“There are eight of us.” The girl smiled, her eyes innocent on the young face. “Don’t worry, if Preacher Ed finds you worthy, you may be called to serve, too.”
Yes, I’ll slice his throat first. “That’s nice.”
The girl turned away. Audrey hugged her shoulders, crushing the fabric of the new yellow suit she’d bought for the occasion. It was just as expensive as the pink one, twice as ridiculous, and it bared so much of her breasts, she could cause a small riot. None of it made her feel better. She had a distinct feeling that their scheme wouldn’t go well.
Her thoughts kept returning to the wyvern and Ling the Merciless and the little cat. Gaston had wanted to cage them, but she told him not to do it. If something happened . . . well, at least Ling wouldn’t starve to death locked in a cage.
Kaldar’s warm arms closed around her. He pulled her closer, leaning toward her ear, and kissed her neck, his lips hot, his touch reassuring. His whisper sounded in her ear, meant for her alone. “I have two magic bombs, and my sword is hidden in my jacket. I can carve my way through all of them. Nobody here will stop us. It will go smooth as silk. I promise.”
Again with swords. “How will your sword stop a bullet?” she whispered.
“I’ll show you. Relax, Audrey. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I want you so badly, I can taste it.”
She pulled back from him and saw his eyes, laughing at her. “In this yellow suit?”
“I love the yellow suit,” he told her. “I love your face, your eyes, your breasts, your ass, I love it all.”
Impossible man. “We’re about to get killed, and you’re fantasizing about my ass?”
“I can’t help it.”
“You’re insane,” she whispered. Her tension evaporated into the air.
“The boys,” he whispered back.
George and Jack, scrubbed clean and dressed in identical plain white T-shirts and sweatpants, came down the aisle, led by Paul. George looked calm. Jack’s eyes were huge and wild. The crowd’s mood was probably wreaking havoc on his nerves.
“Boys!” Audrey rose and waved.
Paul stared at her cleavage for a long second, then pushed the boys forward.
“There you are.” Audrey made a big show of hugging first George, then Jack, whispering the same thing into their ears, “Get ready to run.”
The kids sat next to Kaldar. Paul turned away.
“Aren’t you staying for the sermon?” Audrey asked.
“No. I have some errands.” Paul headed up the aisle. Other camp staffers were leaving as well. A couple of moments, and the church doors began to close behind them. Audrey watched the light between them shrink with a sinking feeling.
The doors clanged closed. They were locked in.
FROM his position at the root of a large pine, Karmash peered at the men with guns shutting the church doors. The camp sat on the side of a hill, and from his vantage point, Karmash had an excellent view of the entire place. He’d observed both Kaldar Mar and the red-haired woman enter the church and had released an enhanced message bird the moment Karmash had seen Kaldar’s face.
The priest had a small but solid compound. Karmash personally counted twelve guards, quite a force. Two went inside the church, two remained by the church doors, and the rest filed into a log house on the far left. None of them would present a problem.
Cotier scuttled down the pine trunk, descending from the branches like a lizard, with his head down. Muscular, quick, the scout was an odd creature even by the Hand’s standards: brown and green pigments swirled within his skin, and as he paused on the trunk, his face mimicked its colors and rough brown pattern. His voice came out as a low, slightly sibilant whisper. “What are they doing?”
“It appears they’re locking them in.”
“That’s not good.”
“Thank you for stating the obvious.” He had no idea what the Edgers were doing, but whatever it was, it required armed guards and barred doors. In Karmash’s experience, that was never a good combination for the party that was being locked in.
“Should we do something?”
Helena was really too permissive with her crew. Agents under his command never questioned his decisions in such a manner. Karmash weighed the choices at hand. The real question was what would piss Helena off more, acting against her orders or losing Kaldar Mar to some Edger insanity.
Nobody bothered to question the winners. If he delivered Kaldar Mar, all would be forgiven. He might even be commended for taking the initiative.
The two guards took position by the doors, brandishing their rifles.
If he screwed this up, there would be no coming back.
