Blood Drawn: A novel of The Demon Accords

by John Conroe

  Chapter 10

  Stacia and Declan gaped at me while Tanya wore a slight frown. “That was me staying in character,” I said.

  “But we didn’t finish negotiating,” Declan said. “Although kudos on not even needing to touch it.”

  “Actually, Declan, we just barely started negotiations,” Tanya said. “Chris is right. How believable would we be if the God Hammer allowed it to continue to barter for your soul?”

  “She’s right, Declan,” Stacia said.

  “But how…” he asked, trailing off.

  “Oh, they’ll find a way, and you’ve explained your problems with their last method quite clearly,” Tanya said, waving a hand at the disassembled house.

  “You meant for Hell to kidnap me?” a voice asked, and we all turned to see Darci standing nearby, the EMT trying to get her to sit back down.

  “Of course not!” Declan said. “We were expecting a contact, not my family being held hostage.”

  “You were expecting contact?” Darci asked. “With Hell? You?” She glared at him.

  “We are responding to an attack,” Tanya said. “And no, we did not anticipate Hell holding you hostage.”

  Darci opened her mouth to say something, then frowned and closed it. She looked at each of us. “You said you were staying in character?” she said to me. “You are working some kind of scheme,” she said, realization flooding her face.

  “Nothing that we should be talking about here, in the open,” I said, glancing around in what I hoped was a meaningful way. Most of the law enforcement people were staring at us, although a deputy and an EMT were examining the fallen body of the old woman.

  Darci’s expression cleared and she gave a single nod, turning to look at Sheriff Wilcox. The senior officer was frozen in place, her second-in-command and the trooper lieutenant still flanking her. Darci’s glance seemed to break whatever was holding her still and the seasoned sheriff immediately headed our way.

  “What the H…” Wilcox began when she got to us, then tried again. “What just happened?”

  “Hell wanted Declan’s attention,” Tanya said. “It chose to grab one of his family members in order to get it.”

  “Because Ashling is likely protected?” the sheriff guessed.

  “Heavily,” Declan agreed. I knew for a fact that both Draco and Robbie had been sent home to Castlebury to guard his aunt, and I couldn’t even begin to guess what other layers of wards, spells, charms, and protections the two of them had woven about his childhood home, Rowan West.

  “And Darci wasn’t?” Wilcox asked, one eyebrow up in a very clear accusation.

  Declan frowned. “No, she has amulets, and I warded her cruiser,” he said, turning to his aunt. She reached to her neck and pulled a cord from under her body armor.

  I recognized Declan’s carving style on the piece of wood at the end of the cord but instead of the light color of Rowan wood, the artifact was dark, almost blackened, as if charred.

  “It’s completely destroyed,” he said, leaning forward to examine it. “Just where have you been today before this? Aunt Ashling would have noticed if you came home last night with it in that condition.”

  “I was at an accident scene this morning,” Darci said, frowning. “Backing up Burlington and South Burlington police. A crazy car accident that left a man dead.”

  “Where were you when he died?” Declan asked.

  “Right next to him. I was helping the first officers on the scene.”

  “You just happened to be nearby when it occurred?” Declan asked.

  “Coming up Route 7, headed back to the department. Crash happened about five miles ahead of me. I just went straight to it when I heard the call.”

  “And you helped with the victim, who then died, almost in your arms?” Declan asked.

  “Pretty much. Why?” Darci asked.

  “They created a sacrifice right in front of you in order to burn out your protections,” our witch said. “Was the victim poor or a druggie?”

  “New American. Immigrant from Bosnia, and yes, the family is lower income,” Darci said, frowning.

  “Probably desperately poor,” Declan said.

  “That is correct,” Omega answered him. “Amar Graovac immigrated to the United States fourteen months and twenty-seven days ago. During that time, he has been unable to secure and retain adequate employment. His wife and child are still in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The family fell on hard economic times there and he sought to improve their situation by coming to the United States. Ah, interesting.”

