What lay before us could only be described as a crypt.
The lights were out and the lavish gate protecting the grounds was broken, hanging askew from its posts. The front doors I remembered strolling through were still intact, though filthy, and the exterior walls had been tagged by graffiti everywhere human hands could reach. Even the landscaping itself was overgrown and choked by weeds and dead grass. My mouth hung agape. We had stepped into the realm of the absurd.
Monica moved, which knocked my stupor back into reality. I looked down at her again, watching her take two steps closer before pausing once more. “This is the one,” she said. “Only… it doesn’t look like anyone’s used it for anything respectable for months. Maybe even…”
“… Years.” I strolled to her side. “Wesley mentioned thinking this property had fallen out of use, had he not?”
“Yes, he did.” A frown tugged at the corners of her mouth. “This is bizarre.”
“Quite.” Not apt to continue forward idle-handed, I parted the folds of my coat and drew my sword from its sheath. My eyes shifted to anything and everything as I stalked closer. “What causes this sort of phenomenon, my watcher?”
“Honestly? Only thing that fits this bill is dark magic. We’re not dealing with a rookie, though, if he can conjure the type of mojo that can make people hallucinate a whole building.”
“Be mindful to watch your steps, then.”
In my periphery, I saw her nod, walking only a few paces behind me as I started for the main entrance. The door creaked with more volume than I would have preferred and each footfall sounded like a shout to whomever might be inside. Here we are, they said. Out in the open where you can surprise us. My eyes never settled on one place for long, ears attuned to each creak and skitter.
I could almost relive what Wesley and the others were thinking as they made their way through the foyer. Undoubtedly, they were just as confused, and had just as much of a sense they should flee while they still had the opportunity. Still, I knew they ignored every impulse and walked ahead of where we stood. Two large clues confirmed that fact for me.
For one, some of the dust had been recently displaced, both on the doors and the carpet in the entry. Secondly, and more importantly, I could sense the cold chill of fear and smelt a lingering aroma which tickled at my mind with familiarity. If they had any sense of the danger surrounding them, they did not take it as seriously as I would have hoped.
Monica glanced about the immediate area the same as I did. “This place is giving me the willies,” she said. She looked at me and paused near the staircase. “Are you picking up on anything?”
I indulged a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. “They had to have felt this, Monica. Yet, they proceeded forward anyway.”
“You’re sure of that?”
“Yes, I am. I cannot quite explain it, but they were here.”
“If the seer sixth sense is telling you that, then I believe you.” She sighed, folding her arms across her chest as though cold. “Wesley thinks it’s only his argument with my father that got him kicked out of the Order. I can tell you right now, a good part of it was how kamikaze he gets. Half of his asshurt as far as you’re concerned is about Lydia, but the other half is because he wasn’t the big man on campus any longer with you around.”
“Yes, well such an attitude might have gotten him killed. Let us hope such is not the case.” My gaze shifted toward the double doors leading into what had been the rowdy common area. I perked an eyebrow at them. The ornate tapestries which had hung from the walls were all fabrications, but now I had to wonder if the occupants of the house had been as well. How many vampires had truly been felled the night before? I lifted a hand and rubbed my face. “Dearest, I am severely questioning the potency of these powers I possess. How much of this was actually real?”
“Damned if I know.” She followed my gaze. “What was in there?”
“The vampire equivalent of a nightclub.”
“Wow. Swanky.” As she motioned forward, I reached for her arm and frowned sternly as I forced her to stop. She sighed and rolled her eyes, but gestured for me to walk ahead of her. I nodded once. A barely suppressed smile lit my face as I led the way to the double doors.
The grin was to be short-lived, though. As we walked into the common area, the sense of surrealism gained heightened form, as did evidence of our compatriots’ presence. The tiled floor bore footprints which formed confusing patterns, leading in several different directions. But they were all full-treaded markings – not the sort high-heels or dancing would have created. I spied the tables, booths, and chairs and only a few looked to have actually been disturbed. Ian had not only conjured a false interior, he had fashioned imaginary people as well.
