Execution (The Divine Book 6)

by Forbes, M. R.

  Things were getting worse by the minute.

  I lifted the original vampire up with my power, bringing the obsidian spatha to his neck. His eyes rolled open slowly, and he looked at me with bleary eyes.

  "Where is Rose?" I asked.

  "He doesn't know," Gervais said. "Or I should say, I don't know, which means the same thing."

  If Rebecca had sent them, it meant that there was, at least, one thing she hadn't lied about.

  "You haven't seen her, have you, Bradford?" I asked.

  "Who? The ghost? No. Sorry, bro."

  I pushed the spatha against the vampire's neck, threatening to break the skin. "Do you have anything useful that you do know?"

  "He doesn't know anything useful, Landon," Gervais said. "Kill him and let us be done with it."

  I was hesitant to do anything Gervais recommended, and if the vampire hadn't been carrying Abaddon's poison, I might have let him survive. He was no good to me if he didn't know anything.

  I pushed the blade through his neck with my power, killing him in an instant. Then I scanned the street for Rose's bra. Alyx had dropped it near the banged-up car, and I went over and retrieved it. I could feel the tingle of the power the moment I touched it, and the difference in the feeling as I turned. I was pissed about what had happened to Alyx. I was pissed because Gervais had leveled up, and I was pissed because Elyse was dead. I was also sure there was more and would be more to be pissed about soon enough.

  I didn't say anything to the others. I just started walking in the direction the enchanted lingerie indicated. Alyx was at my side a moment later, while Bradford and Gervais followed close behind.

  "We'll find her," Alyx said. "You'll save her. That's what you do."

  "I didn't save Elyse."

  She flinched at my pessimism, and then took my hand in hers.

  "You'll save her," she repeated.

  Thirty-Six

  "That has to be it," I said, pointing out over the bay.

  The Statue of Liberty was looming in the background, a symbol of freedom for many, a personal symbol of sacrifice for me. It was where my afterlife adventure had started, where I had met Rebecca, and where I had made the original deal with Abaddon. Whatever the reason was, it always seemed to be turning up whenever something major was about to happen.

  That didn't make me feel better.

  At least it wasn't Lady Liberty herself that I was pointing at. Instead, I was looking at a massive container ship sitting to the immediate left of the Grand Dame. Rose's bra was facing in its direction, and it was tingling my hand hard enough to make it itchy and numb.

  "I guess we need a boat," Bradford said. "It figures. I can't swim."

  "Do you want to wait here?" I asked. Alyx didn't look happy either. Weres hated water.

  "And miss the action? No way, bro."

  "Do you see any boats around here, diuscrucis?" Gervais asked. "Because I don't."

  "There's the ferry coming right now, dude," Bradford said.

  "Do you think they will be kind enough to head over to that ship for us?" Gervais snapped. "Dude?"

  Bradford shrugged. "I think they'll do whatever we want them to, if it comes to it."

  He wasn't wrong. We could easily commandeer the ferry and drive it over to the ship, and the idea of it was tempting. I had a feeling whoever was on the ship would notice that.

  "The sea approach isn't going to work," I said.

  "There's a heliport a little bit east of here," Gervais said. "I know how to fly a helicopter, though I'm not eager to be removed from the fight."

  I gave him a look.

  "What?" he asked.

  "When I wanted to take a chopper in China you didn't volunteer to fly it."

  He shrugged. "I wasn't in the mood. I'm feeling more peppy today."

  It was so Gervais that I dropped the subject entirely. There was no point.

  "Fine. We'll fly over. Unless anyone wants to swim?"

  Alyx and Bradford both looked terrified at the thought. It was cute and amusing how she was afraid of water, especially when she would be fine with jumping out of a helicopter and onto a hard surface from a few hundred feet up.

  We hurried over to the heliport. There was a single helicopter waiting there, a privately owned, sleek, black thing with a slowly spinning rotor that was ready to jump into action. A pair of men in dark suits waited on either side of it for its passenger to return.

