Hell, In a Troy (Lopez Time Book 2)

by Phillip S. Power

  “Holy hell…”

  “Yeah. They could, more or less, become greater demons. All of them could do it. The difference is in the initial intelligence and creativity. That, plus the fact that us greater demons keep destroying their schools when they try to put them together. I mean, haven’t you ever wondered why they don’t have their own Hogwarts? It’s a good idea but they all do this loose apprenticeship thing instead. It’s demons, keeping them down. Seriously though, even given that, I can’t really get why they don’t do more with their powers. Laziness?”

  The idea hit him but he shrugged.

  “That… I guess I should be a bit more careful about The Children of Baphomet then? That was your point here, wasn’t it? That I can’t underestimate them, since a god from a long time ago might just point that out to them?”

  “Bingo. Exactly that one. It’s had to occur to you that going in and slaughtering them all is the easy fix. Heck, I considered it myself. I know that Darla did, too. The issue there is that we don’t know how much influence Baphomet is having over the world. Really, you need to get with Tarsus, The Librarian, and talk to him about the issue. He built the cage, after all, in the first place. He was a god himself then, so it probably made more sense to him at the time.”

  Instead of acting like he was too stupid to breathe on his own, a thing that he was holding to very nicely, Troy thought for a bit.

  “Is Baphomet a demon then? Or…”

  That got a head shake.

  “Not that I can tell. It’s something else. Frankly, the ideas are confusing, when I look at them. It’s intelligent and not alone in that cage. That’s a thing to keep in mind, Troy. This isn’t just about a single cult that wants to worship an old timey devil to get their jollies. If they let that thing out, or pry it loose, a lot of things that haven’t been around for eons will suddenly be back in the world. We probably don’t want that. Not that you and I won’t be fine but a lot of regular people might find their day ruined, you know?”

  “I don’t. How do I get in touch with The Librarian? Is he listed in the phone book?”

  Not that he’d seen one of those in years. He might find it online.

  That got a laugh, if only a small and not very amused one.

  “I can get you that. Be careful. I know, he’s sane and not half the douche that a lot of us are but that doesn’t mean he won’t have fifty plans going at any given time. Well, you’re starting to get that. You have at least six going right now, yourself. Plus some other things, inside. That… We need to talk about that part soon. The things that you’ve been thinking? I hate to say it, but I recognize some of it. From when I had Mirror Him in my head?”

  Troy had to think about that one, since it hadn’t ever been a huge thing really. Not in his life. Mirror Him had been Zack’s alter ego. The part of him that had hidden the fact that he was a greater demon away from his own mind. Except that he was saying that Troy had something like that going on. It wasn’t true though. He wasn’t a greater demon.

  That wasn’t even him being in denial, he didn’t think. It just wasn’t true. There were some weird slips though, in his thoughts. There had been, for as long as he could remember.

  There was a pat on the arm, fingers grazing skin at the cuff of his sleeve. A tiny tingle took place, which got Zack to nod.

  “Like I said, later. And no, you really aren’t a greater demon. You’re Troy. So, take the keys and go see your new place. It’s kind of sweet. You didn’t get ripped off or anything. Oh… Before you go.” He sat at the desk and started to write, not speaking for the four minutes that it took to fill two sheets of paper. “People to call and connections to make. You should invite most of them to your picnic. That will mean going and getting them but you can get that done. It’s good practice, if nothing else.”

  Already being on his feet, Troy moved back to the other room for the sake of being polite, and opened up a bridge, trying to be careful not to tear space but pushing the time a bit. It was harder to do that way but he had the thing opened up inside a minute. Zack, looking at it, nodded.

  “Good. You need to be faster than that. In an emergency, just tear things open and jump into the void, of course. Still, get that time down to… Call it ten seconds? You can do that without using any more power at all. Really, even at that, you can be using less, if you do it right and aren’t lazy about things. See you… Call it three days? In the evening. I need to work some things out with other people. Don’t forget to teach Eve how to do this. Really, you need to get Barb, Kait and Phil in on this as well, if they can learn it. I’m not sure if they can. See what you can do with them?”

  There was a wave, and Troy stepping through into the burning sunlight on the far side, in the police parking lot. It was in the front of the place but early still, which meant that Miller was standing there, in civilian clothing, staring at the hole in space.

  He didn’t jump when Troy came through, having seen who was there already.

  “And what’s this?” The older man’s face was stern looking as if he were looking at a minor legal breech and trying to scold him over it. That kind of thing was one of the desk sergeant’s unofficial jobs, so Troy just rolled with it.

  “A bridge. This one is linked between here and Westfield mall in Vancouver, Washington. It’s basically teleportation. Um… Why not go through it? I’m holding it open right now. It isn’t a big deal or anything. You know, not scary at all.” He nearly tried to cajole the man but he just stepped up and did it, walking through like it wasn’t too big of a deal. Then about fifteen seconds later, he moved back.

  “Okay. That beats driving. Is the guy over there doing it?”

  “Nope. I am. It’s a skill I have. Before you ask, yes, it can make me a lot of money. Let me…” Taking it down didn’t make a sound at all, the thing being smoothed on both sides as it unfolded. There was barely a ripple left at all, to show that it had been there. Not that a human could tell that one.

