by Lane Mason
Vesper started fidgeting with the radio.
“Nervous?” asked Kat.
“A little. But I’m also just excited. I’ve never done anything like this.”
“It’ll be fine. If everything goes right, it will be one long, boring road trip. If things go crazy, you’re trained for it.”
“True. But I like road trips, so I won’t find it boring. Besides, I need to be aware and watching the road for any sign of weirdness.”
“I guess we’ll be forced to chat and listen to music,” Kat said. “Oh, the humanity. What a terrible job.”
Vesper laughed. “Exactly. Since you get to drive, I’m in charge of the radio.”
Kat sighed. “I suppose that is fair. You think they have good stations in this part of the world?”
Vesper raised an eyebrow. “As if we are listening to the radio. I made a playlist on my phone. I wasn’t going to risk it. This isn’t my first rodeo. I know how to road trip.”
Kat laughed. “Atta girl.”
...
After hours of idle chit chat and tunes, Kat was wondering if the whole trip would be this easy. It was after midnight, and the roads were quiet. They were in Iowa now, and were making good time.
Flashing lights ahead warned Kat that things might be changing.
“Looks like there’s been an accident,” Vesper said.
“Yes. Radio Daemon and let him know.”
Vesper jumped on the hand-held radio unit. “Daemon, we’ve got what looks like a traffic accident ahead.”
“Proceed with caution, it could be a trap,” Daemon replied.
“Copy that,” Vesper said.
Daemon was about two minutes behind them, so Kat didn’t have long to find out if the accident was legit or not. She slowed down as she approached. There was a car flipped on its roof in the left lane and another turned sideways across half of the right lane.
Kat stopped a hundred feet short of the cars. “I’ll get out and inspect the scene. You watch and keep on the radio. We don’t want the others driving into a trap.”
Vesper nodded. “Be safe.”
Kat opened the door of the SUV and stepped out. She left the shotgun in the vehicle. If there really was an accident, she didn’t want to freak people out. And she was getting accustomed to the idea she didn’t need guns, at least not to make arrests. Her training sessions with Daemon had left her feeling comfortable that she could command her magic without the training ring provided by the Unreha Council. If there were men hiding behind the overturned vehicles, she was ready for them, or at least she hoped she was.
As Kat got closer, she couldn’t see any bodies. The hair on the back of her neck started to rise. There was definitely something fishy about this “accident.”
It didn’t take long before her suspicions were confirmed. A man stepped out from behind the overturned car and started walking towards Kat. He didn’t look like he’d been in an accident at all.
He stopped twenty feet in front of Kat. “Give us Ringle and no one needs to get hurt.”
Kat frowned. “Aren’t you supposed to pretend to be hurt? What’s the point of staging an accident if you aren’t going to commit to the theme?”
The man grinned. “Oh, the accident was real. It just wasn’t us in the car. But don’t worry, the humans are beyond help.”
That was the second time he’d spoken in the plural... he likely wasn’t alone. Kat smelled the air. Aside from gas fumes, there was definitely a muted brimstone smell, as if it was there but being blocked. The creepy guy, or one of his companions, was hiding a demon.
Kat kept talking, wanting to give her magic a chance to try to pinpoint where the demon might be. If they were using magic to hide the demon, she probably wouldn’t be able to locate it, but if she could tell where magic wasn’t being used, perhaps that would give her a clue. “If I were to give you Mr. Ringle, I get the feeling his life wouldn’t be worth much. I’d feel bad, and it would last an entire week. I don’t like being sad. Why are you trying to make me sad?”
“What?” said the man, obviously confused by her tactics.
“Well. You want to kill Mr. Ringle. Killing makes me sad. And if I get sad, I’m going to start binge eating. Which is going to make me fat. And that will be depressing. And if I get depressed, I will really be feeling sad. It is just an entire cycle of sadness that would be avoided if I didn’t give you Mr. Ringle.”
“Enough. Just bring Ringle out and you won’t get hurt.”
