by Judith Post
"I've been on your balcony before," Claudia said, "but I've never really looked around your apartment."
"Then have Bart give you the grand tour." Enoch poured them each another glass of wine and let them wander at will.
Where to start? With Enoch's travels and money, this place was almost like a private museum. "This?" Bart asked, admiring a vase on a teak, side table in the massive living room.
Enoch glanced up. "From the T'ang era of China."
When Claudia reached a piece from ancient Rome, she grew silent. Bart glanced up to see what had caught her attention. She was gazing at a signboard Enoch had hung on his wall. It was painted with the symbol of a mule turning a mill to grind grain.
"Does that bring back memories?" Bart asked her gently.
Claudia's voice was husky when she replied. "A baker's sign for the open market. I helped Dad make round loaves of bread every day until my brother was old enough to take my place. It's one of my few happy memories."
"Do you want it?" Enoch asked. When she started to protest, he said, "It means more to you than to me. Besides, I have another one, for a wine shop."
She touched the signboard reverently. "Thank you."
Her sentimentality surprised Bart. She usually shied away from memories of her childhood. She tried to completely block her years with Vlad.
"Since we're looking and touching, let's get this over with," Bart said. He went to get a chiseled wooden box he'd left on the balcony and opened its lid. "Victor's dust."
Enoch let out a deep breath. "Now? Before we eat?"
"All of us are only so-so with pleasantries. Once you touch this, we can get down to business. We can talk strategy over our meal."
"Here’s hoping." Enoch dug his fingers into the ashes and closed his eyes. When he finished, he opened them and Bart watched him struggle to refocus.
“Did you see more?” Voronika’s shoulders tensed. She opened and closed her hands.
Enoch’s gaze went to Bart. "Horace, Gunther, and Eva." Enoch shook his head. "Then Claudia and Bart."
"We were on the first killer's list," Bart said.
"It makes sense. If these guys eliminate their assigned victims, they're going to work together to finish off you two."
"Smart plan." As a general, Bart recognized a strong strategy.
"I don't know if there are more victims after you two or not. That's all I saw.”
“It was enough," Claudia said.
Bart gave a curt nod. "Somebody knows what they're doing. They know who my generals are and which areas they protect. Not many have that information."
"Who would?" Enoch asked.
"Only old vampires who fought with us at one time or another."
Enoch looked out the patio doors at the city below them. "But why? What's the point?"
"With my generals gone, rogue vampires could fight for empires of their own. They could herd humans like cattle."
Voronika handed Enoch a soapy rag to wipe his fingers on. "But what about Caleb? Even if every general was killed, they'd still have to deal with him. They can't win. They have to know that."
"Caleb hasn't been active since he lost Vlad." Bart glanced quickly at Enoch. He didn't want him to blame himself for something new. "Which is fine. He usually lets us deal with his problems, but a lot of vampires are beginning to think he's happy running his casino and meddling in mortal affairs. They think he's distracted, and this is their time to strike."
Enoch gave a quick shake of his head. "Maybe that's why the general came to Three Rivers instead of going to Caleb."
"I wouldn't go to Caleb right now," Bart said. "He didn't even respond to my messages. It's like he's pulled away from us. All of the generals think that."
"They think wrong. Rogues can only push Caleb so far."
Bart wasn't so sure. "I don't think he'd fuss if someone took part of his empire, as long as it didn't interfere with what he likes."
"He'd fuss, because I would." Enoch's expression said he was serious.
"Even if the newcomers made a deal with you, like Caleb did?"
"I didn't have a choice with Caleb. We're equally matched. I can't beat him. And I couldn't deal with his creations while we were locked in combat. Anyone else…."
"So no compromises?" Bart winced at the seriousness of his tone. He'd strived for calm, but was feeling more desperate than he cared to admit.
"None."
Bart felt relief flood through him. "Then you'd help us try to stop them?"
"I offered, didn't I?"
"Even if Caleb doesn't join in?"
