Avenger: A Halflings Novel Part 2

From far down the street, music drifted toward them. "You bring out the worst in me, Raven."

He took a step, bringing them closer. "I bring out the best in you, Nikki. Always have. Get used to it."

No thanks. But the words caught in her throat. "Come on, let's go vandalize the museum."

Raven followed close behind as she left the alley. They stepped out onto the street, and no one seemed curious why the two teenagers had just come from an alley leading nowhere. When they paused to wait for the street light, Raven slid his hand into hers. The light changed and he prodded her, but she stayed unmoving, staring at their interlocked fingers.

"Don't flatter yourself," Raven said, but there was a hint of playfulness in his tone. "I just want to keep you close."

For a moment, she felt foolish. Given their history, the foolishness melted quickly and was followed by a cold dose of reality. Raven had taken advantage of every opportunity to woo her. "Sorry. I didn't realize you just wanted to keep me close. I thought the hand holding was a pitiful last attempt to romance me."

Raven stopped cold and turned into her. "No." His face was so close, she could feel every brush of his breath as he exhaled. "If I wanted to romance you, I'd have done this." He took her by both arms and spun her around. His fingers trailed along her neckline and drew the long strands of her hair over her shoulder. Hot breath, then a kiss against the back of her neck. Then he spun her back around to face him, looking at her with the same serious look as before.

Nikki's lungs shrank and wouldn't accept the oxygen she willed into her being.

"Try not to confuse the two. It's humiliating. For you."

She nodded.

"If you're done messing around, we need to get moving." He placed his hand around hers once more, and after a tug to prod her the two ran until they reached the giant doorway leading into the museum. After judging the distance, Raven grabbed her, snapped his wings open, and leapt, shooting straight up. It happened so quickly, she wondered if the people sitting at the dimly lit cafe across the street even noticed. Or if they did, they likely thought their minds were playing tricks after seeing teenagers, loitering in a doorway, then a flash of white, then nothing.

Even she still had trouble processing it.

They landed on the museum near a rooftop window. Raven tried to open it but it was welded shut.

"Can't you leap inside? The building is big enough, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't know what kind of security system they have. If it's movement, we could set off an alarm." He pointed to a metal door in one corner of the rooftop. "Stairwell. My guess would be the alarm systems are set up to trigger on the individual floors. I think if we stick to the stairs we'll be okay."

"Then why did you try the window?"

Raven paused when he reached the door. "Are you going to ask this many questions all night? It's getting on my nerves."

Nikki looked down at the padlock and chain securing the door. She heaved a breath. "What now?"

Raven considered the handle for a few seconds then grasped the thing and ripped it from the door. The chain and padlock fell to the ground. Nikki's jaw dropped with them.

"You just ripped a metal door open," she squealed. Her hands fell onto his shoulders and she shook him. "Raven! Did you see what you did? You ripped apart metal."

His head bobbed as she shook him. There was no mistaking the smile spreading across his face. Maybe Raven had surprised himself too.

The levity didn't last long. He reached through the hole in the door and swung it open. "Get inside," he ordered.

The stairwell was dark, but as she'd learned from being in Zero's tunnels what now felt like a lifetime ago, she could see in the dark. Nothing for a Halfling.

"The entrance is in the bas.e.m.e.nt, so I'm hoping this stairwell will take us that far. If not, we'll have to cross one of the floors to get to the front stairs. That's where I've gone in before."

"Do you think they're all okay, Raven?"

He stopped mid-step and turned to her. "You really need to put your energy into staying alive, Nikki. The other Halflings can take care of themselves." When she continued to stare at him, he softened, but only slightly. "Look, they know what they're up against now."

She searched his eyes for the lie, but couldn't find it. "You really think this worked, don't you? You think they're all right."

"Yeah. I wouldn't have left with you if I didn't."

She forced a smile. "I hope you're right."

He winked. "Count on it, baby. I'm always right."

Nikki rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand to tug him down another flight of stairs. Finally, the Raven I know how to deal with.

"When we get to the bottom, the stairway narrows. And it's kind of creepy. Don't go too fast, and stay close. I won't let any rabid Parisian rats nest in your hair or anything."

"I hope it doesn't narrow too much," Nikki said.

