House of Secrets

by James Moore

  “You’re late, Kurt. I expected you to be more punctual.”

  “I was here on time, but had a little difficulty with the locked fence.”

  “They tend to slow things down.” The sarcasm was heavy in the man’s voice, but Kurt decided to ignore the barb and continue on with his reason for meeting the mage in the first place.

  “So, have you had any luck in locating Decameron?”

  “I trust your trip was uneventful as well...”

  Kurt calmed himself with an effort. He needed the mage's help and could not allow himself to fall into a rage over a few petty slights. “My sincerest apologies for my rude behavior, Thadius. I’m afraid I do not take well to long journeys. They wreak havoc on my sleep cycle. I had assumed by your presence and fast wit that your journey was uneventful.”

  “I just know that hurt your delicate ego.” Zho was apparently in the mood for an argument, but Kurt simply refused to be baited.

  “Yes, well, I’m terribly sorry to have inconvenienced you, Mr. Zho. Rest assured I do appreciate all of your efforts on my behalf. If I can ever return the favor, please do not hesitate to call.”

  The mage fairly doubled over laughing, his fists pounding the ground and his whole body shaking with mirth. Kurt contemplated ripping his throat out for the sheer pleasure it would bring, but decided against it at the last minute.

  From behind him came the voice of the man sitting before him. “My apologies, Kurt. It seems Charnas is in a mood again.” He turned to find Zho glaring over to where his doppelganger was going into convulsive fits on the lawn. Behind the sober version of the mage, Jing Wei stood looking on with mild amusement. Kurt turned back again, staring at the still giggling man on the ground. The likeness between both mages was absolutely flawless. Zho stepped forward and planted one boot-clad foot on his impostor’s stomach, applying just enough pressure to make the man laugh all the harder. “Enough, Charnas! If you continue with these antics I’ll be forced to lose my patience!"

  The man on the ground sobered immediately, and Kurt was astonished to see the transformation that occurred before his eyes. Where seconds before the pinned figure had resembled Zho, it now twisted and warped, reshaping itself and becoming a different entity entirely. Charnas sat up, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes and switching his perspective from the mage to Kurt himself. “Oh...my...I like him, master, I do. He’s so stiff, his sweat could starch shirts.” The creature fell on the ground and started laughing a second time, literally kicking his legs in the air. After a few moments he finally stopped, still prone and looked at Kurt with a dangerous grin on his face. Kurt was not amused.

  The creature stood up and bowed low before Kurt, his eyes alight with mockery and mischief. “Your Majesty, I am Charnas the Imp, servant to Thadius Zho and all-around naughty boy. Please forgive my jest, I simply could not resist." Despite himself, Kurt found he rather liked the obnoxious homunculus that stood before him. The creature was dressed abominably in black leather attire better suited to a member of a biker gang, but his saturnine features were alight with pleasure, and his humor was almost infectious. Charnas had slightly fanged teeth that almost seemed to glow against the dusky purple of his skin. His body was long and lanky, but paradoxically short. If he was an inch over five feet in height, Kurt would be surprised. A thick head of curly black hair was framed by long, pointed ears, and he was reminded of an elf from one of Tolkien’s novels. The imp lifted one hand and held it before Kurt, ready for a handshake. “Friends?” he asked hopefully.

  Kurt looked at the hand skeptically for a second and then reached out and gave a firm handshake. The creature was surprisingly strong. “Apology accepted, Chamas.”

  Zho leaned forward and slapped the demon's hand away from Kurt with a look of fierce rage on his face. “Never, never again! Do you understand me, Charnas? Never again. If I ever see you impersonating me again, I’ll boil you in holy water."

  “You have my services, ‘master.’ You need not threaten my life." The creature's eyes narrowed with anger, and its voice was filled with contempt. “Not that such drivel coming from the likes of you could do me any harm."

