Katarina smiled. ‘His parents said the same thing. He’s miserable and it’s unlikely that you can make him worse.’
‘All right,’ Ceri said, a little nervously, ‘let’s do this.’ She reached out for Lily’s hand and the half-succubus gripped it firmly. ‘Chayton, just try to relax. This may be a little uncomfortable, or even hurt a little… or it could feel really good, I don’t know. Just try not to move.’
‘Okay, Ceri.’ The reply was a little muffled by his arms and the blanket his head was sunk into.
Ceri placed her hand over the line of white skin on his lower back and looked at Lily. ‘Ready, love? This is going to be a fairly big pull.’
‘I’m ready,’ Lily said. ‘I’m looking forward to it, actually.’
Ceri rolled her eyes, closed them, and began to concentrate. Drawing the power was easy enough; Ceri felt it streaming through from Lily and heard the little whimpering moan from the half-demon as she felt the power coursing through her. Lily’s own capacity to draw energy from the environment was limited and the feeling of having such large amounts of raw thaumic power run through her left her demon side wanting more, and her panting. Ceri ignored the arousal she could feel through their link and focussed her magic on Chayton.
The human, or werewolf, body was a magnificent, wonderful thing with the ability to heal terrible injuries. Sometimes it needed a little help, but it knew how to do it, given a little prompting. Ceri wrapped the distortion in Chayton’s Chakral median in a compression bandage of magical energy, her fingers glowing as she worked. The boy let out a muffled groan, his body stiffening, and then he began relaxing, only a slight twitch showing that anything was happening.
Ceri opened her eyes and looked down. Sparks of thaumic energy were still dancing around her fingers, but the “bandage” was tightening, as intended, and the energy flow through Chayton’s median was becoming stronger. With a lurch, the bandage closed with a snap and then vanished, and Ceri took her hand away, the tension releasing from her body as the power of the spell dissipated.
‘Is that it?’ Chayton asked. ‘I feel kind of… stronger.’
Ceri’s Sight showed her the now straight line of his Chakral median, a firmly glowing line of energy from the crown of his head to the base of his spine. ‘It looks like it’s worked,’ she said and he moved, bringing his arms level with his shoulders and pushing up. Muscle rippled over his back and shoulders and Ceri swallowed. She could feel the raw need coming from Lily and it was affecting her perceptions. A fifteen year old kid was not someone she should be considering jumping!
As he lifted his chest off the bedroll she saw the power rising up his spine and blooming out around him. The progression looked perfect, and when it collapsed and she found herself looking at a well-built young werewolf with black fur she found herself thinking that he was just three years younger than Michael… She shook her head. Michael was damn well young enough. Did she want a reputation for fancying younger men? Hell no, what she really wanted was the half-succubus whose dark eyes were fixed on her with the sort of lust she saw only after conspicuous displays of magic.
‘You did it,’ Katarina said, pleasure and relief in her voice. ‘You wanted a way to thank us for our hospitality…’ Letting out a happy bark, Chayton wrapped his arms around Ceri and hugged her, and his hands dipped a little low as he did so. ‘Though I think this young man has some other ideas.’
‘Uh, yeah,’ Ceri said. She clenched her fists. ‘Chayton, you’re gorgeous, but I’m human and I’ve got some hang-ups about age… uh, why don’t you go find a bitch more your age and show her your lovely black fur?’
His growl was inarticulate, it would take time to learn to use his new vocal equipment, but it suggested he was not pleased at having to let go. He did back off, however, sitting back on the bedroll with his tongue running over his lips.
‘Go find Aponi,’ Katarina suggested. ‘She’s been a little taken with you for months.’
The newly turned werewolf looked around at Katarina, surprised, and then gave an apologetic yip to Ceri and headed for the tent flap. Waiting for him to be out, Ceri heaved a sigh of relief. ‘Michael’s already way younger than me and I used to feel bad about that.’
‘Werewolves have a slightly different view of such matters,’ Katarina commented.
‘I know,’ Ceri replied, ‘but I’ve got my limits.’
