Adramelek stood up and bowed to Ondrass with profound respect. “I am very impressed, old friend,” he said as he straightened.
Ondrass inclined his head in reply. “Thank you.”
“What do you want us to do?” Lix Tetrax asked.
“If at all possible, I want to see Mr. Edwards before his final dispensation. I want him to know who destroyed his financial empire.” Ondrass smirked. “I want to record the sounds of his howls of frustration and anger for posterity.”
Everyone burst out laughing.
“I’m sure we can manage that,” Adramelek said.
“Wonderful. I find that I don’t feel quite so peeved now,” Ondrass said.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Lix Tetrax said.
“So am I,” Markus agreed.
“OKAY, so we’re here, we’ve set everything up, now we wait,” Declan said.
Liam nodded. “The waiting’s the worst part.”
“Amen to that.” Declan sighed and looked around. Liam watched him curiously.
“See anything?”
“Nothing but grass and trees.”
Liam looked at their little altar, the polished black oak table set with four candles to represent the four winds, and, in the very center, the boxed cake, bottle of whisky, and two cigars. “Maybe we should try the summons again.”
“No need, m’boys,” said a new voice.
As one, Liam and Declan turned to see the figure of Papa Legba strolling toward them. Immediately they both bowed, gestures of profound respect, and Papa Legba chuckled, touching both of their heads.
“Stand up, stand up. I don’t need no bowing or scraping.”
They stood, and Liam found that his mouth was dry and his knees felt a little weak. This was Papa Legba, one of the most famed loa. He was nothing like Liam had imagined: the loa was tall and well-dressed, a black top hat on his head, and his black, shoulder length-hair fell in waves and curls. His eyes were shining and they were full of timeless wisdom and humor. Liam felt a great peace wash over him as he gazed at Papa Legba. He wasn’t sure if that was something he was supposed to feel, but he embraced it nonetheless and gave Papa Legba a small smile.
“I’ve heard lots of you two boys,” Legba said. He walked around them in a circle. “Lots of good and lots of puzzling. The good, yeah, yeah, I can see why. You, you let yourself be ridden, boy—some folk wonder if that was courage or foolishness. Me, I say that was courage. You knew what you were doin’, right.”
“Yes,” Declan said. “I didn’t want to insult the honored loa….”
“No, boy, no you done nothing of the sort. Be at peace. And you, Necromancer,” Legba looked at Liam, “folk are curious about what you mean to do with your talent. The Baron, ah, he’s got questions.”
Liam gulped. “B-Baron Samedi, you mean, your honor?”
“Aye, one and the same. Fear not, young one, he’ll be content with what I tell him. And the lengths you’ve gone to for your offerings.” Legba turned to the altar and snapped his fingers; a moment later, three stools were there, two facing one. He sat on the one and gestured. “Sit, boys.”
They did so, watching as Legba opened the cake box and inhaled deeply. “Ah now, this, this is a fine delight.” He picked up the fork in the box and started to eat the cake. “Delicious.”
“Can I ask… our teacher, our stepmom, Selana, she said you wanted to talk to us,” Declan said as Papa Legba ate the cake in four large bites.
“And so she’s right.” Legba pushed aside the now empty cake box and picked up one of the cigars. He lifted it to his nose and sniffed, an almost beatific smile crossing his features. “Good cigar, good coffee cake, and good whisky, yeah.”
“We’ve got glasses….”
“No, Necromancer, no need for that.” Legba grinned at him and Liam grinned back. “We’re all friends here. That be what I wanted to talk to you about. I know you had to do what you did back in the town of Salem in Oregon’s west in a hurry. And you were both respectful in how you did it. That respect, boys, is the thing that’s stopping you from getting a smack for dodging the protocols.”
Liam exchanged a quick look with his brother. “We didn’t mean to bypass you, honored Papa,” he began, “but things were… desperate.”
“Aye, I know.” Legba lit the cigar. “I know. We been watching. Watching, talking, arguing. Lot of the arguing. But at the end of all of that, we reached an agreement and made a decision. You been going up against a bad crowd. You and your friends who’re angelkind and demonkind and shifterkind. Witches, wizards, others. We loa, we made a decision. You need us in this conflict, you call, and we’ll come.”
