In the morning, I headed Muller off by bouncing out of bed and into the shower as soon as I woke up. By the time he reached the bathroom, I was drying off.
He drove into the office alone, while I walked over to the motor pool and requisitioned a vehicle to go out to Stonehenge.
Neither the chevalier at the visitor center nor the sergeant at the entrance to the barrows seemed particularly glad to see me again, but I flirted both of them into better moods.
“I understand that you’re moving up in the world,” I lied to the chevalier.
“Oh? Where did you hear that?”
“Uh,” I hesitated, as though unsure of how to answer. “Well, I don’t know how much I’m supposed to say. But if I’m coming out here, and Standard-Bearer Donatelli is going to London, someone needs to take his place.”
He looked surprised but tried to cover it. “I hadn’t heard that, but yes, that job needs to be filled.”
“Well, you know, I was just thinking that if you’re in the city all the time, we’ll probably see a lot more of each other.” I smiled and batted my lashes a little.
He was a lot more friendly and cooperative after that. I was a little more direct with Sergeant Browne at the barrow. I offered to buy him a beer next time he came into town on leave, and brushed up against him a few more times than accident might warrant.
The door to the barrows under Stonehenge had an electronic lock. Muller hadn’t given me that combination, possibly because he didn’t know it. Browne was actually under Dal Corso’s command. But I watched and memorized the combination when he punched it in.
The tour he gave me confirmed several things. As we had guessed, only a skeleton crew of maintenance techs were on duty in the factory, and Browne told me no one was there on the night shift. I also confirmed that although there were wards set around the chamber where the Heart was kept, he and I weren’t prevented from entering.
“I wonder what it feels like,” I said, as we stood in front of the incredible gemstone.
He shrugged. “Magic. Just feels like any other magic-imbued rock.”
“Really? You’ve touched it?”
That got me a grin and a wink. “Not supposed to, but doesn’t do any harm as far as I can tell.”
I leaned against him, brushing his arm with my boob. He looked down at me, and I licked my lip with the tip of my tongue.
“You wouldn’t tell anyone if I just touched it a little?”
“Naw. Go ahead.”
I cautiously walked up to the altar, climbed the three steps, and extended my hand. That close to the gem, the corruption in the ley lines was almost tangible, but the rubies I carried filtered the worst of it out. I stroked my fingertips down the smooth stone. The jolt of magic was incredible, like stepping into the ley line when Oriel took me in or out of the mounds.
Taking a deep breath, I did my best not to show any visible reaction. I retreated to where Browne stood watching me.
“That thing would make a helluva ring,” I said, and he laughed.
That evening, when I got back to the flat, I spent some time thinking about what I was going to do with Muller the following night. His plans were going to throw a wrench into mine.
I went ahead and packed, leaving all my Knights’ uniforms except the best one. Then I dressed in slacks, a blouse, and a raincoat, grabbed my umbrella, and took the duffel over to the hotel near the train station. There, I retrieved everything from the magical lockbox and stuffed it all in the duffel. Leaving the duffel there, I walked back to the flat and went to bed.
Wednesday morning, after taking my shower, I dressed in my uniform. The only thing still in my closet was a dress for that evening. I wiped every surface down and threw all the linens and towels in the washing machine.
On my way out of the flat, I leaned under the sink in the kitchen. Pulling ley line power into my hand, I grabbed the waterline and pulled it loose, creating a very fast leak. Then I walked out and locked the door.
Georgina got a call a couple of hours later telling her that the flat had flooded, along with the flats below it. She took off to go over there. When she came back later, I approached her.
“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation earlier,” I said. “You had a plumbing problem at your flat?”
She shook her head. “Not my flat. The under-marshal keeps a flat that he uses occasionally to entertain. A pipe broke under the sink and flooded the place.”
“Oh, no. Was anyone staying there?”
She shrugged. “Not that I know of, but I don’t keep up with it. I just pay the rent every month and deal with the landlady when there’s a problem like today.” She grinned and winked. “But, maybe. There was food in the fridge and a pretty dress in the closet.”