"Especially if Caleb doesn't join in." Enoch motioned to his apartment, large and sprawling. "You two can stay here if you want to. You can use it as a temporary headquarters. No one can get in." He showed them the metal grids that rolled up and down at each window and door.
Bart grimaced. He remembered the patio grid that had been twisted and torn when Caleb came for Voronika, but no one else had that kind of strength except Enoch. He exchanged glances with Claudia. "Would we inconvenience you? You didn't plan on houseguests."
"I won't change the sheets, if that's what you mean."
Bart looked out the window at the lights of the city. Stars glimmered in a clear sky. At home, he and Claudia had a trap door that led to a secure nest, deep below the building they lived in—dark and private—to rest in while the sun shone. "What about the daytime?"
"I have heavy drapes at the windows plus blinds in the bedroom. It should be dark enough."
Bart gave a curt nod. "We should warn the others then. I've sent messages already, but I'll send new ones to the generals whose faces you saw."
The smoke alarm went off in the kitchen and Enoch hurried to shut it off. When he opened the oven doors, smoke rolled out. He smiled and flipped on a vent. "No garlic bread. We talked too long."
Voronika grimaced. "I forgot to set the timer. Again."
"Our fault. We distracted you." Bart followed Enoch to the kitchen. He helped dish up the spaghetti while Enoch set the table and Voronika finished the salad. Claudia poured more wine.
Over dinner, they batted ideas around. "You've already lost four men?" Enoch asked.
"Sable in Russia, Ivan in Bosnia, Demetri in Greece, and Yolanda in Mexico." Bart had placed generals in key spots around the world. Nowhere was safe for rogues to call home.
"You're too spread out," Enoch said. "If you're under attack, you need to regroup. They're picking you off one by one."
Claudia gave Bart a meaningful look. "Which means they know where every general sleeps."
"But how?" Bart made sure his men moved around. No one stayed in one city for any length of time. Even if an old vampire had fought alongside a general at one battle, all he'd know is which area that general protected, not his exact location. "I don't even know where each one of them nests. How could they?"
"I don't know, but they do."
Voronika interrupted. "You need a base to work from. Come here. Use Three Rivers as your headquarters. Then we can help you."
"That would put you in danger. Again."
Voronika pushed her plate away, annoyed. "You put your lives in danger when Vlad came after me. This time, let us help you."
Bart glanced at Enoch. His friend absently swirled strands of spaghetti around his fork, lost in thought. When Vlad came for Voronika, Enoch took on every vampire in the city to protect her. He wouldn't appreciate it if a vampire war put her in danger again. "You're not on a list, Voronika," Bart told her. "You're not a general. You shouldn't be involved in this."
"Really? Who's to say I'm not on some fourth or fifth list? Who knows what's really going on? None of us are safe. That means that Enoch would be better off taking a stand now while you and your generals are still alive."
She was right. Bart knew that. He could tell from Enoch's expression that he did, too. But Bart had other concerns. "I don't want to battle in your city. I've met Danny. He's a good human. We like Maggie. They tried to help us. I wou
ldn't put them in danger again."
"Then we'll come to you," Voronika said.
Enoch's frown deepened. Obviously, that pleased him even less. "I'm not sure we can win that way. We don't know how many enemies we're up against. Caleb's promise gives us a small advantage here. Vamps can't hurt mortals in Three Rivers unless it's self defense. If they do, Caleb promised to stop them, even if he has to come himself to do the job.”
“No one would want to face you and Caleb together,” Claudia said.
“That’s my thoughts, too. What if we make a base camp outside the city?" Enoch asked. "I'll find a property that's isolated and buy it. You and Claudia can invite every vampire on each hit list to join you. The hunters will have to come to us to make their kills, and we'll make a stand."
Bart swallowed, stunned. Enoch hadn't been tryng to avoid getting involved in the battle. He'd been thinking about how best to help them. "You'd do that?"
"They couldn't pick you off one by one anymore."
"Do you have that kind of money, that kind of resources?"
Enoch flicked a hand at his sumptuous surroundings. "Don't you? Doesn't Caleb?"
