Hunting in Bruges

by E.J. Stevens

  He was also my means of getting close to the Holy Blood.

  Once I’d established my plan for intercepting the vampires, it became clear that we needed a Hunter at ground zero. It was the only way to ensure the Holy Blood didn’t get snatched in the ensuing chaos. But getting close to the relic wouldn’t be easy.

  That’s where Chad came in.

  Each year a group calling themselves the Brotherhood of the Holy Blood was given the honor of carrying the relic during the procession. Chad was one of these thirty-one men. The Hunters’ Guild maintained a presence within the Brotherhood and, due to his noble blood, Chadwick was our current inside man.

  “What makes you think I can help you restrain Chadwick?” Martens asked.

  “Call it a hunch,” I said.

  “Fine, Lehane,” he said. “Meet me in the lobby in five. We might as well get this over with.”

  Martens hung up and Ash quirked an eyebrow at me.

  “What are you up to, love?” he asked.

  “Chad’s going to let me march in his place today,” I said.

  “I highly doubt that,” he said, shaking his head.

  “I can be very persuasive,” I said, rolling one of my knives over my knuckles.

  “Still, it won’t be easy to get Chadwick to give up his spot in the procession,” he said with a frown.

  It was true that Chadwick would probably toss his own mother under a bus for an opportunity to show off his role within the elite Brotherhood of the Holy Blood, but my trip to House Dampierre’s dungeon had given me an idea.

  When I killed Guy Dampierre, I’d helped to set thousands of ghosts free from that room of death and torture. But hundreds more had remained. I’d felt their lingering presence this evening as I walked the streets from the inn to the guildhall, swirling around me in curiosity and confusion.

  I’d stolen the focus of their rage, and now I intended to give them a new target. One Simon Chadwick, chauvinist and attempted rapist, would do nicely.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” I said, an evil grin tugging at my lips. “I think Chad is about to have a very, very bad day.”

  Chapter 46

  “A Guild divided against itself will perish.”

  -Jenna Lehane, Hunter

  Facing Chad was not how I wanted to spend my morning. I didn’t trust him, and part of my brain still gibbered in a dark corner at the thought of what he tried to do to me, but I was running low on options. The Blood of Christ in the hands of vampires could not be good. If the vampires got an upper hand in the coming war, more innocents would die. I couldn’t let that happen.

  “Any idea where Chadwick is now?” I asked.

  Martens was pacing the lobby, a medical satchel slung over his shoulder. I convinced Ash to stay behind with Celeste in the archives, but I hadn’t come empty handed. I’d brought my weapons and a bag containing a coil of rope, just in case. But my real weapons were the vengeful ghosts I’d just encouraged to go haunt Chad’s ass.

  The horde of spirits raced up the ornate staircase, so I was guessing that Chad was either in the dormitory or the mess hall.

  “Probably getting into his costume,” Martens said. “That replica armor is a bitch to put on, and he broke his finger in a training accident this week. It’s going to take him awhile to get ready.”

  Convenient that. I grinned, flashing my teeth. I’m pretty sure I was the one who broke Chad’s finger, and that sure as hell was no training accident, but I refrained from taking the credit. Martens already thought I was bad news.

  When we reached the hallway outside Chadwick’s door, I could hear a commotion coming from inside. Martens raised an eyebrow, and I shrugged. I hadn’t explained my ability to interact with ghosts, there hadn’t been time. Plus, I had no idea if my plan would work.

  I’d hoped to put Chad off balance by sending a pack of angry ghosts his way, but I had no guarantees that the spirits would do as I asked. With a few exceptions, I’d made a habit of ignoring the dead. To say that I was in new territory here was an understatement.

  I rapped on the door and held my breath.

  “W-w-who’s there?” Chad asked from inside the room.

  “It’s me, Lehane,” I said. My voice didn’t quiver half as much as Chad’s did and I raised my chin and reached for the doorknob. “Open up.”

  “Bossy little bitch,” Chad muttered. “Go away. I’m not feeling well.”

