As the circle around us faltered, I lunged at her in fury. She dodged easily and smacked the side of my skull with her elbow. I skidded a good twenty yards. A smattering of stars danced across my vision. I tried to find my feet, but she’d done some serious damage. I spotted three Annas standing on the edge of the platform. All of them were laughing.
“Goodbye, magus,” she shouted. “It was a blast—but I believe you still have a last wish to grant.”
Anna withdrew a small device from her purse.
I froze—she meant the initiates.
At the press of the button, two of the ride’s legs exploded. The drop tower’s struts gave way, and the entire structure bent at its remaining joints. In the same instant, the frameshift ended. A stunned Dante and Sheila dove out of the way of a crumbling structure that—to them—was invisible only a moment ago. The ride struck the ground with a reverberating roar. The entire building shuddered. A chorus of screams followed. The initiates, still strapped into their chairs, were hanging off the side of the building. Only two twisted legs stood between them and an express trip to the parking lot.
In the confusion that followed, Hans headbutted Rei. The strike shattered her cute nose, and I flinched in reaction. Hans squirmed away to join his master. Anna tossed Hans one of two backpacks, and with nary a word, the two of them jumped right off the side of the building.
I struggled to my feet (yet again). The initiates dangling off the ride were screaming for help, but there were scenes of death and dying all around me. Spinoza hung limp from my father’s arm. Eight Talmax mages lay dead before them. All the trolls were dead or dying, hacked to bits by Roster and Sheila. Glory Riley was limp and pale. Sadie sat cradling her body. John Riley lay bound next to them, drool running from his open mouth. Collins was busy tending to Masterson’s face. The two DEA agents were battered and bruised, but both were still in one piece. But the biggest change to the scenery was on the west side of the building. Where the gift shop once stood, only dust and melted glass remained.
I looked over at Rei and nodded at her unspoken question. Looking up at the sky, I could see no sign of an impending apocalypse. The full moon hung innocently above. The smell of sulfur and brimstone had vanished. But I had unlocked something. What I’d freed, I didn’t know—but I could enjoy a nice soak in the guilt tub later. Right now there was still work to be done. Right now I could fulfill a promise.
I dragged my frazzled body over to the scaffolding and began to climb out towards the initiates. Ignoring the wind, ignoring my fear, I pressed outward. If I was going to have to suffer the cost of that cast, I sure as hell was going to collect my reward.
“Careful, bud,” Dante yelled up from below. “That thing ain’t stable.”
As if agreeing with him, the metal struts groaned in protest.
“Thanks for the helpful advice, roomie.” I kept crawling.
“It is sound advice, my most moronic anti-hero.” Rei was already beside me. “Please do not fall. You are quite fat, and I do not want to pull my back out again.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, reaching the first segment beyond the building.
I looked down. Vomited. Groaned.
“Charming,” Rei muttered. “I am attached to this for eternity?”
I mouthed a brief apology to the poor saps below and continued onward. Then again, I’d saved their sorry asses, the least they could do was wear my vomit. A clanging noise came from behind. I looked back to see Roster and Sheila fortifying the wounded structure’s legs.
“Don’t want no Lambda-patties,” shouted Roster. “Dynamic-duo, send them back one at a time so it doesn’t strain too much.”
I nodded and turned my attention to the first terrified girl. She kept repeating the same prayer over and over again. I bit my lip and resisted the urge to tell her to instead thank the structural engineering class Roster was taking.
“Easy there,” I said instead. “Focus on your handholds. Keep moving till you reach the end.”
She nodded and headed off in the direction of the building. I was a little concerned she wouldn’t make it. Her arms were as thin as her wrists.
After releasing the third, Rei turned to me. “Dieter…my sister…what did she do to you? You smell like cornered prey.”
I looked past her. “Sorry.”
“Oh! No, no, no,” Rei said, shaking her head. “The scent is quite alluring. I am just wondering as to the cause.”
“I think Anna might have gotten me to do something very bad, Rei.”
