by Karen Mead
“Oh, uh…Greater American.”
“Go down this hall and turn right, and walk straight until you see a sign for the Beluga Room,” she instructed. “Your check-in materials are there.”
“Ah, thank you,” said Sam, leaving the desk with a perplexed look at Cassie. As soon as they’d put some distance between them and the crowded lobby, Cassie turned to him and whispered.
“There’s a real dental convention here this weekend? How did they let that happen?”
John laughed softly at that, but from Sam’s expression, she knew he wasn’t amused. “The venue committee had to change locations at the last minute…maybe they didn’t have the luxury to plan around the dental industry this time. It shouldn’t matter,” he said with a subtle shrug.
Cassie wasn’t so sure. As long as the two groups stayed separate, things would probably be okay, but she had a feeling that some dentists were in for a rude awakening. She only hoped that a bunch of them wouldn’t end up owing their souls to demons before the weekend was over.
Once in the Beluga room, Sam wasted no time marching over to the registration table. “Samuel Andrews, Son of Sammael,” he told a dark-haired woman in another sea green evening gown; the dress seemed to be the standard Laguna attire.
She gestured to an opened binder on the table. “Welcome to Las Vegas. Please sign off on your territories so I can give you your badges and other materials,” she said pleasantly.
“This is new,” said Sam, picking up the pen. He signed his name, then paused, confused. “Wait, I only have one territory. Why are there two listed under my name?”
She smiled radiantly. “Bennet Marcus’ territories have been added to yours, at his request.”
“There must be some mistake. I don’t want his territory.”
“Mr. Andrews, all I know is that this request was made many weeks ago, and all the materials have been printed in accordance with it. If you want more information, I’m afraid you’ll have to speak to Mr. Marcus yourself. Here,” she said, handing him a blue-tinted plastic bag filled with badges, as well as pens and other monogrammed favors. “Also, I have one more thing for you.”
She ducked down and picked something up from under the table. “I was told to give this to your familiar once you arrived.”
It was a piece of paper the size of a postcard. With a glance at Sam, Cassie took the paper from the woman’s outstretched arm, then walked away from the table so she could read it without holding up anyone behind them.
Dear Ms. Tremblay,
There’s an informal meet up at Op/Dec this evening, just to touch base on some proper witch business without any of the boys around. As the newest witch, we’d love to buy you a drink or two to celebrate. A group of us will be by the small pool between 8 and 10 p.m. so come on down! And don’t forget to bring a suit.
Andrea
Cassie remembered Andrea; she was the blond witch in the blue dress who had made Cassie uncomfortable the last time she’d gone to court. She didn’t know how she would have felt if the invitation had been signed by anyone else, but thinking about the tall witch made her uneasy.
“What’s Op/Dec?” she asked Sam as he rifled through his check-in materials. He handed a badge to John, and the teacher began to put on his identification immediately; he obviously knew about the importance of being properly marked at court.
“I think that’s what they call the nightclub outside,” said Sam, handing Cassie her own badge. “It’s a nightclub with a pool, or a nightclub inside a pool—something like that. Can I see that note?” Cassie handed it to him without a word. As he read it, a small line of agitation appeared between his brows.
“If it’s a meeting for witches, the Seraph might be there,” Cassie whispered. “Maybe I can pick up a clue to who she is.”
“That’s exactly why I don’t want you to go,” said Sam, crumbling the note into his pocket. “It’s too dangerous.”
Cassie frowned, not angry with him but in clear disagreement. He raised his eyebrows at her. “Don’t you dare tell me I’m overreacting, after what happened the last time we were at court,” he said quietly.
Cassie could feel eyes on the back of her neck; everyone knew who she and Sam were, and their presence had been noted. John looked around with an expression of mild confusion, as though he were trying to figure out if dozens of people were actually looking their way or not. “I’m not saying you’re overreacting. But it’s not safe either just to turtle up, and never investigate anything. I don’t have to go alone; Miri and—”
“Let’s discuss this later,” he said quickly, and she realized someone was coming up behind her.
When she turned, she was surprised to see Nathanial Lewis; not surprised to see him there per se, but at the huge smile on his face. “Sam! Cassie!” he said, crossing the distance between them with a few quick, graceful steps. “How nice to see you again,” he said holding out his arm in Sam’s direction. Cassie tried not to stare at his face; despite the fact that she disliked him, he was still the most handsome man she had ever seen. His eyes were even more brilliant in color than the sea-green gowns the staffers wore, and his tanned skin seemed to glow with health.
Sam took Nathanial’s hand and shook it, but his eyes were distrustful. “Honestly, Mr. Lewis, I didn’t expect you to be so happy to see us after our last meeting in October.”
Nathanial gave a self-deprecating shrug. “Oh I was pissed at the time, but that’s over now. I overstepped, and I got a slap on the wrist for it. You don’t get very far training witches if you don’t know how to learn from your mistakes,” he said with a wink. “And Cassie! You look radiant, as always.”
