by Domino Finn
"I'm stubborn like that."
Vampires filled the ranks behind him. Over my head, others leapt to the ground behind me. Magnus was the only one in human form. He put a palm in the air to hold everyone off. I was surprised he was being so sporting.
After all the damage I'd caused, after all the chaos and death and resistance, at least twenty upirs formed a circle around me. They kept their distance, and many of them had guns.
Magnus smiled. "I can see it in your eyes. How did I know you were here?"
I scowled. "Beaumont."
The vampire boss laughed. "That upstart? The Frenchman likes to play puppet master, doesn't he? Since you mention it, I did just speak with him on the phone a few minutes ago. He reports he has Tutti, safe and secure and wrapped with a bow."
My face darkened. If Beaumont was gonna sell me out, why would he give me Tutti's location in the first place? Why would he wait till now?
"Oh, I knew about your little deal," taunted Magnus with triumphant flair. "You think they'd make an idiot the boss of Wynwood? You wanted to become Beaumont's little mercenary in exchange for protection."
I frowned. That wasn't exactly right.
"Well, Cisco, I got news for you. This right here is Brickell. Beaumont has delusions of grandeur, but he knew he had to stand down or it was his ass. Your offer of protection was a dream."
My eyes flicked from one threat to the next. I spun in a slow circle, growling, daring the first one to make a move. None of this made sense. Beaumont hadn't led me here. He was a businessman. He wasn't supporting Magnus, just hedging his bets. That had to be what was going on.
Not that the facts helped me a whole lot where I was standing. The property was saturating with vampires in both human and Nether forms. Thirty. Forty. There was no way out of this.
I worked my jaw and faced the vampire boss. I would at least kill him. No matter what happened to me, one way or another, Magnus would go down.
I pointed the darksword. "You and me, Magnus. Let's end this."
He turned to his people and laughed. "That sounds like a waste of a good crew. Who wants to do the honors?" he asked them.
A towering bald man stepped through the ranks, mostly human except for lengthened black-armored arms and claws. I snagged his ankle with shadow. He sneered and tugged at it. Another vamp in full creature-feature mode tried next, but I bound him too. A petite redhead raised a pistol. The shadow disarmed her with a slap to the wrist. I lassoed several others in turn, straining against managing so many manifestations at once. It wasn't just the number, either; vampires were hella strong.
A few more raised firearms. Magnus ducked low. "Watch the crossfire," he snapped. The idiots had formed a circle around me. If they opened up, they'd be more likely to hit each other than me.
I grinned and pulled one more manifestation from the night. A twine caught Magnus by the neck and squeezed tight. "Call them off," I demanded.
He fired his sub gun before lifting it to me. I vanished into the ground as automatic fire kicked up dirt. I wasn't sure if upirs needed to breathe but it looked painful enough. The choking boss panicked and squeezed the trigger with abandon. Besides popping a round or two into an ally, he emptied his mag all too quickly.
The big guy who'd first volunteered to take me out barged ahead, stretching his shadow tether with brute force. His claws waggled in anticipation. I was channeling too much spellcraft to do anything about it. I was too thin. I turned my sword from Magnus to him. He chortled, deep and mighty, bare pectoral muscles flexing like a giant Russian strongman.
"Little man," he boomed. "I will snap bones like twig."
He took a lumbering step toward me. My tether snapped. He was free. His eyes lit up.
And then a hole three inches wide hollowed out his chest cavity.
The massive vampire stood in stunned silence, blinking. A rifle report echoed off the surrounding buildings a split-second later, and the big man dropped to his knees.
Sniper fire. Evan Cross was here.
I rammed my eyes shut, forcing black tears down my cheeks as I squeezed every drop of the enchantment away. In the next second, an orb of light sprang to life above my head. Everybody recoiled from its unyielding brilliance, including me. Luckily, I'd seen the play coming and had averted temporary blindness.
The Obsidian March had an altogether different problem. See, the construction floodlights might've been as bright as the sun, but their luminance was artificial. The orb above us was Emily's magic, blazing and fierce and as elemental as the sun. It terrified the vampires.