Rei sobered. “It is a specialty of hers. If sister could descend lower on my inventory of shit, she just would have.”
I snickered. “It’s a shit list, Rei. And bad people go up your shit list, not down.”
“Curses,” she grumbled.
The fourth initiate we freed saw Rei, screamed, and nearly plummeted to her death. Thankfully, my terrifying vampire assistant’s reflexes were much faster than the tug of gravity. But even after that, the girl didn’t even bother to say thank you. As the stupid twit scrambled away, I looked back at the tower. Jules had set up a circle around Spinoza to manage his wounds. He grimaced in pain as Jules re-set his arm.
“Some victory,” I grumbled.
“Is the enemy not crushed?” Rei asked. She was dangling by her ankles, tugging at a set of belts. “Stop moping and assist me.” She tore apart the fifth set of restraints and grabbed the boy by the collar as he fell.
“Wow,” the red head said as she lifted him into the air.
Rei waited patiently, ready for the usual outburst.
“Aren’t you Rei Bathory?” He stared back at her in disbelief. “Do you really go to Elliot?”
“Indeed,” she replied, handing him off to me like a dirty napkin.
“Awesome,” he said, looking star struck. “Well, if you wouldn’t mind, um, Your Highness…could I get your autograph?”
“Her what? Why would—”
“Indeed,” Rei said, talking over me. “Track me down after orientation. I would be happy to go out for a bite.”
“Sure thing!” he said, crawling past me. “Hey, is she still single?” he whispered. “I mean, it said so in Circling the Drain, but you can’t really trust the tabloids.”
I grasped the metal struts tightly as another gust of wind blew my robe in my face.
“Grub, we are 350 meters above asphalt. Can you please crawl to safety so only your heart gets broken?”
Rei turned back to me and smiled. “Out for a bite. That was a most successful pun, was it not?” She chuckled. “My studies of M. A. D. Magazine are beginning to pay dividends, Dieter.”
I rolled my eyes and gestured to the last initiate. The poor thing had spent the last few minutes staring straight down at the Strip. I didn’t even want to think about what the view was like from that vantage as the ride collapsed. It made me want to go eat some more food just so I could throw it all up. She was so far down that I had to work on her restraints while Rei held my ankles.
“So fat,” she lamented from above.
I removed the duct tape covering the girl’s mouth as gently as I could, but it still took some skin. I sighed. I couldn’t seem to do anything without fucking up something else. Working out her tender jaw, the girl watched me as I undid her restraints.
“I saw what happened,” she said quietly.
My hand rested over the final buckle. For a single, dirty second, I thought about covering my tracks.
“What you did…well, I just want to say that I know what your intentions were. And…and I think you made the right choice. You saved so many lives.” She looked at me squarely. “Mine included.”
I nodded, feeling a rush of guilt. “You know, to be hung out like this and still able to talk, I’m impressed. You’ve got some serious guts.”
“I have to be strong. My family is counting on me. I’m the first of my line to qualify.”
My throat tightened. It was like I thought. She had the same brown hair, the same sad eyes.
“Angela. My name’s Angela Hawthorn.”
“Hawthorn,” I repeated quietly. “Do you by chance have a sister, Angela?”
“Yep,” she replied with a smile. “Two bossy big brothers and one bossy big sister. Do you know her? She goes to school at Boulder.”
I turned to Rei. “Pull us up.”
“Pull us up, please,” she lectured.
“Are you okay?” Angela asked.
“Yea. Fine. Just a little banged up.”
“It’s just that it looks like you’re—”
“I’m fine,” I said stiffly. “I’m just allergic to heights.”
“Your name’s Resnick, right?” Angela asked. “That’s what that poor man kept calling you.”
Angela knew when to change the subject. I liked her already.
“Yea. Dieter Resnick. And this here is my partn—” I yelped as Rei dug into my ankles. “My squadmate and benevolent overlord, Rei Bathory.”
Safe on top of the scaffolding, Angela turned to Rei.
