by Ryland Thorn
Then he continues. “The rest is more standard. Holy water, extra shells for your guns, a handful of throwing knives with demon wards engraved on them. The Hell-beast is too strong for these to be fatal, but they might slow it down a little. Oh, and this is different,” he says, pointing to an amulet. “It’s the Amulet of Ducent. If you have any ability for sorcery, you can use it to activate a shield.”
Jack looks over to Lennox, who is staring at the amulet with obvious interest. Of the two of them, she is the only one who would be able to use it.
“And then there’s this,” Nathanial says. He is holding a curved piece of gray plastic. Jack stares at it, puzzled.
“It’s a blue-tooth headset. For your phone.”
At this, Lennox bursts out laughing, and Deedee cracks a brief grin. Nathanial looks at each of them with a confused expression. He blushes again, not understanding what is funny. He is worried that he has said something wrong, so goes into more detail. “We have Brothers already on the scene. They’re safe, keeping a low profile, but they’re able to influence the police at need, to keep them out of your way. They’re in contact with me here. I can feed you information as you go.”
Jack doesn’t bother to respond, and for a moment Nathanial stands there growing more and more confused. Finally, Lennox rescues him. “Sweetie,” she says, almost purring at him. “Perhaps I’d better look after that for you. Jack here doesn’t see the value of all this modern technology stuff. Do you, Jack?” she says with a raised eyebrow and a teasing lilt to her voice.
Jack just grunts in reply even though she’s wrong. He does see the value of it. But he’s lived long enough to know how much of it is transient. He can’t be bothered wasting his time learning how to use something that might be obsolete in just a few years.
He is more than happy to leave that sort of nonsense to others.
Nathanial bobs his head in thanks. It seems to Jack that the gesture is characteristic. “Okay,” he says. Then he points to the last item. It’s a small boom box, no bigger than an alarm clock. “Finally, there’s this. We’ve all heard the legends that say a Cerberus is susceptible to music.” He shrugs. It is as if he doubts the truth of those legends. “It can’t hurt, I guess.” He glances over the items one last time as if checking that he’s covered everything. “Well, that’s about it. Any questions?”
Jack doesn’t have any, but Lennox does.
“Yeah. Sweetie, all of this is great. But what we really need to know is where this Hell-beast is. Where will we find it?”
Lennox is all smiles as she asks, but Nathanial’s face falls as if he is embarrassed that he’s forgotten such a critical detail. He turns his brightest shade of pink yet and looks at the floor.
Before he can recover, Deedee steps in. “It was last seen at the corner of Alchemy and Hex.” She looks at Jack and Lennox as if waiting for her words to sink in.
It is Lennox who says it first. “That’s the middle of downtown,” she breathes. “In the outdoor mall.” She looks at her watch. “It’s lunch time. It’ll be packed.” All of her usual playfulness is gone.
“Yes,” Deedee agrees. “So what are you waiting for? Take what you need and get going. Come on people, move it! This thing is dangerous. Lives are at stake!”
Chapter Nine: Police Cordon
Jack and Lennox take Deedee at her word. Together, they share out those items they can easily carry and pack the remaining, bulkier weapons into a rucksack Nathanial has provided. When they are done, they return to the platform elevator with Deedee and Nathanial both wishing them good luck as they leave.
Within minutes, they are back outside next to Lennox’s Ducati.
The light rain has stopped, but it is still a gloomy, overcast day. Lennox has already put on her helmet and is about to climb onto her bike when Jack stops her with a hand on her arm.
“Are you ready for this?” It sounds like the same question that Deedee asked, but Jack is questioning her willingness more than her capability.
Lennox’s first response is flippant. “I was born ready for this,” she says, grinning with all of her usual confidence back in place.
Jack doesn’t buy it. There is a brittleness behind her grin that suggests anxiety. He doesn’t let her go but doesn’t say anything else either. He just stares at her until her grin fades away.
