The Lazarus Codex Boxed Set 2

by E. A. Copen

  I ground my teeth. With everything going on, dealing with that had taken a back seat. Morningstar had become my focus. I hadn’t forgotten about Lydia, but solving her murder had to be secondary to survival.

  “Yeah? And what are you going to do with it if I don’t fall in line?” I pushed The Baron back a step. “You want to try and blackmail me? Try again. You’ve already played that card. Bring it up again, and you’ll regret it.”

  A red sheen passed over his eyes in a flash. “Our disagreement is a pointless distraction. I’m telling you, boy, leave Pestilence be. Leave this tournament be and let things play out as they will. If you go digging, you might not like what happens when you find your answers.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I am The Baron of Death. My sole duty is to dig the graves of the deceased. I see the names etched in stone, the bones yet to be delivered. Listen to me when I say you do not want to do this.”

  “Death is the last thing I’m afraid of.” That was a lie, and we both knew it. I had a daughter I wanted to go home to. A life. More than ever, I had reasons to stay alive.

  Maybe I should back off. He wouldn’t warn me if he wasn’t sure something bad was about to happen. Yet if I did, I’d be letting Pestilence get away with murder. I didn’t know if I could live with myself. Never mind that it would piss off the Norse if I didn’t do something. Even if I did give up the investigation, Haru knew. He’d do something with or without me. My involvement was the only way to keep War from killing Pestilence.

  I dusted some dirt from the wall from my shoulders. “Thanks for the warning, but I think I can take Felicia.”

  “There are things worse than death,” The Baron called after me as I stepped back toward the hallway. “Remember that when you decide to gamble with lives that are not your own.”

  I turned around to ask him exactly who he meant, but he was gone. The hallway was empty.

  ***

  Kumiho-Sama’s team’s quarters were a near exact replica of ours except for all the furniture. It had all been cleared from the main room to make space for a large circle drawn on the floor. Lines crossed, struck the edge of the circle, and bounced back to the other side. Looking at the circle from one perspective left it sliced into eight equal parts. From another, it created a series of squares inside the circle, and from yet another, it was all equilateral triangles.

  I walked straight to the edge of the circle to examine the lines. They’d been painted on in wide brush strokes. I whistled in admiration. “That’s some serious magic. What’s it for?”

  “Not magic,” Haru said, waiting beside the door for Khaleda to take her shoes off. Thanks to the decontamination shower, he and I had already lost our shoes. “It’s for practice. Footwork mostly.”

  Made sense, I supposed. Lots of magical symbols had practical uses. Geometric shapes repeated throughout history and art for a reason. They held their own sort of power. Whether he realized it or not, he was probably working some kind of magic inside the circle, even if it was only of a vague sort. In another life, I would’ve loved to sit and watch him run through a practice just to see how it worked.

  One of the bedroom doors opened, and the samurai bowman from before stepped out, his expression irritated. He said something in Japanese to Haru and got an answer in the same. After Haru’s answer, he gave us one more distrustful look and slid back into his bedroom.

  “Sorry about that.” Haru went to sit cross-legged in the center of the circle. He tried to hide how painful sitting was, but if I saw it, Khaleda certainly did. “So, Lazarus said you had some information, but that you wanted something in return for it. Why don’t you lay it out for me? What do you want for your information, Khaleda?”

  She glanced at me before folding her arms. “You can start with an apology. You were rude to me at the party.”

  “Morningstar’s party? You’re joking. You’re the spawn of Lucifer Morningstar.”

  Khaleda clenched her jaw. “I’m nothing like him. I want him dead.”

  Haru was silent, his face hard. “Why?”

  “Because he’s a monster. An abomination.” She sounded angry to anyone who didn’t know her as well as I did. I caught the small crack in her voice. What the hell had Morningstar done to her? “Will you help me or not? I won’t say anything else without an answer.”

  Another door opened, the door to the room that would’ve been their meeting room. Two Tengu emerged with a white bottle and a tray full of tiny wooden bowls. They shuffled to the center of the room and placed the whole thing in front of Haru before sitting across from each other. Apparently, they were staying.

