Deadly Weakness (Gray Spear Society) (8 page)

"Or the twins could come to Manhattan. I'd be happy to host them."

There was an awkward silence. Clearly, neither commander wanted to put a critical team member at risk by sending her on a long trip.

"We'll try to work something out," Aaron said. "I should keep moving. Anybody need anything before I go?"

Nobody answered, so he walked off.

He glanced back at Ethel. She was sitting alone at her table. There was a plate full of food in front of her, but she wasn't eating. Instead, she was just staring at the people in the room. Her eyes seemed especially dark tonight.

Aaron looked around for somebody else to talk to. His goal was to meet as many people as possible before the night was over. Maybe the traitor would slip up. Marina was also working the room with the same intentions.

Aaron noticed a man with an impressively thick mustache. It covered both lips. His black hair was receding, which made his forehead look big. Like all the male members of the Society, he was very muscular, and a narrow waist indicated he was also very lean. Cool blue eyes peered out from beneath thick eyebrows.

Aaron walked over and said, "I wish I could grow a mustache like that."

"Many try. Few succeed." The man offered his hand. "I'm Xavier."

Aaron shook it. "The Houston contingent. How is the weather down in Texas?"

"A hell of a lot nicer than it is up here. How can anybody live in this icebox?"

"I'm used to it." Aaron shrugged. "I've been a Chicago man my whole life. And this isn't so bad. You should've seen the storm last month."

"Well, I didn't pack enough warm clothes. If you have a spare winter coat, I could use it."

"Sure. I'll have somebody put one in your room tonight. We want our guests to be comfortable. And you must be Sampson." Aaron turned to the
legionnaire
next to Xavier.

Sampson had gigantic shoulders even by Society standards. His blond hair flowed around his big head so beautifully that he looked like he belonged on the cover of a romance novel. With a genuine smile, he shook Aaron's hand. His grip crushed like a vice.

"Glad to meet you, sir," Sampson said eagerly.

Aaron rubbed his sore hand. "Same here. Are you cold, too?"

"It's not so bad for me, but I'm a high energy guy. I'm really excited about the tournament. I can't wait to try my skills against the best. It's been a while since I had a real challenge in a fight."

"You'll get all that and more tomorrow. Do you have a gift?"

"No." Sampson shook his head. "I'm just naturally strong. My boss has a great gift though."

"Oh?" Aaron looked at Xavier. "Mind if I see?"

Xavier frowned. "Now? Here?"

"How often do you get a chance to show off? Come on. We're all colleagues here. Unless it's dangerous."

"It isn't. Turn around."

Aaron looked over his shoulder. Xavier was standing directly behind him.

Xavier raised his hand. "High five."

Aaron tried, but his hand passed through Xavier's. There was nothing there. Aaron looked back and found Xavier still seated at the table.

"I throw shadows of myself. Harmless illusions but occasionally useful."

"Very useful, I'd think," Aaron said. "You can create perfect decoys. Your enemy won't know which one is real. They'll shoot at empty air while you're safely hiding or getting behind them."

"I heard you were a perceptive man."

"Thank you. I didn't realize I had that reputation."

"Word gets around," Xavier said, "and everybody knows you're one of the legate's prize pupils."

"I wouldn't go that far," Aaron said. "We did work together for a long time, and our relationship isn't bad, but she doesn't cut me any slack. When I screw up, she makes sure I don't do it again."

"If you say so."

"It was nice meeting you. I won't forget about that coat. In fact I'll take care of it right now."

Xavier nodded. "Thanks."

Aaron walked off.

Chapter Five

Smythe watched the crowd from a corner of the room. For the last hour he had run back and forth, playing the part of a waiter. It wasn't a very glamorous job, but at least he was here. Poor Norbert would miss the fun entirely.

Smythe still didn't know what was really going on, but he was starting to get some ideas. Aaron and Marina were mixing with the crowd in a distinctly systematic way. It was clear they didn't want to miss anybody at all.

Aaron's little speech about security also bothered Smythe. It had been an interesting mix of near truths. Aaron had implied the surveillance cameras were only in the woods, when in fact they were everywhere. Over a hundred had been installed. Just about every room in the camp was covered, even the cabins, but the cameras were so well hidden it would take a sharp eye to see any of them. The internal security at this convention was better than a Las Vegas casino.

"Hello, Dr. Smythe."

Smythe jumped in surprise. The legate was standing next to him.

After spending so much time in the Society, Smythe was growing accustomed to people sneaking up on him. It was a game everybody played with each other. With Ethel, the experience was different though. She didn't just surprise people. She instantly reminded them of their mortality.

Smythe swallowed. "Hello, ma'am."

"Thank you for your service this evening," she said.

Her bodyguard stood behind her, as silent and still as a statue. Smythe had never heard Guthrum speak.

"My pleasure," Smythe said.

"There is somebody you need to meet. A special invited guest. You'll be working together."

He followed Ethel across the big room. They approached a stunningly beautiful woman wearing the robes of a
legionnaire
. She had a face that made Smythe's heart ache. Pure white hair flowed smoothly to the middle of her back. Her skin was a delicate pink color, and her eyes were a peculiar reddish brown.

"This is Odelia," Ethel said. "Odelia, meet Smythe. Odelia is from Los Angeles. Her commander is Yule, the man with the giant eyeballs. Odelia isn't part of the official delegation from Los Angeles. I asked for her specifically. Smythe is from Chicago, of course. You two have something in common."

