The Last Coven (The Tome of Bill Book 8)

by Rick Gualtieri

  Clubs became hands and the armored skin took on a more refined texture, akin to that of an expensive suit. Finally, the orange holes in its head filled out until a pair of familiar beady eyes stared back at my friends with a mixture of both hostility and triumph.

  “Well well well, if it isn’t my two favorite ladies of the night,” Harry Decker said with a grin. “The trollop and the murderer.”

  IN THROUGH THE BACKDOOR

  “Son of a...”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s Decker,” I said. “He’s alive. I have to...”

  Sheila continued to block my way. “Don’t.”

  I made to move around her. Seeing a dead dickhead risen from the grave had that effect on me. All I wanted to do was wipe that smug grin off his face and send him right back to the land of the talking skulls.

  She continued to stand between me and the passage and then, finally, when I tried to push my way past, she ignited her aura. It was only a momentary flare up, but it had the desired effect of sending my ass flying back down the cave the way we’d come.

  I landed, a bit crispy on the outside, but still in charge of my own faculties.

  “Don’t give us away,” she hissed through gritted teeth, as if being blasted had been my idea.

  I was about to voice my thoughts on this when I realized Decker had stopped his gloating to look in our direction. I’d forgotten the magical wall between us was thin enough for some sound to carry through.

  Thankfully, he didn’t seem to see us. He continued to stare for a moment longer, but then turned back to my friends and commenced monologuing. “Just you two? Curious.”

  “Yo, dude, I’m here, too,” Tom said.

  “Speak to me not, fool,” Decker spat. “You are the cause of this all, the one who turned my beloved pupil against me.”

  “Don’t blame me, asshole. Once a fine lady knows my cock, there ain’t no other she wants to rock.”

  Oh God, he did not just say that.

  “How the fuck have you not died a virgin?” Sally asked with a pained grimace.

  “What’s going on?” Sheila whispered.

  “Oh, the usual. Tom’s talking about his dick.”

  Decker ignored Sally’s comment and continued to direct his spittle-flinging fury at my roommate. “And look what it has wrought you. This mockery of life. You are no man, merely the illusion of one.”

  “Pot calling the kettle black.”

  Decker smiled again and, this time, I noted his very human-looking teeth. He was another like Starlight, a Jahabich 2.0, a perfect doppelganger. “What I am is blessed, fool. The White Mother has smiled upon me, embraced me, made me whole again.” He made a gesture with his hand at my friend, but nothing happened. He looked at it and frowned. Interesting. No magic. That could be useful. “Almost whole, anyway. But soon, once she triumphs, she will fix that. The Source shall wash over me and I shall be reborn as I once was.”

  “I see death has not made you any less delusional, maapamba,” Gan said. “Or are those the words of Ib seeping through your lips?”

  Decker hauled off and backhanded her. Her head turned to the side from the blow and a small trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her lips, but that was all the effect it had on her. Impressive. Even though the Jahabich could appear human, they still hit like a ton of bricks. Tough little girl.

  “Speak not any of the names of the White Lady, little murderess. None of you may dare speak of her. You know nothing of her power, her glory, her benevolence.”

  Tom started moving his fist up and down in a jerking off motion. When he noticed Decker looking incensed at him, he said, “What? I wasn’t speaking about her.”

  I got the feeling it was going to be a race to see who could punch him in the face first – Decker or Sally.

  “If you must flap that never-ceasing tongue of yours, then it should be about something of value. The Freewill and the Icon whore. Where are they?”

  “What’s happening now?” Sheila asked.

  “Harry just called you a whore.”

  Yeah, maybe my play by play left a little to be desired.

  Sheila’s aura sparked around her, no doubt from annoyance. Couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t enough for Decker to be an evil prick. He had to be a cock about it too.

  “Not here, obviously,” Sally replied to him. “Unless you think maybe they’re invisible. Hell, they could be right behind you.”

