by John Corwin
"Two summoning patterns cannot occupy the same place," Victoria said. "The newer will break the older."
Tyler snapped his fingers. "You want to exorcise Karak on top of the daemonculus."
My mother rewarded him with a rare smile. "There will be no need for a counter-pattern. Transposing Karak's soul-infused diagram on the one intended to summon Domathus should cause a feedback loop severe enough to break the entire daemonculus."
"In other words, we only need to start the exorcism for it to cause the break?" George asked.
"It won't be immediate," she replied. "From the moment a demon's true name is used, it takes several seconds for the pattern to complete."
"I think we're overlooking something." I looked at the paused image of last night's conflict. "We disrupted their demonicus last night. All we have to do is keep them from using it. Surely we can spare people to guard it."
George's lips flattened. "I'm afraid they completed it last night, Miss Glass."
My mouth dropped open. "But we killed all their sacrifices!"
"The Children of Armageddon have plenty of willing souls, I'm afraid." He took out another ASE and played it. "Shortly after we retreated, Kassus and Drang returned and used the blood of another anointed."
Sure enough, not thirty minutes after we'd fled for our lives, the two battle mages reappeared in the recording with buckets and began tracing the diagram with fresh blood.
"They must be milking the anointed for blood in advance," Victoria said. "That would explain how they've been so efficient with their time."
We continued to watch the video.
After the two Arcanes finished the blooding, a woman appeared and pressed her thumb to it. A split second later, she dropped dead. The demons dragged more bound people onto the field while humans in white robes took positions in the outer diagrams. The entire process took perhaps two hours. The man in the center diagram shouted with glee until the awful moment when he realized with horror that he wasn't to be a part of the great Lord Belhor, our newest unwelcome demon lord in Eden.
Now all Karak and the demon lords had to do was complete the daemonculus to summon their overlord, Domathus.
Thomas's jaw tightened. "I'll see if I can spare a hundred soldiers. The vampire conflict cost us dearly, and we're still dealing with the fallout." He blew out a breath. "We've also discovered the Templar forces still loyal to the Synod are treating us as defectors."
"A Templar civil war?" Victoria said.
"The Templar Synod isn't happy with Commander Borathen's decision to disavow the Divinity." George handed Thomas an ASE. "As a Custodian, I cannot vow loyalty to any one Templar commander or legion. I believe in the prosperity of a whole and hope that this information will help you prepare for what may come."
"You are a true and faithful Templar," Thomas replied. "I will get you as many soldiers as possible. I hope it's enough."
George pressed a hand over his chest. "We won't fail, Commander."
Thomas turned to my parents. "Agent Walker informed me of your service to the Exorcists and to the Templar cause of protecting Eden. I'd like to extend invitations for you to join our order."
My mother lifted an eyebrow. "Without the Divinity, we would be without enhanced strength or speed."
"I realize that, but we are not all about fighting." Thomas turned his gaze on me. "Your family is remarkably talented and I believe there's a place in the Templars for all of you." He gave us a curt nod. "Please consider it." Commander Borathen left the room.
I turned to the group. "I don't mean to be overly negative, but even if we have a hundred Templars, will that be enough to defeat four demon lords?"
George deactivated the ASE recording and set it on the table. "I am hopeful Vallaena will be able to help." He retrieved a thumb drive. "On another subject, here is the forged video, which should vindicate Tyler."
I took it. "Excellent, but what do we do with it?"
"You need to disseminate it to news organizations."
I wasn't sure how to do that, but knew who to contact. "I'm going topside."
"You already sound like a Templar," Tyler said with a smirk. He had an old-fashioned paper map on the table. Red circles indicated where each demonicus was located, and a red X covered the spot for the final pattern. Next to it he'd written, Grand finale.
I chuckled. "These fancy electronic gadgets too much for you to handle?"
He folded the map and stuck it in his back pocket. "I like the feel of something physical in my hands." Tyler stood and motioned his head to the door. "I'll go topside with you."