“Nice to meet you, Magus Bathory. My name is Angela Hawthorn.”
Angela extended her hand but Rei drew backwards. She bowed curtly instead. Angela seemed to take it in stride, and the three of us made our way back. Angela and I crawled like caterpillars. Rei waltzed. To add to the chaos, my robe refused to behave. It was flopping around manically. Still, with Rei leading our procession, I had a pretty great view. I decided that torn dresses were way better than regular dresses.
“What’s your squad’s letter?” Angela asked over the creaking of the metal.
“Grubs should not ask so many questions,” Rei shot back. She seemed quite grumpy, though I didn’t know why.
“Rei’s right, Angela. You should never ask questions. Questions are dangerous. You might even discover you’re related to someone. That could be rather disturbing.”
Rei put her hands on her hips and frowned. “We are not related, Dieter Resnick. Your kin are Germanic. My kin are Hungarian. And you are quarter blooded at most. Inbreeding is not a concern in our case.”
“Our case?” I asked slyly.
Rei replied with a sly kick to my face. “Such innuendo is of your own design, Dieter, son of Kurtz. I merely corrected the facts.”
Angela giggled. “Your ears are red.”
Rei huffed. “Your vision is faulty.”
Safely on the ground, Roster and Sheila led the initiates across the burned-out array. There was little left of the intricate designs that had lit up the sky. I had to give Anna at least some credit—the bitch covered her tracks well. I tracked down Jules next. She was still working on Spinoza. His wounds were severe. His breath came in sickly gasps. I knelt beside him.
“Sir, we completed our mission, but it was a mess. And, sir, I didn’t heed one of your most basic lessons.”
“You aren’t the only one, diablillo.” He gestured to his cracked ribs. “But the job is done. We go home. We drink beer. We laugh. This is good, no?”
I nodded. Being the government’s bitch had some benefits. At least we had great fakes.
“Yes, sir, but you’re buying. I’m dead broke.”
Spinoza grinned. “Like father, like son.”
My father had taken a position off to the side. He didn’t look in the mood to talk—and for that I was grateful. But it wasn’t just my father who was quiet. Dante was eyeing the ground, and Sheila had made busy cleaning that impressive broadsword of hers. Funny…the blade looked plenty clean to my eye. Off to the side, I caught Roster kneeling in prayer. That was odd too. He usually saved that stuff for Sunday. I turned to Jules. She was still hovering over Spinoza even though he was good and bandaged.
“Okay,” I said. “I assume we don’t want to still be chillin’ up here when the cops arrive. Shouldn’t we get this show on the road?” No one replied, but someone needed to start giving orders. “Where’s the captain?” I asked. “Ladies room?”
My question was met by further silence.
Dante shook his head and sighed.
“Bud—we lost her. She fell defending the flank.”
My legs didn’t feel quite right. I took a seat on the ground.
Monique was graduating this year. Top of her class. Off to Cerberus in the summer.
Rei flinched. She took a seat next to me and huddled into a ball.
“So this is what…” She stared off into the distance. “Dieter, I do not like this.”
“Alright,” Dante said, standing. “Dieter’s right. We have to evacuate and care for our wounded. We’ll have time to mourn later. Jules, I need another translocation circle, please.”
Jules nodded, dug into her robe, and pulled out a crumbled piece of chalk. She picked out the biggest chunk, and with her usual speed, she sketched out the complex pattern for another portal. Dante clicked his receiver and had Maria open it. Collins and Masterson led Sadie and John Riley out first, and the freed initiates followed. Roster, Sheila, and Dante helped my father carry out Spinoza. My father and I didn’t speak a single word. It was better that way, I decided. As Rei followed them out, I tugged on Jules’ dress.
“We’ll meet up with them later. I need to show you something.”
Jules looked confused, but she did as I asked.
I led her up onto the platform and showed her the array. I didn’t go into details. I just told her what had gone off at the end of the cast. She jotted down some of the shapes in her notebook as she went, muttered to herself the whole time. It must have interested her, because she kept scratching her head and twirling her pencil.
