Grave Witch, page 16
Magic users. Could it be Pomona? No. No one survived this long as a blood slave. They must've found someone else. Like they did with Rue. Or maybe the guards were magic users. "Could he tell if the magic user was a slave or someone on the staff?"
Gertrude hesitated for a moment. "He said one of the cages smelled of a magic user."
So a slave. Kage nodded.
"I wonder what made Elijah open a blood bar of his own." Gertrude looked between them. "Up until now, he's only supplied others with slaves, right?"
"There was no record of him owning a business before this one." Jacob was white-knuckling the steering wheel, his focus on the traffic.
"Right. What made him take the step?"
Kage shrugged. "Does it matter? Maybe no one wanted slaves anymore, so he figured he'd keep them for himself."
Gilbert made a disagreeing sound.
"You don't think?" Kage focused on him.
"Nah. The supernatural, as a community, has banned slavery, but it doesn't mean some of the old ones don't long for the good old days when they could keep stables. Especially in these times when vampires are starving since they don't dare leave their communities to feed."
Kage noted how Gertrude grimaced. Maybe it was a bigger problem than Kage had realized. Gilbert had looked ill before he'd snacked on Jacob. Kage hadn't realized it since it was how vampires mostly looked. Except Asher, Noah, and Jasper always glowed. Because they were well-fed? Most likely.
Gilbert continued. "I don't think he'd have any problems selling slaves. They might not end up in blood bars, but there would be buyers."
Kage frowned. "Where would they end up if not in blood bars?"
"Covens. Most supes are living in communities these days. We don't have much choice, do we?"
No, they didn't. A vampire would never be allowed to buy a house in the middle of Myrfolk, and if they for some reason managed to, they wouldn't be safe there once the neighbors figured out what they were. With the system flagging everyone who was registered as soon as they made a payment, there was no way to hide.
"But there are a few covens. I have no idea where The Red Thirst went after they were forced out of Myrfolk, but I doubt they're in a community."
Kage nodded. "So he could sell slaves to covens."
"Maybe. And maybe..." His voice died away.
"Maybe?" Kage prompted.
Gilbert shrugged. "Maybe some communities don't care much about the rules. I don't think there are any blood slaves in Oakmouth, at least not any Leonard knows of, and Jinx would've told us if there had been before, but if it ever came out Czar kept one, I wouldn't be surprised."
Gertrude hummed in a way Kage took to mean she agreed.
Kage heaved a sigh. "You're saying there is a market."
"I assume so. Whatever made him open a blood bar, I don't think it's due to a lack of options."
"Right. Okay." Did it matter? Kage didn't think so.
* * * *
Gilbert stretched as he stepped out of the car. Dov came to meet them.
"Everything has been calm, not a single person has come by, and I think Donella got all the cameras down. If there was an alarm on the door, they know we've been in, but I don't think so."
"Good." Gertrude nodded. "Have you been inside the bar?"
Dov shook his head. "Nope, we only checked the basement."
"Okay, let's go." She walked toward the entrance. "Donella. With me."
The sun reflected on Donella's red hair as she broke away from the group she'd been standing with. Gilbert had only ever exchanged a few words with her when on guard duty. He had the feeling she didn't like vampires much.
"Can you take care of the cameras? I don't want them to know I'm here if I can avoid it."
"Sure thing, boss." She grinned, and her freckled nose crinkled. Maybe she was good with technology, Gilbert didn't have a clue.
Dov broke open the door, and for a second, everyone held their breaths and listened for an alarm--nothing. There might be a silent one, but Donella walked in, followed by Dov.
"Kage, Gilbert, and Oscar, with me. The rest of you stay out here and make sure no one enters until Kage has asked his questions."
Asher looked like he wanted to object. It was petty, but Gilbert was glad he was allowed inside when Asher wasn't.
"Gertrude, can I..." Jacob held up a pen, a notepad in his other hand.
"Yes, Jacob, too. The rest of you--" She looked around. "--keep an eye out. I suspect we have eyes on us in some fashion or other, but should they be oblivious to what's going on, people will soon trickle in to start their shifts."
