by Al K. Line
They had what they came for.
"Time to run?" I asked.
"Yes, time to run," said Valera.
"Let's motor," added Nohr.
It was kind of funny coming from two old wizards who looked like they couldn't run if their life depended on it.
But it did, and they could, so we scarpered and didn't stop until we hit a nearby wood and the helicopters receded into the distance.
"So," I panted, "any news? What you guys been up to lately?"
An Interruption
"Oh, you know, the usual," answered Nohr, grinning.
"First bit of excitement we've had since that job went sour with you," said Valera, looking just as happy about the whole situation.
"Right." I was distracted, still feeling the effects of the drugs, and I hadn't had a chance to check on Wand. I searched the many pockets of the robe, wizards always need more pockets, and eventually found him.
"How you doing?" I asked.
"I heard about your new Wand," said Nohr as he and Valera crowded close to check him out.
"Ooh, nice. Look at the sigils! You did a good job there. And it's definitely wood from the unicorn tree. I wasn't sure I believed it. You lucky bugger."
"Yep, that's me. Mr. Lucky."
Wand stirred, vibrating a little in my hand, and the sigils shone dully. "Ugh, that wasn't fun," he groaned, giving the mental image of shaking off a hangover.
"You're telling me."
"What's he saying?" asked Nohr.
"Sorry, this is private, guys. Give me a moment, will you?" I wandered off a little ways and had a quick chat with Wand but he was hardly coherent, out of it, and would be for a while yet. Main thing was, he was alive, same as me, and that's always a bonus. Knowing time was scarce, I went back to the guys and asked, "What now?"
"Now we get out of here before the Hounds come after us. Back to Ivan's, that's the plan."
"Is everyone else okay? George? Penelope? Vicky? What about Ivan? What's he got to say about all this? Does he know why it happened?"
"He's a sly old fox and no mistake," said Nohr with what I thought was a scowl but it was hard to tell under all the hair.
"But what did he say? And is everyone okay?" These two could be frustrating at times. Make that always.
"Everyone's fine. George and Penelope came to the city, spoke to Ivan, said you were missing. He got in touch with us, we had a pow-wow, news came in about this guy Tasius missing too. Seemed like Ivan wasn't too impressed about him being here, but we weren't told why, and then we planned to come get you. Tasius' people insisted on coming along, and here we are."
"At least everyone's safe. Tasius is Mikalus' son. Don't ask me from when, but he's old. He came to mine, said something about Mikalus' ashes. I told him they were gone, when Ivan and I defeated him, but he was insistent that they weren't. I don't know what's happening, but something isn't right. We need to go see Ivan before this turns into an all-out war."
"I think you're too late for that, Arthur. Ivan's angry. I get the feeling he doesn't like Tasius, but it's the principle. You don't let anyone mess with one of your own, no matter how much you dislike them. This is it, the big showdown."
"Yeah, I think you're right. Carmichael's gone over the edge this time. He's gone too far. He drugged me, they made it hurt on purpose. This is wrong on so many levels I don't know where to begin."
"Think it's because of this Tasius guy?"
"Absolutely. Carmichael doesn't act like this, it isn't his style. It has to be because of him and what he's after. It's to do with the ash."
"Ash addict," said Nohr dramatically.
"Maybe. Maybe he's one of them. He sure acts like one. I haven't heard about it for a long time though. Thought it was given up centuries ago."
"People still practice it, mess with ashes."
I kept quiet about my own dabbling, and besides, that was me being about as prescient as I could. Tasius' impending visit making me act out what I was to face.
"And it's powerful. You don't mess with these guys. Vampires are weird."
"They sure are," I agreed.
We snapped to alertness, sounds coming from the forest. This was one serious drawback with wizards, myself included. We tended to get excited when in each other's company and talked, a lot. Not like witches mind you, who just babbled on and on, but we did have a tendency to get distracted and into deep conversations about magic at the most inopportune of times. I think it's because nothing scared us. It made us a little too relaxed when danger lurked.
