Cin Craven - Wages of Sin Part 22

"Very good, miss," Masterson said, dabbing at his head with his handkerchief. "Miss Craven, are they-"

"They're evil, Masterson, that's all you need to know." I looked at Cook, "Take him and cleanse that wound. Make sure he sees the doctor first thing in the morning."

At the very last second I leaned down and kissed his weathered old cheek. He blushed and stammered and Cook shooed him off toward the kitchen like a large mother hen. I set the Book of Shadows down on the hall table and stared at the drawing room door.

I tried the doork.n.o.b but it was locked, just as the parlor maid had said. I drew my arm back and slammed the palm of my hand into the door, just above the lock. It exploded inward with a cracking of wood.

Thomas and Amelia sat huddled together on the sofa. They were pale and terrified, Amelia's hair hung around her shoulders in disarray as if she'd been dragged by it but I couldn't see or smell any blood on them. It was more than I could have hoped for.

Sebastian lounged negligently against the mantle on the opposite wall, his black evening clothes spotless, a lit cheroot dangling from his long, slender fingers. I gritted my teeth. I should turn him into a toad for daring to smoke in my mother's drawing room.

Kali stood before me in the center of the room, resplendent in a gold silk evening gown. Her hair was artfully arranged but there certainly seemed to be less of it than there had been the last time I'd seen her. On the whole the two of them looked remarkably well for having been burnt to a crisp four nights before.

"Did the grand lady get the servants all sorted out?" Kali asked, her voice light and airy as if she'd just offered me a cup of tea.

I inclined my head but didn't answer. She stalked over to me, hips swaying, and her eyes widened a bit. She leaned in and smelled me. I stiffened but didn't step back. I would not allow her to see how scared I really was.

"Oh you've been a naughty girl, my little witch." Sebastian straightened and walked to me, his eyes never leaving my face. "What have you done?" he whispered.

"Ensured my survival," I said, "much as you did, I'll wager."

I s.n.a.t.c.hed the cheroot from his fingers and snubbed it out into a small, rather ugly candy dish that must have been Amelia's.

"If you'd wanted to talk, all you had to do was say so," I said, wandering through the room and trailing my fingers absently over the furniture. "There was no need to go to all this trouble."

I stopped in front of Thomas and Amelia, my back to Kali and Sebastian. I tucked a lock of Amelia's hair behind her ear and winked at her. She stared at me, frozen with terror, but Thomas seemed to understand. That understanding flashed momentarily in his eyes and then was gone. He squeezed his wife's hand and patted it but the expression on his face never changed. He'd been a soldier once; I was hoping that training would help him keep a level head through this ordeal.

"Forgive me, but you have been quite unreceptive to my invitations thus far. Besides, we have talked enough, you and I," Kali hissed, one hand reaching up subconsciously to touch her hair. "Now you either do my spell or you die, but not before I make you watch as I kill everyone you love."

I shrugged, as if what she'd just said meant less than nothing to me. "Yes, well, that doesn't really work for me anymore. I've come to renegotiate."

Her eyes narrowed. "Renegotiate?"

"Your terms," I elaborated.

"I don't recall offering you any terms."

"Yes, I guess you didn't. 'Do it or die', blah blah, 'I'll make you crawl'. But, you see, that was when I was weak and human. You have no power over me anymore, Kali. Sure, you could kill me outright, cut off my head, stake me through the heart," I flounced down in one of the wing chairs and smiled up at her. "But I'm the only one who can get you what you want. So, I've come to renegotiate."

Fury boiled just below her skin but she kept her temper in check. "What do you want? You want me to promise I'll leave? Go back to my world and spare your precious humans?"

I waved a hand absently. "I couldn't give a badger's a.s.s what happens to the lot of them. No, I'll do your spell for you and I'll get your crown back but in return I want you to make me your High Priestess."

Kali stared at me. Sebastian laughed. "I know her, she's lying. It's some trick."

"No trick, Sebastian. It's called self-preservation, an instinct I'm sure you know quite well. I realized the other night that I couldn't stand against her. If she makes me her High Priestess then I'll be at her side and not caught down here in the muck when the apocalypse comes about."