"I'd like a moment with Emily if you don't mind." Victoria didn't wait for Tyler to answer and guided me into the hallway. She took my hands and managed a smile.
"I haven't seen you do that in a while," I said.
"Things have been a bit tense between us lately, dear." Her smile faded. "It worries me when my untrained daughter throws herself in the way of rogue demon lords."
"I have an ability that can really help people, Victoria." I squeezed her hands. "Sure, I'm going to bollox things, but I'm trying."
"No, you're not trying." She met my eyes. "You're doing, and doing amazingly well." Mother smiled again. "I'm proud of you. What you did last night to Karak was incredibly brave."
Tears stung my eyes. "You don't think I was being stupid?"
She laughed. "What you did was foolish and dangerous, but you did your duty. It made me realize that you are like me when I was your age. If I survived, then so can you."
My lips trembled and I couldn't hold back anymore. I squeezed Mum in a tight hug while tears rolled down my cheeks. "I love you."
"And I love you, Emily." She pulled back and wiped away tears of her own. "There's something I need to tell you."
"Yes?"
"Your Aunt Lydia and I were adopted."
A cold shock of surprise froze me in place. "Why are you telling me this now?"
"I've withheld too many secrets from you—the Exorcists, the Overworld, and this. It's well past time I told you."
"Did you have another premonition?" I asked.
Victoria nodded. "It felt even worse than my last one. Unfortunately, I have never been able to focus my enhanced intuition. Sometimes I get a feeling moments before an event, or months."
"Who is your real mother?"
She sighed. "Lydia and I don't know. After this is over, I think you and I need to find out."
The thought of embarking on a family adventure appealed to me. It would give me more time to get to know my mother and hopefully draw us even closer together.
Tyler stepped out of the doorway. "Ready, Em?"
I looked long and hard at my mother. "Once I get back from sending Jack this video, we're going to talk about this with Dad."
She nodded. "I'll wait for you."
On the way up the levitator, I told Tyler all about Mom's revelation. I was so excited by my newfound relationship with my mother, I could barely contain myself.
Tyler couldn't stop grinning. "I love seeing you so happy."
"Does it make you happy?" I asked.
"Seeing you like this is the best feeling in the world." He kissed me. "You're so adorable."
I giggled, but Karak's awful face flashed into my mind and stole some of my joy. "I can't let a bunch of demon lords take away my happy family reunion."
"That's why we're fighting them, Em." Tyler put a hand over my heart. "For you, for me, for family."
I felt a tear sting my eye. "Do you think of me like family?"
He wiped the tear away with a thumb. "You are my family."
Even Armageddon couldn't steal the happiness swelling in my chest. We're going to win.
The levitator stopped at barn level and we walked outside. Light rain speckled my hands and face, but I didn't mind. It was good to be alive after laying hands on a demon lord.
I dialed the number of the person I knew could handle this video. "Jack, it's Emily. I have a video from a nanny-cam in the
apartment that I need to get out there. It vindicates Tyler."
"You do? Now I know why Isabel wanted to go to the apartment so badly yesterday." He grunted. "I can't believe the cops didn't find it."
"I don't think they were looking very hard for the real perpetrator."
"Why didn't she just give it to me?" he asked.
"I wanted to take a look at it first." I didn't really want to come up with an elaborate lie and hoped he just accepted it.
"All right. Just email it to me if it's not too large."
I didn't actually know how large it was. George had been kind enough to put it on a thumb drive, but I didn't have a computer to check it on. "I'll just bring it to you myself."
"Is that wise?" he asked.
"Don't worry. I can get in without the police seeing me." I ended the call and turned to Tyler. "I hope George is willing to lend us his car again."
Tyler grinned. "Already taken care of. I told him we needed fresh clothes, so he said to take the car if I needed it."
"Excellent idea." I looked at my soiled armor. "Fresh clothes would be delightful."