  “What?” Stacia asked.

  “A payment was just made into his wife’s bank account in Bosnia and Herzegovina in an amount that approximates three hundred and fifty thousand US dollars. I am tracing the money trail but it will take even myself some time.”

  “Likely you will end up with some organization or individual who supports Hell,” Declan said.

  “You’re suggesting that he sold himself to support his family?” Sheriff Wilcox asked.

  “Yes. It would take a willing sacrifice to burn out an amulet of that grade,” Declan said. “It wouldn’t have worked with one of Chris’s, though. I kept meaning to ask you for one for her,” he said to me, frowning.

  “Like asking to upgrade my body armor from one of the best brands to another of the best,” Darci said with a snort.

  “No, more like moving you from level-three body armor to level-four,” Declan said, his tone even, but his clenching jaw told me he was laying a heavy dose of blame on himself.

  “What do you need from us to clear up this mess?” I asked Sheriff Wilcox.

  She had been following our conversation with a frown of confusion, but she considered my words carefully before she answered.

  “I will need statements from all of you, at some point, but for now, maybe you could just take Darci home.”

  “You just don’t want to face Ashling,” Darci said with a grin.

  “Why wouldn’t she want to face me?” a new, yet familiar, voice said.

  As a group, we all turned back toward the parked cruisers. Ashling O’Carroll stood frowning at us, her arms crossed over her chest, her friend Levi Guildersleeve standing by her side.

  Chapter 11

  “Hi, Aunt Ash,” Declan said.

  “Don’t hi me, lad,” his aunt instantly retorted. “Did ya not think for an instant that I wouldn’t feel ya ripping that poor house to pieces?”

  “Well, there’s a good reason for that,” he said.

  “Aye, as I expect there’s a reason my Darci has bandages on her neck,” the powerful witch said. “And what’s the chance that the two are intertwined? Along with all four of ye being here when ye should all be out saving the world or some such.”

  Declan opened his mouth to answer but before he could get a word out, Darci spoke.

  “I was taken hostage by a demon. My amulet was destroyed this morning and that old lady being zipped into that body bag over there took me hostage until Declan got here. He took the house apart to find me and then they all took care of the demon.”

  Ashling absorbed all this with just one eyebrow slightly raised. To her side, Levi looked a bit stunned.

  “So… what did it want with ye?” she finally asked her nephew.

  “Well, that’s the interesting part,” he said slowly, scratching his head with one finger.

  “It wanted his service for its boss in exchange for the name of our current enemy,” Stacia said.

  “Thank ye, darling,” Ashling said to her. “See how easy it is, lad?”

  “I didn’t want to go into detail out here in the open,” he said, shooting his girlfriend an accusatory look, which she completely ignored.

  “And you actually treated with the infernal one?” Ashling queried.

  “Just a couple quick questions, then Chris sent it back to Hell,” Declan said.

  “Well, I’m glad someone was thinking clearly,” she said.

  “But Aunt Ash, it’s all part of…” He
broke off at the simultaneous headshakes that both Tanya and I shot his way. “We can talk about it later,” he concluded.

  “Yes, it would seem we should get me poor Darci home, unless ye’ve got more for her today, Shirley?” Ashling asked the sheriff.

  “Nope, we’re good for now,” Sheriff Wilcox said quickly. It was almost funny how anxious everyone was to not be on Ashling’s bad side, especially her own nephew, the most powerful witch ever known.

  As if she read my thoughts, Ashling O’Carroll looked my way, one eyebrow slightly raised.

  “Let’s go,” I said to the others, waving toward the Prius.

  “You have to learn to control your expressions better,” Tanya whispered to me as we turned toward the cars. “You were smirking.”

  “We probably should take the drone,” I said to the group. “I don’t think six of us can fit in that car.”

  “Beast is here,” Declan said, pointing to his Toyota Land Cruiser, which sat parked on the main road. It was idling with no one inside it.

  “Who drove that here?” Tanya asked.

