Keeley Thomson (Book 3): Mistress of Souls (17 page)

"You know, Vampire life-stylers? People that try to live like them all the time, dress like them and sleep in coffins? Only Rebekah sleeps in a bed, being cool that way." Keeley said it easily, since it was practically true. Oh, it was trying to claim the woman wasn't real, but other than that everything she'd said was nearly correct.

It was pretty clear that Sherry wasn't buying it, but she already knew about the Vampires at Darla's. Barb was the only one they had to fool anyway and she just smiled at the idea.

"Neat. Maybe I should do something like that? Does it help you make friends?" She looked at Rebekah who shook her head.

"Not at all. The few you do make tend to be pretty bad people too, unless you get lucky. That's been my experience at least. It isn't enough to be a Vampire, almost everyone feels they always have to be the one in charge. It's a problem with a lot of people. They get into it thinking it's all about playing with blood and acting cool, then twenty-thousand dollars of surgery and dental work later they find that they're kind of committed. Of course I was with kind of an extreme group, so, you know, all this." She waved at her face and took the sunglasses off to show her solid red eyes.

"They were more like a cult. Keeley got me out of it. Um, my friend Elis too. We're staying with... Darla for a while, until we find a place of our own. It turns out it's a little hard to find regular jobs looking like this." She spoke perfect English though, even with all the teeth in the way.

Both Keeley and Darla nodded along. It was a good story. So good that Barb just started nodding too, not realizing she was doing it most likely.

"Maybe something on the internet? There have to be jobs there." The perky girl was staring a little, but smiling at the same time, which softened it.

"I could help you find something? I mean, possibly?"

That got everyone else to look at each other for a few minutes, but finally Keeley gestured to the sofa and the single remaining chair. They all settled. It was nearly cheery, considering everything.

"Oh, hey mom... Do you have a costume for the party yet? I don't. Darla's getting something for me." She didn't get a chance to answer though, since someone was coming to the door.

By the inroads.

Crud.

She didn't let herself go wide eyed but she forced herself to get ready to fight, the sense of things was familiar, for at least one of the beings. The other wasn't anyone she'd felt before.

"Um, I don't have time to explain, Rebekah, would you take these two out the back? Get them to Darla's. If that's compromised..." Where else could she send them to wait?

The blonde cheerleader just shook her head.

"No need. Barb, would you drive Rebekah to our house? We'll be there soon, but it seems some people are coming and they shouldn't see Rebekah here. It's about that time at least." She glanced at the clock on the wall as if it made sense.

It didn't but the knock on the door indicated that they were there. Two of them.

Demons. Like her.

"Through the garage. Quietly please." Darla said it in a hushed tone, but didn't seem upset at all. Keeley moved to the door, set to slow time if she had to, controlling her strength and speed, but holding it in as high a state as she could manage. She still wasn't a match for most Demons physically, but it was better than nothing. She waited to hear the garage door before opening the front.

To see Dan Carmichaels and Bente.

He was in an expensive suit that had to cost way more than his job at Coretechs would have allowed, but the female Demon was dressed exactly as she had been. It was pretty, but glaringly out of place in Arizona.

"Hello. I wasn't expecting to see you both so soon. Come in, please. This is my mom, Sherry." She introduced Bente, who had a small bag in her hand, a plain leather satchel which she held out to Keeley immediately.

"Two treasures. I hope you'll like them? Finias suggested that you might. I went to his place in Switzerland after your slave Balthias left. I was a bit worried that I'd cheated you in our dealing. To tell the truth I thought you were joking when you said you had Balthias. Can I really call on him? He's impressive. He left our little friend unbroken and compliant at the same time. A rare talent." Keeley didn't know if she was supposed to look at the things in the bag or not. It was a bit awkward, because doing the wrong thing could cause a problem.

She looked at Sherry, and shook her head, hoping it would be taken as a sign not to say or do anything.

As if to simplify matters Darla grabbed that leather bag and emptied it carefully onto the coffee table gently. It was a small box, that looked to be made of bone or animal tusk. Ivory. It had nice carvings on the outside though. Darla touched it and stared for a bit then nodded.

"It's lovely. Just a box though." Opening it showed that it had an assortment of rings inside.

"Your size I believe? The stones are precious, but not top quality. I thought that might match your current persona better than some of the other pieces I originally considered." She gestured to the other item, which was just a small glass jar with a stopper, filled with something that had a soft orange color to it.

"Frankincense. You said it should be something that I would treasure, at least in theory. The monetary value isn't that great, nor does it have magic in it, but the scent reminds me of my youth. It wasn't always pleasant, but this reminds me of the rare good times." She bowed, which was understated and graceful, of course.

"These are very nice. I think they fill that part of the contract very nicely. They showed care in the choosing and thought. That's important."

It really was, but Dan was beaming like she'd just graduated at the top of her class in college. She made sure he couldn't read her mind again and set the treasures aside very carefully. They were precious after all, since they were the first she'd ever owned. Bente saw the care and bowed again as if it were a compliment.

"Now, do you have a favor in mind? I'd offer something, but I was told you need very little? A sublime state." She looked around the house and smiled gently.

"You take after your sister's guidance I see. I envy you that. It's such a headache keeping all my people and properties in check. Well, you understand, you aided me with such earlier. Which reminds me..." Shifting she addressed Darla directly.

"I placed the funds in your account as requested. Eighty million Euros. Thank you for the timely assistance. I should leave now, before I interfere in your day more. I have affairs to attend to." At the door she spun and walked back to them, her voice low.

"Caution. Xenses has been making waves with his set, attempting to cause them to move against you Technician. There has been no mention of Finias or The Mistress of Souls, but anyone in his path must be prepared. His rage is second only to his might, as I'm certain you both know." Then she left before anyone could ask more.