Tyler flew George's car to the Gregorian and parked it next to the balcony railing. We went to the bedroom, grabbed a couple of duffle bags, and dumped clothes in them. It took us a moment to figure out how to remove my Templar armor. Apparently, touching the seams in order retracted each section until only a cloth belt remained around my waist.
"Wish we had time for some fun," Tyler said, as he finished disrobing so he could change.
"Maybe we do." I tried on a mischievous grin and was rewarded by his soldier standing at attention. I was about to turn and say something sexy when I noticed something strange in the upper corner of the room. At first, I thought it was an insect. Instead, I realized it was a bug. I pointed to it. "Tyler, that's a camera!"
His eyes flashed. "Get dressed!"
I heard a banging on the door. "Too late!"
Whoever was watching the condo was already here.
Chapter 28
Tyler grabbed the duffle bags. "Get in the car!"
My boobs bouncing and his privates flapping, we ran naked through the house.
Just as we rounded the corner into the kitchen, I heard the front door swing open. Tyler tossed the suitcases into the open car door and then helped me inside as footsteps tapped down the hallway. He climbed in and eased shut the car door as plainclothes police burst into the kitchen.
"Check all the rooms," someone shouted.
"Could they have gone to the roof?" Detective Long stepped into view.
A man dressed in black slacks and a white shirt shook his head. "They would've shown up on the elevator camera."
"How in the hell did they get in without us seeing them in the elevator?" The detective glared at the other man.
"I have no idea."
Tyler shifted the suitcases to the back seat, a wide grin never leaving his face. "I wonder if they enjoyed the show."
I should have been mortified. Instead, I found the entire episode rather hilarious and had to hold my mouth shut to keep giggles from bursting out. "I never in my life thought I'd be running naked from the cops and jumping into an invisible flying car."
Detective Long came outside and glared at the cityscape. "Where the fuck did they go?"
The man was practically staring into the rear passenger window and didn't even know it. I repressed the urge to roll down the window and punch him in the face.
The man in the white shirt reappeared. "Sir, aside from the messed up bed and a pile of clothes, the place is clean."
"Son of a bitch!" Long balled his hands as if he wanted to punch someone.
Tyler stuck out his tongue at the man and shifted the car sideways, just enough to bump Detective Long and send him falling on his ass. We sped away in the invisible car, howling with laughter at our little prank and went to OnTech. Once there, Tyler parked on the roof.
I grabbed fresh clothes for both of us and we slipped into them.
The roof door was locked, so I called Jack and asked him to come unlock it.
"How in the hell did you get on the roof?" I heard him snap his fingers. "Ah, a helicopter."
I didn't correct him. "We'll be waiting."
He showed up with a laptop in his hand and didn't look the least bit surprised to see Tyler there with me. "Whatcha got for me?"
I handed him the thumb drive. He set his laptop on an air conditioning unit and played back the video. Though the image wasn't high definition, there was little doubt the man entering the apartment wasn't Tyler. The intruder, Barboar, put away a set of lock picking tools and shut the door then snooped around the den.
A knock sounded on the door. He opened it to reveal my neighbors. Before they could say anything, he slammed their heads against the doorframe until they dropped to the floor. He dragged their unconscious forms through the den and out of sight down the hallway. A moment later, Barboar returned and took a large butcher knife from the kitchen. He tested the edge and grinned before returning down the hallway.
Awful screams and the chopping of the cleaver echoed down the hall.
Jack gagged and stopped the video. "Holy shit, that's awful." He looked up at me. "This is a slam dunk, though. I'll make sure the news gets it."
I gave him the contact information for David Cornwall. "That's the chap who interviewed me for the BBC. Be sure he gets a copy too."
"I'll send it to him first." Jack emailed David and then switched to another screen. "Tyler, I've got another present for you."
"Oh yeah?" Tyler watched with interest as Jack pulled up another file.