Liam’s mouth dropped open. He was stunned.
Declan, however, was not rendered speechless, and he cleared his throat. “That’s… that’s incredibly generous of you and the other loa,” he said, and his voice was gruff. “I don’t know what to say, apart from thank you, all of you.”
“That’s good enough. These witches with their magic what’s been made by science, they ain’t part of the natural order of things. Oh, one day humans will figure it out, but this ain’t what it is and it ain’t the time. This is wrong, wrong to all of existence. So yeah, we’ll help. Tell Archangel Michael. The Baron will talk to him if need be.”
Liam nodded, still feeling quite shocked. “We will. Thank you.”
“Pleasure, boys.” Legba got to his feet and Liam scrambled to do the same, Declan beside him. “Thanks for the liquor, cigars, and coffee cake. Be seeing you.” He touched the brim of his hat and was gone a moment later, the stools, candles, and offerings gone with him.
“Whoa,” Declan said.
“Damn,” Liam said.
They looked at each other, and Liam wondered if he was as wide eyed as his brother. “I had no idea they’d do that,” Liam added.
“Me either. I wonder if Selana did,” Declan said. “I’ll call her when we get back.”
“Okay. So, let’s get back to Salem.” Liam ran a hand through his hair.
“Right. We’re heading out early tomorrow, though, aren’t we?” Declan asked.
“Yeah, 0400 was what Uri said.” Liam picked up the table and headed toward Declan’s truck. He quickly stowed it away in the back and then turned to his brother. “We need to be ready to head out as soon as we get the word from Colorado.”
“And Mike, Gabe, the Archdemons, and a bunch of other angels I don’t know are the ones who are moving us and the Venatores, right?” Declan unlocked the doors of the truck.
“Yeah, as far as I know. Why?” Liam opened his door and climbed into the passenger seat.
“I just want to be sure that I’ve got the details right.” There was a pause as Declan got into the truck and closed the door. He put the key in the ignition and turned it, and the engine roared to life. Liam watched him curiously as they sat there, the engine idling. “Liam, do you think we’ll get out of this one alive?”
Liam blinked. “Huh? Yeah, of course we will! Why wouldn’t we?”
“Synthetic magic that the loa don’t think should be in the world? Some big-shot rich guy being all butt-hurt and wanting to lock angels and demons out of Earth because he had his pride and his bank balance wounded? Science experiments on monsters, angels, demons, and sick people? This is all so fucked, it’d be just our luck to end up dead. And the last time we came up against Transom’s leftovers, we did nearly die. Hell, Danny ended up in a coma, and then he bailed on Angelique and the pack and on Michael. Not to mention breaking Lily’s heart. And it’s a fucking miracle she didn’t kill herself out of grief. I tell you, if she had? I would have hunted him down and put a bullet in his brain pan.” Declan was gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles had gone white.
“Dude.” Liam reached out and touched Declan’s shoulder. “Breathe. This time, we know what we’re up against. We’ve got backup. I hope we won’t need to call on the loa to help, because that means it’ll be the worst case scenario. But I think we’ll be oka
y in the end. This is what we do, man. We fight, we yell a lot, we shoot things, sometimes we use magic or Necromancy or your shifter nose, and then we win the day, go and get blind drunk, and pass out somewhere. This’ll be the same.”
Declan gave him a crooked smile. “Except this time, we’ll get blind drunk and have liquored-up sex with our other halves.”
“Yeah, that’ll be the best part,” Liam said. “You feel better about this now?”
“Ask me again this time tomorrow,” Declan said, as he put the truck into gear.
“Okay, I’ll do that,” Liam said. As Declan turned the truck and started driving back to Salem, he asked, “What are you going to tell Angelique and the others about our excursion tonight?”
Declan shrugged one shoulder. “The truth. Otherwise, they’ll keep asking annoying questions. Hey, do you think we should set up Ahijah and Lily?”
Liam almost choked. “What the hell? Where did that come from?”
“I was just thinking. They’re both single, they got along really well in Russia, Angelique told me.”
