“I agree completely,” Diana said.
“Damn.” I sighed. “I’ve been working so hard. He could decide any day now that he’s dallied long enough.”
“I can stay longer than I expected,” Gill replied.
After our meeting had broken up, he and I rode horses in the pastures. From time to time, he asked me to stop Hercules, close my eyes, and simply sense my surroundings. I could feel what the animals felt, but otherwise, I could simply feel the cold mountain air flowing over my face.
Gill’s mind remained closed to me. There was a lesson in that, I was sure of it, but I couldn’t grasp the damned thing.
After I asked him what I was supposed to sense, he merely said, “Nothing. You need to pass through nothing before you can start the true journey. Nothing is everywhere if you choose to accept it.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“We’re surrounded by more power than you’ll ever need. You slowly gain access through a deeper connection with the Eternal. I learned that from another Indian I know.”
He rode away and took Hercules with him. I stood in the middle of a path carved through the snowy field and tried to meditate on the wind.
-o-o-o-
Friday, December 27th
Sullivan’s Animal Hospital, Boulder, Colorado
I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT Gill’s book until Fred called me at a moment when I needed a distraction. I’d just lost an old collie to colon cancer, so my heart was aching.
“Don’t get your hopes too high,” Fred said, “but I think we’ve figured out part of the puzzle.”
Gill was sure the book was significant, but that was mostly because of its history with Marie’s family. For me, the book was more of a curiosity, like a news report about the discovery of another pharaoh’s tomb in Egypt.
“The book contains ancient recipes for making beer, right?” I said.
He laughed. “We don’t know yet. But we do know the book is written in ancient Breton after all. What confused us for so long is that none of the words made any sense in that language. Then our retired NSA expert realized the words might be printed backwards, and they are. Now they’re making dramatic progress.”
“That’s fantastic,” I said. “Gill will be thrilled. Is there anything immediately useful regarding fighting?”
“Not sure. What we’ve discovered so far are parables showing how people used magic during the dawn of civilization. I’ll call right away if we find anything that might help you beat dark magicians.”
-o-o-o-
Saturday, December 28th
AFTER BREAKFAST, DIANA CALLED me and Gill into her office. We sat together on the sofa in the corner.
She said, “Our hacker turned up alarming news. Escobar is up to something new, now that Hudson’s gone. I don’t know what it is, but he isn’t going to allow our clan to live in peace here. Ian threatens his leadership. I think he’s planning to offer a territorial battle, fought by champions.”
I stared up at the ceiling. Another level of complication. “What are you talking about?”
“Instead of respective sides fighting one battle after another,” Gill said, “opposing forces can agree to fight through champions. The side that wins gets complete control of the designated territory for a set period of time.”
Diana nodded. “So, if Escobar’s champion wins, all the witches here would have to leave this area. Sorcerers would control the United States from Chicago to California.”
“Can Escobar hire an outsider to act as his champion?” I asked.
“No,” Gill said. “The leader of each group doesn’t have to fight, but the champions must live in the area being contested.”
Neither one of them had said it explicitly, but I immediately knew such a challenge would pit me against Oran. Given his greater power, if he chose to fight for Escobar, he would surely win.
The only real question was, could Escobar convince Oran to do his dirty work?
-o-o-o-
Kyokushin Karate Dojo, Denver, Colorado
MY WORRY RATCHETED UP a few more notches that evening when I met with Don to practice karate.
We focused on using the staff, and it didn’t take long for him to say, “Your balance is terrible. To deliver a powerful blow, you need to stand balanced over the balls of your feet. Improve your balance by standing on one leg at a time for a half-hour each day.”
Where the hell am I supposed to find the time?
He must’ve read my mind, because he said, “If that doesn’t get the job done, you’re going to have to take gymnastics lessons.”
My skin crawled at the thought of a giant oaf like me doing handsprings and cartwheels with graceful girls and boys. They’d laugh their asses off. “I’ll make this work.”
Maybe as a reward for my promising to work harder, he taught me the roundhouse kick. That was a hell of a lot of fun. I got to swing my leg around from the side to deliver a blow with incredible power, just like in the movies.
With each kick, I imagined driving my foot into the crotch of Escobar, the real bastard threatening me. He was much stronger than Oran, according to Diana. I had no chance of taking Escobar on anytime soon, but I was working steadily toward that day. Beating Oran would bring me much closer to my ultimate goal.
We practiced beating the shit out of each other with weapons until my body was covered with bruises.
Chapter 17
Brigid’s Community Ranch, Boulder County, Colorado
AS I PASSED DIANA’S office, she waved me in.
“For the last hour, Oran has been trying to fend off Escobar. It’s not going well from our perspective.”
She turned her monitor to face me so I could read the private messages they’d sent each other over the sorcerers’ network.
“You owe me big time for this access,” I told her. “Forsberg was a gold mine of information.”
She grinned. “Every so often, I do something incredibly brilliant and surprise even myself. I’m the one who decided to target him, you’ll recall. You were merely my tool.”