  “It followed me, I’m afraid, which told me that me dear nephew was in town,” Ashling said. “Good thing someone did.”

  “It drove itself?” I asked.

  “I’ve put a lot of spell work into Beast,” Declan said, carefully not looking at his aunt. “There have been some side effects.”

  “Ashling, did you have a premonition about today?” Stacia suddenly asked.

  “No dear, not a one.” Her tone was matter-of-fact but Declan whipped around to stare at her, surprise changing to worry.

  We had arrived at the Prius, the two aunts and Levi wasting no time climbing in. The rest of us had farther to walk, which we did in silence. As we climbed into Beast, Ashling was already pulling out of the driveway.

  “You didn’t have any visions and Ashling didn’t get a single premonition that her partner was in danger,” Stacia said as she slipped into the front passenger seat.

  “How often has she missed something that important?” I asked Declan. The rugged off-road vehicle pulled out onto the street as Declan turned around to look at me. I suddenly noticed his hands weren’t on the wheel and his hands and feet weren’t shifting the gears.

  “She always gets at least some kind of feeling. She was worried when my mother went to Boston, but didn’t have anything specific. I suspect the killers put some kind of block or cloak in place,” he said. He noticed both Tanya and me watching the gear shift moving on its own as the Land Cruiser drove itself. He grinned briefly before turning back and taking control of the car.

  Stacia smirked at both of us, clearly amused. “You have no problem with Omega flying a drone at ultrasonic speeds, but you’re disturbed by a ’72 Land Cruiser that self-drives?”

  “It takes some getting used to, is all,” Tanya said. “More importantly, we need to get a better handle on this whole scheme of ours. If Hell or the Vorsook are blocking Chris and Ashling, we’ve got a real problem. This whole thing might be a trap—No. Is almost definitely a trap.”

  “We’re getting played while we think we’re playing Hell?” Stacia asked.

  “How many times have you heard to never engage the devil in negotiations?” Tanya asked.

  “All my life,” Declan said.

  “I think we should tell your aunts everything and see what they think,” Tanya said to Declan.

  “We can have her do a specific reading,” Declan said. “For each of us.”

  Chapter 12

  Two hours later, Ashling looked over her prized elven rune stones, studying what I had drawn out, Declan watching over her shoulder.

  “You three are the same,” she said to me, her eyes flicking to Tanya and Stacia. “The Dice for chance, the Thorn for conflict, Yew for death, Ice for challenges, and Elk for group challenges.”

  “Didn’t Declan have all those too?” I asked.

  “He didn’t have Elk; he had Hail,” Tanya said. “Which represents being tested?” she asked.

  “It can represent many things, but I’m reading it as a great test,” Ashling said, wiping her forehead with a kitchen towel. She looked tired.

  “Test of what?” I asked, saying what I could see Declan wanted to.

  “Character, fidelity, and spirit, I should think,” she said, turning to look at her nephew. “Do ye ken what I mean?”

  “Will I go over to the dark side or will I stay good,” he said slowly.

  “It’ll no be that bang on, lad.”

  “What do you mean?” Tanya asked her.

  “When I read the runes, most of it is feelings. This”—she waved her hand over the stone rune chips piled in front of her—“is perhaps the most powerful set of readings of me life. And for all that, I canna get a clear handle on it.”

  “Interference or event horizon?” Declan asked.

  She studied him for a moment. “I don’t know, lad… perhaps both.”

  “Ashling, could you sum it up for us?” Tanya asked. “As best you can?”

  “Aye, dear. I can at least try,” she said with a nod. She looked across the room at Darci and Levi, who had been observing the proceedings with a frown on her face and open curiosity on his. “Some readings are clear and sharp, as like when we first met Caeco. Others are unclear, just shy of being simply a feeling. That can happen when something or someone is casting a counterspell to make scrying difficult. I believe that to be the case when Declan’s mum went to Boston.” She frowned and looked up at the ceiling, clearly remembering. “It can also happen when events are so big that it’s as like those black holes yer always going on about,” she said, directing the last part at her nephew.