Bart nodded with relief. He'd come here, knowing that he faced a serious problem that he wasn't sure how to handle. Now he had a plan…and more help than he expected. "If you're sure about this, we'll dig in here. But that means you'll be involved."
"Voronika's right. We'd be involved at some point anyway." Enoch looked her way. "When we find a base, I'd worry less if you'd stay in the apartment. You'd be safer."
She raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so. Been there, done that, and it didn't work."
"I won't be battling Caleb this time. Even Bart can't pull the grids off our doors and windows."
Her expression went steely. "I'm not sitting this out. You battle rogues. That's what you do. I'm fine with that, but I'm going with you."
Enoch sighed. Bart felt for him. His friend couldn't order Voronika around any more than he could control Claudia. "All right, then," Enoch said, bowing to the inevitable. "We've got to make a fortress, something no one or anything can get in. I've learned a few things from the last time. We'll do all we can to guard Nula and Horace. They're the first faces I saw, the first vampires that will be attacked."
"Besides a vampire you didn't recognize," Voronika reminded him.
"Usually, victims tell me their names. Maybe it's different with vampires." Enoch stood to clear the table. His friend was frustrated, Bart could tell. Not with them, with Voronika. "I see the faces in order. The killers will try for them first before they move on to the next ones."
Bart looked at Enoch. "And while you protect them, I can leave your sanctuary to hunt our hunters."
"I'll go with you," Claudia said. "I'm next to last as a victim."
"No." Bart put up a restraining hand. "There are more lists, more killers. You might be on one of those. I'll leave for Enoch’s fortress when the time's right, but you stay here with the grids down, so that you can take over if I fail."
She gave him a look, the same look Voronika had given Enoch. Bart wasn't going to win this argument, he knew. He did the same thing Enoch had done. He sighed and gave in, ungraciously.
Chapter 7
In the morning, while Bart and Claudia and Voronika slept, Enoch went to his balcony and mentally searched for Caleb. Mid-June mornings in the Midwest were something to be savored. By late afternoon, temperatures would rise and so would the humidity. But for now, the world felt fresh and inviting. Enoch cleared his mind and sent out a message. "Caleb?"
No response. Not surprising. Caleb was nothing if not self-indulgent.
A few blocks away, Enoch could make out the forms of people strolling through Headwaters Park. Workers were putting up tents in Freimann Square. An event must be coming up. Enoch watched them for a moment, then concentrated on Caleb once more. "Are you there?"
When his fellow angel didn't reply, Enoch cast his mind farther and raised his mental volume.
"Go away!" No image appeared. "It's too soon. I don't want to see you yet."
"It's mutual, believe me."
"What do you want?" Caleb's reply turned groggy as sleep tugged at him again. Angels didn't need sleep, but Caleb did whatever pleased him. He kept late hours like his vampire friends, overseeing activities in his casinos and cavorting with whomever struck his fancy. If lying in bed and seeking mental oblivion proved pleasurable, Caleb would do that too.
Enoch scowled, out of patience. It must be nice to spend your life playing. "Bart and Claudia are here. Your generals are being hunted and killed. Have you noticed?"
No response.
Damn him. Enoch's tone turned icy. "I'm trying to help them."
Silence. Enoch balled and unballed his fists, but a few seconds later, Caleb's image flickered before him. Even tousled and half-asleep, Caleb's golden beauty glowed. "You're going to help when you're still angry with me?"
"Don’t push it."
"But you are offering to help?"
"Not because of you. You picked quality people for your generals."
"So I'm good at something?" Caleb insisted.
Enoch raised a dark brow. He wasn’t in the mood. "I used my gift to see who'd be stalked next. I plan to buy a house to use as a fortress for them."
Caleb looked interested. "I've heard rumors about this mysterious gift. I thought it only helped humans."
"It's not celestial like the Light." There was no reason not to tell Caleb what his gift actually was. "I touch a dead body, and I can see which victims the killer will go after next, and in which order."
Caleb's lips curled. "You're just full of tricks, aren’t you?" His voice had an edge to it.
