Brutal Asset, page 16
I was sitting in the Reception room, listening to Galina and Lydia as they talked through all of the decisions that Tanya would have been making if she had been healthy. Swigging Gatorade and sipping chicken soup to help replenish the lost blood, I was only listening with half an ear, most of my thoughts being on the second attack on Tanya by a Central American vampire as well as the coincidence that both her attack and mine used toxic dust. The fact that Loki's Spawn originated south of the border was also on my mind. That's why it took a second for the third voice to make it through my brain.
“My dear Galina, it is only natural for me to take over for my niece. I am after all your elder brother and hold the most shares!” Illarion said. I hadn't paid attention to the constantly shifting group of Darkkin that were coming and going in the great room. Now I noticed that the crowd had swelled and was carefully watching Illarion present a case for taking over the City coven. My Grim side surged up inside me, instantly enraged.
“Hold!” I said, breaking into the argument. “What's this about?”
“It doesn't concern you, human!” Illarion said snidely.
“Chris, with Tanya down temporarily, someone needs to run things,” Galina explained.
“Yeah, that's what you and Lydia are doing,” I stated.
“But I am the senior Darkkin present!” declared Illarion.
“Actually, as far as age goes, Arkady has you all beat!” I pointed out.
“He's Security, they don't count for executive leadership!” Illarion waved dismissively.
“Yeah, well, I don't really care about your age, Illarion, Senka put Tanya in charge, and Galina was in charge before. So it's only proper that she handle things for the time being.”
“Listen, Chosen, you aren't vampire, so your thoughts don't matter!” he replied crossly.
Lydia was looking at me in a meaningful manner and when she caught my eye she mouthed 'Queen's Chosen'.
“I'm not vampire, but I am a part of this Coven, and as you just pointed out, I'm the Queen's Chosen,” I said.
“Queen's Chosen? Whose Queen? Not mine!” he said, then waved at his security guy. “Seth, please remove the Chosen!”
The ice cold Seth started to pull a short sword from a sheath on his back, probably to make a point of his authority. I don't know and no one will ever know, because six rounds of .44 magnum erupted so close together it sounded like one long shot.
Seth was hit once in the pelvis, twice in the chest, once in the throat and two last times in the head. All the rounds were loaded with silver particles inside hollow copper bullets. They were tremendously effective. He fell to the ground, a shredded mess, his ruined head hanging from fleshy threads.
I reloaded my dad's gun and put it back into the hidden vest pocket, then walked over to Seth's twitching form, holding my hand out to Arkady for a knife as I went by. He didn't hesitate to slap the handle of a twelve-inch Ghurka kukri in my hand, while signaling his guys with his free hand.
Illarion was aghast, frozen in place as I hacked off his minion's head.
“Now, what were you saying about the Queen and my right to stand up for her?” I asked looking him in the eye. His remaining bodyguards were all being held at weapon point by Arkady's men.
“This is...is...an outrage. This is unforgivable!” he started to sputter, but I moved, faster than he could react to and was suddenly in his face, the kukri held loosely in my hand.
“I don't know as much as you about coven rules, but I was well trained in the rights of a Chosen!” I said with a nod in Lydia's direction. She had been adamant about me learning what I could do as Tanya's Chosen. “It seems to be pretty clear that I have the right to protect and stand up for Tanya in any circumstance, whether she's awake or asleep, competent or incapacitated. Please note, dear uncle Illarion, that I have just officially protested your attempt at taking over her position. You are welcome to challenge me on it of course,” I said.
You could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he worked through his options. He scanned the room and I did as well. The place was packed with coven members and they all looked at him like he was dogshit, faces openly hostile. His gaze alighted on his three witches where they stood by the back wall. “Do it and I'll crush them like house flies, “ I said, reading his intent. For their part, the witches , who ranged from mid-twenties to middle fifties in age, all looked terrified. He turned back to me, then recoiled a bit from whatever he saw in my expression. “I will be discussing this with Senka!” was all he could come up with. “How come I have the feeling you wouldn't allow me to do that if the tables were switched?” I asked, archly. Connor and another vamp appeared behind him and at my nod, grabbed his arms and removed him from the room. They weren't very gentle about it.
The vampires in the room all looked to me after the big doors closed on Illarion. I’m not one for public speaking but I needed to say something.
“If anyone has a problem with Tanya’s convalescence and these two –“ I pointed at Galina and Lydia, “ – handling things then speak now!”
