by Michael Todd
“N-n-no.” He shook his head. “I went to Israel, Europe, and the United Kingdom. There were also a few places in Central and southern America and Asia that I was led to through different contacts. Oh, and there were a few stops in Egypt as well. I really just followed the trail, picking up little bits of information here and there and piecing it all together until I had the full picture. Sometimes I didn’t get anything, sometimes I got a bunch of info, and sometimes I just got a clue as to where to go to next. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill weapon-making, so people were very secretive.”
“So what did you find out?” Tabby asked. “I mean, what is the metal used for?”
“I can’t really go too deep into that,” he replied. “It’s not something that I am allowed to reveal. I will just say that the knowledge that I found helps to create a very special metal that harmonizes energies.”
“What exactly does it do?” Eliza asked.
“Well, in a scientific explanation,” he began, trying to craft something he knew they wouldn’t fully understand and would never speak of in fear that they would look stupid, “ultimately what it does is unknown, but the indications I found lead me to hypothesize that the metal is very disharmonious to those whose energy is dark.”
6
Katie put her phone to her ear when she saw the dealership number show up. “Hi, Elizabeth! I just wanted to let you know that your car should be arriving in just a couple of days,” Brian told her. “I found one in San Diego, and they are just finishing up the additions to bring it to your spec. I’ll call you when it comes in, and we’ll make sure it’s gassed up and ready when you get here.”
“That’s really great news!”
Katie pressed End and squealed, excited that she was going to have her car in a few days. She knew she wouldn’t be driving it far, but just having something like her new baby was thrilling. She not only had never been able to afford something so nice, but it also made her feel a little bit more normal.
During the test drive she had been on cloud nine, feeling like a regular person—just driving a car with the top down through the streets of Las Vegas.
Maybe it was a stupid waste of money since she had access to the SUVs, but she didn’t care. She didn’t do those kinds of things ever, and she’d definitely never had anything that nice before.
The ride is gonna be here soon? Pandora asked.
Sure the hell is, Katie replied.
Yessss, Pandora hissed. I can’t wait to roll through Las Vegas feeling the wind in your hair, seeing all the jealousy on everyone’s faces, and seeing just how much of a man-magnet this thing is going to be. I mean, you should be able to seriously pick up some dick with this thing.
That was not a priority, Katie told her, nor was it a consideration in buying the car.
“Attention,” Korbin announced over the loudspeaker. “We are going to be starting our team workout in exactly ten minutes. Please make sure you are dressed for PT, not combat. Thank you.”
Uh oh, training time, Pandora said. And by the way, you should always weigh your choices as to whether they will get you dick or not.
Can we stop saying “dick” all the time?
Sure! By the way, you should always weigh your choices as to whether they will get you Richard or not.
Katie rolled her eyes and headed down to the training center.
Everyone else was already there, sparring in the ring, practicing with weapons, or using the weights. Katie wasn’t sure where she wanted to start, so she walked over and grabbed a couple of wooden swords and started to go through the motions in the center of the pit.
She had gotten used to having swords in her hands, and was able to wield them in a showy but dangerous (to demons) way. She twisted her body, swirling them over her head and kicking her leg out for an extra boost, following the jiujitsu moves Calvin had started teaching her. She wasn’t perfect with the moves, but she was really good with the hand motions.
When she was done with the sequence, she dropped to one knee and breathed deeply to center herself. She glanced up at Korbin’s office and saw him watching her, which was nothing new for her—but she had never shown anyone what she could do with swords. She stood back up and returned the wooden swords to the holder.
You know, I think I know the perfect weapon for you, Pandora offered. You need to start training with a quarterstaff, then move up to a double-bladed staff.
A what?
It’s basically a six-foot pole that has spikes on the ends, she explained. They are really popular in militaristic societies, and have been used for centuries in hand-to-hand combat. The length is ideal, because you never get too close to an enemy.
And why would I need these? Katie said. When Pandora didn’t answer she called, Hellllooo? Pandora, come back.
Pandora had gone dark. Katie stood in the middle of the floor with her hands on her hips, thinking about the quarterstaff. She was proficient with all the weapons on the base, so she figured maybe it was a good time to expand her knowledge.
“Hey,” Damian said, walking up behind her. “You look like you are deep in thought. Is your demon talking to you?”
“Actually, the opposite.” She chuckled. “She went silent on me, so I guess I should just enjoy it.”
“That’s probably a good idea.” He laughed.
“Hey,” she said before he could walk away. “You don’t by any chance know how to use a quarterstaff, do you?”
“I haven’t heard those words in a long time,” Damian said with a chuckle. “You are taking it way back old-school.”
“Yeah, but sometimes we have to fight old-school, so it’s important to be ready for that,” she told him.
“Ok, very true.” He scratched his chin, thinking. “Unfortunately I don’t know anything, but go online. I know there are a ton of videos on it.”