  Decker actually looked over his shoulder. Dude was seriously paranoid, even if what Sally said was true in a sense.

  “We thought it best to split our forces, find another way,” Gan said. “It is my hope they had more luck than we did. Perhaps even now they are within Ib’s lair, slitting her throat.”

  “Nonsense!” Decker roared. “Do you think me a fool?” Amazingly enough, Tom let that one slide. “We were made aware that the coven guarding the breach in Boston was compromised, that the Icon and Freewill were both present. Do you honestly expect me to believe they would send you three in their stead?”

  “And yet here you are having a conversation with us,” Sally replied, adding a generous dollop of smarm, “while who knows what is happening back at your happy little homestead.”

  That was apparently too much pressure for a nut like Decker to handle without cracking. “We will take them back to the White Mother.”

  “Mother,” the Jahabich all echoed.

  “Should any of them attempt even the slightest resistance, kill the tramp and the child.”

  “What, no love for me?” Tom asked. “Not that I’m complaining.”

  “I am aware of what you are,” Decker replied, narrowing his eyes. “I helped create you. That means I can unmake you. But perhaps I shall do so in front of my lost daughter so that she might know the folly she has wrought.”

  Uh oh. That didn’t sound good.

  Decker motioned to some of the Jahabich standing in formation. “Go further down the tunnel. Make sure these wretches are not some sort of pathetic distraction so their friends can double back on us. If they are waiting on the other side of the breach, kill them. No, on second thought, just kill the Icon. Leave the Freewill alive, but don’t hesitate to hurt him ... a lot. Collapse the tunnel when you are finished.”

  That sounded even less good.

  Decker’s form wavered and transformed, widening into that of a Jahabich.

  Our friends were surrounded and led away from us. Four of the Jahabich then broke ranks and started walking our way.

  “Shit!”

  “What is it?” Sheila asked.

  “Trouble incoming.”

  “Fight or run?”

  I debated for a moment. Running would be useless, as we’d just need to come back anyway, something that would be impossible if they caved in the tunnel. That would put us back to square one and leave Calibra with even more hostages. Fighting was the better option. I had little doubt we could take these assholes together, but if even one got away, it would alert Decker to our presence and we’d be swarmed. With the portal to their backs, the advantage was theirs.

  So maybe we needed to remove that advantage.

  “Quick,” I said. “Turn down your power to the very barest of minimums. Enough for it to be there, but not enough to hurt me.”

  “Why?”

  I looked up and saw the Jahabich shamble forward. “Just do it!”

  The light in the cave dimmed as Sheila reined in her aura until she was just barely aglow, as if she were surrounded by flickering candlelight.

  “Hold it there.”

  I stepped up to her, pressing myself against her back and grabbing hold of her waist. There came a tingle, her power reacting against my presence ... but it was low, like licking a nine volt.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Now walk forward,” I whispered. “Quickly!”

  She did as told and we both walked forward together while I did my best to ignore the tingling from other parts of me as I rubbed up against her. Oh th
e things I did to save my friends.

  The situation could have quickly gotten a wee bit awkward, but thankfully we had the supernatural equivalent of a cold shower bearing down upon us with their soulless orange eyes.

  We neared the Jahabich. “Keep moving.”

  A couple more steps and we were face to face with them. I sure hoped this worked.

  Then, with another step, we walked through each other, the Jahabich passing us as if they were nothing more than ghosts. Yes! I’d been right. Sheila’s power was incompatible with the passage, but it had worked in our favor this time, essentially letting two realities exist in the same place.

  “Weird,” she whispered back. “Felt like I just stepped on my own grave.”

  “You have no idea.”

  * * *

  The Jahabich continued on their way and we did ours, passing beyond where the portal held sway. Beyond it, the tunnel continued for maybe another twenty feet before hitting a dead end. I wondered if that would have been the case back in Vegas had there not been a similar unseen doorway leading to the hell the Jahabich called home. Weird.