  “Watch yourself, wretch. Or I’ll have you cast back down.” “Waste of a good investment.” He looked at Kurt, then to Jing Wei and pulled back in mock surprise. “Oh, my! I think we’ve kept your friends waiting long enough. Why don’t I just vamoose, and then you three can talk." With a fiery belch of smoke, the imp disappeared, his voice echoing faintly as the cloud of blackness and sulfur engulfed him. “Toodleoo, kiddies!"

  “My,” Kurt started with a slightly shaken grin, “you do have strange friends, Thadius.”

  The mage shook his head, his face warring between a smile and a scowl. “Don’t let his attitude fool you. Beneath that obnoxious exterior beats a heart of pure evil.” Zho slapped Kurt lightly on the shoulder, a gesture that he found almost too intimate from a man he’d only met once before. “On the bright side, he does obey me when he’s so inclined, and he is almost flawless as a watchdog. Let’s be on our way, shall we? This place is a little too public for what we need to discuss. I didn’t realize there’d be so many guards.”

  Zho led Kurt and Jing Wei into the depths of the Tower of London, down several flights of stairs and along four separate corridors that seemed virtually endless, to where the ground was slightly damp and the air smelled stale. After a few minutes of fumbling around in the faint light, he opened a door and led them into a large chamber filled with rusting torture devices. Kurt was almost positive that somewhere along the way they’d traveled beyond the confines of the actual tower, but decided against asking the mage exactly where they were.

  Beyond the mildewed dungeon antiquities, a warped wooden door led into another room almost as large as the one they’d just left. The walls of the room were lined with books on magickal theory and various subjects that could only be of interest to a mage or a Tremere. An oak desk and a coffee table complete with several plush Victorian chairs filled the center of the room, and Kurt felt a moment of confusion when he saw the computer sitting on the desk. At a guess, everything else in the entire chamber dated back to sometime before his human birth.

  “Have a seat, folks. Let’s get on with business." When they were all seated, Zho continued, “You want to know where Use Decameron is. At the present time she in nowhere on earth. Don’t look that way, Kurt — I have no reason to lie to you. I won't bore you with details, suffice it to say she is beyond your ability to reach her. However, all it took was a modicum of divination, and I discovered that she will soon be in London and will even be in your presence in less than twenty-four hours. That’s about all I can tell you at this point.”

  “How could you possibly know—?”

  “I’m a mage, Kurt. I dabble in dark arts. Seeing the possible futures is child's play. The only hard part is guessing which of them will be right. Most of them say you’ll be in the same room with Ilse Decameron in less than twenty-four hours and that both of you will walk away from the meeting under your own power."

  Jing Wei smiled enigmatically and added a comment of her own. “Will you not tell him what you told me?”

  “I’m getting to it, woman. Be patient.”

  “As you see fit, Thadius Zho.”

  The man rubbed one finger under his eye-patch and winced. He then shrugged and looked at Kurt again, a mildly distressed expression darkening his features. “There’s a good chance that either you or the one you seek will die later the same night.” He paused, apparently at a loss for words.

  Kurt reeled under the information, a cold pit of worry blooming in his chest. “How good a chance are we talking about?”

  “Fifty-fifty, at a guess. All I can tell you for certain is that you need to meet with Decameron tomorrow night and you need to find a man named Ozmo before you make that meeting. He knows what the source of your possible death is."

  “Can you describe him?”

  “Tall, muscular, long white hair and very pale skin,
either a vampire or an albino, possibly both. I gather that he’s insane.”

  “Well, if he is a vampire, that should make all of this a little easier.”

  “I have personal matters to attend to now and possibly I can learn a little more about this predicament of yours later. If I learn anything, you can expect a message from me personally, from Jing Wei or from Chamas.”

  “I thank you for that. I am in your debt."

  “We can discuss that later. For now, you can do me two favors."

  “Name them.”

  “Don’t let anyone know that Jing Wei is here, and try not to get yourself killed.”

  “You may consider both favors done.”

