by Graham Brown
Terrance could barely believe his ears. It was Leroy. Thank God he was alive!
“I came to bring you back to the light,” Leroy shouted. “I come to end this curse. And from this day forward, I don’t need your permission!”
The depth of Leroy’s voice, the deep baritone thunder of his words were like nothing Terrance had ever heard from the soft-spoken, unassuming man. He felt the demons pulling away. Not in hope, but in fear. What was this? What power was in this man who stood before them?
“Kill him!” Papa Legba shouted.
They didn’t move.
“Then I kill you myself!” Legba dropped Terrance and charged for Leroy.
“No!”
Papa Legba lunged forward, his hands outstretched for Leroy’s throat, but the instant they touched Leroy’s skin he was thrown back by a shockwave of power and light that flashed from Leroy’s body. The sound of thunder crashed right over them and a pressure wave blasted forth like a nuclear explosion. Terrance felt a spray of gravel, rain and leaves rake him. He covered his own face as the light burned in his mind’s eye.
The vampires were blown off their feet like bits of straw in a hurricane. A concussive wave louder than the thunder echoed across the plantation grounds and boomed its way up into the hills. It blocked out all other sound as it rolled forth and then came back, echoing longer and deeper than any thunderclap Terrance had ever heard.
It seemed a minute or two before it finally faded. But when it was gone, the sound of the rain returned. Steady. Strong. Peaceful.
“Leroy,” Terrance whispered. “Leroy, what happened?”
A pair of hands found Terrance, kind hands that helped him to sit up.
“I was knocked out.” Leroy said. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Terrance said. “Just tell me what happened. Are they gone?”
“No,” Leroy said. “They’re all around us.”
Terrance froze. “What?”
Terrance tried to envision it. Lost souls, standing in the rain, encircling two small humans on the muddy ground. “Their eyes?” he asked. “Can you see their eyes?”
“Human again.” Leroy said. “Crying.”
The blast of light had transformed the vampires instantaneously back into human beings. They stood in shock, staring at Leroy. Weeping in the rain.
“What about Legba?” Terrance asked.
“He’s gone. Gone from this place.”
“He ran?”
“No,” Leroy said. “He vanished.”
Terrance nodded slowly. He could only guess that Legba rejected the chance at mercy and was destroyed.
As Terrance thought about this he felt Leroy’s hands touching his wounds. “What are you doing?”
“I have to save you,” Leroy said. “I couldn’t save my son, but I can save you.”
Terrance held up his hand. “You already did. Besides, this is my destiny. I was born in Haiti and I always knew this was where I’d die.”
“But I have the power. I can...”
“Your power is meant for the dead,” Terrance said. “Not the living. You were sent here to help those in the darkness. That’s the mission. You must stay true to your gift.”
“But I can’t do it alone.”
“You’ve been doing it alone already,” Terrance said. “I’ve just held your hand… a little.”
Before Leroy could speak Terrance began to cough. His clothes were soaked with blood and rain and the tawny, clay-like mud of Haiti. “Me and the mud,” Terrance muttered. “One and the same.”
“Please,” Leroy said. “Please don’t go.”
“I’m proud of you,” Terrance whispered. “Proud of a good son…”
Terrance said nothing more. There he died, lying in the mud on that high plateau, surrounded by twenty healed souls and the Angel of Redemption as the rain fell down on them from above.
Chapter 22
Cologne, Germany
Christian and Kate waited in a fashionable district surrounded by upscale shops, outdoor cafes, and nightclubs that bustled with foot traffic. The corner café they sat at had a clear view of everything that was going on up and down the boulevard, and from it they surveyed the crowds filtering in and out of the various restaurants and clubs.
Kate watched with amused wonderment. There, in the faces of those that passed by, life existed: life and love, laughter and anger. She had undervalued all that was human, reduced it to a trivial race for tomorrow. All the emotions that made it worth living were slipping ever so slightly into the distance and soon would exist only in her memory. The invisible wall that separated her from all those around her was growing with every second, she’d be just like Christian soon, surrounded by thousands of people yet totally alone.
“Where’s this friend of yours?” Christian asked.
Her contact was nearly two hours late. Both of them understood the implication. He must be comprised, or he’d set a trap for them and was about to spring it.
She shook her head.
“We need to get moving Kate. He’s not going to show, and we’re in a bad spot sitting out here in the open.”
Kate agreed. The two companions, their destinies now intertwined, headed up the boulevard passing couples and party goers in the night. As they were about to leave the area, a young boy, totally out of place, ran up to Kate. Kate’s eyes were drawn to him as he reminded her of Calvin.
She kneeled down and looked at the boy. “Are you lost?”
“No.” The young boy said. “A man named Nicodemus told me to give this to you.”
He held out his tiny arm and handed Kate a note. She stood quickly, casting her gaze over the crowds that mingled about the area, but Nicodemus was not to be seen.
Nicodemus was the code name of her former Interpol assignment. As the boy ran off, she opened the note.