“What is it?” Monica asked, breaking the silence.
“This room had been filled with people last night. You would hardly know that now.” I crouched, setting down my katana for a moment to examine the disturbed dust on the ground. A shiver of recognition ran up my spine. This had at least been part of my vision. “The sword which ran me through was no mere figment of my mind, but I have to wonder if everything else was.”
“On the other side of the looking glass.”
“Quite so.” I ran a finger along the ground and admired the layer of dirt on my skin. Wiping it off on my pants, I picked up my weapon again and came to a stand, turning to face Monica as she walked along the walls and idly touched them. The gesture struck me as odd until she shut her eyes. A sigh punctuated the action. Her lids lifted and I crossed the distance between us, a bemused expression on my face.
“You are attempting to see something?” I asked.
Her hand dropped to her side. “Trying and failing.” She pursed her lips and shifted her attention to the wall again. “I think I might go to the other wall. You’re welcome to try this one, but I’ll be damned if I know how to squeeze any energy out of it.” Without another word, she strolled away, her gaze already locked on the other side of the room.
I sighed and looked to the wall again. This one did not buzz in the same manner as the one in Wesley’s house, but there was still enough of a current in the air for me to wonder. Drawing a deep breath inward, I extended my hand and focused on the concrete and plaster the same way I had before. I was just about to give up when the first crackle jumped from the flat surface to the tips of my fingers.
Eyes narrowed, I concentrated on that spark before bringing my hand closer and finally touching the wall. The shift from one reality to another was much more gradual – much less the explosion it had been – but gradually the rain outside relented and a cloudy, overcast dusk replaced the pitch black of night. The sound of shuffling from the doorway brought my attention to it. I felt a shiver as I wondered if I might be looking upon ghosts.
Wesley entered ahead of the others, holding a crossbow. Mark clutched his sai and Jesse gripped a wooden stake in the palm of his hand. A sword graced the sides of the latter two, but Wesley carried a quiver of bolts on his back. He scanned the room, frowning. “Nothing,” he said, disgust evident in his voice. “Not a damn thing anywhere in this building. It’s completely empty.”
Jesse raised an eyebrow. His foot crossed the threshold and the door swung shut behind him once he cleared its path. “Place has been deserted for a long bloody time, it seems like,” he said, pausing behind the others. “This isn’t right. We saw this place yesterday and it was alive with the stench of vamps. Now, they’re gone and left a cloud of dust on everything.”
Mark frowned. “There wasn’t ever anything here besides us and them.”
Wesley turned to look at Mark, stopping in his tracks and lowering his weapon. “You don’t think?”
“I’m sure of it.” Mark tilted his head to study the ceiling. “The dust in the entryway. The cobwebs all over the place. Had any of the decorations been real, we wouldn’t have seen so much. I don’t think this has been home to anything but a few homeless people and some drug addicts.” The look on his face t
urned haunted. I could almost feel his stomach sink. “We’ve all been fooled.”
“I knew it.” Wesley grumbled, shifting the weight of his quiver. “That son of a bitch vampire’s been leading us on a wild goose chase the entire time.”
Jesse laughed, incredulous. “By ‘vampire’ I take it you mean Flynn again?”
“Who the fuck else do you think I mean?”
“You’re off your trolley.” Jesse scoffed. “Saw it bloody well as I did. We killed a few of them before offing that bastard who stabbed Flynn. You mean to tell me Flynn dreamed all that up and let himself get run through to pull a prank on us?”
“They sure as hell missed his heart, didn’t they?”
“Explain to me why the fuck he would do something like that.”
“To trap us.” Wesley spun around, raising his voice. “Where are you, you fucking bloodsucker?” His gaze rose heavenward. I was tempted to wonder if he thought me hanging from the ceiling. “Come on, you prick. Come out and deal with us face-to-face.”
When nothing but silence greeted his command, his face contorted in a fit of rage. “Show yourself!”