The day’s events had taken a toll on my body. I plopped down and examined the folds of my robe. The crimson-grey garment had survived tonight’s exploits without a hint of damage. What had Dante said? Crimson was ‘Mars ruled’ or something? Maybe Jules and Dante had been wrong. Maybe my robe actually was enchanted. I looked down at my ruined boots and shrugged. My profession continued to destroy clothes faster than I could replace them. An indestructible robe could save me some serious change.
A few minutes later, Jules returned from examining the array. I looked up at her worn face. Between the burn marks and dried blood, she looked as bad as I felt. Her dress was in tatters, and she was covered in countless tiny wounds. Wordless, she sat down next to me and looked up at the moon.
“Did I void the Earth’s warranty?”
Jules shook her head. “It’s mighty bajanxed, Dieter. I don’t know enough ta say for sure, but it looks like a mix between a summonin’ circle, a counter-hex, and some sorta gate. And I mean a frame gate, not just some translocation spell.”
I filled her in, leaving out the part about the voice in my head.
“She claims yer a Dealer?”
“Yea, a Vita Paciscor,” I replied. “I have no idea what that is, but it must have something to do with my mother. In other words, the non-vampire side of the family tree.”
Jules nodded, and her expression grew grave. “No more talkin’ about these topics, Dieter. Not to anyone. Now flip up yer hood and hold yer breath. This be a hard one. I need me focus.”
Jules grew quiet and drew in long and steady breath.
I took a step back as her magic crackled through the air.
She raised her hands to the heavens. “Aqua fortis.” She spoke the words through clenched teeth, as though even saying the words was painful.
A dark cloud rose up into the air. It twisted and crackled like an angry snake.
“Hold yer breath!” she shouted.
A noxious yellow poison rained down on us. It ate into the cement, destroying the remains of the array. As the mixture of acid and concrete hissed and sizzled, Jules leaned into me and sagged. She placed her weary head on my shoulder, and I held her until the merciful gusts of wind carried away the fumes.
Jules’ robe was a tattered mess of holes. I frowned. Aqua fortis, that was the old name for nitric acid. Jules had cast the equivalent of acid rain. For a Druid to perform such a
spell…I was pretty sure it was against their religion.
“Jules.” My throat felt like a giant scab. “Don’t you ever—”
Jules covered my mouth with her hand. “Dieter, we Conscious are all haunted by the past.” She spoke into my collar. The warmth of her breath caressed my neck. “Awen willing, a witch’ll live a life of centuries. That’s plenty of time for folly. We shouldn’t have ta carry our parents’ as well.” She lifted her head and struggled to regain her feet. “Now come off it. We were promised a pint, and old Irish legend says yer goin’ ta hell right quick if ya start refusin’ such offers.”
“You know what, Jules?”
“What’s that, Dieter?”
“Screw James Bond. I’ll take Jules with her stick any day of the year.”
She gave me a thousand-watt grin. “Of course ya will, me pupil.” She brushed off the yellow crust that had formed on her tattered robe. “The British may be better at lookin’ pretty, but when it comes time for a real throw down…”
“Irish all the way.”
Jules’ emerald eyes sparkled through all the grime.
“No doubt, Dieter.”
“No doubt, Jules.”
I looked out upon my city, and for the first time this whole wretched night, I found myself thinking about tomorrow.
Chapter 21
PENULTIMULOGUE
After our return to Elliot, we learned that the other three IKΛM squads had gone active as well. Iota, Kappa, and Mu had been sent as part of a much larger force secretly inserted into Salt Lake City days before New Year’s Eve. While we had slugged it out in Vegas, Iota, Kappa, and Mu had fought in the battle to defend Salt Lake City. Fortunately, despite the heavy fighting, none of the other squads had suffered a casualty. The newspapers were calling the entire mess “The Battle for the Lake.” Talmax’s forces had been routed, and the victory was all thanks to Iota’s captain, Susan Collins.
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