by Ken Lange
I grinned. “Yeah. He’s really enjoying being home…and in his words, having some real food.”
Baptist nodded. “I’m sure.” Hesitantly, he asked, “So, what are you and Heather going to do for a place to live?”
My shoulders slumped forward. “That’s next on our agenda…but just the thought of house hunting makes me cranky.”
A big smile crossed his lips. “I might be able to help with that.”
That perked me up. “Oh?”
He nodded. “Alyosha’s been refurbishing a house next to Audubon Park.”
I really wanted to get out of town, but if Keto was right and the work of a Domovoi made a home practically indestructible, I’d be a fool not to at least look at it. “All right. Could you set up a meeting with him?”
Baptist gave me a curious look. “You don’t want to bring Heather?”
That would’ve been the clever thing to do, but I really didn’t want to give her any false hopes that we were sticking around if it wasn’t going to happen.
I shook my head. “Not really. She agreed to look out of town. But if this place works, it’d be a nice surprise for her.”
Baptist grinned. “Smart move.” He got to his feet. “I’ll text you his number and the address. You can stop by anytime during the week between eight and five. Just knock on the door, and Alyosha will show you around.”
I smiled. “Sounds great.”
After shaking his hand, I escorted him out.
When I turned, Henri was standing there. “I’m suspecting he had something for you?”
Well, that was disconcerting. “He did.”
Henri nodded. “Anything I can help with?”
I shook my head. “No, I’ve got this. If you really want to help, I need some information about how the jinn are bonded to humans. Hell, I’ll settle for information about them in general, but the more specific the better.”
He frowned. “Why?”
The memory of Duncan crumpling to the ground ran through my mind at light speed. “I had a run-in with the jinni inhabiting the boy I told you about. He’s been unconscious ever since. I was hoping you’d know something that might help with his treatment. Keto’s been doing everything he can, but it hasn’t helped up to this point.”
Henri appeared intrigued. “I can do that, but I need something from you first.”
“What’s that?”
He pointed at me. “Can you show me the weapon you used?”
The scythe wasn’t exactly fun to summon, but if it’d help the boy, I had little choice. I held out my hand, and it appeared. “I’d suggest not touching it.”
Henri shivered. “Is that a soul weapon?”
Staring at him blankly, I said, “I don’t even know what that means.”
Henri balled up a piece of paper and threw it at the scythe. It was odd to see the wadded-up ball pass through the blade, since it was solid as hell to me. “I’ve read several legends about this type of weapon. None of them were pleasant.” He suppressed another shiver. “From everything I’ve seen, it only works on the living…and according to the legends, only death himself can wield it.”
That didn’t sit well with me. “I’m far from death, and I know at least two other people who can summon the scythe.”
He appeared lost in thought for a moment then suddenly held up his hand. “Stay right there. I’ll be back.” Henri sprinted down the hall and out the back door. What seemed like an eternity later, he returned with one hand cupped over the other. “Could you call the weapon again?”
“Okay…”
Before I knew what was happening, he snatched a water bug out of his hand and threw it into the weapon. The thing squirmed and wriggled as it flew through the air, until it hit the blade. The body passed through it, but it stopped moving the instant it touched the scythe.
His face turned alabaster. “You can put that away now.” He pointed at the ceiling. “I need to do some research before going to see the boy.”
With that, he turned on the spot and walked upstairs without another word.
Gabriel peeked out from behind the dining room door. “Thank god.”
I grinned and walked over to him. “What’s that?”
Lowering his voice to a whisper, he said, “You’ve found him something to do. He’s been following me around talking a million miles an hour in French.”
I chuckled. “Not surprising. From what he’s said, the inhabitants of Muspelheim don’t exactly look human nor do they speak his native language. I’m guessing it’ll take him some time to readjust to being home and not in a nightmare universe.”
Gabriel shifted uncomfortably. “I know, and I feel bad about being annoyed. But it’s a hard thing to adjust to. I’m starting to understand how much you value your alone time.” He held up a hand to stop my comment. “I know what I said the other day, and other people being around is a good thing…up to a point.” His voice dropped to a near whisper. “But after having time to myself again, you might be right…finding a place of my own might be best.”
“I’ve got an idea.” Gesturing at the house around us, I said, “But you’ll need to hear me out, okay?”
He gave me a skeptical look. “Uh-huh.”
Speaking in a rush, I tried to get it out there before he had time to say no. “This would be a great place to live. Henri needs the company, and you need some space to yourself. In a place this size, that could happen for both of you without getting on each other’s nerves…too much, anyway.”
Gabriel didn’t appear to be convinced. “Really?”
“What’s the worst that could happen? You still move out on your own?”
Uncertainty flashed in his eyes. “That’s not the worst thing that could happen, but I get where you’re coming from.”
Scratching my chin, I said, “Do me a favor and give it some thought…okay?”
He chewed on his lip. “Fine, I’ll think about it.”
I thunked the back of my hand against his chest. “Good man.”
