A Knight of Cold Graves (The Revenant Reign Book 1)
Page 31
Tanner suppressed a snort, eying Saul, who was in the front passenger seat, speaking softly to Agent Montesano. You say that like Saul won’t insist on a full guard detail.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. Don’t remind me. The highlight reel from today’s adventures is going to haunt me for years.
Kim’s tone softened.
When he last saw me, I was a total wimp, so I get where he’s coming from, Tanner said, sighing inwardly. But I do wish he’d give me the benefit of the doubt, if only so he’d concentrate on the task at hand. There are children’s lives at stake.
Tanner pressed his cheek against the cold glass window, watching the buildings blur past as Montesano expertly navigated the dim, damp streets. You’re right. Saul and I think too poorly of each other. We need to build some trust.
He stiffened. You all right?
She didn’t respond for almost a whole minute, and when she spoke again, her voice sounded fainter than before.
Tanner peeled his cheek off the window. How long do you have?
I’m really sorry you’re in this bind, Tanner said. You’ve already been through too much.
I’ll do whatever I can to help you help, he promised. And it looks like we’re about to get the chance to put our respective oaths to the test. There’s a church coming up on the left.
St. Arnold’s Episcopal Church lay at the center of a perfect square cut into the woodland that brushed the northern outskirts of Weatherford. Behind it, a cemetery bordered by a wrought-iron fence stretched back to the tree line. On either side of the church sat a gravel parking lot, and one of the lots was occupied by a mix of nondescript blue and gray vans.
The church itself looked innocuous at first glance, all white-panel walls with a bright-red door. But something about the building tripped an alarm in Tanner’s head. Some kind of dark atmosphere billowing outward through the crack beneath the pretty door.
They’re setting up the ritual for midnight, Tanner thought. That feeling is dark magic in the works.
Lovely. Tanner frowned. I hope the PTAD and the vampires give those asshole revenants a few good whacks.
At the last intersection before the church, Agent Montesano turned the car to the right and drove a few hundred yards farther before pulling into an empty parking lot in front of the office for a small lumberyard. A pair of sleek black luxury cars parked beside the team’s car: Bankroft and the four other vampires he’d called to assist him in his quest for vengeance.
Everyone climbed out of their respective vehicles and gathered on the west side of the lot, observing the portion of the church that peeked through the narrow patch of woods between the lumberyard and the highway.
“Cassidy and Frasier will be here in five,” Montesano said, reading a text on his phone. “The other teams are farther out, but they’ve been informed of the plan. They’ll swoop in to assist the moment they arrive.”
“We’re not going to wait for them?” asked Agent Napier.
Montesano shook his head. “I don’t want to give the revenants of Mordred and le Fay any more time to prepare that ritual. The closer we cut it to midnight, the more likely they’ll be able to cast before we shut them down. Even a partial casting could do significant damage.”
“That,” Saul added, “and casting any part of the ritual will involve killing at least one of the girls.”
Agent Ford hugged her arms, uncomfortable. “Ritual or not, the girls will make good shields during the raid. How can we ensure we safely extract them?”
“We can’t ensure it,” Montesano said. “But with the vampires assisting us, we have a much higher chance of success.”
Bankroft gestured to the four other vampires loitering behind him. “I’ve instructed them to prioritize the rescue of the girls. Though if that proves impossible, they have standing orders to cut our losses. While it’s always a shame for the young to die, I will not weigh their lives more than the stability of preternatural society.
“A mass revenance event, especially one that emboldens an enemy who already represents a serious threat, will rattle this world in ways that will cause far more than three deaths. And I will not be responsible for letting that happen on my watch.”
A thick wall of tension materialized between the PTAD agents and the vampires.
Different preternatural groups don’t often work together, do they? Tanner asked Kim.
Tanner looked from the PTAD agents, a motley crew of preternaturals who back-talked each other almost as much as they did their enemies, to the vampires, a gaggle of porcelain-skinned predators with sharp teeth and devil’s eyes.
If they didn’t have a common goal tonight, Tanner was certain they’d already be at each other’s throats.
Faking a cough, Tanner asked, “So, where do you want me during the raid?”
