by Debra Dunbar
Her eyes flickered to my sword, then she drew herself up to her full height. “Templars haven’t done more than study and guard the Temple in over a hundred years. They won’t risk themselves to find a foolish girl, one who has spurned her birthright and turned away from the Oath of Knighthood.”
True, but there was a loyalty besides that toward the Order. “A father will always come for his daughter. That’s what got you all into this mess to begin with. Jean Marc took someone’s daughter, tried to intimidate an entire family, and thought that he could do anything he wanted without repercussion.”
“And they all died. We slaughtered that whole family of humans,” she interrupted.
We. I got the feeling that wasn’t the royal we she was using. Leonora had been there, had participated. She’d probably watched carefully as the Balaj split in two, choosing the side that would work to her best advantage.
“And now they all haunt you and kill you. Their remaining son won’t rest until he sees every last vampire dead. See how this snowballs? Continue to threaten me and play the heavy; we’ll see how you fare against a more powerful family than the Robertsons. Templar Knights have stared into the eyes of Satan himself; we won’t tremble before a Balaj of vampires.”
“Enough.” Leonora and I both froze at the one word from Dario. He tossed a bag at me and I caught it from reflex. “Eat. You’re grumpy. And you,” he pointed at Lenora, “you have no reason to threaten her. Back off before you alienate the only Templar who would even think of coming to our aid.”
I wasn’t sure how this was going to go down tonight with such an obvious fracture in the vampire management. What happened to Dario not wanting to lead? He was totally confrontational with his Mistress tonight and in front of a human witness, too. I looked inside the bag. Smoked ribs and cornbread. After my betrayal of his family, the guy bought me dinner. As if my feelings for Dario weren’t conflicted enough.
“We should just kill this magic user,” Lenora snarled. I wasn’t sure whether she meant me or Russell at this point. “We don’t have time for this nonsense. Every night we’re attacked we lose credibility among our human partners and present a weak front to those who lurk outside our territory waiting for a chance to take over.”
“I’m all for killing the magic user, but what happens when his aunt or cousin avenges his death? Or the local paper investigates? Or the police decide to stop turning a blind eye to our activities? Already your neighbors are noticing the amount of traffic in and out of your house. A drug taskforce stake out is going to really put a cramp in your lifestyle, Leonora.”
I shoved a piece of cornbread in my mouth and watched the two argue, amazed that I was being allowed to witness the disagreement. I’d learned so much about vampires in the last week. Dad would be impressed. I should write a book. I’ll bet it would become the equivalent of a Templar bestseller.
There was a loud, vocal battle of wills between the two vampires, then Leonora broke eye contact with Dario, waving a dismissive hand at him as she turned to me with a huff. “So what’s your plan, Templar?”
I swallowed the cornbread. “If you’re done with me then I need to hustle and get set up for when the specters come. Once they arrive, I’ll need your vampires to hold them off while I light candles and incense then chant them back into the grave.” It would take me a bit of time to run around the house, lighting candles and incense to contain the spirits, and even more time for me to recite the banishment spell on sixty names. Well, hopefully not all sixty. I was optimistic that I’d manage to banish all of them within the first twenty or so. Of course, that would all depend on how many Russell summoned. Last night there had been ten. After our confrontation today, I had a feeling he might up that as much as possible. Still, the prospect of me in a magical battle against a house full of violent spirits kinda turned me on. I’d learned so much in the last seven days. This experience would help me in the future, the next time I went head to head with a necromancer.
Wait. I wasn’t a Knight, I was a part-time barista at a coffee shop. How was it that I felt it my duty to fight supernatural baddies in Baltimore? The idea had an odd appeal, though. I had a sudden urge to get a cape.
“And that will rid us of them permanently? This spell that you and Opal worked on last night should end these attacks?”
