Demon Accords 6: Forced Ascent (32 page)

  Despite my words, most of the logistics had either already happened or would be finalized just before dark fell.  My plan was to eat, sleep, and maybe see what the world’s reaction was.  And boy, was there reaction. 

Protests over the Large Hadron Collider in Europe, protests against the Garth Administration,  crowds rushing to get religious icons and symbols, speeches by every religious leader on the planet, speeches by Congress members, state governors,  even town mayors. There were dozens of interviews with people on the street expressing outrage at the government for trying to get rid of us, although a random few agreed that we should probably be reined in.  Poll numbers that showed the President’s approval rating was down in the dirt. The mobs stayed just civil enough avoid rioting but it was a chancy thing in many places.

The media was covering all that while hosting various experts and posting website addresses that listed religious places to spend the night.  Throughout all of the coverage, there were repeated clips and glimpses of us.  Clips from the fight, clips from the footage Chet had released and coverage of my impromptu speech from minutes ago.  Most of our coverage was positive, some neutral, and some negative.  The single most played clip showed the final fight between Barbiel and Amaymon. The Angel of October came through the film as either a flare of silver and gold or a shiny, blurry figure.  Amaymon was very clear and distinct, though.

A Washington law firm was outraged that I had hurt so many cops last night and wanted to form a class action lawsuit against me and Tanya.  The two partners being interviewed even supplied a hotline for any cop hurt by exploding weapons.

Three theology experts debated whether Barbiel was really an angel or just a man wearing some high-tech costume.  It was two to one in favor of the angel angle with the interviewer obviously siding with the majority.

I saw some footage of a familiar property and immediately called my grandfather.  “Hey, you okay up there?  Holding back the hordes?” I asked when he answered.

“Hell yeah.  Listen, this ain’t all about you, boy.  Some people are interested in the wise and intelligent fellow who raised the God Hammer.  See, they can appreciate the parenting skills it takes to turn out a superhero.  Might even get a date out of it,” he replied, voice just a touch smug.

“What?  With a woman?” I asked, incredulous.

“Of course with a woman!  Producer for CNN news, here with a news crew.”

“CNN?  It’ll never work,” I said.

“Look son, I’m just looking for a date.  Not trying to co-author a book with the woman,” he said.

We spoke for a while, catching up on my adventures and him giving me some advice.

When I hung up, I called another number.  Gina answered on the second ring.

“Hey, how are you guys doing?” I asked.

“Staying in, out of sight.  We had a couple of reporters come by after they figured out who your goddaughter was, but we pretended not to be home and after a bit, they retreated.”

“You must thoroughly regret making me Toni’s godfather,” I said.

“I had an idea that there would be issues, but not to this degree.  I hate that people keep coming for her and dying, Chris, and I worry how this might all affect her as she grows up,” she said, confirming my thoughts.  “And I wouldn’t trade her safety for anything, but you’ve more than taken care of that part.  Did you know that she fell over a railing at school?  Fell ten feet, should have hit the gymnasium floor.  The gym teacher was all freaked out.  Called me to tell me she was all right, but he was acting very strange so when I pressed him, he said he saw it happen.  That it was like she hit an invisible air bag at the bottom of her fall.  He didn’t tell anyone else and I could tell he regretted telling me as soon as he’d done it.  So how can I hate that?  A ten-foot fall could have killed her or crippled her, but her guardian angel protected her, didn’t he?”

“I didn’t know that, Gina.  It was probably too small of a use of energy for me to notice.”

“Did you see the article about the thirteen women found dead in an apartment not far from here?  No, what am I saying?  You’ve been way too busy for anything like that.  My contacts in the department said they were conducting some kind of ritual and some
thing
… not someone, but something killed them all.  Would you know anything about that?”

“They were witches.  They were working some kind of spell attack.  The necklace stopped them,” I said.

“An attack on what?  Our house?”

“Toni’s room.  They most likely wanted the book.”

“Did they have to die?”

“The necklace’s response is a reflection of the severity of the attack.  The federal agents got off with damaged equipment.  The gunmen all died.  This attack was very severe, very hostile.  The result was as well.  It’s why I called.  It happened during the battle last night.”

“We were watching that.  When did it happen?  Near the end?” she asked.

“Yes, just as I kicked the demon into the church yard.”

“Roy was wondering why you looked so dazed.  What if it had happened while you were trading blows with that thing?”

“That would probably have been bad,” I admitted.

“Chris, that’s more than bad!  That’s a real problem.  What if someone figures that out?”

“Perhaps you all need to be closer?” I asked.

“Chris, we can’t follow you around as you jet all over the place.  Plus we’re moving to Burlington shortly, remember?”

“Yeah, well, the school will offer some protection.  So will some of the kids.”

“Kids? Are you joking?”

“Listen, Gina, the
kid
who made the necklace possible will be there and so will his friend, the supersoldier.  Those two will surprise even you.”

“Listen, we’ll talk about this later.  You’ve got to save the world tonight, so I’m sure there’s stuff for you to do.”

“Mostly I just have to eat a lot today,” I said.  She laughed.

“Well I’ve seen the speech you just made.  Not bad, Mr. Gordon, not bad.”

“Yeah, here’s hoping people will listen,” I said.

“Oh they’re listening.  I’ve had two calls from different groups—one school-related, the other from our church.  Both organizing places of safety for tonight.  I’ve also been looking online.  Your suggestions are getting worldwide coverage. You reached a lot of people.”

“It’s a little shocking isn’t it?” I said, feeling surreal.

“Not really, Chris.  Not really.”

We said our goodbyes and hung up.

One of the admin people came back on board the plane with a huge platter of subs.  ‘Sos and I demolished a third all by ourselves while I continued my news marathon.  A little after one in the afternoon, I felt my vampire wake up.  It was much too early, but I sensed she was focused and determined.  It wasn’t a surprise when she came out of the bedroom and directly to me.

