Bitten in Two (36 page)

“What about the writing on the map?” Sterling asked doubtful y.

“Temptation again,” I replied. “It’s hel ’s stock-in-trade, and here we are, risking our souls to get the Rocenz for ourselves.”

Vayl sent a piercing look out the door, scanning the tannery as if sight alone could force it to reveal how much of my theory tracked true. He said, “Much of what you say makes sense. The tannery legend, that it adjoins the land of the dead, could have its basis in fact. And then, there is the smel .”

“Exactly,” I agreed.

Through Cole, Yousef said, “I do not understand.” I explained, “The canals run below places that hide the odor of hel . Where the people who live or work around the site die earlier than usual for explainable reasons, so that site die earlier than usual for explainable reasons, so that the life-sucking characteristics of the canals aren’t ever pinpointed.”

Yousef began to talk rapidly and grabbed at his own arm. Cole translated. “Then, when the boiling began in al the vats during my grandfather’s time, and the vat outside this house began to burn people to the bone, was that substance shooting into the air hel fire?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Demons ride it straight from their world to ours in petrified bone ships they cal Rin-Chaen. If we looked around the tannery long enough, we’d probably find theirs. It explains why none of us have seen the plane portal we assumed they came through and left guards beside—

because they didn’t use one. Of course they had to close the canal behind them, because they were cal ed here, and that’s part of the deal. But if
we
opened the canal, it’s a different story.”

Yousef’s skin had begun to look a little gray where it met his beard. “What happens then?” he asked.

I counted off the possibilities on my fingers. “Al kinds of hel dwel ers could escape without finding themselves beholden to anyone. We could be looking at a potential invasion from hel . Or, we might succeed in our mission and retrieve the Rocenz. In which case the other half of the demon’s contract is met.”

Yousef was nearly bouncing on the bal s of his feet now.

“What does that—I have no idea what that means!” Vayl had barely blinked during my explanation. Now his unwavering gaze broke and he moved it to Yousef. “We promised the demon the chance to snatch souls in exchange for her cooperation, four specific ones. She has promised to harm no one in the Trust. But that does not mean the
kloricht
standing with her, or perhaps crouching on the other side of that lid, have our best interests at heart.

His eyes cut to Cole. “And you are no longer in the Trust, which makes you doubly vulnerable.”

I snapped, “Cole! Say you want to be back in the Trust.” When he gave me a look his mom must’ve seen every time she demanded obedience from him and he ran right into the street instead, I suddenly felt like I had a lot in common with her. He said, “No.”

“Why
not
!”

“A Trust is like a family, which I have. And yours is headed by Vayl, who I don’t like.” He turned to my
sverhamin
, adding, “No offense.”

“None taken,” Vayl replied smoothly.

Cole went on. “So don’t think by yel ing at me you’re going to make me cave. I’l find my own way. And I’l be in charge the
whole
time.”

“Yeah!” I fumed. “Until some mucus-dripping bal -ripper ganks your soul and feeds it to the family for dinner.
Then
guess who’l be in control!”

Cole crossed his arms and refused to talk anymore.

Which was fine, because if he had I probably would’ve punched him.

Typical y, Vayl had moved beyond our petty bickering and decided scouting was in order. Which meant during our argument he’d been inching toward the corner of the building. Now he leaned around to take a long, hard look.

When he got back he didn’t seem any happier.

“What did you see?” I whispered.

“It is just an innocent-looking circle of concrete covering a vat standing no higher than your knees,” he said.

“Are you tel ing me my theory’s crap?” I asked hopeful y.

He shook his head. “We must get in closer. The sign, if it is present, could be on the other side.” My stomach rol ed. He meant hel sign, which could work as a lock to seal nearly any portal. Because it was painted with the blood of an infant.

Without even looking back to check that we were fol owing, Vayl led us into the open. This time I came second, with Cole at my shoulder and Yousef bringing up the rear. I watched the shadows for signs of movement, the windows for the surge of bodies that signaled ambush.