Chapter 27
Muller had been in London all day. He walked into the office just before five, and Georgina jumped up to greet him and tell him about the flat. I hung back, caught his eye, and let her finish.
He joined me as I walked out into the hall.
“Did you know about the flat flooding?”
I shook my head. “It was fine when I left this morning, but I know Georgina got a call. She didn’t seem to know I’m staying there, so I didn’t say anything.”
“I need to go over there and talk to the landlady,” he said.
“Okay. If it’s bad, where am I going to sleep tonight?”
Even though I could see the worry on his face, he smiled a little. “You can stay at my place.”
I returned the smile. “Thanks, Boss. That’s very kind of you. Look, you go talk to the landlady,” I said. I knew the landlady didn’t live at the apartment building. “I’ll run over there and grab my stuff and take it over to your house.”
“Sounds good.”
He went to get his car, and I walked around the corner in the other direction. Oriel was waiting for me there in a black SUV, and we drove straight to the flat.
“Nice rig. Where did you steal it?”
“Father Oriel checked it out of the motor pool. I’ll have a different car waiting for us tonight and leave this one out at Stonehenge.”
The whole third floor was a soggy mess, as were the front stairs, and I could see water damage on the first two floors. The inside of the flat was a disaster. I went straight to the closet and grabbed the clothes and shoes I’d left on the shelf well off the floor.
“Hey, you don’t know a spell for cleaning up fingerprints and DNA, do you?”
Oriel grinned, sketched three runes, and waved his hand. “You were never here.”
I wished I’d known he could do that before I spent all that time cleaning up. I didn’t want to chance meeting Muller and the landlady, so we went down the back stairs. I tossed my stuff in the back seat of Oriel’s car and jumped in.
He drove me to the hotel, and we collected my duffel and the rest of my weapons. Then he did his magical cleanup act and drove me over to Muller’s.
Oriel dropped me off and asked, “What’s our schedule?”
“Pick me up on the next street over at midnight,” I said.
I waited for Muller on a porch swing until he finally came home after about forty minutes.
“It’s really a mess,” he told me.
“I saw. Any idea what caused it?”
He shook his head. “Looks like the waterline under the kitchen sink broke. Probably had a weak spot and cracked.”
We went inside, and I put my things in his bedroom. I quickly changed into the dress I brought, came out, and said, “I’m starving.”
He stared at me, licked his lips, and said, “So am I.”
I laughed. “No, silly. I need my strength if I’m going to keep up with you tonight. Food.”
I talked him into going to the Sojourner. We found a table near where Ian, Karl, and Josh were sitting. The pretty redhead with the guitar was just setting up for her evening gig. She walked over to my friends’ table and spoke with them, then kissed Ian on the cheek and went up on stage. Myster
y solved as to why he liked the place.
Muller and I ordered dinner and had a couple of drinks. I asked him about his meeting in London and told him about my trip out to Sarum. We didn’t linger and got back to his place around nine-thirty.
For once, I took the initiative, unzipping my dress and letting it fall to the floor. Wearing a lacy black bra, thong, and garter belt, I stalked over to him and began unbuttoning his tunic. He shrugged it off, and I started on his shirt. Then he leaned down and kissed me.
I wanted to get the charade over as quickly as possible. Taking him by the hand, I pulled him up the stairs to the bedroom. When we got there, I stripped off the rest of his clothes and pushed him down on the bed.
“Is this the way Monica Dal Corso fucks you?” I asked, crawling onto the bed and straddling his stomach. He grinned. I put both hands on his chest. With a burst of ley line energy, I stopped his heart. His eyes bulged, and he gasped. His hands waved feebly in the air and fell back to his sides.
Disgusted—both with him and with myself—I crawled off him and retrieved the small overnight bag I’d left in his room before dinner. Pulling the Knight’s uniform out, I put it on and pulled on my boots. My heels and the yellow dress replaced the uniform and boots in the bag.