  They were both mortal, and they watched us approach with a trained look of cautious disinterest though I could see their hands shifting to a better position to reach the concealed weapons I was certain they were carrying.

  "Can we help you with something?" one of them asked. We were surely an interesting bunch to them. Interesting, and barely threatening.

  If only they knew.

  "Do you do sightseeing tours?" I asked, pointing at the helicopter.

  "Do we look like we do sightseeing tours, jackass?" the man said. It was typical New Yorker.

  "Oh. That's a shame because I really need a ride."

  "Get lost."

  I didn't want to use my power on them. If I weren't careful, they would wind up Awake, and their lives would be ruined.

  Of course, demons had no problem causing stuff like that to happen. Gervais kept walking up to them, a smile on his face.

  "He said we need a ride," Gervais said.

  "Just stop right there," the man replied, drawing his gun.

  "Or what? Will you shoot me? Ah, I don't look threatening do I? One moment." He had the knife tucked into the back of his pants. He pulled it out and held it toward the men. "There you are. Shoot me, and I'll kill you."

  "Gervais," I said. Too late.

  Both men shot him, one bullet in the leg each. He fell to his knees without a sound.

  "Damn it, Gervais," I said, moving forward to stop him before he made good on his word.

  Two bullets hit my legs as well. I stumbled slightly before pushing my power to them. They had healed before I fell.

  Gervais sprang up from his position, knife heading toward the first man's neck. I threw out my power, snapping the knife out of Gervais' grip, and then pulling it back into him and knocking him on his ass. The guards were rightfully frightened at this point, and they backed away as I approached.

  "Whatever the hell is going on, we don't want any trouble," the first said.

  "Yeah. You want the chopper? Take it."

  What I wanted was to cut Gervais' stupid head off. I couldn't do it without losing our pilot.

  "Get in the helicopter," I said, following behind him. The pilot hadn't seen or heard the commotion, but he bailed out quickly when Bradford brandished his knife at him.

  "Now, let me see," Gervais said, taking the pilots seat and looking at the dashboard. "It's been a long time since I flew one of these things. I did a few days in Vietnam flying for the Americans. Have you ever heard of the Mỹ Lai Massacre?"

  "That was infantry, bro," Bradford said.

  "Oh, yes, you're right. Hmm... Have I ever flown a helicopter before?" He chuckled softly, hitting a few switches and getting the rotors going for real. "You should hold on tight, just in case."

  The chopper lurched forward into the sky, made a tight rotation, and started going back to where the two guards and the pilot were standing and watching the proceedings.

  "Gervais," I shouted, knowing he was heading for them on purpose.

  "Oh, Landon. You have no sense of humor."

  He twitched the stick, and the helicopter leapt over the frightened men and up into the sky.

  Thirty-Seven

  "Go in high on the first pass, so we don't look suspicious," I said.

  "Don't tell me how to do this thing, diuscrucis. I wasn't born yesterday," Gervais replied.

  "Technically-"

  "Don't technically me, either."

  The helicopter kept climbing as we headed out over the bay. I picked up a pair of earphones and put them on, listening to air traffic control as they were ap
parently trying to contact us.

  "I think you should answer them," I said.

  "Perhaps you are right." He smiled at me. I hated when he made that face. "Go to hell," he said to air traffic control.

  "You're going to get us shot down," I said.

  "Oh please."

  I shook my head and stared down at the water below, and then at the container ship as we passed over it. It was about half-loaded, with containers of a dozen different colors and lengths stacked one on top of the other. I could see sailors walking the perimeter and moving in a pattern that was hardly random.

  "Demons," Alyx said, putting her face right next to mine. "I can smell them from up here. Weres, mainly. A few vampires."

  "Do they have Abaddon's power?"

  "No. I wouldn't smell them if they did. It kills their odor."

  "It may be the only thing that can," Gervais said. "A miracle in itself."

  "We'll circle and come back lower to get one more look," I said.

  "Uh, Landon?" Bradford shouted from the back of the chopper.

