War Song (The Rift Chronicles Book 2)

by BR Kingsolver

“What did your spy have to say about what happened the other night? About Beatrice and Karolyn being captured and brought back?” I asked.

  “That is why all of Karolyn’s servants have been dismissed. Our spies both at Elk Neck and at Worthington Ridge tell us that your Aunt Courtney is very unhappy. Karolyn is unharmed, however, but no one knows what Courtney plans for her.” Worthington Ridge was the location of the Findlay estate. As far as I knew, only Mom called it that anymore.

  “But that’s not the only reason we called you out here,” Mom said.

  “Akiyama and its allies are planning a major offensive,” Joren said. “They plan to capture the airport and the seaport and cut Baltimore off.”

  He conjured a map on the table and then outlined the campaign. Akiyama planned to land troop transport planes with elite warrior mages at the airport while a force of demons assaulted the troops defending the airport from the outside. Another group of demons would flank Whittaker’s mercenaries and drive toward the seaport while human mages assaulted the port’s defenses from ships in the Bay.

  A third offensive comprised of human mercenaries, allied mages, and demons used as shock troops would assault the Novak and Domingo estates north of Baltimore. Those troops would strike from both the Findlay estate and from the north—Elk Neck and Wilmington—along with troops landing in the Gunpowder River estuary.

  “That plan requires a huge number of troops,” I said.

  Mom nodded. “They plan to commit more than ten thousand humans and magik users, two thousand vampires, and two thousand demons. It’s a bold move, and an expensive one, but if the gamble pays off, they will control the Metroplex.”

  “And if they fail?” I asked.

  Her grin was that of a hunting cat. “What would the Findlay Family have done to your Granduncle George if he blew several years’ profit on a failure? Akiyama is flying troops in from China and the West Coast. Can’t be cheap.”

  I thought about the magitek-enhanced plane I had disabled at Elk Neck. The cost of flying such planes was minimal. The cost of losing such planes was astronomical.

  “When?” I asked.

  “One week from today,” Joren said. “They have started moving troops into position. The Port of Wilmington and the Elk Neck estate already look like army camps. Our spies in Wilmington tell us that one out of every three ships coming into port are troop ships.”

  Before I left to go back to town and talk to Whittaker, I sent a message to my grandmother, including an image of the campaign map Joren had showed me. Then I called Mary Sue.

  “We need as many of those drones as you can produce in the next five days. Run people as hard as you can and promise bonuses.”

  Silence, then, “Is there anything I should know?”

  “Take a drive around Wilmington. Just go out and see the sights. Maybe have lunch down by the harbor.”

  Back at Police Headquarters, I intended to make a beeline to Whittaker’s office, but the desk sergeant stopped me as soon as I entered the building.

  “Captain James! Someone left a message for you. Said it was important.”

  I grabbed the piece of paper and started off again, but the message stopped me in my tracks.

  Brian Crozier is at my house. Susan

  I blinked at it, then went back to the front desk.

  “How did this message come in?”

  “Phone call. Said she was a friend of yours and it was important you get it. I recognized Crozier’s name.”

  “Thanks, Sarge.”

  I had to wait fifteen minutes to get in to see Whittaker. When I did, I handed him the note while I accessed his computer and used his projector to send Joren’s map from my implant to the large screen on the wall.

  “Intelligence from the elves,” I said. “The launch date is one week from today.”

  He studied it for about fifteen minutes, then started asking questions. After studying it some more, he picked up the phone.

  “Henri? I need to see you and Jorge in my office as soon as possible. Yes, this afternoon.”

  When he hung up, I started to rise and asked, “Do you need anything more from me?”

  “Get yourself some coffee or something, but I need you here.”

  “What about Crozier?”

  “He can wait. Tell Novak to put the house under surveillance until you get free.”