"Why? Scared of enclosed s.p.a.ces?"

She blinked innocently. "No, I'm just afraid your ego might not fit."

The tunnel into the Paris underground was indeed tight, indeed creepy, and indeed a place Nikki was glad to be out of. The instant they stepped into a larger s.p.a.ce she began the ritual of combing imaginary spiders from her hair. The combing was especially vigorous since there was a good chance they weren't all imaginary. She'd rested her hand against the tunnel wall at one spot, and when it quivered beneath her touch, she screamed. Raven clamped a hand over her mouth to quell the sound. "It's just a spider."

Just a spider. As if that somehow made it better.

"I thought you were tough," he scoffed.

"I don't like spiders."

He pointed to her foot. "How do you feel about centipedes?"

She practically sucked in all the air from the room, but before she could shriek Raven's hand was over her mouth, once again m.u.f.fling the sound.

"You're really good with the whole inconspicuous thing."

The centipede continued his trek toward the tunnel wall. "Inconspicuous?" She motioned around her. "Who's gonna hear?"

"I would." The small voice came from behind them and Nikki jumped. "Sorry," the shadow said.

Nikki thought maybe the narrow tunnel they'd left wasn't so bad after all. She could see, but the voice came from a s.p.a.ce she couldn't penetrate, and a stranger was certainly worse than some bug. Even if he was polite. Looking closer, she realized the shadow was a rock wall and the voice came from behind it. A small hand slid out from the rock and waved. "Hi. I'm Dane."

Raven's brows rode high on his head. He shrugged at Nikki then addressed the hand that now clung to the edge of the rock. "Hi, Dane. Is there a body attached to that hand?"

From about four feet off the ground, a small head appeared slowly from behind the stone. Brown hair, then large brown eyes framed by gla.s.ses, then a small nose. He stayed positioned like that, staring at them as if deciding whether to engage in a conversation or run to find authorities. He couldn't be more than ten years old, and the strong French accent seemed odd coming from such a small boy. Finally, a bow-shaped mouth appeared, teeth chewing one side in apparent nervousness. "So, how'd you find my hideout?"

"Your hideout?" Raven repeated slowly.

"Yeah." Dane's eyes filled with confidence. "This is my hideout. This room here. I discovered it a year ago and it's all mine. No one else comes down here, and no strangers are allowed. There's nothing to see. Just my toys and stuff. So just go back out the way you came in."

Raven crossed his arms. "Look, kid, I don't have time for this. I'm looking for someone. Greta. Does she still use the tunnels?"

Greta? Nikki cut a look to Raven.

Dane, still mostly hidden behind his rock, laughed. "I don't know what you mean. This is just one room, one way in and out, so however you got down here, you need to leave the same way."

"If you're going to be the self-proclaimed tunnel guard, you probably shouldn't tell people there's one way in and out, then tell them to leave however they got in."

Dane's eyes grew troubled. Black-rimmed frames slid down his nose a bit. "Greta's been gone awhile. Oh, my brother will know how to help you. He knows everything."

The boy materialized, all four feet of him. He ran to Raven and grabbed his hand. "Come on. I'll take you to him. He knows everybody. He knows everything about the tunnels."

"Idolize much?" Raven mumbled, then threw a pleading look to Nikki. He tried to pull away from the kid, but Dane would have none of it. By the looks of his small hand navigating Raven's larger one, he was used to leading unwilling people.

The boy walked them through a series of s.p.a.ces that could be considered rooms, each containing walls of some unknown material. It could be concrete, or maybe very smooth rock, or even dirt rubbed slick from years of wear. Nikki fought the urge to reach out and touch. Whatever the rooms were made of, they were a spider's heaven, no doubt. She ran her hands over her hair again ... just to make sure.

"Do people actually live down here?" she whispered to Raven, hoping his new appendage wouldn't hear.

"Some," Raven said.

Nikki shuddered and couldn't imagine calling this home. She needed sunlight, fresh air, trees. Then they crossed a larger s.p.a.ce littered with people, and a woman reached to lift a child into her arms. Pain pierced Nikki's heart. Home was where your family dwelt. Underground or otherwise. At least Dane had a home; she couldn't say the same anymore. "They don't have a choice, do they?"