“Bring him out? What are you talking about? I don’t have Ringle here. The only one in the SUV is my roommate, Vesper. And you don’t want her, she screws werewolves. And that is just a big ol’ can of worms that you don’t want anything to do with.”
“I heard that!” Vesper yelled from the SUV.
“Sorry,” Kat yelled over her shoulder, “but this creep thinks we have Ringle.”
“Well, he’s an idiot. And there’s nothing wrong with bedding a werewolf. It’s no worse than you sleeping with a vampire.”
“I haven’t slept with Thomas,” Kat yelled.
“Not yet,” Vesper yelled back.
The stranger’s face started to get red. His plan to intimidate her had devolved into a yelling match between Kat and Vesper. “You are both whores. Now where is Ringle?”
“Woah. Only I get to call her a whore,” Kat said. “Now how about you and whoever else is skulking around go away so we can get back on the road.”
“I’ve had enough of your nonsense. I gave you a chance. We’ll just take Ringle.” The stranger then lifted his hand and a ball of fire magically appeared. He flicked his hand like he was tossing a Frisbee, and the ball of fire flew towards Kat.
Kat pushed her protective wards out. The magical shield glowed and sparked as the fireball hit it. “That wasn’t very nice.”
The mage scowled. “Hurka, come forth.”
The magic that had been hiding the demon evaporated, and a demon appeared on top of the flipped-over car. It jumped into the air, flying towards Kat. Meanwhile, the mage fired more fireballs at her.
Kat kept her magic focused on her wards and blocking the mage’s fireballs. As the demon dropped down, trying to land on top of her, Kat jumped back out of the way. She narrowly avoided being squished by the demon that looked like a crocodile and a gorilla. What was it with demons that looked like mutant apes?
Jumping back, Kat pulled the clip from her gun and quickly put in a clip filled with holy water rounds. She fired the first round at the mage to get rid of the silver and wood bullet in the chamber, and then fired three rounds into the demon’s chest at point-blank range.
The demon tried to keep coming forward.
“Seriously? What did you feed this thing? It doesn’t know when to die.”
The demon hissed.
Kat raised her ward to stop a pair of fireballs from the mage, and then fired two more rounds into the head of the demon. It finally exploded. She turned her head to look for the mage, but Vesper had gotten out of the SUV and had cast some sort of spell. The mage was on the ground and he wasn’t moving.
Kat scanned the scene. There didn’t appear to be anyone else. She looked in the flipped car and found the body of the driver. The mage had killed an innocent human to set up the trap. “Dirty bastard,” Kat swore.
Vesper was on the phone. She came up beside Kat and looked at the body. “Daemon says that they were attacked too, but Dante took them out.
“I wonder how they found us,” Kat said.
Vesper shrugged. “Considering there were only three mages and a demon, I’m guessing they split up and were watching several roads. This clown and his demon aren’t enough to stop us.”
“No, but now they know where we are. We should get back on the road,” Kat said.
A set of headlights appeared in the distance, and moments later Daemon and Erica pulled up.
“Everything OK?” Daemon asked.
“Fine. Just a mage and an ugly-ass demon. Nothing we can’t hand
le,” Kat said.
“Good. Any survivors of the car crash?” Daemon asked.
“No,” Kat said.
Daemon frowned. “OK. Erica will get in touch with the state police and let them know what happened. Meanwhile, we keep moving. I’m thinking this wasn’t the only attack we’ll see before Vegas.”
“That’s what we think too. Now they have an idea where we are.”
“We’ll drive a few more hours and then hole up somewhere,” Daemon said. “I’ll call once we decide where.”
“Got it,” Kat said as she jumped back into the SUV.
As they took off, Vesper took a deep breath.
Kat looked at her roommate. “Your first battle. You OK?”
“I’m fine. My heart is pounding. Everything felt like it happened so much faster than when we trained at Quantico, even with your messing with that mage’s head. It wasn’t like I expected it to be.”