  He made two or three more calls, then we waited. The first person to show up was the new deputy commissioner, Howard Jefferson—my supposed boss. Two Whittaker generals showed up next, then Jorge Domingo, and finally Henri Novak with John Butler, head of the Butler Family and a granduncle of mine by marriage.

  “I took the liberty of inviting John along,” Henri said. “He’s handling business affairs in this area for Olivia Findlay while she’s out of the country.”

  Uncle John nodded to me, as did Novak. I had never met Jorge Domingo, Carmelita’s grandfather and head of the Domingo Family in North America. Whittaker had me project the map again, and a discussion ensued that lasted the rest of the afternoon.

  By the time the meeting broke up, it was past quitting time. It was getting late, but I called Kirsten and asked her to wait downtown for me. Then I grabbed a couple of detectives and a couple of uniforms and drove out to College Park.

  “Anything?” I asked Novak when I got there. He and his partner were parked in the driveway of a house with a ‘For Sale’ sign in front.

  “Nothing. We haven’t seen anything to indicate anyone is there.”

  I ordered my men to surround the house. One of the detectives was a witch, and he confirmed that Susan’s wards were still in place, and so was the police ward. Then one of the cops I’d sent around back called me.

  “Captain, back here.”

  Brian Crozier was lying face down by the back door. The ME wouldn’t have much trouble determining the cause of death. He had a bullet hole in the back of his head. A note was pinned to his shirt.

  Danica, he was too psychopathic even for me. LOL! You’re welcome. Susan.

  An hour later, when I was finished dealing with Crozier, I drove back downtown and walked over to Enchantments. Sometime in the afternoon, Aleks had left a message. I called him and arranged to meet him later, then Kirsten and I went to dinner at The Kitchen Witch.

  “It’s going to hit the fan,” I told her after we got our meals and she cast a spell of silence around our booth. “Can you get word out to the covens without the whole world finding out?”

  “I’ll talk to Mom,” she said. “I think the main Coven Council should be warned, but Mom would know which ones can keep a secret. Some of the coven heads might welcome a destructive war, hoping it would weaken the Magi’s hold on power.”

  “And people like that somehow think they’ll be immune to the consequences,” I said. “The amount of power being collected in this area by both sides is staggering. Wars don’t stay nicely contained—take a look at the Waste. The first time Washington got nuked was over a spat in the Middle East.”

  The southern half of what used to be the District of Columbia, and parts of Southern Maryland and Northern Virginia, were a radioactive wasteland, inhabited only by the poorest lower-class demons.

  “Yeah,” Kirsten said. “At the very least, the covens may be able to protect themselves. Have you heard anything else about your cousin?”

  I smiled. “I have a plan.”

  Chapter 41

  Once again, I was assigned to lead a company of magiteks gathered from Whittaker’s troops and factories, as well as the Families allied against Akiyama. I did have a few days to spend training them, and I took advantage of the time to identify the strongest and most imaginative of the group. Despite their ranks—or no rank at all—in their normal organizations, I chose my own lieutenants and sergeants.

  A primary concern were the Akiyama troop transports coming into the airport. If we could crash their planes when they tried to land them, it would be a major blow to their plans.

  Mary Sue provided m
e with a truckload of magitek devices I could use for training purposes, and promised a shipment of drones and two magiteks from our factory as trainers for Whittaker’s troops. Olivia had approved redirecting the drones paid for by Findlay to Whittaker, so he would have almost four hundred weaponized drones to deploy.

  The third day after my meeting with the Magi security bosses, Kirsten called me. “My mom wants to set up a meeting between the Coven Council and your boss.”

  “Uh, this whole thing is supposed to be top secret. I haven’t told anyone that I told you about it.”

  A moment of silence. “Oh, no problem. I’ll tell Mom. Can you set up the meeting?”

  What part of… I sighed. “Yeah, I’ll talk to him.”

  I checked with his secretary to make sure he was available, then trudged up to his office.