All at once, the curtains flew closed, immersing the room in darkness. I noticed their presence for the first time, nearly jumping at the suddenness with which a moderately-lit room became shrouded in darkness. My hand pressed harder against the cool plaster, holding onto the vision when the abrupt change threatened to throw me off. The trio reacted similarly and Jesse pocketed the stake in favor of drawing his sword. Something about the air which settled on the room bore an ill omen. “Get out, you bloody idiots,” I whispered.
A laugh caused the three of them to spin around and face its source. Standing on the other side of the room was Ian, ornamental cane in hand which he clutched with both hands while gazing into the gemstone at its top. He shook his head without making eye contact. “I tell you humans so many times to be careful what you wish for, but you never do listen.” After spinning the cane around once, he dug the tip into the ground and leaned his weight against it. His cobalt eyes found the three human hunters. “Well, you asked for a demon, so here he is. So good to finally make your acquaintance, Mr. Parker.”
Wesley furrowed his brow and stepped closer to Mark and Jesse. ‘Yes, make it easier for him to kill you all in one fell swoop, ’ I thought. “So, you finally came to face us,” he said. “Stopped sending your monkey boy to do all your work.”
Ian cackled. “You humans are so rich. You and your imaginations.” Lifting his cane, he began to pace around the room. “Or lack thereof, I should say. You asked for your enemy when you’ve known who he is the entire time. Do you really think Flynn – despite the remarkable things which have reached my ears about what he’s capable of doing – has any idea how to drape a world in front of your eyes or cause you to miss the very obvious clues which should’ve been staring you in the face? My boy, he might be good, but he’s young. I, on the other hand, am much older.”
The lump in Wesley’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. “What do you want with us, then?”
He shrugged. “Honestly, this had nothing to do with you three until Flynn showed up. It’s been keeping you busy, following me around. Made you feel important, so I left some of the more expendable creatures under my watch for you to take care of for me. I’ve found that humans get remarkably brazen when you let them think they’re superior to you in some manner. Even if you’re penning the game and building the field for them to hunt.”
Jesse cleared his throat. “Beg your pardon, but this is all rubbish. If we’re so bloody insignificant, why did you come out to face us?”
“Such a good question with yet another obvious answer.” Ian turned his attention to Jesse. “Mr. Owens. I know all about you. And you, too, Mr. Shinto.” He nodded in Mark’s direction. “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. That is the motto you humans like to repeat. To answer your question, for two reasons, really. You finally trod in the middle of my business, for starters, and my poor would-be protégé told you too much about our brief encounter. But you also did something which supremely pissed me off.”
“And what was that?” Wesley asked.
Ian sneered. “You killed my second-in-command. And I was very, very fond of Virgil.” His footsteps slowed, becoming predatory. The smile which surfaced on his face was toothy; nearly maniacal. His fangs slid downward as he spoke. “Trivial little pests. And all of you are the same. One moment, you will rush to somebody’s aid, and the next you will stab them in the back when something about them doesn’t strike your fancy. I imagine he warned you away from here, but you didn’t like it, did you? His true ruse being revealed – the penitent vampire who was posing as a human to fight the noble cause with you. Better for him that he saw your true colors.” He froze in place. “But not so good for you.”
Wesley lifted the crossbow and aimed directly for Ian. The latter did not register the action, however. A shadow cast itself across his countenance in such a frightening manner, my eyes widened and Jesse and Mark hazarded a glance for any other exit. Ian had placed himself between them and the double doors, though, and stalked forward to intercept them.
“Inferior beings,” he said. “Distrustful. Egotistical. Paranoid. The assassin should have shredded you to bits and granted you a much more merciful death than I have in store for you. His reckoning will come, as will his witch’s, but for now it is the four of us and I intend to collect on a debt.” The diabolical expression on his face contorted further. “Now scream for me. Scream and run and make your last seconds matter. Because after I rip out your vocal cords, you won’t be able to scream any longer.”
