Hold on; the prefect’s office. Holy crap, in all the excitement, I’d forgotten about James’s request.
“Calibra, the current – former, whatever prefect, is she still alive?”
“Of course,” Star replied, her tone indicating that I’d asked a particularly stupid question.
“James will be happy to hear that, or maybe not. Is she being held against her will?”
“I already told you, none of us are here against our will. It’s funny in a way. Everyone calls you the Freewill because you can’t be controlled, but in a sense, we all have it here for the first time.”
“You’re still serving someone.”
“Yes, but we are happy to serve the greater good. Maybe you just don’t get it, but our eyes have been opened. To us, the ways of the Draculas are the abomination.”
“Pretty sure Anakin Skywalker said something similar right before being dropped into lava.”
“Excuse me?”
“Never mind. Was a stupid scene anyway.” What she was saying wasn’t promising. I remembered what Gan had told me about neutralizing Calibra if she’d been compromised. Well, if she was here willingly as was claimed – and I still wasn’t quite sure I bought into that – then she’d sure as shit been compromised. In that case, the damage was done. If she had secrets to spill, they’d most likely long since been spilled. I was pretty sure that was unforgivable to a bunch of cocks like the Dracs. Either way you looked at it, she was doomed. Amazingly enough, letting Gan take care of her might be the kinder option.
Oh crap – Gan!
“My other ... friends, Star. Gan and her people. You said they were being held elsewhere.”
“That’s part of the bad news.”
“Oh no. Don’t tell me they’ve been...”
“They are to be given the choice.”
“Huh?”
“In the main hall, where your friend is being held. Everyone who comes here is given it.”
I remembered back to last time. Vehron had been marching vamps before him and pretty much giving them the option to serve or die. Not much of a choice, especially since the latter was carried out immediately. Hell, that’s what I had been told happened to Star, that her loyalty to Sally and me had won out and ultimately cost her everything. I saw now that wasn’t the case. I tried not to be insulted by it. Fuck it; if given the choice between serving an asshole versus instant death, I knew which one I’d take. Still, something didn’t quite jibe.
“So they either pledge their loyalty or get killed?” I asked accusingly.
“It’s not as black and white as that. There is no dictate to serve. The choice is to listen. That’s all – to be willing to hear out what the teachings of Ib have to offer. I already told you, nobody is here against their will. Only those who are so locked in to the existing dogma that they can’t fathom another path choose differently.”
“But the end result is still the same,” I pointed out. Arguing with her was useless. I still considered Star a friend, but something had changed in her way of thinking. I could try to argue my point, but I imagined that would be about as fruitful as arguing online about whether Windows, Mac OS, or Linux was superior.
Also, there was still the little issue of not being sure what I was really trying to change her mind to. Vehron needed to die. There was no doubt about that, but trying to argue that the ways of Alexander and his merry band of assholes was superior was like trying to claim that one should get gonorrhea because syphilis was so overrated.
“So what’s the rest of the bad news?” I asked.
“That’s why I’m here. I’m bringing all of you there too.”
The Choice
“Why? Are we going to be given the choice too?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I hear they’re pretty angry at you.”
“‘They’ again. Is Vehron talking about himself in third person?”
“It’s not important. All I’ve been told is they want you there.”
I stepped in close to Star and lowered my voice. “Not Christy.”
“Sorry, she comes too.”
“Seriously, Star? She’s over six months pregnant and just had a front row seat to watch your great savior shatter her fiancé’s spine.”
“It was my neck, genius!” Tom’s muffled voice yelled from my pocket. I slapped the side of my coat to shut him up.
“She’s suffered enough. I know you, Star. You care. You’re not a heartless motherfucker like the rest of them. Most vampires couldn’t give two shits about witches, but she’s got a kid on the way. Let her go.”
Star’s gaze wavered between looking at me and over my shoulder toward where Christy sat. Her eyes met mine and I saw indecision in them. Her mouth creased into a frown. The Starlight I remembered was still in there.
“She’s not a part of this,” I said, keeping my gaze level with hers.
All at once, the understanding was gone from her eyes, replaced with something else – something colder. “You’re wrong. She is.”
“How can you...”
“You’ll learn soon enough.” She backed up to the door and knocked once. Several armed guards entered, one of them holding magic-neutralizing manacles. Judging by the sounds my ears were picking up, there were more of them just beyond the door. This wasn’t a fight we were going to win.
“What happened to you?” I asked Star.
“I made my choice. Soon you will too.”
♦ ♦ ♦
The place was how I remembered it – the one area of the complex that actually felt like a vampire lair and not some corporate park that had forgotten to pay their electric bill. The walls were carved from the surrounding rock, giving it the feel of an unholy underground cathedral.
At the far end lay a set of ominous double doors, which, during better times, led to the prefect’s office. Not too long ago, the ominous illusion would have been broken by a desk right outside the office, upon which sat a modern Macintosh desktop. When I’d first come here, Colin had manned it. A small part of me almost wished for his smarmy face again, but then I realized no, I really didn’t.