  “You know my roommate, Kirsten,” I started. He nodded. “She asked if I could set up a meeting between you and the Coven Council. At six o’clock today.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Do you know what about?”

  I shook my head. “Maybe they heard rumors of war? Or they want something? Or they want to give you an award? They didn’t say you had to prepare a speech.”

  “There are no rumors of war.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  “Where?”

  “Durban’s Road House.” It was a large restaurant and bar in Middle River that had private meeting rooms.

  “You’re coming with me.”

  “Sure. I’ll cover your back. No telling what those sneaky witches might do.”

  “Get out of here, and tell your friend Kirsten to send a better liar next time.”

  I followed him out to Middle River in my car. He was staying in the city while they repaired the roads out to his place, and taking me home after the meeting would be out of his way.

  The robot host directed us to a room past the kitchen at the back of the building. When we reached the doorway, two large men checked our credentials, then allowed us inside. There was a buffet, a make-your-own bar, and a circular arrangement of tables. The room was filled with witches.

  Kirsten’s mom and dad, Aileen and Blair, greeted us. Her mom was an older version of Kirsten, blonde with a peaches-and-cream complexion, curvy, and beautiful. She wore a flowing, diaphanous lime green gown trimmed with embroidered flowers. Her dad fit the stereotype of a dark warlock—dark hair, dark eyes, swarthy skin, over six-feet tall and husky, dressed all in black. Both taught at the University of Maryland School of Magik. As far as I was concerned, they were two of the nicest people in the world.

  “Commissioner,” Aileen said, “how nice of you to come on such short notice. But, our next meeting would be too late, wouldn’t it?”

  “I’m not entirely sure why I was invited,” my boss said.

  “Why, to discuss preparations for the upcoming battle, of course.” She winked at him. “Yes, I know, it’s supposed to be a secret, but every battle has two sides, you know, and the people on the other side haven’t been very discreet.”

  Blair spoke up. “The daughter of one of the coven leaders is sleeping with a Moncrieff guardian, and he brags a little when he’s in his cups. Some more digging around unearthed some rather strange coincidences, and when we were asked about it, we spoke to Kirsten.”

  “Dani told me it was a secret, but I’m sure you expect your children to tell you the truth, don’t you?” Kirsten said from behind her parents.

  Whittaker rolled his eyes.

  We were encouraged to help ourselves at the buffet and the bar. I hadn’t had lunch, so I took advantage of it. Aileen showed us to seats near her and Blair. Kirsten didn’t sit at the table, but on a chair next to the bar.

  It seemed like a friendly dinner party, with everyone eating, drinking, chatting, and laughing with each other. It wasn’t until after everyone had a chance to grab a dessert that the woman sitting next to Whittaker stood up and rang her spoon against her water glass to get everyone’s attention.

  “Time for the business portion of tonight’s meeting,” she said. “Tonight, we have Police Commissioner Thomas Whitaker and Captain Danica James with us to discuss the coming war here in the Metroplex. Commissioner, I’m Glenda Romero, currently High Priestess of the Mid-Atlantic Coven Council. Those here tonight represent twenty-three covens from as far away as Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Southern Virginia.”

  She went around the room introducing the thirty-five witches present, then said, “We have heard rumors of a rift, so to speak, in the Magi Council. Although we have our differences with the Magi, as I’m sure you know, we are opposed to the destruction of our homes and businesses. We also do not consider any group that allies themselves with demons and vampires as people we can trust or do business with. So, we have voted to provide any and all assistance you and the Magi Council might need in this endeavor of yours.”

  Whittaker asked for a projector, and when they provided one, he had me project Joren’s map on the wall. I sat back and listened, as the group talked about troop movements, defensive preparations, logistics, and the establishment of places fighters could go for healing treatments. Almost all healers and magikal apothecaries were witches—other than the Fae.

  Witch magik and mage magik had some similarities but were very different in most respects. But there were areas of witch magik that had advantages in battle. The casting of wards was one, as was the ability to control fire. Kirsten putting the fires out that night the demons attacked our house was an example.