  Officer Miller just shook his head then.

  “Well… I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do about this.”

  The words got him to smile.

  “Nothing. It’s legal, healthy and doesn’t pollute. Plus, once the travel system is up, all the guys and gals here at the station will get discounted travel. Not free, since you’d abuse the hell out of it if I was that nice to you. Like… Fifty percent off? So, it will cost less than flying. That’s something, right?”

  The other man made a face, which looked annoyed. That was, Troy knew, cop body language for letting him know he was impressed.

  Which was good, since Troy needed to go and do some things that might not be that much fun. At least he had Miller’s admiration.

  For what that was worth.

  At the moment, it was actually quite a bit, he realized.

  Chapter eighteen

  The house was bigger than he’d been thinking it would be. For some reason Troy had been thinking of the place as a small two bedroom that would house a girl and her parents. Instead it had five large bedrooms, with a master suite that had its own bathroom attached. He didn’t need that for the toilet but Troy did enjoy a nice daily shower, when he could get it. He didn't really get dirty as fast as a human did, since no bacteria would grow on him directly. It would in his clothing but lacking sweat and skin oils, that took longer than it did back when he was alive.

  Some vampires didn’t really bathe at all, ever. It led them to have a dusty smell but it wasn’t body odor the way that most would think of. So, the lack of that kind of thing while in that other world wasn’t exactly a shameful thing.

  There was a large and well-presented kitchen, a huge living room, that was done in a rustic seeming wood pattern and a fireplace done on red brick. It had an actual mantel, and from the debris in it, things could actually be burned, if it was needed. It seemed like there was wood in it, though that was totally cold. As it should have been. No one had been there in long enough he couldn’t get a scent off of things at all. Not
a human one anyway. It was clear that vampires had been there at some point. Several of them.

  Living there, since otherwise the smell wouldn’t have been that distinctive. It was enough that, if he met them, he’d probably know who they were. At least now. Nothing came to mind that way, though one of the scents was familiar, somehow. It was a thing that wasn’t going to come to mind though. One of those tip of the tongue things that would bug him, if he let it.

  So, he decided not to bother.

  The nice part of the whole thing was the furnishings. As in, it had them. Really, it had everything that he might need. There were beds but also bedding, in the closets. No personal things but furniture, a large television that was nicer than the one that he’d lost in the fire and even towels in the linen cupboard. It was nearly like the people there had just left one day, not taking most of the things with them. Since he’d signed off on getting the place and everything inside of it, that was his now.

  All his.

  It was better than just nice, even if it was technically a lot more than he needed, just for himself.

  Troy was just one person. Even if he had a girlfriend again now, that was only two. He had room for a lot more than that. It would work well for his party, he guessed. The one he was planning to hold in order to keep the council from feeling as bad about him dissing them and not letting them come to his wonderful community picnic.

  On the great side, that one wouldn’t need to be catered or anything silly like that. Some blood, a bit of wine and possibly entertainment. That would be all that was needed. Everyone coming would be a vampire, at least he thought that was the case. That or a greater demon, since that sort of person was all over his life. Even more than he’d figured on, it seemed.

  Pulling his phone, and the two pieces of paper that Zack had written out for him, he settled on the leather sofa that was in the center of the front room. It was dark inside, since the power for the whole place was turned off. There were windows, so he could see but that didn’t mean the place was ready for people to move in. Not regular ones. That meant it was totally fair for him to take a few minutes to call the electric company first, to see about having that turned back on. The woman on the phone, who was bored sounding and possibly a little annoyed that she had to work that day, set it up for that to be turned on the next day.

  That was quick work, he thought. He’d never had to have that kind of thing done before but he’d had friends do it. They’d claimed it had taken three or four days to make it happen. It wasn’t about special treatment, he didn't think. The bored sounding woman hadn’t responded to his name with squeals or deference once she heard it. It was, most likely, just when they could come out.

  Troy didn't even need to be there for it, since all the work took place outside at the line. It was mainly about giving them his billing information. He’d set up autopay, since Troy didn’t love doing bills all the time. Plus, if he was going to be moving around again, for work, having that kind of thing set up would prevent him from being gone for a few months and coming back to find that his power was off and the electric company had put a hit out on him.

  After that, he looked at his phone for a minute. That needed to be charged, or would soon. He couldn’t really do it there but it was early in the day, and he needed to go and do some things, anyway. Visiting people, mainly. Unless something changed.

  Trying not to think about it, he dialed the first number on the list. That for The Librarian. Tarsus. Enlil… There were several names listed but most of them didn't mean anything to Troy at all. On the fourth ring, the phone picked up. The line was oddly clear. There was none of the normal hint of static or roughness that he was used to. The person on the other end didn’t speak at all.

  They were breathing, however.

  “Hello. This is Troy Lopez, from the Lincoln, Arizona Police Department. I’m calling for The Librarian.” He got ready to either have a message taken or for the being to simply walk into the room. Greater demons did things like that.

  Instead there was just a very normal sounding answer. The voice was male but dry. Not in a vampire fashion, a human one.

