CHAPTER
FORTY-FOUR
Khent arrivedat a nasty scene in Capitol Hill, away from the bazaar, with Duncan at his back. As they landed, they immediately shifted shape to intercept a small group of dead upir attacking MEC agents.
“What the hell isthis?” Duncan roared. “No one fucks with upir but us!”
Understanding and even agreeing with the sentiment, Khent and Duncan made quick work of the upir before working to maneuver most of the monsters attacking humans toward Volunteer Park, away from residences, while Macy and her group chanted spells to contain the threat.
Despite the late evening, plenty of humans were out and about, now running for their lives. With all the cell phones out there, Khent knew they wouldn’t be able to control the spread of information about some odd activities in the city unless MEC did something extraordinary.
But he didn’t really care. He had never minded if the world realized magir existed. How much better would it be if humans understood they had something real to fear, more than taxes and mundane problems?
He enjoyed himself as he tore through the dead, searching for Vladimir.
“I don’t like this.” Duncan frowned, his fingers bloody.
“Really?”
With a sheepish grin, the revenant corrected himself. “Oh, I love the killing. I just meant this doesn’t make sense. Activity at the bazaar. This mess here. It’s disorganized. Yet Spectre has been smart enough not to get caught for years. And you said he’s working with Nergal. That bastard has a lot of friends in low places. Like the song.”
“What?”
“You know. That singer, Garth something? Low places?” Duncan hummed a few bars.
Khent frowned.
Duncan sighed. “Never mind. Macy’s unit at MEC has been after Spectre for some time. But they were operating under the assumption he’s a sorcerer. That he’s a necromancer puts a different spin on it.”
“I agree. He’s a powerful necromancer.” Khent thought about it, stuck out an arm to impale a dead lycan and ripped its spine free then tossed it aside. “He took the Staff of Blight for Nergal. But I wonder if he handed it over. Vladimir’s been searching for Valentine for a long time. He wants the same stone Nergal does.”
Duncan nodded. “He’s probably working the god until he gets what he wants.”
“He’s already been getting power from Nergal. And power from something else. Something primordial.”
“That sounds bad.” Duncan grinned. “And fun.”
Khent grinned with him, in a decent mood since he knew his Valentine would be having her own fun, extra protected by his energy. “Yes, it does.”
“Stop screwing around, Duncan,” Macy yelled as she battled two demons while Cho blasted one coming at her back. “Us mere mortals are overwhelmed!”
“Gotta go save some weak magir.” Duncan shrugged. “What can you do?”
“Hey.” Cho glared. “I’m not weak.”
“Says the weak demon,” Duncan murmured and in a louder voice called out, “Demons, I invite you to a real fight. Come and get it.”
They flocked to him while Khent stood back to think and clean his dirty nails, not pleased that demon blood dried so fast, leaving a stain.
Vladimir wanted them here, away from the bazaar. Away from Nergal, perhaps.
He centered himself and felt Valentine’s heart still beating, her pulse rate up but not racing. The sense of her, alive and well, pleased him. As did the knowledge that she could command so many dead and still function well enough.
He thought she might care for him, and that pleased him as well. Though Khent had never been overeager for companionship, he enjoyed spending time with her. And he wanted her again.
Then he’d share his experiences and questions about his processes so she could share hers. They would dissect their efforts and find new ways to grow more powerful. Just as they’d study the dead in his lab. No,theirlab.
He nodded, content with his plans for the future.