In a blink the battlefield was transformed. Every single vampire shuddered into their weaker human forms. That got rid of my claw problem. On the other hand, the amethyst darksword winked out. That and every other shadow manifestation I'd spawned. There was no more of that, either.
Despite my being neutered, my enemies were flanked and caught in an ambush. Magnus dropped to the ground, clutching his sore neck and inhaling hard. I ducked, suddenly aware that I couldn't avoid all the impending gunfire. The petite redhead was the first to take a go at it. A round pummeled my shoulder before I got the shield up. Her next shot was deflected away. As she adjusted her aim low, she suddenly rocketed a hundred feet into the air. Darcy must've decided to tag gravity back into the ring because somewhere up there the redhead went idle and fell. She screamed the whole way down and landed with a sickening splosh-crack. That must've done a number on morale.
I lunged at Magnus, but the crazy vamps opened fire. Surprised, blinded, and poorly disciplined, their firing lanes intersected and cut friendlies down. My boots skidded backward as the ground between me and Magnus was torn to shreds. I raised the shield over my face and stayed low, crawling toward a soft spot in the circle.
Now declawed, the vampires without firearms drew blades. Daggers, machetes, tactical knives—it was a regular Hialeah flea market over here. I wasn't sure how I'd be able to get out until an old man covered in tattoos bowled through a line of them from behind. Kasper decapitated a vamp with his double-bladed ax and stood tall before me. Bullets flared and bounced off his armored body. One ricocheted into my hip. It stung but bounced away harmlessly.
Kasper grabbed my arm and yanked me through the crowd. As we passed the still-standing headless vamp, I scooped the AutoMag from his hand and turned it on our foes, only taking shots when I had clear heartstrikes lined up.
Darcy entered the battlefield and sent more vamps flying. She neutralized the ones with the biggest guns first. Evan picked off whatever targets were easiest at range. Emily was back there, too, mostly keeping up her portable sun, but every once in a while she flung a spear of light into an unsuspecting vampire heart. I hadn't even known she could do that. It seemed to tire her.
There were still plenty of vampires, but the ambush had wreaked havoc. Half the crew was mowed down before they could properly get their bearings and counterattack. When the AutoMag ran dry, I picked up a Kimber and chased Magnus into the cover of the building. As soon as I was out of the light, I switched the pistol to my offhand and spawned the darksword.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are," I mocked.
My boots pattered against the foundation. I raced to the other side of the building, spotting a bowler hat on the floor. Gunfire came from an entirely unexpected location: above. I slipped and ducked behind a steel pillar. A breath later I peeked out. Magnus was in his true form, attached to the ceiling. When he opened up on me again I swung to the opposite side of the pillar and returned fire.
Bullets rang against his carapace. I couldn't tell if they did any damage, but the vampire fled. Still maneuvering like a spider on the ceiling, he vaulted around the edge of the building to the second floor. I followed and stopped in the small area between the building and the road. A line of rebar spiked the ground, likely the frame of a future wall. Past that the only barrier to the street was the tarp-covered chain-link fence. Red and blue police lights blinked chaotically on the other side. Evan had secured the perimeter, which qu
ite possibly royally screwed me. I figured I'd deal with that part after Magnus.
I sprinted back into the building and charged up the main staircase. These steps were wider and thankfully not slathered with Nether juice. The gunfire in the central yard began to subside. With numbers no longer on their side, the Obsidian March wouldn't fare well against a team of animists and a sniper. They'd likely fallen into defensive positions or were straight-up hiding. Just like Magnus. This was a clean-up job now.
I turned the corner. The cool glow of my darksword did nothing to illuminate the surroundings. As pretty as it looked, it wasn't light so much as a beautiful void. I scanned the surroundings with my spellcraft, using the pistol to brush back sheets of plastic hanging from the ceiling. He was in here somewhere.
A rustle of gravel spun me around. Magnus pressed through a sheet of plastic. It tore away and clung to him as he attacked. I brought the Kimber up and fired. Pop, pop, pop. The rounds didn't even slow his charge. I lowered the weapon and swung my magical blade as he converged on me.
