island on its way from England to the New World. He talked of the great magnitude of this new land, convincing us that there we would have room to roam.”

  “That must have sounded pretty good.”

  “Yes, it sounded perfect. Even though we had to keep to the shadows below deck, we so looked forward to our new home that we were quite happy.” She stopped walking and turned to face Aiden. “Until March 25, 1634.”

  “What happened then?”

  “We landed on St. Clements Island in Maryland.”

  “And that was bad?”

  “Rather than being free to roam, as we’d been promised, we were taken to yet another island. This new Isle of Wight—that of Maryland—became our new ‘home.’ We were confined there for three hundred years.”

  Aiden couldn’t believe this. “Three hundred years? Seriously?”

  “Oh, I am quite serious,” Stelo answered.

  “Why didn’t you just leave? Leave the island and just go?”

  It sounded like Stelo inhaled deeply before continuing. “Wraiths and water do not mix. We cannot rest on its surface as shadows. In our semi-solid form, we sink. We are unable to interact with the water to swim or float. We drown.”

  It never occurred to Aiden that wraiths could drown. He never pictured them as needing to breathe. He let out a quiet “huh” and waited for her to continue.

  “In 1933, a severe hurricane hit the coast of Maryland, opening up what is known as the Ocean City Inlet. This changed the water level surrounding our island, uncovering a narrow strip of marsh connecting the isle to the mainland.”

  “And you guys were finally able to take off?” Aiden asked.

  “Alas, no. Before we could even begin to make plans for our freedom, representatives from the newly formed Imagine Nation came to us. They told us that we had been designated as a protected magical species. They then escorted us to our new ‘sanctuary.’”

  “North Brother Island,” Aiden surmised.

  “Oh, not quite yet. No, we had quite a long journey ahead of us before we could settle here.”

  “Where did they take you?”

  “To Alcatraz Island.”

  “No,” Aiden said in disbelief. “They couldn’t have sent you to Alcatraz. That place had some of the worst, most violent criminals imprisoned there.”

  “That is, indeed, where we were forced to live,” Stelo said. “The conditions were beyond horrible. We witnessed things there that no creature, Real or Imaginary, should ever have to endure.”

  There was silence for a minute or two. Aiden finally broke it by gently asking, “But you got off of Alcatraz, right? I mean, you’re here now.”

  “Yes. When the penitentiary on the island closed in 1963, we were brought here, to North Brother. It was a considerable improvement. No longer forced to witness the horrors of prison life, no longer separated from the green growing things that we love, we at last found some measure of peace.”

  “But you still weren’t free,” Aiden observed.

  “No, we are still not free. The wraiths have not been free for centuries.”

  “That’s an awful long time for bad feelings to build up,” Aiden said in what he hoped was a sympathetic tone.

  “And that brings us to Markus,” said Stelo as she walked toward the center of the garden and sat on one of the stone benches.

  Aiden sat across from her and nodded. He finally knew what he had to ask. “I can understand the resentment, the anger he must feel, but why is he doing this?”

  Stelo shook her head and said, “I can speculate, but it would be little more than an educated guess. He’s doing it, somehow, for us.”

  “So,” said Aiden, letting the pieces of the puzzle sort themselves out in his head as he spoke, “he’s trying to…” The puzzle remained unfinished.

  “Find some way to lead us off this island,” said Stelo, reaching Aiden’s elusive conclusion for him. “If he’s found some way to absorb other creatures’ powers, I believe he is trying to strengthen himself to a point where he can overcome any opposition.”

  “That’s interesting and all, but I don’t see how it helps me much.”

  Stelo sounded a bit disappointed as she said, “No? I thought you were different from the others. I thought you would see that understanding your opponent would bring you closer to stopping him. And by stopping him, I believe you may be able to save him. At least, that is my fervent hope.”

  Aiden thought this over. Sure, it sounded like Mr. Midnight was on a noble crusade, but he was going about it all wrong. If he hadn’t attacked two of his friends, and possibly corrupted a third, Aiden might be more sympathetic. With Larry in mind, he asked, “Would he work with a partner?”

  There was a pause before Stelo answered, “He is a prideful one, Markus. It would have to be his equal, something ancient and powerful. Or, perhaps something weak he could dominate.”

  * * * *

&n
bsp; “So, learn anything good?” asked Siegfried as he piloted them away from the island. He hadn’t asked any questions before this due to the wraith escort back to their boat.

