We had chosen a moonless night, and Trevor’s magic had knocked out the streetlights as well as the electricity on the church grounds. It was almost as black outside as it was inside, but the Knights were easy to see, as they still carried their magelights.
The only other light came from the fires in the parking lot on the other side of the building. The next explosion was much louder in the open air. The guys in front of me took off in that direction, and I took off heading the other way.
Unfortunately, the other way took me toward the temporary building where the off-duty Knights slept. I ran past one who was going the other way toward the parking lot, but the next guy pulled up.
“Hey! Who are you?” he shouted.
I didn’t stop, trusting my shield and planning to barrel into him. That took him off-guard, and he hesitated. But before I reached him, McGregor cut him down from behind.
My fellow ex-Hunter fell in beside me, his long legs helping him to easily keep pace with me.
“To the right,” he said, and I veered in that direction.
We rounded the corner of the church and found a black Knights’ SUV looming ahead of us. The doors on our side were open.
“That’s our ride,” McGregor said.
I didn’t argue with him, diving through the open door into the back seat while McGregor took the front seat. Tires squealed, and the SUV lurched into motion.
I scrambled to sit up and frantically looked around as the doors slammed.
“Are you all right?” Oriel said, and I saw the driver had multicolored long white hair.
“Yeah. Piece of cake.”
Chapter 22
Sam, as the chairman of the Otherworld Council, was invited to a meeting at the DA’s office downtown with representatives of the Church and the Knights. He asked me to go along with him.
Bonato, Archbishop Novak, Marshal Olivetti, and Monsignor Scarlatti represented the Church. Novak, I discovered, was a witch, and a very strong one. He was the oldest person in the meeting, and I wondered what his rank was in the Knights Magica.
Frankie, District Attorney Arthur Blanding, and Blair represented the official government of Westport. Franklin Jones also attended.
We gathered around a large table in a conference room in the DA’s suite of offices. Bonato wore his normal black suit, and only Olivetti wore a Knight’s uniform.
“We are very concerned about the situation here in Westport,” Novak said after everyone introduced themselves. His accent wasn’t very pronounced, but I thought he was from a Slavic country. “The attacks on the Church are unacceptable, and if you can’t provide proper security, then we must be allowed to provide our own, without harassment. I strongly object to the recent arrests of members of the Order of Knights Magica.”
“If the Knights abide by the law, then they have nothing to worry about,” Blanding said. “But we will not put up with vigilantism. The attacks on law-abiding citizens and private businesses must stop.”
“Attacks? Our people haven’t attacked anyone,” Novak said. “You harbor demons and black witches. Such beings are abominations in the eyes of God. They prey on the innocent and the vulnerable. You can’t tell me that vampires are law abiding. Their very existence is blasphemy.”
“If vampires prey on innocent people, we arrest and punish them,” Frankie said. “But there isn’t any law against consensual interactions between them and humans.”
“There is a higher law!” Novak thundered, slamming his fist on the table.
Sam cleared his throat. “Your Grace, my customers aren’t vampires. Armed Knights invaded my establishment in violation of the law, and assaulted my staff and my customers. They said they were shutting me down on your authority. We defended ourselves and called the police, who arrested them. I myself am a member of the Universal Church, but this is America, and while the Church may hold spiritual authority, it does not hold legal authority here.”
“This is a Godless country! Even here, you bring a black witch, a member of the Illuminati, into our presence. The situation is intolerable!” Novak stared directly at me as he said that.
“There are no Illuminati here,” Franklin said calmly.
The discussion went on like that for more than an hour.
“What exactly do you want from us?” Blanding finally asked.
“All the Westport witches and mages need to register and submit to the authority of the Knights Magica,” Novak said. “Those who do not will be proscribed and sent to camps where their evil can be contained. All the demons must be exorcised and purged. If you cannot understand the need for this, legislation is being introduced in Washington and Salem to enforce it.”
The meeting broke up a little later and the Church officials filed out with grim, unhappy expressions showing their displeasure.
After they left, the DA said, “I’m going to have a good time trying to report this meeting to the mayor. The archbishop has already informed him that the Church is ready to support another candidate for governor if he doesn’t get on board with their agenda.”
“Register,” Sam said. “Are they going to brand our foreheads to mark us as witches?”
Frankie turned to me. “You said the Knights want to establish a magiocracy. I didn’t want to believe it, but it appears you were right.”
I nodded. “According to their creed, magic is a gift from God, and mages are innately superior due to that blessing. And once they take control, they will drive all evil from the world. As you can see, those who don’t agree with them are minions of the devil.”
“And when the mage war erupts, which it will,” Franklin said, “humans will hunt us down and exterminate us. I can’t believe those fools really think six billion humans will meekly bend their necks and allow a tiny minority to rule them. They’re crazy.”
“They think they’re powerful enough to control humanity,” I said.
“If the Fae couldn’t do it, then I don’t think the Knights can,” Sam said. “And there were a lot fewer humans with much more primitive weapons when they overthrew the Fae.”
Of course, the Universal Church’s plans didn’t go as smoothly as they had hoped. In countries where the majority of the population were members, they were able to push their agenda fairly rapidly. In countries where they were in the minority, there was considerable resistance.