I squirmed at Leonora’s question. “No. Once I find out which spirits he’s summoning, I can salt their graves and lay them to rest for all eternity. But even with that, the best way for me to stop the attacks is by delivering a whole lot of whoop-ass on the necromancer. If he fails miserably tonight, then I’ll be in a better position tomorrow when I try to convince him to give this up.”
The vampire Mistress snorted, shaking her head in disbelief. “Whatever. Tomorrow he dies.”
“More than a necromancer is going to die if I don’t get going on this spell.”
They both ignored me, once again doing the vampire version of a Mexican standoff.
“So you banish the attacking spirits, salt a bunch of graves,” Leonora commented, her eyes on Dario the whole time. “What if this necromancer is the stubborn type? What if he just summons more spirits the next evening? There are thousands of dead in the city of Baltimore. That’s a whole lot of grave salting.”
It was. And she was totally right. This all hinged on me delivering a giant throwdown to Russell. Enough so that he gave this all up and decided to settle his restless Esau spirit and take up his birthright once again.
Although none of this was going to happen if these two didn’t stop their pissing contest and let me get to work.
“Have a little faith in her, Leonora.” Dario lifted an eyebrow. I noticed his unusual reference to faith, as well as his addressing the Mistress so informally.
“Can I get started? Guys, I don’t want to break up this power struggle happening right before my eyes, but killer ghosts could arrive at any moment and I’m not ready for them.”
Dario folded his arms across his chest, still facing Lenora. “Aria has said that revenge is a very personal thing for this necromancer. The point of these attacks are that his own family’s ghosts are the ones here each night enacting revenge for their deaths. Lay them to rest, and I think it will be easier to convince him to cease his attacks.”
Dario was right, although who was to say random spirits that Russell raised would be motivated toward killing, or killing these vampires. I remembered my conversation with Russell and thought how funny it would be for him to raise a spirit, only to have them go haunt a cheating lover or cry over a spouse’s grave each night.
And then there was the focus item. Getting a focus item for summoning an unknown spirit would require a lot of work. Yes, if I hit Russell hard tonight, I would be in a prime negotiating position tomorrow.
Leonora snorted, clearly not pleased with Dario’s explanation. “Tonight, Templar. You have tonight to prove your worth. Then we kill him.”
I opened my mouth to respond and heard a huge crash. And a scream. Dario snatched the bag of ribs from me. “Hurry.”
Chapter 26
I KNEW THIS was going to happen, and I suspected that Leonora had been intentionally stalling me to set me up for failure.
It wasn’t even an hour past sunset and they were starting. What happened to midnight? I knew Russell would probably start right up at sundown, but spirits took a while to get going. Midnight was the usual hour of action for them. These specters didn’t waste time, and I couldn’t either. I dumped my backpack on the floor, frantically yanking candles and Ziploc baggies of incense out. I shoved a lighter in my pocket, and slung Trusty over my shoulder. The sword was still in its scabbard since I didn’t have enough hands to light incense and candles, plus carry a sword. As an afterthought, I stuck the butter knife through a belt-loop. It hadn’t been effective last night, and I hadn’t had time to switch the spell on it. It might not help against the specters, but if Leonora got any ideas, or Federico tried to grab me again, I be prepared.
“T
ry to herd them toward the center of the house,” I told Dario and Leonora before running out of the room, my arms full.
I wished I’d paid more attention to the layout of the house while Federico was marching me to the basement the other day. I made a few wrong turns before hitting the kitchen pantry in the far back of the house. The specters seemed to always start at the front of the house, so I figured I’d set up where there was no fighting first, then deal with trying to light candles and incense in the middle of a battle last.
There wasn’t much time for planning, but I did have enough concerns about open flame in a house full of vampires that I stuck the candle in a dusty stock pot before lighting it. An old saucer served to hold the incense. I grabbed a few more cups and plates, all probably unused for a decade, before dashing out. I had thirty minutes before the incense burned out and four more sets to light. With sixty names I’d be cutting it close, and that’s if I didn’t have any issues getting the other candles lit.