Every muscle in my back clenched, waiting for a bul et, or more likely an arrow, to split my spine.

Would you pull yourself together? You’re out of range,
rabbit.
Granny May looked up irritably from a hand she and Amelia Earhart were clearly winning.
And even if you
weren’t, you’d still have to do this. So pull your head out of
your ass before you let one of these fine boys down!

I nodded, just like I’d real y heard her, and kept moving, pretending the dye pools to my left were just buckets of dirty water. We moved completely into the alcove this time, not touching the smooth-wal ed tank as we spread out, taking turns watching for Kyphas’s charge and scanning the vat for graffiti. The top was unmarked, but grimy enough to support a healthy layer of moss. Instead I saw it had become a graveyard for the skeletons of smal creatures that had made the unfortunate decision to rest on it temporarily or use it as a transbuilding highway.

Yousef said something to Cole, speaking so quickly now that he had to ask him to repeat himself. “What’d he say?” I asked.

“He wants to know if he can stand guard. Preferably from the car.”

Staring at the tiny bleached skul s, I could hardly blame him.

Vayl said, “Tel him to go back around the corner of the building and to cal out if he sees anything moving.” As soon as Cole started translating Yousef began to shake his hand grateful y. He waved goodbye to us and ran out of sight. Back to his house if he had any sense.

Vayl said, “You must tel me how you and Yousef came to meet sometime, Jasmine.” Mild. Slightly amused. Except for the gold flecks in his dark green eyes that told me just what he planned to do to the tanner if he stepped over the line.

“Don’t slam his face into anything,” I warned him. “He’l just start stalking you too and then we’l never—shit. I found it.”

Silence as we stared at the lip of the lid, where the fresh outline of a raven had been drawn with its beak buried in the entrails of a screaming child. The blood Kyphas’s summoner had used wasn’t even dry enough yet to flake.

“Fuck.” I don’t know if I reached for Vayl’s hand, or he grabbed for mine, but our fingers interlaced like we each felt the need for rescue.

“Exactly,” Vayl said with such feeling that his voice seemed to rumble inside my chest.

Sterling’s voice sang into the silence, lifting our shoulders, bringing our eyes to the sky like we could real y see him looking down on us as he said, “If you break that seal, I can throw down a net that wil only let the Rocenz through.”

I’d known he was the best. But to wield that kind of power? Even with al his stores available to him he’d stil probably have to sleep for a week afterward.

Vayl might’ve been impressed too, but he never hesitated. “Do it,” he said.

Cole looked down at the sword in his hand. Took some time to adjust his grip and, maybe, his attitude. Because his voice sounded different, more businesslike, when he asked, “So how do we break the lock?”

I said, “We hit the raven with our blades. Not like we mean to plow through rock, but like we’re trying to kil an actual bird. The fact that we’re attacking with Raoul’s weapons should be enough to split it, but we may have to strike it several times before it gives, okay?”

“Okay.”

“And when it starts to go? Have the sense to get back.”

“No problem.”

I looked up, barely able to see the roof of our lookout building from ground zero. “Sterling? Have you got us covered?”

“Three cooks about to spoil the broth,” he confirmed.

“Al of you bust it back behind a wal as soon as the lid splits. I’m going to light the place up.” I felt Vayl’s powers like icy fingers tickling the back of my neck and knew our warlock wouldn’t be the only
other
throwing sparks tonight. “You’re beautiful when you’re about to kick ass,” I told him.

His dimple appeared briefly and then dashed away. “I think that was my line.”

“Naw, ’cause I’m the sexy one.” I pointed back and forth between us. “Beautiful, sexy. Sexy, beautiful. We need to get this straight now, you know, so after we get blown to bits they’l know how to tel the difference between us.”

