The Peregrine Omnibus, Volume Two (69 page)

Dracula pondered this and finally nodded his agreement. He had plans that he believed would be impossible for any one man to impede—even someone as dangerous as the Peregrine. But having something in place that could delay or kill him so that there was absolutely no chance of Davies saving the day… that was well worth his time.

“Very well,” he said with a cool smile. “I will resurrect you… and then we will use the Peregrine’s father as our ultimate weapon.”

CHAPTER XV

Revelations

Bella sat in an overstuffed chair in the Peregrine’s library, a heavy book spread open over her lap. She was dressed like a normal girl, having borrowed a few things from Evelyn, and with a cup of warm cocoa at her side, she almost felt like someone who hadn’t spent the past few years traipsing through one sinful place after another.

She was also smiling blissfully, lost in the joy of learning. These books were priceless, and she shivered to think of all that Max must have gone through to bring them together in one place.

As she turned the pages of her book, she felt her brother’s gaze upon her. She looked over at him, standing there with his back against the wall, a book held lightly in the fingers of his right hand. He was studying her closely, looking very pleased with himself.

“What’s gotten you so peppy?” she asked, feeling a sense of irritation taking hold, ruining her mood.

“You. Seeing you like this, without that stupid outfit on. Without a horde of demons chasing you, out for blood. It reminds me of the girl you used to be. I miss her.”

Bella looked down at her book, but she wasn’t taking notice of the words before her. Her eyes were filled with hot, moist tears all of a sudden. “You don’t understand,” she whispered.

“You’re right. I don’t. Because after you got away from that chamber of horrors, you’d never let me or anyone else get close enough to understand.”

“I don’t want to talk about this.”

Zadak crossed the room quickly and knelt in front of her. He gripped her hands and held them tightly, forcing her to look into his face. She saw nothing but love and concern for her in his eyes, and she felt briefly ashamed for keeping him at arm’s length from her. “I love you, Harriet. And yes, I know you don’t want me to call you that, but that’s who you are to me. You’re my sister. And I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to protect you. But you don’t have to change who you are to keep from facing the past. I’ll stand right beside you and help you.”

Bella started to reply in an angry manner, but her brother’s obvious concern touched her deeply. She turned away, blinking away tears. “I love you, too,” she said with a shaky voice. “But you really don’t understand. Something happened to me when that doctor tied me up. Now I need the excitement, the thrill… I can’t stop. I’m addicted.”

“Then I’ll get you help.”

“I don’t want help!” she barked, staring at him once more. “That’s what you don’t get. I’m happy this way, Zadak. I’m Belladonna now, and I don’t want to go back. So learn to love me like this, or get the hell out of my life!”

Zadak sat back, shocked at the anger in his sister’s voice. “I… you’re right, Harriet. I hadn’t really thought about it like that. I’d just assumed you want me to help you.”

“That’s because you’re a sweet, wonderful man, Zadak. But I don’t need you to protect me. I’m a grown woman.”

“You’re right.” Zadak looked away and sighed. “I’m so sorry, Bella.”

Bella blinked in surprise, noticing his deliberate use of her newly chosen name. “Thank you. Very much.”

Zadak stood up and cleared his throat. In a somewhat sweet manner, he completely changed the subject, making his sister smile wistfully. It was hard to stay mad at someone who loved you so much, she realized. “Well,” he was saying, “I think I’ve uncovered the history of the Spear. And it’s certainly a strange one.”

Bella set her book aside. “Most of what I’ve found is fairly recent about the Spear. You found its beginnings?”

“I did. Turns out that it was created around 3061 B.C. in the Land of Nod, somewhere east of Eden, in the foothills of the Ararat Mountains. A man named Tubal-Cain lived there. He was born to the seventh generation of the descendants of Adam and the last generation in the direct lineage of Cain. He was a forger of every sort of tool and a weapons-maker with copper and iron. Unhappy with the quality of metal in the area, he asked God to give him a material that would be the strongest in the world.”

Bella found herself growing entranced by the images that were taking shape in her mind’s eye. “And I suppose God answered him?”