Karmash gritted his teeth. He couldn’t take a chance on losing Kaldar. That would be unforgivable, and Helena wasn’t known for her mercy.
He shrugged off his camouflage cloak. Mura stepped out from behind a tree trunk, her orange skin bright against the greenery despite camouflage paint. Karmash nearly winced. True, as a slayer, Mura was never meant to be used in a forest setting, but her skin was almost fluorescent. She would’ve never made the cut in Spider’s crew. Helena’s standards clearly differed.
To the left, Soma emerged from the underbrush and crouched. Thick, monstrous muscle sheathed the hunter’s frame. His hair dripped down his back in long blond rolls, matching the crest of fur running down his spine. The hunter raked the forest floor with his enormous claws. His gaze bored into the two guards below.
“Soma,” Karmash called.
The hunter didn’t answer.
“Soma!”
The man slowly turned his head and peered at Karmash with pale eyes. His face showed no expression; it was like looking at a wolf.
“Do not kill the male. Helena needs him alive. Do you understand me?”
Soma didn’t answer.
“Do you understand?”
Soma glanced at Cotier. The scout gave him an understanding look. Fury boiled inside Karmash.
“Don’t look at him. Answer me!”
“He can’t,” Cotier said. “He gave up his power of speech for the glory of Gaul. He understands.”
Karmash growled under his breath.
“Would you like me to take out the guards?” Cotier asked.
“No.” Karmash started toward the camp.
THE choir filed onstage, their faces rapt, lit up with inner joy. Their voices blended into one. “Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah . . .”
The side door opened, and Yonker walked into the aisle. He wore a black business suit. A crimson Superman-like cape perched on his shoulders, held in place by a gold cloak chain. Her gaze fastened on the chain. The Eyes of Karuman. They hadn’t gotten the emitter exactly right, but they were close, very close.
The crowd gasped.
Yonker raised his arms.
Nobody laughed. Nobody called him out or ridiculed his outfit. An older woman in the back row began to weep. The man in front of them rocked back and forth, mumbling, “Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.”
Dear Lord, what sort of madhouse is this?
Yonker began his procession down the aisle. People reached out, crawling over each other to touch his hands. Fifteen feet.
How exactly would Kaldar pull this off in plain view? She had to shield them from the rest of the audience somehow.
Twelve feet.
Six.
Audrey hopped off her seat, putting an extra bounce into it. Her breasts went up and down in the satin cage of her bra, and Yonker stared down her cleavage. She held out her hands, smiling her big smile, tears glistening in her eyes. Yonker held out his hands, and she hugged him, sliding her hand under his cape to grab his ass. Ed’s eyes widened, and he pulled her closer.
“Excuse me.” Kaldar rose. His arms covered hers and he gently untangled her from Yonker’s chest. “My wife is getting too much into the spirit.”
“That’s fine.” Yonker waved his hand magnanimously and went on to the podium, his chain intact.
&n
bsp; That hug lasted barely five seconds. Not nearly enough time to exchange the chain. The realization sank in like a heavy stone to the pit of her stomach. They had failed.
KARMASH strode to the house on the left, where the murmur of voices announced the presence of people. The three operatives followed him.
“Where are you going?” Cotier murmured, a step behind.
“We need sword meat.”
“There is only one Edger man and one woman.”
Karmash was getting tired of this constant opposition. “You haven’t fought the Mars. I have. We’ll need a shield of bodies between us. Trust me on this.”
The door loomed in front of him. He punched it open and walked into the room. Eight men stared at him. He noted rifles on the walls. As he’d surmised, they were the rest of the priest’s guards.
Karmash reached into his pocket and dropped a handful of gold coins on the table. A small ransom. A quiet sound fluttered through the room as six men simultaneously sucked in their breath.
“I’m hunting a man,” Karmash said. “He’s in your church trying to kill your priest. I need this man alive. Help me apprehend him, and this gold is yours.”
AUDREY landed in her seat and leaned over to Kaldar. “What’s the plan, C again?”