Katarina smiled. ‘Besides, I believe your pet needs some attention.’
‘Yes, she does. I’d better take her back to our tent before she jumps me in front of you.’
The werewolf’s laugh was as melodic as her sister’s. ‘Oh, don’t mind me, dear.’
Ashley Avenue at the Big Sioux River, February 21st
The bridge looked distinctly forgotten. It was old, badly maintained, the girders starting to rust and the road surface full of potholes. The old Ford pick-up the pack had obtained for the three women fitted right in, but Kangee assured them that it would hold up to as much punishment as they could put it through.
‘Once you’re over the river,’ Kangee said, ‘you’re in US territory and you need to start watching your back.’ He shuffled a little; he was uncomfortable leaving them to handle this alone, and bright enough to know he would be of limited help. Saying goodbye was going to be tough.
Ceri looked around with eyes she had enspelled to see better in the dark. ‘We’ll check in at least every other day,’ she said. ‘Anything we find out, we’ll let you know.’
He nodded. ‘When you get to the other side, take the track south. If you head back onto the main road they’ll probably spot you.’
‘We know,’ Nita said, smiling. ‘This isn’t my first dance and Ceri can keep me in night vision spells until dawn if necessary.’
Kangee looked at her as she studied a map on the hood of the pick-up. ‘Just so you know,’ he said, ‘I trust you because Ceri and Lily do. If it turns out they were wrong, I’ll hunt you down and tear out your heart.’
Nita looked up at him, her face serious, and nodded. ‘Fair enough.’
Kangee nodded back. ‘Good luck, all of you,’ he said and then turned to walk to the van waiting for him a few yards away.
Lily looked at the old pick-up. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to be put out for this?’
‘I need to be awake in case we run into trouble,’ Ceri replied. ‘I’ll manage.’ Climbing into the cab to sit in the middle seat, she was already wishing she had asked Nita to put her to sleep.
Part Five: Taking on the World
Richmond, Virginia, February 23rd, 2012
No one took much notice of the three women in the battered pick-up until they got out of the car. At that point the attention they got was based entirely around the short skirts, low necklines, and high heels. The little mall on the outskirts of Richmond seemed to attract mostly teenagers at this time of the evening; groups of boys and girls, mostly segregated by gender. The squad of boys near the payphones gave big, wolfish grins, but were not willing to risk rejection with others their age watching.
Ceri picked up a phone, dropped a quarter, and dialled. She got voicemail on the second ring. ‘We’ve made it to Richmond. No trouble so far. Making contact tonight.’ She hung the phone up again and got a second quarter ready. ‘Well, here goes.’
‘You’re sure you can trust this guy?’ Nita asked.
‘No, I’m not sure, but he’s what we’ve got,’ Ceri told her.
‘I trust him,’ Lily said. ‘He wants your president safe and he didn’t believe Ceri was involved in the attack.’
‘Good enough for me,’ Ceri said. She dialled the number.
‘Hoffman.’ He answered on the first ring, like he had been waiting beside the phone.
‘Hi, Ed.’
‘Where are you? No, never mind that. I need to talk to you.’
Ceri nodded, even if he could not see it. ‘Falmouth, St Clair Brooks Park, two hours. We’ll find you.’ She hung up the phone before anyone listening could trace the cal
l.
‘We’d better drive if we’re going to get there first,’ Nita said.
‘This park is a good place to meet?’ Lily asked as she waited for Ceri to climb into the truck.
Nita started the engine. ‘We’ll need to check the trees. There’s a large, clear area he’ll likely arrive in. I suggest moving under cover to talk. I’ll keep watch.’
Ceri nodded and Nita pulled the truck away again, much to the disappointment of the gang of boys. ‘I’ll sort you out with night vision again,’ Ceri said.
‘You know, you can put out more power over a longer period than any practitioner I’ve ever met,’ Nita said.
‘Yeah, I can.’
‘And you’re not going to tell me why, are you?’
Ceri grinned. ‘Lil, why am I so powerful?
