The Turncoats (The Thirteenth Series #2) Read online

  “I don’t have a name; why would I need one?” He sat next to her.

  “Because it will help you blend in. I will give you one.” Val looked around for inspiration. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a magazine. It wasn’t one Wallace would have read. She knew exactly who this had belonged to: Delta. She must have been in the flat, visiting her beloved master, long enough to read a copy of TEEN-VOGUE. Val leaned over and picked it up. On the front cover was a picture of the actor Zac Efron and some girl.

  “Who’s he? Is he important?” the hunter asked pointing at the picture.

  “He is almost God like on Earth. All the women crave him and all the men want to be him.” She smiled; he wasn’t her type; she liked the dark and secretive type.

  “Then I shall take this name, Zac Efron, as my Earth name.” The hunter stood up looking really pleased with his new title.

  “Zac it is. Now we need to go downstairs to see if my friend Wendy’s OK.” Val pointed to the stairs and together they headed down. When Val pushed the door she was surprised to find it was locked. She tried her key, but with no success. Zac had a go, but still no luck. Then they heard a voice from behind the door.

  “Who is it? I’m armed and dangerous!” Wendy’s voice was noticeable shaky.

  “Well, Wendy-armed-and-dangerous, this is your boss; now let me in,” Val called. They heard Wendy pulling away whatever was blocking the door as she opened it. Cautiously, two green eyes popped around the edge.

  “Oh, you’re ok!” Wendy sighed with relief and allowed them back into the shop. “I called Shane. He was with Jason working on the laptop. Have you spoken to him?” Wendy asked.

  “Yes, it’s all fine.” Val pushed Zac forward. “Wendy, this is my hunter.”

  “Hello,” Wendy smiled politely, keeping her distance after his physical approach earlier.

  “I am Zac Efron. You must be the one they say is a powerful seer.” Zac actually seemed excited to meet Wendy, more so than he had Val.

  “I’m sorry, did you just say your name was Zac Efron?” Wendy looked to Val for confirmation.

  “Yes, I have taken the name of one of your Gods, so the reject Val tells me,” Zac said with a smile.

  “Enough with the reject.” Val shoved Zac out of the way. “How come you know about Wendy?” she asked, walking to the kettle and switching it on.

  “In Alchany we have been cataloguing your life. We knew Wendy was here to help you, and all about her powers. What makes her special is that she has a similar power to one of our Judges. The ability to see the future is a far more valuable power than anything you and I could ever dream of having.”

  “Yes Val, I have the power.” Wendy rubbed her temples and tried to look mean.

  “I agree, but for now let’s concentrate on the job at hand.” Val stirred their drinks and passed a mug to Wendy and another to Zac.

  “What is this?” Zac looked at the mug with a confused expression.

  “It’s coffee. I made you white with one sugar; that combination tends to please anyone on this planet.”

  Wendy sipped hers trying to show Zac what to do.

  “In Alchany we don’t have this coffee.” He sniffed at it suspiciously.

  “Just drink it.” Val tapped his mug with hers. “So Zac, tell me what is a dellatrax?”

  “Ah yes, the dellatrax is a unique device that all guards receive at birth. I didn’t know you haven’t received yours yet and so for that I must apologise. I can get you one when I return to Alchany. It tells you all about your training, skills and abilities. It has lists of all prisoners past and present.”

  Zac took a sip of his coffee and pulled an outrageous face of puzzlement, looking closely at the liquid in his mug. He placed the mug on the counter as cautiously as if it was a hand grenade and looked at the girls. A beeping sound interrupted whatever he was about to say to them. He looked at his watch.

  “I must leave. I have been summoned to an extraction.” He turned to go.

  “So that’s it. You whisk me away, bring me back and dump me. I need to know more.” Val complained.

  However, Zac wasn’t taking any notice of her. “I will return when I sense the next prisoner.” He hurried through the private door with Val hot on his heels.

  “When? And how do you know you’re going to an extraction - Is it your watch?” she asked.

  Zac stopped. “My what?” He looked confused.

