Band of Demons (The Sanheim Chronicles Book 2)

by Rob Blackwell

  “Why are all the Princes so obsessed with moidin?” Quinn asked.

  “Simple,” he said. “It adds to their power. There is a reason that Sawyer can go all over town burning everything and yet you two probably get exhausted after one evening. He has the combined psychic energy of some 40 people to draw on. The Princes—not all of them, but most—see moidin as the only way to give themselves an advantage over their potential successors.”

  “And you became C.K.’s follower?”

  “You say it like it was easy,” Kieran responded. “It wasn’t. In order to join, you had to have certain talents, mostly psychic. Both my girlfriend and I were… gifted, though she much more than me. She saw the future, mostly in glimpses, but accurately, and she had a knack for knowing what others were feeling. I had a fair amount of ability myself, but she may have been the real draw.

  “When we got there… it was an amazing experience. There was still a lot of free love and all that crap around. We walked into a permanent party—and became part of a wonderful extended family. It was idyllic. And we were celebrated. I don’t want to brag, but of all the moidin those guys pulled to them, we were the strongest by far. A Prince of Sanheim gains power according to who serves him or her. When we joined, our hosts gained significantly.”

  “Who were they?”

  “Does it matter?” Kieran said. “They weren’t Sawyer and Elyssa. They were just a man and a woman, very much in love with each other but willing to… mess about with others. Like I said, it was the 1970s.”

  “It matters to me,” Kate said. “They were our predecessors.”

  “They were just kids,” Kieran said. His voice sounded sad. “They didn’t know about the other Princes of Sanheim, understood even less about their powers. It was almost random luck C.K. beat his cennad at all.”

  “What happened?”

  “Sawyer and Elyssa happened,” Kieran said. “C.K. and Grace never knew what hit them. They didn’t understand who they were dealing with.”

  “They attacked without warning?”

  “No,” Kieran said. “Nothing that blatant. The two of them showed up with their cadre of moidin and asked to be friends. It all seemed to be going well. Until…”

  “What?”

  “Things got out of control very quickly,” Kieran said. “Elyssa seduced C.K. and that made things… tense with Grace.”

  “If you tell me it was the 1970s again, I’m going to scream,” Kate said.

  “Okay, but it mattered,” he said. “The Princes of Sanheim have a unique bond, as you know, which is solidified by sex. It’s what triggers the trial, all the rest of it. Well, if a Prince wants to sleep with someone else, that’s all fine and good, provided it’s a normal person. But if he sleeps with another Prince’s consort, things get decidedly trickier.”

  “They tried to divide them,” Kate said.

  “Yes, and it worked,” Kieran said. “C.K. didn’t know what he was doing—he thought he was just doing what he always did. But it weakened the bond between Grace and him. It was a fatal mistake. When the hammer finally fell—when Sawyer attacked—it was all over so fast you wouldn’t believe it. Grace was dead, C.K. was finished, and the moidin were left with a decision: join or die.”

  “And you joined,” Kate said.

  “Yes,” Kieran said, “but not without paying a price. During the fight, I lost the only woman I ever loved. I’m not sure who killed her—whether it was Sawyer, Elyssa or a moidin—but she was dead just the same. They said it was a mistake, an accident. But I’ve hated them since that day.”

  “Why did they let you serve them?”

  “Because I’m powerful, remember?” Kieran replied bitterly. “A Prince of Sanheim is made stronger by his moidin. I was quite a prize—I still am.”

  “Why haven’t you aged?” Kate asked. “You don’t look older than us.”

  “It was a gift from Grace,” Kieran said. “The Princes of Sanheim don’t age. How she was able to convey that gift to me—I have no idea.”

  “She could grant immortality?”

  “I don’t think I’m immortal,” Kieran said. “If you stuck a knife in me, I’d die quick enough. She just stopped me from aging, or slowed it.”

  Kate was suddenly struck by a thought, something she should have realized earlier.