“It wil stil be no problem,” said Vayl. “Your bits wil be jumping up and down, madly demanding revenge. While mine wil be wafting through the air like a misguided bal oon.”

“See,” I said. “Even your bits are beautiful. They waft.”

“Jumping up and down is definitely sexy,” Vayl assured me. “Would you like to do it two or three times right now before we get down to business?”

Sterling and Cole groaned at the same time. “Ewww!” And then we couldn’t think of a single new delaying tactic. So Vayl unsheathed his sword while Cole and I raised ours.

We took turns swinging, the metal of our blades clanging against the wings of the raven like hammers against an anvil. No way could the demons not hear us.

against an anvil. No way could the demons not hear us.

We’d have to hurry. A rumbling from somewhere so far below us it felt like the other side of the earth made us look down and reset our stances.

“Again,” Vayl said.

We swung. The bird took three more slices to its wings.

I whispered, “Vayl, it’s giving! Armor yourself!” He said, “If I could, we would al be encased in ice by now. But I have lost the abilities I gained after 1770.” Including the one he’d taken from a Chinese vampire during our mission to Corpus Christi that had given him the power to shield himself and others in a blanket of ice.

I took a moment to glance at him, amazed that his expression was as relaxed as if he was waiting for his evening paper to be delivered. Wow.
I
would’ve been bitching so loud the complaint departments in every company on the continent could’ve heard me.
He
hadn’t even thought to mention that his curse had permanent side effects.

I gritted my teeth and got back to work, more determined than ever to beat the bastards who’d set us up so neatly.

Cole delivered a blow that cut the raven’s head at the neck. The lid cracked in a dozen places as the ground beneath our feet shifted, hard, to the left. Both of us stumbled backward.

“I can see red between the cracks!” Sterling told us. “Is it getting warm down there?”

I wiped the sweat off my face. “Feels like a furnace.”

“It’s going faster than I expected. Take cover!” Vayl hustled us back toward Yousef’s hiding place. He wasn’t there. We made it just in time for the lid to fail. The sound of it shattering worked like a bugle cal for Kyphas’s crew.

“Demons on the move!” Sterling said. “Coming at you from multiple directions. I suggest you keep a wal at your backs. Or better yet, run!”

“To where?” Vayl asked.

“I’l cast a Hand on the roof of that building,” Sterling said. “Stand inside the palm and only one of them can attack you at a time.”

“Done.”

We charged through the doorway, but as soon as we were inside Vayl paused, causing a major traffic jam. He spun around. “Jasmine, you must stay behind.”

“What?” I was so shocked I didn’t even care that I sounded like a strangled chicken.

“The Rocenz is somewhere in that rubble. We can give you the time you need to find it. And I am concerned about the
kloricht
receiving reinforcements. We know a human had to cal this group. Nothing and no one but you can stop them from repeating the summons.”

“They could be in an entirely different city, you
know
that!”

“I think not. In fact, to cal demons from a canal, I believe our human must be very near the spot. Practical y standing on top of it, in fact.”

“That’s right, I’d forgotten. But we didn’t see anybody on the way—”
Shit. Yousef and Kamal!
I wished my guys good luck and sprinted out the door, understanding that their lives depended on me doing my best work tonight.

A second explosion knocked me to the ground. It had begun.

I stood up and peered back through the new gap in Vayl and Cole’s building where a huge chunk of the wal had blown away. Through it I could see the canal spouting a geyser of bluish orange flames twenty feet high. If I looked harder I could see faces in the flames, screaming in ecstasy as they swam toward freedom. And then, fal ing from the sky like a net of stars, came Sterling’s reply. As soon as the connected bal s of shimmering light hit the fire they exploded, sending my butt back to the ground and my hands over my head. As if my frail little arm bones could real y protect me from flying timber.

When I looked again Sterling’s spel had reduced the geyser to a fountain and the faces inside it were screaming.

“Demons closing on your building,” Sterling said, sounding out of breath and slightly gleeful.