Bloodlust (13 page)

“Thank you. Look,” I said, feeling slightly embarrassed, “I’m sorry if I was snippy yesterday.”

Mrs. Alcoon patted me on the shoulder. “That’s alright, dear. You couldn’t help it. There’ll be more days like that.”

“Well, I think maybe I’m getting a handle on it. Tom came around this morning and we made some headway. I think I’m going to be able to rid myself of this burden more easily than I’d thought.”

The old lady looked vaguely alarmed for a moment, then her face cleared. “Oh right, yes, I see. That’s very good. Well done.”

Hmm. Something was definitely up with her. I chewed the inside of my cheek, trying to decide whether it would be worth pursuing. I didn’t really have the time right now, but I’d try and weasel it out of her at some later date. I looked back at Slim, and gestured pointedly at the now empty cup, and the document he was still clutching.

“Can I have it now?”

He held out the yellowing paper. Taking it, I scanned down, reading it quickly. It was complete gobbledegook.

“I don’t get it,” I said, thoroughly confused.

Slim exhaled melodramatically. “If you’d been educated properly, it would make total sense. Endor started with Earth, correct?”

I was absorbed in trying to make sense of the marks on the page.

“Correct?” repeated Slim, in a louder voice, obviously irritated with my multi-tasking shortcomings.

“Okay, yes, correct,” I said, hastily, before he decided to give up on me entirely.

“And of course it stands to reason that he’d begin with Earth.”

“Eh?”

“Good grief! Look at the fecking diagram on the paper! Earth binds all three other elements together. It has to be first.”

“Okay, I see,” I said, nodding. Sort of.

“Think of a tree as symbolising the Earth element.”

A sour feeling hit my stomach. “That’s certainly what Endor did.”

“A tree takes in water through its roots. That water is necessary for growth. The tree then breathes out through its leaves, providing oxygen.” He sent me a quick look. “Oxygen’s an important part of air.”

I scowled.

“And if you set that tree on fire, it provides energy and releases all the other elements back again to the earth.”

“Right.” I paused. “But the tree needs air and sunlight to grow. Not just water.”

“Exactly! You’re getting it now.”

I really wasn’t.

Slim stabbed at the piece of paper with his index finger. “It’s in there. He’s taking all the vital parts of life and the way they’re linked together in order to create power.”

“But he’s taking those parts of life by introducing death,” I pointed out.

“Death is equally a part of life.”

My head hurt. “Slim, how is this knowledge actually going to help?”

“He’s going from Earth to Water to Air to Fire. And when he has all four, he’ll have the power of life.”

“But he’s a necromancer. Why would he want the power of life?”

Slim waited, blinking rapidly, while I tried to connect the dots.

“He’s taking strength from the life of the four different elements by introducing death.” I held up my palm to forestall the gargoyle. “Yes, yes, I get that death is a part of life, but the death he’s bringing in is unnatural. It breaks the cycle that he’s already drawing from. As a necromancer he’s already in touch with the dead anyway - except they’re always going to be dead. The best necromancer in the world isn’t going to change that fact. Unless he has the power of life.” I chewed on a fingernail. “Oh.”

“It’ll disrupt the balance of nature. Of life itself. The dead are not meant to rise again. The results could be catastrophic.”

I looked at Aubrey, who was intently chasing one little ball of dust around one of the stacks of shelves. “You say the dead aren’t meant to rise again…”

“Vampires walk the delicate balance between both worlds, neither dead nor alive.” Slim’s face twisted. “They’re a bit of an anomaly.”

“How much of an anomaly is a vampire who by his nature used to be dead-but-not-dead and is now alive?”

“Well, I didn’t say I fecking understood everything now, did I?”

I gazed at the little gargoyle with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. “I’m not sure that knowing Endor’s motives for doing what he’s doing will make me feel any better, but it really is useful information. Thank you, Slim.”

He bowed in mid-air. Mrs. Alcoon smiled at him fondly. “Aye, he’s a canny lad.”

Two high points of colour lit up his cheeks. He muttered something inaudible in a gruff voice, then flapped away to scold Aubrey for not sweeping with enough finesse.

