War Within (Death's Contract Book 2)

by KJ Harlow

  “All it takes is a moment of insanity and since that seems to run in your bloodline, it’s better you know,” Walter said darkly. Agatha's cheeks were pink with rage. Before she could interject, Walter continued. “If we are hit with Lucent Gun we Cease, just like if we are hit with an Ombre Gun, got it?” Sid looked up calmly at Walter.

  “Got it.”

  Walter touched his third finger. “Three, never shoot a human. Four: if it feels like a trap, it probably is one. Five: never surrender your weapon to the Tormented.”

  “Have conviction, don’t shoot Deliverers, don’t shoot humans, don’t fall into traps, no surrendering our weapons to the Tormented,” Sid said, reeling off the rules. “Thank you, Walter.” Walter had leaned in more and more with each rule he told Sid about. He drew himself back and cleared his throat.

  “The Tormented were seen at the west side outside the Palace fence. I’m going ahead to see if there’s any sign of forced entry.” With that, he turned on his heel and Soul Stepped out of the alleyway, kicking up dust in his wake.

  “My apologies, Sid,” Agatha said while looking flustered. “I don’t know what’s gotten into Walter. He’s not usually like this.”

  “Maybe he feels like his position as senior Deliverer is threatened?” Tracy said cheekily. She grunted in surprise as I elbowed her in the ribs.

  “It’s OK,” Sid sighed. “I understand where he’s coming from. I was much the same many moons ago.” His eyes misted over as he looked back out onto the street. “Being homeless was dog eat dog; we didn’t have much to go around. Other vagrants would try to join our group. It was my job to vet them. In most cases, I had to turn them away.” He cast a look around at the group. “Family is everything.” We nodded at him, smiles all round.

  “Let’s keep moving,” Tor said. “Walter is on the west side of Buckingham Palace. Some of us should go to the east side. A group of us should be at the main entrance.” I nodded at him grimly.

  “Good idea. That way, if they try to spring an attack on us, we’ll be ready.” In Walter’s absence, Tor took charge.

  “Tracy, go and join Walter. Agatha and Silas will be on the east side. Rose, Sid and me will take the front.” We looked at each other, shuffling so that we stood in the groups that Tor had allocated. “Use the Light Bugs to communicate. Remember what we are here to do.”

  “Will the royal family be inside Buckingham Palace?” Tracy asked. Agatha and Sid exchanged looks.

  “Virtually no one has directly threatened Her Majesty directly,” Sid said. “I haven’t been inside before, but I would imagine that there would be some sort of fortified bunker in the depths of the Palace.” Sid looked at Agatha who shrugged helplessly.

  “The only way for us to know if the royal family is alive and well is if we were to see them ourselves,” Agatha said. “If we are to see them in these circumstances, then I fear it is already too late for them.”

  “And may God have mercy on us all,” Sid said, bowing his head. We all jerked our heads up in unison as we heard gunshots several hundred yards away.

  “Walter,” Tor barked. “Do you read me?”

  “Loud and clear,” Walter replied. “Just dealing with some pests around the castle.”

  “There are Conflicted at Buckingham Palace?” Sid said, pressing the Light Bug deeper into his ear. There was no response from Walter. Eventually, he replied.

  “Yeah,” he growled. “I wasn’t sure at first, but it looks like the Tormented have gotten to the soldiers who wear the tall, fluffy black hats.”

  “The Queen’s Guard?” Sid and Agatha said simultaneously with identical masks of horror.

  “Yeah, them.”

  “How many did you Rid?” Tor said as he started to make his way out of the alleyway with everyone else following suit.

  “There were only half a dozen here, but I can see quite a few inside the palace grounds. They haven’t found me out yet.”

  “Hold your position, we’re on our way.”

  “Roger.” Our Light Bugs clicked as the transmission ended with Walter ended.

  “It’s a lot like being one of the MI6, isn’t it?” Sid said with a smile. “I’ve got the special gun, the walkie talkie in my ear. All I’m missing is the suit. James Bond, eat your heart out.” Agatha looked at him, rolling his eyes in mock contempt. He gave her a crooked grin in response. “Never watched any of them myself though, never owned a television.” He was a bit of a talker once he got going; I had to make sure his mind was focused on the task at hand.