That was like saying I was a gun she could point and shoot at somebody, and I hadn’t taken any independent initiative or applied my own skill. Which was bullshit, but nothing good would come from fighting with her now, so I ignored her slight and read the messages.
Escobar: I insist upon an immediate meeting at my office.
Oran: Where I’ll be at your tender mercy. I’d much rather not.
E: The absence of a meeting won’t save you. The national council insists.
O: They have no reason to notice me. I’m simply vacationing in your country. My council is in Ireland. I can leave here at any time, and if you continue to pressure me, I will.
E: That would be most unwise. I’m anxious to meet you at last.
O: I’m an Irish citizen, here today and gone tomorrow.
E: If necessary, I’ll be more than happy to contact the Irish council and the international council to enforce my requests.
O: Some time ago, I told Sid I had no interest in fighting O’Rourke. Is that why you’re harassing me now? I still have no intention of becoming entangled in your local dispute.
E: So sorry, but our situation requires your assistance. Sid’s string of failures to defeat the Boulder witch clan and O’Rourke present a national emergency. Our US council is most seriously displeased.
O: I’m new to this country. I wasn’t aware O’Rourke was known beyond Boulder.
E: He’s turned into quite the local celebrity and become a center of resistance to our authority.
O: Thank you for informing me. I’ll be happy to avoid any further contact with him and his confederates. My uncle introduced me to him at his birthday party.
E: I’m afraid matters have progressed to a point where you must take more affirmative action. Become our champion.
O: Now you want me to clean up Sid’s mess? I respectfully decline. Why don’t you ac
t as your own champion? I’ll be leaving shortly for Southern California.
E: Yes, Sid told me you might say that. I’m afraid, however, that I’m also not a resident of Boulder, so I’m not qualified to be the local sorcerers’ champion. You are not only the best candidate for the job, you are the only candidate.
O: Are you forcing me to do it?
E: The national council would be extremely generous if you accepted this task voluntarily. If you do not, we will make sure that you bitterly regret your decision.
O: How generous?
E: For example, I can offer you a co-op apartment on the east side of Central Park in the mid-sixties. It’s been newly remodeled and contains over two thousand square feet of living space. We can also guarantee your acceptance as the owner by a particularly discerning co-op board.
O: That co-op must be worth several million dollars. Why is O’Rourke so important?
E: We’d all prefer to eliminate any charismatic leader before he becomes a modern Joan of Arc. We expect a firm commitment from you to eliminate O’Rourke. Of course, you’re welcome to keep him as your slave. He has considerable potential as a gladiator.
O: Is that the way my life would be here? Every time your people aren’t up to a job, you’ll force me to do it by threatening me? If so, I might as well take my stand against blackmail now.
E: Of course, you need not worry in the future. This is a once-in-a-lifetime circumstance. I can give you an unconditional blood oath that, if you act as Boulder’s champion, you will never be attacked by any dark magician again, anywhere in the world.
That was the last message on the screen.
I peered into Diana’s eyes. “He’s about to cave, isn’t he?”
“To be honest, I’m surprised he’s put up such a fuss. He’s managed to obtain extremely favorable terms for one last fight.”
Before I could reply, the computer rang a chime to indicate that a new message had arrived.
O: I need more, an absolute guarantee that no dark magician will ever take any hostile action of any kind, magical or otherwise, against me or anyone in my family, upon pain of immediate death.
I pretended to be nonchalant about my own future. “I’m going to get a beer. Want one?”
She did, so I walked to the cafeteria and grabbed two IPAs. By the time I got back, several more messages had come through.
E: Of course.
O: Including no limits on where or when a hostile action might happen anywhere across the globe.
E: I’ve already cleared that commitment with the International Council of Slayers.
O: Bound by blood, and my family and I get the protection whether I win or not.
E: As long as you fight in good faith. I’ll be there, watching.
O: I need a few days to decide.
E: I’m afraid I must insist upon acceptance within twenty-four hours. And please do not be so foolish as to attempt to disappear. It would be such a shame if something unfortunate were to happen to your wonderful family, and you can’t hide from us for long.
I finished my beer. “So, he’ll say yes by this time tomorrow?”
Diana lifted her hands, palms up, like she was seeking understanding. “He has no choice. Of course, neither do you. You’re bound by your oath to defend us. We’ll do everything humanly possible to help you rise to the challenge.”
-o-o-o-
Sunday, December 29th
Brigid’s Community Ranch, Boulder County, Colorado
SUNDAY BRUNCHES WERE NORMALLY a festive deal, and Rascal and I were sitting at a table of kids who couldn’t seem to get enough attention from my cat. They had a mouse stuffed with catnip that Rascal tried to catch while they flicked it across the table to one another.
Gill wandered over, so I asked the kids, “Can I trust you guys to take care of Rascal while I’m talking to Gill?”
They promised to watch the cat carefully, and I warned them not to feed him. They all solemnly swore they wouldn’t.
Gill and I wandered to a table off by ourselves, and I told him about the string of private messages from last night. The more I spoke, the longer his face got.
“Dammit, that Escobar got to him. When I was selling insurance, I always stayed until I got every signature I needed to seal the deal.”