“Okay.” Katie looked at the computer on the table against the wall. “Thanks, I’ll do that.”
Katie wasn’t sure why she was listening to Pandora, especially after she had just dropped off, but she was intrigued.
She walked over and sat down at the computer and put on the headset. She googled Quarterstaffs and found several videos that explained how to fight with them. It didn’t look that much different then what she was already doing, and the simplicity of it drew her in.
No one had time for long drawn-out moves during a demon battle, so it needed to be a tactical fighting technique that would improve their kill rate while not putting them in more danger. The Quarterstaff seemed simple and useful, and put a distance between the demon and the wielder. She was pretty impressed.
Now all she had to do was physically maneuver the pole, but she knew that just because it looked easy didn’t mean it would be.
For the next two days, Katie spent most of her time researching the quarterstaff and practicing the moves in the training area. She didn’t have an actual staff, so she used a six-foot-long, one-inch diameter wooden dowel from Joshua’s workroom to practice with. She was starting to get the hang of it.
Damian would come and go, watching Katie and keeping his eyes and ears open for anything else sneaking up on him.
On that day he had something he had to do, and he wasn’t sure that it was going to be a pleasant experience. He left the sanctity of his chapel and took a deep breath, then made his way up the stairs to Korbin’s office. Their leader was working on the construction designs for the company’s building next door.
Damian stood in the doorway and waited until Korbin noticed he was there. He knew his news would put Korbin on high alert, and he hated to do that. The man had enough on his plate as it was.
Korbin finally glanced up. “Oh, I’m sorry. How long have you been standing there?”
Damian chuckled. “Not long. I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“What’s up?” Korbin asked, motioning to the chair.
“I’ll stand.” He smiled. “I just wanted to let you know that I have to meet with a priest of my order in town, so
I might be unreachable for a bit.”
“Okay,” Korbin said. “Is it something that I should be worried about? Should I put together some back up just in case you need it, or do you need me to be there with you?”
Damian thought about the situation, but figured it would be safer and more efficient if he just went on his own and took care of whatever the problem was. He shook his head. Korbin looked at him for a moment as if he were studying his soul.
“No,” Damian said. “I got this one.”
“All right,” he said, waving him off. “Do what you need to do. If you happen to need us for something, please don’t hesitate to pick up your phone and call or text us. We are so close that we could be there in a matter of minutes.”
Damian smiled. “I appreciate that. I think I should be more than okay this time, but I will keep my phone close just in case I need anyone’s help.”
“Good.” Korbin sighed. “In the meantime, I’m just going to burn down the place next door so I don’t have to design anything else for it.”
“Please don’t.” Damian laughed.
“I’ll do my best to practice restraint.” Korbin chuckled. “Go ahead and get out of here. I don’t want you guys to be out there in the middle of the night if you don’t have to be.”
“Got it, boss.” He saluted him and left.
Katie yawned as she sat up on her bed and put her book down. She didn’t want to take another nap because then she would end up not sleeping that night, but she was exhausted from all the work she had been doing on the quarterstaff.
Pandora still hadn’t talked to her at all, and it made Katie a bit suspicious.
She stood up and went down to the main area, hoping that someone would do something to help her wake up. She walked through the living room, finding only Jeremy, who was asleep in the reclining chair.
It looked like everyone was a bit exhausted from the training they had been doing lately. As she went to leave the room Damian walked in, dressed to leave the base.
Katie smiled at Damian as he walked past, figuring she had no other choice than to give into her tiredness at this point. Damian glanced over his shoulder at Katie, stopping in his tracks and thinking for a moment. He really didn’t want to do this thing on his own, and he knew that Katie was not only gifted, but that she had everyone’s back. He shrugged and turned around quickly.
“Hey,” he called.
“Yeah?” she asked, facing him.
“I have to go meet someone at a church,” Damian explained. “I was wondering if you would join me?”
Katie stared at Damian, really not wanting to go to some church meeting with him. She thought about her options: either she went to bed, or she got out of the house and helped her friend. She really couldn’t say no. He sounded more timid than she had ever heard him before.
“Okay, sure. Let me just change my clothes really fast.”
“All right,” he said. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” She smiled, then jogged back to her room.
Katie went through her clothes, trying to figure out what would be appropriate for a church meeting.
She had never really gone to church, so she wasn’t sure what the protocol was.
Finally she just decided to put on her normal black attire as if she were going on a call, but she carried the vest instead of wearing it. She didn’t like to be unprepared. When she was ready, she turned the lights off in her room and headed back out to meet Damian.
“You good to go?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, obviously lost in his thoughts.
Katie nodded and followed him down to the garage. They got in one of the SUVs, and Damian drove away from the base toward the city. They started to get into the busier part of town, and Katie stared out her window as they passed chapel after chapel.
“This isn’t one of the small chapels to get married with Elvis, is it?” she asked, chuckling.