  “Let’s show you something that James Bond doesn’t know how to do: Soul Step.”

  “Blimey, I can’t remember the last time I saw this many of the Queen’s Guard,” Sid said under his breath. We were 20 yards from the front of the Palace gates. “How are we meant to take on this many?”

  “Divide and conquer,” Tor said quietly. “Silas will attack first. He’ll hit as many as he can. Once he gets their attention and they rush over to the east, Walter and Tracy will attack. The pack will have thinned out, making it easier to take more of them out. Then me, you and Rose will come in from the front and take them on.” He looked at Sid then me.

  “Do you think you’re up for it?” I asked Sid. “This is a lot to do for someone’s first day as a Deliverer.”

  Sid looked towards Buckingham Palace thoughtfully. He put his hand on his Lucent Gun absent-mindedly. “You know, I’ve never felt so comfortable shooting someone before,” Sid said. I glanced at Tor and laughed nervously. Noticing this, he quickly apologized. “I mean, I just feel like I made the right decision to come back up here.” We looked at him, nodding slowly.

  “Good.” Tor slowly rose with me and Sid shadowing him.

  “Silas – do you read me?”

  “Affirmative,” came Silas’ reply.

  “How many of the Conflicted do you think you can Rid before they start firing at you?” There was a brief silence.

  “A dozen or so.” Tor nodded.

  “OK. Rid them, then come back towards us as quickly as possible. Make sure Agatha is not hit.”

  “Understood.”

  “Walter, Tracy – do you read me?”

  “Yes,” they responded.

  “Once the group rushes towards the east, Walter, change your weapon into machine gun form and attack the back of the Conflicted. Tracy, you take out as many as you can too.”

  “Got it,” Tracy said.

  “When the group has been thinned, we go in and start taking them out. Don’t wait until you get to the Palace gates. Start shooting while we’re outside. That will confuse them and spread them even more thinly.” Tor looked at me. “Remember, we have to protect Sid. If gunfire starts getting too thick, pull back. Take a bullet for Sid if we have to.” I looked at Tor and nodded grimly. We both glanced at Sid. He nodded.

  “Let’s do this.” Tor stood up, holding his gun to his chest.

  “Silas, on my count. Three… two… one… fire!” Round after round of gunshot exploded from the east side of the palace. Like the plague, a red and black swarm of soldiers rushed to Silas’ side. A second later, they started shooting. My pulse was racing as I clung desperately onto the sensation of Silas’ and Agatha’s heart beats. I saw the trees rustle as if a wind was blowing through them as the two Deliverers sped towards us.

  “Walter, Tracy, now!” Tor roared. The sound of a machine gun possessed tore through the air as Walter ripped into the Conflicted. It was punctuated by the sharp incisions of Tracy’s gun as she took out Conflicted at the edges of the group. A cloud of black ash rose into the air as dozens of Conflicted crumbled under the might of Walter’s Lucent Gun. The swarm seemed to hesitate and think as it changed direction heading back towards the west side.

  “Rose, Sid, now!” Tor said. He ran toward the gate, his gun dark silver as it caught the moonlight that broke through the clouds. I ran beside Tor, looking back over my shoulder to make sure that Sid was there. From the corner of my eye, I saw Agatha and Silas turn the corner a
nd run towards us. Silas was limping slightly as blood stained his pants on his right thigh.

  The Conflicted were too busy running back towards Walter and Tracy to notice us. By the time they did, they had crashed into the forecourt. This brought the rest of the Conflicted to attention. Half the group broke off and started running towards us with their rifles. Tor, Sid and I destroyed the wave of Conflicted before it could crash into us. There were a few errant bullets but none that came close to hitting any of us.

  I squinted as the black ashes of the Conflicted rose in front of me, trying to see if any more Conflicted were waiting for an opportunity to strike. Eventually, the gun fire started thinning out. I stood next to Tor, my gun raised and ready to fire. As the ashes started to clear, we began to lower our weapons. The only evidence that there had been a gun fight was the hundreds of rifles that were strewn all over the forecourt. I holstered my gun and bound across to Silas, who was slumped against the fence.

  “Silas,” I said, looking at the patch of dark red that was slowly spreading across his slacks. “Are you OK?”

