by Jon Herrera
Chapter Twenty-Six
“You stole my Grimoire.” Desiara said as she floated toward Kilestra. “I think you know I would like you to return it.”
“Let Wil go and I’ll tell you where it is.” Kilestra said and her eyes flashed blue. “You know I won’t be as easy to enthrall as he was. He never puts in enough practice.”
Fredric tightened the chains once more and blood oozed out of countless gouges. He released the pressure enough for her to push the pain away. My own bonds loosed slightly as the Wizard and the Goddess focused their attention on Kilestra. Fredric turned his face to me.
“Wilhem.” Fredric said as if he had lost my attention and was trying to regain it. “Being a wizard is a lot like being a Chef. If you know what you're doing, you can whip something up without a recipe or great ingredients or ideal tools. But if you want to create something specific, well, you do it by the rules.”
“Why are you telling me?” I said and closed my eyes against the pain. “I don’t cook or do magic.”
“Yeah.” Desiara said as she held Kilestra. “Then why did you steal my painting and my spell book.”
“You’ve studied this painting.” Fredric said and pointed at Desiara’s Hope. “I’m sure you noticed a few things. The skyline from current day Fort Worth. Your portrait in the Goddess’s hand. That odd pattern of gold covering the whole thing like a Christmas present just waiting to be unwrapped.”
“I noticed she’s bound in chains.” I said and fell over as my strength began to fade. “I’m sure I could help you out with that.”
“Funny you should mention it.” Fredric said and made an esoteric gesture toward Desiara. The air around Desiara shimmered and fetters came into view. They weren’t made of silver, but of magic. The glowing links of a chain trailed across the floor from the Elf to me. This was an order of magical manipulation beyond anything I had seen before. As powerful as she was, these shackles still held her, still constrained her true might.
“About that book, Wilhem?” Desiara said and looked at me with pity. “If you tell me where it is, I’ll let you die.”
Kilestra pushed a thought at me, just a flash of an image mingled in with a pain-filled cry for help. Her captors smiled at the idea that I could rescue her. Kilestra screamed as Desiara added her power to Fredric’s efforts to break into her mind.
Then Kilestra was silent and both Fredric and Desiara looked at her with surprise and bemusement. Fredric walked over to one of the sofas and moved a cushion. The large leather bound book was there. Fredric picked the book up and it took on a soft glow as his magic touched it. He sat it on the coffee table and knelt down beside it. He spoke some spell that caused the locks across it’s binding to spring open. He flipped the book open and ran a finger down the words of one page.
Fredric spoke in a lilting singsong voice that I took to be some Elvish dialect. The power of the words filled the air and made small spangles of gold float between Katie and the painting and me. I stood and walked forward, not from Fredric’s control of me, but from the power of the magic in the painting. Fredric’s words throbbed like a heartbeat.
“One of those little things I needed to break this enchantment.” Fredric said and looked at me with madness in his eyes. “That’s where you come in. We didn’t know you were going to take that side trip to see your human. The plan was for you to be exposed to The Little Death and see Desiara first. She tried to get your attention, but the timing is tricky on these things. But all is well, you fell in love with Desiara anyway, even without The Little Death’s magic. And now here you are. A Master Vampire in love with the Goddess of the World’s End.”
Fredric stood and walked to the life size painting of the Elven Goddess that bore a striking resemblance to Katie. He pulled my arm up and slashed across my wrist. He pulled the knife’s blade and let it go. He splattered my blood across the canvas. The blood from my wrist flew through the air and dotted the painting, covering it in a fine red mist. The painting sucked at my blood like a starving vampire, drawing it out of my body.
A pattern of bloody runes appeared in the gold filigree covering the painting. They danced in the air and reached out to Desiara. Those invisible lines binding her sizzled in the air and flared like sparklers on a summer night. As I stood there bleeding out, the restraints from those golden lines that held Desiara melted and dripped out of existence. The magic in the painting faded away and Desiara was free from her prison. The magical chains and shackles melted and ran like heated snow. Her face took on an exalted glow and her eyes shone with power.