  Khaleda’s stance softened with an edge of panic. “What are they doing here?”

  “What does it look like?” said one of the Tengu, overturning the little bowls.

  The other reached for the white bottle and poured a little into the other’s bowl. “We’re drinking and listening.”

  The first poured for the other. “Listening and drinking.”

  “Karasu-sensei,” said Haru gesturing to the one on the left. “And Kaage-sensei. You can trust them. If they’re able, they’ll assist.”

  “So long as it’s interesting,” said Karasu.

  “And entertaining,” said the other. He gestured to the floor. “Come. Join us. We’re friends here. It is only in battle we become opponents.”

  Khaleda and I exchanged a glance before going to sit. With a little coaching, they walked me through a specific way I guess the drink was supposed to be served. Apparently, you don’t pour sake for yourself. It’s considered impolite. And you hold your empty cup for whoever’s pouring for you. You don’t drink it like shots either, and every time the cup gets empty, someone will reach over and refill it whether you want them to or not. The whole thing was very confusing at first until I figured out the best way to keep from offending them and not get shitfaced really fast was to leave the full cup alone.

  While all that was going on, Haru and I brought Khaleda, Karasu, and Kaage up to speed.

  “I don’t think Pestilence is acting on her own,” I said when Haru had finished. “She doesn’t strike me as a go-getter. She’s a weapon. Someone points, she destroys. Question is, who’s doing the pointing? We won’t know until we understand her motives. Why is she killing gods? To what end? Khaleda has already admitted to me she knows these answers and she’s offered them at a cost. She wants our help.”

  The one on my right, which I think was Kaage, nodded. “And so a trade must be made.”

  “A risk must be taken,” Karasu said.

  “Going against an Archon is no small task,” said Haru, shaking his head. “They don’t have souls like normal people. They cannot be killed.”

  “That’s not true. I’ve seen one die.” I leaned back on my hands. “Granted, it was Morningstar that killed him, but I think the general principle works on any of them. They’re sort of spiritual parasites using bodies as hosts. Destroy the body, you force the parasite out to find a new host. While it’s outside the body, it’s vulnerable. It can be crushed.”

  Khaleda placed her empty cup down. “I can destroy his body with a clear shot. The two of you, with your combined powers, can easily destroy the Archon once it’s out.”

  Haru filled Khaleda’s cup. “And when would this happen? After the tournament, we have no reason to be in the same place all at once. It would be suspicious.”

  “That’s why we’re going to do it in the final round.” Khaleda smiled, clearly proud of herself.

  Haru sat up, his spine rigid. “You are asking me to forfeit the tournament.”

  “We’d be doing the same,” I explained. “And if we miss, Emma loses her soul. Morningstar hunts us all to the ends of the Earth and kills everyone we love. But if we take him out now, if this works, Emma’s soul gets freed. I’m free from my debt, and so is everyone else who owes Morningstar. A major bad guy is removed from play for the long term.”

  “This is a lot to ask,” Haru said, looking at K
haleda. “I have no personal stake in this, and I fundamentally disagree with Lazarus about how Pestilence should be handled. Why should I help you?”

  I sat back up. “You do have a personal stake, Haru. Whether you see it or not. I know you think your job is to punish the guilty, to fight whatever war you’ve dedicated yourself to, but you have to see the bigger picture. You have to imagine a world where you lay down your sword. A world where the battles end. What do you do with yourself then? Do you really want someone like Morningstar out there taking advantage of desperate people?”

  “The weak will always prey on the strong,” he said, his voice resolute. “That’s how the world works.”

  “And it’s the duty of the strong to protect the weak, isn’t it?” I placed my hand on the floor and leaned over the tray toward Haru. “Think of it as a pre-emptive strike. Morningstar has already maneuvered me into a corner. If he wins, he’ll own his own Horseman. We don’t know where Pestilence’s loyalties lie. Either way, he’s upset the balance. No one needs two Horsemen in his pocket.”