He didn’t direct the question at anyone in particular, but naturally, Saul piped up first. “Guarding the cars.”
Tanner rolled his eyes. “Not happening. You might need Kim’s expertise during the raid. She knows all about Excalibur, and she’s already fought the revenant of Mordred in this life, so she can give you solid tips and tricks to use on the fly.”
Saul ground his boot against the gravel, irritated that Tanner wouldn’t kowtow to his every whim. “We’ll have a com system set up during the operation. You can use that to pass on Ballard’s ‘tips and tricks.’”
“I won’t be of much use if I can’t see what’s going on,” Tanner countered. “And I’m absolutely not going to sit here while—”
“You don’t belong on a bat
tlefield,” Saul said harshly. “You’re new to the Sight, new to magic, new to the entire concept of preternaturals. You might be able to throw a few helpful spells, but you lack the training necessary to be anything but a liability in a live-fire situation. And I’m not just saying that to protect you, Tanner. I’m saying that to protect everyone.”
A bitter tang crept up Tanner’s throat. He tried to come up with a rebuttal to Saul’s point but found his brain grasping at straws. Saul was correct. Tanner was more likely to trip over his own two feet than to actually be of help during the operation.
But still…he couldn’t just babysit the cars while everyone else risked their lives.
“Ahem,” Bankroft cut in. “Perhaps a compromise is in order? While I claim no knowledge of Mr. Reiz’s magic skill, or lack thereof, I think it would be wise to have someone waiting in the wings to provide assistance if one of our number is wounded. The rest of us will be too preoccupied by the enemy to manage a medical extraction.”
Saul opened his mouth, then closed it.
Montesano responded instead. “Do you think you can manage to conjure a shield or a similar defensive measure, Mr. Reiz? Something that will allow you to access the hot zone long enough to retrieve an injured agent?”
Tanner nodded enthusiastically. “Kim was giving me lessons about shields and other spells on the way over. I understand the theory, and I’ll give it a few practice runs once the operation starts and my magic use won’t draw any particular attention.”
“Then that will be your role.” Montesano eyed Saul. “Satisfied?”
“Not really,” Saul admitted, “but I guess playing field medic is the safest choice if Tanner has to be involved.”
“I’m already involved, whether you like it or not.” Tanner crossed his arms. “I was involved as soon as Kim stuck me with a sliver of Excalibur’s box.”
Saul frowned. “Fair enough. But seriously, Tanner, don’t get yourself into a jam. You’ve wandered into more than enough near-death experiences today.”
“I have my face to blame for that.”
Saul reeled back at the verbal slap. “That’s not really fair.”
“I have a funny feeling that fairness is not commonly exercised in preternatural society.”
“Your feeling is on point,” said Bankroft, lips quirked in amusement at Saul’s discomfort. “The wiles of the preternatural world give no heed to the ideals of mundane humans. A truth you will learn in spades as your new Sight draws you further into the shadows, and further away from the light.”
Well, that’s not ominous at all.
Thankfully, two sets of headlights lit up the road before Tanner had to respond to that remark. A minute later, two more dark sedans, identical in make and model to the one that Saul’s team used, parked in the lumberyard lot.
From one emerged the woman called Cassidy and the three people who’d sat near her during the meeting at Renault Manor. From the second emerged the man in need of anger management, Frasier, along with two other agents who also looked vaguely familiar.
The three PTAD team leaders, plus Bankroft, gathered near the front door of the small office, hashing out key details of the raid plan. They kept it brief and broke up their huddle once they had a firm outline of how they wanted the rest of this dark and stormy night to proceed.
The overall plan was relatively simple, and it went like this:
Saul, Frasier, and a woman named Lehigh, the combat practitioners of each PTAD team, would assault the church from three sides and draw the attention of the two primary enemy combatants. Meanwhile, Montesano, in wolf form, would rush in through the back entrance connected to the cemetery.
The remainder of Cassidy’s team would follow Montesano inside. While he used his sharp claws and pointy teeth to fend off any humanoid henchmen or necromantic chimeras, Cassidy’s people would attempt to rescue the girls.
