The Tome of Bill (Book 8): The Last Coven

by Rick Gualtieri

  His troops encircled us and led us away, back in the direction of the Boston headquarters. We’d only come a few blocks west before running into trouble, so there apparently wasn’t a need to usher us into the back of a squad car.

  I noticed about a third of the vamps remained behind as we left.

  “Please tell me you’re not cleaning up any loose ends,” I said loudly enough to get Colin’s attention at the forefront of our column. “This was our fault. Those people didn’t ask to get sucked into this.”

  “As I am well aware,” he replied without turning to face us. “My men have orders to disarm them. Afterwards, they are to provide them and their neighbors with assurances that order is being restored as well as any supplies they might need.”

  Wait, that’s what we were out here doing. I glanced to either side. The faces of my two female companions registered the same doubt I was feeling.

  “Seriously?”

  Colin stopped, causing the entire column to halt. He turned and marched back our way ... albeit, he left plenty of space between us, more than enough for us to get the shit shot out of our asses if we made a move. “I am entirely serious, Freewill. You may not believe this, but the Destroyer caused grievous harm to this city and our presence within it, a presence we have carefully cultivated for over three centuries. It is my duty to reestablish some semblance of order here, and I can’t very well do that by executing the citizenry. Tomorrow, those people will talk to their friends and they in turn will talk to theirs. Soon, the rumor mill will be flush with whispers of normalcy returning. That will, in turn, strengthen the effort to reestablish the former leadership and constabulary.”

  I blinked stupidly in the face of this all, not having expected the Draculas to do much more than repair the car wash that served as the outside façade of their underground complex.

  “So you’re actually trying to get things back to normal?” Sheila asked.

  “Yes. At least until the First are victorious in their war effort,” he said before turning around and continuing on. “After that, we shall most likely assume a slightly more proactive stance in our managerial strategies.”

  * * *

  It didn’t take us long to get back to the car wash. As we approached, Colin made a hand gesture, and the remaining guards split off in different directions, leaving us alone with him.

  “Someone’s feeling brave,” Sally commented.

  “Our façade of normalcy must be rebuilt. There is much work to be done here, but the sooner we can convince the residents that nothing is amiss, the better. That includes reestablishing the belief that this complex is nothing more than it appears. We can’t very well accomplish that if it is painfully obvious we are housing a significant strike force.” He turned and smirked over his shoulder. “To answer your charge, bravery assumes one is feeling threatened. I can assure you, my dearest Lucinda, that I feel anything but in your or the Freewill’s presence.”

  “You fucking...”

  “Lucinda?” Sheila asked.

  “Ah yes,” Colin continued. “I would also remind you, Icon, that the truce Lord Alexander graciously allowed is still in place. Assuming, of course, no overt hostilities are undertaken against emissaries of the First ... such as myself.”

  Sheila shrugged. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “I am pleased to hear that.” He pulled a flip phone out of his jacket pocket, opened it, and punched a few buttons.

  “Good luck getting service these days,” I said.

  “Our private cell towers have been reactivated,” he replied dismissively before speaking a few words and ending the call.

  God, what a smug prick. I couldn’t help but feel especially peeved. We’d done all the work, shed all the blood, and suffered losses as a result. In the end, it had been close, but – thanks to Gan – I managed to blow Vehron’s head off long enough for the rest of his body to get the hint. Despite that, it hadn’t been much of a victory as we’d then had to deal with his master, the queen bitch of all vampires.

  All of that, only for this brown-nosing cocksucker to waltz in and declare he was resuming command without so much as lifting a finger.

  Oh, how nice it would be to shit stomp this fucker. As much as I was admittedly a fan of nasty, sweaty sex, fucking this guy up with present company might make for an even more satisfying threesome.

  Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen, no matter how much I might want it. Colin was right about the truce. As big of a swinging dick as Alex was, there was too much at stake for us to risk breaking it – at least until a time of our choosing. At that point, well, whatever happened next definitely wouldn’t be boring.