Asher saluted her and turned to organize the people who'd wait outside. The rest of them neared the entrance.
"Can we come in?" Gertrude's voice wasn't loud, but Donella and Dov would be able to hear her.
"One second." They waited for more than a second but less than a minute. "Okay, it's clear." Donella's voice traveled from deep inside the building.
They walked straight to the kitchen. Jacob and Oscar hung back while Gilbert stood close to Kage, and Gertrude walked around, looking at the chaos. The bodies were gone, but they hadn't cleaned up otherwise.
"Okay." Kage grabbed his pocketknife and the two driver's licenses he had in his pocket. "Who do we start with?"
"Doesn't matter." Gertrude looked grim.
"Is the focus on finding the blood slaves or finding Elijah?" Kage looked around, his gaze catching on something behind Gilbert. He turned and found Dov standing in the doorway.
Gertrude acknowledged him there, but didn't ask him to leave. Kage shrugged when he met Gilbert's eyes.
"The slaves first." Gertrude peeled her lips back. "If we can catch the fucker, great, but I feel like saving their lives is more important right now."
"Okay. I'll raise Gilroy Randolf first, and we'll take it from there."
Without flinching, he cut his arm and dripped blood on the floor. Gilbert wasn't sure if it was magic he sensed, but something flowed through the room, like a soft breeze. Kage's hair moved before he spoke the words to bring the spirit forth.
Gilroy appeared unscathed, unlike Zella.
"Where are the slaves taken when found out?"
Gilroy's eyes narrowed as if he couldn't make sense of the words, but Kage had said they couldn't hold back information. "To the barn before they can be shipped out."
Silence fell, and Kage glanced at Gertrude, who shrugged in reply.
"Where is the barn?"
Again, it took some time before Gilroy's spirit answered. "Behind the gravel pit outside of Oakmouth."
The sound of Jacob's pen on the notepad filled the silence.
"Where does Elijah Nuthall live?"
Gilbert noted how Kage's muscles tensed as if he was trying to hold on to something.
"I don't know. He owns the house next to the barn." Then the spirit flickered and disappeared. Kage wobbled, and Gilbert caught him much like last time.
"I'm fine."
"I know." He hugged him closer and nuzzled his hair. "Give me your arm."
He did without a word, and Gilbert licked him clean of blood and continued to lick him until the wound sealed. The rich blood sated him in a way human blood didn't, and he wondered if licking Kage's arm whenever he cut himself would be enough to sustain him.
"Thank you."
"Oh, the pleasure is all mine, darling." Gilbert winked at him and chuckled when a blush spread on Kage's cheeks.
Kage straightened and focused on the others in the room. "Should I raise the other one, or should we check the barn and save him if other questions come up?"
Gertrude nodded. "Save him. We'll check the barn and check the house--"
"The owner listed is an Elijah Fagan, not Nuthall." Jacob didn't look up from his phone as he spoke.
Fuck, that would complicate questions to the spirit.
Gertrude sighed. "Okay, so the bastard has alter egos."
Oscar nodded. "If we're lucky, he always goes by Elijah."
They could hope.
* * * *
Chapter 22
About an hour and a half later, they turned onto a gravel road taking them past an old gravel pit. It didn't look like it was in use anymore, which might explain how they dared keep people locked up in cages near here.
"We should stop here." Gertrude spoke to Jacob and gestured at a flat area with a few tufts of grass trying to take over the gravel without much success. "If we go any closer, they'll hear the engines."
The now five cars parked in a row, and Kage couldn't help but shake his head. If they had guards patrolling, they'd see them without problem.
"What?" Gilbert studied him.
"We're not exactly camouflaged."
Gilbert shrugged. "No time to prep."
True. They needed to act fast before the slaves were shipped out. Hopefully, they weren't too late.
"Gather round." Gertrude flicked her fingers, and everyone formed a semicircle around her. "I want the vampires to move ahead."
Kage's stomach knotted, and without thinking, he grabbed Gilbert's hand and squeezed.
