A tall cylindrical object the size of a phone booth looked out of place in this dungeon. It was sleek, with silver bands on top and bottom, covered with scrollwork. In between the bands was opaque glass with faint, pulsing lights behind it.
Bones encircled the room, lying along the base of the walls.
Hamilton and I stood motionless for several seconds. Kanga watched us with a small smile on his face.
Then we saw Aliena. She was on her knees, chained to the wall under a mosquito net draped from the ceiling. Her head hung down, her golden hair falling over her face. She sat on her heels, the bottom half of her legs pressed against the rough stone floor. Her arms extended backward, her wrists bound with heavy metal shackles. The restraints were attached to a short chain bolted to the wall.
Her clothes were piled outside the net.
Black candles surrounded her, accompanied by wax figures, numbers, and diagrams. These talismanic objects took away Aliena’s nighttime power and made it possible for Kanga to control her using only the medieval fetters.
Hamilton moved toward her.
“Stay where you are,” Kanga said.
When Hamilton ignored him, Kanga made a small gesture with his hand. Hamilton froze and looked up in surprise.
I remained motionless, hoping that Kanga would forget I was there for a moment. His gaze remained on Hamilton as he made a slight, twisting gesture with his palm open.
Hamilton lifted off his feet. He flew backward, slammed into the wall, and slumped to the stone floor.
I raised the Walther, sighted in one movement, and fired twice for Kanga’s eyes. I timed it perfectly, but Kanga made a dismissive gesture with his right hand, as he had done in Madame Leoni’s shop. The bullets slammed into the wall behind him.
Then he gestured at me, his face a grimace of anger, teeth bared. A blue bolt leaped from his fingertip and shot across the room, exploding the barrel of my gun. Flying shrapnel cut my face. Three fingers blew off my right hand.
I staggered from the blast and sank to my knees as pain shot up my arm and burned across my face and neck. The gun lay in front of me, a twisted, shredded mass of metal. My hand was blackened and bloody, only my pinkie completely attached. The finger next to it hung by a thin strap of skin.
Kanga watched me with an amused expression.
Grunting with pain, I scrambled around, picked up the other fingers, and held them against their stumps. My body could rejuvenate lost parts, but it was the most excruciating process I have ever endured.
Kanga turned to Hamilton. He moved forward and raised his hand. Hamilton was still down, unconscious, his eyelids fluttering.
“Wait!” I said, struggling to my feet. “Leave him alone.”
Kanga lowered his hand. “Very well, Mr. Montero. I am willing to negotiate peacefully.”
Aliena’s body shook, and she raised her head. A dull luster misted her eyes.
“Sebastian?” A soft sob escaped her. Two blood-red tears rolled down her cheeks. “He touched me. Even you haven’t . . . I never would have allowed . . . he’s going to cut out my heart!” She moaned piteously. “Tonight.”
A choking lump constricted my throat. Except for my hot, healing injuries, my whole body turned to ice. He touched me continued to resonate in my head. I stared at Kanga with fascinated loathing, wondering what his lungs would look like in my hands.
“I applaud your taste in female companionship,” he said. “Although, I understand you have not yet had her. No one has. Her Virginal Aura startled me in so ancient a being.” He turned a lazy gaze on Aliena. “To take it from a reluctant woman is exciting, but to rape a beautiful, unwilling vampire virgin who cannot stop you from taking her . . . I will truly reach the pinnacle tonight if you prove uncooperative.”
My immortal blood raged in my ears. Images of Kanga and Aliena flashed through my mind, and I nearly lost control. With effort, I blocked them. He was trying to distract me emotionally so I would make mistakes. This was a dangerous, delicate situation. I had handled similarly tricky problems with icy calm, but the sight of Aliena on the floor, naked and shackled, whipped at me.
“How did you catch her?” I asked.
“The link between us works both ways, Mr. Montero. I have been observing you with my astral body as you courted your girlfriend with the Virginal Aura. Unless I am mistaken, the two of you are in love. When I saw the young lady fly off your patio two nights ago, I was startled—I had not realized I had found a vampire. So I followed her. Did you know she takes her clothes off before she travels to her hiding place?”
I did not trust myself to respond.
“Her final resting place was impossible for a human to reach, so I made a note of the spot where she had disrobed and waited there this morning. I had prepared a special mist for her. She showed up just before sunrise. So easy to catch a woman. They can’t keep their mouths closed.”
Fighting down my fury, I checked my hands. Except for the blood on the right, neither looked as if it had sustained an injury. The itch of repair had ceased on my face and neck.
“Remarkable,” Kanga commented. His eyes glittered greedily as he followed my gaze. He knew exactly how he intended to use my blood.
Hamilton shook.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
He struggled to his feet. In a now familiar gesture, he pressed a hand to his chest as he straightened. “I think so.”
“Put your gun away,” Kanga said.
Hamilton looked at the gun as if he had forgotten about it, slid it in its holster. He glanced at Aliena, and his mouth tightened to a thin line before he turned back to Kanga. “You filthy piece of shit.”
“You would do well to use a different tone, Detective Hamilton,” Kanga said. “Or would you prefer I stop your tongue my way?”