  Val caught up and touched his wrist. “This. It’s a watch,” she said.

  “Oh. Well, yes, it tells me where, and who, but I don’t have all the information, that’s why hunters and guards work together. Now, please stop delaying me.” Zac pushed past Val to the door to Alchany, and was gone.

  “Bye, it’s been special,” Val shouted sarcastically, making sure she didn’t get too close to the portal as she knew what could happen.

  When she got back to the shop, Wendy was sitting with her drink staring wistfully into the air.

  “Ok, what’s wrong with you?”

  “He said they knew all about me and my power, that I was special,” Wendy said, as if she hardly believed what she’d heard.

  Val realised that this was something new for Wendy. Val had received adoration from her parents all her life, but all Wendy had ever done was try to befriend Val; it had never been about her.

  “Wendy you are special with or without your power, it just took me time to realise that, now let’s get to work.” She handed Wendy a duster.

  They moved around the bookshop together looking at the different sections, talking about Zac and how much life was changing for them both. Some things made them laugh and others were beyond them both. There were just about to start cataloguing the Irish fiction section when the doorbell rang.

  “Just coming,” Val called out.

  “Hurry up, we haven’t got all day,” a familiar voice called back.

  “About time you two showed up.” Val got to the counter to find Jason and Fran with two large boxes. “Thinking of moving in?”

  “Dad says that it makes sense to bring the kit here,” Jason told her. “So, what happened in Soho?” They put their boxes on the counter.

  “Big guy threw me about a bit. I met my designated hunter, but he has popped home for an extraction and will return later. Then we had a coffee and dusted a little.” Val smiled looking from Jason to Fran, who looked as confused as she felt. “To make it simpler, we caught a prisoner this morning and he was what they call a grade one, he had no magical power and the Collector told me he wasn’t too bright, but it was hard work. I’m not sure I’m up to all this.” To illustrate her point, Val lifted her top up to the satisfying gasps of the others as they saw the size of her bruise.

  “Did this hunter guy get hurt?” Jason asked.

  “He doesn’t fight or help with the arrest; he just hunts them down for me. He knows when one of those spirit things that came back with Excariot takes a human’s body. It’s like, he’s Rudolf and I’m Santa.”

  Fran let out a snigger, “Sorry but I have images in my mind.”

  “So, changing the subject, what about the boxes?” Val started pulling at the tops.

  “You’re obviously going to need us here, so where are we going to set up base?” Jason started to look around for space.

  “Well, you can’t go in the flat, it’s too dangerous. The only other place is the cleaning cupboard at the back.” Val pointed to the rear of the bookshop.

  “You want me to spend my days sitting in a cleaning cupboard?” Jason looked from Val to the other girls. “Fine, but I will not be helping around the shop, plus you and me: fencing later.” Jason pointed at Val then picked up his box and strutted off down the aisle. Fran grabbed hers and followed smiling back at Wendy and Val.

  “Do you think Wallace aka Excariot kept any money here?” Val started to move the boxes behind the counter. “We will need to pay the bills and buy new stock.”

  “I don’t know, but you probably have about fifty thousand pou
nds worth of stock, or more, already in the shop,” Wendy responded in a matter of fact way.

  Val sat back on the stool. “Are you being serious with me?”

  Wendy nodded her response, visibly less impressed than Val. “My family has been in the retail industry for years,” she explained. “I will speak to my mum about what we need; you just keep bagging those prisoners.” Wendy grabbed a pen and paper with her duster and headed off to catalogue the books.

  Val rummaged a little more and managed to find a twenty-pound note. Not a bad start, but she needed so many things. It was hard being on your own. Her mum and dad had always done everything for her. She pondered what they had been doing with their time since the spell that had made them forget her existence. Glancing over at the clock she saw it was eleven-thirty. Dad would be at work, probably having his mid-morning sandwich with the lads, and her mum would be shopping for dinner. Or would they? Now Val had gone would their lives still be the same? The doorbell broke her painful reverie and as she looked up her heart skipped to her throat.