  Even weirder, though, there was light here beyond what Sheila was generating. A soft reddish-orange glow suffused the cave wall, coming from seemingly nothing, unseen from the other side, but clearly visible here. One might have thought the walls were red hot from the look of things, but there was no heat.

  “You seeing this?”

  Sheila nodded, but said nothing.

  “It must be the ley line Gan mentioned. The mages must’ve magically drilled until they hit it. That’s where they set up the passage.”

  “Um, how long are we gonna stand like this?”

  Oh yeah, I was still pressed up against her, and though my mind might’ve been distracted by the magic around us, my body wasn’t. I was sporting some serious timber down below.

  This was definitely not the time. Had this been a bad Cinemax movie, this would be the gratuitous scene where the two heroes fucked each other’s brains out while hiding from the monsters. Not a half bad idea, but that wouldn’t do much to help our friends.

  I backed up just enough so that little Dr. Death wasn’t painfully obvious. I was probably a few seconds too late for that, but it was the best I had.

  “Wait for it,” I whispered, guiding us in a circle until we were facing back the way we’d come.

  “Wait for what?” she asked, her voice cracking.

  “Err, not that,” I quickly added before pointing a finger over her shoulder.

  The Jahabich had their backs to us, shambling slowly in the other direction. We were hidden from them by the magical doorway we were now apparently standing behind.

  “I can see them,” she said. “Four, right?”

  “Yep. That means they’re through the passage and on our side now.”

  We gave the Jahabich a few more steps, enough to clear the portal and make room for us. Then we doubled back the way we came, in the same close quarters so as to ensure the magic didn’t affect me. The tingling continued and I began to smell wisps of smoke rising from my clothes, and not because my dick was trying to bore its way out of my pants either.

  Just a few more feet.

  Sheila took another step, and the Jahabich turned toward us, seeming to hear the crunch of gravel beneath her feet. We were through and now they knew it, too. Pity the realization came a bit too late for them to save themselves.

  Or so I hoped.

  * * *

  I stepped away from Sheila, allowing her to more properly ignite her powers as well as draw her sword.

  “Looking for us, assholes?” I gave them a toothy grin before rushing in.

  The two in front were my target and I hit them with everything I had. Ugh! It was like ramming my shoulder into a fucking brick wall.

  It had the desired effect, though. I sent those two stumbling backward into their buddies at the front of the procession, the added mass knocking them prone.

  “Your turn,” I wheezed, leaping back to catch my breath and let my strained ribs heal.

  “With pleasure,” Sheila said, stepping past me.

  Though a normal sword would have been worth dick against monsters made of stone, the aura of faith made hers more akin to a fucking lightsaber. I let out a yell of triumph as she bisected the head of the first of the creatures, sending a shower of orange goo splashing onto his friends.

  Unfortunately, the cave wasn’t quite wide enough for proper Errol Flynn type antics. She was forced to back up, parrying as the next creature reacted with frightening speed, swinging its club arms with enough strength to turn our noggins into a fine red mist.

  “Duck!” I yelled, and she did. She swung her sword low while I dove over her shoulder and tackled the thing high.

  Its legs came off, and I landed atop it.

  Before the rational part of my brain could speak up, I reached into the Jahabich’s maw of a mouth and grabbed hold of two of its stalagmite-like teeth. I yanked hard, putting my back into it, and they snapped off, leaving me two handy dandy stone daggers, which I then helpfully gave back to its owner by way of its eye sockets.

  I pounded them in until the monster stopped squirming. Unfortunately, whereas my hands might have been a claw hammer, the Jahabich’s were fucking Mjolnir by comparison. The two up front had recovered and one caught me square on the chin, sending me flying back while spitting teeth.

  I landed and skidded along the rocky floor, clonking my head a few times to make sure I was good and loopy. Fighting these fucking things was so much easier when I was hopped up on vamp blood.