Nobody moved, not even a millimeter. “I guess that’s a no then,” I said then nodded to Tanya’s mother and de facto sister to take over. It was like the play button on the DVD player had been hit, all motion restarted at once. I looked over the crowd, most of whom were still watching me and spotted three faces I was interested in. Darkkin slid away from my advance clearing a path straight to Illarion’s three human witches. Two older, one younger, they all had the same dark haired appearance. Probably two sisters and a daughter was my best guess. They watched me with wary expressions, one of the older two flinching slightly as I moved up in front of them.
“I would like to talk to you for a moment,” I said, wondering if any of them spoke English. The young one spoke to the two older ones, perhaps translating what I said.
“What would you ask of us?” she said after conferring a second with her elders.
Up close I decided that the two middle aged witches were definitely sisters, one of whom stared at me defiantly while the other appeared fearful.
“I need to know about witches and witchcraft. Please, have a seat over here, it’ll just take a moment,” I said, pointing to some benches along the wall. The brave one spoke at length to the girl witch who then looked my way and spoke.
“My mother asks again ‘what could we tell you?’”
“A lot! I know nothing about witchcraft or what you do,” I explained.
All three look incredulous as the daughter repeated my words in Russian.
“First of all my name is Chris,” I said.
“I am Anna,” the girl said. “My mother is Alena and my aunt is Masha.”
That generated my first question.
“Does witchcraft run in families?” I asked.
Anna nodded even as she translated. Her mother, Alena spoke at length, ending with a question.
“Witches are born, not made. It usually travels from mother to daughter, although sometimes boys inherit the gift. Mothers and grandmothers teach the young, as untrained witches are a danger to all. My mother wonders how you do not know all this, and asks just what you are?”
I felt myself smile.
“No one is really quite sure what I am, but I’m not a witch,” I said.
Anna translated and they all looked at me like I was crazy. Masha spoke up and her niece asked her a question, then spoke to me.
“Aunt Masha wonders how you wield so much of the Power without spells?”
I looked at Masha and shrugged. “Listen, Anna, I don’t even really know what spells are? I just do what I do,”
Anna repeated my words in Russian, then spoke in a lecture voice, obviously quoting from memory.
“Spells are the way we manage magic. They form the patterns that allow someone of talent to take all the small important steps needed to tug and push the power into doing what we want,” she explained.
“So spells are words?” I asked.
“Actually, they can take almost any form – from spoken word to drawing of runes to song to objects of power.”
“How do you know what to use and when?”
“We use primarily spoken spells, but sometimes we use focus objects or personal items to connect to the object of our attention,” she said.
“Wait, personal items like hair or nail clippings? That’s sympathetic magic right?” I asked, remembering Pitcairn’s words.
“Sympathetic….hmmm….yes that is the right word for it. Something that connects to a person or a thing. A sliver of wood from the deck of a ship would help me find it from far away. A hair from your head would let me track you across the city,” she said.
“Or cast a curse on me?” I asked.
“Theoretically,” she agreed with a thin smile.
I cocked my head to one side and raised my eyebrows enough that she went on.
“Casting spells against people is complex magic and if done wrong it can backfire on the caster. When you broke our cover spell on the Queen it came back to all three of us.”
“Yeah, about that….. why where all three of you covering her?” I asked.
She grimaced and before she could answer her mother interrupted, impatient to find out what we were talking about. She explained in Russian, then Alena spoke to her while looking at me.
“My mother says that the Queen was very difficult to mask. Something on her or about her was very resistant to our power,” Anna said, looking at me quizzically. I had a pretty good idea what that was, but I wasn’t about to tell them of the arrowhead necklace that Tanya wore regularly.
Alena spoke again. “Mother also wonders how you manipulate power if not through spells?”
“I just think what I want and generally it happens,” I answered.
She looked at me like I was lying even as she translated.
“Listen, I would like to talk to you three more at another time if I may?” I asked.
“That will depend on our Lord Illarion,” Anna said, which meant not very likely. I thanked them and moved off, thinking to check on Tanya. Galina and Lydia were back in full swing, solving issues and problems for the swarm of vampires that had filled the room. The room was fairly crowded now, but a path instantly formed for me as I walked toward the door. I was just about out when a really striking voice spoke to me from the corner of the room.
“Chosen, may we speak with you?”
I turned and took in the three Darkkin that huddled there. Vampires don’t generally huddle, but low ranking members of the Coven are careful to present submissive body language to higher ranked or more powerful vamps. The three facing me definitely showed submission, yet the voice of the speaker was firm and determined, as well as beautifully toned. She was, I decided, about a hundred and twenty years old and must have been very attractive when newly turned. But the poorly healed scars that covered her face and neck spoke of either silver burns or fire, neither of which heal well for vampires. The male with her was missing his left arm from the elbow down and the other female moved on a crippled leg.