  The battered exterior of the wash loomed ahead of us. One side had an odd cant to it as if something beneath the surface had collapsed. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the Prefect’s office lay somewhere directly below it.

  My attention was quickly diverted, however, to the main entrance of the wash’s office. The door opened with a jingle. Jesus, they even had a bell on it.

  Several figures stepped out. My vampire night vision compensated for the darkness, and I saw it was Christy and her small coven of witches. An unfamiliar figure, probably a vampire, escorted them out. He gave them a friendly wave, said, “Thank you, come again!” and then shut the door behind them.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  Colin smiled in return. “As I said, Freewill, the façade must be maintained.”

  “At two in the morning?”

  “We keep late hours. It’s done wonders against the competition.”

  BACK TO THE BIG APPLE

  “You’re kicking us out?”

  “Of course,” Colin replied as if I’d asked a particularly dull-witted question. “If I am interpreting Lord Alexander’s dictate correctly, and I assure you I am, our cease fire stipulates that we will suspend hostilities against one another, share in pertinent information, and strike jointly against our enemy when the time is right. It’s possible my memory fails me, but I don’t seem to recall anything about cohabitation. If it helps, though, there are several inexpensive motels within the city limits. Perhaps I can find you some coupons for a complimentary continental breakfast.”

  I opened my mouth to respond, but Sally was quicker. “It’s fine. Too many cockroaches in this place anyway. Wouldn’t want any of them trying to crawl into bed with me.”

  “I can assure you, my dear, that even cockroaches have standards.”

  Oh, crap. I stepped between him and Sally before she could make a move that would get us all gunned down. Despite appearing to be alone, it was foolish to believe he didn’t have eyeballs on us.

  It was all for naught, though. Sally didn’t even flinch in his direction. She merely turned her back. Yeah, something was definitely up with her. First she’d asked for permission to fire back at a trigger-happy human, and now she wasn’t even pretending to want to take a slice out of this greaseball.

  However, now was not the time to discuss things. Besides, I sure as shit wasn’t about to let my guard down while Colin was within earshot. Instead, I comforted myself in the knowledge that if things somehow worked out in our favor – resulting in the deaths of both Ib and Alex – then that would surely at least inconvenience Colin. And, if not, then we’d be dead, in which case we wouldn’t ever have to listen to him again.

  That’s me, a glass is half full kind of guy.

  “We’ll go,” I said. “But how will Alexander be able to...”

  “Do not doubt for one moment, Freewill, that the esteemed First Coven can find you no matter where you are.”

  “Uh, okay. And if we need to get in touch with them?”

  “The phone lines are being reestablished even as we speak.”

  Of course they were. Colin was a cock, but even I couldn’t deny he was an efficient cock.

  Still, it felt wrong to leave without at least a parting shot at the creep. Fortunately, I had just the thing to plant a seed of paranoia in hi
s shit-stain of a head. It was still a sore spot for me, but there was something to be said about sharing the misery.

  I turned, then stopped, feigning as if something had just come to mind. “Oh, I almost forgot. That whole pertinent information thing?”

  “What of it, Freewill? I have a great many matters to take care of and this discourse grows tiresome.”

  “Remember Starlight?”

  Colin’s face went blank for a moment as if he had no idea who I was talking about. Then recognition dawned in his eyes. “Ah. Alice Kessler, you mean? Former member of Village Coven. Was good enough to let me know the location of your coven’s safe houses about a year back.”

  I gritted my teeth at the memory. “Yes, her.”

  “She is officially listed as missing, presumed deceased at the hands of the Destroyer.”

  I could feel Sally’s gaze boring into me, no doubt wondering where this was going. “Well, she’s not. She’s one of the Jahabich now.”

  “Oh,” Colin replied, nonplussed. “A pity, I’m sure, but I fail to see why that is a concern.”

  “It should because she fooled me.”

  “The tells of the Jahabich are well documented. Just because you didn’t think to check her teeth...”