“No.” He took a left. “My meeting is with one of the top officials of my church,” Damian explained. “He apparently has heard disturbing stories about the Damned from one of his outside contacts. I’m not sure what he is going to tell us, but it seemed important.”
“Is his source reliable?” Katie asked. “We don’t want to deploy people for something that may be a distraction.”
“This priest only deals with people he knows he can trust with these secrets,” Damian told her. “I doubt he would have anything to do with crappy sources or people who don’t know what they are talking about.”
Damian stared straight ahead as he drove toward the church. This guy knew a lot about him, and he almost felt bad at that point for bringing Katie into it.
Still, he couldn’t have left without her. He was scared to go alone, and for good reason—there was something in the wind. Something didn’t feel right about the whole situation, but he couldn’t turn down a request from this fellow priest. They only contacted each other if it was a true emergency and met in secret, and he knew that better than Damian did.
“Do you think this is a good idea?” Katie asked.
“Which part?” he countered.
“Me going in with my red eyes, you meeting a member of the church secretly,” she listed. “And the fact that something about this doesn’t feel right.”
Damian took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
Katie was right; there was a lot of risk involved in what they were doing, but the meeting had become essential to their fight to keep the demons at bay. At first Damian hadn’t really thought the whole thing was a good idea, but after he considered it further, he realized that it was the right decision to go—just not for the original reasons.
He looked at Katie and smiled.
“I wouldn’t have brought you if I thought it was a bad idea,” he told her. “I know that it feels strange and that this is very risky, but it’s important that we continue to stick together as a community—at least ‘we’ as in the rest of the congregation and my fellow clergy. If the priest really does have important information, it may be key to us beating these demons; sending them back to where they came from. It would be really nice to end this war and move on.”
She nodded silently. Both knew there was a chance that they wouldn’t see the end of it in their lifetimes, at least. They might live and die right there in that town on the edge of nowhere.
Watching the world collapse around them.
7
Damian drove in silence. He seemed more nervous than normal, considering that “normal” was driving toward an operation against demons or spirits.
Or to a bar for a drink.
Katie kept staring out the window as he drove, anxious and surprisingly nervous herself. She assumed it was coming from Damian. His feelings were transferring to her, or perhaps Pandora’s were.
She took a deep breath and tried to push it away, something she had been working hard on; especially lately, with the guys constantly being around the house. The combination of feelings and emotions from her teammates was exhausting her.
Damian reached the edge of the Strip and kept going, making a couple of turns and keeping his eyes straight ahead. Katie wondered how far off the beaten track this place was, and hoped that it wasn’t too far in case they needed backup later.
After about fifteen minutes and five more turns, Damian slowed down and pulled into the parking lot of a small church.
The building had seen better days. It was missing shingles, had graffiti on one side, and a window in the door leading to the basement was broken. The landscaping was unkempt but manageable, so she assumed some kind of service was still held there on a regular basis.
Like, once a year.
While Damian parked, Katie looked at the door, where four men were waiting on them—or on Damian, at least. One was obviously a simple driver, but he was a big man; probably a foot taller than Katie.
Oh, hell no, Pandora squeaked. They can sense me, and I don’t want that to happen.
Okay, Katie
replied.
She dropped down in Katie as she had done when Damian had first tried to figure out what type of demon she was. She made herself as small and meek as she possibly could, and though Katie knew it was necessary, she didn’t like it at all. She felt exposed; unprotected, and downright vulnerable to everyone around her.
Damian came around and helped Katie out of the truck, looking down at her with nervous eyes and back at the church.
“Let me do the talking, okay?” he asked. “This is one of my bosses, who has asked to speak with me.”
“No problem,” Katie replied. “I never was very good at talking to church people.”
“Neither was I,” he said with a wink.
“Oh.” Katie grabbed Damian’s arm and whispered, “I thought you should know that Pandora has made herself look like a little baby demon.”
Damian frowned and looked at the group. The men stared back, waiting for them to approach. There was a chill in the air, something Katie hadn’t felt before, and between that and Pandora shrinking herself, Katie felt fear of the unknown for the first time in a very long time. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but she wasn’t going to move a muscle until Damian asked her to.
“Why don’t you join me?” he asked. “And do you have backup?”
“Damn right I do,” she told him. “Smith & Wessons, but I spell them P-a-n-d-o-r-a—which is pretty much all I need in this world to get past a human or a little demon in human flesh.”
“Don’t underestimate these men, Katie. I don’t know if any are infected, but I do know how powerful they are, Damned or not. This is my archdeacon, but he is also a decisionmaker within the priesthood of my religion. He, like me, was formerly a Jesuit.”
“Right.” Katie shook her head. “Still, I’ve got Pandora.”
That’s right, bitch, Pandora whispered in her mind.
Katie smiled and pulled her leather jacket closed over her red t-shirt and jeans. Beneath her jacket were two pistols; snugly tucked away, but accessible when she needed them. She wasn’t going to take any chances. She didn’t care if they were part of the church or not.