“You weren’t around at the time, but my demon got out once,” she says, relenting. “I was about fourteen and angry that I wasn’t allowed to do all the things that normal kids do. You know, because of what I am. I’d taken my suppressant, but it wasn’t enough.” Lennox looks away as if she is ashamed. “I hurt people I’ve known all my life.”
When she looks back at Jack, her eyes are filled with the fire of determination. “They could have put me down. Sent the demon in my blood straight to Hell. But they didn’t. I was young enough that they decided to risk trying to contain the demon again. I owe the Brotherhood everything. I’m ready for this.”
Jack accepts her words and releases her. “Just remember, a Hell-beast is not a wight. It is a lion compared to a kitten. It will kill you if it can. Then it will eat you.”
Lennox’s grin returns as she climbs onto her bike. “That’s a big ‘if’ old man. I may not have the same durability as you, but I’m no pushover either. Now get on and let’s go.” Then her grin turns into a smirk. “And try not to be so free with your hands this time, will you?”
Jack has no clue whether she is serious or not. He just grunts a non-committal response and climbs on, doing his best to hold onto her in as platonic a manner as possible.
<<<>>>
There are benefits to riding a bike in New Sanctum. As the traffic slows to a crawl close to the city center, Lennox weaves in and out, ignoring the angry horn blasts and rude hand gestures as she goes. When traffic stops completely near the outdoor mall and those in their cars are reduced to helpless frustration, Lennox jumps onto the pavement and keeps going.
They pass by numerous shiny, glass-fronted shops that are at odds with the city’s original character. Jack remembers when this part of town had looked much like the Brotherhood’s temple, filled with stonework and columns and gargoyles. Some of that character remains visible on the second story where people still live above the commerce, but other than that it is hard to find.
In recent times, Jack has wandered these streets and sat on a bench just to remember what it all had been like. But today, he has no time for nostalgia. There is a Hell-beast to meet.
The cause of the traffic build-up soon becomes clear. Jack can see a white, plastic barrier across the road a short way ahead at the corner of Alchemy and Hex, in the middle of the mall. It is a police cordon. There police cars parked beyond the barrier and a fire truck as well, but on this side of it, traffic is backed up with nowhere to go.
Jack can see policemen gesturing to each other with urgency, their focus on the department store on the corner. As Lennox stops her bike and kicks the stand into place, Jack grinds his teeth in irritation. City officials do not have the tools required to deal with a Hell-beast. He hopes that the Brotherhood is able to keep them out of Jack and Lennox’s way, as Nathanial had promised.
At least Jack can see no reporters, as yet. Some of them have a tendency to sniff too close for Jack’s liking.
He climbs off the back of the bike and shoulders the duffel bag, and Lennox dismounts with far more grace. She looks at him through the face shield of her helmet.
“As long as we’re here at the mall, how about we pick up a new shirt for you?” she says. “Because that thing you’re wearing now looks like it’s trying to evolve. And maybe some trousers. And shoes. And how long have you been wearing those socks?”
Jack can see her playful grin but is in no mood for her teasing. There are barriers across the pavement as well, there to prevent pedestrian access. “Those idiots will try to warn us off,” he says. “Call your boyfriend, Nathanial. See if he knows where the Hell-beast is now.”
“My boyfr
iend?” Lennox replies, her tone a mixture between being offended and laughter. “That’s funny! You know I prefer my men older.” She says it glibly, in a way that leaves Jack confused as to her meaning. Lennox doesn’t look at him as she takes off her helmet so she can clip on her earpiece.
But before she can make the call, before Jack can think to question her intent, a window on the second floor of the department store explodes, showering glass down on those on the ground. At the same time, there is a demonic shriek that sounds like metal being torn to shreds. It is the sound of a Hell-beast venting its rage.
It is so loud that the air itself seems to vibrate and the police on the ground all turn to cover their ears. Even though Lennox and Jack are both standing some distance away, the sound is painful to hear.