  After giving brief consideration to the size of London as a whole and his own unfamiliarity with the territory, Kurt decided that Lady Anne had a much better chance of tracking down Ozmo than he did. He waved Jackie over from where she’d parked the limo and watched as she expertly maneuvered the vehicle off of the main road and into the loop in front of the Tower of London. She was sneering slightly, and he braced himself for the inevitable question.

  Jackie slipped from the driver’s seat and walked around to open the door for him. “So, the Hong Kong Hooker came along for the ride, eh?" There was an edge to her attempt at a joke, which Kurt recognized as the closest she normally allowed herself to come to actual jealousy. She did not like for Kurt to see other women, and she especially did not like that Jing Wei was around. The past history between Kurt and Jing Wei was not something he had kept a secret from Jackie, though from time to time he wished he had.

  “Yes, Jackie. Jing Wei opted to join us in London, though I honestly couldn't tell you why.” Kurt climbed into the back of the limo as he spoke.

  “Jeez, Kurt, you don’t have to sound so defensive. I was just making an observation.” The door slammed harder than normal, but at least Jackie had the decency to let him put both legs all the way in the car before she threw her weight against the door. Running around to the driver's side door, she slipped back in behind the wheel and started pulling back into traffic. Her eyes narrowed in the rearview mirror as she looked back at him. “I mean, I just like to stay informed of who’s around you and who I should maybe keep an eye on, because I don’t really like the idea of you getting double teamed by a mage and a vampire that thinks she’s a mage. You might trust those two, but both of 'em give me the creeps."

  “It's not a matter of trust, and you know it. They are my allies for the present time and the only real source of information I have available to me in this town.” He tried to sound as calm and polite as he could, knowing that any other attitude from him might send Jackie off on a tirade. Kurt could easily admit to himself that he loved his chauffeur, but she had a tendency to get too possessive and that always annoyed him. “You should worry less about the company I keep while on business and worry more about the traffic.”

  Jackie swerved around a slow-moving bus, almost colliding with a boxy little car the likes of which Kurt had never seen outside of Britain. The offended driver honked vigorously on his asthmatic horn, and Jackie promptly raised her right hand in a one-fingered salute. “Fuck you too!”

  “Jackie, calm down. Now.”

  Jackie’s face was a study in innocence as she responded. “Hey, can I help it if the people in London can’t drive worth shit?"

  “Of course not, dear. Just try to get us to the prince’s haven in one piece. I’ve grown rather fond of this body. And of yours for that matter.”

  “Hey, you’re the boss.” The sting had faded a little in her words, but to prove her point, she floored the gas-pedal, launching the limo into high speed as she wove through the partially-snarled traffic. Kurt gave up. When Jackie had a mood, it was simply best to let her do her own thing. He reached for the cellular phone and dialed the number for Lady Anne’s office. A few moments later, the phone was answered by Courtland Leighton, her right-hand man.

  “Hello, Courtland. This is Kurt Westphal. Seeing as I’m new to your fine town I was wondering if you might be willing to do me a favor.”

  “Certainly, Kurt. You’ve only to tell me what you need.” “I’m looking for a Kindred named Ozmo. Do you know of him?”

  Leighton chuckled in a don't-be-foolish-of-course-l-know-him manner, and Kurt felt his teeth start to grind together. “Certainly I do. Nasty little bit of work hanging with Crowley and his crew.”

  “I was hoping perhaps you could have a few of your men pick him up for me. I’d like to ask him a few questions.”

  “Consider the situation handled, Kurt. What shall I tell the little man you want from him?”

  “Don’t tell him anything. I rather like to see them squirm."

  “I imagine the boys can have him for you within a few hours. Is that satisfactory, then?”

  “Delightful. Thanks for your help.”

  “Anytime.”

  Jackie was still in a mood, so Kurt just hung up the phone and held onto the side of seat in front of him as she went through her list of combat maneuvers in the process of finding her way back to Bexborough Manor. The night air seemed chillier now, perhaps as a direct result of her attitude. That, or just possibly the heavy fog rolling across the land.

  “Jackie?”

  “Yes, Kurt?”