The dining room was to the west, and the throne room to the east. I headed to the front door and found my way blocked. I’d need to get through the scene of a battle to light the north candle, and I had less than thirty minutes to do it in.
“Move. Out of my way!”
Probably not the best way to address a group of vampires, but I was in a hurry. They paid no attention to me, but one shout from Dario had them all luring the spirits away from the door.
I had no idea where Leonora was. Probably hiding somewhere. It irritated me more than usual, feminist that I was. I wanted her to be a strong kick-ass leader. I wanted her to be someone I could support fully. But the thought that she’d stood by while Jean-Marc had killed Shay and then her family, that she’d hedged her bets while Dario took a stand…it bothered me. Dario was willing to put his life on the line for what was right. He’d do the dirty work when it came to what the Balaj and his blood-siblings needed to survive. As much as I wanted to see a female break through the vampire glass ceiling, Leonora wasn’t it. She was self-centered, weak. I was pissed at her for that, and I was equally pissed at Dario for not taking the reins of power thirty years ago instead of letting her rise to the top.
Although now was not the time to think about politics within the Baltimore Balaj.
My hands shook as I lit the candle and incense. Twenty minutes. Maybe less. I didn’t have a second to spare checking my phone, and honestly I was dreading what it might tell me. I hadn’t counted on this when I was devising the timing for the spell, and had come to the horrible realization that I might fail. The chanting didn’t have instantaneous results, and if any of the incense in the four quarters ran out before I’d begun the banishment ritual, the specters would escape my reach.
Done. I ran through the icy cold in the foyer, and found my way blocked by a wall of vampires in combat.
“Move!”
My shout didn’t do squat. I wasn’t even sure they heard it with all the chaos going on. I had to get by and fast. Time was running out while I stood here, waiting for a space to squeeze through. I couldn’t use my tunnel of light blessing without killing the vampires I was trying to defend, so I did the only other thing I could. I drew my sword.
I elbowed the nearest vampire in the ribs, putting all my weight into it before jumping back. That did nothing. It was time for drastic measures. Using a half-sword grip, I used Trusty as a wedge to squeeze between two fighting vampires.
That worked. I’d never seen vampires move so fast. Trusty flared with a white light, and the pair yelped, jumping to the side. Others did the same and I instantly found myself in a room with vampires pressed frantically against the walls as they ran for the exits, leaving me to face six non-corporeal figures.
They advanced and I swung, thrilled to see my blade do what hands and fangs could not. The spirits howled in pain and rage, trying to edge around me just out of range to my back. I spun, holding them at bay and giving the vampires a chance to exit the room. When I was sure the last was out, I dropped to my knee, placing my sword tip-down with my forehead resting on the blade. I waited.
And I felt them, digging into me, pulling at my soul. Blood beaded on my pores, and I forced myself to concentrate. Just one second more.
Jesu, luys im chanaparhy.
The tunnel blasted from me to the doorway, instantly frying every spirit. I took a breath to steady myself, well aware that time was ticking away. Then I dismissed the tunnel of light and ran.
I’d killed six specters with one blessing, but Russell had gone all out and summoned at least two dozen for tonight. The hallway was a battleground, but I didn’t have the time to do my trick twice. Fighting my way past the bloody vampires that crawled with broken limbs in the hallway, I ran up the stairs. Ten minutes? Less? Crap, I didn’t have enough time! Not wanting to waste a moment longer to find the best spot, I dropped my supplies down on the carpet at the top of the stairs and melted the bottom of the candle, jamming it onto the carpet. Pulling my sword I knelt once more.
“Souls without form, restless spirits, I command you to return to the grave and await the trumpet call of the Lord’s messenger. Sleep until Judgement Day, then rise to await your measure at the gates.”