  “Did all the moidin join?” Kate asked.

  Kieran stared miserably at her.

  “No,” he said. “Some died and one got away. Another psychic.”

  “Zora,” Kate said. It wasn’t a question.

  “She was called Carol then, but yes,” Kieran said.

  “They didn’t hunt her?”

  “For a day or two maybe, but they were too drunk on victory,” Kieran said. “They didn’t think it mattered.”

  “Until we showed up here,” Kate said. “They killed her, didn’t they?”

  “No,” Kieran said. “I did that.”

  Kate stared at him. She stood up again, seeming to struggle with her own emotions.

  “She was a good person,” Kate said finally.

  “Yes,” Kieran said. “She was. I’m not trying to hide what I did, but I will tell you it wasn’t my idea. I knew where she was. I tracked her here years ago. But when Elyssa found her, she wanted to visit her personally. No matter what I had done, she would have died. And her death at my hands was decidedly less painful.”

  “So that makes it okay?” Quinn asked. “You slit her throat.”

  Kate was pacing the room again. Kieran felt the tension and knew that his fate—for the second or third time in 24 hours—hung in the balance.

  “Why kill her?”

  “Because she was there last time,” Kieran said. “She could have told you a lot about what was going on, including their cennad, their weaknesses, you name it.”

  “She never told us anything,” Kate said. “When I first learned I was the Prince of Sanheim, she denied ever having heard of it.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Kieran said. “Telling you might have been dangerous. Sometimes you have to figure things out for yourself.”

  “She could have saved us some pain,” Kate said, thinking about what Quinn and she could have done if they had only understood earlier what was happening. Could they have saved Janus? She wasn’t sure.

  “Or gotten you killed,” Kieran replied. “It’s a tough call.”

  “Why did they put up with you?” Quinn asked. “I saw how you interacted with them. You were disrespectful. None of the other moidin were like that.”

  “No,” Kieran said. “For better or worse, I’m unique in this story. I said Princes collect moidin and feed off their psychic energy. Feed is the right word. Over time, most lose sense of themselves. Eventually, their powers dry up entirely. And at that point…”

  “They’re killed,” Kate said.

  “At least in Elyssa or Sawyer’s service, yes,” Kieran replied. “I don’t know if every Prince has done the same. Maybe not.”

  “But that’s not what happened to you?”

  “No,” he responded. “I’m different. Maybe it was Grace, or something I’m missing. At any rate, my power hasn’t diminished.”

  Quinn didn’t like the look in Kieran’s eyes. He said he didn’t know why he was special, but it felt like a lie. Quinn felt like they were missing something significant, but he was too tired—and in too much pain—to think it all through.

  “The other reason I mention the moidin is this,” Kieran said. “I heard what you said when I was at the door. You wanted to kill Sawyer, Elyssa, myself—and them. The three of us are fair game, and I include myself. I’m a free agent here and have been since the beginning. But the others… if you could see them, you would almost feel bad for them. They just fell in with the wrong people. And they weren’t in on the Purcellville attack.”

  “I saw them in Ashburn,” Kate said. “They were playing their roles to the tee. They deserve the same fate as their master.”

  “Do they?” Kieran said. “The
se people may have joined willingly, but their minds are not their own. Sawyer could order them to jump off a bridge and they would do it in a heartbeat. When you fight Sawyer and Elyssa, you are going to have to kill a few—I get that. But if you defeat those two, you should stop there. Unless you enjoy killing innocent people.”

  “They shouldn’t have joined up in the first place,” Kate said.

  “Maybe not,” Kieran said. “But we all make mistakes, most of which don’t deserve the death penalty.”

  “So why are you here, exactly?” Quinn asked.

  Kieran paused and looked at the two of them. He waited a minute before taking a breath and said, “Because I want to join you. I want to be your first moidin.”

  “No way,” Kate said.

  “Not going to happen,” Quinn said at the exact same time.