Zadak nodded, warming to the subject as well. He was obviously glad to be discussing something besides the emotional wounds that lay between himself and Harriet… or Bella, he mentally corrected himself. “There was a great light in the heavens and the clouds burst asunder. A streak of fire descended to Earth and struck the base of a nearby mountain. Tubal-Cain went to it and found that it glowed with a strange light and with great heat. When it had cooled, he found a mass of molten metal that was unknown to him. He wrought in his forge a spear from this metal. God then spoke to him and told him to take the lance to a distant mountain and leave it there, so that those who would have need of it might find it.”

Bella tapped the armrest of her chair and shook her head. “Why didn’t God just let Tubal-Cain keep it?”

“He wasn’t meant to use it for himself—he was an instrument of the Lord,” Zadak explained. “He forged this weapon with all his skill, and God wanted it to fall into certain hands.”

“And now it’s in Hitler’s? Sounds like God’s plan went a little off the right path at some point.”

Zadak smiled. “Tubal-Cain went to the land of Canaan and into the region of Ephraim in the territory of Timnath-heres, to the north of Mount Ga-ash. There he plunged the spear into a crevice and was then called up to heaven.”

“You mean God killed him?”

“He was called up to heaven,” Zadak repeated. “I think it was meant as a reward.”

Bella chuckled girlishly. “Remind me not to earn any favors from God.”

Ignoring her, Zadak said “It was then passed from mighty champion to mighty champion: Ehud, Shamgar, Ahab, King Hezekiah, the Maccabees—Judas, Jonathan, and Simon—and on to the Hasmonean dynasty. Eventually it fell to Julius Caesar, and then Gaius Cassius, and on and on. After it was used to pierce Christ’s side, it became even more powerful. Before it could cut through anything and was never nicked in battle. After Christ’s blood touched it, it gained the ability to raise the dead. Since the affair of Christ’s murder was tinged with both good and evil, the Spear acquired some of those properties. It’s not an evil object—as with any weapon, it’s neutral and responds to the wishes of the man who holds it.”

Bella stood up and stretched, relaxing some of the kinks that had developed in her spine from sitting for too long. “Okay… but this thing was created with God’s help, and God made sure that it ended up in the hands of some chosen champions or something, so why did he let Hitler claim it? Or Dracula?”

Zadak thought for a moment before throwing his hands up. “Who knows? Maybe God had a purpose for it and it’s been fulfilled, so he’d moved on… or maybe God has some higher plan that we’re not meant to understand yet. “

“That’s the excuse of believers everywhere,” Bella muttered. “Ask them anything that threatens their view of God as a benevolent being and they just shrug their shoulders and say, ‘Who can guess at the plans of God?’”

Zadak noticed the bitterness in her voice, but chose not to press. “I think we should call Max and tell him.”

“Doesn’t sound like we’ve learned anything that will help,” Bella said.

“Maybe not… but now we’ve confirmed that the Spear isn’t tainted enough that it could be used for good purposes. Maybe Max can wrest it away from Dracula and use it against him. Hell, considering Dracula and all vampires are dead already, maybe the Spear can control them, too.”

* * *

Josh sat on the back steps of the house, a half-empty bottle of whiskey in one hand. He wasn’t a heavy drinker, but after the weirdness of the past few days, he felt like cutting loose a little. Josh raised the bottle to his lips, splashing a bit of booze on his pants leg.

“I think you’ve had enough.”

Josh lowered the bottle and blinked through the haze that was his addled eyesight. He saw a man that at first he mistakenly thought to be Max standing before him—but then he saw that this man, while similar in features, was not his old friend. Furthermore, there was an odd, transparent nature to the man…

“Who are you?” Josh asked.

“My name is Warren Davies. I’m Max’s father.”

Josh felt a chill rush through him, and he tossed the bottle far away from him. It landed in the grass, spilling the remainder of its contents. “You’re dead,” he whispered, standing up with unsteady legs. “I’ve gotta be drunk…”

“You are. But that doesn’t mean you’re not speaking to a ghost. Surely my son’s told you that he’s seen me over the years?”

“Sure, but he’s got some kind of mental power. I don’t…”

Warren nodded. “That’s true. And you don’t. But certain drugs and types of alcohol can move you into another state of consciousness—it allows you to view things in a new light. People see all sorts of things when they’re intoxicated, but they tend to pass them off as hallucinations.”

Josh simply stared at the man, the combination of alcohol and his own past with weirdness allowing him to accept Warren’s words at face value. “Why are you talking to me? Is Max in trouble?”