"Let's hope my tricks save some of your generals' lives. I don't know how many killers are out there. I only know the names that are on two of their lists."
"Aren't you making a tactical error?" Caleb's blue eyes glittered. "If the killers stake my best men, then they'll come for me. Wouldn't that make your life easier?"
"I wish." Enoch thought of Vlad reaching for Voronika, ready to take her from him—with Caleb’s help. It would take a while for him to forgive that. "But they can't kill you. You're immortal."
Caleb snorted in disdain. He was every bit as angry that Enoch had snapped Vlad's neck. "And that's it? If they tried to kill me, it would be more of a bother than if they left me alone?"
Enoch shrugged. "You've gone into legitimate business. You're not a worry anymore."
"You don't think of casinos as legitimate," Caleb snapped.
"Okay, legal. You don't feed on humans anymore, and you don't let other vampires feed on them either."
"Except…"
"Except for people who murder and rape, torture and …"
"Deserve to die."
Enoch grimaced. "The point is, you have rules for your vampires."
"They're all my vampires," Caleb interrupted. "From my first converts to their converts to the ones after that…"
“You started it all. I know. That’s why I’m here, remember? To clean up your mess.”
“I’m dealing with my vampires. That’s why I created the generals.”
Enoch wasn't impressed. "And they enforce your rules. While you do….what? Gamble?"
Caleb’s hands clenched into fists. “I’m warning you….” He bit off his words, took a deep breath, no more in the mood to let bygones be bygones than Enoch was. "How did you get involved in this? Bart wouldn't come to you for help without an invitation."
"Someone staked a human by mistake in Three Rivers."
"Finally. Some good news.” Enoch took a step forward, and Caleb smiled. He loved it when he got Enoch riled, Enoch knew. Caleb went on. “That's shoddy workmanship. I thought we were dealing with professionals."
Enoch fought to calm himself. Why did he let his fellow angel push his buttons? Why hadn’t he learned better by now? "Do these killings have any connection to the crime bosses I've read about in the papers?"
Caleb grew suddenly serious. "I didn't know until a few hours ago. An assassin went after Gunther during the day, while he slept."
"A bad choice." Enoch had worked with many of Bart's generals, but never Gunther. He was too barbaric, too brutal, for Enoch to deal with. They made a point of staying away from each other.
"A bad choice indeed." Caleb grinned. "Gunther set a trap. The noise woke him, and he moved before the stake hit him. He has a hole in his shoulder." A shrug. "That will heal. It put him in a foul mood, though. Now the man's staying with us as a guest."
Enoch's stomach churned. He tried not to think about being Gunther's captive. "What did the man tell you?"
"It's quid pro quo," Caleb said. "Humans are staking vampires while they sleep, and vampires are staking humans who keep late hours. The targets are crime lords from different families. A few vamps and mortals are priming themselves to take over. Your idea of an unholy coalition."
“And you? What do you think?”
“A marriage made in hell.”
Just as Enoch had suspected. "Any names?"
"Not yet. Maybe never. I don't think our guest will last much longer." Caleb's image flickered, red-laced with temper. "They underestimate me. I've warned all my soldiers that we're being hunted, but the humans are slipping past us somehow. That's where your nifty trick might come in handy."
For once, Caleb’s temper wasn’t aimed at him. "Bart brought me Victor's ashes to touch. It worked. I saw the next victims. If you send more ashes, I'll try for names with those too."
Caleb's aura darkened to a bloody red. "I can't see what they hope to gain. Every vampire knows I'm immortal, that I can't be defeated."
"That works for them. If you die, so do they. You're their creator."
Caleb frowned, surprised by that thought. "So why the attacks?"
"You can be provoked. And if they push you far enough, you might start feeding again to drain the men who are killing your generals." Enoch voiced his next suspicion. He couldn't prove it, but it's the only thing that made sense to him. "If you feed enough, they're hoping you get tossed in the Pit. And if you feed here, in Three Rivers, you'll break an angel's promise. You'll be in the Pit for sure."