  Kieran burst out laughing.

  “Gee, you really know how to make a bloke feel wanted,” he said.

  “We don’t trust you,” they both said at the same time.

  Kieran faked a look of mock hurt before smiling again.

  “Then you’re smart,” he said. “You shouldn’t.”

  “Then why, exactly, would we let you join us?” Kate asked.

  “For starters, I know everything there is to know about Sawyer and Elyssa,” Kieran responded. “I saw them fight—and defeat—a Prince of Sanheim last time and I’ve had 30 years to watch them since then. I know how they think, their strategies.”

  “Apparently not well enough,” Kate said, thinking of Purcellville.

  “I didn’t say I was fucking perfect,” Kieran replied. “I didn’t know he suspected me. In retrospect, it was a dumb mistake.”

  “One that many people paid the price for,” Quinn added.

  “Yes, but many more will if you don’t let me join you,” Kieran said. “If I switch allegiances, they’ll lose the power they gained from having me as a follower. I’m not saying it will cripple them—they are far too powerful for that—but it will wound them. And the two of you will be more powerful as a result. You win twice. You hurt your enemy and add to your own powers.”

  Quinn found himself reluctantly considering the bargain. He didn’t want to accept, but if it gave them a fighting chance… he pushed the thought away. In the end, they just couldn’t trust him.

  “If you add so much to their powers, why would they have killed you? Quinn asked.

  “They would lose some power,” Kieran conceded, “but killing me would still tip the balance in their favor. If I were to join you, however, killing me would do them no good at all. They lose the benefit of my powers and they can’t get it back unless I voluntarily change sides.”

  “Which you are more than capable of doing,” Kate said.

  Kieran eyed her warily.

  “I think you overestimate my capacity for betrayal,” he said.

  “Do I?” she said. “You betrayed this C.K. and Grace, didn’t you?”

  “They were already defeated.”

  “Convenient,” she said. “And now here you are willing to betray your new master. How long, I wonder, before you betray us?”

  Kate stared at him a long time. She tried to use what psychic abilities she had to probe his mind, but it was like a locked vault.

  “The answer is no,” Kate said.

  She didn’t need to check with Quinn. She knew he was tempted, but she also knew he felt the same.

  Kieran nodded as if he expected this answer.

  “There’s one reason you may want to change your mind,” he said.

  “There’s nothing you can say that will persuade us,” Quinn said.

  “Oh, I think you’re wrong about that,” Kieran said, and his smile was almost cocky. Kate wanted to hit him but she was worried that if she started, she wouldn’t stop.

  “The power you would gain from me would help in one key area.”

  “And what’s that?” she asked.

  “It would heal Quinn,” Kieran said.

  Silence reigned in the room. Kieran could almost hear the two of them trading thoughts.

  “If I’m lying, you’ll know it the second I pledge myself to you,” Kieran said. “Then you could kill me and be done with it. But if I’m not lying, think about it. Quinn is still badly hurt. He’s healing, but not fast enough. I promise you: this is the only way to make him well again in time.”

  “In time for what?”

  “Halloween,” Kieran said. “The next attack.”

  “How do you know it won’t come before then?” Kate asked.

  “Because even Sawyer doesn’t have unlimited power,” Kieran said. “And you hurt his moidin the other night. The reason he didn’t bring them to Purcellville was because he didn’t want to risk them getting damaged any further. He wanted to kill you and assault Sanheim this year. But my guess is he’ll adjust his plan and just wait and attack you on Halloween. He can always wait another year for phase two.”

  Kate’s mind reeled.

  We don’t have to take him, Quinn said in her mind.

  He’s right—and you know it, Kate said.

  I’m getting better.

  Not fast enough.

  If we take him, he might betray us, Quinn thought.

  But if we don’t accept his help, we’re finished. I need you whole. This county needs you whole. If he can give us that, we have a fighting chance.