The four vampires Bankroft had brought along would remain in the cemetery until Cassidy’s team brought the girls outside, at which point they would ferry the girls to the safety of one of the vehicles in the lumberyard lot. Cassidy’s team would then leave with the girls while the vampires covered their retreat.
After the girls were in the clear, everyone would go all out to subdue, or if necessary, eliminate the enemy combatants. The two exceptions to that rule were Tanner, whose job was to do nothing unless someone got seriously wounded, and Bankroft, who was planning to scour the church for the mysterious sorcerer who’d cursed Sofia Moretti.
After reviewing the plan three times to make sure everyone knew what to do, the collective group marched toward the church where a sacrificial ritual that could rock the world was already well underway. It was nearing midnight now, the high moon breaking through small gaps in the cloud cover.
With each step closer they drew to the church, Tanner’s soul quivered that much harder. Nausea roiled in his gut, and he started to feel like he was off balance, as if the ground was tilting to and fro.
If this is how an evil ritual feels before it even goes off, he thought, I do not want to know what all the Arthurian revenants will experience if we get hit with the negativity fueled by the girls’ murders.
Honestly, you don’t sound all that confident…
These guys seem pretty experienced, Tanner said, though he himself wasn’t certain of the true capabilities of either the PTAD agents or the vampires. I’m sure they have all sorts of tactics for taking down strong sorcerers.
Tanner glanced about the solemnly walking group, hoping they didn’t all end up with permanent slots in that cemetery before the night was out. No offense, but you’re kind of being a Debbie Downer.
I’ll do what I can to help that happen. Tanner clenched his fists, the tension in his muscles soaring to new heights as the church drew closer and closer. I might be a footnote in this fight, but that doesn’t make me entirely useless.
Kim chuckled.
Thanks for the encouragement. I needed that. Tanner breathed in deeply, savoring the crisp air. It cleared a dash of the detritus from his mind. Don’t suppose you can also give me a bottle of Xanax?
Ah, Tanner thought as Montesano raised his hand, signaling for everyone to halt. If only anxiety was cooperative like that.
The group paused at the edge of the trees across the road from the church.
“Com check, everyone,” Montesano said quietly.
Tanner tapped the little earpiece in his right ear that Agent Napier had handed him while the team leaders were going over the plan. It produced a blip of static, which Tanner took to mean that it was functioning correctly. He gave a thumbs-up to Montesano, mirroring everyone else.
Montesano nodded to the other two team leaders and Bankroft. Through the com feed, he said, “Operation is a go. Everyone, move into your starting positions.”
The vampires ran like a swift wind. Tanner’s eyes caught nothing but blurred flickers of color until they all came to an abrupt stop at various positions around the church.
Bankroft stood stately before the church’s red front door. He made no attempt to enter yet, but he raised his hand and made several gestures meant for the PTAD combat practitioners creeping across the street.
Thes
e gestures referred to the kinds of defenses placed at the church’s entry points. Even from his spot across the road, Tanner spied subtle flashes of colorful light—magic energy—woven into complex threads across the door and stained-glass windows. The church was positively slathered in wards.
Nervously tugging his earlobe, Tanner laid eyes on his brother.
Saul strode up beside Bankroft, cracking his knuckles like he was preparing to punch straight through the door. Frasier and Lehigh came to a stop before one of the stained-glass windows on either side of the church, the former stiff as a board, the latter’s fingers dancing against her thighs in anticipation.
Frasier’s two teammates filled in the gaps between the windows and the fence, while Agent Ford and Agent Napier plugged the security holes left in the cemetery, creating a nearly perfect circle of PTAD agents and vampires.
Once the defensive circle was complete, Agent Montesano cautiously led Cassidy and her two other teammates around to the back door of the church.
Checking the whole area, Tanner found that everyone was where they were supposed to be. Which meant the fight would start any second.
He dropped to one knee and hugged a nearby tree, anticipating strong shockwaves of magic. Do you think they know we’re here?
Looking closely, Tanner spotted more glowing threads bound around several of the blocks. Why didn’t he avoid them?
So by alerting them to our presence and giving them a minute to prepare for the fight, we’re actually improving the girls’ chances of survival?