by Terence West
"I need it,” I whispered.
"Why?” Chithula's question was stark and raw. I almost recoiled from it as if it were a punch.
I felt my face flush. “It makes me who I am."
"Interesting.” Chithula stared at me for a moment. He adjusted his body slightly and rested his palms on his folded knees. “Why are you here?"
"I already told you,” I said, slightly confused.
Chithula frowned. I obviously wasn't playing the game by his rules. His burning eyes flashed with intensity. He wasn't going to ask the question again.
"There was a nest of Vampires in Vegas that Brimstone wiped out,” I said slowly. “They were legal. I have spoken to the brood's former Master. He claims to have a Chithula representative defending him. I need to know why."
Chithula soaked in my statement, considering each and every word. “Mr. Asp, the Vampire you have in lockup, is indeed under Chithulan protection. He came to me and felt his life was in danger."
"Then why did you let him leave?” I asked point blank.
"Mr. Asp was part of a larger picture, Rose Webb. It wasn't merely his life I was protecting.” Chithula stopped and reconsidered his words. “But the Vampire has done what he was intended to. He has unwittingly spread this information and set events in motion."
I couldn't help let my mouth fall agape. “What?"
"He brought you,” Chithula smiled, his eyes flashing with fire again, “to me."
I suddenly felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Any comfort I was feeling was ripped out of the room as if he had dropped a bomb between us. The urge to flee gripped me. It took every bit of my strength to remain sitting in front of him. I started to understand one thing: I wasn't a guest of the Chithula. I was his prisoner.
"Someone is trying to subvert the Brimstone Syndicate,” Chithula said darkly.
"How do you know this?” It was the obvious question, but the only one that came to my mind.
"I had a vision of things to come nearly two thousand years ago.” Chithula paused, allowing me to consider his age. “I saw a place that seemed to rise out of the desert and glitter, and before the Brimstone Syndicate even existed, I saw your face, Rose Webb."
The admission stunned me.
"It is no coincidence that I have made my home outside of Las Vegas,” Chithula said, answering one of my lingering questions. “It is here I was destined to play my part and once Mr. Asp arrived, I knew what I saw was in motion. I haven't seen the complete picture,” he admitted, “but I have to trust the Powers That Be,” Chithula finally acknowledged. “The rebellion is upon us."
"Rebellion?” I felt the word choke in my throat. He was starting to frighten me. I fidgeted on the rug, seemingly unable to sit still. “I still don't understand what I have to do with all of this."
"I don't have that answer,” Chithula said. “I just know that something is threatening the Brimstone Syndicate from within, and you are a key player.” He paused and considered me again. “I need to know whose side you're on."
I looked carefully at the Ifrit before me. He had been testing me the whole time, ensuring I was worthy of his knowledge. “What does it matter to you? Why are you concerned with Brimstone's survival?"
"My motives are my own,” he said casually, as if in passing. “I have set myself up to profit if Brimstone continues or not."
"This is all fine,” I said with a tinge of anger in my voice, “but you haven't given me anything concrete. I have vague references to a rebellion; that someone is trying to subvert Brimstone from inside, and that I play a part in this,” I paused dramatically, “somehow. I'm sorry if I sound angry and ungrateful, but where do I go from here? What's the next step?"
Chithula stood and started back toward the door he had entered from. I didn't know if I had angered or insulted him. Opening it, he turned and paused. “Matthew Sumner."
I couldn't hide my shock. “Matthew Sumner, the Brimstone Overseer? That Matthew Sumner?"
Chithula nodded.
I felt a shiver run down my spine.
As the Ifrit stepped through the door I finally felt the heat in the room begin to abate. “You and your companions are free to go,” he said, closing the door.
Apparently I had passed his test. I sat in the center of the rug reeling. This was far bigger than even I imagined. If he was right, if this name was the key, there was more going on here than the death of a few legal Vampires.
Chapter 15
"I don't trust him!"
I stared at Toby, my brow furrowed angrily. During the ride back to Vegas, I had revealed everything Chithula told me. For a long time we all sat in silence, considering the implications of this information. And yet, it seemed to corroborate the facts we already had.