‘Because you’re absolutely awesome,’ Lily replied.
Nita laughed, shaking her head. ‘Right,’ she said, ‘that explains everything.’
Falmouth
They let Hoffman stand in the park for twenty minutes. Lily, her hair pulled up under a cap, went out to get him. She circled past him and came up behind him, leading him across the park to where Ceri was waiting at the edge of the trees.
‘Ed,’ Ceri said in greeting as he walked over.
‘You’ve got someone watching in the trees?’ he asked. Lily took up position to one side of them, scanning the grassy area in the middle of the park.
‘Yes, we have,’ Ceri said. ‘Should we be expecting someone?’
‘The CIA girl,’ Hoffman said, not answering her question. ‘Can you trust her?’
‘Right now,’ Ceri said, ‘you’re the long shot.’
He nodded. ‘Yes, I guess I am. I’m not sure if I was followed. I didn’t see anyone and I’m trained to spot them, but they’re trained to avoid being seen and they have a lot of resources.’
‘But you think you’re being watched?’
He sagged slightly. ‘I don’t know. I’ve been a little paranoid since they kicked me off the President’s protection detail. What do you know?’
‘Levy’s trying to take control of the country. He’s planning to take the oil fields in Texas and then roll out a war on China, probably after he’s taken control of most of the tribal lands.’
‘We don’t have that kind of force…’ Hoffman began.
‘He’s working with, or maybe for, the Brazilian Church,’ Ceri said. ‘I’m guessing, but I think his wife is… something other than human. I’m not sure what yet, but I’m betting she’s some sort of incarnated angel. Could have picked a better name. Levy has already tried to convince Wilson that I tried to kill him and it was a Chinese plot. It looks like he didn’t buy it. We think he’ll go back to the original plan.’
‘The original plan?’
‘Yes: Wilson dies, Levy becomes president.’
Hoffman frowned thoughtfully, digesting the information. ‘No, it’s not enough. They have President Wilson and his wife holed up at Black Fields, it’s a…’
‘We’re intimately familiar with that place,’ Lily commented.
Hoffman raised an eyebrow. ‘They were holding you there? And you got out?’
‘They were,’ Ceri said. ‘We did.’
‘Wow. I actually believe we might have a chance of pulling this off.’ Ceri reciprocated his smirk; though she was not feeling quite so confident. ‘No one can get to him with magic there, but they’ll need something big, public, to let Levy start a war over it.’
Ceri nodded, frowning. ‘We need somewhere to stay, Ed. Any suggestions?’
‘If we could prove I’m not being watched, you could stay at my place. Big house I didn’t really need, but I bought anyway.’ It was an odd sort of statement to make, but right now Ceri was more concerned about sleeping in a bed again.
‘Between Nita and me we should be able to check for anyone watching. We’ll follow you back and check before we come in.’
‘Okay, I’ll wait for you in my car.’
Ceri grinned. ‘Just start driving. I can follow you. To Alaska if I had to.’
‘Right. Why doesn’t that make me feel comfortable?’ He turned and started back the way he had come.
‘Because we could hunt him down and kill him?’ Lily suggested after a few seconds.
‘He did say he was feeling paranoid,’ Ceri replied.
‘Nothing wrong with healthy paranoia when people are out to kill you.’
Alexandria, February 24th
It was gone midnight when Hoffman ushered the three women into his house. He was being rather urgent about it, but given the rather nice neighbourhood lined with red brick houses featuring window boxes and window frames which looked like they were whitewashed every year, maybe the Secret Service agent was just worried what his neighbours would think about him inviting three younger women home.
‘There’s no sign of surveillance,’ Ceri said as she hung her coat up in the hallway.
‘Mrs Maclusky must be getting a drink then,’ Hoffman replied.
Ceri grinned. ‘So you were worried about your reputation?’
His cheeks coloured a little. ‘I figured if you found a threat you wouldn’t come to the door,’ he said, ‘but Mrs Maclusky’s not a threat, aside from the fact that everyone in town will think I’ve hired three hookers before sun up if she saw you.’