  Haru looked down at the full cup cradled in his palms. “I suppose it would be fruitless to point out that you could’ve prevented all this by not fighting for him.”

  “I had no choice. Emma doesn’t deserve to die. She gave up her soul to save me.”

  “Greater love hath no man than this,” said Karasu, “that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

  Haru frowned at him. “That’s not Sun Tzu.”

  “The apostle John,” said the other Tengu, nodding. “Everyone is a little right sometimes.”

  Karasu continued, “The point is this. This woman has demonstrated great courage on Lazarus’ behalf. A human with no powers but the strength of her heart.”

  “Wars have been fought for less. Do you recall Helen?”

  “Ah, yes. Helen. She was not as beautiful as all the tales say.”

  “Enough,” Haru said and reached up to rub his temples. “As I have no personal stake, I also have the least to lose if this goes wrong. Lazarus, the risk is yours. You have a daughter. Are you willing to put her life on the line to do this? Think carefully. You risk everything.”

  I looked over at Khaleda. It was hard to say yes to that. Remy’s life wasn’t worth betting on, and Morningstar knew about her. He’d target her just like he had Emma if I screwed up. I couldn’t let anything happen to her.

  On the other hand, if I didn’t take out Morningstar here and now, he could just keep on jerking me around. There was nothing to stop him from coming for Remy tomorrow or the next day. Once I missed out on this chance, I might not get another. Destroying him was the best way to ensure she could grow up safe and happy.

  “Are you certain?” I asked Khaleda. “Absolutely and beyond a doubt?”

  “Positive,” she answered. “But only if we work together. We’ll only get one shot at this.”

  I nodded. “Then we do it.”

  Haru sighed and placed his cup on the tray. “Then you have my assistance, provided Khaleda’s information confirms that Pestilence isn’t acting alone. It still doesn’t mean I’m not killing her.”

  The Tengu next to Khaleda smiled. I wouldn’t have thought it possible with that beak until he actually did it. “Go on, Khaleda. Tell us what you know about Pestilence.”

  She studied the sake in her cup before answering. “Pestilence isn’t working alone, and its way more complicated than you think.” She raised her head and met my eyes. “She’s working for Morningstar.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I resisted the urge to jump to my feet and curse. Morningstar. Why was it he was behind everything dirty? I shouldn’t have expected anything less from the Devil himself.

  But why? What did he have to gain by having Pestilence eliminate a bunch of teams this way?

  My skin prickled. “He didn’t think we could win.”

  “Not in a fair fight,” Khaleda said. “He struck a deal with Xipetotec before the tournament began. Morningstar would pass him a name in code. Xipetotec would give the name to Pestilence. She was supposed to target Haru’s team first, but hasn’t been able to get close.”

  “That makes sense,” Haru agreed. “My team is the biggest threat to an easy victory for yours.”

  “We have not been leaving our apartments,” Karasu explained. “As soon as we realized teams were being targeted, we agreed to stay here, and only move in teams.”

  “But Haru was alone at the party,” I pointed out.

  “Was he?” The Tengu on my right tapped his chin with a feathered wing.

  The other one moved his wings in a circle and made a few gestures with his fingers before disappearing from view.

  “Holy shit,” Khaleda exclaimed.

  “Took the words right out of my mouth. How’d you do that?”

  Kaage reappeared and exhaled. “Decades of intense study. It is not a true disappearing spell, but it is enough to fool anyone who doesn’t know how to break it. Few do.”

  “Loki does,” grumbled the other Tengu.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Haru picked up the tray and slid it aside. “I was never alone. Our security is tight. Pestilence hasn’t had an opportunity to strike, so she went after everyone else. There are only two fights left for your team, Lazarus. You’ll have no difficulty taking the Roman team, and she can’t openly eliminate us now that she knows we know. She will likely make a move against us, however.”

  “To weaken the team,” Karasu agreed. “We are still at full strength.”

  Haru rubbed his injured side. “We have five people anyway. I’m not at full fighting power, not with this cut. It’ll likely tear with substantial movement. If Morningstar puts you into the final round, Khaleda, I’ll have to be quick on my feet. A pity. I’d like to see how the fight goes with both of us at our best.”

