I looked up at his hand and saw the glass vial he held. My heart skipped a beat as he handed it to me, my head whirling in circles. I snatched the tube, cradling it in my hands as I examined it. All that was left inside the sealed vial were about two, tiny drops. I knew, without a doubt, what had happened to the rest. Veronica.
Benedict’s Song
The very last of my uncle’s blood having run its course through my veins, I stood in front of McConnell as his eyes fluttered open. Tied to a chair in a small interrogation room at DRAC headquarters, the magical bindings of the manacles still in place, he looked up at me in confusion.
“Where-”
“The where isn’t as important as the why.”
He strained against the restraints as his memory flooded back. His eyes met mine looking me over, disappointment welling up in them. Seeing me in one piece was the last thing he expected. It was certainly the last thing he wanted. He tested his bonds again, but they held. Katon, who stood out of sight behind him, tied them well.
“What do you want?”
“I think you have a pretty good idea of what I want.” I leaned in, grinning.
Then I punched him.
The short right caught him on the cheek, knocking his head to the side before he whipped it back to glare at me. “What the hell was that for?”
“That was for not letting me get off before you blew my house down, you big bad wolf you.” I raised my fist again and he leaned back in the seat as far as his bonds would allow him. “This little piggy is pissed.” I huffed and I puffed.
Katon stepped forward, laying a dark hand on McConnell’s shoulder. The wizard flinched.
“I’ll take it from here, Frank.” His eyes gestured toward the door. “Your interrogation skills are quite impressive, but they lack the subtle dread that produces results.” He stepped around the chair and smiled down at The Gray, the sharpened points of his eyeteeth glistening.
Katon was right. I saw McConnell shiver, his eyes moistening against his will.
“Take the pigs to market. I’ll find the answers we need here.”
I nodded and went wee wee wee, all the way home. Well, more like out into the hall. Outside, Rahim stood watching the action through a large two-way mirror. His arms were crossed over his chest, his face pensive and dark with bruises. He looked tired. I imagined he was still worn out from his battle with The Gray. It’d been a rough few days for all of us.
“You think he’ll give up Asmoday’s location?”
“I’m sure he will,” Rahim replied. “Betrayal is in his nature.”
I sighed. He wasn’t the only one apparently.
“That’s good because my lead ripped me off and slipped Page 219 away during the chaos.” I didn’t bother to mention her name. He knew.
Rahim gave me an understanding look. “Maybe it’s for the best.”
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I just wished the timing had been better. You just can’t find the equal of succubus love and with so few of them around, you can’t replace them. I was gonna miss the lying, stealing, cheating, murderous bitch. Katon came out of the interrogation room and snapped me out of my self-pitying reverie.
“We have the location.” He walked up to us, licking a trickle of blood off of his index finger.
“Already?” Even knowing how effective Katon was, I was surprised at how fast he’d broken McConnell. I’d apparently given the wizard too much credit for being a tough guy.
“The nursery rhymes softened him up, no doubt.” He winked at me while he passed a handdrawn map to Rahim. “This is the site of the next power transfer. Asmoday and Glorius are currently there, according to McConnell. He also said Asmoday intends this to be the final ritual. It would appear even angels have an upper limit of power that they can absorb, and Glorius is nearing his. To go beyond that line would kill him with no one being the recipient of his magical energies.”
“Is that the reason why the last ritual was so subdued in comparison to the rest?” Rahim asked. Katon nodded. “In part, but it was mostly due to Asmoday’s concerns we might be closing in on him. He rushed the transfer to take advantage of the distraction provided by his fiends. He also performed it alone, as McConnell had other obligations.” He motioned toward me. “I think we’ve spooked him a bit.”
“Now is the time to go after him while he’s still weak,” I urged.
“We too are weakened and there is yet the matter of Gabriel,” Rahim argued, “but I think you’re right. Now is the time.”
“Don’t worry about Gabriel. I’ve a surprise for him.” I smirked like I had it all under control, despite still needing to find a way to meet the terms of Forcalor’s agreement. I figured knocking down Asmoday’s door would be as good a start as any.
“We’ll need as much assistance as we can muster, especially now that Asmoday’s fiends have wounded or killed most of our heavy hitters.” Katon turned to me.
“Can you reach Scarlett? We could use her.”
No doubt we could. No doubt at all. The temperature in the room rose ten degrees as I agreed with Katon’s words, if not his intended sentiment. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Katon looked at me with exasperated eyes and shook his head. I imagined he knew what I was thinking. I’m an open book most times. Well, more like an open porno mag, but you get my point. Once you’ve seen the cover, you know what’s going on inside.
“Then we’d best prepare. It won’t be long before Asmoday misses McConnell and realizes he’s failed in his mission to kill Frank. Our window of opportunity is no doubt closing fast.”
I nodded to Rahim. At long last we had some real direction. I ran off to call Scarlett and find some replacement guns.
It was time for war.
Best Laid Plans
Rahim, Katon, and I crouched in the shadows near the location McConnell had drawn on the map. The cowboy lay on the ground behind us, gagged and bound and looking forlorn. I’m not sure what Rahim’s plans for him were, but I didn’t imagine they were nice. Myself, I was thinking human shield. In silence, we surveyed the weather-battered barn situated on a small farm a few miles out of town. Out of the way and unassuming, it was the perfect place for an ambush.
At least it wasn’t a warehouse.
I couldn’t feel the overwhelming residue of magic as I had at the other locations, but I could feel something. More correctly, it was a lack of something. My senses drifted out, encountering nothing. It was a subtle nothingness, like reaching into the void of space. I looked to Rahim to confirm what I felt. He nodded and whispered, “Dampeners.”
I gave the thumbs up sign to McConnell. It seemed he’d given us the right information. He glared back, less than pleased to have been dragged along. I’m sure he thought we’d leave him at DRAC, locked away safe and sound, far from the demon master he betrayed. That’d be getting off too easy.
I smiled and returned my attention to the barn. Though the main doors at the front were closed, a small entrance to the side sat open. A gentle, flickering light shone somewhere inside, creating dancing shadows just outside. I didn’t see any security devices, but we stayed out of sight just in case.
I mouthed the word “trap?” as I glanced at Katon.
“Probably, but who knows?” He shrugged, not bothering to lower his voice. “It doesn’t really matter. He’ll know we’re here once we enter the barn so it’s not like we can sneak up on him. The dampeners keep him from sensing us the same way they do us from him, but inside past the barrier we’ll light up like flares. The only thing we can hope for is that he’s not prepared for us to show up.”
“Why are we sitting out here?” I gestured to the barn and the field surrounding it. “There’s no one out here waiting for us. If he’s set something up, it’s inside where we’re going anyway.”