Born Into Flames

by Justin Sloan

  “Why’s that?”

  “The Prince wouldn’t be stopping here if it wasn’t. He’s either gathering reinforcements, or warning the eight leaders.”

  “Now you’re telling me there’s like, what, a consortium of pirate leaders or some such crap?”

  Martha chuckled. “To be fair, not all of us refer to ourselves as pirates. It’s just a thing most of us along the coast started adapting after others put the label on us. A lot of the groups don’t even pirate, but… it got worse with Kaine around. There was no one to resist him, so it kept going.”

  “And now, under Cammie and Royland?”

  “I think this world is coming around,” Martha said. “There’s going to be friction along the way, that’s for sure. But any kind of energy requires friction, doesn’t it?”

  “And we’re moving in the right path,” Valerie said with a nod. “It’s not every day you get to be part of setting the world back on the right path.”

  Martha shook her head. “I can honestly say I never thought that’d be in my stars.”

  “We move in, keep a low profile, and make our move when we have the lay of the land,” Valerie said. “When we know who the violent actors are, those aligned most closely with the Prince.”

  “Exactly… That is, if that’s something you all are capable of.”

  “We deserve that,” Valerie said, thinking back on how fast their undercover operation to get close to the Prince had fallen apart. “But it’ll be different this time.”

  “How so?”

  “We’re committed. There’re more lives at stake… I don’t know. Those sound like good reasons to me.”

  Martha nodded. “Me too, but remember that reason doesn’t always hold when emotions are in play.”

  “Who made you Ms. Wise all of a sudden?”

  “My nephew would say it’s more like Ms. Pain-in-the-butt, but thank you.”

  Valerie nodded, then found a corner of the ship where she could watch the ground approaching. She wanted a moment of silence to prepare for what was coming and to reassess everything going on. Robin was in a different place than her, what with trying to rescue her family. She got that, and realized it was better to just be there for her right now, to help her through this. Maybe then they could talk about silly things like feelings.

  Right now, Valerie needed to ensure she had the sharpest swords possible, loaded pistols, and a scowl that looked the part of a pirate.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Old Manhattan

  The city looked dark and gloomy this day, in spite of the sun sparkling off of the tall buildings. Diego and Garcia took the long route to Enforcer HQ, both keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of violence.

  All was silent. There wasn’t a single gunshot or explosion, but it was also one of those mornings where all the homeless were off the streets. It was eerie, like they were walking into a city that no one had lived in for years.

  “You all out west deal with shit like this?” Diego asked.

  Garcia chuckled. “Everyone has their problems. Lucky for those under TH, he doesn’t let anything slide. He keeps a tight fist, if you know what I mean.”

  “It’s a strange saying, but sure, I gotcha.” He heard a sound and thought a shadow moved in the nearby alley, but after a second, nothing happened, so he moved on. “This is why I left Spain, honestly.”

  “I thought I detected an accent, but, you know…”

  “I’m Asian, so you didn’t want to ask?”

  Diego nodded. “It’s a long story, but yeah. Mostly grew up on the streets. Lucky for me, fending for yourself as a Were isn’t all that tough. Even for a kid.”

  “Damn… Sorry to hear it. I mean, it must’ve been harsh, though.”

  Diego shrugged. “In many ways, yeah. That’s why I’m such a softy when it comes to Sandra and having a kid on the way. I want to be the father I never had, you know? The husband she needs, so that my kid and my wife never have to experience that loneliness. Don’t you dare crack a joke about me being less manly for it either, or I’ll crack your skull.”

  “The thought didn’t cross my mind,” Garcia said with a chuckle. “You two are married, then?” Garcia glanced over, curious. “When I said something about it before, I coulda sworn there was this confusion in her eyes.”

  “Does it matter? Out here, is there such a thing as a true husband and wife anymore? Yeah, sure, the village elder, clan leader, or mayor or whatever the hell authority figure there is might make it official, but I don’t see that as any more official than what we’ve got.”

