by Jan Stryvant
"Call everyone and tell them to execute the next attack," Dan said.
"On it," Wrath acknowledged as they flew back towards their van.
Miles swore as another volley of explosive arrows came in through the broken windows. He was hard put to put the fires the attackers kept lighting out. Warren had organized a bunch of the defenders to run around with fire extinguishers to deal with them at first, but at some point they'd run out of extinguishers, and Warren had panicked, run out the back doors, and gotten killed almost immediately.
When the panicked runner had come down from upstairs, he'd sent the few people he could spare, but they'd come back soon enough with the news that Weson was dead and some kind of demon they'd never seen before had his staff.
It wasn't much later that someone told him the staircases were on fire and the attackers outside were closing in, killing his remaining people with deadly efficiency, as most of his defenses had been broken at this point.
If Rafferty had been here—if Yvette and Mika had been here with their people—they might have had a chance, but no one had expected an attack this big, and in Broad Daylight!
He felt it more than he heard it, and turning around, he saw it—a hole in the ceiling, a big one, and it was getting bigger. Suddenly the small fires all around him were whipped into a frenzy, the hole acting like a draft as the hot air was pulled up through it, sucking outside air and fresh oxygen in through all the broken windows. In mere seconds, the entire ground floor of the building was turned into a furnace, the four mages outside casting spells that only added fuel to the fire.
Miles Brown spent the last few moments of his life screaming in pain as the fires overwhelmed his defenses, and he burned to death.
Appearances
Dan leaned back in the seat in the back of the van and sighed.
"I was hoping to go by the building and make sure any firemen who showed up understood that it was all part of the movie and to just stand back and let it burn."
"So what's stopping you?"
"The fact that I'm going to have a gut from old fatass for the next twenty-four hours?" Dan grumbled. "If I wasn't worried about George or one of the mages showing up at the Zoo, I'd definitely go hit it up and celebrate."
"He's not dead yet, is he?" Tig asked.
"Nope, but he's not conscious anymore, either."
"How can you tell?"
"He's stopped struggling."
"I'm surprised he hasn't used magic to hurt you or escape."
Dan gave a small shrug. "Best I can guess is, either a sobek's belly is sort of a magical null zone, or he couldn't pull himself together to use anything—assuming he could move enough to do so."
Tig nodded, and he noticed she was really focused on his belly.
"Rod, if you go out to the party tonight, make sure George doesn't find out about this," Dan said, patting his belly.
"Umm, okay."
"Same for you, please, Bob."
Bob nodded. "Aureate has clued me in on all the details."
"What about me?" Tig asked, tail waving back and forth lazily.
"My wives get me first; after that, you'll have to ask real nice if you want me to consider it," Dan said with a wink.
Fawn and Olivia snickered as Tig blushed.
"If you want, I can drop Sheila a message and ask her to take George some place a bit more private later tonight," Olivia said with a big grin.
Dan gave a small laugh. "I'm sure she's already planning on that, and I suspect he'll be more than happy to."
"I just had an interesting thought," Lofn said.
"Oh?"
"Any of Weson's former staff…if he's in magical limbo, those rings won't work."
"So they can take them off," Wrath said, completing the thought.
"Okay, so what good does that do us? I killed Dave, and we're reasonably sure Miles and that business guy are in there still. Well, until they burn to death or get killed trying to escape."
"That still leaves the drunken magic user, the gal who runs the whorehouse, and the Russian guy," said Fawn.
"Rings?" Rod asked.
"Weson had his top people wearing these cursed rings," Dan said. "It allowed him to siphon power from them for his magic, kept them from turning on him, and as I understand it, when he dies, they die."
"But if they're cursed, they can't take them off, right?"
"Maybe, maybe not," Lofn said. "Right now, the master ring, the one Weson's wearing, is in Dan's stomach," she said, pointing at Dan's gut. "So maybe they can take them off?"
"Which means," Olivia said, "we can tell them if they swear themselves to Dan, he'll let them take the rings off, otherwise they'll eventually die."
"I wonder about that," Dan said. "I'm not sure what's gonna happen to that ring. I've never eaten anybody with a powerful magic item on them before."
"You know, because you now 'possess' him and his powers, it could be that you control the ring," she suggested.
"An interesting idea," Dan said, "but I have no idea how to prove it."
"Simple, we drive up to the building, you point at Miles, and tell him to die."
Wrath started up the van and started driving.
"Might as well give it a try."
"Assuming we can get close enough to see them," Wrath said from up front. "That fire's gotta be pretty hot by now, and they may even be dead already."
"What's the point?" Tig asked.
"Resources mainly," Wrath said. "Owning a whorehouse and a Russian mobster can't hurt, right?"
"How do we even find them?" Dan asked.
"I've got their addresses," Fawn said.
"You do?" Dan said, surprised.
Fawn nodded. "Yup, looking into it when Estaca told me who he had working for him just in case we needed to cut some of his support out from under him."
"You know what? Let's go tap the Russian guy—what's his name, Fawn?"
"Mika Bykov."