Kaldar slipped his arm around her, pulling her closer, possessive, and toyed with her hair. “No need for Plan C. I’ve got it.”
“What?”
He eased his jacket open, squeezing the lining with his hand, and she glimpsed the outline of the chain in the secret pocket. “How . . . When?”
“Trade secret, love.” He smiled at her.
Damn it, but the man is smooth. She leaned over and kissed the corner of his mouth.
“Careful now,” he murmured.
Ed Yonker climbed to the pulpit and raised his hands. “Brothers and sisters!”
The crowd stared at him, rapt.
“Listen to me and heed my words.”
The crowd stared. Someone cleared their throat.
“Today I bring you the Blessed Light!”
The crowd watched him. Yonker frowned. Alarm squirmed through Audrey. Something must have usually happened during this part of the service, and it was clearly not happening. George leaned to Kaldar and whispered urgently. Kaldar leaned toward her. “The gems are supposed to emit light when hit with magic.”
“I don’t suppose you can do emotion-manipulation magic?” she whispered.
“No.”
Audrey eased her feet out of her spiked heels.
Yonker touched the chain. His face turned bright red with fury.
A man jumped up on the right. Slicked-back hair, pale, where had she see him before? The recognition popped like a soap bubble in her head: Magdalene’s receptionist, Adam, with the weird haircut. He’d pulled his hair back off his face, and it had thrown her for a minute.
The pale man pointed at them. “They stole it! They took it!”
Magdalene had double-crossed them.
“Kill them!” Yonker bellowed.
“Cover your ears!” Kaldar hurled something toward the pulpit. Audrey clamped her hands over her ears.
The guards yanked their rifles off their shoulders.
A brilliant white light exploded between the benches and the stage, followed by a clap of thunder that punched through her hands straight into her eardrums. The church shook. The pictures danced and crashed to the floor.
A dozen people screamed at once. Men and women jumped from their seats, pushing each other out of the way in a rush to get out, concealing them temporarily from the guards. Audrey jumped to her feet and pushed her way into the aisle, trying to brace against the crowd so the boys could exit. Jack somersaulted over her head and landed in the center aisle, his eyes on fire with glowing amber. George ran along the bench like a tightrope walker. Jack grabbed her right arm, George took her left, and they pulled her to the doors. Kaldar brought up the rear.
The white light turned orange as the photographs and the purple brocade at the altar caught fire. The choir fled. Yonker didn’t move. He simply stood there, bewildered, looking at the flames.
A bench collapsed in the other row, knocking a knot of bodies to the ground. The closest guard was closing in, clubbing people streaming to the doors with the butt of his rifle. A long, slender blade flashed in Kaldar’s hand.
He does have a sword. Audrey blinked.
The guard took aim, almost point-blank. Kaldar sliced, someone howled, and the flood of people hid them from her view.
The crowd crashed against the church doors. They held. People smashed into Audrey, pushing her forward into the writhing mass of bodies clawing at the door. We’ll get crushed, flashed through her head.
A loud yell, savage and inhuman, overtook the desperate cries of the crowd. The doors parted, and for a moment Audrey saw a giant man, silhouetted against the light, enormous muscles bulging on his arms. He leaped aside, and people spilled out of the church, into the sunlight.
“Go!” Audrey pushed the boys forward. “Go, go, go.”
The press of the crowd carried them outside. They burst into the open, running past two men with rifles. A guard on the right, a big thick man with a short beard, cursed. “Thin the crowd! Thin the crowd, or we’ll lose him.”
The man next to him raised his rifle and fired into the crowd. A dark-haired man dropped to the ground. On the other side of the church, another gunshot popped. A man screamed.
They were shooting at their own congregation.
The bearded guard raised his rifle.
Oh no, no you don’t, you sick bastard.
Audrey sprinted and hit him, ramming him hard with her shoulder. The man went down. Jack landed on top of him with a guttural snarl, ripped the rifle from the guard’s hands, and smashed the butt into the man’s head. The other guard stumbled back, jerking his weapon up.