“We need to take care of Trenton’s body,” she said.  “Before we begin whatever tonight is.”

“What do you want to do?” I asked, not able to pull up a single memory of how vampire funerals were held.

“We cremate our dead,” she said, smiling as she felt my confusion. “Buried vampires usually end up dug up and their bones and dried flesh used in magical rituals and spells by witches and other practitioners. So we burn the bodies, sometimes in a crematorium but depending on the individual, sometimes in an outdoor burial fire.  Trenton grew up in Pennsylvania; he still owns the family land there.  We can burn him there.”

“Can we fly up and do it at dusk?” I asked.

“Yes.  He has… had some retainers still living on the land.  I’ll call them and get them started on the bonfire construction.  We can fly into Pittsburgh; it’s pretty close to his property. A half hour either way by car in either direction and a half hour for the ceremony,” she said.

“Tanya, we don’t need to skimp on the ceremony. We shouldn’t rush it.”

“The ceremony is for us.  Trenton is gone to a much, much better place, so I’m not worried about him,” she said with absolute conviction.

“Yes… yes, he has.  Barbiel was pretty clear on that,” I said.  “Not to say I told you so, but…”

“Christian Anthony Gordon, you have no idea how much Trenton’s death has changed things,” she said fiercely.

I could read her diamond-hard determination and that she felt her path was clear, but I couldn’t read the particulars.  “I’m assuming you mean in a larger picture, not just to us personally?”

She tilted her head to one side.  “What’s my biggest fear… what
was
my biggest fear?”

“Souls.  You always argue with me about vampires having souls.”

“Well, lover, you could say that the whole issue of souls is a Darkkin issue—a cultural issue across our entire society.  Last night’s events, recorded and broadcast in high-def, pretty much put paid to that question, not just for me but for my entire people.  The aftershocks of that little spiritual quake will be felt for decades.”

“How does that affect you?”

“It gives me a clearer vision of my role, one of my roles, in our society.”

“Spritual leader?” I guessed.

“Maybe partly.  Look at it this way.  Suppose you are a predatory supernatural being who lives for centuries, and you’ve always been told that you’re damned… that your soul is already lost.  What’s to keep you from saying fuck it and just embracing your natural inclinations to kill and maim?  What is left to hold you back from a descent into indulging your baser instincts?”

“Maybe your fellow Darkkin?” I suggested.

“Yes, maybe.  That’s why the Coven is so important, but some vampires just eventually go ahead and embrace the dark side.  But now, the whole world just had proof that something greater is out there.  And it happened to a vampire—to Trenton.  So how will vampires react to that?  Particularly the violent, self-indulgent ones?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

“Well, me either… not really.  But I think my people are going to need guidance.”

“And you’re the right person for the job,” I said.

“Christian, I’m the only person for the job.”

“What about us?” I asked.

“What about us?  Nothing has changed, nor should it.  What, you thought I would leave you and head out like a New Age Evangelist? Leaving you behind for wolf girl to comfort?  No chance of that,
zayka
,” she said with a snort and a smile.

“Well, good.  It’s just that you felt all fire and brimstone through the link just then, like you were riding off into the moonlight,” I said, absurdly relived.

“You still don’t get this whole Chosen thing, do you?” she asked.

“I guess not,” I answered.  The plane’s human pilot, a compact, fit-looking middle-aged woman who approached us in a respectful manner, interrupted whatever she might have said next.

“Miss Demidova?  We’re ready to take off for Pittsburgh whenever you like.  The tower has already cleared us and told us that we get priority when we’re ready… both planes.”

“That’s fine, Capitan Pullman.  Let’s get going.  That way you can be refueling before we even leave for the cremation service.  We’ll be ready for our first target of the night,” Tanya said before turning to me.  “Any inkling of where that is yet?”

“Not yet.  I’ll holler just as soon as I get an image,” I said.  The pilot was watching our exchange, fascinated.

“We have a long night ahead of us, Captain Pullman. Will you and your crew be able to handle it?” Tanya asked.

“Yes ma’am.  Each plane has two sets of pilots and copilots.  We’ll work in rotation to keep rested.  The alternate crew is sleeping right now.”

“Excellent.  Let’s get going then.”

It only took twenty-three minutes to get our planes on the runway and just minutes after that to get airborne.  A scant hour later, we were on the ground in Pittsburgh.  Seven minutes after that, the first news truck pulled up.  It wasn’t alone for long.

The sun had no sooner dropped below the horizon than we were on the road in a line of black SUVs.  We headed north following wending roads lined with trees well on their way to losing the last of the bright foliage of autumn.  Roughly a half-hour after that and we were deep in rural Pennsylvania, pulling up to a manned gate on a private drive.  The driveway brought us to a beautiful old house with an old barn.  Once, long ago, it had been a family farm, but those days were long gone, the house redone with modern techniques and high-end touches while still keeping its one-hundred-year charm.  After conferring with a human caretaker, Arkady pulled our Suburban out past the barn.  As soon as we cleared the corner of the old structure, a funeral pyre came into view, circled with burning torches.  A pole platform was suspended twelve feet above a massive unlit bonfire, the whole thing set in a flat section of dirt a hundred feet from the barn.  The cars unloaded their passengers, which included Nika, Chet, and twenty others from the core of Tanya’s group.

Arkady insisted on carrying Trenton’s body, now wrapped in white cloth, to the bier.  Only a vampire or maybe a were could have carried a full-sized body up a ladder without using his hands.  Placing the body on the wooden platform, Arkady reached into his jacket and pulled out a hand-knapped blade of stone, maybe obsidian by its black gleam in the torchlight. He laid it on Trenton’s chest, point toward his head.