  Aiden stared down at his pants, soaking wet up to the knee. The tide had shifted while they were speaking with Queen Stelo, forcing them to wade out into the river several feet to reach the boat. The thought of all the bacteria from the dirty river clinging to his legs caused him to shiver. He’d stand up to creatures many times his size, but the ones he couldn’t see freaked him out the most. When he got back home, he’d take an immediate shower and wash his jeans. Twice.

  “I’m not sure,” said Aiden. Granted, he had learned quite a lot, but he wasn’t sure how much of it would be useful. “I think I know why Mr. Midnight is doing what he’s doing, but I still don’t understand how I’m supposed to stop him.” He gave a brief synopsis of his conversation with Stelo, ending with her theory about the reason for the attacks.

  “Hmph,” Siegfried grunted.

  “So…” said Aiden after a minute of silence, “when do I get to hear the Mira story?”

  “When I think you’re ready.”

  It would be no use arguing the point with Siegfried. Aiden could tell that his mind was set on this matter. Both men went silent, lost in thought as the boat sped across the river.

  Chapter Eleven

  The Next Level

  “Aiden, wake up!”

  “Whazzuh?” Aiden mumbled. He wasn’t a morning person, Josh had noticed.

  “Wake up, I need to talk to you!”

  Aiden rubbed his eyes, sat up, and gave a huge yawn. He looked at Josh as if surprised to see him there. “Oh! Josh? What are you doing in here?”

  “I just woke you up, duh!” Josh was frustrated at how long the process was taking.

  “Manners, dude,” Aiden reminded him, sounding like a cooler version of his mom.

  “Sorry, it’s just that this is super important.”

  “I think I might need a cup of coffee for this conversa—”

  “Forget the coffee,” Josh interrupted. “Just listen, okay? It’s about Larry.”

  Aiden suddenly looked wide awake, even without caffeine. “What about him?”

  “Well, this morning, I was thinking about the video game, you know, Monster Mashers?”

  “Yeah?”

  “And, well, I thought maybe if I put in some cheat codes, I could unlock some hidden levels. You know, maybe learn something new about Mr. Midnight that way.”

  “Yeah?” Aiden repeated.

  “So I searched online for Monster Mashers cheat codes.”

  “Did you find any?”

  “No.”

  “Oh.” Aiden looked disappointed.

  “But I did find this.” He handed a slip of paper to Aiden. On it was written “Crystal Fanny Rap.”

  “And this is?” Aiden asked, looking skeptical and suppressing a smile.

  “That’s the company that developed the software for the game.”

  “Wait,” Aiden sounded confused. “I thought it was a SuperStar game.”

  “That’s the publisher. This other company developed the game. You know, designed it, wrote the software, all that stuff.”

  “So?”

  “Look at it again. And keep in mind that the company is based in Romania.”

  Aiden stared at the paper, squinting in concentration. After a good thirty seconds, he shrugged. “I still don’t get it.”

  “Try rearranging the letters in your head.”

  It took no more than a quick glance at the paper, and suddenly everything clicked into place for Aiden. Josh could see the moment of revelation on his face.

  “It’s an anagram,” said Aiden.

  “A what?”

  “An anagram. When letters are rearranged to spell something different. This company is an anagram of ‘Larry Fancypants.’”

  “Yeah, I figured that out. I just didn’t know there was a word for it.”

  “Get dressed.” Aiden’s voice was serious. “We have to go see Siegfried.”

  “Now?” Josh asked, surprised.

  “Yes.” Aiden hopped out of bed. “Right now.” He grabbed a pair of jeans from the dresser and headed for his bathroom.

  Halfway there, he stopped dead in his tracks when Josh said, “And I found out more about Mira.”

  Aiden turned very slowly and said, “Oh, yeah? So, uh, find anything interesting?”

  Sitting down at the foot of Aiden’s bed and holding up the book he had been toting around all morning, just waiting for it to be late enough to wake him up, Josh said, “Nick let me borrow the game and this guide that he bought. It mostly tells about the levels and the best strategies to get through them, but there’s also a chapter about the bosses. Their history, favorite foods, things like that. There’s nothing about Lord Wallachia or his wraith—which is kind of weird, if you ask me—but there’s a section about Mira.”

  There were several quiet seconds before Aiden asked, “Is it long?”

  “No, not really.”

  “Okay, read it to me while I get ready.”