"Let's tap him first. Weson's gonna be dead soon enough. If this works, we get him, if it doesn't, they're all probably gonna kick it when Weson dies anyway."
"Fine," Wrath said. "What's the address, Fawn?"
Mika was sitting in the living room with his wife watching the news. Apparently there was some sort of movie finale being filmed over by Weson's building. He didn't recall hearing anything about it, and the only shots they had were taken at such long range, as they didn't want to interfere with the filming, that he really couldn't make it out. Plus it was getting late, and the light wasn't all that good with the sun setting.
Somebody knocked on the door, one of those solid knocks that meant business. Putting his hand on his wife's shoulder, Mika smiled.
"I'll get it," he told her, standing up and waving his son away from the door. "Go sit with your mother," he told him in a firm voice.
"Yes, Dadda."
Opening the door, Mika twitched. It was that Dan kid Weson hated so much, and there was a group of demons with him.
"Mika!" Dan said with a smile. "So nice to see you again! It's been months since I saw you at Denny's! How about stepping outsider so we can discuss a little business? I don't think your wife or kids need to join us."
Mika paled slightly, but as long as they weren't going to kill his wife and children, he'd face his fate like a man.
"You promise you won't hurt them?" he hissed in low voice.
"Yes, I promise. Women and children are off limits. Right?"
Mika nodded, stepping outside and closing the door behind him.
"Can we do this someplace else? I don't want to see..."
Dan smiled. "Oh, we're not going to kill you."
"You're not?" Mika said warily.
"I killed Weson."
"What?" Mika said and looked at the ring.
"Well, he's dying, but I'm going to pull the plug on him soon enough. But I had a thought that maybe you could work for me?"
"Why would you do that? I tried to kill you."
"Yes, and you faile
d. Still, it's simple. I get ten percent, and for that you get to live, handle a few odd jobs for me now and again, I'll make sure no one cuts into your territory, and maybe I'll even lend you a hand once in a while."
"How do I know you're telling the truth about Weson?"
"Take off the ring," Dan ordered him.
Looking down at his hand, Mika grabbed the ring and gave it a tug.
It came off!
"Give me your hand," Dan said, taking the ring from him and handing it to Lofn.
Mika held it out, and one of the girls ran a claw over the palm, slitting it open. Dan held his out, and he did the same.
Dan then chanted what he thought were nonsense words, but then he'd seen Weson and Miles do the same kind of thing. He was casting magic!
Dan grabbed Mika's bloody hand with his.
"You're taking a blood oath. Break it without my permission, and you will die. Understand?"
Mika nodded.
"Swear that you'll follow my orders, never betray me or mine, and will serve me faithfully until the day you die, on pain of death if you should ever betray me or fail to do as I order you."
"I, Mika Bykov, swear that I will follow your orders, never betray you or yours, and will serve you faithfully until the day I die, on pain of death if I should ever betray you or fail to do as you order me to."
He felt it when he finished the oath; it reminded him of when he'd taken the oath to Weson, who'd obviously lost to this young man.
"Welcome to the team, Mika. For now, it'll be business as usual. Fawn or Wraith will call you once we get things set up and I've dealt with Wiles."
"Do you need my help with him?"
"I don't know, possibly, but time will tell. Give Fawn here your phone number, and I'll let you enjoy the rest of your evening."
Mika blinked as Dan turned and walked away from him. Turning to the one he'd motioned to, he gave her his phone number.
"Is Weson really dead?" he asked her in a low voice.
"He's dying," Fawn said. "Slowly. Painfully. Dan's paying him back for what he did to his family, and tried to do to us. When it comes to family, he has a really nasty temper."
Mika nodded slowly. "That is a good thing; a man should stand by his family. I did not know about the curse on his family until after I had joined. I apologize."
"As you weren't there when Weson cast it, I don't think we'll be holding any grudges. Bye!" Fawn said, smiling brightly. She and the rest followed Dan to the van that was sitting in the street.
Turning and shaking his head, he went back inside and sat down with his wife.
"Honey, are you okay?"
"You know the man I've been working for?"
"The one who promised to help you grow your business?"
"Yes, him. His company was just acquired in a hostile takeover."
"Oh, no! I hope this doesn't hurt your business!"
"The new owners were outside. They cut their fees in half and took over my contract," Mika told her. His wife had no idea what his business really was; he didn't want to worry her with such things.
"That's good, isn't it?"
Mika nodded and smiled a little. "Yes, I think it's good."
"So where to next?" Wrath asked.
"Screw it, let's hit the Zoo. I need a drink, and I'm sure Tig and Rod have places they need to be. What about you, Bob?"
"A drink would be good. I need to call Aureate as well."
"Don't you have a phone?" Dan asked.
Bob shook his head.
"Here, use mine. Just return it when you're done. This way Aureate will have my number when she calls to ask me for the huge favor I'm going to owe her."
Bob smiled. "Yes, which of course is why I'm here."
"You owed her a favor?" Aella asked.
"No. But now she owes me one," he replied, still smiling. "A huge one."
