Smiling cheerily and holding the door open, the driver gestured inside. I sighed and clambered in, followed by Alex.
Aubrey put his hands on his hips. “I’m not doing it - it’s a deathtrap. I’d rather walk.”
I shrugged. “Okay, then.”
He stared at me incredulously, huffed, and got in. The driver slammed the door shut and got back into his own seat in the front. I reached back for the seatbelt, then realised there wasn’t one.
“Er…”
“Is okay, I am very safe driver!”
Without warning, the car lurched forward onto the road, as he put his foot down on the accelerator, revving the engine and speeding up alarmingly.
“What’s your name?” asked Alex.
“Vasily.”
“Okay, Vasily, we are going to Dobchek Road. Do you know where that is?”
“Of course, of course! No problem!” He reached over and turned a knob on the radio. Immediately, loud music with incomprehensible lyrics filled the space.
“I’m going to die,” moaned Aubrey as we screeched around a corner.
I was beginning to agree. Vasily shouted something from the front.
I leaned forward. “Pardon?”
He twisted his head around and looked at all three of us. “Business or pleasure?”
A truck loomed up ahead. “Vasily!”
He turned back to the front and slammed on his horn. “Russian truck drivers very bad.”
I breathed out. “Yes. Er, we’re here for business.”
“Good, good. You want I take you for sightsee first? Kremlin? Red Square?”
“No, thanks, Vasily, we must get on with our business. We don’t have a lot of time.”
“Sure, sure, I understand. I no want you get angry, breathe fire.”
Alex and I stiffened. Vasily let out a hearty laugh and waggled his finger in the mirror at me. “I see your picture. On Othernet. You shift dragon, no?”
Fucking hell.
“What does he mean?” Aubrey asked. “Shift dragon? What is that?”
“How do you know that, Vasily?” I asked, ignoring Aubrey for the time being.
He laughed again. “I am Zduhàc.”
“Joohatch?”
“Zduhàc!”
Of all the taxis in all the world. “What is a Zduhàc?”
“Supernatural man. Big power. I stop storms, help farmers…”
“Drive taxis?”
“Ah, no. I – how you say – give up Zduhàc to move to city. No money. Machinery help farms, no need me. Before I stop Ala, evil storm demon. Now I drive taxi like demon!” He thumped his steering wheel and chortled. “So you go Cherniy Volk?”
“How did you know?”
“Otherworld people always go Cherniy Volk. You know what means? Black Wolf. Many shifter at Cherniy Volk.” He laughed. “Many black wolf.”
“How about Karzelek? Any of them hang out there?”
“Dwarf? Little man? I never see.” He shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
I exchanged a look with Alex. I wasn’t exactly brimming with confidence that we’d find who we were looking for.
The taxi pulled to a shuddering stop. Vasily scrabbled around in his glove compartment and took out a small grubby card. “Here is my number. You need me, you call. Okay? I tell my friends I get crazy dragon girl in my taxi. They very impressed.”
“Actually, Vasily,” I said, taking the card, “we’re travelling incognito. In disguise. We’d really appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about us.”
“Ah, secret?” He nodded vigorously. “You can trust me. I no tell. Or maybe you come eat me, eh?” He burst into yet another round of laughter.
“Thanks, dude,” said Alex, slapping him on the shoulder and handing over an array of crumpled notes to pay the fare.
Aubrey, face white as a sheet, rattled the door. “I can’t get out.” His voice started rising. “I can’t get out! I can’t get out! I’m going to be stuck here forever with this psycho demon hunting taxi driver and a dragon. Get me out! Get me out!”
“Aubrey, fucking calm down,” I said, trying to hush him.
Vasily clambered out and did his hand and foot trick again, and the door sprung open. Aubrey fell out, then half ran, half crawled to the pavement in his haste to get away. Alex shook the driver’s hand, as did I. His grip was surprisingly strong, and he winked at me when I finally managed to extricate my throbbing fingers.
“You need help, you call me!” He kicked shut the door, got back into his seat then, with an engine that sounded like it was an ogre with a sore throat, revved back up and screeched off in a cloud of choking blue smoke.
We watched him go, then Alex turned to Aubrey who was sitting on the edge of the dirty pavement, hugging his knees. At least he’d calmed down.
“You alright, dude?”
“No.”
“Excellent.”
He pouted up at me. “You didn’t tell me you were a dragon.”