I nodded. “Oran actually fought much harder than I’d expected.”
Gill shook his head. “They’ve got too much leverage. They’re holding him and his family as hostages. We need to get busy.”
I told him what Don had said about my lousy balance.
“You’ve got a lot of irons in the fire, don’t ya? Practice balancing, but what we really need is a game-changer, something big to take that bastard down.”
I agreed, but I had no idea what that might be, so Gill and I went through the spells he’d taught me to make sure I could remember all the elements. Don made a special visit to the ranch to polish my karate weapons work. It was too late for me to learn any new techniques, but I practiced the punches, kicks, staff work that I’d already been taught.
-o-o-o-
I’D JUST FINISHED LUNCH when Nicky called.
It’s Sunday. This can’t be good.
“Hey,” I said. “I hope this is a social call, because my schedule is fully booked for the next week. I’m going toe-to-toe with Oran Byrne soon.”
He sighed. “Maybe not. Eastwood wants you in his courtroom within the hour. He’s supposedly got more pictures of you in France. Don’t try to run, and don’t bring anything you’re not willing to lose. The sheriff’s office here, or Morgan County’s, is practically guaranteed to misplace whatever personal items they take.”
It was a damned good thing he’d reminded me not to run, because that was looking real attractive at the moment.
“What’s wrong?” Laura asked.
“Looks like I’m going to jail and then back to Oklahoma. Eastwood has more pictures of me in Brittany.”
Tears filled her eyes, and she hugged me. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Afraid not, except to pray that Nicky pulls a miracle out of his hat.”
A few minutes later, Diana showed up holding hands with her young playmate. “Nicky called. Are you ready to go?”
“You bet, and your decision to bring Crystal again gives me an idea. What if she were to change my face so it doesn’t match the French photos? Eastwood hasn’t seen me enough to notice small changes that Crystal could make that would differ from the photos.”
Diana grinned. “Excellent idea.”
Crystal beamed and rubbed her hands together. “For months, I’ve been dying to improve Ian more.”
Diana led me and Crystal to the garage and then drove us to court. Crystal sat with me in the back seat, and I explained that the changes would have to be minor, because Eastwood would notice any big difference.”
“What if he notices the trick?” Diana asked.
I shrugged. “He’s already planning the worst. And if we fool him, I get to stay here for a while longer.”
“Nicky might not go along with tricking the judge,” Diana said.
“He’s already helped me fool Eastwood a couple of times. As long as Nicky realizes that I’m innocent of the murder charge, he’ll work to keep me here.”
“Okay.” Crystal grabbed my chin and turned my head toward her. “Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll give you a narrower chin, and I’ll round your nose a little. The chin will look different from straight on, and the nose will look different in profile.”
That sounded good. “Fine, but no big changes. And how about a mole on the left side of my neck? When I’ve sat in the witness box, Eastwood hasn’t seen that side of my face.”
Crystal grinned. “Perfect. Hopefully, at least one of the French pictures will have caught you from the left side.”
She cupped my chin in both hands and whispered to herself. My chin tingled as it changed shape in her hands. After a moment,
she let go of me.
“Diana, what do you think?” she asked.
Our high priestess turned the rearview mirror until she could see me. “Yes, that’s good. Maybe a little narrower.”
Crystal went back to work and then showed Diana again.
“Perfect. Change his nose next.”
“Wait,” I said. “Let me see.”
Crystal fished around in her large purse and pulled out a large mirror. She was so vain that she must’ve kept it with her at all times.
I stared at my face from several different angles. It was definitely different, but I could only see the change from straight ahead. “Looks okay.”
Crystal then placed two fingers on each side of my nose. The tingling began again, and my nose seemed to shrink. To make sure she didn’t go overboard, after a minute, I pulled my head back.
She turned my head with her hand so Diana could see my profile.
“Round the tip more,” Diana said.
Crystal did that, and after the boss had approved, I looked in the mirror. It was hard to see any difference. I felt my nose with my fingers, not something I did often, and it seemed slightly smaller.
“Do you think the change is enough to distinguish me from the photos Eastwood has?” I asked.
“For profiles, definitely,” Diana said.
Lastly, Crystal placed her fingers against my neck right below my jaw, and I felt a bump form. It was small, like a zit.
Diana stared at it in the rearview mirror. “Maybe it should be browner?”
Crystal fussed with my new mole for few minutes before letting me look. It was small and subtle.
“Is it big enough to show up on a picture taken from far away?” I asked.
Diana sighed. “It would show up as a small dot. You don’t need it to stick out much. Eastwood will be looking at your neck from ten feet away. In combination with the other changes, it should work well.”
-o-o-o-
Boulder County Courthouse, Boulder, Colorado
I MET WITH NICKY for a few minutes in the hallway outside of the courtroom, and I told him about my new look.
He gazed at me from several angles. “Damn, this actually might work. I noticed that something was different about you, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Now that you’ve told me, though, I can see it distinctly. If the photos are clear enough, I should be able to point out the differences. And if they aren’t clear enough, I can bitch about that.”
Sanctuary: The Sorcerers' Scourge: Book Two Page 19