  “They just… grazed me,” Silas grunted, breathing heavily. Sid strode over and knelt down. He thought for a moment, then Soul Stepped somewhere. In seconds, he was back with a bag of medical supplies. He deftly unraveled some gauze and wrapped it tightly around Sid’s leg, keeping it secure with a safety pin. He stood up and admired his own handiwork.

  ‘”That will stop the bleeding for now,” he said. “Try and keep your weight off it.”

  “I can fight,” Silas responded, his face becoming paler by the minute.

  “Walter,” Tor said. “Are you or Tracy hurt?”

  “No, we’re both fine, we’ll join–”

  “Look!” I said pointing into the Palace. Tor followed the direction of my finger. He drew his Lucent Gun again.

  “Damn it,” Walter growled. “Looks like that was just the first wave.” More of the Queen’s Guard filed out from the entrance to Buckingham Palace, streaming down the steps before forming a guard of honor ten men wide and deep.

  “Someone else is coming out,” I whispered. We watched as a couple hundred Queen’s Guard-Conflicted stood to attention. I held my breath as a tall, regal figure wearing an immaculate crown strode out. Standing on the dais, he unsheathed a bejeweled sword, pointing it at the ground in front of him. With his hands resting casually on the hilt, he stared out over the Guard. Seeing us at the gates, the corner of Dante’s mouth twitched up.

  “Long live the Queen,” Sid growled.

  Twenty-Three

  “Deliverers, come closer!” Dante said jovially. He extended his left hand, beckoning us to come forward. Silas grimaced as the adrenaline wore off and the bullet wound started sending waves of pain through his body. Sid’s makeshift tourniquet was gradually turning scarlet. I saw Tracy run towards us from the left. She drew her weapon as she faced Dante.

  “Where’s Walter?” Tor asked.

  “He said he’s going to stay on the west side for a while to make sure no one else tries to ambush us.” Tor stared at her, his light blue eyes as dark as obsidian under moonlight.

  “It’s not polite to keep royalty waiting,” Dante said softly. The wind carried his warning across the forecourt straight to us. He lifted the sword up, giving it a flourish before sheathing it in its scabbard on his hip. He started descending the steps.

  “Tor!” I said, not daring to take my eyes off Dante. Tor’s jaw clenched as he stared at Dante. Slowly yet purposefully, he walked through the gates.

  “Tracy, Rose, Sid – with me. Agatha, stay with Silas.” Exchanging looks with Tracy, I nodded as we followed Tor. Sid stayed right behind Tor’s six foot six frame, stepping cautiously in his shadow.

  “Dante is dangerous,” Agatha said, looking up at us. “Keep your wits about you.” Only Sid looked back at Agatha, giving her a quick nod.

  “Walter,” I whispered. “Do you read me?” No response. I threw a glance towards the west side of the Palace; he was nowhere to be seen. My eyes darted back to the front. Dante had stopped about 10 yards away. His guard of honor had come together behind him, forming a wall of Conflicted 20 wide.

  “Welcome!” Dante said, throwing his arms open generously. Tor tensed, his feet shifting subtly as he prepared for an attack. “What do you think?” His eyes turned up to direct us to the crown on his head.

  “What have you done with the royal family?” I demanded, pointing my gun at Dante.

  “The royal family is fine,” Dante said reassuringly, looking at me with a slight smile. “They’re all holed up in that big old Palace of theirs. I’ve got my best men standing guard by their door. I wouldn’t dream of hurting them. I just wanted to be king for a day, that’s all.”

  “How does it suit you?” Tracy said, her Lucent Gun trained on his head.

  “That’s what I asked you,” Dante said, looking across at Tracy. “It’s good to get a second opinion, but Mortimer and Matylda are such yes men. I know that you aren’t shy about telling me what you really think.”

  “You will never be fit to be a king!” Sid said, stepping out from Tor’s shadow. He stood between me and Tor, his Lucent Gun calmly trained on Dante. Dante gazed at Sid curiously, a genuine look of surprise written all over his face.

  “How could you not tell me you had a new addition to your family?” Dante said, looking slightly hurt. He started walking towards Sid, his arm outstretched. “My name is King Dante the First, but you can just call–” he stopped dead in his tracks and Sid fired a round into Dante’s heart. 200 rifles racked simultaneously as the Queen’s Guard prepared to fill us with bullets.