  It was midnight before we walked out of there, and Kirsten and I drove home.

  The following day, I presented my plan to extract Karolyn from the Moncrieff compound at Elk Neck. Whittaker was underwhelmed.

  “We need you at the airport. You’re the only one with experience disabling those magitek-enhanced transport planes Akiyama’s bringing in. Elk Neck is isolated, away from where the main fighting is going to take place.”

  “Our intelligence tells us that Hiroku is staying at Elk Neck,” I said, “and that is where their command center is. We also know from past experience how much Moncrieff invested in magitek defenses there. Disrupting their communications and coordination should be a priority. Besides, screwing up those transports isn’t hard. There are at least a dozen of the magiteks I’ve trained who can do that.”

  His stare would have done a statue proud.

  “Look,” I said, “the magitek devices on those planes help them fly long distances and take off from short runways. They don’t have a single thing to do with them landing. Disable the devices, they won’t even notice it. But the witches can crash them all.”

  He glowered at me. “You’ve been planning this all along.”

  “You’d rather that I go off half-assed than plan it?”

  “That’s your usual mode of operation.”

  “I’m a captain now. I’ve matured and I have responsibilities.”

  He snorted a laugh. “And now you’re practicing to be a politician. God help us all.”

  I smiled. “See what a good mentor you’ve been?”

  Whittaker shook his head. “I expect you’ll want more troops at Elk Neck.”

  “Another two hundred would be nice. Include some sneaky types who can run an enemy command center.”

  He arched his eyebrows as the possibilities hit him. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  I just had to finish putting together the team I wanted to go in with me. Kirsten had already agreed, and the six elves assigned to protect us wouldn’t stay behind even if I ordered them to. Novak was recovering, and I figured he would want in to make up for losing Karolyn.

  I went downstairs and pulled Carmelita out of the office to go get a cup of decent coffee. On the way, I pitched the idea to her, and she agreed to come along.

  “I also need to borrow an armored limousine,” I said. “Think you can snag one?”

  She grinned. “Oh, yeah. No problem.”

  “I need access to it as soon as possible. I want
to install some magitek enhancements on it.”

  “Sure. Come on out this evening. I’ll call my grandfather and arrange it.”

  That left one more person to approach. I needed more firepower. Mychal and Carmelita would provide adequate shielding, and the elves were fierce warriors. I could supply heavy magikally enhanced weaponry to everyone. But I wanted an ace in the hole, someone with true magikal offensive firepower.

  “Aleks? Are you free for dinner? I’m buying.” Sure, using sex and good food to persuade someone might have been a bit underhanded, but it always worked on me. And there was a nice little Bayside crab shack right down the road from the Domingo estate.

  Chapter 42

  I picked up Aleks when he got off work and headed toward the northbound freeway.

  “There’s a nice little restaurant out on the Bay,” I said. “I think you’ll like it. Crabs are out of season, but they make a good crabcake, and the rest of the menu is pretty good.”

  “And it will take us how long to get there? The freeway going north is jammed this time of day.”

  “Yeah, for most people. You have your seatbelt fastened, don’t you?” I took the onramp and drew a rune in the air in front of the dash. The matching sigil lit up in red, and I sent my magik into the converter. The sigil turned silver. The car lifted off the ground and gained altitude. I hadn’t taken him flying before, and I always enjoyed the reaction from people their first time.

  I didn’t speak German, but I had the feeling what he said wasn’t repeatable in polite company.

  “Being a magitek and a cop has some advantages,” I said. “This really isn’t legal for most people. And by the way, before we go to dinner, I need to stop by the Domingo estate and modify one of their limousines so it will do this. Now, I’ve got a proposition for you. Remember when you said if I needed any help, all I had to do was ask? Well, I’m asking, and I’ll throw in dinner and a little nookie to sweeten the pot.”