by Gini Koch
“Yes. Unsurprisingly, the moment he died, he went to the Prince. And because of his natural skills, he became a warlock of great power.” I wanted to kick myself.
“It didn’t occur to me, or Black Angel Two, or anyone else, either,” Jude said quietly. “But it means we have the most strategically minded of the Prince’s minions, along with his most rabid enforcers, on the human plane. And they’re only here for one thing.”
“What they’re always here for. I know.” I tried to think calmly. “How many of his generals do you think he brought with him?”
“You figured eighteen had the potential to pass, right?” Jude asked. I nodded. “Then figure all of them, and probably some others from history just as bad. They’re focused on the human plane, they’ll go with beings who were humans when they were alive, at least for the majority.”
Jack cleared his throat. “One of those eighteen ideas meant that the four of us were used. Is there any way to make sure we’re not…infected?”
“Should be.” Jude put his hands on the sides of my head. “Nothing unnatural.” I tried not to look relieved, but failed if Jude’s chuckle was any indication. “You’re hard to infect, Victoria. One of the hardest.”
“Good to know.”
He moved on to Sexy Cindy. “Impressive. I foresee a good career.” He looked at me. “Keep her with you.”
“I was planning on it.”
“Yeah, I know you can spot talent.” Jude moved on to Freddy. “Hmmm, another good one. I know they’ll want to keep him at the University, but like H.P. and Edgar, make sure you keep Frederick on call for active duty.”
Freddy and Sexy Cindy both looked surprised and pleased by these assessments. I had to remind myself they hadn’t been undead long. I could remember my first days and, like theirs, they were faster-paced than normal. Happily, they were holding up, like I had. I hoped they continued to do so -- we didn’t have time to deal with either one of them cracking under pressure.
Jude went to Jack now. He didn’t say anything for what seemed like a long time. When he did, he wasn’t speaking to me. “You’re the one at risk. You’ve been warned. The longer you ignore the warnings, the worse things are going to be.”
Chapter 34
Jack pulled away from Jude. “Look, I’m getting tired of all the angelic warnings. You’d think you’d be happy I could handle all of this and instead all I hear is a lot of vague crap about my soul. My soul’s just fine, thanks.”
Jude turned away. “If you say so.” He looked at me. “Remember -- you aren’t responsible for any soul but your own.”
This was getting to be an angelic litany, and it didn’t make me feel any better that it was going along with the general angelic consensus that Jack’s soul was in peril. A horrible thought occurred to me.
Jude shook his head. “No.”
“No what?” Jack snapped.
Jude looked over his shoulder. Even though he was in profile to me now, I could see the look of disdain. “No, her becoming romantically involved with you isn’t why your soul is in jeopardy.” He sighed and turned back to me. “He needs time with Edgar, and soon.”
“We’re sort of in the middle of saving the worlds. Kind of hard to get that one-on-one time with anyone. Besides, Edgar’s part of the team at this point.”
Jude rubbed his forehead. “You never could find the easy way.”
“You are such the one to talk.”
He laughed. “Too true. The hard way is more…challenging. And lasting.”
Jack looked ready to get into a fistfight with Jude. Sexy Cindy and Freddy were holding him back. Apparently Jack and I weren’t handling anger very well tonight. A different thought occurred.
“Probably,” Jude said with a wry grin.
“Stop it with the mind reading! I mean, you can do it, clearly you can’t stop it due to your assignment, but could you pretend that you aren’t?”
He chuckled. “Now, where’s the fun in that?”
I remembered why I’d fallen in love with him. He was maddening and attractive, mysterious and wise, all rolled into one. But…like Ken after him, he hadn’t been what I really wanted.
Jack relaxed, or Sexy Cindy and Freddy lost their hold on him, I wasn’t sure. He walked over to us. “We’re on a case. Tracking a variety of perps who are trying to pull the biggest job ever, right?” Jude nodded. “In which case, a little more cooperation and a whole lot less statements of doom would be appreciated. Unless you can pinpoint where all our quarries are so that we can just round them up and call it a night.”