Odelia looked at her. "We do, ma'am?"

"Both of you are supernatural healers. In fact, you're the most extraordinary healers on the continent and maybe beyond."

Smythe looked at Odelia with greater interest and curiosity.

"And I'll need your skills tomorrow," Ethel said. "This tournament will be fought at full speed. Minimal rules. I intend to see realistic fights with realistic injuries. We'll find out who the fiercest warrior truly is."

Smythe stared at her with an expression of horror. "Ma'am, are you kidding? The fighters will tear each other apart. It will be total mayhem."

"That's why I have you here." Ethel patted him and Odelia on the shoulders. "You'll fix the broken bodies as they come off the field."

"I can't raise the dead, ma'am."

"Then tell me what you can do. Talk to Odelia. Work out what level of damage is acceptable. I'll expect an answer tomorrow morning."

Ethel and Guthrum left.

Smythe turned to Odelia. "Did you know anything about this?"

"No." She shook her head. "I assumed she brought me here just in case of an emergency. I didn't expect to work."

He didn't believe in love at first sight, but she was making a strong case for it. Even the way her hair moved was gorgeous. Her lips were like rose buds.

"And I thought I was just going to serve food."

She patted his arm. "You're a big, strong guy. You look like you could be a
legionnaire
."

"That's because I am one." He winked.

"Huh? Why are you dressed like an assistant?"

"I honestly don't know, and I can't talk about it anyway. You shouldn't either."

She frowned. "I'm confused."

"Welcome to the club. Maybe we should get down to business. Do you want to go someplace quiet where we can talk for a while?"

"Sure." She smiled and his heart sang.

He led her out of the dining room through a side door. He had spent almost two weeks at the camp, so he knew it very well. He took her to a small chapel in the same building. There were just a few pews facing a crucifix on a wall. Light fixtures covered in yellow cloth provided warm illumination. A window looked out onto a field of moonlit ice and snow.

Smythe and Odelia sat and faced each other.

"I assume you have a gift," she said.

He smiled. "I'll show you if you open your robes a little."

She pulled apart her robes near her midsection. She wore thermal underwear underneath.

"This will look freaky," he said, "but it's safe."

She nodded and bit her lip.

He lifted her shirt. Slowly, he pushed his hand through her abdominal wall. Her flesh felt like warm shaving cream as his hand passed easily through it.

"Ah!" she squeaked.

"Hold still," he said softly.

He moved his hand around inside her abdomen, feeling her organs. As long as he was there, he would give her a checkup. She was in fine condition. Even her intestines were beautiful.

He pulled his hand out. "See? No blood."

"That's amazing!" Her eyes were wide. "And you can heal people that way?"

"I can fix almost any structural injury in just a few seconds. Broken bones, torn tissue, dislocations. I can remove foreign bodies like bullets and knives. I can even take out tumors. I'm not as good with infections and burns, and I can't do anything about brain damage. Nerves cells don't respond like bones and muscles."

"Do you have a medical background?"

He nodded. "I'm a doctor. I was trained as a pathologist but then I joined the Army. They needed combat surgeons, so I was retrained. I served in Afghanistan for a few years. That place was hell. The Army transferred me to the Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases. Remember that big tuberculosis scare last year?"

"Of course."

"It was poison, not tuberculosis. Long story short, Ethel recruited me into the Society to help her with that mission. I'm proud to say I came up with a cure that saved hundreds of lives."

"That's wonderful." A broad smile made her face even more perfect.

"You must have a gift, too?"

"I do." She winked. "That's a nasty scar on your right arm."

"Shrapnel from a grenade."

"Hold it out for me."

He raised his arm. She placed her hands over the scar, and they began to glow with a pure white light. The entire room became brighter. He felt a warm tingle in his flesh that made him want to itch. The glow stopped and she lifted her hands. The scar was completely gone.

"Regenerative energy," she explained. "I heal diseased and damaged flesh."

He raised his eyebrows. "Incredible. How much damage can you heal?"

Her entire body began to glow, from her toes and fingers to the top of her head. Her face was so bright it made him squint, and her hair seemed like it was burning with white fire. The red color in her eyes glowed like lava. She had become an angel imbued with the light of Heaven.

"A
lot
."

That does it,
Smythe thought.
I'm definitely in love.
"What's your background?" he asked.

The divine light faded.

"I was a clinical researcher specializing in exotic, lethal diseases," she said. "I would go to some of the worst shitholes in the world and take samples of dead people. My laboratory was in Los Angeles. Five years ago an outbreak of an unknown disease struck the city, and a lot of people got very sick. Local doctors were stumped, but I recognized the symptoms from my research. It was a rare form of leprosy. I knew it wasn't that infectious, which meant somebody was spreading it around on purpose. I was recruited for the same reason as you. The Society badly needed my medical expertise."

"But that's not how you got your gift," he said.

"No. That happened two years ago. My whole team was caught in a trap. Sulfuric acid was dumped on us. Even though our skin was being burned off the whole time, we still won that fight. Afterwards, we were dying, and there was no possibility of getting medical help. God gave me the power to save my friends and myself."

"That's a great story."

She grimaced. "It wasn't much fun at the time."

"I can imagine." He nodded. "But we should talk about tomorrow. Ethel will expect an answer in the morning."

"Hmm. If she actually tells our people not to hold back, it's going to be a horror show."

He furrowed his brow. "What are your limitations?"

"Like you, I can't fix brain damage."