  Kieran watched them in silence, waiting. He could tell when the decision was made. A small signal passed between the two. Kieran could almost hear the faint whispers of their thoughts.

  “We accept,” Kate said.

  “I thought you might,” he replied.

  “But if you step out of line—even for a moment—we will not hesitate to kill you.”

  Kieran didn’t need to consider it.

  “Deal,” he responded.

  He knelt on one knee. In some ways, it was a grotesque mockery of Quinn’s proposal, but Kate pushed that out of her mind. Kieran bowed his head.

  “I pledge myself to your service,” he said. “By the ancient laws, the old gods, and Sanheim himself, I will serve you until your enemies are destroyed or I die.”

  The change was immediate. Kate felt a charge run through her and gasped, much like the first time she and Quinn had made love. This time, she knew what that electrical current was—it felt like power.

  She looked at Quinn in the chair. He looked ten times better than just 30 seconds earlier. Color returned to his skin. The dark circles under his eyes faded.

  He watched his skin where it was still scarred and saw it become suddenly whole again. Areas that had been in pain only moments earlier felt better.

  He wasn’t completely recovered, he knew that. But he also knew that within a couple of days, he would be.

  Kieran looked up from the floor.

  “What happens next?” he asked.

  A part of him wondered if they would kill him. In some ways, that would be the smart move. They had what they wanted now.

  “Now,” Kate said. “We get ready for battle.”

  Chapter 32

  October 30, 2007

  For the first time in a long while, Elyssa was afraid. It wasn’t a feeling she had missed.

  She approached the door cautiously and knocked. Sawyer had blocked her from his mind again. She should be used to it by now, but it never failed to hurt her. Years ago, she had assumed he would eventually forgive her, given time and distractions. Instead, his anger—toward himself, her and everyone else—had only grown stronger.

  He opened the door and glared at her.

  “What do you want?” he muttered.

  At least he wasn’t shouting or throwing things. His room was still a disaster area—he hadn’t allowed the moidin to clean up and he certainly wasn’t going to take the initiative—but at least he hadn’t destroyed everything in it.

  Elyssa had pulled out all the stops and knew she looked good. Her dress accented her amazing body perfectly. It never seemed to work on Sawyer—not
like it did on the rest of the male population—but it didn’t hurt to try. She smiled seductively at him and walked in.

  “We need to talk, my love,” she said. “The moidin are getting restless.”

  “Let them,” Sawyer replied. “They can rot for all I care. They failed me.”

  Elyssa couldn’t help but notice he said “me.” It was a bug Kate had put in her ear. She noted how Quinn always said “we” and “us” when talking about being the Prince of Sanheim. For Sawyer, it was never that way. Although once upon a time, he had been different. Even in the dark days after Anne’s death, he had been kinder, gentler. Or was she fooling herself? It was so hard to remember.

  “That’s not a helpful attitude,” she said. “We need to focus on the mission.”

  “Don’t tell me what I bloody need to focus on,” Sawyer said. “They let him go! I gave them a simple task to keep him here, and they let him escape. And now the situation is worse—much worse—as a result of their ineptitude.”

  When Sawyer had returned from their raid on Purcellville, he had been ecstatic. Elyssa didn’t fully understand why. She had no qualms about the mission itself, but she didn’t see what they had accomplished. A bunch of people died and so what? It didn’t hurt Quinn or Kate, it only made them angry. That might be useful in some circumstances, but not here.

  Still, she had reveled in his joy. He seemed unbeatable in that moment and she had a feeling that their ultimate goal could be reached.

  And then it all fell apart.

  Sawyer had rushed immediately to Kieran’s room, intending to confront and kill him. Elyssa had wanted the job herself. When she realized his betrayal, it had been all she could do not to turn into one of her animals and tear him apart. Maybe she was taking it personally. Certainly, she had thought the other night meant something. Not that he had forgiven her—no man would apparently ever forgive Elyssa Parker—but they had at least achieved some level of understanding.