“You did great, Vesper.”
She laughed. “I feel a little strange right now. I know I should feel bad for killing that mage, but at the same time he was just an asshole trying to kill you. And did you see the way he was looking at us when you were ranting about me being a were-fucker? It looked like he didn’t know if he should kill us or charge us for therapy sessions.”
“Keep them off-balanced. It doesn’t hurt to have your enemies thinking you’re unhinged, and as soon as you bring sex into a conversation, men’s minds get sidetracked.”
Vesper shook her head. “Sometimes I think you really are unhinged, but you nailed that one. What do you think will happen next? You think we’ll make it to Vegas without another attack?”
“I doubt it,” Kat said. “They were obviously watching multiple highways; that is the only way they could’ve gotten ahead of us like that. No one knew our route before we left. That means there’s a whole bunch more bad guys that now know where we are. We can keep changing up the route, but they’ll probably find us again. The only question is when they’ll attack.”
“Well, that just sucks donkey sack,” Vesper said.
Kat’s brow furrowed. “That’s gross.”
“So is being ambushed by mages and demons.”
“True, but you don’t have to be crass about it.”
Vesper laughed. “Aren’t you the one who accused me of being a were-fucker?”
“No, I just said you screw werewolves. Totally different. Besides, that was heat of the moment talk. That doesn’t count as being vulgar, that is just creative language used as a distraction.”
“Ah, I see. You’re right. That is totally different.”
Vesper’s phone beeped. She read the message. “Booked rooms in North Platte.”
Kat frowned. “Where in the world is North Platte?”
“Nebraska. You really didn’t know?”
“I wasn’t very good at geography in school.”
“And you weren’t paying enough attention when we were going over the possible routes. North Platte is the last town before we decide if we have to do our last major route change.”
“We looked at like a dozen routes, how am I supposed to remember them all?” Kat asked.
“It’s not that hard. Jeesh.”
“Whatever. I’m the driver, you’re the navigator.”
Vesper chuckled. “Well, you’ve been navigated. Get us to North Platte.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”
13
Kat
Kat stretched her legs. They’d been driving for hours, but they’d finally made it to North Platte.
“Feels weird going to bed at nine in the morning,” Vesper said.
Kat laughed. “Really?”
“Well, it’s not like I haven’t done it before, but usually there was a party or something fun going on, not driving a witness across the country.”
“You should’ve slept while I was driving,” Kat said.
“After meeting a mage and a demon on the road? No, thank you.”
“Come on, you two,” Daemon said. “Here’s your room key.”
“Who’s keeping watch?” Kat asked. “Someone should be awake.”
“Me,” Dante said as he walked up to them. “I don’t need sleep.”
“I guess that settles that,” Kat said.
“No one will disturb your sleep,” Dante said with a grin. “At least, I hope they don’t. A daylight attack in a city is foolish.”
“If the Blood Runners are involved, don’t rule it out,” Kat said. “I’ve been attacked several times during the day. They just don’t give a shit when or where they attack.”
“Good to know,” Dante said. “I’ll be vigilant.”
“We have the three rooms. Chuck is in the middle room. If anything does happen, Daemon and I will hold back and make sure he’s secure,” Erica said. “Dante and Kat will deal with any unpleasant visitors. The rest of you stay in your rooms and provide backup. Any questions?”
No one said anything.
Erica nodded. “OK. Everyone go get some sleep.”
When they got into the room, Vesper called the shop.
“East Wind Apothecary. Meg Anne speaking.”
“Hey Megs, it’s Vesper. I’m just checking in to see how things are going.”
“Things are fine. I’ve got all the basic potions done, and Aldo has been doing his thing. No problems here.”
“Perfect. Thanks again, Meg Anne. You’re a lifesaver.”
Meg Anne laughed. “This isn’t exactly a rough gig. I get to play with all your toys and spend my nights with Aldo and Raye. You really do have an impressive shop.”