Chapter 26
It’d taken me twice as long to get to the Quarter as it should’ve due to the massive amount of road construction in the area. Normally, I would’ve been annoyed at the waste of time, but not so much today. The extra few minutes on the road allowed me to get my head straight. The last week hadn’t exactly been fun, and these days it didn’t take much to get under my skin.
While it would’ve been easy to pin this on the Gotteskinder, or Duncan, or Alfred…it wouldn’t have been right. If I were being truthful, I’d been frustrated since Grants and the discovery of the Black Circle. Now that these guys were in the mix, the desire to punch something in the face was growing exponentially.
A part of me wanted to walk up to Phineas and rip his head clean off his shoulders. But that wouldn’t help. Hell, I wasn’t even sure it would be temporarily satisfying. It wouldn’t exactly be a fair fight with him being a vanilla mortal. Not to say mortals couldn’t be dangerous, but in a one-on-one throwdown, they didn’t stand a chance with anyone in the Archive. That’d become clear after the attack on my home.
Taking a deep breath, I focused on the task at hand.
I parked a half-block away, got out of the car, and walked up to the main gate, which was unlocked. New Orleans was a dangerous place, and for someone to leave their home or, in this case, yard unsecured was just careless.
The lawn was long and narrow, much like the muted yellow house with blue-gray shutters. While the grass was pristine, nothing set it apart from any other yard on the block. A cobblestone walkway led to an unremarkable front door that didn’t even have a stoop. Of course, the balcony on the second floor made up for that, if you were into that sort of thing.
Honestly, it was a beautiful home, but it did help me realize some things I didn’t want in my own place.
After stepping past the gate, I walked up and rang the bell. The view through the half-glass entrance said he was conflicted about his interior décor, which seemed to switch from tradit
ional to ultra-modern. A minute later, a dark-skinned man with straight black hair came traipsing down the stairs and opened the door.
His voice was smooth, deep, and had a slight Israeli accent. “You must’ve missed the sign. No solicitors.”
I thumbed over my shoulder. “There’s no sign, but even if there were, I’m not here to sell you anything.”
His lips twitched into a snarl. “Then why are you here?”
I gestured at the house. “Mind if we step inside to talk about it?”
He wagged a finger at me. “You’ve got one hell of a set of balls on you—”
I cut him off. “Look, Phineas, we can stand out here and let your neighbors gawk at us or we can go inside and have a proper conversation. Either way, your evening is going to be very difficult, so you might as well do it in the comfort of your own home. Or should I say, your grandfather’s home?”
Rage rolled through his eyes, yet the rest of his face barely gave any hint of emotion. He stepped back and waved me in. “Then by all means, please come in. Do I at least get the pleasure of your name?”
I held out my hand. “Gavin Randall.”
He froze for half a second then took it. “Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Randall. I’ve heard quite a bit about you.” He pointed to the left. “Please have a seat.”
That was unexpected. The guy seemed to know who I was, yet he was still being courteous. Either he was horribly misinformed or an exceptionally arrogant ass. Honestly, I didn’t know which.
He closed the door behind him and followed me into the living room, where he sat on the sofa. “Please, sit.”
I glanced back at a wing chair and shrugged. “All right. You do realize who I am, don’t you?”
He nodded. “You’re the new vigil—”
Cutting in, I asked, “And you’re still happy to see me?”
He gave me a dismissive wave. “Of course. Granted, you showing up at my home is a bit of a surprise, but it’s a fortunate turn of events for me.”
I shook my head. “I have no idea how you’re able to come to that conclusion.”
Phineas smirked. “God, your kind is always so egotistical.” He cracked his knuckles. “Do you have any idea how hard my associates have been working to kill you?”
His honesty was refreshing…stupid but refreshing. “Actually, I do. You are aware that those attempts have met with spectacular failure, right?”
He snorted. “Of course they have. None of them would listen to me. I told Sharron that using mercenaries wouldn’t work, and, well…the others called you in when Eblis wasn’t at full strength. I told them that room would dampen his powers just as it did yours.”
I needed to have a come-to-Jesus meeting with this Sharron person, but she could wait. As for Father Gregory and Alfred, they’d already passed beyond the veil, so there wasn’t much to be gained there.
“Sharron’s the one calling the shots then?”
He sneered. “She thinks so, but I know better. We’ll be running things soon enough.”
I raised my hand. “Ah…I might have something to say about that.”
He laughed. “It’ll be a short conversation, and when I bring your broken corpse before the others, they’ll know that our way is the right way.”
Wow. Arrogant ass it was.
“Sorry, but I won’t be participating in your pipedream. But thanks for thinking of me.”
His head dropped back as he let out a big belly laugh. “Like you have an option.” He pointed at the front door. “You lost the upper hand the moment you stepped over the threshold. Like it or not, I’m the one in control now.”
I leaned back in the padded armchair. “Really?”
Smugness washed off the guy in waves. “You see, my family’s always thought that playing by the rules was for suckers. That’s why my great-grandfather hired someone to inscribe this place with a number of glyphs to even the playing field. When my grandfather inherited the place, he added even more protections.” Anger flashed in his eyes. “My father wasn’t a believer and wanted to abandon the cause, but I fixed that situation with a simple injection. It’s taken quite a while to right the things he’d screwed up, but with the help of a new partner, I’ve been able to supercharge certain elements to ensure your kind is made just as human as I am. Well, almost.”