Insisting he was hungry, I had pulled into the first twenty-four-hour pancake house I spotted from the interstate to try and quell the wolf's appetite. Still standing in the well-lit parking lot, we were starting to draw attention from the skeleton staff inside the restaurant. I could see them poking through the Venetian blinds to watch us. This wasn't a good place to be.
"Look, kids,” Karl said, sliding out of the back seat. A heavy bag of items he had stolen from the Ifrit's compound were over his shoulder. “You have fun, but I'm leaving."
I turned and glared at the Goblin. “Where do you think you're going?"
Karl was already walking away. Turning, he continued to backpedal. “Home. I don't care what happens to you two. There is no way I'm going to help take down an Overseer."
"He's right.” Toby lowered his voice and stepped closer to me. “We may still have a chance to live if we walk away right now. I am not bringing allegations against a Brimstone Overseer. That's suicide!"
Stepping away from the angry Werewolf, I snatched the Goblin's loot bag. “Nobody is going anywhere,” I spat at Karl. I turned and pointed at Toby. “And you need to get a hold of yourself.” I leaned against the hood of my car and folded my arms. “We have information, even if it isn't true, that paints us as conspirators. If this gets out before we have proof, we're all sunk.” I paused. “Nobody leaves."
The Goblin hung his head. At least he acknowledged I was right. Walking slowly back to the car, he kicked the rear tire with his wee boots. “Crud."
I returned the Goblin's loot. “Matthew Sumner may be an Overseer,” and a very powerful one at that, “but we don't even know what Chithula meant when he told me the name. I don't know if he's involved in this alleged rebellion, or the person we need to take the evidence to. I don't know."
Toby took a step back and started to pace as he stewed. “This doesn't make any sense,” he admitted in frustration. “Why would anyone want to subvert the Syndicate?"
"Don't be naïve,” I growled. “Brimstone has enemies just like everyone else. The question we need to be asking now isn't why, but who. As in who is trying to hurt the Syndicate?” I felt a drop of rain hit my shoulder. Glancing up, I searched the skies but couldn't find a single rain cloud. Ignoring it, I returned my attention to Toby and Karl. “Are you two with me?"
Karl nodded half-heartedly as he rooted through his bag of stolen goodies. “Yeah, whatever, suckhead.” He wasn't even paying attention.
Toby was still fuming, but he knew he wouldn't change my mind. No matter how much he argued, I wasn't going to run away. He stopped in front of me and folded his arms. “Where do we go from here?"
I felt another drop of water hit the back of my ear. Wiping it away, I shrugged. “I honestly don't know. I think we need to find Overseer Sumner and see what he's up to. Beyond that, I'm really not sure.” Several more drops hit me. I looked up into the sky. “Is it starting to rain?"
Toby grabbed my hand. “Rose, you're bleeding!"
"No I'm not.” I stared down at my hands. Red smears of blood were indeed visible where I had wiped the raindrops away. “That's kind of strange."
"I don't know,” Toby said, inspecting me with a worried look on his face. “I don't see any cuts."
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I felt another raindrop hit my forehead. Reaching up to wipe it away, I felt something sharp embedded in my flesh. Wrapping my fingertips around it, I yanked it free and held it in my hand. I lifted it close to my face but couldn't make out any detail on the tiny object. It simply looked like a tiny sliver of wood. I started to feel a bit woozy. “What the hell is going on?"
Toby stared at the sliver in my hand. “It kind of looks like a dart."
Karl leapt out of the car and pointed into the night sky past us. His eyes were wide with fear. “Swarm!"
"Crud,” I said, repeating Karl's earlier curse. I looked up to see a swarm of glowing, yellow dots swooping toward us. I then understood what I held in my hand. It was a Pixie Stick, a poisoned spear used by tiny, wingless Inhumans known as Sprites. One Pixie Stick wasn't enough to bring down a normal-sized being, but Sprites never traveled alone, and I'd already been hit at least six times.
"Toby.” My reaction time started to slow as the world shifted around me. “Help me,” I slurred.