In the U.S. Congress, they ran into stiff opposition from other religions and secular organizations, as well as paranormals who preferred their independence.
Some people wanted all paranormals registered—including the Knights and Universal clergy. Some wanted us all rounded up and murdered. Others refused to believe in magic and supernaturals at all. The other religions objected to giving the Universalists the power they sought. Otherworld communities all over the country organized to resist.
Attacks on the Knights increased, and Franklin’s predicted mage wars erupted in several places. Magic, paranormals, and supernaturals were declared illegal in Germany and several U.S. states. That included the Knights.
Sam and a few other mages used captured rubies to cast wards on the paranormal academy and a few non-Universal churches to create shelters that were vigorously defended by both mages and witches. Witches weren’t affected by the ley lines, and many were quite adept at casting wards to keep the Knights out of places we didn’t want them to enter. That included the courthouse, city hall, and several non-Universal churches, as well as the Wolf’s Den, Necropolis, Westport Waste and the dhampir compound, Laurent’s apartment building, and the apartment complex where I lived.
Then two weeks after the meeting in Westport came a week-long disruption of the ley lines. The Knights scoured major cities seeking out mages who were unable to defend themselves. Some were killed, many simply disappeared. Many participated in large public conversion ceremonies, reminiscent of similar ceremonies in Communist China during the Cultural Revolution.
In Westport, the Knights launched another assault on Rosie’s the third day of the dis
ruption. I almost missed the attack, which occurred at three o’clock in the morning. I had just left work and walked with Oriel to his car parked at the nightclub a block away. The club had a huge parking lot, and Sam paid the nightclub owner a monthly fee so his staff and customers could park there. We got in Oriel’s car and drove past Rosie’s, heading to my place.
“What the hell?” I said, as I watched a dozen black SUVs full of Knights pass us going the other way.
After they passed, Oriel slowed and made a U-turn.
“What’s out this way that would interest them?” he asked.
“Rosie’s, the Wolf’s Den, and Killarney Village,” I said. “I’m assuming they couldn’t get into the faery mound.”
He snorted. “They would have to find it first, and that’s impossible unless you’re at least half Fae.”
“But they could get into the Village, couldn’t they? I mean, there’s hardly anyone there, and with the ley lines all screwed up…”
“There are traps, anchored with their rubies,” Oriel said. “I keep hoping they’ll try.”
But the Knights weren’t going to the Village. Rosie’s entrance was in an alley between a major commercial street and a slightly seedy residential neighborhood, which was bordered on the north by the river. The kitchen opened onto a small dead-end alley, the entrance to which was on the back street. Most people parked on the street or at neighboring businesses and entered the larger alley from the main street.
The Knights’ convoy split, with half circling around to the residential street and half parking on the main street. Oriel pulled over and parked a block away.
I took out my cell phone and called the bar. The late-night bartender answered.
“Jill, this is Erin. Lock the place down. A convoy of Knights just parked out on the street at both ends of the alley,” I said.
“Oh, goody,” Jill said. “Just when I thought I was going to die of boredom. Do me a favor and call Sam.” She hung up. Jill was a witch, about my age, and a student at the university. Very level headed.
I called Sam. The phone rang until it went to voice mail. I hung up and called again.
My groggy-sounding boss finally answered. “This better be bloody-damned important.”
“An army of Knights is staging an assault on your bar,” I said.
“I’ll kill you if this is a joke.”
“Jill’s not laughing,” I said. The line went dead.
“So, what’s our strategy?” Oriel asked as I dialed Shawna’s number. Of all the paranormal cops I knew she would be awake whether she was on duty or not.
“Can you get up on the roofs?” I asked Oriel. Then Shawna answered her phone. “Shawna? Yeah, it’s Erin. There are at least fifty Knights who just showed up at Rosie’s. Could you please let your buddies know? I’m going to be a little busy.”
“Will do,” she answered, and I hung up.
“I have about the same ability to fly as you do,” Oriel said.
“Great. Well, any pyrotechnics? We could light their cars on fire. Or how about lightning?”
“Wrong boyfriend. What would happen if you hit one of those trucks with one of those little green magic balls you toss around?” he asked.
“I guess it would vaporize a hole in them, the same as a building or anything else,” I said. I had never thrown a ley missile at a car before.
We got out of Oriel’s car and walked down the sidewalk on the other side of the street from the entrance to Rosie’s alley. I was shielded, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Oriel disappear, but I could still feel his hand in mine.
“You should probably make sure you stay behind me,” I said. “Or can you cast one of those wards you use on your car on yourself?”
“I’ll stay behind you.”
The Knights, except for the drivers, had left their vehicles and were forming up to advance down the alley. I wondered if any of them had taken part in the previous attempt on the pub. The narrowness of the doorways was a major obstacle to any assault, and the kitchen door was no wider than the front door.
When I got within twenty yards of the nearest SUV, I drew my sword, then cast the spell for a ley missile and held it in my hand.
“What are you waiting for?” Oriel asked. His voice came from several feet to my right and behind me. It was more than a little unnerving.