  No! Screw that kind of thinking. I didn’t need a boost to deal with base level losers like these ... hopefully.

  Unfortunately, the Jahabich didn’t acknowledge my time out. The tunnel rumbled around us and there came the groan of rocks giving way under pressure. That roused me from my wool gathering. I sat up and saw Sheila engaged in combat with one of the two remaining creatures.

  This fucker was seemingly smarter than its friends. Rather than going for the kill, it fought defensively, parrying Sheila’s sword strikes so they did minimal damage. Its rocky skin had been chipped away in half a dozen places, allowing the orange glop they called blood to dribble out, but it still seemed to have plenty of fight left in it.

  Another micro-tremor struck and I realized why the change in tactics.

  Oh, fuck!

  It was defending the last one, which was busy clubbing away at the sides of the tunnel. The Jahabich didn’t need to win. It only needed to stall Sheila long enough for its friend to bring the whole fucking thing down on our heads. I had no idea how far beneath the earth we were, but it was a safe bet it was more than enough to crush us into paste.

  The other Jahabich, the one playing a life-sized game of Dig Dug, slammed both its granite clubs into the wall again, and the entire place started to shake as cracks formed along the previously smooth surface.

  I scrambled to my feet. “We need to go now!”

  “I can beat them!” Sheila growled, her tone practically daring me to try and stop her.

  Fuck! It was that goddamned Icon self-assuredness taking over again. She’d told me about it, about how little things like common sense stopped being important when there was a fight to be won.

  As if to punctuate the point, a massive boulder nearly half as wide as the cave itself came crashing down next to her, kicking up a plume of dust, yet she kept battling the creature as if nothing had happened.

  Beyond the Jahabich doing the demolitions work, I could see even more debris falling, rapidly filling up the only way out of here.

  No. It was the only way out of here for one of us.

  That red hot anger inside of me leapt at that thought from seemingly nowhere and grabbed hold of it. It chomped down, using it as fuel, and I realized escape was easy. All I had to do was back up.

  A few steps and I’d be elsewhere. There’d be no coming back this way, but that was fine. I could figure it out as I went.

>   My fangs elongated at the thought. Watching Sheila’s lithe form battle the creature, I realized that victory from the accursed prophecy was at hand. Gan would get her wish. I would win, the darkness would take over, and humanity’s days in the sun would be numbered.

  What the fuck was I thinking?!

  I raised a hand and slapped myself, dispelling those thoughts.

  Not all of them, though, I realized as I struggled to catch my breath and get my emotions back under control.

  The passage behind us was a way out for me, but it didn’t need to be that way.

  My hands plunged into my pants pockets until they closed upon ... no. That wasn’t it. Where the fuck? Oh yeah, I wasn’t the one who had it. Shit!

  Nevertheless, I had no choice but to remedy that.

  I had no fucking idea what I was about to do. Usually, whenever Dave stuck me for the purpose of drawing blood, I was too busy bitching him out to pay attention.

  Oh well, time for a crash course.

  Sadly, whatever happened next was almost certainly going to hurt me as much as it did her.

  I stepped behind Sheila, just outside her aura. The rumbling of the tunnel grew worse, and I realized we had seconds at most. Come on...

  The creature parried a thrust from her sword, putting her slightly off balance. It swung at her, but she jumped back at the last second.

  Now!

  Bracing myself for the hurt to come, I stepped in before she could attack again and grabbed hold of her.

  “What are you doing?!”

  The fires of faith immediately reacted to me, but I held tight and dug my hands into her jacket. Where the hell was it? The pain was rapidly becoming unbearable and I knew we were seconds from one of two scenarios: either I’d burn to a crisp and we’d be buried, or I’d lose control and we’d be buried.

  Fuck that noise.

  There! My hands closed upon the syringe and I yanked it free. With no time to waste, I ripped the cap off with my teeth, then, figuring it was as good a place as any, jabbed the needle into her ass.