"Rosy?” The Werewolf picked me up and dove into the open back seat of the coupe. Pulling the door shut, he started to frantically roll up the windows. It simply wasn't enough to get in the car and seal it off. Sprites were tiny. They could get into anything, even through a heat vent. We had to get out of here. He slid my head into his lap and held me firmly. “Stay with me,” he commanded.
The Werewolf looked at the tiny, green Goblin still standing frozen in the parking lot. “Karl, we're leaving!"
"Yeah, right!” The Goblin snapped around and started for the passenger door.
Toby slapped the window to get the Goblin's attention. “You drive!"
"What?” Karl asked incredulously as he climbed into the vehicle. “Are you blind, puppy? I'm a freakin’ foot tall! How the hell am I going to drive?"
Toby glanced down at the floor. Snatching my unused umbrella from behind the seat, he handed it to Karl. “Wedge this on the accelerator, then just steer!"
I moaned as the toxin worked deeper into my system. Everything around me was starting to feel disconnected as if I wasn't really there. I could hear the Pixie Sticks hitting the glass behind my head, sounding almost like a light sprinkling of rain.
The Goblin stared at the umbrella and cursed something in his native tongue. Hiking across the center console and into the driver's seat, he jumped up and grabbed the keys I had left in the ignition. Twisting with all of his strength, the car roared to life.
"Let's move, green bean,” Toby growled from the backseat.
"Eat it, puppy,” Karl spat back.
The Goblin dove down onto the floor and pulled the umbrella off the seat. Wielding it like a staff, he pushed the tip into the gas pedal and lodged the curved handle into the soft fabric of the seat sending the engine racing. Once he climbed back up into the seat, the little Inhuman could barely see over the steering wheel. Grabbing the gearshift, the transmission growled in protest as he pulled. Slipping past neutral, the car jerked backwards as it shifted into reverse.
I heard Toby's head smack against the window.
"Wrong way, Karl!” the Werewolf protested angrily.
Karl's entire weight was hanging off the shifter. “I'm trying, puppy! You're not helping!"
Several small, yellow Sprites emerged from the heat vent. They glowed slightly due to their natural bioluminescence. Flitting up between the seats, they took aim at Karl's head.
Jerking down with his feet, the knob finally slid past reverse and into drive. The car's tires squealed on the pavement as it skidded to a stop and lurched into the opposite direction. Karl fell into the seat but quickly recovered and skittered back to the steering wheel as several Pixie Sticks whizzed past him. “Little help, puppy!"
Toby swatted at the Sprites with his meaty hand. “Shoo, you little bastards!” Snatching one of the Sprites out of the air, Toby flung it at the back window. I heard it hit with a crunch and fall dead to the carpet below.
Standing on the bottom loop of the wheel, Karl was amazingly able to steer us around the pancake house and onto the road. “Chicks dig guys with cars.” Karl laughed with glee as he honked the horn with his hips.
The remaining Sprites turned their attention to Toby. Launching a volley of sticks, they buzzed in and began to swarm around his head. He waved his arms wildly in the air all the while trying to keep me steady on the seat. The tiny, wingless creatures zipped like fireflies around the Werewolf. Knocking another out of the air, he grunted as a Pixie Stick hit him just below the eye.
A wave of sinister chipmunk-like laughter sliced into our ears. The Sprites were obviously having a wonderful time trying to kill us.
"Hold on!” the Goblin yelled from the front.
I felt a wave of nausea hit me as Karl spun the wheel hard to avoid slower-moving traffic and nearly tumbled off. Grabbing onto the plush seats, I tried to keep myself from getting thrown to the floor. My head was spinning full force as the poison marched through my system. I had to help, but I could barely hold up my head. I looked up at Toby who was still swinging wildly at the Sprites. “Console."
"Not now, Rosy!” Toby barked.
I reached up and grabbed the collar of his shirt with every bit of strength I had left and pulled the wolf's face down to mine. “Console,” I repeated firmly.
Toby stared with bewilderment for a moment then it struck him. “Oh, oh!"