Curious, I asked, “Almost?”
He pulled back his sleeves to reveal two silver bracelets. “These grant me superior strength, speed, and healing. My great-grandfather acquired them from his home in Jerusalem.”
There was a time when the enchantments here might’ve worked on me as the ones at the funeral home had when I’d first arrived in New Orleans. But those days were long past. I should know; I’d tested them a few months ago.
I shrugged. “Okay, so you invited me into your web. What now?”
Phineas rolled his eyes. “God, you’re fool. I just told you the predicament you’re in, and you’re sitting there cool as a cucumber.”
I gave him a dismissive gesture. “It’s not that I don’t believe you. If what you say is true then there’s very little I can do about it at this point, so I figure it’s in my best interests to find out what’s next. As you say, you can pummel me to death in a matter of seconds if that’s what you want, but you haven’t, which means you have something else in mind.”
“Actually, I do.” He grabbed a decanter of liquor and poured himself a drink. “Want one?”
I shook my head. “No thank you.”
He rolled his eyes. “It isn’t drugged.” When I shook my head, he continued. “Fine. As to what I want, that’s information.”
Making myself comfortable in the seat, I gestured for him to continue. “Maybe we can trade. I answer a question then you answer one for me.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough. It isn’t as if you’re leaving here alive. In fact, I’ll let you go first.”
It took me several seconds to come up with something since I hadn’t expected him to agree so readily. “Has your family always been part of the Gotteskinder…minus your father, of course.”
He shrugged. “Our organization’s young in comparison to the Archive, but my great-great-grandfather was among the founding members, if that answers your question.”
I nodded. “Well enough.”
Phineas set his drink aside. “How close is the Archive to implementing their plans?”
I blinked. “Huh?”
Irritation crossed his face. “Don’t play stupid with me. We know you guys have been slowly infiltrating the world’s governments in an effort to seize control and enslave the human race.”
I held out my hands to stop him. “I’m sorry, but that’s never been our objective. Think about it. If it had been, we’ve had over two thousand years to get that done.”
He gave me a derisive snort. “It’s our understanding you tried with the Romans and failed. Then again during the Crusades, only to be met with failure again.”
I shook my head. “Not that I was there for either of those, but I’m ninety nine percent sure that didn’t happen. Our only goal is to keep the peace between our races.”
His eyes narrowed, and his voice hardened. “Like you give a shit about peace. Your kind’s gone around killing humans for sport for centuries. Don’t even try to lie about it. Why do you think the Gotteskinder was formed in the first place?”
I shrugged. “No idea, but please consider that my next question.”
He slammed his drink back and got to his feet, cracking his knuckles. “Are you familiar with Jacob Grimm?”
I nodded. “One of the brothers who wrote the book of fairy tales.”
He glared at me. “We both know they’re based on fact. Sure, they may be toned down a lot for children, but those are actual accounts of your kind killing mine.”
I held out my hands in surrender. “If you say so.”
Revulsion crawled through his eyes when he looked at me. “Jacob found a companion, and they were happy for a time. One day, he came home to f
ind his body torn apart by a werewolf. It was then Jacob knew he had to put a stop to your kind. That’s when he and his brother compiled a massive amount of evidence, turned it into the Grimms’ Fairy Tales. But Jacob wasn’t satisfied with just educating the mass populace, so he used his lover’s fortune to found the Gotteskinder.”
Okay, these guys were nuts.
“Let me get this straight. Jacob’s significant other was supposedly murdered by a were, and ever since then, you guys have been hellbent on wiping out all supernatural folks? Or is it just the Archive?”
His anger dissipated for a moment. “Is that a trick question?”
I shook my head. “Not even a little bit.”
Confusion swam across his face. “Isn’t the Archive in charge of everyone with supernatural abilities?”
The sheer ignorance of the man astounded me. “Not even close. We’re more or less a catchall for certain groups, but even amongst those, we can’t be sure they’re all under our umbrella.”
Fury ignited in his eyes. “Liar.” He clenched his fists and sprinted my way.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, concluded our question and answer segment for the day.
The man crossed the room faster than I could get out of my seat. He brought up his forearm and slammed it into my chest. The force of the blow lifted me out of the chair as it toppled to the side. A half second later, my breath caught in my throat when he pinned me against the wall.
A wicked left hook caught me in the jaw and snapped my head to the side. He lifted his knee into my solar plexus, and I doubled over. Phineas grabbed my shirt and tossed me into the bookcase across the room, where I landed in a heap. To add insult to injury, several dozen hardbacks crashed down on my head, quickly followed by a marble bookend.
Apparently, those bracelets were the real deal.
Using my thumb, I flicked the blood out of my nose before getting to my feet.
Phineas sprinted toward me again, but this time I’d anticipated his speed and matched it. Sidestepping the man, I gave him an uppercut to the kidney as he stumbled past. He careened into the fireplace face-first. When he turned, he grabbed a figurine off the mantle and hurled it at me. If it’d been even remotely close, I might’ve moved.