"Be fast and be invisible." Gertrude looked first at Gilbert, then at Noah, Jasper, and Asher. Lastly, she focused on Leonard. "It's your call if you want to go."
Leonard nodded.
"What can you see? How many guards? Traps? Can you see any slaves and so on?" She blew out a breath. "Dov and Julian, see if you can get close to the house, but stay out of the way of the vampires. We know next to nothing about Elijah, but he might be a magic user, so be aware of scents." She waited for confirmation and got nods in reply. "The rest of us wait here until we hear back from the vampires. Then we move in." Then she met Kage's gaze before looking at Christopherson. "I don't know about you and Jacob."
"We'll come after. Don't let us slow you down." There was no hesitation in Christopherson's voice. Kage guessed he might have been through similar situations before. How often did the community do things like this without humans knowing?
Gertrude nodded. "Let's go."
Gilbert gave him a hard kiss, then he was gone. Between one blink and the next, all vampires had disappeared. Jacob gasped, and Kage might have too. Fuck, they were fast when they wanted to be. He could still see the backs of Dov and Julian as they ran along the road.
"Will they stay in human form?" He nodded toward their disappearing shapes.
Gertrude shrugged. "To begin with. It's hard to communicate in shifted form, but if they need to, they'll shift. I think there are spare clothes in the trunks of the cars if it comes to it."
Right, human clothes didn't survive bear forms.
They waited.
And waited.
And waited.
"What's taking so long?" Donella was moving restlessly. Her impatience had Kage's heart speed up. Did it take longer than it should? He sought Christopherson's gaze and got a headshake in return. What did it mean? No, there was no reason to worry yet? Or no, something was wrong?
"How long does it--" Before he could finish the sentence, Jasper appeared. There was blood on his shirt, and Christopherson stumbled forward.
"I'm fine." Jasper caught him. "It's not mine, but you better hurry. I don't know if they saw us coming or what, but they were ready. There are people in the barn, and judging by the frightened screams, I don't think they're there by free will. We haven't managed to get a good look."
Donella took off running, as did Arnou, Conan, Ashina, and Ylva. Ice filled Kage's veins. Was Gilbert okay?
"I'd say there are fifteen to twenty guards. Some are armed, some are not. A mix of shifters and vampires, and as I said, we don't know what's in the barn."
Gertrude nodded and ran after the others. Jasper bent and spoke low to Christopherson, who nodded, still pale. Then Jasper kissed him and all but vanished.
"Okay." Christopherson blew out a shaky breath. "Sounds like we're walking into a war zone. Guns?"
Kage nodded, but Jacob shook his head.
"Do you know how to shoot?"
"No, I'm a journalist."
Kage winced. "Maybe you should stay here."
Jacob's eyes turned hard. "No, I'm going. I need to see with my own eyes."
Christopherson sighed. "Okay, but stay behind us."
They took off jogging.
* * * *
Gilbert jumped out of the way as a bear swiped his claws at him. He couldn't afford to get injured now. Asher and Noah were right at the gate of the barn, and he had to keep anyone from outside from breaking through to them. Jasper had left him to run back to get the shifters. He had to hold off until he returned.
There was a blur of motion as Gabriel intercepted a vampire coming for him, then Arnou rushed toward them, and Gilbert breathed a little easier. The shifters were here.
There was no time to shout instructions, but Arnou appeared to grasp the situation, and when Jasper appeared, he slowed to look at Gabriel, Arnou, and Gilbert, then he rushed past them to help Noah and Asher.
A gun went off inside the barn, and someone snarled. Fuck, he hoped it wasn't one of theirs.
Alice tore out the throat of a wolf some distance away. The smell of blood and death was heavy in the air.
"Donella is down!"
Shit. The next time the bear came for Gilbert, he rounded him, grabbed his head, and pulled. It wasn't pretty. The crack of the broken spine came a moment before blood sprayed. He tossed the head aside and looked up only to meet Kage's gaze as he stumbled to a stop on the road. Fuck. He glanced down at the severed head.