The office beyond used to be a pleasant surprise. Under James, the black stonework gave way to a comfortable office full of curios; more something you’d expect to belong to an archaeology professor than a six-hundred-year-old vampire. I had no idea what, if any, changes Calibra had made during her brief tenure, but considering the throne that sat right in front of her doors, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be given a chance to find out.
Okay, so it was more of a really nice office chair than a proper throne, but it served the same purpose. Upon it sat Vehron. Between him and us were dozens, perhaps hundreds, of vampires packed in tight as their lord and master held court.
Guards stood in a semi-circle before him, although they were probably ceremonial at best. Seriously, who here was even remotely a threat to this guy? I sure as shit knew I wasn’t.
But you could have been.
“Fuck off and die.”
Multiple sets of eyes turned my way at the outburst, but I paid them no heed. I set my gaze straight ahead, taking in the scene.
Our gracious host wasn’t alone in his place of power. Standing immediately behind him, one hand perched lovingly upon his meaty shoulder, was Firebird. She wore a strapless mini-dress that spoke volumes of her place in this hierarchy. What good was being in charge if you didn’t have a hot piece of ass to tap on command?
“Remind me to claw her eyes out of her head,” Sally commented from my side.
“Glad to,” I replied, happy to see her anger directed elsewhere. I glanced to my other side where Christy stood – the only one of us in chains. “How are you holding up?”
Though still looking haggard, the brief nap she’d had seemed to have recharged her a bit. Her eyes were hard as stone, despite the bags beneath them. “Get these cuffs off of me and I’ll show you.”
I had little doubt what she me
ant, but I merely gave a single nod. If the opportunity presented itself, I’d be happy as a clam to let her flash fry everyone up front.
Wait! Scratch that. Make that everyone minus one, I amended internally as a couple of guards shifted position.
Ed stood several steps off to Vehron’s right. If anything, he actually looked better than last I’d seen him. He was cleaned up and had been given a change of clothes. Had he not been flanked by a trio of vampire guards, I’d have almost thought he was a willing guest.
His eyes searched the crowd until they met mine and he mimed a sigh. I couldn’t help but grin. He did seem to be developing a habit of being my personal damsel in distress, although maybe I could cut him some slack since none of us were really in a great spot at that moment.
The only positive aspect of our current dilemma was our location. This was one of the few spots in the massive complex I was familiar with. Most importantly, I knew where we were relative to an exit that would let us out aboveground.
Sure, there was bound to be a bit of resistance and, unlike last time, we didn’t have James to back us up, but it was an escape plan in progress. Hell, it was hope, however dim. One couldn’t blame me for grasping at straws.
I was about to tell Sally to keep an eye out for anything that might present an opening, laughable as the suggestion might be, when I felt a familiar tingle in the back of my head.
A compulsion was incoming.
♦ ♦ ♦
My head tingled for a split second, then something akin to a gentle wave passed over me. The thing was, nothing had physically touched me. Also, I hadn’t heard any orders or anything. I was about to dismiss it as maybe me losing my mind, when I realized the room had fallen silent.
Where before there had been some quiet chatter, now all the vamps in the room faced forward intently.
“Did you feel that?” Sally whispered, sounding very loud in the now quiet chamber.
I glanced forward, past our guards, and saw Vehron grin in our direction.
Starlight turned around toward us and said, “Silent compulsion.”
“That’s a thing?”
There was no answer to my rhetorical question, nor did there need to be. Compulsions were partially telepathic in nature, or so I’d been told. What I’d felt was pretty weak. All it did was catch the audience’s attention, a sort of clearing of the throat in compulsion form. If anything, I had a feeling he was showing off. If so, good job. Color me impressed.
Vehron finally stood. “May the glory of Ib alight upon us as a sunrise.”
Having attended my fair share of Catholic masses as a kid, I was half tempted to reply, “And also with you.”
There was no response from the crowd. That struck me as odd, considering this was known as the Cult of Ib – cult being the operative word. You’d think there’d be people throwing themselves to the ground as the spirit invested itself in them, or whatever it was cults did. But there was nothing of the sort.
A small worm of doubt began to weasel its way into my thoughts. Could maybe what Starlight had been trying to tell me been true?
“W ... ut’s ... goi ... on?”
The muffled voice from my pocket reminded me that it really didn’t matter. Vehron had killed my friend. Because of him, Christy’s child would grow up not knowing his or her father.
And whose fault is that?
I was about to tell Dr. Death to shut the fuck up again, but then I remembered what Starlight had said about us being the aggressors. I heard the faintest echo of laughter in my head as I replayed things in my mind. We’d fired the first shot. Hell, our mission was about as far from benign as you got. This wasn’t a diplomatic envoy gone bad. We were assassins, a fucking suicide squad sent to do the Draculas’ dirty work all because I’d...
“Now is the time of the choice,” Vehron continued, thankfully interrupting my disturbing flash of insight. He turned and reached out a hand toward Firebird. She accepted, and he led her out from behind his leather throne.