“You had me worried at times. Master.” Desiara said and gave the word an ironic twist. She stepped forward and relief poured from her. “You kept telling everyone you weren’t really a Master. I had my doubts. You had to make everything so complicated.”
Fredric looked at the painting and drove the silver knife into the canvas. He sawed at the fabric and a few remaining bits of power crackled in the air. Desiara turned her attention to it for a moment and sent a bolt of power into it. Shreds of the painting burst into flames and curled away to ash.
“That reminds me.” Desiara said and looked into my eyes. “I was thinking maybe I would take you to that rooftop. I could wait until the sun rises and watch you burst into flames. Then destroy the world. How does that sound?”
“The rooftop was in the painting.” Fredric said and laughed in a demented way. “Here is the fruition of all our plans. The end of this world is at hand.”
Desiara floated higher into the air. She absorbed every bit of light and breath and power in the room. The green light in her eyes expanded until her entire form was cocooned in her power. Then the light started to flow outward. Desiara’s power grew before me. Fredric watched her with unbridled joy on his face.
She waved a hand and the walls behind her dissolved. The roof of the Flat Iron Building came into view. The world shook a bit, and somewhere a couple of windows broke. Desiara pointed to the east and twisted her hand. She turned the world with a jolt to hasten the coming of the sun. Her power was staggering. If I hadn’t been moments away from death, I would have been impressed.
Kilestra and I were all but forgotten. Kilestra turned her face to me and shouted NOW in my mind.
In the moments before the world ended, I was able to reach into my pocket. I found the item Kilestra had sent me an image of: a square Elven coin. It was foolish to think that a coin could control a God. But then, this God was wearing the body of an Elf.
“No.” Desiara said and closed her fist. Her power flared around Kilestra and me and crushed the air out of our lungs. But it was a moment too late. A moment I was able to hold onto because of the power I had stolen from Vladlena. Power flowed around my hand and found a path to Desiara. It struck her like a slap across the face and she moved back a bit. But she was still a Goddess. Still powerful.
“I’d like to give you something as Tribute.” Kilestra said to me when she saw my hand break free of its restraints. “My power to move through Shadows. It’s all I have at the moment.”
“I can’t take it.” I managed to say. “It’s who you are. But I accept your offer of Tribute.”
Fredric shook his head and laughed. “Kill them, kill them all.”
I felt the power of everyone who offered me Tribute flow into me. New strength and power made me glow. Maybe being Master of the City wasn’t so bad after all. The Goddess screamed as I held the Elf’s body in my command.
Desiara dropped her power and floated back to the floor. Kilestra and I fell as our prisons collapsed. I landed on my feet and held onto the coin. Kilestra fell onto the floor and struggled to move away. Desiara turned and faced Fredric. He looked at her in confusion and then understanding. He looked at me and called up his power, but the realization came too late. Desiara struck him a thunderous blow that stretched him on the floor. He lay as if dead.
“I’m sorry.” Desiara said to Fredric and started to cry. “I’m so sorry.”
I fell to my knees and sent out a call
for help to anyone who could hear. I maintained my hold on Desiara, but allowed her some movement. She stared at me and small flickers of her power sparked. She took a slow breath and looked around the room. She stood and walked over to the coffee table and picked up the Book. She hugged it to her chest and fresh tears streamed down her face. She turned and walked over to me. She looked at me coldly and laid the book at my feet. She moved to Fredric and sat on the floor beside him. She laid a hand on his still form.
“You stopped me from killing him. Again.” Desiara said with her head bowed. “Master.”
I watched her work some magic on her father that healed the body he was using. Then I made her move away from him to Kilestra. She poured some power into Kilestra and healed her more thoroughly. Kilestra blinked her eyes and moved away from Desiara. I could see a fine network of thin white scars through the cuts in her clothes. Desiara made another gesture and the scars disappeared. I knew she wasn’t going to heal my scars. I touched a hand to my face and felt the last few trickles of blood. Desiara healed the wound and restored my blood without moving from where she knelt. I could feel the smoothness of the new scar under my eye.
ABOUT TEN MINUTES later, Sally stormed into the room with a crossbow in her hands. She was followed closely by Andy holding his Desert Eagle. Ravenhawk rushed in with magic all around her. The Captain brought up the rear. He was with a small group of uniformed vampires. They all rushed forward and surrounded Desiara and Fredric. General confusion reigned.
