by Jim Butcher
"Casaverde," Ortega responded. "It's in Honduras. There is a village nearby."
"Uh- huh," I said. "So you feed on the villagers."
"Carefully. I provide them with supplies, medical attention, other necessities."
"Sounds reasonable," I said.
"It's beneficial to both of us. The villagers know that."
"Yeah, they probably do." I finished off the bottle. "Do you feed on children?"
Ortega frowned at me. "What do you mean?"
I didn't bother to hide the anger in my voice. "Do. You. Feed. On. Children."
"It's the safest way. The more the feeding is spread among many, the less dangerous it is for all of them."
"You're wrong. We're different." I stood up. "You hurt kids. We're done."
Ortega's voice sharpened. "Dresden. Do not lightly discard my offer."
"The offer to make me into a blood-drinking monster in eternal slavery to you? Why would I want to do that?"
"It is the only way to keep your life," Ortega said.
I felt the anger coalescing into rage. My upper lip curled away from my teeth, baring them in a snarl. "I thought life is more than mere survival."
Ortega's expression changed. It was only for a second, but in that moment I saw furious rage, arrogant pride, and violent bloodlust on his face. He regained his calm quickly, but traces of the hidden emotions thickened his accent.
"So be it. I will kill you, wizard."
He sounded convincing. It scared me. I turned and walked to the door. "I'll be outside," I said to no one in particular, and stepped out into the late-February cold.
That way, I'd have an excuse to be trembling.
Chapter Eighteen
I didn't have long to wait. The door opened behind me, and Kincaid emerged. He didn't say a word to me, just got into a rented sedan and left. Ortega came next. A car swung in off the street, and he opened the passenger door. He paused and looked back at me.
"I have a measure of respect for your principles and skills, Dresden. But this situation is of your own making, and I cannot allow it to continue. I'm sorry."
I watched him get in the car, and I didn't offer him any reply. Hell, he hadn't said a word that was untrue. Ortega had a genuine ax to grind and people-well, fellow monsters-to protect. And thus far, the Dresden-versus-vampires scoreboard read a whole bunch to zero.
If a vampire had done that to the White Council, I wonder if we would have reacted with as much reason and calm.
The taillights of Ortega's car hadn't yet gotten out of sight when Thomas emerged from the tavern and swaggered casually over to me. Thomas was a shade under six feet tall, which put him at half a head shorter than me. He was better-looking though, and despite my earlier comments about his outfit, he was one of those men who made anything look good. The fishnet shirt he wore cast patterns of shadow over the pale skin beneath it, adding to the lines of muscle on his stomach.
My stomach had muscles, but not so many that you could see them rippling. I'd have looked pathetic in a shirt like that.
"That was simple enough," Thomas said. He drew a pair of black leather driving gloves from his jacket pocket and started tugging them on. "Though I take it this duel isn't the only game in town at the moment."
"Why would you say that?" I asked.
"I've had a pro hitter following me ever since I landed yesterday. The itch between my shoulder blades got annoying."
I glanced around. "Is he here now?"
Thomas's eyes glittered. "No. I introduced him to my sisters."
The White Court were the most human of the vampires and in some ways the weakest. They fed on psychic energies, on pure life force rather than on blood. Most often, they would seduce those they fed upon, drawing life from them through physical contact during the act. If a couple of Thomas's sisters had met the hired gun tailing Thomas, the assassin probably wasn't going to be a problem to anyone. Ever. My eye twitched.
"The gunman was probably Ortega's," I said. "He hired some goons to take out people I knew if I didn't agree to this duel."
"That explains it, then," Thomas said. "Ortega really doesn't like me much. Must be the unsavory company I've kept in the past."
"Gee, thanks. How the hell did you end up his second?"
"It's my father's idea of a joke," Thomas said. "Ortega asked him to be his second. Show of solidarity between the Red and White Courts. Instead, Daddy dearest found the most annoying and insulting member of the family he possibly could to stand in."
"You," I said.