"Time to go," I said. "How did you get here?"
"We drove. This way, and hurry." Nohr led, I followed.
The damn robe chafed something rotten.
Quick Murder
"There's the car," whispered Nohr before he picked up the pace and sped away on stumpy legs through the undergrowth.
"Wait," I hissed, but it was no good, he was in the open and not keeping an eye out.
Valera sighed and noted, "He's always so excited when he gets into an adventure."
"He needs to be—" I heard a sound off to the left the same time as Valera and we turned to see a bored looking Hound leaning against a tree, smoking a cigarette, gun hanging by his side, breaking a branch with his other hand.
He spied Nohr as we caught sight of him and he hurriedly dropped his stick, jabbed his cigarette in his mouth, and reached for his machine gun.
"Nohr," I shouted, as much to distract the Hound as to warn Nohr, who turned and saw the man but obviously wasn't going to act in time.
I whipped Wand out and as my will shunted down my arm he sparked into life, albeit without as much enthusiasm as usual. I panicked as I knew I was dangerously close to inept, but this was a friend and friends could have all I had left.
As the potion in my veins flared under the force of the magic, I screamed and Wand spluttered then spat out a single gobbet of intense anger that slammed into the Hound a moment before his finger pulled the trigger. He smashed back into the tree, the wind knocked out of him, his arm useless where his shoulder had been torn to a pulp. Bone splinters shone through the Kevlar. Guess this guy's gear wasn't ward-protected so it wasn't part of the uniform for all the grunts yet.
I leaped fallen branches and dove for the man as he fumbled with a pistol with his good hand. He might be a crap shot left-handed but bullets can still kill and I was taking no chances.
"Don't go bending on me," I warned Wand as I lifted him like a dagger. He tensed as we came down hard right at the guy. I jabbed into his eye, a satisfying pop before Wand plunged in deep and chewed through brain.
Before we'd landed he was dead.
Valera and Nohr were right behind me and lifted me up and brushed me down. With a grunt, I grabbed Grace where she'd fallen, took one last look at the dead Hound, then said, "Let's go."
We got into the car without further incident and drove away before anything else went wrong.
Surprisingly, it didn't.
It felt weird; there was always a dramatic ending to every event in my life.
Right on cue, as we hit the open road, it was as though the world exploded with noise. We were shunted off the road as a bloody helicopter came low behind and slammed into us with its landing rails.
Nohr tried to right the vehicle but we skidded and headed for a tree.
This was more like it.
A Familiar Feeling
I have crashed into numerous trees in my time. Big ones, little ones, saplings, and several mighty oaks. All of them are hard.
Yet it isn't the tree that hurts you, it's the quality of the vehicle. I've slammed into bollards whilst going forty and been fine as airbags are marvelous inventions, seatbelts too. Nohr was only going thirty, but nobody had a seatbelt on and his old banger of a Vauxhall Cavalier wasn't equipped with modern safety features.
So it hurt like crazy as I smacked into the windshield and cracked both my head and the glass. Nohr was fine, as he'd put up a rapid shield of protection, but Valera
hadn't fared as well, stuffed as he was between the front seats, his portly midsection jamming him tight so his arms were pinned back.
"Good job you like to eat," I said. "Your belly saved you from smashing through the glass."
"I do like my pies," he agreed, turning and grinning at me.
Nohr and I got out. Steam was escaping from the crumpled grill and I could smell petrol, so we hurriedly opened the back doors, yanked Valera free, and checked the sky for helicopters.
We heard it up above the tree line but it was out of sight. It would return. Carmichael would want me back for whatever torture he had in mind next.
"That was some epic blockbuster stuff," wheezed Valera, eyes twinkling, jigging about with glee.
"Yeah, but if this was a big budget movie the car would explode."
We exchanged worried glances and all sniffed simultaneously.
"Run?" I asked.
"Run," agreed Nohr.
"Definitely," said Valera with a cough.