Even though Cassie didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him, seeing his thousand-watt smile directed at her made her flush a little bit. She couldn’t believe he really found her beautiful, but there was a heat in his eyes when he looked at her that she couldn’t help responding to. “Th-thank you,” she said weakly as she shook his hand, looking anywhere but at him. She felt like she could sense Sam’s annoyance next to her, like it was radiating off of him as some kind of mist.
“And who is this handsome gentleman?” Nathaniel asked, extending his hand to John. “I don’t believe I remember seeing you at court in the fall.”
Sam opened his mouth to explain, but John was pumping the man’s hand before he could get a word out. “I’m John Golding, the latest human servant to join the Son of Sammael’s entourage,” he said. “I’m also a scholar of arcane lore.”
“I…see,” said Nathanial, his eyes dropping to the badge on John’s chest. His smile remained, but Cassie could tell that he lost all interest in John once he realized that the man was only human, and not even a familiar at that.
The handsome demon took a step back, showing off the line of his elegant gray suit as he did so. “Anyway, I need to touch base with a few other people, and no doubt you’re in the same boat. But I wanted to personally wish you luck at the hearing tomorrow.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it,” said Sam, his voice carefully neutral. Cassie was pretty sure that he would never trust Nathaniel Lewis, no matter how friendly the man was. The other demon nodded, then did an about-face into the crowd.
As they watched his retreating back, John looked pensive. “He didn’t seem terribly interested in my academic specialty,” he said dryly.
“I hate to be the one to tell you this, but just about no one here will be,” said Sam.
John looked perturbed. “Then they’re fools,” he whispered. “Demons of all people should know that knowledge is power.”
Cassie looked at John thoughtfully. She agreed with him; most demons were too arrogant, too quick to assume they knew everything, and they couldn’t imagine the potential value of the rare knowledge John had spent years acquiring. But still, even though he was right, he wasn’t going to get the respect he so obviously craved from this crowd.
Sam walked a few steps forward, looking from side to side. “I need to find Arrigio
. He might know something about this Seraph business.”
“Think he’s here?” asked Cassie, leaning against a cocktail table.
“He’s got to be somewhere in this hotel,” Sam said, then another man in an expensive suit was approaching them.
“If it isn’t the man of the hour, and the witch of the hour,” said the man, smiling an obviously fake smile. His teeth were on the yellow side; Cassie idly thought that this demon could use the services of the people next door at the real dental convention. Sam shook the man’s hand and began exchanging dull pleasantries.
John leaned over so he could whisper in Cassie’s ear; it was a somewhat intimate gesture, one that Sam had started to use more often, and it felt weird coming from her English teacher instead. “Does he have to shake the hand of every demon in the room?”
“Pretty much. You might want to get a drink.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
It was another hour and a half before Sam was free from his mingling obligations, and it took another half hour after that to find out where Donatello Arrigio was holed up. No one at registration agreed to tell him where to find the Chairman, but he was lucky enough to run into Garcia, one of the other Examiners besides Serenus. The younger demon gave him the room number easily, but noted that nothing Sam said now would sway Arrigio’s opinion during the hearing.
I wasn’t even thinking about that, thought Sam as he made his way down a blue-carpeted hall to Arrigio’s room. I’m just trying to keep my people alive if at all possible.
He knocked on the door.
“Who’s there?” came a gruff reply. He didn’t sound like he was in a good mood, but then again, the Chairman never did.
“It’s Samuel Andrews, Mr. Chairman. I have something I’d like to speak to you about—something that has no bearing on my hearing tomorrow.”
There was a pause, then the older demon opened the door. “Who gave you my room number?” he said, his beady red eyes looking more irritated than usual.
“Garcia. It’s important, I wouldn’t come over trivialities,” Sam said. He hoped he hadn’t gotten the younger Examiner in trouble; he seemed like a decent fellow, as demons went.
“Alright. Come in,” Arrigio said, walking into his room and motioning for Sam to follow.
Sam was surprised to see that Arrigio’s room was small and lacking in frills; other than the sea-themed décor, including two small fish tanks, it looked like a mid-sized hotel room that one might find anywhere in the country.
“I’m surprised they don’t have you in a deluxe suite,” Sam said.
Arrigio frowned and began fiddling with the tiny coffeemaker on the dresser. “Frankly, excessive displays of wealth disgust me. I leave the deluxe accommodations to those capable of enjoying them,” he said. “Can I offer you a cup of bad coffee?”
“No thank you.”
“Then sit down,” said Arrigio, motioning to the chairs near the window. Sam took a chair and waited for the older demon to finish brewing his coffee. When Arrigio sat down, the look in his eyes was friendly, surprising Sam. He didn’t know the dour man could make that expression.
“I must admit that you intrigue me, Son of Sammael,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee before he continued. “It’s the night before your hearing, and you claim you want to speak about something unrelated?”
So Sam told Arrigio all about the strange attack on his territory, including what little information they’d been able to glean from the hospitalized cultist. Arrigio listened carefully, his expression phasing back to its regular frown by the time Sam was finished.
“How is it I’ve heard nothing about this yet?”