  “A man of wisdom,” Garcia said.

  He paused, held up a hand, and gestured to the street ahead. Sure enough, something moved there, then was gone.

  Diego was about to give chase, when a pod rounded the corner on the opposite side, then two more. They hovered nearby, then all three opened their doors to reveal soldiers with rifles aimed in on Diego.

  “The hell’s this?” he asked, hands up. “The coup won then, I take it?”

  “Drop your weapons to the ground,” a voice called out from the middle one. “The Were’s coming with us, into custody.”

  Diego pursed his lips, considering this. “And if I say no?”

  “Sir, do as commanded or we will use force.”

  He glanced at Garcia to see if he could get a read on what the man was thinking, and Garcia nodded. What choice did they have?

  Unslinging his rifle, Diego held it out to show he was lowering it, when out from the left, where they had spotted the other shape, a whooshing sounded, followed by a trail of smoke and then—

  CABOOM!

  The first pod exploded, hit by what must have been a rocket launcher. It slammed into the next one over, but the third one pulled out of their path, turning to open fire on whoever was in the alley.

  “Go!” Garcia said, pulling Diego back so they could run the other way.

  Two more forms appeared from the window overhead, shooting up the pod behind Diego and Garcia as they escaped.

  “What the hell’s wrong with you New Yorkers?” Garcia shouted, ducking down another alley and leading them in the general direction of Enforcer HQ.

  “Not enough outlets for our aggression, I assume,” Diego replied, ducking under a partially lowered fire-escape. “Thing is, it never seems to let up long enough for me to catch my breath.”

  “Well, that’s something we’ll have to put a stop to, isn’t it?”

  “Damn right.”

  They came to a stop as four soldiers came at them, former Enforcers now wearing the uniform Donnoly had started to institute—black with a patch over the left shoulder that had the symbol of a sword over a golden circle on it.

  “On the ground!” one of the soldiers shouted, but then a smoke grenade rolled in, stopping at their feet. It exploded with a blast that left the smoke to fill their lungs and leave them hacking, and then a figure ran though, shouting for Diego and Garcia to follow.

  Two streets over, the figure turned and Diego stopped when he saw who it was.

  “Esmerelda.”

  “You want to be their prisoner?” she asked. “If not, get your ass moving.”

  Garcia aimed in at her with his rifle. “This is the bitch whose buddy tried to kill us?”

  “Tried to…?” Esmerelda held up her hands, looking baffled. “No, not Presley. Right? I mean, if she did anything to hurt you, I had no idea.”

  “What’s going on here, then?” Diego asked, pulling his own rifle up now, too.

  “Both of you calm the hell down,” Esmerelda said. “They’re making a move against us, the humans. They want all Weres and vampires out of the picture. We can’t just sit by and let that happen.”

  Diego shook his head. “I would agree with you, if I believed that was the case. But Presley already spilled the beans. So, we’ve got a problem.”

  “Yes, we do,” she said, gesturing for them to look around. When they did, they weren’t surprised to see several Weres and soldiers with
guns aimed in on them.

  “We’ve faced worse,” Garcia said, smiling.

  “You won’t walk out of this one,” Esmerelda said. “Last chance.”

  “Yeah, just give me a sec,” Diego said, glancing in Garcia’s direction. Garcia got the message and ducked into a backwards roll as Diego transformed and leapt out of the way of the gunfire that opened up on the spot they’d been standing.

  Esmerelda started swearing, then tore off her clothes as she transformed and gave chase to Diego. He’d have to hope Garcia could fend for himself, because he was half the size of Esmerelda transformed, and right now needed to get the hell out of there if they hoped to escape and survive.

  He dove into the first window he found open, then made it across a work bench and past a line of furniture left half-assembled, then darted up a stairway as a crash sounded below.

  He transformed long enough to open the closest door, then closed it behind him before transforming again to dart across another room, this one littered with raw lumber. He made it to the window and considered jumping, but then reconsidered.