  “Why don’t you find a nice, secluded stretch of land and pull over?"

  She looked puzzled, but nodded and found a long field of grass on the way down a secondary road that would, at least in theory, allow them to avoid the worst of the traffic on their way to the manor-haven of the prince. “How’s this?”

  “Ideal.”

  When the limousine had come to a complete stop, he opened the door and waited. Jackie opened her own door and came back to look at him, curiosity etching her features. The overhead light illuminated her face, accenting her full lips and highlighting her cheekbones. Kurt patted the seat next to him as he slid over, giving her room to climb in beside him. When she was situated, he reached past her and pulled the door closed.

  “What— ?

  “You’re looking a little peaked, my dear.” He smiled and pulled her close, feeling the warmth of her skin even through the jacket, vest and blouse that covered her. “I thought a little vitae might help you feel a little more lively." Jackie smiled warmly, her lips parting slightly in anticipation. Kurt ran one fang lightly across his wrist and held the wound up for her to see. Dark blood welled slightly from the cut, and Jackie actually licked her lips. “Take what you need from me."

  She leaned over his wrist, and Kurt immediately felt the warmth of her breath as she opened her mouth and played her tongue across the wound. She was shivering with need, and he scolded himself for making her wait so long between feedings. He closed his eyes as she started sucking, first lightly and then with more passion. He raised his free hand to her dark red hair and tossed her cap aside, then grabbed a handful of her tresses. Her lips moved against him, a dozen little gasps of suction with a dozen pauses to increase the effect. Finally he pulled his wrist away, noting the disappointment in her eyes.

  “Did you like that, Jackie?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “Would you like more?"

  “Please. Oh, please.” Her pulse was loud enough for him to hear, and he placed one hand over her heart, feeling the vitality that rushed through her. He stared into her eyes, studying their depth and loving her as much as he ever had.

  “Then kiss me.” He opened his mouth and ran his tongue over both of his extended canines. Once again the blood started to flow. Jackie leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, opening her mouth wide. Kurt thrust forward with his tongue and felt her begin to suck again. With both hands freed, he started caressing her warm flesh through the fabric of her uniform, pulling her closer until she was laying atop him. She moved her legs and straddled him as his fingers pulled at the jacket on her back. They separated briefly, Jackie having to pause a moment and catch her breath. “I love you, Jackie. You know that, don’t you?"
>
  Jackie smiled down at him with crimson lips, leaning forward to kiss him again. “Of course I do, silly. I love you too.” Again they locked themselves together, lost in passion for a time.

  The sun was close to rising when they finally reached Bexborough Manor. Even so, they returned to the temporary haven before the brutes working for Courtland Leighton finally managed to bring Ozmo in. The vampire was tall, with hair that jumped wildly from the top of his head and ran down to his shoulders in uneven spikes the same color as snow. His skin was equally pale, as if he hadn’t consumed blood in some time. Despite a body all but designed for breaking other people’s bones, Ozmo grinned nervously as he stared Kurt in the face. Kurt did not return the smile.

  “Your name is Ozmo?”

  “Yeah, well, I'm not Little Mary Sunshine, now am I? Cor, mate, what'd ya want with me? I ain’t done ya no ’arm now ’ave I?

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “Then let me go. Sun’s up in anover ‘arf an hour, an I’d just as soon not be ‘angin’ ‘round ta greet it, if’n ya sees my point."

  Kurt smiled then, a broad grin that made his acquaintance uneasy, at least if the mild dew of blood-sweat on his brow was any indication. “Oh, no, I’m afraid not. No, you’ll be staying the night here.”

  Ozmo looked ready to bolt, but the men holding him were too strong. “The only question is whether to give you a room in here, or leave you in the trunk of my car. Which will it be, Ozmo?"

  Ozmo opted to remain inside. Kurt let him.

  It was from darkness into darkness that the door in the Ching Parlor opened out, and Use led Carl through, fumbling about for a light switch and hoping that Malmsey House was modem enough to have one.