Sebastian stared at me and I gave him my best blank debutante smile, that perfectly pleasant, slightly patronizing smile I saved for clumsy dance partners and boring dinner companions.

"Done," Kali said, though she still didn't look like she entirely trusted my new about-face. Smart demon but, really, what choice did she have if she wanted her crown back?

"Excellent," I said and bounded up from the chair. "Now, let's get out of here. No sense standing about in Mayfair when we have places to go and spells to cast."

"Indeed," Kali said, "but they come with us." I looked back over my shoulder at Thomas and Amelia, trying not to panic. "Are you serious? I thought you were a woman of stronger appet.i.tes than that. Let's go find something more sporting. I know this cutpurse and his gang over in Piccadilly-"

"They are not to eat," she said in that tone of voice one reserves for small children and lunatics. "They are for the spell."

I looked at her in confusion. "The spell?"

She pulled a folded piece of parchment from the impressive depths of her bodice and handed it to me. One edge was ragged as if it had been torn from a book and the paper was yellowed with age and crackled under my fingers. I glanced at the words and paled.

"This is blood magic," I whispered.

"Yes, it is. It requires the blood of two. We have two here so we might as well use them."

I stared at the paper. This was blood magic, human sacrifice. Dear G.o.ddess, the binding spell I intended to work on her was darker magic than I had ever thought to perform but this, this was something that would stain your soul for eternity. Of course, I had absolutely no intention of going through with this spell but the thought of what she expected me to do sent a shiver up my spine.

Kali watched my reaction closely.

"You hesitate. Why?"

I pulled myself together. "I've never done this type of magic before. It's going to require a sacred place to perform the ritual. I don't know where yet. I'll have to think about it. "

"Perhaps that is why you hesitate. Then again, perhaps it is not," she said softly, her hand reaching out to caress the side of my face, her nails raking my cheek. "Did your magic die with your human body, little witch? Is this just a ruse after all? Tell me now and I'll kill you quickly. Lie to me and I'll see you suffer for eternity."

"I still have my magic."

"Prove it," she said.

I snapped my fingers and the lights flickered out, plunging the room into darkness. I sent my will flowing outward and the candles flared back to life. Kali looked unimpressed.

"Parlor tricks," she spat.

"Well, it is a parlor." She didn't laugh. Oh well. "Fine, what would satisfy you? Perhaps it would be amusing to turn him into a weasel again?" I said, gesturing to Sebastian.

"Here, now," Sebastian spoke up, "there will be no more of that!"

I smiled and stepped close to the Destroyer, much closer than I'd ever wanted to get again. Mere inches from her lips I whispered, "We really don't need a show of strength, do we? As powerful as you are, you can feel my magic."

Something flickered in her eyes and she nodded. I don't know if she really could feel my power or if she just didn't want to admit that she couldn't. Either way, it saved me from having to turn someone into a weasel. I still had no clue how I'd done that and I wasn't eager to have to prove myself.

She glanced at Sebastian. "Bring the humans and come."

I faltered. One swift glance back but she'd seen it. She turned on me, her power beating at me, her eyes filled with fury. "On second thought, maybe I'll kill them now, just to test your commitment."

d.a.m.n it. They would have to come with us. I'd promised the children I'd make sure their parents were safe but if I balked at anything else she'd kill Thomas and Amelia just to see if she could break me. I threw my hands in the air. "Do what you like but we're going to have to get out of the city to work this spell and it'll be much easier to travel without them slowing us down. We could find two nice plump virgins when we get to the country that would do just as well or better."

Kali stared into my eyes as if she were trying to crawl into my mind and snoop around in there. I'll bet it just galled her that she couldn't tromp freely through my head anymore. Finally she nodded to Sebastian.

"Bring them," she said and walked from the room as regal as any queen, or demon G.o.ddess. "Besides, have you tried finding virgins in the country these days?"