I repeated the chant over and over, sprinkling the incense on the candle flame where it sparked and spiraled upward in a ring of white smoke. I called and ordered the spirits to rest in peace as I burned the slip of paper with the name of the dead. My breath became visible, sudden chill raising the exposed flesh of my arms. They were searching for me, trying to climb the stairs as the vampires struggled to hold them at bay.
“Await the trumpet. Await the call of the Lord’s messenger. Sleep. Sleep.”
One by one I felt the specters blur and fade, their spirits reluctantly making the journey between this world and the next. I also felt the vampires nearby, their presence sparking like static along my skin. Funny how I’d gotten used to it with Dario, but not with the others. The spirits that remained quickly seemed to realize what was going on, and the noise of battle approached. The incense for the perimeter was now gone, and all that was keeping me going was the steady chant, the dying incense before me, and the sulfur smell of paper on the fire.
Eight down. I’d gone through thirty names, and there still had to be at least ten spirits working their way up the staircase toward me. I chanted faster, worrying that Janice’s list wasn’t all inclusive, and that even after I’d recited and burned the last name, there still might be spirits to battle. Worse was the blood that decorated the hallway. Dario, or perhaps Leonora, had called out all the stops on this one, and the house was full of vampires. Some of them were screaming in pain, injured at the bottom of the stairs. Others were motionless, their eyes blank in faces coated in blood.
I remembered Leonora’s threat, but it wasn’t nearly as horrifying as looking at those dead vampires and knowing I’d failed them.
There was something else raising the hair along the back of my neck. It wasn’t just the chill of the specters and the electric feel of the vampires I was sensing. Something else was there, growing in strength, something that smelled like a dead possum in the summer’s heat and felt like sticky fur as it pressed on my mind. My concentration slipped, and I redoubled my efforts, straining to focus against the foul presence as I recited names, commanding them to the grave as I burned the slips of paper.
One by one, the spirits flickered in and out of this plane. I leaned heavily on my sword, well aware that my incense only had a few minutes left tops. I pushed, holding nothing back. The dead possum smell filled my nose and mouth, and suddenly there was nothing. The air around me echoed with its silence and I toppled forward with the vacuum of sensation, my sword clattering against the ground.
“You okay?”
I looked up to see Dario at the top of the stairway, five other vampires crowding behind him to get a look. “Yeah. They’re gone, and shouldn’t be back. I’ll get to salting graves first thing in the morning.”
He nodded, cool and distant tow
ard me. I struggled to my feet, legs shaking, and picked up my sword.
“Are all your people okay?” I thought about the blood in the hallway, the dead I’d seen as I’d chanted my spell, about the arterial red sprayed against the walls.
“We lost six, and there are a lot of injured that aren’t healing as quickly as they should. It’s too soon to know if they’ll make it.”
Damn. I’d done my best and still felt like I’d failed. If the mass banishment didn’t convince Russell to stop this attack, I really would have no choice but stand by and let the vampires defend themselves. Six. Plus those that had died last night and Saturday night. Plus all the injured who would need a massive level of blood consumption to heal. The loss of vampire life was devastating, but the risk of discovery once they had to increase their feeding was also worrisome.
“Do you need anything?” Dario half turned, as if he wasn’t sure whether to come closer or leave. “I need to go help with the injured downstairs, but if there’s anything…”
A thank-you would have been nice. Although I felt like a total selfish jerk for even allowing that thought to cross my mind after he’d just witnessed the death of his brothers and sisters. “That bag of ribs would be great about now.” I tried to laugh. “And a beer if you all have any. I just need a few moments to re-group, and then I’ll be out of your hair.”
He nodded, his expression remote. “I’ll send someone up with them.”
And then I was alone at the top of the stairs with my sword, a gutted candle, and a little pile of ash. It seemed so anticlimactic. There was still work to do. I needed to confront Russell again and try to dissuade him from continuing with his revenge. I needed to salt the graves. Just some loose ends to tidy up. Why, then, did I feel like I was missing something?