"Watch out!" Kage raised a gun as if to shoot Gilbert, but he was pretty sure the watch out was meant for him, so he whirled around and met a shifted wolf mid-leap. Claws scratched his shoulder, but Gilbert got a good hold of him. Soon, more blood sprayed, and there was another lifeless body on the ground.
Gilbert was panting as he looked in Kage's direction. He was no longer there. An icy fist curled around his heart as he looked around, but he couldn't find him. Then he spotted Jacob, and next to him, Kage and Oscar stood over a small form with fiery red hair. Donella. They both had guns in their hands, guarding.
Gabriel came to stand next to him, breathing hard and soaked in blood. "Okay?" He spoke between pants.
"A few scratches. What about you?" He gestured at his blood-splattered chest.
"Most of it is from other people."
A calm fell, there were still a few fights going on, but he slipped into some weird, muted state. "You think it's a break, or is it over?"
Alice joined them. "I'll check the barn."
Gilbert nodded, remaining in the same spot and scanning the surroundings. It was weird. For a moment, he believed he saw a group of humans coming at him with pitchforks, but the next time he blinked, they weren't there.
They weren't there. It was all in his head.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Gilbert looked down at where Kage was touching his arm. When had he walked over? "Yeah, I think I am."
Gabriel walked away, and Kage followed him with his eyes. "Is he okay?" He gestured at him.
Gilbert nodded. "Mostly okay."
Kage blew out a breath. "Ready to check the barn?"
"Is it over?" He looked around again. No one was fighting.
"It's over here. I don't know how it's going for Dov and Julian at the house." He took Gilbert's hand and squeezed before stepping away. "Let's check the barn, then we can check on them."
Gilbert followed him as he went.
* * * *
Chapter 23
Kage wasn't prepared. He'd believed he'd had an idea of what to expect, but he hadn't. There were five big cages, and there were several people in every cage. From what he could tell, it was a pretty even mix between men and women, mostly Caucasians, but there were other ethnicities mixed in.
The majority was huddled in the corners. Some held each other, others sat on their own.
Gertrude was standing there watching them with a grim look on her face. "I never believed I'd see this again." Her voice was raspy, and Kage was unsure if it was anger or unshed tears making it so.
"What do we do?"
Oscar joined them. "Remove all supernaturals, then call it in. Kage and I will stay, say we got a tip and were looking for the damn motorcycle or something, and then we'll let the Oakmouth cops deal with the human slaves. They won't be pleased, but it's the best option I can come up with."
Kage frowned at him. "Why remove the supernaturals. Are there supernaturals?" He scanned the cages again, and his breath froze. "Pomona?"
He was moving before he was aware of what he was doing. It couldn't be, could it? Dull dark eyes turned in his direction, and he let out a horrified sound before he could stop himself. She wore a dirty yellow sun dress with dried blood stains. She was emaciated, and her entire body was covered in bite marks, old, scarred ones and fresh ones.
"Pomona?" He slowed as he neared the cage, a lump forming in his throat. She blinked as if unsure of what she was seeing.
"Hey." Kage reached in through the bars only to have one of the men crouching in the corner growl. Before he could snatch his hand back, Gertrude was by his side. Her eyes were pale, and her teeth were not fit for a human mouth.
"Who growled?" She looked between the four people inside the cage. The man who'd growled flashed sharp teeth at her, and she flashed some right back. "We need to get into this cage, people!" Then she raised her hand in the air. "Vampires stay away. Remember last time we did this."
Kage didn't have a clue how they'd done it the last time they'd done this, and he didn't much care. He was staring into Pomona's eyes. She blinked and blinked again, her gaze jumping between him and Gertrude, then she took an unsteady step in his direction.
He smiled. "Hey, we're getting you out, okay?"
"Kage?" Her voice was so raspy, he swallowed in sympathy. Water, did anyone bring any bottles?
"Yeah, it's me. I've been looking for you for a long, long time."
It looked like she was about to cry, but then she closed her eyes and swayed where she stood. "Pomona!"