Jude’s wry smile was back. “No, I can’t do that. If I could, I already would have. That is why I’m here, after all.” He sighed again. “And I’ve failed, in that sense. Of course, failure can become victory, in the long run.”
“And if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all,” Jack snapped. “Got it. Thanks a million. The Prosaic City Police appreciate your assistance.” He jerked his head. “Let’s go.”
Jack stormed out. Sexy Cindy shook her head. “Boy, he’s steamed. Guess he’s having some trouble in the measuring up department.”
Freddy nodded. “We’ll go stay with him. You won’t be long?”
How they knew I was going to stay to talk to Jude I didn’t know, but I had a feeling it was because they were looking at my face and body language. Meaning Jack had stormed out in part because he, too, had taken a look. Oh well, my life was all about the complexities. “Thanks. Shouldn’t be too long, no.”
They hustled out. The moment the door closed Jude pulled me into his arms. I would have resisted but I was in shock. He shook his head. “Not trying to rekindle the passions, though, I confess, if you were willing, I could be easily convinced. I need to protect you.”
He extended his wings and wrapped them around us. We started to spin, and as we did, he spoke a prayer. It was in ancient Hebrew, but I could pick up a word here and there. The basic “Yahweh protect us from horrible evil” kind of thing is what it seemed like. After what seemed like a long ride on the Spin-Out, Jude stopped praying and we stopped spinning, then he let me go and took a step back.
“Uh, that was, ah, different.” I didn’t ask why he’d never done that before, like when we were an extremely hot and heavy item.
“I never did it before because you didn’t need it.”
“And now I do?”
“And now you do.”
“Because of Jack?”
“Because of what’s to come, some of which will involve Jack, yes.”
I hugged myself and looked down. “Is he evil?” I tried not to dread the answer and couldn’t.
Jude put his hand under my chin and moved my face up until I was looking right into his eyes. “No. He’s human. And he no longer wants to be.”
“Miriam said the same thing. Is…why is that bad?”
“In and of itself? It’s not.” Jude half-laughed and half-sighed. “It’s almost similar to him wanting to convert to a different religion because it would make him closer to the one he loves.”
“He really loves me?”
Jude kissed my forehead. “Yes, he does.”
“Then I really don’t understand why any of this is bad or puts Jack’s soul in danger.”
“You will. In time. Sooner than later, I fear.” He walked me to the door. “I can’t leave to help you. If I do, they’ll be able to bring the armies through.”
“How can you be sure? I mean, they’re getting past us right and left.”
“My presence here is the main deterrent. And, I’m not quite as alone as it seems.”
The light dawned. “Oh. He’s here?”
“Yes. Keeping his usual low profile, but yes.”
“Does Magdalena know?”
Jude shook his head. “She needs her energies focused on fighting. We all do. He and I, we fight a little differently from everyone else.”
“I don’t want this to be the final battle.”
“No one on our side doe
s. You’d be amazed -- many on the other side don’t, either.”
“Really?” I found this difficult to buy. The Prince’s minions were all about total domination. It was one of the main reasons they joined up at his myriad recruiting stations.
“I think our agent on the inside would know.”
“He doing okay?” It wasn’t wise to say his name aloud. As one of the few who knew what his real role in the grand scheme was, I also knew I was only safe thinking about Lucifer in this capacity because I was right next to an immensely powerful angel who could block my mind from others’.
“So far as the few messages through can confirm. However, we do know not all the minions want the great war. Some, like Ishtrallum down the block, are far happier with the status quo than they would ever be if the Prince were to achieve his goals.”
“If he says so, okay.”
“He does. He also says that, should any of us face him in battle, we have to treat him like an enemy.”