Chapter Thirty-Three

The dark coach rolled to a stop at the curb as we walked out into the night, almost as if it had been waiting in the shadows for its mistress's summons. The driver had the look and smell, the dead eyes, of one of Kali's walking corpses. I clutched the Book of Shadows in my hands, helpless, as Sebastian shoved Thomas and Amelia roughly inside. Kali glanced back at me and s.n.a.t.c.hed the book from my grasp, leafing through it impatiently.

"More of your Gaelic?" she said, her tone harsh and cool. "I do not think I will allow you to keep this since I do not understand what it says. Get rid of it."

"It's a witch's spell book, nothing more. It has information in it which will be helpful in working your spell. I came back here for it and if you want your spell done properly it would be wise to let me keep it. As I said before, I haven't ever done this sort of magic."

She watched me for a long time, studying me, looking for any indication that I was being untruthful. Whatever she saw on my face must have convinced her.

"Fine, but if anything should happen to catch fire," she said with great meaning, "I will burn that book and you with it."

"Understood," I said.

She looked at me through narrow eyes. "I do not yet trust you, witch. Tread very carefully with me."

"I could say the same to you but we need each other, so let's just make the best of it, shall we?"

She regarded me carefully and then nodded. "You said we needed a sacred s.p.a.ce to do the spell. Where do I tell the driver to take us?"

I hadn't thought that far ahead and I said the first thing that came to mind, "Stonehenge."

"What?" Sebastian roared. "That'll take days!"

"Look, this isn't a simple spell. It requires a great deal of power and ritual. Samhain is three nights from now. If we do the spell on the holy night in that sacred place then we have a good chance of succeeding. We could try it tonight someplace closer but I can't guarantee the outcome. To put it succinctly, this is our best chance. Take it or leave it."

"What is this Stonehenge?" Kali asked.

"A circle of giant standing stones on Salisbury Plain. It's an ancient place of great power, built before even you walked this earth."

"And it'll take at least two b.l.o.o.d.y nights traveling without stopping to get there," Sebastian grumbled.

"Enough," Kali said shortly. "I would like to see this place. It intrigues me. However, we must stop at the hotel. I will not travel so long without a change of clothing. Come."

Sebastian held the coach door and a.s.sisted Kali and I inside before climbing up with the driver. The thought of Thomas and Amelia in their tender care for three days and nights made my blood run cold but I had little choice. Perhaps I could find a way to help them escape between now and then, during the day when the vampires would be powerless to pursue them. Then again, did I really think that they could get far enough away, hide well enough, that Kali couldn't find them once the sun set? That would go even worse for them.

As the coach rumbled on, Amelia leaned forward and grabbed my hands. "For G.o.d's sake, Dulcie," she cried. "Help us!"

I shook her hands loose. "No one can help you now, Amelia."

If I had the chance should I tell them what I planned? One wrong gesture from either of them, one misspoken word, and the whole ruse could come crashing down around us. I knew it would be better if they thought that I was in league with the Destroyer. I sighed and looked out the window to avoid Amelia's tearful pleading and racking sobs. Dear G.o.ddess, I couldn't stand three days and nights of that. No matter the danger I would have to say something to them eventually.

I nearly laughed out loud when we pulled up in front of Grillion's Hotel on Albemarle Street. If only Devlin and Michael knew that Kali and Sebastian had taken rooms in the same hotel as them! It took some persuading to get the clerk to give me their room numbers but he finally succ.u.mbed to my charms.

"What are you about, witch?" Kali asked as we climbed the stairs.

Sebastian had stayed out front with the coach. I wondered if Kali would pack a bag for him. I didn't think Sebastian would fancy wearing the same clothes for a week, either.

I did laugh then. "Do you realize that you're staying in the same hotel as The Righteous?"

She paused on the stairway and glanced around.

"Don't worry, they're not here. The last I saw of them they were bleeding all over each other in a warehouse down by the docks."

She glared at me. "I do not worry, witch, but I haven't lived this long by being incautious. Did you kill them?"

"No, they ran afoul of about a dozen cranky vampires while they were chasing me through the city. They're only wounded and by the time they recover enough to limp back to the hotel we'll be long gone from here. I asked for their room numbers so I could steal some clothes from Justine."