The darksword slashed clean through the plastic. It wasn't until the end of my swing that I realized I hadn't caught any vampire in it. Magnus had halted his charge just before coming into range while flinging the sheet forward. It split into halves, one crashing into my face. I pushed through and tried a backhand swing, but the vampire's claws caught my wrist. The dog collar tore off my arm, and as I pulled in and punched out again, the purple energy sputtered and died. My fist banged hard into his armored chest, cracking my knuckles. My sword was gone.
Magnus quickly snatched my wrist anyway. "Oops," he jeered.
I brought the Kimber to his face and fired. The bullet pulped his eye. Either the round never entered his skull or he was powerful enough to shrug it off. Sharp claws raked my other hand and I dropped the pistol. I grabbed him to prevent another swipe. While we clutched each other, it was all I could do to hold off his snapping incisors.
Magnus was large and powerful in his full upir glory. I kneed his stomach, attempting to fortify the blow with shadow magic. As powerful as I was, even I relied on my fetish for physical manifestations. I came up empty. The impact hurt me more than him. I stared horrified as his ruined eye massed together and healed.
We struggled, locked, each with an arm holding the other. He punched at me. I did my best to fend off the blow, but unnatural speed and strength outmatched mine. He pounded my head well and good a couple of times. I lost hold of him and he wound up and struck me harder.
Dazed now, I went on the defensive. I backed away and fell into the shadow. I could manage that much without the collar. Since we were grappling, however, the vampire came with me. We slid across the floor, materializing on the ledge of the building. Magnus slammed me to my back and put a knee in my chest. Still pinning one arm, possibly to prevent a sword he didn't know I could no longer spawn, he tightened his grip around my neck.
I craned my head, now suspended over the edge of the building. Police muttered somewhere below. The fence was tall enough to conceal us. Just when I could've used some support fire. Then I remembered the scene on the ground below.
"I win, Cisco," boasted Magnus. "And I don't care if Manifesto's dead or not. I'll hide his body and continue his work. It's open season on wizards. You're all going to die."
I groaned and pushed away. He was too strong. I could only slide an inch further over the edge. "You first," I said.
I screamed. Not on the outside, but within me. I blared with the full content of my raging being and willed the Intrinsics to well up inside me. Darkness flooded my soul and I held it there, forming it into something scary and real. I released it in the form of a wrecking ball.
A huge mass of shadow collided into Magnus from behind and swept him overhead, just barely clearing me. I spun and watched as the vampire boss plummeted and hit the ground.
It wasn't a long fall, especially for a supernatural being, but he impaled himself facedown on the rebar. I recovered my breath and rubbed my wrist, amazed that I'd been able to form a shadow construct without employing my fetish. It had physically taxed me, and I was sure my capability was limited without it, but I had done it.
I stuttered to my feet and swayed, finding a wall pillar for support. I stumbled to my dog collar and snatched it up, gradually feeling stronger. I made my way to the edge of the building and hopped down. I landed in an unceremonious tumble. I pushed myself back up and made my way to the still-living vampire.
Magnus gagged and coughed. With a stake of steel piercing his chest, I was surprised his lungs weren't full of blood. These vamps really were cold, dry husks. Despite him once again wearing his earthly form, he wasn't human in the slightest. I didn't know if he was lucky or not that the rebar had just missed his heart.
"That looks like it hurts," I said, crouching in exhaustion beside him.
He glowered. "You... You cannot stop the endless March."
"Figured there were a bunch more where you came from," I snickered. "And maybe you're right. But I can stop you."
Black fingernails clawing the ground, Magnus summoned insatiable will and pressed up to his hands and knees. The rebar scraped drily against crusty ash in his chest cavity. I couldn't believe it, but he lifted a foot higher and freed himself. "You..."
"Yeah, me." I stood with a scowl. "Remember that. For the rest of your miserable life."
I placed an alligator boot on his back and forced him down. With my weight on him, the rebar punched through his chest again, only this time I'd nailed his magical core. Magnus opened his mouth to scream but willpower only went so far. Blood and ashes were his only reply.