"C'est moi," Thomas confirmed with a little bow. "One would almost think Father was trying to get me killed."
I felt one side of my mouth tug up into a smile. "Nice father figure. Him and Bill Cosby. How's Justine?"
Thomas grimaced. "She's in Aruba is how she is. Which is where I was until one of pappa Raith's goons dragged me back up here."
"What did you two decide on for the duel?"
Thomas shook his head. "Can't tell you. Shiro is supposed to do that. I mean, technically I'm at war with you."
I grimaced and stared after Ortega's vanished car. "Yeah."
Thomas was quiet for a second, then said, "He means to kill you."
"I know."
"He's dangerous, Harry. Smart. My father is afraid of him."
"I could like him," I said. "It's sort of refreshing to have someone trying to kill me right to my face, instead of throwing me a bunch of curveballs and shooting me in the back. It's almost nice to have a fair fight."
"Sure. Theoretically."
"Theoretically?"
Thomas shrugged. "Ortega's been alive for about six hundred years. It isn't something you do by playing nice."
"From what I've heard, the Archive will object to any monkey business."
"It's only cheating if he gets caught."
I frowned at him and said, "Are you saying someone is planning to avoid getting caught?"
Thomas put his hands in his jacket pockets. "I'm not saying anything. I wouldn't mind seeing you kick his ass, but I'm sure as hell not going to do something that would attract attention to me."
"You intend to participate without being involved. That's clever."
Thomas rolled his eyes. "I won't throw a banana peel under you. But don't expect any help from me, either. I'm just making sure it's a fair fight and then I'm back at my beach house." He drew car keys from his pocket and headed for the parking lot. "Good luck."
"Thomas," I said to his back. "Thanks for the heads-up."
He paused.
I asked, "Why do it?"
The vampire glanced over his shoulder at me and smiled. "Life would be unbearably dull if we had answers to all our questions." He walked out to a white sports car and slipped into it. A second later, loud, screaming metal music started from the car's stereo, the engine roared, and Thomas drove off.
I checked my watch. Ten more minutes until Susan arrived. Shiro emerged from McAnnally's and put on his glasses. Once he spotted me, he walked over and took the glasses off again. "Ortega refused to cancel the duel?"
"He made me an offer I couldn't excuse," I said.
Shiro grunted. "Duel is wills. Tomorrow, just after sundown. Wrigley Field."
"A stadium? Why don't we put it on pay-per-view while we're at it." I glowered at the street and checked my watch again. "I'm meeting someone in a minute. I'll give you the keys to my car. I can pick it up from Michael's tomorrow."
"No need," Shiro said. "Mac called me a cab."
"Okay." I pocketed my keys.
Shiro stood quietly for a moment, lips pursed thoughtfully, before he said, "Ortega means to kill you."
"Yes. Yes, he does," I said. I managed not to grind my teeth as I said it. "Everyone is saying that like I didn't know it already."
"But you do not know how." I frowned and looked down at Shiro. His shaved head gleamed under a nearby streetlight. "The war is not your fault."
"I know that," I said, but my voice lacked conviction.
"No," Shiro
said. "It truly is not your fault."
"What do you mean?"
"The Red Court has been quietly building its resources for years," he said. "How else were they ready to start their attacks in Europe only days after you defeated Bianca?"
I frowned at him.
Shiro drew a cigar from inside his jacket and bit off the end. He spat it to one side. "You were not the cause of the war. You were merely the excuse. The Reds would have attacked when they were ready."
"No," I said. "That's not how it is. I mean, damn near everyone I've spoken to on the Council-"
Shiro snorted. He struck a match and puffed on the cigar a few times while he lit it. "The Council. Arrogant. As if nothing significant could happen unless a wizard did it."
For someone who wasn't on the White Council, Shiro seemed to have its general attitude pretty well surrounded. "If the Red Court wanted a war, why is Ortega trying to stop it?"
"Premature," Shiro said. "Needed more time to be completely prepared. The advantage of surprise is gone. He wishes to strike once and be certain it is a lethal stroke."