“Dude, no. No matchmaking. God, what’s the matter with your brain? She’s still grieving! Give her some time. And Ahijah, I heard that he was gay. Last I checked, Lily was definitely a girl.”
“No, he said he’s mostly gay.”
“How… no. You know what? I don’t want to know. This isn’t our business. Don’t go and play matchmaker, Dec.”
Declan huffed. “You’ve got no romance, Liam.”
“Oh, fuck you, Yorkie.”
Declan punched Liam in the shoulder without taking his attention from the road. “Bite me, I-See-Dead-People.”
The bickering lasted the entire drive back to Michael’s apartment block in Salem, where they stopped to change clothes and gather things they might need later. It went on as they drove north to Portland and parked the truck in the underground garage that was part of Ondrass’s high-rise tower. It continued as they got out of the truck, went up the stairs, into the lobby, then the elevator, and up to the top floor of the building. By the time the elevator doors opened, the two of them had run out of insults and names to call each other.
“Are we done now, d’you think?” Declan asked as he stepped out of the elevator.
“Dude, I damn well hope so.” Liam followed him.
“Good. Because now I’m going to find Angelique and get laid. You should too.”
“I don’t want to get laid by Angelique,” Liam said, keeping his face perfectly still.
Declan punched his shoulder. “Go and find Baxter, Big Foot.”
Liam laughed. “That’s my plan.”
“Good.” Declan sauntered off down the hall. “See you in the very early morning, bro,” he called over his shoulder.
“Night, Dec.”
“THE FEDS are here! And Interpol! And some guy who says he’s with MI5!”
Gabriel was so surprised by Uriel’s words that he answered him out loud. “What? How? Why? What?”
“All great questions and I have no fucking idea! Wait.” The sense of Uriel’s voice in Gabriel’s mind was gone and Gabriel resisted the urge to tap his foot in impatience.
“What is going on?” Michael asked.
“A good question,” Ondrass agreed.
Those who had not gone to Colorado were sitting in Ondrass’s boardroom, waiting for the call to leave and join the assault on Transom’s facility. Gabriel was more than a little shocked by Uriel’s report. He scratched the back of his neck as he said, “Uri says the FBI, Interpol, and MI5 are there.”
“What?” Adramelek demanded.
“Why?” Ondrass asked at the same time.
“I don’t bloody know, do I? That’s why I asked him! He said to wait, so I’m bloody waiting,” Gabriel shot back.
Michael was frowning. “This is unexpected,” he said.
“As always, understated, Prince,” Ondrass said.
Before Michael could retort, Gabriel held up his hand as Uriel’s voice came to him again. “Hush,” he said to them all.
“Okay, so you know Arthur, Agrat’s nephew? He went and took the intel Agrat and Ish gave him to some friends of his who work for Interpol. Interpol got very excited, apparently, and called MI5 who called the Feds, and now they’re all here, talking with Tzad, and a big group of carbon apes wearing Kevlar and holding lots of guns are moving on Transom’s facility. They’re going to arrest them and charge them with crimes against humanity and take them to The Hague.”
“Are you serious?” Gabriel couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing.
“No, I’m joking. Of course I’m fucking serious. If you don’t believe me, get your flabby ass down here and see for yourself.”
“I do believe you, I just didn’t fucking expect this! But we’re coming down there anyway. See you in a minute.” Gabriel turned back to his companions. “Saddle up, people. We’re going to Colorado.”
“What’s going on?” Declan demanded.
“Well, it seems that Arthur has some contacts in Interpol and he went and had a chat to them and now things are moving very quickly,” Gabriel said. Even as he spoke, he concentrated and blurred from his armor to a dark blue Tom Ford suit, so dark as to be almost black. He’d chosen a plain white shirt and a sky blue tie with fine black diamond shapes woven into it. He had chosen the colors quite deliberately, knowing that the blues would bring out his eyes. Gabriel was very aware of how much attention humans gave him, and he found it very useful to figure out the mood of a situation or group by being able to catch and hold their gazes.
“You look very handsome,” Michael said, “but I fear I do not understand why you have changed clothes.”