  “Then I guess it’s a good thing I brought the doctor with me,” I said in my most cheery voice.

  I felt the lock click beneath my hand, and I opened the door. What I saw as we stepped inside brought a smirk to my lips, and I had to cough to stifle a laugh.

  Chad was flailing around as if surrounded by a swarm of pixies, but I knew better. It wasn’t the annoying insects of the fae world flitting around his head. Nope, Chad was plagued by ghosts.

  Karma’s a bitch that way.

  When he noticed me staring, Chad lowered his hands and forced his arms down at his sides. He scowled down his nose at me, but at the moment he wasn’t all that imposing. Chad’s face twitched, and as we moved further into the room, he shivered and rubbed his arms as he crossed them over his chest.

  “Sorry to hear you’ve come down with something,” I said, not meaning a word of what I said. “Flu is it?”

  Chad shook his head and reached for the costume that lay spread out on his bed.

  “P-p-probably j-j-just something I ate,” he said as he fiddled with the catches on the shining breast plate.

  Martens caught my eye and tilted his head toward a book on Chad’s nightstand. It looked an awful lot like a Satanist bible.

  I stiffened. Was Chad our traitor? Had he been continuing Van Haecke’s work to try to desecrate the church for the vampires? It didn’t seem to jive with what I knew of Chad, but then again, maybe his holier-than-thou attitude was a cover. Maybe he was just plain evil.

  I could get on board with that theory.

  The rusalka, Natasha, had said we harbored a traitor in our midst, but I was hoping that her comment had been typical fae manipulation, a way to get us Hunters chasing our own tails. Then again, as much as faeries enjoyed twisting the truth, they are incapable of telling bald-faced lies. Out of every Hunter I’d met, Chad was the most likely suspect.

  I narrowed my eyes and turned back to Chad, moving forward to get his attention. Now more than ever, I needed to take his place in today’s procession. If Chad was working with the vampires, there was no way we could allow him to be that close to the Holy Blood.

  Plus, a Guild divided against itself will perish. We had to have solidarity amongst our team if we were to win this fight.

  “You’re obviously not feeling like yourself today, Chad,” I said. My words were kind, but my voice was iron. “How about we send another Hunter in your place?”

  Chad’s head jerked up, and he glared at me, righteous fury in his gaze.

  “No, this is my solemn duty,” he said. “I earned the right. I will not let a…an illness get in the way.”

  Duty? Doing his duty meant watching the backs of his Guild brothers and sisters. It wasn’t a dress up party where grown men vied for status. It sure as hell didn’t mean attempted rape, or treason against the Guild.

  “Simon Chadwick, I am ordering you to the infirmary,” Doc Martens said, moving forward. “And if you don’t hand over that costume, I will knock you out and carry you there.”

  Martens held up a syringe, a wicked gleam in his eye. Damn, the doctor was a scary guy when he was grumpy. I made a mental note to send him a fruit basket when this was all over.

  “It’s alright,” I said, raising a hand to Martens. “I’ve got this.”

  I turned back to Chad. As much as I’d enjoy knocking Chad out with a solid punch to that pompous face of his, I was going to try to do this without a fight.

  “You’re right, Chad,” I said. “Protecting the Holy Blood is serious, which is why you need to stand down.”

  “I don’t…
I just…” he stuttered. With his disheveled hair and wide eyes, he resembled a lost child, but I didn’t back off.

  “It is your duty,” I said. “Stand down.”

  His shoulders sagged and he let the replica armor drop to the floor with a clang. Martens took his arm and led him out of the room. At the door, Chad turned.

  “But who will you find worthy enough to take my place?” he asked.

  Oh, I already had a replacement, but ol’ Chad wasn’t going to like it. Not one bit.

  “That’s easy, Chad,” I said. He tilted his head and I felt a slow grin slide across my face. “You’re looking at her.”

  Chad let out a strangled cry, but his attempt to lunge at me was short-lived. His eyes glazed over and he slumped against Martens.

  The doctor sighed and shook his head as he withdrew the hypodermic needle.