“Are you feeling better now, dear?” asked the older woman.

Actually, I was. I guessed the icky tea had done its job. The hot lump in my stomach was still there, but it wasn’t entirely uncomfortable, and my general well-being seemed much improved.

“I really am. Your efforts have not gone in vain, Mrs. Alcoon.”

Her eyes crinkled with pleasure. “Now, didn’t you say something about a meeting?”

I checked my watch. Shit. I was more than late.

“I have to go.” I leaned down and pecked her on the cheek then skedaddled out of the shop in double quick time and pelted down the street, rounding the corner into my flat as fast as I could. I hated being late and it would put the already prickly were-bear into a bad mood. Whether he was still on the council or not, I needed to make it clear to him just what the rules of engagement were.

When I got into the small corridor leading to my flat, the note I’d left had gone, and the door was lying slightly ajar. Seriously? Staines must have wandered into my flat to wait, even though I wasn’t there. That was a move worthy of Corrigan. These fucking Brethren guys had no sense of boundaries. Irked beyond belief, I stomped up, and pushed the door fully open. Then I inhaled.

Blood. There was no mistaking the salty iron laden hit to the air. My stomach leapt up into my mouth and back down again. I was frozen for a heartbeat, listening for sounds of anything then, when it appeared that everything was as silent as when I’d left, I slammed open the kitchen door and sprang through, bloodfire flaring through every vein in my body.

I was greeted by a horror scene. Splashes of arterial red covered the entire room, more than I’d have thought possible. Staines was spread-eagled on my kitchen table, froth bubbling up at his mouth. No-one was visible. Fire sparked up at my fingers as I peered round into the bedroom, checking to see where the assailant was hiding himself. But it lay empty, the duvet cover in the same position it had been when I’d gotten out of bed. I pressed myself against the wall, shuffling along until I reached the bathroom. Then I twisted round to face the small room and shot in twin bolts of flame. They crackled and hissed, scorching the wall and causing the wallpaper to curl up at the edges. And yet nobody was there either.

The only place left was the living room. I scooped up both my daggers from where they lay on my dresser and gripped the handles tightly in my fists. Heart thudding, I barrelled back through the kitchen, past Staines’ inert body, and into the living room with a warlike cry.

“Come out and fight, you fucker!”

I stopped abruptly. It was obviously empty. Whoever had been there had come and gone. I pivoted round and ran back to the kitchen.

Staines was still breathing, but only just. I leaned over him, hands and eyes searching for the wound. If I could staunch the bleeding then I might just be able to save him.  But there were multiple injuries cutting deep into his large body. He moaned slightly. Thinking quickly, I took the dagger and cut into the palm of my hand. My blood would heal him. I moved over and raised it towards his mouth but, without warning, his hand shot out and took hold of my wrist in an iron-clad grip.

“I wanted him to realise that he didn’t need you,” he gasped.

I yanked my hand away and down towards his mouth. But it was too late. A spine-chilling rattle sounded from deep within his throat and his eyes rolled back into his head. Staines was dead.

I fell backwards, staring in horror at his corpse. How in the hell had this happened? I’d been gone barely twenty-five minutes. I hugged my arms round my body. I’d failed him. If I’d only gotten here just a few minutes earlier, I could have been in time to save him. This was my fucking fault.

Shakily, I opened up my mind to call Corrigan with my Voice.

Lord Alpha?

A heartbeat later he answered.
What the hell do you want?

I need…
I stopped, taking a deep breath, then began again.
You need to get round to my place.

Just because I’m re-joining the council, does not mean you have carte-blanche to have me at your beck and call. I’ll put up with you when I have to but the rest of the time, my previous wishes still stand. I do not want to see you or speak to you. I’d appreciate it if you could respect that.

I closed my eyes in pain.
Corrigan, you have to get here.

If you’ve gotten yourself into trouble yet again, then get that bloody faerie to help you out.

Sensing he was about to cut off the connection, I blurted out.
It’s not me, Corrigan, it’s Staines. You need to get here. He’s…
Oh shit.
He’s dead.