“Oh God. Don’t tell me what you two have been doing with Aldo. I do not want to know. I’ll call you again when I have more time. Call me if anything important comes up.”
“Will do,” Meg Anne promised.
Vesper hung up and sat down on her bed.
“How are things at the shop?” Kat asked.
“Good. Meg Anne was just telling me how smooth things were going and how happy she and Raye are to hang out with Aldo.”
Kat shook her head. “Who knew Aldo was such a ladies’ man?”
“Those girls are crazy, but whatever he’s doing, they are liking it,” Vesper said. “But it’s a relief knowing they’re there.” Vesper got up and grabbed a glass from the bathroom, poured some water in it and then took a pouch from her purse and added some powder to the water. She then handed the concoction to Kat. “Drink this.”
Kat eyed the water. It was now a pink color with swirls of purple. “What is it?”
“A sleeping potion. You’ll get to sleep right away and wake up more refreshed than normal, even if you only get a couple hours. It also won’t make you zonk out, so if something happens, you’ll wake up without feeling groggy.”
Kat took the potion and drank it. It tasted like strawberries and chocolate. “That’s pretty good. Do all your potions taste that good?”
“I try to learn what my clients like before making them potions. You like Strawberry Quick and dark chocolate, so I made your sleep potion taste like that. Mine is a banana kiwi watermelon flavor.”
Kat yawned. “I think it is working. I’m already feeling like I need to lie down.” Kat sat down on the bed. “Nighty night.”
...
Kat woke to a knock on the door. At Vesper had promised, it hadn’t taken much to get her to wake, which wasn’t normally the case. Normally she slept like a log.
Vesper was still asleep, so Kat quietly got up and went to the door. Dante was outside.
“We’ve got company,” Dante said. “Across the road, see that black sedan?”
Kat squinted as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. “Yes, but I can’t see inside.” The sedan had tinted windows and was at an angle where she couldn’t see through the front windshield.
“Four humans. They’ve been watching the hotel for an hour now, but a second sedan just drove by a little too slow and parked around the corner. That one had four more people, and at least one i
s a magic user.”
“Eight? You think that is all of them?” Kat asked.
“I doubt it. I think these are the scouts.”
“How do you want to handle this? Hit them before they hit us? Or wait?”
Dante looked up the street. “I think we wait. This will be a good opportunity to find out what we’re against.”
“I’m surprised they’re attacking us in a city during broad daylight.”
“They attacked on the road at night, and that didn’t work out well for them,” Dante said. “Go back into your room and watch through the window. Don’t do anything until they get out of their cars, or you see me attack.”
Kat nodded and went back inside.
Vesper woke up. “What’s going on?”
Kat pulled her guns out and checked her clips. She’d try using her magic to stop the attack, but she wanted to be ready. “The usual.”
“The usual is carloads of gang bangers trying to kill you,” Vesper said.
“Exactly, except this time they aren’t trying to kill me, and they might not be gang bangers. They might be religious fanatics looking to convert us to their cult.”
Vesper shook her head. “Somehow I think that isn’t very likely.”
“Which part? The not wanting to kill me or the religious stuff?”
“Both,” Vesper said.
“Fine, they may want to kill me, but I’m not the main reason they’re here. The Chuckster gets that award.”
Vesper walked to the window and looked through the blinds. “See, now that is far more believable. We waiting them out?”
“Yes. Dante wants to get an idea of what we’re up against.”
“I supposed this is as good a spot as any. Middle of the day, the hotel is probably as empty as it’s going to get, and there isn’t a whole lot of traffic on this street, so civilian casualties won’t be as big a concern as it might be somewhere else. I warded the rooms before I went to sleep last night, including the rooms on either side of our rooms, so unless they launch a missile, there shouldn’t be too much damage to the building if it turns into a gun fight.”
Kat nodded as she kept an eye on the road. Three passenger vans pulled into the hotel parking lot. It was either a sporting team or a whole lot of trouble. Her answer came when the side door to the first van opened and an ogre stepped out carrying a sword.