  “Morning Val.” Sam walked up to the counter.

  “Hi, how’s it going?”

  He looked amazing: crisp white t-shirt, jeans and he smelt like he had just jumped out of the shower. How could she hide her feelings? They were pouring out all over her counter.

  “Are those the clothes you were wearing yesterday?” he frowned.

  Please God swallow me up and let me die peacefully. “Yes. I haven’t got anything else. I need to go shopping, but I was busy being beaten up and meeting my designated hunter,” Val responded brushing herself down.

  “Sounds exciting. Tell me more.” Sam leaned on the counter and Val relaxed as she told him about the morning’s entertainment.

  “I can’t wait to meet this hunter; he sounds fascinating. Now for the real reason I’m here.” Sam opened his brown leather satchel.

  “Please say it’s to whisk me off my feet and take me for lunch. I’m starving,” Val thought.

  “Do you remember I told you I had a new gadget for you? Well, here it is.” Sam pulled a small black box out of a pocket and placed it on the counter.

  “You could have wrapped it.” Val eagerly picked it up and opened the lid. “It’s a bracelet.” She held it out. It was definitely pretty but how was this thing a gadget? Plus she already had a bracelet; she was going to start looking like the queen of bling.

  “Well sort of. Let’s put it on. See, it goes closer to the top of your arm to keep it hidden.” Sam took the bracelet as Val lifted up her sleeve.

  It felt strange to Val not to see the tattoo any more.

  “OK, it goes here.” Sam wrapped it around her arm.

  She frowned at it, still unsure of its purpose. “OK, now what?” She asked looking from her arm to Sam.

  “See the gemstone on the end?”

  There was a clear orange looking gem on the end. Val nodded.

  “Grab it and pull, but leave enough room.” Sam stood back.

  Enough room for what, Val wondered. She was excited and afraid at the same time. She held the gem in her hand and pulled. It was amazing, it uncoiled at such speed. Within a second she had four feet of what looked like silver rope in her hands. “It’s titanium tungsten carbide alloy, which makes it light but very strong.” Sam beamed at her like a schoolboy.

  “I’m very impressed, but what do I do with it?” She asked, handing it back to Sam.

  “Watch.” He turned the gem back and it recoiled into the bracelet. “You can use it as a rope or a whip.” Sam handed the bracelet back to Val who slipped it back on her arm and covered it up.

  “It’s lovely thanks.” Val felt pleased. “Sam, I need to tell you about something that happened today. When I used the sword my bracelet went haywire. There were flashing lights and then the sword seemed to be so much stronger than usual. Do you know why?” Val held out her wrist for him to look at it. Sam took her hand and her skin electrified, her senses going into emotional overload. How could it be that this Sam didn’t seem to have the slightest interest in her and yet Sixteen-forty five Sam couldn’t keep his hands off her?

  “I can’t really tell. If you give me your bracelet I could maybe do a few tests.” He turned her hand over a few times inspecting it.

  “I wish it was that simple, it won’t come off.” Val tugged but it was impossible. “Sorry.” She gently pulled her hand away. “So what now? Are you off again?” Val held her breath unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.

  “No. I have decided to spend a little more time here with Shane, but there’s another reason for me coming to see you. I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch tomorrow, at my new house.”

  “Yes! I’m free between twelve and one.” Val wondered if skipping at this point would be highly inappropriate.

  “Great! Here’s my address.” Sam handed her a card. “I’ll see you then.”

  “Yes, you will.” Val took it and stood as still as she possibly could. She waited, hardly breathing, until Sam had left the shop, and then let out a huge squeal, ran around the counter and started prancing around the entrance. At this point Wendy, Jason and Fran came running.

  “What’s wrong? Are you ok?” they chorused.

  “Look at her; they are playing with her mind,” Fran said to Jason.

  Val grabbed Fran and used her as an anchor as she came to a halt. “I’m fine, Fran, just happy.”

  “Well, you’re going to be ecstatic in a minute. Come and see this.” Jason led Val towards his new headquarters. Val walked into the cupboard and looked about her, wondering what all the fuss was about. They had placed the two boxes down on the floor, moved the mop and a couple of other things about, but there was nothing worth singing about.