  “I’ll get this one situated in the infirmary before I head out,” he said.

  “Thanks, Doc,” I said. “How long you think he’ll be out?”

  “Until tonight, I’d wager,” he said. “Not long enough.”

  “Why do you say that?” I asked.

  We only needed Chad out of the way until we defeated the vamps. If he was unconscious all day, we were golden.

  “Chadwick’s going to be pissed when he wakes up, thanks to you,” he said. “You better watch out when he comes to.” I shrugged and he shook his head. “Was that really necessary, telling him a woman was going to take his place?”

  “Yes,” I said, holding his gaze.

  “Never easy with you, Lehane, is it?” he asked.

  I snorted.

  “No,” I said, beaming. “It never is.”

  Chapter 47

  “Hunters keep most humans in the dark in order to prevent fear and chaos.”

  -Jenna Lehane, Hunter

  I stood in the heat of midday, sweat rolling down my back beneath the shining armor and white tabard emblazoned with a bright, red cross. Although I blended with the other members of the Brotherhood of the Holy Blood, I’d made some modifications to my costume. I’d replaced the replica armor with the real stuff, which meant the gleaming metal would deflect weapons and fangs.

  It also made it heavy as hell.

  I rolled my shoulders, wincing at the many aches and pains I’d developed over the course of the past week. When all this was over, I was going sleep for an entire day. Either that, or I’d be sleeping for eternity. I was hoping for the former.

  I checked in on the radio I was wearing, confirming, once again, that my team was in position. We’d only have one chance at this, hence the double-checking. The eclipse was scheduled to begin in eight minutes and, make no mistake, when day turned to night, the vampires would come. I could feel it in my bones.

  “Position check,” I said, keeping my voice low.

  The head of the procession was just beginning to exit the Basilica of the Holy Blood, but I, and the other costumed members of the Brotherhood, had not yet passed through the threshold of the church and out into the noise of the awaiting crowd. I didn’t want to risk the curiosity of the other guards by talking loudly to myself.

  Not that I was too worried about the Brotherhood of the Holy Blood.

  At one time, the Brotherhood had been comprised of skilled knights who vowed to keep the Holy Blood safe. It was their annual duty to guard the relic as it was paraded through the streets of Bruges. But from the look of the pudgy men in their fancy dress shoes, trained knights had been replaced by other pillars of the community such as lawyers, bankers, and politicians.

  I was willing to bet that the last time someone with the necessary skills had assumed a role as guardian, this armor and tabard was still in fashion. I shifted my weight from foot to foot as I waited for my team to check in.

  “Lambert, check,” Darryl said.

  “Dubois, check,” Celeste said.

  “Zarkhov, check,” Aleksey said.

  “Martens, check,” Benjamin said.

  “Lehane, check,” I said.

  Five Hunters and one ghost against an unknown number of vampires who were being led by Philip’s lieutenant, Jacques de Chatillon, a vamp so old, he died his first death centuries before the Burning Times. It wasn’t the best odds.

  Not with a crowd of humans to protect.

  I fidgeted with my fang necklace as the door to the square grew closer. I walked beside the ornate palanquin on which the relic was displayed. Two members of the Brotherhood of the Holy Blood hoisted the poles of the palanquin onto their shoulders, solemnly carrying the relic like pallbearers. I’d offered to work crowd control, which put me close to the relic, while keeping my hands free for my weapons.

  My armor wasn’t the only thing I’d replaced with the real thing. The sword, daggers, and crossbow I carried were real, so were the wooden stakes tucked beneath my tabard. If a vampire got within my reach, I’d take him out.

  We Hunters don’t normally expose the secrets of the supernatural world, but not for the same reasons as the fae and the undead. The supes want their existence to remain a secret for the sake of self preservation. Hunters keep most humans in the dark in order to prevent fear and chaos. No one wanted another Burning Times, no one sane anyway.