Tanya had told me that vampires could survive enormous damage, but depending on the wound and the amount and quality of the blood the vamp received after the wound, didn’t always heal fully. Personal attractiveness is highly valued by Darkkin society. It’s right up there with strength and power. These vampires were damaged and their body language showed their position on the social ladder.
Vampires around me had stopped to observe the exchange, which made the three even more defensive. Something about their appearance was tickling my memory. I hadn’t met any of them before, but the identical gray jumpsuits and the maimed condition was familiar.
“We just wish to ask after the Queen’s condition. Is..is she going to recover fully?” the spokes woman asked.
I held out my hand. “I’m Chris,” I said, forcing an introduction.
“I’m Alex,” the leader said shaking my offered hand. “This is Dave and Leet,” she said introducing the male and female. I shook their hands and spoke while I did so.
“Tanya will definitely recover. The doctor says her eyes will regrow and heal, we’re just not sure how fast.”
“Will…will she be ..you know …fully healed?” Alex asked. I tilted my head, considering her question which I thought I had just answered. Then it struck home.
“You’re asking about scarring?” I asked.
They nodded.
“I don’t know, no one knows.” That was the truthful answer.
“If she is scarred will you… will you…” her voice trailed off in discomfort. Or maybe it was the look on my face as I made the mental leap and figured out her question.
“Leave her?” I asked, but it was Grim’s voice speaking. The entire room went dead still.
“She is MINE! I am hers! Nothing changes that, EVER!” I said, furious.
They were pressed as far back against the wall as they could go, faces reflecting terror. Alex held her hands up in front of her. “We meant no offense, it’s just that we know you are not vampire and we didn’t….know…” she trailed off.
A whiff of odor struck my nose and somehow penetrated the fog of anger. Very, very faint. The slightest scent of sewer. Then I understood, almost completely. They were very clean, fresh scrubbed, but just a hint had remained.
“You’re from Outside! Outside of Citadel!” I stated, my voice back to normal.
The three nodded in unison. “We are Outsiders,” Alex confirmed, using the common name for the vampires who lived in the sewers instead of the Coven’s fortress headquarters. Tanya had told me at great length about them. The dregs of vampire society, they had retreated to the massive New York sewer system long before Citadel was even planned. Not willing to endure the harsh stares of perfect, inhumanly beautiful Darkkin, they had their own society and structure. Tanya had, as a silent child and teen, sought the dark of the sewers and had often visited with the outcasts.
“Tanya told me all about you. Except she doesn’t like the name Outsiders. She calls you the Outer Guard, her Outer Guard. She says that anyone attacking Citadel would choose the sewers, but they would find you there and it would go bad for the invaders,” I explained, my anger gone.
The three sewer vamps were wide eyed at my words.
“She said that? Truly?” Alex asked.
“Oh yeah, most definitely. And she really, really dislikes you being called Outsiders. Makes her kinda mad. Says you do as much to keep her and us safe as anyone,” I said, remembering her explanation of why she was sending blood supplies and money out into the sewers.
“Listen, Alex, Dave and Leet. I’ll tell her you were very concerned about her. Maybe she’ll want to visit in a day or so. I’m not sure how long the doctor and I can keep her resting, but that would be a good field trip for her,” I said, thinking it odd that a trip to the sewers would be good for a healing patient. But she couldn’t catch any diseases, the V-squared was way too jealous of its hosts to allow other contagions. And the sewers would be safer than the streets above.
“You really think so?” she asked, her face in awe at the prospect. Apparently, Tanya had even more supporters than she knew.
“Yup, I do. Now I have to go, I want to make sure she’s fed,” I said holding up my wrist. Every vamp in the surrounding area looked at my wrist and I could swear they all had to bite down to keep from licking their lips. But as tempting as I smell, my recent demonstration helped their restraint.
Chapter 23
I swung by Chet's lair to see if he had any new information. My personal shadows had grown to five, two out in front and three behind. This group were all security vamps that I had met over the last year with the two new additions being a couple of the largest in Arkady's squad. They didn't speak to me or get too close, just ranged ahead and behind keeping an eye on everyone and everything near me. I didn't really like it but I wasn't sure what to do about it. There was also the fact that they kept the regular Darkkin away. It seems I had become rather popular with many of the vamps in Citadel with Darkkin wanting to be near me. Sorta like a pop star's fans except these fans had two inch teeth and a scary, focused expression on their faces. The ones that turned from me in disgust were worth noting as potential Tanya haters.
I found Chet immersed in his ring of computers, conferring with another human technician whom I had seen around but never met.
“Dude, tell me you've cracked the mysteries of the ages...or at least the people who are attacking us?” I asked.
He gave me a hurt look. “You doubt for a moment my abilities – you – my brother from an upstate mother?” he shot back.