  “Do not fire!” Dante roared, holding his right hand up. The soldiers behind Dante froze, holding their position but not pulling the trigger. Blood seeped into his white shirt. Through the bullet hole, we could see his gunshot wound close up within a second. He drew back his hand and took a few steps back.

  “The name’s Sid, pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Sid said, his gun still pointed at Dante.

  “Pleasure’s all mine,” Dante said, smiling warmly. “By your accent, I can hear that you are from the area. Essex, I presume?” Damn it. Dante was already trying to profile Sid; we didn’t warn him about this.

  “Don’t answer him, Sid,” I ordered, keeping my eyes on Dante.

  “Rose,” Dante said with a hint of disappointment. “That’s no way to speak to your elders. Sid has decades more wisdom than you do. I’m sure he can speak for himself, isn’t that right?” He finished, smiling at the newest Deliverer. It looked like Sid wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut. Seeing that he wasn’t going to speak, Dante chuckled and started pacing with his hands in the small of his back.

  “If there’s anything I’ve learned from dealing with the Deliverers, it’s that they love to make things complicated for me. Rose and Stan,” his eyes slid across his sockets to look at me. “Tor and Matylda,” he stopped pacing and looked at Sid. “And now Sid and Mortimer.” No one said a word as we stared at him. He resumed pacing as he looked up at the clouds roiling above.

  “You look to be 65, maybe 70 years young? I found Mortimer when he was 55. That was a little over 10 years ago.” He stopped again. “You must have known Mortimer for a long time.”

  “He’s my brother.” Sid blurted out. I thought of berating him right then and there, but there was no point.

  “Brother!” Dante said, eyes opening wide mock astonishment. “He told me that he had no siblings, that he was abandoned as a child. That he had no one.”

  “He had me, he just didn’t know it,” Sid growled. I could see sweat trickle down his neck despite the bitter London cold. Dante sighed as he paced a while longer.

  “Mortimer’s rather…” – he gesticulated in the air as he searched for the right word – “…uncomplicated. He kills. And shoots. And Ceases. His soul is a bottomless well that thirsts for all the blood in the world and more.” Dante looked up at the moon as it broke through the clouds again. �
�He is useful though; he supplies me with a lot of torment.” Dante stood back in the center of our group. He placed his hand on the hilt of the sword and slowly drew it out. My finger grazed the trigger of my weapon as I prepared to shoot him.

  “Where is he?” Sid demanded, his voice hoarse. Dante shook his head sadly. He looked at us, his eyes contrite.

  “I won’t tell you where he is, I can’t.” Dante slowly pointed the sword at Sid. “You were the one who abandoned him. I took him in. He doesn’t deserve to have his heart broken again.” A single gunshot pierced the night. Blood spurted from Dante’s head, a bit of brain matter glistening in the moonlight as it flew through the air.

  “Tracy, now!” Walter roared. Tracy charged towards Dante, her Lucent Gun shining momentarily before turning into a dagger. She leaped towards Dante as he was falling and plunged the dagger into his forehead, slamming his head into the ground. The sword clattered to the ground and the crown tumbled until it stopped a few feet away from Dante.

  “Disperse!” Walter commanded. Everyone ran in separate directions as the Conflicted realized what had happened and started filling the forecourt with lead. Agatha pulled Silas closer to the ground to prevent any errant bullets from causing further pain. I ran along the west perimeter of the Palace, slaying Conflicted who were too slow to hit me. I felt a rush of wind as Walter came out from the trees and surged into the gates, his weapon in machine gun form again as he rained hell on the Conflicted.

  Tor and Sid stayed together, Ridding Conflicted closer to the east side of the forecourt. There was so much Conflicted ash it looked like a cloud of black mist had swallowed us. Gradually, the sound of gunfire was replaced with the fizzing of the ashes dissipating. I batted it away from my face, looking around to inspect the damage.

  There were even more firearms littering the ground. Tracy poked her head around the corner. She had been outside taking cover with Agatha and Silas. Walter stood five yards in from the gate, his machine gun still poised and ready to fire. At the far end, Sid and Tor stood together. My face went pale as I saw blood seeping into Tor’s black top near his stomach. He walked stiffly back toward the gate where the rest of the Deliverers were, Sid hovering worriedly next to him as he tried to get a better look at the wound.