  Khaleda made a purring sound.

  I shivered. “Back to the problem at hand. We know who, why, and probably where she is. Haru, I know you still want to kill her, but if we do, Morningstar will know about it. We can’t tip him off, not if we want our shot at him.”

  “I agree,” Khaleda said. “You can’t kill her, but you’ll have to confront her and incapacitate her if you don’t want your people hurt, Haru.”

  Not killing her complicated things. Normally, I’d just go directly to fight her, rip out her soul, and be done with it. Incapacitating a Horseman wouldn’t be easy either. To have a chance, we’d have to get her alone in a place where she wouldn’t easily be discovered.

  “So how do we box her in?” I asked.

  Khaleda smiled. “Never attempt to win by force what can be won through deception. That’s Machiavelli. You know what her next move is. Let her make it. Take advantage of the knowledge you have.”

  “You mean put my team’s life at risk.” Haru folded his arms over his chest. “Use my people as bait.”

  “No, it’s a good plan,” I said, nodding. “Make sure word gets to Pestilence that the guard is down here. Then we swoop in, grab her before she can actually hurt anyone.”

  “Then what? You don’t want her killed.”

  “Tie her up,” Khaleda suggested. “Hell, torture her. Get some information. Find out what else she’s been up to or if she’s got some kind of backup plan. Then all Laz has to do is touch her soul and put her in a coma. No need to kill what could be useful later.”

  Haru’s eyes widened. “You can do that?”

  The weight of having all those eyes on me made me shift in my seat. “I’ve done it once before by accident. As far as I know, he’s still in a coma.”

  Khaleda snorted. “Please. You can wake someone in a coma, or just turn them into a zombie.”

  There are things worse than death. The Baron’s words echoed through my mind. There would be consequences for taking Pestilence out of commission, but they couldn’t be any worse than killing her. It wasn’t an ideal plan, but it was the one we had.

  I glanced at a clock on the wall. “Either way, if you want our help,
we have to do it soon. I’m supposed to be in a fight in less than two hours.”

  Haru shook his head, sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose like we were giving him a headache. “I don’t like this plan, but I don’t have anything better, so I guess we’re doing it. I have questions about how the final round will be handled. How are we supposed to strike Morningstar from the arena floor if he’s in the crowd?”

  “Lazarus will be sitting out the final round.” Khaleda nodded in my direction. “He will sit with Morningstar. After I hit him with a dagger to the heart, Lazarus will grab the Archon as it leaves the body. Simply crushing it or hitting it with a spell won’t be enough. But your katana will.”

  Haru’s face turned to stone. He had a hell of a poker face.

  “What’s she talking about?” I asked. “What’s so special about the katana?”

  “Nothing,” replied the Tengu to my right. “Unless it is in War’s hands. Then it becomes him.”

  Haru rose and walked to the wall where two katanas had been placed on display. He picked one up using his fingertips, moving it carefully as if it were made of glass. “Do you know the story of Masamune and Muramasa?”

  Khaleda sighed. “No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell us.”

  The Tengu next to Khaleda smacked her with a fan he hadn’t been holding a moment before. “Show some respect, girlie.”

  Khaleda’s eyes doubled in size. “Girlie?”

  “Shut up.” I elbowed her. “I want to hear about the swords.”

  Haru cleared his throat. “Long ago, there were two swordsmen named Masamune and Muramasa. Muramasa, being the student of Masamune, grew frustrated with his position and decided to challenge his sensei. But this was no contest of arms. They each agreed to forge a blade, the finest blade they could. For a week they labored. On the seventh day at dawn, the master and student met beneath a waterfall to hold the cutting edges of their swords under the water.”

  I flinched when he drew the sword. “Muramasa’s sword was beautiful. Dark steel, perfect balance, a flawless grip. Even the harshest critic gathered there that day agreed that his was the most beautiful. When he gave his demonstration, Muramasa’s sword cut the very air in two.”