There was a heavy oppressive silence from the Brethren Lord’s end. It seemed to go on forever. Finally, his Voice returned, a dull monotone bouncing around my skull.

I’ll be there within the hour.
Then he snapped off.

My phone started ringing. Initially I ignored it, remaining where I was by Staines’ body. After several rings, I shook myself and gingerly tiptoed over to pick it up, trying not to step in the pools of blood that lay in sickening glossy puddles around the floor.

“Miss Smith, it’s the Arch-Mage. I’ve just received intelligence that the Divination spells we have set up for Endor have been set off. It appears he returned to this plane for around ten minutes, then disappeared again. We’re tracking what his exact location was right now. I should have the information any moment now.”

I didn’t answer.

“Miss Smith?”

“Don’t bother,” I said. “I know where he was.” I looked back over at Staines. He was clutching something in his left hand.

“What? What do you mean?”

I put the receiver down, hanging up even though the Arch-Mage continued talking, and walked back over to check it out. It was a piece of paper. Uncurling the already cooling fingers of the were-bear, I extricated it and carefully unfolded the corners. It was smeared with blood, but I still recognised it as the note I’d left on my front door. Underneath it, however, something had been added.

I’ve been reading about you. It appears that you’re even more interesting than I realised. I dropped by to say hello, and came across your friend instead. Sorry about the mess.

E

I balled it up in my hand, then backed away into the corner, and huddled down to wait.

*

It wasn’t long before Corrigan showed up. He must have broken the land speed records to get here so quickly, I thought dully, as I opened the front door to let him in. I knew his shifter sense of smell had registered the blood long before he’d stepped inside, but I gestured him towards the kitchen anyway, then moved out of his way. Silently, he brushed past me and went in. For a few moments there was nothing, then I heard a keening howl of pain and anguish that ripped right through me. I briefly closed my eyes, then trudged outside to give him some privacy.

Wishing for once that I smoked, I rested against the rough stone of the building’s exterior.  At least sucking on a cigarette would have given me something to do. I kicked my heels pointlessly against the wall instead, only looking up when a screech of tyres signaled the arrival of a vehicle. The Arch-Mage, Alex, Max and Larkin all stepped onto the pavement. Their faces were pale. Then three other cars pulled up, and several shifters piled out, overtaking the mages who remained standing in front of me. They barely glanced in my direction, heading immediately inside to join Corrigan.

The Arch-Mage stepped forward. “What happened?”

I explained in as frank a manner as I could, and passed him over the note. He stared down at it, then nodded grimly and entered, Max and Larkin at his heels. I stopped Alex before he could follow them.

“We need some fucking palladium and we need it now. I can’t afford to tiptoe around the Ministry and their lack of finances any more, Alex. Either you’ve managed to get hold of some, or I’ll need to get the money from the shifters and the Fae now.”

“I don’t have any,” he said, “but I know where to get it. And it’ll be of a higher quality and more useful than anything you could pay for.”

I waited.

“Russia.” He licked his lips. “There’s a mine about sixty miles east of Moscow.”

“So all I need to do is waltz in with a pickax?”

“The mining company that runs it ships out what they collect at the end of every week. They won’t miss a small amount.”

“You’re telling me to steal it?”

He shrugged helplessly. I lifted my eyes to the heavens. Breaking the law and getting on the bad side of a bunch of wealthy Russians didn’t strike me as a particularly responsible thing to do.

“That’s not going to work, Alex. I need an alternative that’s going to let me source it legitimately.”

“We don’t have much time,” he began.

I exploded. “I know we don’t have much fucking time! But I’m not going to start causing more problems than I’m solving. Not this time. Find someone who can help.”

The expression on his face was strained. “Okay. I’ll go to the bookshop. Maybe they can suggest something.”

“Go.”

He nodded and took off down the street. I clenched my jaw. Helping the poverty-stricken mages avoid losing face almost seemed like a pointless task in the wake of Staines’ bloody assassination. If we could get hold of some palladium, and if Balud’s research was correct, then we might just have a shot at beating Endor. It was going to take all of us working as a team to manage it; I couldn’t keep pulling the lone wolf stunts.