I had given myself plenty of time, in case I ran into unexpected delays, but I found myself with two hours while waiting for Oriel. I spent the time going through Muller’s study. Anything that looked interesting went into the briefcase he had been carrying when he came back from London. I tried to get into his computer, but it was password protected.
I also stuck a couple of bottles of high-end wine in my bag. Maybe, I hoped, we would have something to celebrate when the night was over.
A small laptop sat next to a large flat-screen TV. The computer was connected to an ethernet connection and also to the TV. I turned the computer on, figuring that I wouldn’t be able to get in, but I had time to kill. To my surprise, the system came up and presented me a set of files. I chose one labeled ‘ERIN,’ and the TV started playing a video of Erin2 screwing Muller at the flat. Mystery solved as to who planted the bugs.
I erased all the files with my name, and played several others. I didn’t find any with Georgina’s name, so I guessed she wasn’t his type. The one labeled ‘MONICA’ turned out to be a tryst with Dal Corso. I wondered if she played dominatrix games with her pet marshal the way she did with Muller. I also wondered how old she really was. She had a helluva body for an old lady.
At a quarter to twelve, I left through the back door and over the fence, then through the neighbor’s garden, and out onto the street. A black SUV glided down the street and stopped in front of me.
“Any problems?” Oriel asked as I climbed in.
“Nope.”
“Muller?”
“Heart attack. A tragic story.” I held up the briefcase. “His last will and testament. You and Karl can browse through it to your hearts’ content tomorrow.”
Oriel drove out the A303 to Amesbury until we came in sight of the giant rocks of Stonehenge, and he pulled off to the side of the road. We got out of the SUV, and he took the briefcase. It was raining, so I shielded.
“Where’s my duffel bag?”
“In the other car. We’ll pick it up down the road when we come back.”
We jumped the fence, and I drew my sword as we walked across the fields. As we walked, I sometimes caught hints of movement out of the corners of my eyes. The Fae.
As we neared the entrance to the barrows, a light appeared beyond the standing stones. Soon, it grew, and the stones stood out in dark contrast to it. Josh had set the barracks where I had lived—Dal Corso’s command—on fire.
Lightning crashed off to our left, again and again, illuminating the night even further. The lights at the visitor center went out. Karl had taken care of his part of the plan.
When we reached the entrance to the barrows, everything was quiet and dark. I entered the small building and saw three guards sprawled on the floor.
“Good luck,” Oriel whispered in my ear.
I crossed the room and punched the code into the electronic keypad. The door clicked, and I walked through. Inside, dim magelights provided plenty of light to see. Everything was quiet. I touched my ghost charm, and then held out my hand in front of me, confirming that I was invisible.
I moved cautiously down the hall, alert for any movement or sound. The trip seemed to take forever, but eventually, I reached the chamber with the Heart. Better safe than sorry, I touched the doppelgänger charm, and Erin2 popped up in front of me armed with a sword. I ordered her forward.
So quickly that I was taken aback, a sword swept down from my right and cleaved the simulacrum’s head in half as soon as she stepped into the room. There wasn’t any blood, and Erin2 didn’t seem to notice. Still following my orders, she kept walking.
I stepped into the chamber and faced the sword wielder. Chevalier Scarpa looked a little surprised that her attack had failed, but she tried again, chasing after Erin2. I followed Scarpa.
She must have heard me, because at the last moment, she turned and blocked my strike.
The Knights’ spelled swords weren’t as good as those of the Hunters’, or the ones I helped Oriel cast, but they still could pierce a shield. Ducking low, I spun away from her, not so much to avoid her as to check and see if anyone was behind me. My quick survey didn’t reveal anyone, and I came around to face Scarpa again with my sword ready.
I could see the confusion on her face. Her visible enemy didn’t react to getting sliced and diced, but there was also an invisible enemy in the room. She backed away, holding her sword in front of her.
“Say your prayers, Blood Witch,” I said. “Out of curiosity, do you pray to God or to Satan?”