  “Ok Val, what can you see?” Jason pointed towards the wall in front of her. Val looked. There were shelves and a very dodgy picture of a ship.

  “Nothing special.” Val shrugged and turned to look at the others.

  “Wendy, you found it, so you do the honours,” Jason said. Wendy moved past Val and pulled back the picture.

  “Oh my goodness!” Val gasped. “There’s a safe.” She moved to stand beside Wendy to see the brick-sized metal square jutting out of the wall, a white key pad on the front of it.

  “Yes, we haven’t got a clue what the number might be to open it, but it’s a start.”

  Val moved closer. “I think I know what it is.” She typed in the number twenty-three twelve and the door made a clunking sound. Val turned the handle and it opened with surprising ease. The others watched silently. Val pulled it back and there it was: a stash of money. “Oh yes, you beauty.” Val pulled a pile out and handed it to Wendy, then another, then another. There were also a few pieces of paper that Val placed on Jason’s new desk.

  “How did you know what the number would be?” Wendy asked as she started to count the notes in her hand.

  “It was Excariot’s prison guard ID, just a lucky guess. So how much?” She turned to the others.

  “Well I have five hundred.” Wendy held out her stash.

  “Same here,” Jason and Fran chorused.

  “So Wallace left us fifteen hundred pounds.” If Val’s grin had been any wider a plate could have fitted in the gap.

  “What now?” Jason handed over the cash.

  “Snakes and Ladders for burgers on me.” Val took the money.

  She shoved a few notes in her pocket and put the rest back in the safe and closed the door.

  “Hello anyone there?” a voice called from the front of the shop.

  “Did you hear the door bell?” Val darted a glance at the others. They all shook their heads. Jason quickly moved back to back with Val. She placed her hand on the sword but didn’t want to pull it in case they were wrong. They made their way cautiously up the main aisle and as they were getting closer to the entrance the stranger called out again.

  “Hello, it’s Zac Efron here.”

  “Did he just say Zac Efron?” Jason looked at Val.


  She nodded and relaxed her stance, replacing her sword into her back pocket.

  “Hi Zac, what’s wrong?” Val made her way towards the counter.

  “We have a problem.”

  “Hi,” said Jason. He and Fran waved in Zac’s direction. His expression was unmoved as he stared at them both. They lowered their hands, noticeably uncomfortable.

  “Another prisoner?” Val asked, easing the icy moment as she started to collect her belongings.

  “I’ll get back to the computer room,” Jason started to head off.

  “No, it’s your dellatrax. I went to collect one for you, but it seems that it won’t work on your planet; the signal is scrambled by your moon and another twenty-five in between.”

  “Now what?” Val asked.

  “The Warden came up with a solution and the Judges have agreed. We will give you all the information you need in these.” Zac moved to reveal a pile of dated looking leather bound books on the counter.

  “Great, more books. How on earth am I supposed to carry them every time we get called out? The Warden didn’t think this one out,” Val moaned.

  “They understand that. However, the Warden feels that they will be well disguised in the bookshop and that your seer, Wendy, would be a worthy reader for you. Maybe these two others could be of assistance too.” Zac pointed at Jason and Fran.

  “Either way, this isn’t what I expected. What do you think Zac?” Val asked.

  “Sorry?” Zac’s expression changed to one of confusion.

  “I said, what do you think? Can we work like this?” Val looked at him, waiting or a response.

  “It is not my place to answer that question. Please, let us talk about you.” Zac was visibly uncomfortable.

  Wendy walked over to him and gently placed her hand on his arm. He looked down at her hand feeling even more confused. “Listen, we were just going to the Snakes and Ladders burger bar for lunch. Come with us and you and Val can carry on this conversation there.”

  “Yes mate, come on.” Jason patted him on the shoulder and they all walked towards the exit gently coaxing Zac to go with them.

  “Is this normal and appropriate behaviour?” Zac called back to Val.