There are few pedestrians about. It is like Coven Street station had been when the wight had attacked. People who would normally be wondering about have become aware of the danger, perhaps warned away by the police up ahead. Most of them have fled, leaving only a few stragglers behind.
To a one, those stragglers are now cowering in fear. The cry of the Hell-beast has driven them to hide behind street lamps and trash cans and anything else they can find. Those in their cars have ducked down in confusion and terror, and some have opened their car doors to flee.
Others are pointing their cell phones at the store, but as yet there is nothing to see.
Lennox swiftly recovers her grin despite the volume of the Hell-beast’s call. She looks at Jack with surprising self-possession. “I think we know where the Hell-beast is,” she quips, showing no anxiety at all. “Do you still want me to call Nate?”
Jack’s response to the danger is different. He is becoming progressively angry. He can hear the Hell-beast crashing about in the department store and knows that everyone nearby is in danger. He also knows that the police and firemen will try to stop him and Lennox approaching. If he tries to push it, there is a chance that the police will find out what he has in his duffel bag, and that might prove awkward.
He shakes his head. “No,” he grunts in frustration. He considers his options, then changes his mind. “Yes. Ask him if there is another way to get into that department store.”
Chapter Ten: Rear Entrance
There is another way into the department store. Lennox gets the information they need from Nathanial and then takes her time to lock her helmet to her bike. She doesn’t share the information with Jack.
“Well?” says Jack.
“Well, what?” Lennox replies, deliberately obtuse.
Jack knows that she is teasing him yet again, but has run out of patience.
“What did Nathanial say?” he clarifies in exasperation.
Lennox’s habitual grin is firmly in place. “If you weren’t allergic to technology, you’d already know, now wouldn’t you?” she says.
Jack closes his eyes and wonders how much of Lennox’s teasing is due to her natural exuberance and how much is due to the demon blood in her veins. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. It does nothing to ease his frustration.
“People are in danger,” he says. “Just tell me!”
Lennox continues to grin. Just before Jack is ready to explode, she gives him an answer. “This way,” she says, then leads him directly away from the police and their barriers.
Jack has no choice but to follow. He knows she is testing his patience and promises himself that he will have a conversation with her about it that she won’t enjoy.
But that conversation is for later when they are done with the Hell-beast. He understands that her increased teasing is Lennox’s way of dealing with anxiety. A Hell-beast is a fearsome opponent, and not even Jack is immune to the nerves leading up to this confrontation. He just buries those nerves in anger instead.
Jack mutters dire imprecations under his breath, and the Hell-beast screams again. This time, the noise is accompanied by shouts of fear and horror from those on the ground. There is even the sound of gunfire, a single shot.
Jack doesn’t bother to look, but he thinks that the Hell-beast has shown itself, at least for an instant.
Lennox ignores it all. “Through here,” she says.
She is indicating a steel door set within a concrete frame between two buildings. For some reason, Lennox stands back. A quick check tells Jack that the door is locked, but the frame is just a frame. It isn’t connected to anything on top. He looks to Lennox. “We’ll go over,” he says. “Ladies first.”
He is prepared to give Lennox a boost to help her up, but she is still wearing her playful grin. She shakes her head and indicates that he should go instead.
Jack has no tolerance left. He can’t be bothered figuring out her game. Nor does he wish to spend the time arguing. So he mutters angrily to himself and heaves his duffel bag over so that it lands with a clattering thud on the other side. Then he reaches for the top and scrambles up. Balancing on no more than six inches of the concrete frame, he swivels to offer Lennox a hand.
She waves him off with an airy gesture. “I can make my own way,” she says.
“Fine,” Jack grumbles. He is done offering Lennox his help, at least for the moment. He turns and drops lightly into the alley, then shoulders his duffel bag again.
The alley is narrow and damp and has been used to store garbage. It isn’t wide enough for a dumpster, but there is trash stacked in bags against one of the walls.