“He’s always in trouble,” Warren said and Josh found himself laughing along with his friend’s father. The elder Davies finally paused and lowered his voice. “Actually, I’ve been watching you—everyone in this house, in fact. And I know what you’re suffering through. I can’t give you peace of mind about your cousin, I’m afraid. He’s back in hell, paying for a series of sins, some so awful that don’t want to know about them. But I can give you a measure of peace regarding Nettie.”

Josh’s eyes opened wide as Nettie moved into view, emerging from the shadows. Her frail form seemed free of pain for the first time in ages, and she was smiling from ear to ear. Josh forgot his fear in that moment, bounding from the steps to wrap his arms around his aunt. Unfortunately, his hands passed right through her. As he backed away in surprise, Nettie began to laugh.

“The look on your face!” she cackled. “You should see it.”

Josh grinned, too, and then he grew more serious. “Are you really dead?”

“You couldn’t touch me, could you?”

“Then… why aren’t you in heaven?”

“Because I’m here with you. Mr. Davies has told me that you’re sulking like a two-year-old, and you need to stop it, you hear? Wasn’t nothing you could have done to help your cousin. He made his bed and then he had to lie in it.”

Josh felt tears begin to sting his eyes. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

Nettie stared up at the big man who would always be like a child to her, through death as in life. “I’ll try to keep an eye on you, Josh. I’ll always be there with you, even if you can’t see me.”

“You have to go,” Warren said, interrupting them. He looked directly at Nettie as he spoke. “I’m breaking protocol by bringing you here and letting him see you. There are going to be problems if we stay too long.”

Nettie nodded and moved away from Josh, who started to reach for you. “You be a good boy, Josh. You always have been. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Josh whispered, watching as both Nettie and Warren began to fade away. “I’m going to make you proud, Nettie… I swear it.”

* * *

“Thank you for doing that, Mr. Davies.” Nettie walked through the field of mists with Warren at her side. She felt stronger than she could remember, and there was so much happiness in her heart that it made her feel like a little girl again.

Warren kept his eyes ahead of them, towards a bright light that was waiting for them. No, he reminded himself, it was for Nettie, not for him. Not yet. “My son loved you a lot,” Warren said. “I know he’d have wanted Josh to have the chance to say goodbye to you.”

“And I appreciate it. I really do.”

Warren started to say something else, but he suddenly paused, reaching up to clutch his head. In his undead state, he rarely felt pain—and even in life, he’d never felt anything like this. It was like someone was reaching into his brain and jabbing at the gray matter with a knife. He felt new directives being carved directly into the core of his being.

“Mr. Davies? You okay?”

Warren closed his eyes and nodded. When he looked upon her again, he was smiling once more. “I’m fine, Nettie. You go on up ahead and enter the light. I’ll see you soon.”

Nettie seemed concerned, but she finally nodded and shuffled away. “You take care, Mr. Davies. Your son grew up to be a fine man.”

“Thank you.” Warren watched her until she vanished in the mists, and then he felt a cold prickle of hate wash over him. His son… his only son…

His son was going to die, and his own father was going to help lead him into death’s embrace.

“I’m ready to serve you, Lord Dracula,” Warren Davies said aloud.

CHAPTER XVI

Danger at the Louvre

“I love Paris,” Max whispered as he tugged on the sleeve of his tuxedo jacket. At his side Jenny Everywhere fidgeted in the expensive dress he’d bought for her. “You should stop fidgeting,” he muttered under his breath, smiling at several handsomely-attired couples that were moving past.

“I don’t usually dress like this,” Jenny complained. She nearly toppled off her high heels, and Max saved her with a quick gripping of her elbow. “Why are we here again? I’m pretty sure nobody said we have to stop by the Louvre on the way to stopping Dracula and Hitler.”

Max frowned sharply. “Keep your voice down. Speaking that name is bound to get some attention around here. Because of the Germans, the Louvre’s greatest treasures were removed back in ’39. It was only after the liberation of Paris last year that the art started to come back. It’s a touchy subject, to say the least.”

Jenny allowed Max to lead her through the crowd that thronged the great hall of the Louvre. She managed to keep her balance, though only just barely. “You didn’t answer my question. Why are we here?”