  "What is is?" I asked, turning back to look at him. His eyes were down, staying on the ship as we passed by.

  "Your ghost lady is down there."

  "On the ship?"

  "No. Not yet. Out over the water. I think she may have followed us."

  Had Rebecca followed us? Damn. Not only did that mean she hadn't known where Rose was, but it may have also meant that she didn't know where Abaddon was. But how could that be if she had taken some of his power? I considered it for a minute. What if Hearst was trying to make a run for it with Abaddon? What if he had figured out that Rebecca was playing him for a fool?

  Just like she had played me. Our meeting was no accident, and by asking her about Rose I had told her what my priorities were, and where I was going. The attack back on the street was a diversion. A misdirection.

  "Okay, forget the second pass. Gervais, get us in position to jump."

  "Very well, Landon," Gervais said. "Try not to break your neck on the way down. I want to be the one to do it."

  "I'll do my best."

  The chopper swung in a tight circle. As it did, I could see another helicopter incoming. NYPD. Damn Gervais.

  "I told you not to be an asshole," I said, pointing out the company. Mortals may not have noticed the Divine under ordinary circumstances, but there were only a limited number of things they could think about a stolen helicopter.

  "I'll handle it. You jump."

  I had no idea how he was going to handle it. "Bradford, you ready?"

  "I'm not immune to gravity, bro," he said.

  "I'll help you down. Alyx, are you good?"

  She smiled, her teeth growing pointed as she did. "Of course, my love."

  I moved past her to the back of the helicopter, leaning over Bradford and throwing the door open.

  "Trust me," I said, wrapping my arm around his shoulders.

  He was too frightened to speak. I looked out the open door at the ship approaching in a hurry. I could see that the guards had noticed us now, and were pointing and shouting.

  "Ready," I said for Bradford's sake. "Get set." I lifted him slightly from the seat, keeping him low so we would clear the landing pads.

  I was just about to shout, "Go," when I saw something hit one of the guards, and he fell over with steam pouring out of a wound. Then Rose appeared, running out from behind one of the containers to grab the knife she had used to drop the vampire. Dante was close behind her.

  What the hell?

  "Go, diuscrucis," Gervais said.

  He dipped the side of the helicopter, catching me off-guard and sending Bradford and me both tumbling out. I felt an initial moment of panic and then pushed out with my power, spreading it below us and using it to slow our descent. Bradford was silent and terrified beside me though he began to calm as he saw we weren't going to splat onto the deck.

  The NYPD chopper was growing near, and it hovered a few hundred feet from Gervais, no doubt trying to contact him over the radio. I saw Alyx leap from the helicopter a moment later, changing and growing as she fell.

  Then we had reached the container ship. I pushed out my power even harder, using it like a jet engine to stop our fall. We landed fairly gracefully on our feet, and I let Bradford go.

  "Oh wow, bro," he said, breathless. "That was awesome!"

  "Good. Now help me with these guards."

  I took the spatha from my pocket while Bradford produced his knife. Four vampires were bearing down on us, guns in hand.

  "I'm not immune to bullets, either," Bradford said.

  Divine didn't carry guns unless they were planning on fighting mortals, the Nicht Creidem, or me. It meant they were expecting me. Or maybe they were a defense against Rebecca?

  The vamps opened fire. I threw my power out around us, using it as a shield. Bradford shied away, expecting to be shot. When he wasn't, he straightened up.

  "Dude, I need to bring you everywhere with me," he said.

  I dropped the shield, leaping at two of the guards, pushing their weapons aside and making one neat cut that dug into both of their chests. I heard a grunt behind me, and I spun around, ready to fight the other two.

  Bradford had them in hand, getting too close for their rifles to be effective and shaking off their clawed attacks. The surprise of his immunity allowed him to stab them both in the neck.

  "I saw Rose before we jumped," I said. "She has to be here somewhere."

  I scanned the area for Alyx. I hadn't seen her land.

  I heard a roar, and a body passed overhead. She was close.