  Glancing around, he came up with a plan. He became a human and ran over to the corner where he found a sledgehammer and a nail gun among the other tools.

  Sweet.

  Then he ran over and knelt by the door.

  As soon as it burst open, he was ready with the nail gun. First, he sent a nail into Esmerelda’s leg to surprise her, then one into her foot to keep her in place. It went right through and into the floor, as he’d hoped.

  She was in her human form from having to open the door, but now transformed again. It was instantaneous, but he had been planning on that, too, and had already stood and brought the hammer up… and down.

  THWONK.

  She collapsed, out cold, with the strike of that sledge hammer to her head. Hell, for all he knew, she might be dead and, frankly, he didn’t give a damn.

  He pulled her foot up so that the nail went right through, and cringed. If she was still alive, that was going to hurt like a bitch when she awoke. That’s what she got for trying to kill him and take over the city.

  She was heavy like this, but he managed to get her over his shoulders and carry her down the stairs, glad to see they weren’t far from Enforcer HQ now. He began the trudge over.

  It was only when he saw the grin on the face of a bloodied Garcia that he realized how ridiculous he must look. A completely nude man, covered in blood, carrying a wolf over his shoulders as if it was a decorative fashion piece.

  “You, uh, lost your clothes,” Garcia said, tossing them over.

  “Hold on.” Diego tossed Esmerelda in wolf form to the ground, almost enjoying the thud she made against the cement, and then started dressing. “You took out all those guys by yourself, then went back for my clothes?”

  “Hey, I couldn’t have you walking around making the rest of us look bad.”

  “Is that… a dick joke?” Diego scoffed. “I don’t know why, but I thought you TH army guys were too, I don’t know, mature for that.”

  “Maybe you all are rubbing off on me.”

  “As long as we’re not rubbing one off on you.”

  Garcia frowned.

  “Too far?” Diego asked.

  “I just don’t know the saying. Should I be offended, or amused?”

  “Amused… but I’m not explaining it.”

  Garcia laughed. “Well, then I’m offended. But don’t worry, I’ll figure out a way to get you back.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” Diego said, finally dressed. He noticed three soldiers emerging from Enforcer HQ, rifles aimed out, Davies among them. “Hey, you all misplace this one?”

  He gestured to Esmerelda, and one of them ran back, likely for support, while Davies and the other jogged over.

  “You took her out?” Davies asked, inspecting her. “She’s still alive, but… what’s this? You put a nail through her paw?”

  “It was a foot at the time,” Diego said. “But… yeah.”

  “Damn. Whatever it takes, right?” Davies shook his hand. “We owe you one.”

  “What you owe me is telling me where Sandra is.”

  Davies’ face went pale.

  “Where the fuck is my wife, Davies?”

  “We… kinda have her on lockdown. In Valerie’s old office.”

  Diego shook his head and started walking into the building. “You take care of the wolf. You might want to warn your guys, if anyone tries to stop me or continue to detain Sandra, they’re going flying from a window. Probably one of the top ones.”

  “I’d listen to him,” Garcia said. “It’s been a tough night.”

  Diego was glad to see Garcia join him a moment later. The soldier who had been with Davies went running past them with a worried glance their way, and Diego paused to let him take the first elevator.

  “Might want to give them a second, so we don’t have to kill anyone,” Garcia said.

  “Yeah, might.” Diego had lost his sense of humor when hearing that they’d effectively locked up Sandra. But he had guessed what had happened, after those soldiers tried to take him into custody. He was going to have a long talk with Donnoly.

  Finally, the second elevator opened and they rode it up to the old office. When they exited, three soldiers stood there with Donnoly, and Sandra, arms folded across her chest.

  Diego was about to say something to Donnoly, when he noticed the red hand print on his face.

  “You already had a talk with him?” he asked his wife.

  She nodded, too pissed to smile, but then her joy at seeing him won over and she ran to give him a big kiss.