“Leave it, Steve,” I said. “We’ll take care of Aliena. How do we proceed?” I asked Kanga, feeling the cooling of my mind.
“You may take the woman this moment. Simply give me what I want.”
The only way out of this trap was to delay or give him my blood. My mind raced as I tried to think of a third alternative. I came up with a long shot, but it meant leaving Aliena with Kanga while I made my plans. Yet I could see no other choice.
“I will need to drain it. I can deliver it to you in a few hours.”
“You have it now,” Kanga said. “I can take the required amount in a few minutes. Your body replenishes it at an accelerated rate, so you will not be inconvenienced.”
He wanted to overpower me and take it. A flutter of panic touched me, like icy feathers along the nape of my neck. If Kanga captured me, he would certainly experiment on my body. After seeing my fingers reattach, his first test might be to amputate my legs without putting them back in place, in order to see if I could regenerate them. In a torture situation, my body’s ability to recover is a curse, making it possible for me to sustain more pain than a mortal.
“I do not trust you.”
“As you wish.” He reached over and picked up a knife. I recognized it. “This is the knife I use to cut open my victims.” He held it toward Aliena. She watched him with a trembling mouth. “To cut the heart out of so powerful a creature as a vampire will give me special talents against all of them.” Two more blood tears rolled down Aliena’s face.
“If you touch her,” I said, “I swear to you, Kanga, I will—”
“You will do nothing, Mr. Montero. If you will not give me what I want, you and your friend may show yourselves out.”
“We’re not going anywhere without Aliena,” Hamilton said furiously.
“Steve, we must.”
“Are you crazy, Sebastian?” He started toward the other side of the room again. I grabbed his sleeve just as Kanga raised his hand.
“We can’t do anything for her right now! If you don’t stop, Kanga will kill you.”
“Succinctly put, Mr. Montero,” Kanga said. “Do you wish to die tonight, Mr. Hamilton? I would be happy to arrange that.”
“Sebastian— . . .” Hamilton said.
“Not now!”
Kanga held up Aliena’s cell phone. “Please call for reservations so I may have the vampire ready for you.”
As we exited the room, I looked reluctantly in Aliena’s direction. She watched us leave, her eyes wide with horror.
“Please, Sebastian,” she said. Her naked shoulders shook, and more blood tears coursed down her cheeks. “Please don’t leave me alone with him!” she begged, her voice breaking.
Backing out of that chamber and leaving my darling Aliena, pleading and terrified, with the monster Kanga, was the most difficult thing I have ever done in my immortal life.
6:19 p.m.
When we got to the car, I stopped.
“What?” Hamilton said.
“Just making sure the doll is in place. We can’t have him listening to us with his astral body.”
“Christ,” he said, wheeling to look at the house. “We have to get Aliena out of there! We can’t just leave!”
“We must. Not now! Get in the car! We don’t have a lot of time.”
We roared off, kicking up dust.
“Why does he want your blood?” Hamilton asked as we sped through the trees.
“For his potions probably, or his ceremonies.”
“Yes, but why yours specifically? It sounded like my blood would not do for this trade.”
“That I don’t know.”
“Bullshit. He said something about you replenishing at an accelerated rate.”
“I don’t know what he was talking about.”
“Bullshit.” He rubbed his chest.
“How are your ribs?”
He lowered his hand. “What was wrong with Aliena? That son of a bitch drugged her. What would make her tears dark like that?”
“I don’t know,” I said, turning onto Laurel Canyon.
“Why didn’t Kanga just take your blood? Spray you with his paralyzer?”
“It’s possible he’s afraid of tainting it.” It was probably true he needed my blood to be pure for his uses. And even though he knew how difficult it would be to take it by force, I was surprised he didn’t try anyway. That did not fit his character. For some reason, he was willing to be patient. Why?
Then I remembered: only a mortal could use the Key of Akasha. Good Lord. He wanted my blood for a potion that would make him immortal! That was why he was willing to wait until he had completed the ceremony in the ether.
It also meant that once Kanga was a Thief of Souls, he would come for me.
“Dammit, Sebastian, you’re holding out on me, and I’m sick of it. I suppose you don’t know why he called her a vampire, either.”
“Could we just focus on getting her out of there? You can ask your questions after we’ve done that.” Whether or not I answered them truthfully was another story.
“I hate this shit.”
While Hamilton brooded, I continued refining my strategy. We had distracted Kanga long enough. He would want to make final preparations for his trip to the etheric plane, so Aliena was safe for the time being.
“Okay,” Hamilton said. “What’s the plan?”
“We need to attack him on a spiritual level.” I glanced out at the crescent moon. “He’ll be in the ether in less than half an hour, to complete the final ritual. He can’t miss the conjunction. Neither can I.”
“How are you going to stop him?”
“I don’t know.” It was not possible to take anything from this world to the astral plane—except certain magical objects, such as the Key of Akasha. “It will depend where I end up. The Akashic Records are not always in the same place.”
He looked unconvinced. “What am I supposed to do once he’s trapped your soul? I won’t even be able to get near him!” He slapped the juju guardian doll, sending it swinging back and forth. “Without these ugly things, he can kill me from long distance with his damn ghouls!”