I considered this. Abaddon and Apollyon I would have no trouble killing. Well, I’d have trouble in that they were frighteningly more powerful than me, but none whatsoever with guilt or indecision. With Lucifer -- with someone who, by a long tail of comparison, was doing the same kind of job I was, albeit in far more dangerous circumstances -- it wouldn’t be so simple. I didn’t know him, of course. He’d been in deep cover so long that he’d never come to the human plane, never visited Necropolis.
I’d met Satan. Martin had introduced us. I rather liked Satan. I couldn’t kill him, but I wouldn’t be asked to. I wouldn’t be asked to take out any of those who actually worked for the gods.
But if the Prince was bringing out his biggest, baddest lieutenants, then Lucifer was going to be in the fray, some way, somehow. And I didn’t know if I would be able to treat him like an enemy, even though I’d never met him. “Can you block my mind so that no one else, other than you two, can tell if I’m thinking about him?” I’d never felt the need for this before, but the base of my tail said this was a good idea and that if Jude said no I should hurt him in some way.
“I suppose so. Why?”
Lucky Jude, no hurting from me coming. “We have major minions in this realm and you have to ask?”
He grinned and put his hands on my head. “Okay, don’t hurt me. I don’t do this often, but you’re probably right to take the precaution.” He put his forehead to mine. I felt a flutter inside my head that lasted for a few long moments. “All done.”
“Good. This way, if I do have to face him, no one else will realize I’m concerned about it.” Or read any other thoughts about Lucifer I might have.
“No one but the two of us can access your thoughts about him now. Well, other than Yahweh.” Jude patted my back. “When the time comes, if it comes, you’ll do what’s right, Victoria. That’s why you’re so important. You always make the right choice.”
“I don’t think so.”
“I do.” He nodded towards the back of the room. “And so does he.”
“So it was the right choice to break up with you?”
Jude chuckled as he opened the door. “I meant in terms of the greater fight. In terms of your personal life, sorry, you screw up just like all the rest of us.”
“Dang.”
Chapter 35
I felt funny back on the sidewalk. A big chunk of my early undead life was tied to Jude and it was unsettling to realize my present undead life was now wrapped up with him again.
Happily, Jack looked a little calmer. “You get any other insights into my impending doom?”
“Don’t buy long.”
He laughed. “Good to know. Where to next?”
“No idea.” I decided my wrist-com hadn’t gotten enough work recently. I tried HQ, hoping I was going to hear good news. “Agent W-W-One-Eight-One-Niner reporting in.”
Nothing.
I tried Hansel and Gretel. Nada. Tried Ralph. Got static.
“Things suck at Headquarters.”
“Great.” Jack rubbed the back of his neck. “Should we head over there?”
“Let’s check in on everyone else.” Just to give optimism a go, I tried to raise Amanda and Maurice. Then Ken. Then Monty. I quickly raced through the entire extended team. No one was answering. “Okay, before I totally freak out, we need to go back into the Salvation Center.” I didn’t wait to see if they were following, I ran through the door.
Jude was waiting for me. “I think it’s intentional interference, not that everyone’s dusted or worse.”
“Great. Any way we can tell for certain?”
He coughed. “Yeah. They’re all alive.”
I didn’t have to ask who was providing this reassurance. Of course, I was the only one.
“You mind expanding on that?” Jack asked.
“Yes, I do. Some things do require faith. Or the acceptance that the short answer is all you’re going to get.” Jude didn’t seem too upset, but he didn’t seem overly amused, either.
Jack and Freddy both started to argue, but Sexy Cindy cocked her head and stared at Jude. Then she looked around the Salvation Center. “Guys? I think we can take it at face value.” She looked at me. “If it’s good enough for you.”
“It is.” Interestingly, Jack and Freddy both quieted down. “Jude, any suggestions for our next steps? Any help would be appreciated.”
He got a faraway look, which I knew meant he was listening to someone talking inside his head. I also knew full well who that someone was. Well, said someone did have a direct line to Yahweh, and that was good enough for me.
Jude came back to the rest of us. “Go to Necropolis Enforcement.”