I watched the little old man for a minute. "Everyone's got advice tonight. Why are you giving it?"
"Because in some ways you are every bit as arrogant as the Council, though you do not realize it. You blame yourself for what happened to Susan. You want to blame yourself for more."
"So what if I do?"
Shiro turned me and faced me squarely. I avoided meeting his eyes. "Duels are a test of fire. They are fought in the will. The heart. If you do not find your balance, Ortega will not need to kill you. You will do so for him."
"I guess you were a psychoanalyst before you were a sword-swinging vigilante against evil."
Shiro puffed on the cheroot. "Either way, been alive longer than you. See more than you."
"Like what?"
"Like this vampire warlord. How he manipulates you. He is not what he seems to be."
"Really? I've never seen that one before," I said. "Someone not what they appear to be. However will I adjust."
Shiro shrugged. "He is centuries old. He is not from the same world. The world Ortega lived in was savage. Brutal. Men like him destroyed entire civilizations for gold and glory. And for hundreds of years since then, he has fought rival vampires, demons, and enemies of his kind. If he approaches you through formal, civilized channels, it is because he thinks it is the best way to kill you. Regardless of what happens in the duel, he intends to see you dead by any means necessary. Maybe before. Maybe after. But dead."
Shiro didn't put any particular emphasis on the words. He didn't need to. They were enough to scare me without any added dramatics. I glowered at his cigar and said, "Those things will kill you."
The old man smiled again. "Not tonight."
"I'd think a good Christian boy wouldn't be puffing down the cigars."
"Technicality," Shiro said.
"The cigars?"
"My Christianity," Shiro said. "When I was a boy, I liked Elvis. Had a chance to see him in concert when we moved to California. It was a big revival meeting. There was Elvis and then a speaker and my English was not so good. He invited people backstage to meet the king. Thought he meant Elvis, so I go backstage." He sighed. "Found out later I had become a Baptist."
I barked out a laugh. "You're kidding."
"No. But it was done, so I tried not to be too bad at being Baptist." He rested a hand on the handle of his sword. "Then came into this. Made the whole thing more simple. I serve."
"Serve who?"
"Heaven. Or the divine in nature. The memory of my fathers past. My fellow man. Myself. All pieces of the same thing. Do you know the story of the blind men and the elephant?"
"Have you heard the one about the bear that walks into a bar?" I responded.
"I think that is a no," Shiro said. "Three blind men were shown an elephant. They touched it with their hands to determine what the creature was. The first man felt the trunk, and claimed that an elephant was like a snake. The second man touched its leg and claimed that an elephant was like a tree. The third man touched its tail, and claimed that the elephant was like a slender rope."
I nodded. "Oh. I get it. All of them were right. All of them were wrong. They couldn't get the whole picture."
Shiro nodded. "Precisely. I am just another blind man. I do not get the whole picture of what transpires in all places. I am blind and limited. I would be a fool to think myself wise. And so, not knowing what the universe means, I can only try to be responsible with the knowledge, the strength, and the time given to me. I must be true to my heart."
"Sometimes that isn't good enough," I said.
He tilted his head and looked up at me. "How do you know?"
A cab swerved in from the street and rattled to a stop. Shiro stepped over to it and nodded to me. "Will be at Michael's if you need me. Be watchful."
I nodded at him. "Thank you."
Shiro said, "Thank me after." Then he got into the cab and left.
Mac closed up shop a minute later, and put on a dark fedora on his way out. He nodded at me on the way to his Trans Am, and said nothing. I found a shadowy spot to linger in as Mac left, and kept an eye on the street. I'd hate for someone to drive by and shoot me with a plain old gun. Embarrassing.
A long, dark limo pulled into the parking lot. A uniformed driver got out and opened the door nearest to me. A pair of long, honey-brown legs slid out of the limo on top of black stiletto heels. Susan glided out of the car, managing grace despite the shoes, which probably qualified her for superhuman status all by itself. A sleeveless sheath of shimmering black cloth clung to her, an evening gown slit high on one side. Dark gloves covered her arms to the elbow, and her hair had been done up in a pile on top of her head, held in place with a couple of gleaming black chopsticks.