“Then I guess you’ll have to live in my car,” I said.
“You can joke about it? After seeing Aliena like that?”
“If you have a better plan, I’m listening.” I stopped at a red light and looked over.
“Okay.” He passed a hand over his face, his expression haggard in the dash lights. “Yeah, okay. I can’t think of anything else.”
I continued on, then veered off the Boulevard onto a poorly lit side street. I couldn’t explain it to Hamilton, but we had to get her out of there while it was dark. I pulled to the curb and parked, killing the lights.
“You’re going after him now?”
“Yes,” I said.
“What about me? Am I supposed to just sit here?”
“That’s right. And if I stop breathing, or in some other way convince you that I am dead, don’t leave the car. He may have his demons out looking for both of us tonight.”
He looked at the juju guardian hanging from the rearview mirror. “Are you sure this freaky doll can keep those things out?”
“Pretty sure. The only other safe places are my house and your apartment.”
“So what do I do if you stop breathing?”
“Call the station and have them send a car for you. Take these jujus with you,” I said, handing him Bey’s leather bag. “Explain them to the officer any way you like. The spray I used to get them off you is also in there. You do realize Kanga’s spirit warriors may decide to attack your driver rather than you?”
“Yeah, I get that. Where do I go?”
“Have him drive you back to my place. It is the only place securely protected against all of Kanga’s spirit attacks.” I took out my wallet and handed him a card. “The first number will put you in contact with Hector, the man who handles my unique problems. He can arrange a car and a driver for you, and liaise with Preston at BioLaw. If you call him from someplace other than my house, use a public phone. He knows nothing of Kanga’s identity or power. Don’t call Preston directly. I do not want him or any other members of my staff placed in danger. And until Kanga is caught or this problem is resolved, you may want to stay away from friends and loved ones.”
His expression became grim. “And the second number?”
“My solicitor in New York. If Kanga does come after you, you are going to need a great deal of money to protect yourself, unless you plan on living like a shut-in in my house. My current verbal password with him is ‘Nemesis.’ Say that word in connection with my name and he will serve you as if you were me.”
“Jesus, Sebastian. This sounds like your last will and testament.”
I reclined my seat and folded my hands over my stomach. “Stay in the car until you know what has happened to me, one way or another. It could get strange to watch, but do not interfere with me or try to wake me up, understand?”
He nodded.
“Wish me luck,” I said as I closed my eyes and exhaled softly, allowing my mind to drift into a tranquil state.
“Good luck,” I heard Hamilton say.
His voice was already faint and far away. A pleasant floating sensation filled me. My spirit detached from my body and hovered above.
Waiting.
Forty-Two
Friday, December 24, 6:38 p.m.
I had not told Hamilton that the only method I knew for finding Kanga was what I had done the last time—relive a painful memory. I desperately hoped it would work. The Akashic Records were in all places all the time, available to anyone who wanted to look at them. I had to find Kanga, not the Records.
That meant I had to remember . . .
I returned to that dusty, hot afternoon, standing in the road with my father, facing the two burly knights.
“Your wife and daughter may serve us while we talk,” Edward said. He wore light armor and a chain-mail glove on his left hand.
My father’s shoulders stiffened
slightly. “Yes, sire. Marian? Marguerite? Would you bring us some beer, please?”
Father led us to the door. James stood to one side, watching wide-eyed as we went by. Edward patted James on the head with his metal-covered fist. James grunted in pain. The knight jerked his hand away, and James yelped as hairs were yanked out of his scalp.
James’s eyes pleaded with me, his face scrunched in pain. My fists clenched and my heart stuttered.
Father turned before entering the house.
“Please, I beg you leave my family be,” he said. My father stood half a head taller than both knights, and though he wore only a rough tunic and pants, he looked as solid as Edward did in his armor.
Edward smiled. “You needn’t beg, Montero.” He turned to Guthbert. “Do not touch his family . . . without my order.”
“Yes, sir,” Guthbert answered.
The two men sat at the dining table. My father joined them. Edward twisted the chair next to him around. “Come, sit here, boy.” He patted the back of the chair, his gloved hand scratching the wood.
I sat. Edward continued staring at me until Marguerite and my mother walked in.
Mother brought the pitcher of beer to the table and poured four glasses. Marguerite set a cup in front of Edward, and then one in front of my father.
“A fine-looking woman, Montero,” Edward said. My mother kept her eyes lowered. “You are a fortunate man.”
Marguerite set the last two cups of beer in front of Guthbert and me. Our eyes met. She looked terrified.
I had been confused, but now I was sure: these two were not here in Sir William’s service. They had decided to come on their own. That realization scared me. That meant they were capable of anything. Anything at all.
As Marguerite tried to step away, Guthbert reached out and tugged on her tunic. It ripped away from one shoulder, exposing her arm to the elbow. She gave a small scream.
I popped out of my seat with a strangled yell. Guthbert pushed Margie away and stood in the same motion, as if he had anticipated my response. I tried to lunge to Marguerite’s aid, but he grabbed me and pulled me from the table so he could stand directly in front of me.
To Kill a Sorcerer Page 27