  That was why I’d use the pageantry of today’s event in our favor. If the crowd witnessed a costumed knight decapitate or stake a vampire, they’d think it part of the street theater they’d come to expect from this event. See a vampire burst into a cloud of ash? They’d explain it away as sleight of hand and amazing special effects.

  Most humans can’t handle the fact that they share their world with monsters who have been here long before man crawled out of the mud, created his first crude weapons, and started making himself a nuisance. Humans fear what they can’t explain. So the brain has developed coping mechanisms that help keep man in the dark.

  That’s why children and the mentally ill see more than the rest of us. Children haven’t fully developed those coping mechanisms yet, and the coping mechanisms of the mentally ill have become damaged.

  It also helped that faeries and the undead hide their true appearance beneath a magic glamour. If humans managed to see vampires during the darkness of the eclipse, the vamps were likely to look like uber attractive twenty-somethings—not walking corpses. For the undead, that glamour helped to camouflage the visage of a killer from their unwitting prey.

  Today it might also help to prevent a riot.

  I blinked rapidly, eyes darting through the crowd as we stepped out onto the Burg. The noise was even louder than I’d expected. The cheers of the crowd reverberated off the cobbled square and the stone buildings that enclosed the Burg, creating an almost deafening din.

  Once again I was glad of the high tech ear pieces that Zarkhov had provided from the armory. If we’d relied on cell phones or standard issue walkie-talkies, we’d have total radio silence right now. Instead, I could continue to hear status reports above the cheers of the crowd.

  Everyone on my team had a job to do, no matter what suspicious thoughts made my chest tight. The rusalka’s words still rang in my head, but I shook it off. Chad wouldn’t wake for a few more hours, and I had Zharkov working away from the action. They were the only two I thought might be capable of that kind of treachery, not that I wanted to believe the faerie’s accusations at all.

  But the memory of Martens nodding toward the Satanist bible on Chad’s nightstand was still fresh. I grit my teeth and tried to stem the growing paranoia. I couldn’t afford the distraction, and there wasn’t much else I could do to control the situation. If there was a traitor in our midst, we’d find out soon enough.

  I scanned the crowd, hand heading toward my sword. It was on my hip in plain sight, one of the many benefits of being part of the procession. I was fully armed and ready for battle.

  A children’s dance group was performing ahead of us, their costumes bedecked with colorful fabric streamers that twirled through the air as the dancers spun in circles. A choir was singing ahead
of them, but they were already passing out of the Burg square, taking their music with them.

  I eyed the sky nervously. The eclipse would begin any minute now. I’d done everything I could think of to put into play a plan to keep the relic out of the vampires’ clawed hands and protect as many innocents possible. I swallowed hard, my mouth going painfully dry. I just hope I wasn’t forgetting something.

  The square darkened, and there was no more time for worrying. The eclipse had begun, rapidly swallowing the sun. It was time for action.

  Amidst oohs and ahs, the crowd pointed to the sky, but I kept my eyes on the square. I scanned rooftops, doorways, and the spots where the archive’s maps indicated manhole covers and sewer grates. I didn’t know where the vampires would make their grand entrance, but I was sure of one thing.

  They would come.

  Chapter 48

  “Hunters working a security detail learn early on that you keep one eye on what you’re guarding and the other eye on the crowd.”

  -Jenna Lehane, Hunter

  The eclipse began, and the attention of every guard was on the sky. As I’d feared, there were not enough eyes on the phial. It was a rookie mistake, another indication that these men had never been trained as guardians.

  Hunters working a security detail learn early on that you keep one eye on what you’re guarding and the other eye on the crowd. If today was any indication, you shouldn’t stare directly up at an eclipse. It gave the monsters an edge, and these humans were already at a disadvantage.

  I inched closer to the relic, jostling my way forward through the crowd. I came abreast with the relic as darkness fully descended and temporary night fell on the city. I drew down the night vision goggles that I’d retrofitted into my helmet, the world switching to shades of green.

  “Now!” I shouted.

  Darryl, Celeste, and Benjamin were posing as maintenance workers, and on my order they let loose with fire hoses, pointing them above the crowd.