Ian leaped into the air. His demand came tearing through the throat of Wesley, who emitted such a blood-curdling sound it should have shattered the windows. The octave transformed from masculine to high-pitched and feminine in such a queer manner. I wondered…
… until I realized what was happening.
“Peter!!”
I ripped my hand from the wall, replacing the macabre vision with a scene equally as chilling. Monica yelled at me, her arms outstretched in my direction as someone held her from behind. “Monica!” I called back, starting a mad dash for where she stood. I stopped abruptly, however, when her captor pressed a blade to her throat and moved his face away from the cloak of her hair.
Ian smirked. “Welcome back, Flynn,” he said. “My, but it’s been a busy night. First your friends and now, you. Well, truth be told, you’re the one I’ve been waiting for, I’m simply stunned at how good my fortunate has been today.”
My grip tightened around the hilt of my sword, one hand still freed and poised for a telekinetic attack. I narrowed my eyes. “If you wish a swifter, kinder death, you shall release her at once,” I said.
“Oh, I don’t doubt that would ensure me a swift demise, but I’m not of the mind for any form of death just yet, dark one.” His grin broadened, fangs elongated to full extension. A threat was implied within the gesture. Steal the dagger and he would still have his teeth to end my watcher. “Your lovely lady will have to help this negotiation run more smoothly.”
“Peter, just get him,” she said, her eyes pleading with me. Her hands fell to her sides. “Remember, bigger things.”
“Oh, how sweet.” Ian shook his head and laughed. “She doesn’t understand the way this sort of thing works, does she, Flynn? The dashing hero doesn’t push the damsel in distress into the blazing fire, even if it would save the world. Of course, part of your problem is you have no idea what ending me will do. I might only be a cog in the machine.”
I hesitated. “You keep alluding to this machine while telling me nothing of it.”
He shrugged. “Maddening for you, I suppose, but this is what they call playing your cards close to your chest. If I thought there might be a peaceful discussion to be had, we could do this without threats and blades and magic. You’re still blinded, though, and I’m afraid you’re going to have to come around the hard way.”
<
br /> “Would you start making sense, damn it?”
“This is all a primer. The rehearsal before the show. There is an easy way to do this and a difficult way, but I already see it in your eyes.” He tilted his chin. “You still hold some delusion the humans will come around and see you as their champion. That they will recognize your divine calling the way the Fates wish they would.”
“I hold no such delusion.”
Ian laughed again. “Of course you do. You still march to the beat of their drum. They presented redemption on a platter, then shifted the plate each time you tried to reach for it. And what has it gotten you?”
I drew a deep breath inward, struggling to form a response. Ian smiled deviously. “Tut tut,” he said. “What’s this I see? A moment of epiphany perhaps?”
“The humans are myopic. They shall see their folly when my path is realized.”
“Oh, that is rich, Flynn.” He shot a quick glance at Monica. “Tell your darling beau just how merciful your Order is. That father of yours who oversees them all with such wisdom – how much did he listen to you all those years when you spied on Flynn?”
“Drop dead, asshole,” Monica said.
Ian looked at me. “She would make a delicious vampire, if she could be convinced to turn. So much spirit.” While his eyes danced with amusement, the undercurrent to his gaze was deadly serious. “You have me all wrong, Flynn. I don’t think you should be nearly as afraid of me as you should your friends. Do you think they would have been any happier to see you than they were me?”
“What did you do to them?” I asked.
“What had to be done. I would ask for a thank you, but I know you don’t see it that way yet.” His eyes shifted to Monica and returned to me. His grip on her tightened. “This doesn’t have to end poorly, Flynn. But the more you refuse me, the deeper into this conundrum you place yourself and trust me when I say this is about to get very ugly for both of you. Don’t be foolish. Place the sword down, and we can talk like civilized immortals.” He paused, but only for a beat. “I will lay all of the cards on the table. Simply agree to pocket the seer gifts for the time being. I will tell you stories your own immortal mother kept from you. Tales even your brother Michael wouldn’t have shared.”
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