  “This city’s going to take some work,” Garcia said, glaring at Donnoly.

  “Good thing you’re here to help us,” Diego said, with a nod of thanks to Garcia. “And good thing Donnoly here’s man enough to let smarter people than him make decisions. Isn’t that right?”

  Donnoly grunted something, but nodded.

  “Good,” Garcia said, standing tall. “First things first, we’re going to set up an internal defense system here, so this can never happen again. Then, starting tomorrow because I need some sleep first, I’ll start training the troops. You can be damn sure that I’m going to be testing their loyalty along the way.” He turned to Donnoly, head cocked. “I know you’re doing what you think’s best, and I’m not here to tell you how to run your city. But I damn sure hope we can work together. What’ya say?”

  Donnoly looked defeated, lost. But these words made him perk up slightly, and he nodded. “Yes, I’d like that.”

  “Good. Send out word to your men that the bad wolves and their followers have fallen, along with those out in the field. It’s rebuilding time.”

  Diego held out his arm and then Sandra looped her arm through his. “Come, m’lady. This sir needs a nap.”

  “Judging by the way you’re talking, a long one,” she said with a chuckle.

  He smiled, glad to be home and to feel her at his side.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Slaver’s Peak

  Slaver’s Peak didn’t look as well-kept as last time the Prince had been here for fighters. The pickings must’ve grown slim, or Captain Greenhand had grown weak.

  He'd see to it that all of that changed, once he reached Toro and told the council about this. They understood power like he did, they saw the need for a steady stream of new cut-throats.

  He strode forward, leaving the three airships behind as he headed for the main tent. The sun was strong overhead, but he wore his red hat, a broad-rimmed captain’s hat that gave him shade. They would see him coming by the way the sunlight glinted off of the gold trim on his hat and long coat, a fact that he enjoyed. Anytime royalty entered a room, the underlings should be ready. As far as he was concerned, everyone but the council in Toro was his underling.

  The others at his side were shorter than he was, but hand-picked. His best fighters, his most loyal subjects.

  When they reached the tent, two of his men pulled the
tent flaps apart. Jessabel led the way to announce his coming. As much as he disregarded her and, at the moment despised her, he had to admit that she was his best with a blade. The other two were excellent marksmen when it came to rifles and rail guns.

  “On your feet, you mangy dogs,” Jessabel shouted. “The Prince adorns you with his presence.”

  “Don’t come in here with that shit,” a stout man said, stepping forward and waving for his men to stay seated or keep on with what they were doing. He wore a baseball cap and had the look of a special forces soldier, ignoring the gray beard.

  Jessabel pulled her blade on him, but the Prince held up a hand.

  “And who are you?” the Prince asked.

  “They call me Apex,” the man said. “I took over for Greenhand. Appointed by the Pirate Council, on account of this place going to shit under his command.”

  The Prince chewed at the inside of his cheek as he considered this, then nodded for Jessabel to stand down.

  “You’ve heard of me?” he asked.

  Apex nodded. “Kind words have been said about your skills, less kind words about your sanity.”

  Jessabel and the others glared, but the Prince simply broke out in laughter.

  “Good, good,” he said. “Then my hard work has been paying off. I’ve come to collect. I need fighters.”

  Apex nodded, but held out his hands. “Apex requires payment. More than before.”

  “More?”

  “Double.”

  At this, the Prince was about to argue, but his gut clenched and he turned, arms shaking.

  “What is it?” Jessabel asked.

  “No time for this haggling bullshit,” the Prince replied. “She’s here, I feel it. Le Diable. She’s found us… she’s come to claim my soul.”

  “Fucker’s crazy as they say,” Apex said to one of his men.

  But the Prince wasn’t listening. Instead, he was stepping back into the shadows, eyes searching, debating how best to bring this fight to the she-devil. Because he was sure his feeling was right. He didn’t know how she had found him, but she had.