Chapter 49
Rather than face the cops, I trudged back to the central yard. My friends had finished off the last of the kill crew.
"You should've told us you were doing this," chided Evan.
I shrugged and shook his hand. "An owl stole my phone." They watched me dubiously.
"Is that him?" Darcy asked. "Manifesto?"
She stood at the edge of the courtyard where the killer's body was bathed in high-powered lights. I nodded. "It's over. You guys were pretty badass. Thanks."
The vampires had been utterly routed. We'd exterminated the better part of eighty Obsidian March members over the course of days. It wasn't anywhere near the entire hegemony. It wasn't even the majority of their Miami footprint. With the March's recent expansion, they were an infestation that wouldn't be easily eradicated.
We sure as heck stomped on a sizable fraction, though.
"It's not over yet, cowboy," returned Evan. "I can't keep the department out of this any longer. We need to get out of here." He started toward the entrance he'd come from.
"Wait. We didn't uncover Manifesto's plan." I started down into the lowered platform.
"Cisco, we don't have time for this. He's dead. It's too late."
"Never tell a necromancer it's too late."
Evan got a radio message and replied. "I can't hold them out. I'm not even their field commander. Miami PD's on their way in. The DROP team is posted this way. Let's go. NOW."
I grimaced as the group turned to go. "Just need to wipe the gun down," I called back. I did that but also made a pit stop at the body and reached for my belt pouch. Darcy was the only one that waited behind and watched me.
I hurried from the pit and we caught up to Evan. His team manned a tactical van on the outskirts of the property. They remained stoic as we loaded up. The back shut. An officer pounded on the door twice. We pulled away from the team and cleared the police perimeter another block down. It was all very efficient.
"I don't know how the hell we're going to spin this," said Evan. "We got Manifesto, but the entire city of Miami heard that shootout. There are too many weapons and spent shell casings without a single vampire body to match."
"Can the feds help?"
"A better question is would they." The van stopped on the street in front of my condo. Evan swung open the back door. "I need to stay with the team and smooth
things out. I'll catch you later, Cisco."
We exited to the sidewalk. Fire Rescue vehicles with droning sirens sped past. Instead of going inside, I pulled the team along for one last detour. Beaumont's restaurant was only a block away. Unfortunately, at this time of night the place was locked down. Not a soul stirred inside, human or otherwise. With the heavy presence of first responders in the area, maybe the restaurateur had the right idea.
I hated not having a resolution with Tutti but relented and retreated indoors. The police no longer patronized the lobby. We returned upstairs without seeing a soul. Milena and Fran were happy to have us. I was ecstatic. I didn't even give Fran hell for being awake so late.
"We did it," said Darcy. "It was easier than I thought, too."
"You call that easy?" I was still slashed up and sore, with bumps on my head and burns on my face. I was scraped, beaten, aching, and bloody. I couldn't stop smiling.
Emily hugged me gently. "I'm glad you're safe again. All of us. Thanks for taking care of us."
I scoffed. "Thanks for saving my ass back there." I turned to the team. "All of you."
Milena pouted. "I missed out on all the fun."
"Me too," said Fran.
I wanted to tell her the fun was right here, but Emily beat me to it. "Honey, get your stuff. I'm gonna get John so we can go home."
"You don't want to stay the night?" I pressed.
"No offense, Cisco, but I'm exhausted and want nothing more than to relax in my own house, with my kids safe and sound."
Kasper had been eyeing the fridge for a beer. He suddenly abandoned the idea. "Yeah, I'm tired too. Seeing as how I don't got a home anymore, I'm gonna turn in here, if that's all right with you."
"Of course, brother. Always here for you."
"I'm out too," said Darcy. "We all know the cops will be swinging by tomorrow asking questions." She rapped me on the shoulder as she headed to the door. "I don't want any part of that."
I looked around, aghast. "Really? Nobody wants to stay?"
Milena returned from the kitchen holding two beers. She handed me one. "I'm not going anywhere. I wanna hear all about what happened." She sat on the couch expectantly.