“Because he’s vain,” Ondrass drawled. “And also because showing up looking as if he’s just left the local Ren Faire and knows what’s going on with our megacorp would no doubt have him put in a padded cell of some kind.”
“Aye, that’s the reason, more or less,” Gabriel said.
“I see.” Michael’s frown deepened slightly. “Then I will be guided by you. We should all appear as if we are unarmed and in current clothing.”
“Us too?” Angelique asked.
“No.” Michael shook his head. “You, your pack, Declan, and Liam are dressed appropriately. Your weapons are hidden and you do not appear to be preparing for battle, unlike the rest of us.”
“Okay, if you say so.” Declan shrugged. “So, we’re teleporting down with you?”
“You can teleport now?” Baxter asked. “Dude, when did you turn into Superman?”
Declan sighed heavily and looked up at the ceiling. “I meant, Sugarpuff, that the Archangels and Archdemons would ’port us down.”
“Don’t call me that,” Baxter said.
“Leave my boyfriend alone,” Liam added.
Declan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can we go now, please?”
Angelique was laughing, Gabriel saw, and she moved over to Declan and ruffled his hair. “You dick. Come on.”
“Yes. Well. Let us go, then,” Michael said. Gabriel looked over at him and saw that Michael had used his power to change from his armor into a caramel colored silk suit, with a white shirt and a deep green tie.
“You look very sexy,” Gabriel said to him.
Michael blushed. “Thank you. But it is not proper to say such things in public.”
“We’re leaving now,” Ondrass said. “We can banter later, don’t you think?”
“As you say,” Michael said.
Everyone moved close, and the Archangels and Archdemons placed their hands on the shoulders of the Venatores and Liam and Declan and moved them.
When they reappeared in the world, Gabriel saw at once that Uriel’s summary of events was no longer accurate. There were at least forty officers of the law, and there were shouts of horror and protest coming from a large building shrouded by the darkness of the very early morning. Tzadkiel was engrossed in a conversation with four humans, and Gabriel reached out with his power, stealthy and
quiet, to see who they were. He was impressed to discover that the four men represented Interpol, MI5, the FBI, and the United Nations. Tzadkiel, as the Archangel of Secret Police, was holding his own in the conversation, and so Gabriel turned to Michael.
“Shall we join Tzad, d’you think?” Gabriel asked.
Michael slowly shook his head. “No. Let us wait and see what occurs. Where is Uriel? And the others?”
“I’ll go and find them,” Ondrass said. “Adry, Markus, come with me.”
As the three walked briskly away, Gabriel began to frown. “He volunteered bloody fast. What’s he up to?”
“Revenge.” It was Lily. She stood between Riley and Declan, their height emphasizing how petite she was. “This man, this Edwards man, he’s really offended Ondrass. I don’t think the Archdemons would interfere in what’s going on with Interpol, but I would bet pounds to donuts that he wants to have a few words with Mr. Edwards.”
“We must stop them,” Michael said.
“No,” Lix Tetrax said. She stepped in front of Michael and locked her gaze with his. Gabriel felt his eyebrows shoot up in surprise at her boldness. “No, Michael, you won’t. They’re not going to do anything except talk to him. Once he’s been sentenced by the court at The Hague, then Ondrass will leave him a little gift, but human laws will take precedence. So let it go.”
Michael gazed at her and she met the look he gave her, meeting his stern expression with one of implacable calm. Finally, Michael huffed a sigh and looked away.
“Thank you,” Lix Tetrax said.
“Do not thank me, demon,” he said. “I do not agree with this. I simply do not see another option.”
“Well, whatever your reason, it doesn’t matter in the end.” Lix Tetrax shrugged.
“Tzadkiel’s coming,” Angelique said.
Gabriel turned to see Tzadkiel approaching. There was a gleeful expression on his face and he looked like the cat who’d eaten the proverbial canary.
“This is amazing,” Tzadkiel said by way of greeting. “You wouldn’t believe what’s happened in the last hour. Matter of fact, I’m not entirely sure I believe it, and I’ve been here since 3 A. M.!”
A Candle in the Sun Page 11