“It didn’t make the national news,” said Sam. “If the suicide bomber had succeeded in blowing up the shop, it probably would have, but without that, it’s just a cluster of attempted murders. Plus, my vampires have the police neutralized, so they haven’t made any public statements beyond saying that a few people were attacked by violent criminals on the same evening.”
“Ah,” said Arrigio, straightening his thin glasses. “I suppose a string of attempted murders by gun-wielding maniacs is not noteworthy enough to make much of an impression in this country anymore.”
If that was an invitation to begin a political discussion, Sam wasn’t taking it. “I wanted to know if you had any idea who this Seraph might be. If it’s a witch, maybe you can give me the names of some possible—”
“I doubt it’s a witch,” said Arrigio, putting his empty Styrofoam cup down on the table. “Sadly, this has happened before; foolish vampires don’t take care of their pets, and the discarded pets band together and put ridiculous ideas in each other’s heads.”
Sam frowned. “But how did they know where to find all of my people?”
Arrigio smiled, but there was no joy in it. “Do you think you and your people are difficult to find? You don’t exactly live a low-profile life, Son of Sammael.”
Sam felt a flash of anger, but let it pass. He’s right. I’m famous in this world, and the fact that I don’t want to be is irrelevant.
“Look, I see your point, but the fact is the information they had was too in-depth. I can believe a group of disgruntled vampire pets could have found my location online, but each of my human servants? They not only had their addresses, they knew where to find them even when they weren’t at home. I don’t see how they could have known all that without help from someone with access to the court.”
Arrigio rested an ankle on his knee, clearly thinking. “It’s possible they might have been fed information from someone—and if so, we will find that leak. But I simply don’t believe that it was a witch.”
“How can you be so sure?” asked Sam.
“No demon would use such a clumsy means of assassination; they sent how many assassins, and didn’t kill a single target? Who would take such a risk as to do something so illegal, yet use such ineffectual methods?”
“It could have been a witch acting alone,” said Sam. He didn’t even realize he’d been thinking that in the back of his mind until he said it.
“No,” said Arrigio, shaking his head. “I’ve heard that you stay out of Cassandra’s mind on general principal, which is…commendable, in its own way. But you are unique. Every demon who has a witch has access to her thoughts at any time; how could she hatch such a scheme, without her master finding out?”
He shook his head again, more vigorously this time. “No, the only way a witch could be involved is if her master commanded her to do this, and I know of no demon who would do so. This was, sadly, an act of madmen who may have a connection to some lackey with access to documents he shouldn’t have.”
Sam looked at the carpeting between his feet, unsure what to say next. Everything Arrigio was saying made sense to him, but Sam just wasn’t convinced that the cultists weren’t being manipulated by someone else. Someone with a larger agenda than just lashing out at the world that had wronged them.
“Are you sure you’re not underestimating witches?” he said finally. “I know they lack the kind of healing magic that we wish they had, but they can be powerful in their own way.” And if you do underestimate witches, my dear mother might have to set you straight tomorrow….
At that, Arrigio stood up; to him, the subject was clearly closed. “I have nothing but respect for the many talents of witches, Sam. That’s why we all watch what they’re thinking so closely. Once your own witch has time to get her bearings and learns to cast more than a spell or two, I’m sure you’ll do the same.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
In the end, Sam did agree to let Cassie go to the witch meet-and-greet at Op/Dec, but there were several conditions: Miri was close by, if not always in sight, and Billingsly was swimming in one of the pools where he had a good view of the main patio. Sam even went so far as to tap into her magic and put a thick barrier around her, which she thought was ridiculous, but she wasn’t going to blame him for being protective.
He’d let his guard down once, a
nd she’d suffered for it; he wasn’t going to make the same mistake again, even if that meant being more than a little paranoid.
It’s not paranoia when they really are out to get you, she thought, as she stepped out of the back entrance of the hotel lobby and into the warm evening air.
For a moment, she was dazzled; Op/Dec was a huge area, filled with multiple swimming pools and flashing neon lights that reflected off the water in all colors of the rainbow. In between pools, bathing-suited party goers were gyrating like they were on a dance floor, the lights reflecting off the watery sheen of their wet bathing suits as they moved. While some people in the pools were swimming, many were dancing together in waist-deep water, and others simply talked while they sipped fancy cocktails by the side of one pool or another. On the other side of the patio from where Cassie was standing, she could just barely see a row of large hot tubs, many of which looked full of people.
Because it was The Laguna, there were also fish; the wall behind the outdoor bar area was one huge aquarium, so large that even sharks were present. Altogether, the sight of the place, combined with loud, thumping techno music, sent Cassie into sensory overload; it was a moment before she even remembered that she was supposed to be looking for a group of women sitting by one of the pools.
Fortunately, the witches were looking for her.
“Cassie!” a voice called out, and Cassie turned to see Andrea sitting on a deck chair, surrounded by several other women. The tall blond witch stood up and motioned her over, while Cassie gulped; next to Aeka, Andrea had perhaps the most perfect body she had ever seen. The woman looked simultaneously slender and curvy in a white two-piece with gold accents. Cassie felt downright frumpish in one of her old camp swimsuits.