  “Speaking. What may I do for you today, officer?” There was no hint of an accent, even though the number he’d dialed put it as a long distance, overseas, call.

  “We have a cult here, made up of mages. The Children of Baphomet. My information says that they’ve located a cage that you built a long time ago, in or near Cheyenne, Wyoming. Along with a mage that calls herself Cheyenne Strobmier, who seems to be holding part of it inside of her, somehow. At least my sources kept stressing that the cage was in Cheyenne. I can take obvious hints, at least at times. The being seems to be working with them, attempting to escape. So far that hasn’t happened, as far as I can tell. Not that I’d know, if it had.”

  “Hm. No, you’d know if that particular cage opened. Lopez… Ah. Yes, we’ve met, several times. The companion of The Line Walker. The friend of the traveler. That makes sense, I suppose, for you. I was surprised when I realized who you were on our first meeting. I can look into this… Unfortunately, I won’t be available to go to the cage for several days. Can you manage some kind of holding action, do you think?”

  It was oddly blunt, asking him that. Especially since he didn’t know the answer at all.

  “Unknown. I can’t stop a god, if it gets out. Not from the sound of it. I might be able to distract the cultists but I have no way of knowing how close, or far, they are from actually doing anything of note. I know this isn’t your job or anything.”

  The problem he was having was that he didn't know who’s task it would be at all. He got ready to offer money to get the fellow there, when the greater demon spoke, his voice calm.

  “Nor yours. It is mutually beneficial, to handle this, however. I could, perhaps, offer you some assistance? Not my own, though that will be needed… Perhaps my granddaughter? You live in her area of control right now. She’s in the ruling sect for our people… Indeed. That should work. That would be The Technician. Will that serve, for the time being?”

  Troy didn't want to sound pissed off but he felt that, just a tiny bit. He stopped though and cancelled that out, along with the pain that had been creeping in. His voice came out sounding not only calm but friendly and relaxed.

  “Unknown, of course. I can get with her and see if she’ll work on it. My hands are a bit tied here, due to my current job. At least for actions inside what’s allowed. They’ve tried to kill me a few times now but I can’t prove it in court, since they used magic.”

  It felt odd, telling a demon about all of that. Instead of mocking him, there was a single sound. It was a tone, and nearly hummed. When that was finished, the being spoke.

  “That could be an issue. You realize that you aren’t truly held by the rules, of course. No one is. Even playing within them you have options. Magic is not recognized under the law there but there are other ways to look at this. If a person sets a bomb, they are responsible for the results. Why should a magical trap be different? Oh, there are issues with proving such things to humans but you have resources that will allow you to do so. I think you should make an attempt in that direction. Perhaps the local prosecutor would be a good place to start for that? Then, you should not forget the federal government there. They are not always quick moving but that does not make them individually any duller than others.”

  Glancing at the list in his lap, Troy saw that there were names and numbers after the first one. The second was the state prosecutor for Arizona. The third was a name that just said FBI next to it.

  “Which explains the list here that The Line Walker gave me. I probably shouldn’t need my hand held like this. I wish I was smarter.” He really did. Not all the time but he definitely had his slow moments.

  “Indeed? Perhaps you should consider becoming more so then. I could, perhaps, aid you toward that end.” Now the voice was a bit smarmy.

  Thinking about it, he laughed a little.

  “You know,
I think I kind of learned how to do that earlier today. Really, it started the other day, in a different reality… I think that was what The Rotted set up for me as a lesson. It was… Well, she put me in a trap, then had the trap taken to a different reality, with instructions not to just use my own powers to get back. I had to learn a new language to make the woman there happy with me, which meant figuring out how to learn faster. With magic? I could do the same over all, if I hold the right idea, and add power.”

  “Well! That’s very close. Here’s a free bit of advice. Heal at the same time and balance the two states. Very good then… Troy. I’ll call, before I visit? I may not be able to, if the situation here becomes dire. That’s an unrelated situation at present. Nothing that should concern you or the people in your duty area. Some friends of yours, perhaps but they’re all of my kind, so they can fend for themselves, I’m certain.” The tone was leading.

  Which Troy wasn’t going to fall for. After all, the being was just correct. Greater demons wouldn’t need a tiny vampire Troy to jump in the way and bite the big bad demon on the ankle. It was a funny image but would be about as useful as he could be, in that kind of a situation. He wasn’t Ty Gartner after all. That guy had taken on three greater demons alone once. He’d won, as well.

  Anyone that understood what they were looking at would have been more than a little bit freaked out. Troy hadn’t really been when he’d seen it, being a human at the time. Not until Zack bothered to explain to him that it had probably painted Ty as one of the most powerful fighters in the universe. It had seemed bad ass at the time but now, looking back, he understood that he hadn’t gotten what was taking place at the time. It had looked like a hard fight.

  It had been that, as well as a magical battle and the forces of both life and death being tossed around like it wasn’t even a problem.

  On the good side, everyone, including the greater demons, agreed that Tyler was a good guy. The nice kind that wouldn’t abuse his powers. Not like one of them would have been expected to do.