“You!” she screeched. “I knew there was something wrong with you.”
“Yeah, the only blood I spill is that of abominations,” I said.
“You’ll pay, little girl.” She leaped high in the air toward me, her sword twirling like a windmill. A bold move, considering she couldn’t see me. I dove forward, sliding under her, with my sword held above me. It opened her from chest to crotch, and she fell in a graceless heap.
Springing to my feet, I whipped around, placing my back to the wall. The Heart sat in its bowl full of blood in the center of the altar, and I didn’t see anyone else in the room. I waited, listening and trying to calm the pounding of my heart so I might hear any subtle sounds.
When no one appeared, and there weren’t any magical attacks, I slowly crossed the room, ready for anything. I reached the base of the altar and raised my foot for the first step when a head appeared behind the Heart. Monica Dal Corso, her face twisted with hate. She sketched a rune and said a Word. My sword became visible, so I assumed the rest of me did, too.
She put her hand on the Heart, and a gout of flame engulfed me. I tightened my shield and leaped toward her. When I landed next to the altar, I brought my sword down. The flame cut off.
Dal Corso staggered backward, shock in her eyes. Her hand still clutched the stone but was no longer connected to her arm.
I rushed forward and caught up with her. Her good hand clinched the stump of her right arm. Her face was pale, and blood was everywhere.
“Is that enough blood to cast a spell, Witch?” I asked.
“Burn in hell!”
“Oh, probably, but you’ll be there well before me.” I stepped forward and swung my sword. She tried to duck, but I expected that. Her head bounced away, and her body slumped to the floor.
I waited, but no one else came. I climbed the dais, used the tip of my sword to flip Dal Corso’s hand away, and reached out for the Heart. Ley line magic poured from it in a raging, filthy torrent. I strengthened my shield and took the stone in my hand. Even through my shield, I could feel it.
I leaned my sword against the altar and pulled the spelled silk bag Oriel had given me from my pocket. I dropped the stone into it and tucked it in my pocket. The pul
se of magic was muted, but I could still feel it.
Erin2, split head and all, was still trying to walk forward but had run into the wall. I touched my charm, and she disappeared. I wondered if the charm would still work, and if it did, would her head be intact the next time I called her? But I had other problems I needed to deal with at the moment.
Picking up my sword, I headed back up the tunnel toward the barrow entrance at Stonehenge.
I was nearing the factory part of the complex, almost to the exit from the underground barrow, and wondering what was going to go wrong next, when about thirty witches poured out of the factory doors into the tunnel.
The old witch’s tale that they were the kinder, gentler magic users had been going around for ages. But there were reasons they used to get burned at the stake. Not all of their magic was benign. A sheet of fire rolled down the tunnel toward me. I tightened my shield to make it airtight and flopped down on my stomach, hoping the flames would pass over me.
No such luck. The flames rolled over me and stopped. The entire tunnel around me was on fire, and I could feel the intense heat through my shield. I knew the shield held enough oxygen only for a couple of minutes, assuming I didn’t cook first. I started crawling forward, but after about ten feet, I figured out that the flames were moving with me.
I shot off three ley missiles ahead of me, hoping to get lucky and vaporize some of the witches. Whether it worked or not, the flames retained their intensity. Drenched in sweat, I realized that the water in my body would soon hit the boiling point and I’d be dead.
The pulse of the Heart drew my attention. I pulled the silk bag out of my pocket, stuck my hand inside, and pulled ley line energy through the stone, hoping to somehow strengthen my shield enough to survive. The surge of magical energy was beyond anything I had ever experienced.
A beam of rose-colored light shot down the tunnel ahead of me, and the flames disappeared. I gasped in relief, dropping my shield and drawing a ragged breath of cool air into my lungs. As if in answer to a silent prayer, the temperature in the tunnel dropped instantly to where I was almost cold.
Knights Magica: An Urban Fantasy (Rosie O'Grady's Paranormal Bar and Grill Book 5) Page 21