  Josh cleared his throat and began reading. “'Once a generation, the spirit of Mira is born into a human female. Werewolves are not immortal, but the soul of Mira lives on indefinitely through this rebirth. During each full moon, Mira turns a human male into a werewolf. Like all werewolves, she smells like a dog when wet. Since she doesn't care about blending into human society, she relies solely on her animalistic instincts. This means she only eats raw meat and refuses to use a litter box.'“

  Aiden's head, toothbrush sticking out of his mouth, appeared around the door. “That's it? There's nothing in there about why Mira turns people into werewolves?”

  Josh flipped through the book quickly, but it was just for show. He had already searched for that very topic. “Nope. Nothing. Leaving that for Monster Mashers 2, maybe?”

  Aiden grunted. “Maybe.” He disappeared behind the door again and said, “Go finish getting ready.”

  Five minutes later, Josh walked into the kitchen to find Aiden pouring coffee into a travel mug and Mrs. F-G staring in confusion into the pantry.

  “Ready?” Aiden asked. Josh nodded.

  “But you haven’t had breakfast yet,” Mrs. F-G said to Aiden in alarm. She knew that Josh had already eaten, as she’d given him a bowl of mushy oatmeal a while ago. The stuff had been tough to choke down, even with all the brown sugar he mixed in, but he’d managed it. Josh didn’t want to make Mrs. F-G feel any worse than she already did.

  “Coffee’s fine for now,” Aiden answered. “Don’t worry about it, Ann.” She nodded and went back to studying the pantry.

  Josh followed Aiden to the foyer. Aiden started to reach for the door, then turned to Josh and asked, “Did you ask your mom?”

  “Ask me what?” Josh’s mom said as she came in from the dining room, Jackson on her hip.

  “Oops,” Josh said. “I guess I forgot. Sorry, Mom.”

  “It’s okay, Joshua, but what did you want to ask me?”

  “Um, can I please go to Staffing Solutions with Aiden?”

  “Another meeting?” she asked Aiden. “You’ve had a lot of those lately.”

  “Yeah, I’m helping out with a special project that they’re working on,” Aiden explained. “Don’t worry, though. It won’t affect my work here.”

  “I’m sure it won’t,” she said with a smile. “But are you sure it’s okay for Joshua to go with you? He won’t be in the way?”

  “Nope, not at all. In fact, I think he'll be a big help.”

  “Well, all right, then. Have fun, you two!”

  They said goodbye and hurried out the door.

  * * * *

  As they walked toward the Staffing Solutions entrance, two guys were coming out. Josh noticed that Aiden did a double take when he saw them. It was a natural reaction, given their clothes. One looked normal. Well, normal for the 1940s, maybe. His dark blue suit and matching fedora made him look lik
e a detective from one of those old movies Josh’s dad liked to watch. The other guy looked more appropriate for the 1640s. His outfit would best be described as a bright red robe cinched in at the waist with a rope belt laden with a number of leather pouches.

  “Hey, Underhill,” said Aiden with a grin. “You get a new partner?”

  The 1640s guy, the one named Underhill, took a step forward. He didn’t match Aiden’s grin with one of his own. He nodded and said, “Yeah. Bruce Nichols, this is—” There was a brief pause. When he spoke again, his voice had dropped an octave or so, giving the words special significance. “—Aiden Lynch.”

  Nichols’s face, already looking a bit grim, became even more so, his reaction confirming Josh’s speculation that they knew something about Aiden that he didn’t. And, judging by the confused surprise on Aiden’s face, he was in the dark as well. Nichols extended a hand and mumbled, “Good to meet you, Lynch.”

  A silence settled over the scene, interrupted only by the occasional honking car from the streets around them.

  “So, um,” said Josh, trying to come up with anything to say to break the quiet. There was, after all, only one topic he could think of that he might have in common with strangers from the Imaginary World. Plus, Nichols’s detective outfit and the use of the word “partner” made Josh think that maybe they were Imaginary police. “So are you two working the Mr. Midnight case?”

  For a brief second, Underhill’s eyes bulged out and his mouth made a large, perfect circle. When he recovered himself, he said with narrowed eyes, “What do you know about the case?”

  “Josh here has helped uncover a few facts,” explained Aiden. “And his housekeeper is one of the victims.”

  Underhill nodded. “Yes, Josh, we’re working the case. We’re not making a whole lot of progress, but we’re working it.”

  “And we should get back to it,” said Nichols.

  “Right,” agreed Underhill.

  Handshakes were exchanged, but not with Josh, who wasn’t old enough to be part of the handshake club yet. Recalling his manners so that Aiden wouldn’t have to scold him, Josh said, “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Underhill. And Mr. Nichols.”

  “Mr. Parker,” corrected Underhill. “The name’s Underhill Parker.”