We dashed into the road as a whoosh of fire erupted behind us. As we hit asphalt and were blasted forward under the shockwave, the car exploded in a very epic, and I have to say, enjoyable way. Amazingly still all on our feet, we ducked as a rolling heatwave hit.
"Guess we're walking," I noted.
"Guess so," said Nohr.
"Maybe not," said Valera as he turned to face in the other direction and dark shadows blurred along the road.
Before we could say or do anything, we were scooped up and found ourselves speeding alongside each other going faster than the car could have ever taken us.
My ride snarled down at me without mirth and I wondered if he'd bite me. He didn't, which was good, and instead picked up the pace as did the others. We sped away from the sound of the helicopter and from the warehouse. I didn't struggle, didn't object, as there seemed little point unless I wanted a fight. And I was too weak, too damn confused, and hurt too much to want anything but a nice long shower and clothes that didn't itch.
The chafing got worse, but I didn't even moan once. What would be the point? It wasn't as though it was the vampires' fault.
Valera and Nohr were enjoying themselves immensely judging by the sounds of glee, both acting like they were on a fairground ride. As we leveled up, I managed to check on them. Nothing but smiles, both with their arms wrapped around their vampire's neck. Sensible, I suppose, so I did the same and got myself as comfortable as I could. Meaning, not very.
These guys were large, heavyset and with plenty of muscle, and you wouldn't think they could move this fast. But they weren't normal, not even normal for vampires, and I wondered what they put in the blood over in the east where these dudes clearly spent a lot of time sucking fair maidens dry in between lifting heavy things. They probably grunted a lot performing both activities.
Soon enough the ride was over and we came to a sudden halt at a caravan of large black people carriers with tinted windows. Ivan had his fleet of vehicles all pretty much bomb proof and no doubt most vamps had already left in identical vehicles.
Several vampires were there, faces I recognized, and they sneered at the eastern dudes, unhappy with whatever arrangement had been made between Ivan and Tasius' people.
Nobody said a word, the atmosphere was tense, so tense I expected something to kick off, but a door was slid aside and our rescuers bundled in.
"Hurry," said one.
We looked at each other, shrugged, and with little choice we took our seats.
"Where we going?" I asked as the door was pulled shut from outside and the driver got in and drove off.
"See Ivan," said the front seat passenger, one of Ivan's main goons.
"What's going on? Do you know?"
"No idea, mate. I do as I'm told and ask no questions. Good fight though, right? Damn but those Hounds are a bunch of pussies."
"Yeah, real softies," I agreed, not meaning it one bit. I'd seen them in action; they were good at their job. But then, I'd never witnessed them up against a horde of annoyed vampires, so what did I know?
An Army Gathers
The ride was made in silence. It didn't seem like a good idea to speak so we didn't.
We hit the outskirts of the city soon enough and rather than going to Ivan's smart home we went to his place of business, yet another abandoned factory he'd chosen so he could make a suitably gangster impression. As we parked, I couldn't help think back to the night everything changed for him. He'd come a long way since he put a bullet in his old boss and took up the mantle. Man, I missed those days.
The goons exited without comment. I don't think they got on. We shrugged our shoulders and got out, wary of what we'd find as so far these new vamps were less than friendly, strictly business.
The old factory was filled with the detritus of years abandoned industry, all of it swept to the edges where it piled up like a desert full of dunes made of man's hopes and dreams. Walls were covered in graffiti, and I wondered how the kids managed to afford to buy so much spray paint. The whole city was like this—tagged with the silent, desperate cries of bored, frustrated youth.
The vast space teemed with vampires, more than I had ever seen in one place. Vehicles were parked haphazardly, men wandered around with large weapons, looking menacing, keeping a wary eye out for any sign of hostilities. Ivan's men. The newcomers bunched together, fifty or more, all super-serious, looking super-pissed, with Tasius the focus of attention. Seemed his guys had slightly more forethought as to his attire, which rankled. Whereas I had an oversized reusable bag, he had a nice black silk shirt, faded jeans, and another pair of Italian boots.