Some of those bags look to have been there for months. There are holes where rats or raccoons have been looking for food, and they are leaking. The smell is revolting enough that even Jack is disgusted. And yet, that is far from the worst of it, from Jack’s point of view. He has realized that he still doesn’t know how to get into the department store, and now he has been separated from Lennox. He doesn’t know where to go.
His irritation reaches a new peak. “Lex!” he calls through the door. “I’m growing tired of this! What game are you playing?”
His first fear is that she has gone off without him for reasons of her own. But then he hears her laughing out loud through the door. “Lex?” he says again, layering threats into his tone.
She doesn’t answer. Instead, he hears her muttering words in an ancient tongue. To his ears, the words sound acidic. They set his teeth on edge and generate a pressure inside his mind. He thinks that Lennox is preparing to blast the door open, and hurls himself away from it as fast as he can.
He lands in a puddle of what he hopes is just water. An instant later, Lennox’s spell is complete.
Instead of the concussive detonation Jack is expecting, Lennox’s magic has a different effect.
The door gives a distinct click as it unlocks.
Then Lennox steps through, grinning broadly. “I told you I’ve been practicing,” she begins, but her grin falters slightly when she realizes Jack is on the ground. She tips her head to one side in an expression that is part confusion and part amusement. “What are you doing down there?” Lennox asks. Then she shakes her head in mock disappointment. “You don’t have time for a nap! We’ve got work to do!”
With that, she breezes past Jack as if it’s him who is messing them about, making no move whatsoever to help him up.
Jack is intensely irritated. He understands that Lennox could have unlocked the door whenever she wished. She just chose not to do so until after he had wasted time and effort to climb over.
Glaring at her retreating form in frustration and annoyance, he sits up and shakes the water from his trenchcoat.
<<<>>>
The alley takes Lennox and Jack in behind the building which houses the department store. The stonework on this side is a far cry from the rough-hewn stone and columns that Jack still associates with this part of town. Instead, the stonework here is mass-produced cinderblock.
It isn’t pretty. The alley is damp, and the walls have become blackened with mold and grime. In some places, it looks like there is slime dripping from it.
As he follows Lennox along, Jack quir
ks a half-grin of his own. He can’t see her face, but her body language shouts more loudly than words. The alley disgusts her. She picks her footing carefully and makes sure that her elbows are in to avoid scraping them against the wall on one side or the garbage stacked on the other. And the smell is horrendous!
In Jack’s mind, it is a fair reward for Lennox’s teasing of him. He knows she is just being her usual, playful self, but what they’re doing is important. He can’t help but hope she will learn when to put all that aside and focus on the task at hand.
For himself, Jack doesn’t care about the smell or the filth. He has known worse places. He has slept in worse places. There is even a chance that he might one day have to do so again. To him, it’s all the same. All that matters is that this alley will take them to the Hell-beast if Nathanial’s directions are correct. That Jack gets to enjoy Lennox’s discomfort along the way is just a bonus.
Abruptly, Lennox comes to a stop. “This is it,” she says. She is no longer wearing her characteristic grin. Instead, she is grimacing with revulsion. It is almost enough to make Jack laugh out loud.
Lennox is indicating a steel door painted light blue. It is fitted so well to the doorframe that there are no gaps, and instead of a standard keyhole, there is a heavy door latch that has been padlocked into place.
Jack looks at it. He could probably lever the latch off the door, given time. But there is another option. He turns to Lennox.
“Well?” he says.
Lennox takes his meaning. For the second time in a matter of minutes, she utters words that are unfit for the ears of most people. They sound sibilant and set up an ache at the back of Jack’s jaw. Though he does not have the talent to work such spells himself, Jack can still feel the power of Lennox’s words. It is like they are vibrating in his veins, and for him, the feeling is unpleasant.
It is also effective. A finger of demon fire reaches from Lennox’s outstretched hand and arcs toward the padlock. An instant later, the padlock clicks open.