Kilestra ask Ravenhawk and me to join her in my crypt with Desiara. I still held control of Desiara, but it was a strain I wasn’t going to be able to maintain forever. I hoped Kilestra had some plan up her sleeve. Once we were all inside the small crypt I saw Desiara’s book resting on top of my coffin.
“I had a talk with your parents a while back, Desiara.” Kilestra said and leaned into Desiara’s line of sight. “Well, I guess they’re Katie’s parents, technically. I think you know that they put you in this prison to start with. I was looking for some way to keep you under control. They made a suggestion. Did you know that Ravenhawk here is a Priestess?”
Katie’s face contorted and she shook her head. Her eyes flashed that dark green power and she fought to free herself. But I still held her by whatever Elven spell was contained in the coin.
“Are you sure about this?” Ravenhawk said and Kilestra nodded down at Katie.
“Will you take this Elf as a Bride.” Ravenhawk said to me.
Some coercion from Kilestra that made my mind blur just a bit. I ran my hand over the scar on my neck. It was odd she would choose the old-fashioned term Bride instead of Chosen. I looked at Desiara the Goddess bound by my will and decided to trust Kilestra.
“Yes.” I said and saw another flash of green fire in Desiara’s eyes.
“Do you accept this vampire?” Ravenhawk said and looked at Desiara.
“Yes.” Desiara said and her shoulders sagged. “To taste freedom so briefly. It isn’t just.”
“Yeah, sorry about killing your buzz.” Kilestra said. “Not letting you destroy the world and all.”
Kilestra walked over to the Book. She flipped open the thick pages until she found the one she was looking for. She turned the book to Ravenhawk. Ravenhawk read a few words and magic flowed in the air. Kilestra reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. When she unfolded it, I could see the portrait that Katie had taken of me. I had seen the same image in Desiara’s hand in the painting. She placed the page in the book and it was pulled from her fingers and snapped into place. I felt the sudden surge of some shadowy forces. I looked at Desiara as she let out a sigh and melted back into Katie.
“Magic and God damned Gods.” Kilestra said and shook her head. “Just give me a simple monster to Hunt down any day.”
Ravenhawk preformed more arcane arts and poured her power into Katie and me. New invisible bonds glowed and took on life. I felt a tingle in my chest. A tickle of magic washed over my mind. Only, it wasn’t my mind that was being bewitched, it was Desiara’s. I looked into her face and saw one last flash of anger. Then the Elf I had known for the past few days looked out at me.
Kilestra closed the Book and put it in my hands. It felt like a lot more responsibility than I should have been trusted with. But then, the book was locked again. Kilestra turned to Katie and took out the small cameo portrait in its oval frame. She handed it to the Elf.
“I think this is yours.” Kilestra said and Katie looked at her with a mixture of sorrow and gratitude. She took the cameo and looked at it seriously. She smiled for a second and then slid it into her messenger bag. She slumped to the floor and looked completely beaten.
I GAVE SALLY my assurance I would be all right. She looked at my wounds and my scars and then cut her eyes to Jackie. I could hear her thinking, ‘She could have given us a little more warning.’ I gave her a hug and shared some of my relief with her. She pushed away from me after a moment.
“As the newly appointed Liaison to The Bureau of Vampire Affairs.” Sally said and looked around the room. “It's part of my job to make sure prisoners don’t mysteriously disappear. As they have been known to in the past.”
We all looked away and tried to appear innocent. Sally crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at us. The Vampire Commission’s Special Forces held Fredric. He was bound with a heavy chain. He looked bored with it all.
Fredric made a loud noise and we all tensed and drew whatever weapons we had handy. Once we were all looking at him, a shadowy form seeped out of his body. For a moment it held a shape like a man as it floated into the air. Then it was gone.
I felt something from Fredric that I hadn’t before. I felt vampire energy. He glared at Katie and me and shook his head. He was no longer a little fat. No longer had a beard. And no longer possessed any otherworldly powers. He was just a vampire again.