George’s eyes ignited with white. Tiny streaks of white flash, bright like lightning, rolled from his hands.
The guard dropped the rifle and took off.
People still ran from the church. Kaldar and Gaston were nowhere in sight.
The kids were looking at her. They had to get a car. Audrey whirled, looking around. Yonker’s Jeep Cherokee was parked on the side of the church. “Jack, grab that rifle and follow me!” She sprinted to the Jeep, her bare feet barely touching the ground.
THE exit beckoned Kaldar, a glowing rectangle of light. He walked up the aisle, light on his feet. Behind him, two men writhed in pain. Farther still, behind the low wall of fire, Yonker screamed curses from the pulpit.
A peculiar calm claimed Kaldar, the smooth serenity that always came to him in battle. His family was old, rooted in a half-forgotten time when wars had pushed elite warriors of the old Weird kingdoms into the pit of hell that was the Mire. Their blood flowed in his veins. His uncle was a man of the Old Ways—his sword was death on the battlefield. Cerise was one, too. His brother Richard was one as well. And so was he.
The blade had been a part of Kaldar’s education since he could stand on his own two feet. He didn’t like to kill unless he had no choice. Not even Murid’s death had changed that. But he was raised to find peace within the slaughter, and that peace sustained him now.
A bullet whistled by Kaldar’s ear. On the left, a young man, barely old enough to hold a rifle, tried to reload his weapon with shaking hands. Kaldar ducked and threw a knife. The blade sank into the wall next to the guard’s head. The boy dropped the rifle.
“Run!” Kaldar called.
The guard scrambled outside.
“You!” Yonker snapped out of his daze and screamed like a stuck bull. “Stop him!”
A man lunged at Kaldar from the right. Large, muscular, but sadly too slow. Kaldar rolled his blade over the man’s left thigh. Blood gushed. Kaldar leaned away from the man’s punch and sliced the other thigh. The man croaked something and went down like a log. Kaldar skirted him and kept walking. Three guards burst through the doors, ran down the aisle, s
aw him, and halted. The blond man on the left looked at the two bodies behind him. “Holy shit.”
“Shoot him!” Yonker howled from behind the flames. “Shoot his ass!”
Kaldar looked at their faces. “Let me pass, and you will live.”
“He said to take him alive,” the man on the left said.
“Fuck that.” The older of the men jerked his rifle up.
Kaldar flashed. The magic flared from him in a blue sheath, shielding him. The guard’s bullet ricocheted and bit into the wall.
Kaldar ran forward.
As one, the guards fired.
“HOLD on!” Audrey stomped on the gas. The Jeep roared and jumped over the threshold into the church. She saw Kaldar in the aisle, three armed men opposing him, and slammed on her brakes. Kaldar’s face was so relaxed, she barely recognized him. The Jeep skidded to a stop.
The guards fired. A glowing blue wall surrounded Kaldar. The bullets impacted on it with weak ripples and bounced off. The light imploded, sucked back into Kaldar’s blade.
Kaldar struck. Light, graceful like a dancer, he cleaved the first guard’s arm. It fell off. Kaldar kept moving, so sickeningly fast, she had no chance to be shocked. He spun, moving as if his joints were fluid, sliced the second man’s chest, his blade going through the muscle and bone like a hot knife through butter, swept past him, and thrust his blade backward, into the small of the third guard’s back.
The three men dropped.
Kaldar turned toward her and smiled. It wasn’t his usual smug smile. His face was at once sad and at peace. Audrey wasn’t sure who this man was, but she knew she hadn’t met him before.
The corners of Kaldar’s mouth drooped, and the smile turned into a scream. “Get out! Get out now!”
“Kids, out!”
They scrambled out of the car. She shoved her door open. A large metal dart smashed into the hood and shivered, stuck upright, its end glowing. Audrey grabbed the rifle and dived out of the vehicle. Behind her, the car exploded in a flash of white magic. The explosion punched the inside of her head, and her skull rang like a gong being struck. Suddenly, everything was quiet.
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