#
Godfrey was watching the local news website, reading the story about the 'movie' being filmed in town. The building being 'demolished' looked too much like Weson's to be a coincidence.
His cell rang, and he opened it immediately without bothering to look at the number.
"Yes?"
"Weson's dead!" Alice said in a hushed voice.
"What?"
"Yvette just found out. There was a huge attack on his building. She said there are demons everywhere, and she saw some mage named Royce leading a bunch of them!"
"Is she sure?"
"Very sure. One of the firemen she called who's watching the building from a distance to make sure it doesn't get out of control hasn't seen anyone come out of it, and it's falling in on itself."
"But how can that be if she's still alive?"
"She had one of her men cut off her finger. The one with the ring on it."
"She did…" He paused a moment and thought about that. Obviously he'd underestimated Yvette.
"Get your things and go the first chance you get. Go live with your daughter. Be safe, and thank you, Alice."
"Do you really mean that, Godfrey?"
"Yes, I do. Goodbye, my dear," he said, and ended the call. If Weson was dead, he didn't need Alice anymore, but he also didn't want to leave her where Yvette might discover her. That could lead to bad blood, and if Weson was truly gone, perhaps he could reach an agreement with her after he consolidated his hold on the city.
Someone that crafty he obviously wanted on his side.
Pressing speed dial, he called Carmine.
"What's up, Goff?" she answered.
"Weson's dead. Somebody raided his place, in broad daylight, and killed him and everyone there!"
"What! How can that be? What about the police?"
"You know that movie everyone is talking about being filmed downtown today?"
"Oh my god! But how? Who?"
"I don't know yet, but Alice told me that there were a lot of demons down there, and she saw Royce, one of the mages who's been sitting the whole thing out and waiting for the fighting in Sacramento between us and Weston to die down."
"You don't think he did it, do you?"
He could hear the concern in her voice.
"No, I don't think there's a new player in the game."
"Hana?"
"I don't see how it could be anyone else. She killed Dale right under everybody's nose, and now she's gotten her revenge on Weson, not only in public, but she's got the gods damned police blocking traffic for her and keeping the crowds at bay! Even the TV stations won't get close because they don't want to ruin the filming!"
"I guess we know what happened to Terry's guy keeping watch on their place up in Placerville." She sighed. "What do we do?"
"Get Terry and get over here. Pull everyone in."
"Do you think she'll make us an offer, or try to kill us?"
"Why would she make us an offer?"
"Because you didn't try to kill her and made her an offer?" Carmine said. "I mean, you're the one who tells us to try to buy them first, so…?"
Godfrey considered that a moment.
"Get Terry. I'll think about it."
#
Dan was surprised that they actually made it to their table before anybody came over to him, but then again, from the way the demons there were looking at him, he suspected they were a little bit shocked by the rumors he'd told Tig and Rod they were free to circulate on the way here.
Apparently there were more than a few demon chat programs for cellphones.
Both Tig and Bob had joined them at their table, while Rod had gone off to join the crowd. Aureate was sending someone to pick Bob up and had congratulated Dan on winning the fight. Dan had considered asking if he could hold onto Bob until after he dealt with Godfrey, but he already owed her more than enough favors.
"Is that him?" Estaca asked as she came over and gave Dan's belly a rub.
"Yup, and he just gave up the ghost a few minutes ago as we were parking the van," Dan said with a grin. "Are any of the magic users in here?"
"George disapp
eared with that cerberus gal about ten minutes ago, and from the way they were holding on to each other, I don't think they'll be back tonight! Takett's over in the back talking with a bunch of demons about trade or something. There's a couple of young bovera females making doe eyes at him as well. Why'd you ask?"
"I don't want him to know that I ate Weson. He may like demons, but humans can get funny about certain things. Trust me, I used to be one," Dan said with a grin. "Or at least I thought I was one."
"Did Royce or Layton come by at all?" Lofn asked.
"Actually, yes. They both came in, bought a round of drinks for the demons who helped them, thanked each of them personally, told them not to be afraid to ask them for help if they ever needed it, then left."
"I guess they're seeing the writing on the wall," Fawn snickered. "I'm going to go over and distract Takett for a minute and make sure those girls understand that he's on your 'do not harm' list."
Estaca laughed. "I don't think 'harm' is on their minds. He's good looking, powerful, funny, and just like our Dan here, he doesn't seem to care that they're demons."
"I think somebody just moved up in our organization," Dan said with a thoughtful look as Fawn got up and danced off to check on Takett.
Giving her a moment to engage with him, Dan stood up and gave Estaca a hug and a kiss, then shrugged off his duster, turned to the crowd, put a hand on his belly and rubbed it, then assumed his aspect.
The effect was everything he could have hoped for, as almost every jaw in the place dropped, and several clapped and laughed.
"Thanks for your help," Dan said. "One down, one to go, and I won't forget your help."
He shifted back, dropped down into his chair, grabbed the mug of beer Olivia shoved in his face, and took a drink.
"Here comes Takett," Wraith whispered.
Dan nodded and slouched a little in his seat; hopefully the dim light of the bar would hide his gut as he sat at the table.