Reaching over me, he pulled open the center console between the front seats. His face lit up as he felt my little, black, emergency kit. No bigger than a CD holder, Toby unzipped it and folded it open like a book on my stomach. Doing my best to lift my head, I ran my fingers over the various charms, spells, and amulets contained within. Toby knocked away a Sprite that landed on my chest with pixie stick at the ready.
Grabbing a small vial filled with what looked like Mercury, I lifted it in my two hands and cracked it like a glow stick. As the vial snapped open, the substance vaporized when it hit the air while a chemical and mystical reaction occurred. With a pop no bigger than a firecracker, the interior of my car was instantly filled with a glittering substance that resembled confetti.
"Don't breathe deeply,” Karl warned, his focus still on the road ahead, what little he could see of it.
We watched the tiny Sprites begin to fly erratically in the car, their shrill gasps and screams audible above the engine noise. As the miniscule creatures started to drop from the air, the soft thump of their bodies hit the carpeting repeated all over the vehicle.
Toby waved the sparkling confetti out of his face. “What is that stuff?"
"Sprite repellant.” I coughed. “Nebulized iron."
Blackness encroached on my vision. I felt as if I was looking at the world from the bottom of a well. As my hands became heavy and fell to my chest, the broken pieces of the vial fell away. I looked up at Toby again. He seemed almost ethereal amidst the sparkling Sprite repellant.
I felt my eyes close as the darkness took me.
Chapter 16
I ran my hand over my face and slowly opened my eyes. A moment of confusion engulfed me as everything seemed warped and alien. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I realized I was in my apartment lying on the couch with my feet propped up on the arm. Licking my lips, I could feel the sandy dryness of my flesh. My arms felt as heavy as stone when I tried to lift them. Grabbing the edge of the couch, I rolled onto my side and summoning all of my strength, I pushed myself into a sitting position. My head swam for a moment, but I didn't pass out.
Slowly I became aware of the voices coming from my kitchen. I could hear Toby's voice and, unfortunately, the shrill whine of Karl's. Great. That's just great. I have a Goblin in my apartment. Another voice, barely audible, caught my ear. Tiny and muffled it would have been easy to miss. Curiosity overwhelmed my aching, tired body. I had to know what was going on in the kitchen.
Leaning forward, I braced myself against my coffee table and carefully stood up. My legs felt like Jell-O for a moment, but I found my balance
. My insides felt as though they were twisting over and over. I knew it was mostly the poison acting on my system, but I was still starving. I desperately needed to feed. Brushing a lock of hair from my eyes, I waited until the dark edges receded from my vision. The Sprites’ Pixie Sticks must've been more powerful than I realized.
Stumbling toward the kitchen, I caught the partial wall that divided the rooms and used it for support. Leaning my head against the cool plaster, I couldn't stop the laugh that seemed to roll out of my stomach. The sight of Toby holding his hand over the top of my blender with Karl standing next to it cheering him on was too much for my mind's fragile state. Looking into the blender's glass jar I saw the source of the third voice: a glowing Sprite.
"Oh lord.” I sighed as I let my head fall into my hands.
Toby looked up at me with an evil grin on his face. The smirk quickly melted away, replaced with concern. “Rosy.” He started to walk toward me, but realized he was still holding the captured Sprite in place. Searching over the counter, he finally grabbed Karl and plopped him firmly on top of the blender. “Don't move,” he instructed Karl and turned toward me.
"What's the deal, puppy?” Karl asked angrily. “Do I look like a freaking stopper? What am I supposed to hold the Sprite in with? My glorious green ass?"
"Shut up, Karl,” Toby quickly spat out. Stopping in front of me, he placed his powerful hands on my shoulders. “You shouldn't be up. Are you okay?"
I nodded. “I'm fine. Little woozy,” I admitted, “but fine.” I looked past the wolf into the kitchen. Karl was taunting the Sprite and mooning him. I closed my eyes, certain I had just been permanently scarred. “What are you two deviants doing to that Sprite?"
"Interrogation,” Toby replied matter-of-factly. “Trying to find out who sent it."