“Why? Just curious and all.”
He shrugged. “I think everyone else is heading there.”
“So, either things are wicked bad at HQ, or everyone’s heading back to home base to report and regroup.” I stared at Jude. He didn’t indicate which answer was the right one. “Thanks, you’re a great guy.”
Jude grinned. “You used to think so, yeah.” He shrugged. “You know the rules, you don’t get a lot of freebies when you don’t need them.”
I made the exasperation sound. “Fine, great. Heading off. Hopefully to a happy team reunion, not to a pre-Armageddon party.”
We left again, but this time we headed for the car. It was a relief to move away from the convergence chasm, I had to admit. I didn’t want to have to visit this block again for a long time, if ever. Pity the base of my tail said we’d be back, and a lot sooner than I wanted.
Jack handed me our bag of goodies and I tossed it into the trunk, Sexy Cindy and Freddy piled into the back, Jack took the wheel, and I grabbed the radio. “Darlene, Detectives Wolfe and Wagner checking in.”
“How nice of you to remember us back at Headquarters, Detective.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Things were at least semi-normal somewhere. “We’ve been following leads. Anything going on we should know about?”
“It’s very quiet. Chief feels it’s too quiet.”
“Oh. Good. Where in the silence would you like us to go?”
“Nowhere in particular. We’d just like it if you’d check in more than once every few days.”
“Hilarious. We’ll do our best to keep the regular cards and letters flowing. Over and out.” I hung up and looked at Jack. “This is getting weirder by the minute.”
“I agree. I mean, we’ve had quiet nights -- I think maybe a whole dozen in the time we’ve been partnered -- but quiet right now? Seems unlikely.”
“Well, let’s get to Enforcement Headquarters and see what fun awaits us there. I’m sure we’ll have time later to rock the bad guys on the human plane.”
Jack drove back to OLOC. This time we used the church’s parking lot because I had the special parking tag and now wasn’t afraid to use it.
“Really? Necropolis Enforcement can legally use a handicapped hanger and no one complains?” Jack sounded ready to give me a ticket.
“It says ‘Differently
Abled’ and we pay a lot of money for these. I’d like to mention that we aren’t using the real handicapped spots. We’re using the Differently Abled spots. As in, the ones we’ve paid for.”
“Huh.” He sounded like he was going to run this by the Chief when we got back to Prosaic City P.D. I got the impression his fur was still ruffled over meeting Jude.
We poured out. Before we left the car, though, I had everyone take a small weapon of some kind, just in case. I didn’t think it was a good idea for us to waltz into Our Lady of Compassion toting multi-round crossbows, but a can of Evil Fairy Repellent and a miniature single-shot crossbow were a lot easier to hide.
Cruised through OLOC and into the Proper. Jack didn’t seem to have any trouble with the slide. I figured I’d let him go through the next time without my holding onto him, just to see how it went.
Moving sidewalks were working just fine, no one we passed seemed panicked or like they were trying to pass furtive signals. Nor did anyone look or act possessed. It was just a typical night in the Proper -- beings out, many working, some having a good time, some hustling about their business, some strolling. Normal.
I spotted what looked like some University students taking classes outdoors, as well as a group of younger undeads clearly on an outing to the hospital. That was considered a big deal for the young ones. Why, I could never figure out -- I wasn’t wild about visiting hospitals, though I was a big fan of their work -- but apparently the little undeads had to pass tests and get perfect attendance and citizenship marks before they got to go. Strangely enough, there were always enough young ones who’d made the cut that groups ran at least weekly, sometimes more often.
“What are little kids -- ah, beings doing out this time of night?” Jack asked.
“Uh, they’re little vampires and ghosts and such. They’re night creatures.”
“Oh.” Jack looked embarrassed. “That was a stupid question.”
“My teachers used to say there were no stupid questions,” Sexy Cindy offered. “Of course, they also said there was no such thing as ghosts and vampires and werewolves. So I guess they didn’t know much.”