It probably meant she either didn't know anything else or wouldn't part with it if she did. Bente didn't seem the kind to make too many waves normally. That meant this was either a trick or else the Demon just liked them. Or both. Even they could be fooled, if the illusion or lie was good enough.

Dan smiled and shook his head.

"Hardly surprising." He moved around the table to stand closer to Darla, reaching out to her. She moved back, shaking her head.

"I think I'll guard what I'm thinking right now. It's not a lack of trust, just of knowledge."

He sighed and looked at Keeley then, giving her a winning smile.

"First my youngest child stops me cold each time we meet and now this? What's next? Sherry?"

She didn't get it, but that was fine. Keeley could use having some gaps filled in as well.

"Darla, would you go over the whole issue for us? If we're going to be in the crossfire here I'd love to know what to be looking out for."

"Right. Well, Xenses is, as you know, our older brother. He's insanely vicious. So much so that when he was born several older Demons worked together to put him down. Unfortunately that didn't work. He's strong, in a physical sense. Decent at magic too. Not at a level that we have to fear him there, but don't discount it. He's clever enough and willing to take time to set up plans. He hates me of course. That's a personal issue from a long time ago, but I took something from him once and he wants it back. He can't have it though." She looked at her father and frowned as if daring him to say otherwise.

He wasn't that stupid.

"Of course not. It was insane to try and force enslavement of you in the first place. Not unhallowed, but so hard to manage that no one sane would have tried it. He mistook his years for power. It's a common enough mistake. We gain knowledge and at times wisdom with the passing of time, not power itself. It can look the same, but there is a vast difference."

Then he clapped three times, very deliberately.

"We should all be watchful, but at this point, with but a single warning we shouldn't worry overly. No group of Demons can move without stirring the fundament of reality after all. Especially his set. Powerful, but not subtle that way."

Then he left directly too, without saying anything more. Just heading to the door and leaving. It was a little odd, but it could mean anything. Perhaps he'd had a thought that needed tracking down?

Darla shook her head at his back as the door shut, but waited for him to move away on the inroads before saying anything.

"You've been blocking him when he's around?" She seemed intrigued by the concept.

"I've been blocking everyone, all the time. As best I can at least."

"That would do it then. With both of us doing it he probably has to wonder if we're plotting against him. I didn't even notice you doing it. Then reading minds isn't my main skill. Chances are if he's being blocked you're pretty much safe from anything that way. Finias is known to be the finest telepath among our kind and few can challenge him in that realm in the other races. Keep it up. I don't want our plans to be given away." She stood herself and took a step toward the door on her own.

"Not to be a pain, but I'll take Barb for the rest of the day? As things are going I'm afraid I'm going to lose her to you Keels. She seems to be taking a liking to you. Can't have that. I'll look bad and the other Demons will make fun of me."

Keeley nodded.

"Sounds like a plan. This is getting complex. I don't suppose you have any description of Xenses, do you? I suppose not, what with all the shape changing going on around here."

"Exactly. Older Demons can hide what they are in other ways too. Like you pretending to be young like you are. Xen isn't well balanced, but he has friends that might be able to do things for him. Or he could buy something outright. For that matter it's been hundreds of years since I last saw him. Maybe he's just learned some new tricks?"

She actually bothered to pass out some hugs before leaving, taking the inroads herself, even though her house was only a short walk away. Probably because it was really hard to attack there. Things tended to miss target and it was too easy to run away.

It was only about half an hour after they walked in, just past one thirty. Keeley decided it was a fine time to change, put her new treasures away and finish her school work. It was pretty much done already, but she had some extra credit she could do for geography by writing in the capitals and country names on a map and coloring it. She didn't need it, of course, but it was something to do. Television was too stupid to bother with anymore.

She heard Eve come in and the office door close. There were a few words and then just a soft but irregular sound that indicated work was getting done. The temperature in that room would be taken way down, so that the flowers would keep when they got there. Keeley went and got a snack, having missed lunch and then finished her little project. That left her at loose ends. Some laundry perhaps?

Except that somehow Sherry had already done it all.

The same with the rest of the cleaning and household stuff.

Later she could work on walking the inroads more, but that was best done at night as far as she was concerned. It just felt safer, like the cameras would have a harder time making out that she'd just stepped out of nowhere if they spotted her. That depended on lighting though, but darkness wouldn't hurt. People just didn't see that well in dim light.

Of course she could just have sat back and relaxed for a bit, or even gone and made dinner for everyone, but it was a bit early for that. Nothing she thought of really seemed to be a good use of time at the moment.

Not being able to think of anything else she finally decided to call Deborah Forbes and see how she was doing. There was a good chance that nothing much was happening there, but it was Sunday, which meant that she might have a little time to chat. It seemed a bit desperate really, calling someone just because she had nothing better to do, but it was a project of a sort. It was pretty clear that she needed to either keep busy or learn to enjoy sleeping again. She had way more time now than she used to, being up all night.

It meant going to the living room to make the call, but she did it readily enough and had the phone ringing not thirty seconds after the idea hit.

"Deborah Forbes." Just that. No greeting or anything.

"Hi Deborah, Keeley Thomson here. Just calling to touch base and see if your dinner went alright the other day? That and make sure you're planning to come to the Halloween event on Wednesday."

"Um... Keeley? Hi! It was great. Roy called earlier with a lead on a story. It's kind of self-serving of him, because it makes his police force look really good, but I got the OK to go ahead with it, since I have the contacts. Thank you so much for putting that together for me." There was a voice in the background, male and low, but no one Keeley recognized. Too young to be the Mayor even, so probably her boyfriend.

"OK... This is kind of important though..." The words were mumbled and soft, mouth obviously being turned away from the phone.