I felt a flicker of guilt. “I’m sorry. It was a secret.”
“A secret? Even the crazy taxi driver knew! How could I not know? After everything we’ve been through, Mack.” He sounded genuinely hurt.
“I’m sorry. If it helps, I didn’t want anyone to know. And I’m not really a dragon. I’m what’s called a Draco Wyr.”
“That’s why I’m like this, isn’t it? Why I’m human. That’s why your blood tasted funny when I drank you. Not because of that herbal stuff you said you’d had.”
“Yeah.”
He buried his head in his arms. Fuck. I didn’t really know what to say.
“I didn’t know if I could trust you, Aubrey. You were a vampire after all.”
He didn’t answer. Alex twisted uncomfortably and looked up at the sign hanging by the door in front of us, trying to change the subject.
“I guess this is it. Let’s see what we can find.”
I shook my head. “I can’t.”
“What?”
“Vasily knew who I was, Alex. My picture must be all over the freaking Othernet. If I go in there, it’s not going to help us. Not only will it be all over the wires that we’re here, but I’ll spend the entire time being inundated with bloody dragon stuff. We can’t afford that kind of distraction.”
He swallowed, suddenly looking nervous. “Damn it. I don’t even think my Illusion ability is strong enough to hold a glamour. You’re right, Mack Attack. I can wait out here with you, and Aubrey can go in.”
We both looked down at the ex-vamp who whimpered and drew his knees closer to his chest.
“Okay,” backtracked Alex, “Aubrey and I will go in together. Alright, Aubs?”
He made a small sound of agreement and got to his feet. “I don’t like this. My life was much simpler when I was dead. I don’t know why you’re sending me in anyway when you don’t trust me.”
“I trust you now. You can do it, Aubrey,” I said, with much more conviction than I felt. “Be a man. Remember how you thought all this was exciting less than an hour ago.”
He looked at me miserably. It would have been easier if he’d just been pissed off. The way he looked right now, like a puppy who had been abandoned, was almost too much to bear. He had a point; I should have told him when I’d realised that it was coming out all over the Othernet. He deserved that much. Not sure about what to say to make things better, I jerked my head across the street, where a suitably dark alley sat just waiting.
“I’ll be in there. Try not to get yourselves into too much trouble.”
The pair of them nodded, then pushed open the door to the bar. Sounds of chatter and a drifting cloud of smoke seeped out, then vanished as the door shut behind them. I remained standing there for a moment, just on the off-chance that they were immediately turfed out again on their arses. When nothing seemed to happen, I jogged over to the alley and hid myself amongst the shadows, settling in to wait.
The moon was high in the sky when they finally re-emerged. I’d been waiting for what had seemed like an eternity, shifting position, and watching the various patrons of the Cherniy Volk come in and out. There was indeed a motley crew of Otherworld creatures. Unfortunately, I’d not seen anything resembling a dwarf, let alone a mine-dwelling, palladium-finding Karzelek. The night air was considerably colder than it had been when we’d arrived in the early evening and I’d had to keep jumping around and running on the spot to keep my circulation going. I’d been pissing myself off with imagining the unlikely pair sitting propped up at the bar, drinking gallons of Russian vodka, and generally having a fantastic time. Then I had pissed myself off more by remembering the look on Aubrey’s face before he’d gone in. Life had certainly been a lot easier when no-one had known who – or what – I was.
When Alex came out, he made some kind of quick surreptitious gesture over in my direction before he was joined by Aubrey and one other. I couldn’t make out exactly who their new companion was, other than that she was female, with long white hair, and must have been at least six and a half feet tall. This was no dwarf. I hoped that the boys weren’t just trying to take advantage of some of Moscow’s less desirable nightlife offerings. The three of them set off down the street with purpose, however, as if they knew where they were going. I followed at a safely discreet distance, keeping my footsteps light and staying close to the shadows of the looming buildings, just in case the woman should decide to suddenly turn around. She seemed, for the most part, to be engaged in earnest conversation with both of them, however, at one point even linking her arms through theirs in a companionable fashion.
Turning left when they reached the end of the street, I lost sight of them for a few moments. I jogged to catch up, just to make sure I didn’t lose them, but when I reached the edge of the last building and peered around, there was no sign of them. Cursing slightly under my breath, I picked up speed, running lightly and keeping my eyes peeled. Thankfully, I soon heard their voices down a near side street.