“For them to do something. I don’t want to be accused of destroying their property without good cause.”
I didn’t know someone could make a sound that conveyed a sneer, but I discovered Oriel could.
The Knights entered the alley, with a few aeromancers among them floating up to the roofs of the buildings on both side. Beyond them, I could see more Knights entering the alley from the other end.
I hurled the missile at the nearest SUV and pulled out my phone to call the pub. Jill answered at the same moment that the back half of the SUV disappeared. The remaining part of the SUV, no longer fully supported, banged down on the street. It was very loud.
“What was that?” Jill asked.
“An SUV having an accident,” I said.
“I hope it belonged to someone we all know and love,” she said. “What’s going on? I’ve got the doors locked, and we’ve added additional wards. I don’t think Sam could get in here.” She chuckled. “But if they do, we have one full circle of witches and another full circle of mages waiting for them.”
“The Knights are in the alley and on the roof,” I said. “I’m sort of disabling their cars.”
“Okeydokey. Have fun. Did you get hold of Sam?”
“Yeah. He was pissed I woke him up, but I expect he’ll be here as soon as he gets himself together.” I hung up, put the phone in my pocket, and hurled another missile at the next SUV. That one took out both sides of the car, leaving both axels and the front seat. The drivers of both cars I hit noticed that something unusual was happening. The next missile hit a third SUV at an angle that vaporized the driver along with half of his vehicle. Oops.
After that, I aimed at the front of the cars and tried to take out the front wheels and the engines. I was really doing them a favor, since their patrols around town constantly stirred up resentment, both from the shadow world and from humans who found the large black vehicles filled with black-uniformed paramilitary intimidating. Besides, I told myself, walking was good exercise and more environmentally friendly.
My efforts to spare the drivers were largely wasted, though. Oriel snuck around using an invisible glamour and knifed every Knight who strayed too far from his comrades. I took out the front end of an SUV and watched the driver jump out, only to suddenly stop, bend over, and fall to the street. A pool of blood spread from underneath his body.
A couple of Knights noticed what was happening to their rides and rushed over to stop me. A lightning bolt and a weak fireball hit my shield but didn’t do any damage. I sent a ley missile at each of the Knights. The pyromancer stopped dead in his tracks and swayed, his sword dropping so that the point rested on the ground. The other guy hesitated but kept coming. I hit him with another missile, and then he was within my reach.
He aimed an overhead cut at me, but it bounced off my shield. I slid under his sword, and our shields met. I drew the energy from his shield into mine, and the point of my blade took him high in the chest. I absorbed the rest of his shield as he dropped his sword and fell to his knees.
I glanced down the alley and saw a Knight yank open the door to Rosie’s. A massive bolt of lightning flashed out of the door and took him out, along with the three guys behind him. Thunder roared, echoing off the buildings. The Knights coming into the alley from the other end appeared to be engaged with mages behind them.
Cars and trucks started arriving, coming from the direction of downtown. People piled out and began hurling fireballs, lightning, and magical energy balls toward the Knights.
In the end, Sam’s wards held, and the Knights’ attempt to enter the pub was turned away. Trapped in the alley with mages hammering them from
both ends, they suffered heavy casualties. By the time the cops arrived, we had twenty captives. The jail, the emergency rooms, and the morgue were all busy that night.
Chapter 23
McGregor and I were at the academy the following day, meeting with Langermann and his staff, when alarms went off. Rushing to the nearest window, I saw a caravan of black SUVs packed with Knights coming up the driveway. They stopped in the parking lot, blocking the way out.
The Knights piled out of their vehicles and fanned out in battle formations. Fireballs and lightning shot toward the main building. The building was heavily warded to prevent accidental damage from the young mages in training, and the wards held. Due to the wards Sam and Langermann had cast using captured rubies, all the mages in the building were unaffected by the chaos in the ley lines.
It took a few minutes for the staff and older students to organize, but then the defenders returned fireballs, energy balls, and lightning.
Seeing that their magical assault had been blunted, several phalanxes of Knights rushed the entrances with drawn swords. I drew my sword and main gauche and hurried down the stairs.
By the time I reached the first floor, the Knights had gained entrance to the foyer, where they were slowed by three of the instructors. One stood on the stairs, one at the bottom, and the third sheltered in a hallway opening onto the foyer. I added a burst of ley line energy to the magical weapons wielded by them, then began hurling ley line missiles.
Two Knights charged toward the stairs, and I stepped in front of my companions. I met the first Knight’s blade with my own but had to step back as his partner came at my left flank. A lightning bolt hit the Knights and they hesitated. I used the distraction to move right and take a cut at the nearest man. He parried, but the effort caused him to lose his balance. I dropped into a squat and swung at his legs. My sword penetrated his shield and bit into his calf.
Moving more to my right, I had the wounded man between me and his buddy. I fired off a ley line missile, which caused the wounded man to fall. A second missile hit the man who was still upright. A lightning bolt and a fireball hit him at the same time. My next missile vaporized him.
Well of Magic: An Urban Fantasy (Rosie O'Grady's Paranormal Bar and Grill Book 4) Page 17