Raven stopped to look at her, the bespectacled boy dangling at the end of his arm. "Most of them don't," he said in a whisper. "A few are fugitives, others are homeless. None of them want to be found. It's kind of a separate city down here. Believe it or not, they all watch out for each other."

Nikki's eyes found Dane, and for the briefest of moments she saw him homeless on the streets of Paris. A bubble of emotion rose to her throat. She dropped to her haunches and reached out to grab the boy and hug him. "Thank you so much for your help, Dane."

Statue still, he stared straight ahead. One side of Dane's face slowly broke into a lopsided smile when Nikki released him and stood up.

Finally free of the boy, Raven sank his hands deep into his pockets.

Dane blinked a few times, gauged Nikki with an unsure look, and reached to drag Raven's hand from the safety of his jeans.

Raven swatted at him with his other hand, but Dane wouldn't be deterred. He grasped Raven's wrist with all his fingers and tugged until the cloaked fist was free and back in his grip.

"We're almost there. My brother hangs out at the Cave."

The Cave, Nikki learned, was a dimly lit room that appeared to serve as a gathering place for anyone over sixteen. Several people mingled at a handful of tables, and some stood among a few pieces of inspired artwork - mostly chunks of s.h.i.+ning metal twisted into abstract designs. She searched the s.p.a.ce for a friendly face but found none. One table of girls stopped talking to turn around and glare at them. A man traversed the room walking so close that when he pa.s.sed she was almost knocked down even though she stepped aside. None of it fazed Dane. But Nikki felt like she'd just stepped into a private party where she not only wasn't invited, she certainly wasn't welcome.

Old movie posters dotted the walls, and music - a style she'd never heard before - filled the air, giving the place its own alternative vibe.

"I'm liking the tunes," Raven said to her as Dane dragged them toward a table of tough-looking guys in the corner.

"It's different. If Lenny Kravitz married Alanis Morissette, this is what their offspring would sound like."

Raven laughed.

A guy with short hair and big muscles-highlighted by the tight white tank top he wore - stood from the table and stepped out. "Yo, Great Dane. What're you doing here?" His voice was gruff, and Nikki began to think following Dane was a mistake.

Dane released Raven, ran toward the guy, and jumped. He landed in his arms.

"Whoa," the guy said, ruffling Dane's hair. "You are getting way too big for that, lil' bro."

Nikki sighed with relief. Beside her, she swore Raven did the same. "You weren't scared of him, were you?" She felt wicked for saying it, but she couldn't resist.

Raven cut her with a look. "No. And even if I had been, we need their help."

Dane beamed, and as the older guy carried him over, Nikki saw the resemblance in their faces. Same bow-shaped mouths, same brown eyes. Same accent.

"This is Frank. He's my brother. He knows everything."

Frank had yet to crack a smile in their direction, and Nikki's heart increased with the ticking seconds. "I don't know who you two are or what you said to get this far, but strangers aren't welcome down here."

He threw a glance behind him, signaling the other boys at the table to stand. The half dozen guys made a half circle around Raven and Nikki.

Dane pushed back from his brother. "Frank, they're my friends. He's looking for Greta."

Frank scrutinized Raven, and Nikki could only wonder what the intense examination was about. Who was this Greta, and why was she so important? And how did Raven know her? One more quick motion of Frank's head and the pack of guys slithered back to the table.

"Greta's not here. Why are you looking for her?"

Raven took a step toward him. "What does it matter if she's not here?"

"Everything matters in the tunnels, my friend. If you want help, you should work on your att.i.tude."

Raven relaxed. "Yeah, I keep hearing that. Greta brought me down here a few years ago."

Frank answered by raising his brows.

"Anyway, she brought me down here because I was ... injured ... in a fight."

Frank loosened his grip on Dane and the boy slid to the floor. "Makes sense," Frank said. "Greta always was one to bring in strays."

"Was?"

"She's dead."

If Nikki hadn't been looking at Raven, she might have missed the way he practically doubled over with the words. He stared at the floor for a long time. "What happened to her?" The muscle in his jaw twitched.

"She was trying to help a mutt like you."

Chapter 3.

Dane hugged his brother's legs "I miss Greta. She always brought me candy."