We found the first of the rooms. The door opened with a cracking sound as I shoved hard against the lock. Half a dozen dresses and other ladies' things lying strewn across the gilded furniture told me I'd found the right room. Kali surveyed the empty chamber and then turned to me.

"If you even think to cross me, witch-"

"I have no intention of crossing you, Kali. Since I woke up as a vampire I've realized that I've been wrong about a lot of things, not the least of which are my former companions. I've been through too much not to end up on the winning side of this. I do not intend to cross you; I intend to stand at your side. I've found that I rather like the taste of victory."

She looked unconvinced but willing to give me the benefit of the doubt, for now. "We shall see. Stay here and I will return for you shortly." She walked through the door and I called to her, "Kali, another thing. My name is Cin Craven, High Priestess of the Destroyer. I would appreciate it if you used it instead of referring to me as 'witch'."

Her eyes narrowed for a moment and then she inclined her head and turned to walk down the hall.

I closed the door behind her, listening until she reached the end of the hall, and then sank to the floor, shaking. I must be insane.

How could I possibly keep this up for three days?

Stealing clothes from Justine, I soon realized, presented a bit of a problem. I'd had to rip most of the back out of the lace mourning gown because I couldn't reach all the b.u.t.tons so there was no way that dress was wearable anymore. Even if it were, the blood in the silk would soon begin to smell. The larger problem was that I hadn't counted on just exactly how differently shaped Justine and I were.

The hems of her dresses dragged the ground because she was at least four inches taller than my five foot five. Her waist was also a bit narrower but at least the current fashion of waistless gowns was in my favor on that score. No, it was the bodices I was having the most trouble with. All of Justine's gowns were low cut and my b.r.e.a.s.t.s were larger than hers. Getting them squished into the dresses was one thing but then they threatened to pop right back out if I so much as moved the wrong way.

I flipped open the lid of another trunk and found more dresses, none of them any better than what I was currently bursting out of. A third truck contained lingerie, chemises and an astonishing variety of the scandalous new pantalettes from Paris. I held one of the delicate undergarments to my waist and looked in the mirror, shaking my head. Flinging the pantalettes on the bed, I regarded the last trunk.

There had better be something useful in that one. Did the woman not own one modest dress? I opened the lid and nearly crowed with delight. It contained all of Justine's masculine attire.

The breeches didn't fit a whole lot better then the dresses but they were a bit of an improvement. They were skin tight across my hips and thighs and didn't quite b.u.t.ton all the way to the waist. I moved around the room and the fabric gave enough to make the breeches almost comfortable. I selected a loose shirt of beige linen which was obviously custom-made for Justine and clung a little more than I would have liked, but it too would do. I found one pair of boots that probably came to just above Justine's knees but on me they rode at mid-thigh. They were too big, of course, but I scrounged around and found two pairs of thick wool socks and with both of them on at the same time the boots were wearable. I emptied out a valise and shoved a few pairs of breeches and five shirts of varying colors and materials into the bag.

Crossing to the desk I saw one of Justine's sapphire-tipped daggers laying there. It must be a spare, I thought, and wondered how many of them she had. I picked it up and weighed it in my hand. Very nice balance. I tied the sheath to my thigh so that my boot hid the knife, just as I'd seen Justine do. Then I pulled a piece of paper out of the desk drawer and scribbled a quick note.

Stay well behind. If she senses you near, we are all dead. I need a sacred place to work the spell - we have gone to Salisbury. If all goes well I will find you afterward. If not, then may the G.o.ddess help you all. And thank you, Michael, for everything. I think I really may love you.

Cin I tucked the note inside the bodice of my discarded dress. Perhaps they would return to the hotel and find it but I didn't hold out any great hope.

The door opened without so much as a knock and I stood up quickly, trying not to look guilty or call attention to what I'd been doing. Kali stood in the doorway, her golden gown exchanged for one of jade green shot through with gold. Her eyes widened when she saw me. She stalked around me, looking me up and down. I stiffened when she moved behind me and I could no longer see her, but I didn't turn around. She pressed herself against my back and whispered in my ear, "I like it. Very much."