My tongue dropped out of my mouth and flopped onto my shoes. Well, not literally, but if I'd been a cartoon my eyeballs would have been about six feet long.
Susan had read my face and apparently enjoyed my reaction. "How much, good-looking?"
I looked down at my rumpled clothing. "I think I'm a tad underdressed."
"One tuxedo, coming up," Susan said.
The driver opened the trunk and drew out a hanger covered with a dry-cleaning bag. When he turned around with it, I realized that the driver was Martin. All he'd done to disguise himself was don an archetypical uniform and I hadn't even recognized him until second glance. I guess sometimes it's handy to be bland.
"Is it my size?" I asked, taking the tux when Martin passed it to me.
"I had to guess," Susan said, lowering her eyelids in a sultry expression. "But it wasn't like I didn't know my way around."
Martin's face might have flickered with disapproval. My heart sped up a bit. "All right then," I said. "Let's get moving. I'll dress on the way."
"Do I get to look?" Susan asked.
"It'll cost you extra," I said. Martin opened the door for Susan and I slid in after her. I filled her in on what I'd found out about the Shroud and those after it. "I should be able to find the thing if we get close."
"You think there will be any more of these Denarians there?"
"Probably," I said. "If anything gets ugly, we'll take the best part of valor, pronto. These guys play hardball."
Susan nodded agreement. "Sounds like the thieves aren't exactly shy about waving guns, either."
"And we'll have Marcone around too. Whither he goeth, there too goeth armed thugs and homicide investigations."
Susan smiled. It was a new expression to me-a small, quiet, fierce little smile that showed her teeth. It looked natural on her. "You're all about fun, aren't you, Harry?"
"I am the Bruce Lee of fun," I concurred. "Give me some space here."
Susan slid over as far as she could to give me room to climb into the tux. I tried not to mar it too badly in the limited space. Susan glanced at me with a faint frown.
"What?" I asked her.
"You're wrinkling it."
"If you weren't staring at my legs, maybe it wouldn't be such a challenge."
"I wasn't staring," I lied.
Susan smiled at me as the car cruised through downtown and I did my best to dress like Roger Moore. Her expression became thoughtful after a moment, and she said, "Hey."
"What?"
"What happened to your leather coat?"
Chapter Nineteen
The downtown Marriott was huge, brilliantly lit, and busy as an anthill. Several blue-and-whites were parked nearby, and a couple of officers were helping to direct traffic in front of the hotel. I could see maybe twenty limos on the street and pulling through the archway in front of the hotel doors, and every one of them looked bigger and nicer than ours. Valets rushed around to park the cars of guests who had driven themselves. There were a dozen men in red jackets standing around with bored expressions that some might mistake for inattention. Hotel security.
Martin pulled up to the entryway and said, "I'll wait for you out here." He passed a palm-sized cell phone to Susan. She slipped it into a black clutch. "If you get into trouble, speed-dial one."
At that point, a valet opened the door on my side, and I slipped out of the car. My rental tux felt a little awkward. The shoes were long enough for me but they were an inch and a half too wide. I shrugged my jacket into place, straightened the cummerbund, and offered a hand to Susan. She slid out of the car with a brilliant smile, and straightened my tie.
"Smile," she said quietly. "Everyone here is worried about image. If you walk in scowling like that we won't blend in."
I smiled in what I thought was a camouflaging manner. Susan regarded the expression critically, nodded, and slipped her arm through mine. We walked in under the cover our smiles provided. One of the security guards stopped us inside the door, and Susan presented the tickets to him. He waved us through.
"First thing to do is find some stairs," I said from behind my smile. "The loading docks will be near the kitchens, and they're below us. That's where they'll be bringing in the art stuff."
Susan held her course toward the stairs. "Not yet," she said. "If we snoop around the second we get in the door someone is likely to notice. We should mingle until the auction is running. People will be distracted then."