We caught each other's eye and nodded. I knew, same as him, that we'd both been through the same thing, that we'd endured the same ordeal, maybe his worse than mine because they'd have to subdue the vampire nature or he'd have been at them and having a snack before they could say, "Hey, I didn't know you could snap leather restraints."
Tasius said something to one of his guys, and they were his guys, and he was undoubtedly in charge, then left them and came over.
"Hey," I said.
"Hey." Tasius raised an eyebrow at my companions.
"Oh, sorry. Nohr, Valera, meet Tasius. Tasius, meet Nohr and Valera." I didn't get specific on who was who as I was unsure and didn't want to commit a social faux pas.
"Pleased to meet you," said Nohr, I think.
"Thanks for helping save Arthur," said Valera.
"Nice to meet you too. And it seems we have a common enemy, Arthur."
"Sure does. You got any idea what that was all about? Maybe something to do with you turning up and giving me grief in my own home? You led them to me, you let them know you were coming, where you were going, and they were ready. This wasn't just a coincidence."
"For that I apologize. It most certainly wasn't my intention to spend several days being tortured by Cerberus. I told you why I came. For the ashes. That has not changed."
"If that's an apology where you come from then I'd hate to see it when you aren't sorry."
"Indeed."
"Look," I said with a sigh, feeling an utter twat in the hessian. "I already told you, there are no ashes. He's gone, scattered to the wind. I saw it. I saw it with my own eyes. Ivan opened his hand and the ashes blew away."
"I don't feel it. Don't get that sense at all. I always knew father was out there somewhere, his ashes waiting for the right time, so I left things be, waited. I felt him change, turn into something unique under the pressure, and I felt his death. But he is still here, still amongst us as ash. We know these things, we are certain."
"Who is we?"
"His children, of course. He was vampire, and we have our needs." Tasius smiled. It was not a friendly smile. It was the grin of a wild animal that took what it wanted when it craved it and felt no remorse for its actions. Remorse wasn't even an emotion it understood, or cared about.
"So you're all his kids, all these guys?"
"Yes. Family. True family. And we will have Father returned
to us. The time has come, we have waited long enough."
"Then take it up with Ivan. This is your business, not mine. You've already dragged me into this and now I have to deal with Cerberus. Don't you think that's enough?"
"No," he snapped, suddenly angry. "This is your fault. You were there when he was resurrected, you delivered him to my kind, and you witnessed his death. You are involved." Tasius stared at me hard. "You killed him."
"Whatever. Like I said, speak to Ivan. Wouldn't mind a word with him myself."
The room suddenly went quiet, and speak of the devil, there he was. Head vampire, at least for the UK, head gangster, and looking very pissed off at the new arrivals and the crap that had just gone down.
Ivan stood at the top of two flights of open tread steel stairs that led directly to a mezzanine running along one wall where the old factory bosses from days long gone could watch their workers below, probably better for shouting at them if they slacked off.
Ivan and I made eye contact and he frowned. He crooked a finger.
I was being summoned.
"Wait here," I said to the guys. I nodded to Tasius, then went to have a chat with the boss.
Goddamn, I didn't have a boss. Why did this feel like he was suddenly in charge of me? In charge of us all?
An Interruption
I made my way through the throng of vampires, annoyed with Ivan for treating me like a grunt, and pissed off with all the supposedly intimidating sneers I was getting from the newcomers. Three guys with more hair than brains, and paler than Vicky's tan line, smirked at me as they fanned out to block my way.
"Excuse me," I said, smiling pleasantly just to annoy them.
"You man who killed Father," said one with a thick accent.
"Yeah, but like I told Tasius, and like you know, he was trying to eat me at the time and he broke his word of honor."
"You kill him."
"And I answered you, explained. Excuse me." My smile had gone, and I was too weary, hurt too much, and felt too damn uncomfortable and itchy in this fucking hessian to stand around talking. I had clothes upstairs, a locker full of my gear, and I wanted it. Now.