  “I did, though. They were normal, like ours. She was a perfect duplicate.”

  “I saw it too,” Sheila added.

  “Starlight?”

  “No. Another one. We ran into her on our way here. Normal teeth and all until she changed. Somehow, they’re evolving.”

  “Maybe,” I said before turning back to Colin. “Either way, I think that’s something Alex should know. These things...” I leaned in close. “They could be anyone.”

  * * *

  “Thanks for playing along,” I said to Sheila as our group walked away. “He’ll be going nuts with that info.”

  “What do you mean ‘playing along’?”

  “Wait, you really did see one?”

  “Yes. The damn thing almost killed me.”

  I’d hoped maybe Starlight was a fluke, a mutation of some kind. But now, what Sheila said about them evolving ... no, that didn’t seem right. Calibra had created these things. Perhaps she’d been working on improving upon her design. I didn’t voice my concern, but in the back of my head, I was kind of glad I’d passed this on.

  Who was to know how many of these Jahabich 2.0 existed? If so, maybe Colin wasn’t the only one who should’ve been worried about being paranoid.

  * * *

  The hours before dawn found us regrouping with the Templar, or at least their unsightly leader Bernadette. Though I wouldn’t have minded ditching them, we owed them one. Also, taking a steaming dump on one’s allies was more Alex’s modus operandi. Not exactly a person I cared to emulate.

  We compared notes and discovered that nothing much had changed in the interim hours. We still had no idea what our next steps were. And without that, there wasn’t much we could do except wait.

  I was the one who suggested we return to Brooklyn. Hanging around in a city where our presence wasn’t wanted didn’t strike me as appealing. If we were going to be banging our heads against the wall, it might as well be against familiar walls. We needed to come up with some plan of action quickly if we were to save Ed, and I had a feeling we’d all think more clearly in a place we knew. At the very least, I would.

  Bernadette declined to join us for now. Her knights had found renewed purpose in helping the citizens of Boston. Sure, New York was likely to be as big of a cluster fuck, but it hadn’t recently suffered three months of rule by a muscle-bound madman. Also, Manhattan was currently vampire-free. Despite Colin’s assurances to the contrary, Bernadette didn’t trust him. Hell must’ve frozen over, because we finally found something we could agree on.

  That said, she was still set on helping us. Fuck it. Crazed Bible thumpers they might be, but I’d take whatever I could get these days. Assuming they didn’t come to blows before then, we figured we could get in touch with her through the Boston complex since the Templar planned to make it well known to the vamps they were sticking around for a while.

  For a few moments, I worried Sheila might decide to stay with them. However, she merely gave Bernadette a hug and wished her well. I just barely suppressed a sigh of relief. I mean, I didn’t buy into this fate bullshit one way or the other, but the feeling that we were entering into the endgame wasn’t an easy one to shake. Besides, even though she didn’t need my protection, I felt better having her near. I’d already failed too many friends as it was.

  That just left the getting home part, which seemed easy enough. Christy had gotten some sleep, but, more importantly, her three coven sisters – Meg, Kelly, and Veronica – had as well. Seven months pregnant and with her boyfriend, my best bud Tom, currently inhabiting the body of a cheesy action figure ... well, that was bound to leave its mark on a person. But with three fresh witches around to amp up the mojo, it wouldn’t be an issue to zap us back to the Big Apple.

  At least until it was.

  * * *

  “I can’t help but notice we’re still standing in this alleyway.”

  “Brilliant observation as usual, Bill,” Sally replied.

  “Hold on.” Meg backed up and looked around. “One of you probably broke the circle.”

  “Nobody moved,” I said, double-checking that I hadn’t accidentally taken a step backward. For the amount of eldritch power we had at our disposal, they sure as hell had drawn a really fucking cramped magical circle.

  Don’t get me wrong, as the lone non-plastic male in our octet, I didn’t exactly mind having so much boobage pressed against me. Add some music, cheap liquor, and a couple of jays to pass around and this would have been my idea of a party.