Your FBI friends are here, Kathrine. I didn’t burn you. I was informed that they were here earlier today. Meet me at the “Cathedral” at midnight. I have the whereabouts of your subject, and new documents for you to travel under.
“A cathedral is not the best place for us to meet,” Christian informed her. “Our powers will be diminished there.”
“This Cathedral is a Goth club down town. It was the focal point of the case we were working on when I was last here. A human trafficking case.”
“Oh,” he said. “Goths are not exactly my favorite either.”
“Why not? They seem kind of vampire-like to me.”
“My last battle for the Roman empire was against the Goths. Trust me, they were not fun people to deal with.”
She almost laughed. Perhaps there was a little humanity left in her after all.
Twenty minutes later they were approaching the Cathedral. It was now an upscale nightclub catering to the new elite of Cologne with a line-up around the block.
“We’re a little underdressed,” she said.
“I’ll get us in.”
Christian dragged her to the front of the line, where a pair of security guards bristled at the intrusion; then suddenly, one guard pulled the rope aside and ushered them through.
“Changed their minds did you?”
“Don’t worry I wasn’t mean. I made them think we’re huge A–list celebrities and that we’re going to get them into our next movie.”
“Gonna have to teach me that trick sometime,” she said.
They moved through the club. It had been redesigned since the raid five years ago. It was disorientating to her. What had been a warren of purple velvet drapes and small candlelit alcoves was now a multilevel, wide open amphitheater with everything facing toward the center dance floor.
How the hell am I going to find Nick in here? As she stared into the darkness a hand landed on her shoulder. Kate turned ready to fight, but instantly recognized her friend.
“Good to see you, Kathrine,” he said in an Italian accent.
Kate thought back to when she first meet Nicolas Kempt. Nick was as cool as they come. He never l
et his emotions surface. She never could tell if he was excited, angry or saddened. And yet at sixty, and ready to retire, time did not seem to have been kind to him. He had a lot more grey hair and had put on thirty pounds.
“I was sorry to hear about your husband,” he said, “but that’s for another day. We don’t have much time. Your coworkers are here in Cologne.”
“Did they contact you?”
“Of course. They expect you to reach out to me. They may even be here now. So let us be quick.”
He led them to a dark corner. “The back office is a safe spot for us. I know the new owners, and from there you can get out via the fire escape and leave unseen.”
As they made their way to the back of the club one level up, Kate couldn’t help but feel the tension from Nick. She couldn’t read his mind like Christian might have been able to do, but she could sense that he was frightened. She could sense a conflict in him, too. He felt he owed her some loyalty for saving his life from the Russian mob, but he was also helping a known fugitive escape capture.
He glared at Christian.
“I’ll wait outside,” Christian said.
He left and Kate entered the back office with Nick, who asked the manager to give them a minute.
“Nick, let me tell you what’s going on,” she began.
He cut her off. “No, don’t tell me anything. I don’t want to know. I hope you’re innocent of what they’ve accused you of, but it doesn’t matter to me. I owe you, but the tab is cleared after this.”
She nodded. How much more could she expect?
He handed her a small shopping bag. “I brought you a new passport and identity card along with some spending money. It’s not much, a thousand euros. It’s all I could get my hands on.”
“What about Faust?”
“He’s not in Germany anymore. He’s hiding in Amsterdam.”
“We’ll have to get there fast.”
“I suggest you drive,” he said. “They’re watching the airports.”
She nodded, “Thanks.”
He held up his hands. “That’s all I have for you. Now I must go. Your exit is through that window, down the fire escape.”
The two stared at each other for a second and then Nick moved toward the office door. Kate grabbed his arm for a second. He turned. “What are they saying I’ve done?”
Nick stopped in his tracks, his hand on the door. “You don’t know?”
“I punched agent Blackburn in the face,” she said, “but that’s not worth an all-out manhunt.”
A long silence hung in the air. “They’re saying you’ve teamed up with a suspect and killed your partner. Why, they’ve never explained. I can read a trumped up charge when I see one. But you’re here, looking for God knows what, and you’re not alone. He’s the one isn’t he?”
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. She felt as if she’d just been slapped across the face.
Nick pushed through the door. “God speed Kathrine. I hope you survive whatever it is you’re mixed up in.”
He said nothing more and left the room. Kate lingered. She’d never felt more alone than at that precise moment. Accused of Billy Ray’s murder. Damn them. How the hell could they possibly think that?
A wave of uncontrollable rage bubbled up. The first thought in her mind was to find these agents. Confront them. If they wanted to see killing, she’d show it to them. Make them bleed. And if Christian was right, maybe she’d have a little taste of what being human felt like afterwards.
She heard the thoughts in her mind, felt the pull of adrenaline they gave her.
“Stop it,” she said aloud. “Just stop.”
It took a few minutes for her to settle down, but she managed to calm herself. And then she made a mistake; instead of taking the fire escape, she opened the door. To her surprise, Ashley Blackburn and a trio of Cologne’s finest were standing there.
“Going somewhere?” Ashley said, the dark bruise still visible on her face from where Kate had clubbed her.