  Where were Rose and Dante?

  And what were they doing?

  Neither one of them looked like a prisoner to me.

  "Keep an eye out for Rebecca," I said. I didn't know what her game was, but I was sure it wasn't meant to come out well for me.

  "Doing it," Bradford replied.

  We made our way along the side of the ship, heading in the direction I had seen Rose. I could hear more growls, roars, and screams echoing in the night, and when I looked up for Gervais, I saw that he had allowed the NYPD to guide his helicopter away. I had a bad feeling about his goals, but there was nothing I could do about that now.

  The echo of gunfire pierced the night up ahead. I knew they weren't shooting at Alyx, what would be the point? It meant Rose had to be close. I grabbed Bradford again and pushed off with my power, leaping high into the air and bringing us down on one of the containers. I could see the muzzle flashes down below, deep within the maze of boxes. I didn't see the target.

  "Wait here," I said, not waiting for a response before I jumped down on top of the shooter. I stabbed him with the spatha. "Rose," I called, not too loudly.

  I waited a few seconds.

  "Rose," I said again.

  Her face appeared from around the corner. "Landon?" She smiled. "Hey."

  "What the hell is going on?" I asked, getting closer to her. She came out into full view, with Dante trailing behind.

  "I'm working the case," she said.

  "What?"

  "I've been following Hearst for the last three days," she said. "I tracked him and Abaddon back here."

  Dante coughed behind her.

  "With a little help."

  "You've been tracking Hearst? I thought you were taken."

  "No. It's a long story, and I can tell you later. Right now, we have our chance to get Abaddon. He's here. On this boat."

  "Hearst?"

  "Him too, but we need to be careful. He's not the same vampire he used to be."

  I already knew that much.

  "Elyse is dead," I said.

  I saw a momentary flash of remorse. "I know. All the more reason for me to help you with this. You promised Hearst you wouldn't get involved, and he killed Elyse for it. I never made that promise, so I got involved."

  "So did I," Dante said.

  "So you know how to trap him without the Fist of God?" I asked.

  "No, signore. I
believe there is no other way."

  "I knew you would come looking for me," Rose said. "I wanted to be wherever Abaddon was when you showed up. His prison is still intact. If we can bring it to the Fist-"

  "Is it small enough to carry?"

  "I can transport it, Landon," Dante said. "Through Purgatory, like I did for Rose."

  "You want to carry Abaddon through Purgatory?"

  "Only for a split-second, yes."

  "Isn't that risky?"

  "Yes, but we have to do something."

  "Where is the Fist?" Rose asked.

  "Central Park," I replied. "Turtle Pond."

  "I can do it," Dante said. "Let's go."

  I heard a thump behind me. I spun around. It was Alyx, back in human form.

  "I killed everyone I saw," she said. "I - Landon!"

  Her face twisted in warning. I didn't know why, and I barely had time to react. I began to turn around again, knowing the threat was behind me. Except I didn't understand because only Rose and Dante were behind me.

  I felt the knife begin to dig into my neck, the force of it too strong to be typical.

  Then a grunt and the knife was gone. I finished turning, finding Bradford on top of Rose, his knife to her throat.

  "I don't think so, ghost bitch," he said.

  Rebecca had taken Rose, and she had been about to stab me in the back. Again.

  Rose's eyes fluttered as Bradford began to recite an exorcism. He paused when she fell limp.

  "Which way?" I asked, knowing that Rebecca had fled.

  "That way," Bradford replied, pointing down.

  That had to be where Abaddon was.

  "Alyx, stay with Rose. Don't let anything happen to her."

  "I should be with you."

  "I'll be fine. I need Bradford to spot Rebecca and Dante to move the prison. Please?"

  She smiled because I asked. "Yes, my love."

  The three of us took off at a run.

  Thirty-Eight

  We made our way to the first stairwell we found. There were three piles of ash around it already, clinging wetly to the surface of the ship. We started to descend, feet clattering on the metal rungs.