Alexandria had seemed to be somewhere between a town and a city when they had driven through it an hour or so before. There were signs that it had been bigger once, just like Richmond, and most of the other cities they had seen so far. The outer regions of the town, especially to the south, had a number of disused buildings, houses as well as industrial areas, which looked like they had been falling down for decades. That likely left a smaller, more closely knit community with a tendency to gossip. That might even work to their advantage if they could use it right.
‘At least you’ve got three good looking hookers,’ Lily said. ‘It might even raise your rep in some corners.’
Hoffman cringed. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘I’m your cousin or something from England,’ Ceri said, ‘here to do some sightseeing with a couple of friends.’
He nodded at that. ‘Could work,’ he said. ‘Come into the lounge, tell me what you think we need to do.’
It was not a huge room, but there was a fire burning in the grate, and two large armchairs and a couch arranged around it. At a table beside one of the armchairs was a laptop, open and whirring gently, but displaying a screen saver. There were not enough bookcases for Ceri’s taste, but what there were were full of books, mostly paperbacks by authors Ceri did not recognise. Hoffman sat down beside his laptop, Nita took the second chair, leaving Ceri and Lily to settle together on the couch.
‘We need to pressure Levy into giving his hand away,’ Ceri said. ‘We need him worried.’
‘But not too worried that he offs Wilson and tries something drastic,’ Lily added.
‘He’s scheduled to attend an award dinner of some sort on Sunday night in New York,’ Hoffman said. ‘Security will be tight, but he’ll be easier to get to there than in DC.’
‘That’s not long to prepare,’ Nita said.
‘We’re on a tight timescale,’ Ceri said. ‘We’re going to have to wing things a lot. You should be used to that.’
‘Huh, the best way to look like you’re great at improvisation is to have everything brilliantly planned.’ Nita raised an eyebrow at the couple on the couch. ‘Are you telling me you just dive into things like that demon business at Stonehenge without a plan?’
‘We had a plan,’ Lily said brightly. ‘"Don’t die and grab the first opportunity we could to kill Remus."’
Both Nita and Hoffman grimaced. Ceri shrugged. ‘It worked, what’s the problem?’
February 25th
There were two bedrooms up on the top floor of the house, the main bedroom and the bathroom on the middle floor, and the lounge and kitchen at the bottom. Even though Ceri lived in a larger three storey
house, it felt like it was a long way down from the top to where the smell of cooking eggs was coming from at the bottom. Dressed in a spaghetti-strapped top and a slim pencil skit, she walked in to where Hoffman was cooking.
‘Morning, Ed. That smells good.’
‘Sit down,’ he replied without turning. ‘You can have the first plate. Should I be making more?’
Ceri’s heels clicked on the linoleum as she crossed to the table and sat down. ‘Lily won’t be up for at least half an hour, Nita I don’t know about. She slept in the other room.’
‘I thought you three were a little more intimate than that, considering how she got to know you.’
‘We think she feels guilty about it. Lily thinks she wants to earn the right to be a friend before she gets the additional benefits.’
Ed ladled something like an omelette onto a plate. ‘Fair enough.’ He turned around to take the plate over to the table and almost dropped it. Ceri giggled. ‘Is that a wig or something?’ Hoffman asked.
Ceri reached up and ran a hand through her shoulder length, blonde hair. There were a few strands of purple down the front edge at the right. ‘No, it’s my hair. I grew it last night. Took about ten minutes. The colour should last a few days and I can redo it easily enough. I figure it’ll make me less recognisable.’
He stepped forward the last pace and put the plate down for her. ‘They say blondes have more fun too.’
‘Well, Lily certainly likes it. I might even keep the length, though short is practical.’
‘You used a spell? I don’t know that one.’
‘You’re into wizardry,’ Ceri replied. ‘I’ve studied spells from all sorts of specialities.’ She forked some egg into her mouth, barely needing to chew it before she swallowed. ‘My parents were enchanters, but their library covers all sorts of traditions and paradigms, and I’ve learned spells from witches and wizards.’
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