They pushed in through the door, grabbing her before she could form a plan. Two of the officers sat her in a chair. The third stood beside Ashley.
“Kate Pfeiffer, you are arrested and to be placed in custody,” the lead German said.
“We followed you from the square,” Ashley informed her. “Where’s your partner?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kate said. “You saw how little I like having partners.”
“Very funny.”
Ashley whispered to the one of the Germans, who turned to his men. “Get the others and search the club. We’ll take care of her.”
Two of the men left while the third held out his cuffs. “Please turn around.”
Don’t do it, Kate thought with her mind focused on the German. Don’t cuff me. No need. I’m not dangerous.
“Hands behind your back,” he said.
Damn.
“Did you really think we were just going to let this all go?” Ashley said.
Shut up! Kate thought, focusing on Ashley now. If it wouldn’t work on the German maybe it would work on Ashley. At least she’d have silence.
Once the German had cuffed her and spun her around, Ashley stepped forward and sucker punched Kate in the stomach sending her to the ground. “That’s for the bathroom, bitch.”
Kate crumbled to the ground, but in truth she barely felt it.
Ashley seemed satisfied though; she turned from Kate and picked up the package, dumping the contents out on the desk. “Let’s see what we got here.”
As Ashley looked through the materials in the manila envelope, Kate tested her strength. Straining with all her might, she felt the chain between the cuffs bending and then it snapped with a quiet click. She kept her hands behind her back as Ashley walked over with her new passport.
“Where were you going to run to this time?”
“I’m not running,” Kate said. “I’m searching for answers.”
“Not anymore you're not.”
As the words left Ashley’s mouth, Kate gave her a sweeping kick, chopping her legs out from under her and dropping Ashley to her knees. She followed that with a kick to the chest that sent Ashley flying backwards into the desk. The German was so stunned it took him a moment to react.
He went for his gun, but Kate sprung from the floor and knocked the pistol out of his hand. She followed up with a forearm to the face that sent him into the wall and knocked him unconscious.
Turning back, Kate spotted Ashley lying on the floor, clutching her ribs.
Kate knelt down next to her, and whispered in her ear, “I didn’t kill Billy Ray. If I had, I’d kill you right now. But if I told you the truth, you’d never believe me. I barely believe it myself. Tell the Director and that snake, Serrano, that I’m hunting for the person responsible and once I’ve found him, I’ll be back.”
Kate stood, gathered up the documents and money that Nick had provided for her and turned to the window. She smashed it open with a chair and climbed through. Just as she was about to jump, the hammering of a pistol rang out, five or six shots in rapid succession.
Kate leapt through the air, dropping the manila package with all the documents. She’d been hit, and she could feel it. It burned like acid inside her. One bullet hit her shoulder, the other her lower back. She dropped twenty-feet to the road below and hit her head.
The last thing she remembered were the headlights of a car racing towards her.
Chapter 23
Muscat, Oman
Akash hid in the shadows of an overcrowded shanty town on the outskirts of Muscat watching the comings and goings of the people, waiting for one particular soul.
Fires burned here and there and incandescent lights flickered. The light reflected off his eyes as he peered through the night.
It had been three days since he’d fled from Teresa and Zwana. Three days since he’d decided to go for the Dark Star on his own. Thinking back now, he should have killed them. But the old wizard scared him
and Tereza was not easy to fool or to defeat. And, having drunk the human’s blood he was no match for either of them.
No, he decided, there was no more he could have done. But three days was a day too long. He was now in danger. He tried to stretch his senses into the night, searching for Tereza or the witch doctor. He felt nothing, but that didn’t mean they weren’t out there.
He considered hiding, running away. But in his human life that had never worked. Nothing worked to free you from slavery, nothing but killing the master and becoming the master yourself.
He settled down and focused on the task at hand. Waiting, until finally, his prey came into view.
The man he had been waiting for, the Watcher. The Watcher had a single job among the people of the stone, to keep view over the others, to make sure they remained loyal. As such he was like the patriarch of a family, a family whose roots stretched back into time, millennia before Drake had even been born.
Akash stared as the Watcher entered one of the low white buildings made of adobe.
Finally.
He stole across the alleyway and pushed into the small home, surprising everyone inside.
A shout rang out in Arabic and three men rose up. Akash grabbed a baby from the lap of a woman near the entrance and ran. The men chased him, the Watcher among them.
Akash darted through the back alleys, jumped a small ditch filled with a muddy trickle of water and kept running. He made sure not to outpace his pursuers by too much.
Shouts in the distance suggested more men and women had joined the chase. That was fine, he’d give them what they wanted, but he would take something in exchange.
He turned down a darkened alley, placed the infant down and hid. As the men turned the corner they saw the child sitting in the middle of the street, they rushed forward and Akash jumped from the side of a building and landed behind them. In seconds he’d killed the first two and dragged the Watcher back into the darkness.
Willing him into silence, Akash drove the Watcher before him, like one might drive a tired horse. They ran several blocks and eventually came back to a different part of the muddy ditch.