She stepped in front of him, looking more the hostess of a trashy game show than anything. I found myself curious as to what her role in this would be. Was there an offer of a last blowjob for the condemned? I mean, I wasn’t ready to check out quite yet, but that definitely beat a last meal of meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
She stepped forward and raised her hands. “Invaders stand among us, seeking to return you to the shackles of slavery.” She paused for a moment to look directly our way. “When they glance at you, they see not the lords of this world, but mere fodder to be used and cast aside.”
“She’s his mouthpiece,” Sally whispered to me. “Among other pieces, I’d gather.”
I had to stifle a chuckle. She was the Vanna White to his Pat Sajak ... except perhaps with more sucking involved.
“But we bear them no ill will,” Firebird continued, sounding more eloquent than I remembered. I wouldn’t have doubted someone had written this speech for her. “Instead, we shall offer them what we offer all who come before us: the choice. Step forward.”
I expected us to be shoved toward the front, but my entourage remained unmoved. Instead, a procession of warriors was led in from a side entrance. At the forefront was a vampire half the size of the next smallest, but probably twice as dangerous – Gan.
They were obviously unarmed, but they otherwise appeared the same as when last I’d seen them. Gan, at least, didn’t look as if she’d learned any lessons in humility.
The group stopped in front of Firebird while Vehron resumed his place in his seat, sending out the obvious signal of who was in charge.
“The choice is a simple one,” Firebird said, addressing the group as a whole – something that I’m sure ruffled Gan’s feathers to no end. “Open yourself to the teachings of Ib. Live among us for a time. Learn our ways. Should you find it not to your liking, you will be free to follow your own path. The alternative is to remain blinded by what you think you know, to hold on to the dogma that has been drilled into you time and again. If so, know that the glory of Ib has no use for those who refuse to think for themselves.”
Gan looked up – mainly because she was the shortest person in the room – and replied, “I would answer to the Sun Strider, not his whore.”
A murmur rose up among the crowd, including a small chuckle from Sally.
I glanced over at Christy, who merely shrugged in my direction – the meaning obvious: it had been nice knowing her.
Firebird appeared livid, but Vehron merely said, “None, save my soldiers, answer to me. The wisdom of Ib drives us all.”
I expected Gan to tell him to go drive his ass off a cliff if that were the case, but to my surprise, she replied, “Very well. I speak for my people when I say we shall learn your ways and then decide accordingly.”
“You speak only for yourself here, child,” Vehron replied.
I couldn’t see Gan’s face well from my vantage point, but from her posture, I got the impression she didn’t like that much at all. Before she could reply, though, Vehron once more waved a hand to Firebird.
“That is a conceit of those who falsely claim title to the First. Their laws hold no sway here. Your people must make the choice themselves; for here, they are beholden to none but themselves.”
“I’ve never known her to sound so ... not stupid,” Sally whispered again to me.
After a moment, Christy leaned in. “That’s because it’s not her.”
“What do you mean?”
“Can’t you see it?”
“See what?”
“The aura around her head.”
“All I see is a shitty perm,” Sally replied, “and a face used to sucking a lot of cock.”
“Thanks. That helps,” I muttered.
Christy ignored us and said, “I think it’s a glamour of sorts. Regardless, there’s definitely something else at play here.”
“Magic?”
“Yes. I’m just not sure whether she�
��s being fed lines or someone is talking through her.”
“Who would be doing that?”
Christy held up her manacled hands. “I’m not really in a position to find out.”
Point taken.
So things weren’t as they seemed. Starlight had kept referring to a “they.” Now it seemed that perhaps there was someone else behind the scenes; a man behind the curtain, if you will.
Great! Because things had obviously been far too easy up to this point.
The Sacrifices We Make
As we discussed things quietly among ourselves, knowing full well there was little chance of not being overheard, the scene before us continued to play out in a somewhat anticlimactic manner.
Gan’s answer to the choice was accepted and she was allowed to step into the crowd unmolested. Talk about extremes. It was like a game show where the only two ways to leave were either with a million bucks or getting shoved into a wood chipper.
Despite Firebird’s instruction that each person here was master of their own fate – ironic, considering she apparently had a magical earworm – Gan’s men followed her lead to the letter.
All in all, I didn’t find her decision too surprising. Gan was far from stupid. An opportunity to live was an opportunity to escape. I also didn’t think for one second she’d buy into any dogma but her own. Ego was a hell of a motivator.
Speaking of the little narcissistic midget, she spotted me and immediately headed my way – apparently free to mingle. Ugh! All of a sudden, choice number two didn’t sound so bad.
The rest of the crowd was still mostly silent as the ritual played out up front. Gan, however, seemed to not give two shits from a rat’s ass.
“Greetings, beloved,” she said at a conversational volume as if we were alone. “It pleases me to see you have done nothing to give them cause to kill you.”
As far as welcomes went, it ranked only slightly higher than my Aunt Gerty’s sloppy kisses on Christmas day. “Yeah, you too, Gan.”
The Tome of Bill Series: Books 5-8 (Goddamned Freaky Monsters, Half A Prayer, The Wicked Dead, The Last Coven) Page 116