  No, I corrected myself. This was not the time to let little Dr. Death take over. There was too much to do and too much at stake.

  “The circle is fine,” Kelly said, distracting me from thoughts of tits, wonderful tits.

  “Try it again,” Christy replied. “And this time, I’m joining hands, too.”

  “It’s okay, you know,” Meg countered. “We’ve got this. You can just relax.”

  “I wasn’t asking.” The tone of Christy’s voice was unmistakable. She was in charge of this coven and was asserting rank. Hell, I was tempted to grab her hand, too. Sheila had a commanding iconic presence when she wanted to, but I had little doubt Christy could have given her a run for her money.

  No further argument was put forth, unsurprisingly, although a tinny little voice from inside Christy’s handbag asked, “Are we there yet?”

  Being killed and subsequently resurrected in the body of a crappy action figure hadn’t done much to put my roommate Tom out of sorts. Regardless, it was still really fucking weird and definitely at the top of our list of things that needed to be fixed. Oddly enough, he wasn’t the only sentient object on her person. However, I wasn’t about to say Harry Decker’s name aloud and risk having to listen to the asshole.

  There came another brief flash of light, but it was muted – little more than a camera flash as opposed to the normal brilliance resulting from being blown into one’s base atoms and rearranged in a different location.

  Once it cleared, it was obvious that we'd again gone nowhere. “You guys out of frequent apparation miles or something?”

  Christy shot me a quick glare of annoyance before furrowing her brow and focusing elsewhere. I realized she was staring at Sheila. After a few seconds of this, Christy lifted her hands and turned her palms to face each other. An anemic ball of energy flared to life between them, little more than one might expect from a cheap sparkler on the Fourth of July. “Could you do me a favor and step out of the circle for a moment?”

  Sheila nodded and did as asked. Almost immediately, the faint spark of power sizzled and roared to life, becoming a crackling globe of energy that caused my hair to stand on end.

  “Holy shit. Even in a magic circle?” Kelly remarked.

  “It’s me,
isn’t it?” Sheila asked. “I’m causing the problem.”

  Christy doused the ball of lightning. “Looks like it. That’s unexpected.”

  “What is?” I asked. “I mean, we know she has resistance to magic.”

  “Yes, that’s why we’re using a circle. It concentrates our energy, keeps it fully contained until we’re ready to let it go. I was pretty sure by doing it that way...”

  “See?” Kelly asked Sheila. “You’ve been beating yourself up all this time about abandoning them.”

  “Whoa there,” I interrupted. “What? Who said anything about abandoning anyone?”

  “I told you,” Kelly continued, ignoring me, “you were right where you were meant to be. Almost as if fate wanted you there helping us.”

  “Besides, it was more like she just ditched Bill,” Sally said before turning to Sheila. “I wouldn’t worry about it either way. If I were a betting girl, I’d happily wager that’s not the first time it’s happened to him.”

  I was about to reply with something pithy when Kelly’s words registered with me. Had things worked out how we’d planned it, it would have been a group effort to take down Vehron, with Sheila leading the charge ... the prophesied Freewill vs. Icon matchup to determine the fate of mankind.

  It hadn’t, though. In fact, things had worked out in such a way that she hadn’t even been present for that final fight. It had been Freewill against Freewill with only one left standing in the end.

  And now, here we were – the lone Freewill and the last Icon. The fate we’d been trying to avoid now stared us back in the face again. I didn’t want to believe it, but enough weird coincidence had occurred to even make me begin to wonder. Still, it seemed impossible. Sheila was my ... friend. Things were too fucking complicated for anything more, especially with Sally firing again on all cylinders – or most of them anyway.

  Regardless, we were on the same side. There was no reason for us to duke it out, and I just couldn’t see what might give us cause to fight to the death.

  Unless Dr. Death took over again, I considered.

  That was the six-hundred-pound gorilla in my room. If that happened, hell, I might gladly let her slice and dice me.