  “You can’t see past a black hole because it bends light and other electromagnetic energy into itself,” Declan said. “Event horizon.”

  “There are moments in time jest like that,” she said with a nod. “Things I cannae see past as they’re too heavy, too immense. This is jest such a time and me perceptions are unclear, mistaken, or simply mute.”

  I opened my mouth to speak but she beat me to it. “What I can tell ye is this… we’ll all be tested by what is coming, some of us more than others,” she said, directing the last bit to Declan. “Death will come to challenge every one of ye, and there be forces that mean to test you in particular, lad.”

  “Hell?” he asked.

  “That’s surely a contender, now isn’t it? But don’t go putting blinders on, Declan. Your test might come from any direction. How you handle it, how all of you handle it, will set the direction that the pins fall. And it may be multiple tests.”

  Tanya and I headed back to the city a couple of hours later, leaving Declan and Stacia to spend time with his aunts. The trip via Obliterator was fast and Tanya spent most of it conversing with Lydia over Omega’s speakers, catching up on corporate business. The round drone deposited us atop Demidova Tower before silently shooting off, directly north, no doubt to go back to the pair we had left in Vermont.

  “About time you two showed up,” Lydia greeted us, handing me Wulf while Tanya’s assistant, Lisle, handed her Cora. We hugged them but they squirmed to get down. “Cora floats blocks,” Wulf said self-importantly, immediately shoving the knuckle of one finger into his mouth, big eyes opened wide.

  “What?” Tanya asked, glancing at me. I shook my head and we both turned to Lydia.

  “She’s learned to apply her abilities to objects other than herself,” the small vampire said in a tone of exasperation. “Why do you think I’m so glad you’re home? Not only is your daughter floating around the suite, so are half their toys. And the other half are invisible.”

  “What? You can make toys disappear?” I asked Wulf. He grinned and nodded, his mouth too full of knuckle to speak. It was his version of thumb-sucking.

  “Show Mommy and Daddy,” Tanya said, moving farther into our apartment.

  It didn’t happen on her first try, and she almost got too frustrated, but her mother calmed her with a few words of enc
ouragement and her Aunt Lydia told her to breathe like she had shown her. My little girl got a determined look in her eyes, followed her aunt’s breathing instructions, and promptly caused a stuffed bear to float a foot off the ground before she lost concentration and dropped it onto her brother’s head.

  Wulf giggled at the teddy bear, waving his hand at it. The bear disappeared. I switched my vision farther into the infrared spectrum and the outline of the bear appeared, slightly warmer than the air around it.

  “Wow, our big girl and boy are getting really talented. Right, Mommy?” I asked, feeling my eyebrows raising almost on their own.

  “Absolutely. When did this all happen?” Tanya asked Lydia and Lisle.

  Lydia turned and looked at Lisle. “Yesterday,” the young girl said. “I was watching them just after their nap and things started floating… and disappearing.”

  “Where’s Kid Wonder?” Lydia asked. “He needs to help them with this.”

  We explained the last few days’ activities and that we had left the witch and the wolf behind in Vermont.

  “He took a house apart?” Lisle asked, eyes wide. She was definitely getting more comfortable around us.

  “Like it was a model,” Tanya said. “Except for some tearing and splintering sounds, it was almost quiet.”

  “Yeah, yeah, that’s nothing,” Lydia said, waving a hand in dismissal. “What I want to know is why you guys think messing with demon lords is a good idea.”

  “We don’t. We’re just trying to insert some uncertainty into what appears to be a relationship between the Vorsook and Hell,” my vampire said.

  “What’s with Hell making offers to our uber witch?” Lydia said. “That’s not cool. What if they offer him cookies on the dark side? Didn’t his aunt practically say his allegiance would be tested?”

  “No, she said he would be tested and not to get stuck in our thought patterns about how that testing was going to happen,” Tanya replied.

  “What does that mean?” Lydia asked in a peeved tone.