“What am I doing here?” Fredric said and snarled at me. “You’ll be sorry once I tell Carlo about this.”
‘What’s the last thing you remember?’ I said into Fredric’s mind and tried, for once, to shield the conversation.
‘I was opening an Amphora.’ Fredric thought to me. He looked around with sudden fear on his face. ‘It was a complicated spell.’
I watched as Sally took Fredric and led him from the room. I took a deep breath and looked at the ring on my finger. The metal was cold and loose fitting. I slipped it off and put it in my pocket.
Jackie rushed up and put her arms around me. She cried into my chest and I held her tightly for a few minutes. Whatever power connected us wasn’t severed and maybe it never would be. I gave her my attention and bathed in the glory of her presence. I took blood from her and it tasted just as sweet and potent as before. I felt renewed and poured that feeling back into her. I stepped away from Jackie and turned to Ravenhawk.
“Katie told me that vampires don’t usually do magic themselves.” I said and looked at Ravenhawk. “You helped Fredric open that amphora, didn’t you?”
“He paid me in advance.” Ravenhawk said and leaned in close to me. “Channeling Pre-Columbian farmers doesn’t pay as well as you might think.”
“So why did you lie to me about it?” I said and let a little power flash in my eyes.
“I set free a God that went right to work killing people.” Ravenhawk said and frowned. “A God that wanted to destroy the world, and almost succeeded. Not something I’m proud of.”
“What did you think he was going to do?” I said.
“I thought he was going to grant me new powers.” Ravenhawk said and smiled. “Make me rich. You know, like that.”
“Why did he kill the Master of Monterey?” I said and wondered how many others were dead because of him.
“Oh, I thought you knew.” Ravenhawk said and licked her lips. “He owned Katie. He didn’t want to give her up.”
I took Ravenhawk into my arms, she didn’t resist. She was still my witch and she had still served me when called to do so. I put my mouth to her neck
and shared my strength with her the only way I could. I took a little of her blood and poured my energy into her She stopped me after she was refreshed. She waved goodbye and left, leaving a message in my mind that she was sorry.
“Andy will take you back to the Consulate.” I said and gave Jackie another hug. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“I don’t want to make a habit of it.” Jackie said and reached out to caress my damaged skin. “But I’ll come whenever you need me. I like your scars. They make you look dashing.”
I nodded. That was her way of telling me the scars were here to stay. Well, it could have been worse.
“Are you going to be alright alone?” Andy said and nodded in the direction of Katie. “I’ve got silver bullets in a spare clip. Just saying. She did ruin a damned fine gun, not to mention trying to kill you and Kilestra. Oh, and that whole trying to destroy the world thing.”
“And all that makes you think I can kill her with a handgun? I’ll be fine.” I said and patted Andy on the shoulder. “Just keep an eye on Jackie.”
Andy and Jackie left. Mother and Father came down from the main house. They looked at the broken furniture and the pools of blood and Katie kneeling on the floor. Father gave me his I Told You So look and Mother poked him in the ribs. When they saw there was no longer any danger, they turned and went back upstairs. They were used to the occasional battle in the basement.
“Guess I’ll be leaving, too.” Kilestra said as she moved up behind me and slid her arms around my waist. “I think it’s safe to give this to you.”
Kilestra handed me Fredric’s Damascus steel ring. I turned so I could look into Kilestra’s eyes. She nodded and smiled.
“I think you’ll find that your coin doesn’t work now.” Kilestra said, looking down at the dejected Elf. “Katie isn’t your slave anymore.”
I squeezed the coin, but no power answered my call. I opened my palm and found the coin was just a coin. I slipped it into my pocket with the two rings.
“You always think two moves ahead.” I said.
“Only two?” Kilestra said and kissed me with the intensity only an Ancient can deliver. “I did have a little help from your Seer and your Grandfather. Best you don't know too much.”
“Plausible deniability?”
“Something like that.”
“So what was in the bag you took that night at the Jangling Spur?” I said and looked into her eyes. She smiled.
“An odd bit of old pottery.” Kilestra said and looked down at Katie where she still sat on the floor. “It might come in handy someday.”
When I leaned in to return her kiss, there was only a dark mist in my arms.