"I tapped into the webcams on the computers that opened the virus I created."
"Virus?" Technology wasn't Tyler's strong suit.
"Yeah, I planted fake programs on my work computer so the people monitoring the spyware on my computer would think those programs were something I was working on." Jack spoke as if he were instructing a kindergartener. "When they opened the files, they infected their computer with a virus that gives me control of their computer."
"Ah, okay." Tyler took no issue with Jack's tone and actually seemed to appreciate it. "I'll get better with this stuff one day."
Jack grinned. "Job security."
"So what did you find?" I asked.
"Let's just say I wasn't surprised by the person I found on the other end of the webcam this morning." He clicked the file. "Their computer was just infected this morning."
A leather chair appeared on the screen. Jack fast-forwarded the video and soon the torso of someone dressed in an expensive business suit appeared. The man sat down. Jack paused the image of Brandon Rock and crossed his arms.
Tyler glanced at me. "Just as we thought."
I was sad it had taken us so long to prove it.
"Does this video have sound?" Tyler asked.
"Sure." Jack turned off the video and flicked to another window that showed a spreadsheet. The mouse seemed to move by itself. "This is also a live image of Brandon's desktop. As you can see, he's looking over the fake financial report he stole from Kevin's computer."
"Look, he's activating a video conference call," I said as the mouse pointer clicked on the program.
Detective Long's face appeared on the screen and moved his lips, though no sound emerged from the laptop. Brandon's image took up the top right corner of the screen. Jack adjusted something and the audio sprang to life.
"Tyler was here. I even have the camera footage," Long said. "From what we can tell, he and his little bitch ran out to the balcony and vanished."
"What did they use, parachutes?" Brandon snarled. "I paid you for results, not excuses."
"Look, the evidence is planted, and everything points to your brother," Long said. "He can't run forever."
"I need him arrested today." Brandon looked at his watch. "All the pawns are in place but the king is missing."
"Are all your plants keeping an eye out for him?" Long asked.
"Detective, do
I look like a fool? Of course they are." Brandon bared his teeth. "You have twenty-four hours before I find someone else who can do the job right."
"I'll find him," Detective Long said.
Brandon ended the call without another word.
"Please tell me we recorded that," I said.
Jack chuckled. "Everything is being recorded. We've got that asshole dead to rights."
Wicked delight brought a smile to my face. "Let's email that to the news as well."
Tyler held out his hand. "Can I use your phone, Jack?"
"Sure."
"I need you to look up the number to my stock broker." Tyler motioned to the computer and gave Jack a name.
A moment later, Tyler placed a call. "Hey, Milt, I—yep, I know they're looking for me." He chuckled. "Everything is about to turn around in a huge way, though, and I want you to be ready for it." He paused to let that sink in. "I want you to put a watch on the stock for Brandon's holding company. When you think it's bottomed out, I want you to snap it up, okay?" Tyler grinned again. "Don't worry—it'll happen." He ended the call.
"Turning the tables, eh?" I said.
He bared his teeth. "You know it." He turned back to Jack. "If you find anything else, don't be afraid to post it as well. Just don't let anyone know it's coming from us."
"You got it." Jack pumped a fist into the air. "Victory!"
"Brandon obviously has spies at all the offices," Tyler said. "Let's go stir things up a bit to really make him worry."
"You mean, you're going to show yourself to Jones or Hinkle?"
"Exactly, Jack." Tyler shifted his predatory gaze to me. "Let's have some fun, Em."
We went downstairs to the office and took a stroll.
Sandra looked particularly shocked. "Mr. Rock, please tell me what they're saying on the news is false."
"You should start seeing some new evidence today that exonerates me." He flashed her a confident smile. "Don't worry, OnTech is about to recover in a big way."
"I certainly hope so." She dropped into her seat and fanned herself. "This week has been very stressful."
"I'm sorry, Sandra. I promise things will be better soon." We headed down the hallway to the sales department.