The Wielder: Sworn Vengeance (The Wielder Series) (23 page)

That’s not great information. If I can get that close, I’m lopping his head off.  “Ok
ay, what else?”

“I know of two landing points for Maldgorath
in the earthen realm.”

Paydirt.

“One is in Beijing, at the QuanJing metal foundry.  The other is a warehouse in Tel Aviv. You should know that the baby dragon that transports him, is also a great threat.  It is a silver dragon and its fire is beyond destructive – even as a baby.  Last, a Garrigin’s field of vision is forward oriented – they have terrible peripheral vision due to their inset eyes, but more than excellent in forward view.”

The vision thing I did not know. But I bet Znuul does.

I nod to the little Egyptian girl/woman sitting in front of me. “Anything else?”

“Run away
,” she says with a smirk. Then she sits up and moves in towards me, putting her hands on my arms.  She rubs them back and forth along my forearms and I feel the tell-tale arousal that comes with a certain succubus’ neuromantic attack.

“Calm down
,” she tells me. “I’m not trying to have you.  Just loosen you up. I’m going to give you my number now, so you can call if you hear of my brother.”

I try to reach for my phone and she stops me. “Phones can be hacked Arthur, you agreed to take my number. I plan to implant it in your memory. That way, if it’s leaked – it’s because you chose to leak it and then I know what to do.”

Crap.

Her hands are still on my arm and she’s still pushing me neuromantically.  The soldier is at full attention and I am starting to freak out in defense of myself.
Part of me is wanting to trust her – I don’t want to trust me.

“Calm yourself, Arthur. Think of this like
a mental lubricant. You don’t want to resist, trust me. I’m just trying to make the insertion of my phone number easier.” Her eyes are so rich and green.

Holy
mother! It feels like an ice pick, connected to a car battery is stuck in my forehead. I even yell out.  Both of my hands are on my forehead and I realize that the number to call her is 41-75-334-4012.  I will never forget that number. It is thundering in my head over and over.

“You resisted. I
tried to make it easy for you. The number is to an answering service relay. It is virtually untraceable.  Still, don’t share it and only use it for the purpose we discussed.”

I just look at her through
my watering eyes and say the only thing I think to say, “Damn”

My response
gets a giggle and she moves away, back against the partition wall looking very pleased with herself.

“Still horny Arthur?”

“Hell no!” My head is throbbing.

I note the smile on the Lady’s face.  She knew I wouldn’t be horny after that. I was set up and now I have this phone number thing branded into my memory.
Damn.

“One other thing I can tell you about your prey Arthur, his arrogance can work in your favor.  Though you may have already figured that out.”

She’s right. I know that.

“Now get out of my seat
,” she says deactivating the silence barrier. “I have a much better flavor of you. We will meet again and my face will be different – probably my regular one, this one is old, very old - not a favorite and used a disguise only for this trip. I will know Silithes, my sister of the order. Maybe we’ll share some fried green tomatoes and sweet tea.”

At least there was
a smile when she said that.  But then like that – it is gone.

I stand and relinquish
her seat.  We share a moment of eye contact. I see nothing but steely purpose.  Really scary, steely purpose.

No hugs. No kisses.
Not even a Tylenol. I’m just sent on my way, with a receding headache and a phone number I can’t forget.  I plop down in my third class seat and kick it back. I’m alive, Clyde will have his wand and the lady has had her way.

Now if I can just sleep this headache away…

I spent the rest of the flight sleeping. I guess having a phone number crammed into your frontal lobes takes the starch out of you – either that or pounding three little bottles of scotch whiskey in a row for courage.

I didn’t see
“The Lady” Jxsiga at all after debarking, which was a relief.  Though I guess she could have changed her face around and been following me.

Somehow I
really doubt I’m that much of a priority.

My ample luggage arrive
s intact, ample because I was packing for four.  It made me a little self conscious, after all, what guy packs like that?  But the rental van was ready and all those bags disappear easily into the back.  I summon Shey, because she’d been tucked away in the white this whole time.

Little pixie was big
-time pissed about being eaten – but relieved I wasn’t, eventually.

W
e’re on the road to Nottingham, the nearest big city to our real destination – the Magerium. My plan is to get nice rooms, call Sil and Vets, then rest up for a visit to the Magerium in the morning.  Shey is taking in all the sights, occasionally bouncing on her seat asking about what kind of room we are going to have.

“Let’s get one with a jet tu
b and we can take a bubble bath… And a really big bed.”

You
’d never know she was the same little thing that let loose with one of the most foul mouthed tirades I’ve ever heard in ages just over an hour ago.  Oh, yea that last really bad tirade I heard before that was from her too…

I’m just staying quiet. Truth is
, I’d just like to have a small room to myself. But going that route may bring on more drama than I care to deal with. So, I avoid the issue.  Not that the act of being with her is bad, in fact Shey is fun – much fun.  But the implications that come from it – like we are a couple on the way to marriage is a bit much for me.  Sometimes it feels like emotional blackmail. I know in my heart of hearts she doesn’t mean it to be that way.  But Sheyliene isn’t exactly on a level mental playing field either. 

I
wonder again if it would have been easier in the long run to replace all the dinnerware.

As Shey is bantering about Nottingham and Robin
Hood and the fact that she’s pretty good with a bow, I remind myself how much I really like her. I do – really do - Shey and I go back.  This whole “relationship” thing is new. Yes, my wife Dorothy gave me permission to be with her.  No, I didn’t take advantage of it.  There was a reason – I just wanted my Dory.

19 year old body or not, I have the brain of someone approaching a hundred years old. I am much less worried about getting off than I am how I will get on with my life without desecrating the marriage to the woman I hold sacred – Dory.  Permission or not, have I done that?

“What’s wrong? Something is bothering you,” comes Shey’s almost sing-song voice. 

She’s very perceptive at times.  I wonder what she would have been like had she not been c
aptured by Znuul’s forces and forced into the service of Maldgorath.

“Just deep thoughts
,” I tell her with a smile.  My smile is genuine – because she is always worth one and the answer, though vague, is true.

We finally arrive at the Crowne Plaza and I opt for valet
parking.  Sure, it’s going to cost, but at this point – who cares?  I tip the valet guy and head in hoping I can find a room.  There is no wait for check in and I get us two basic rooms with double beds.  Shey was distracted by the pretty lobby and I wasn’t about to demand that she stay by my side.

We ma
ke our way up to my room, where Shey immediately comments on the fact we have a small room with double beds and no jetted tub. “It’ll work,” I tell her.

I roll up my sleeves
to bring on Vets and Sil. “Don’t get her,” Shey tells me. And I know who she means – Sil.  As always. 

“Well, given our company in the airplane I think Sil is needed.  Especially since she put that phone number in my brain.”

Shey’s eyes bulge.  “You let that succubitch in your brain!  You know better! How could you... you know what they can do.”

So, all of a sudden it’s o
kay to get Sil. 

We wait for the luggage to arrive, after all it would be hard to explain Vets in all her armor.  After it
arrives, we tip the steward and then it's time to bring on the other girls.  First Vets – then Sil.

When Sil arrive
s I didn’t have much time to say anything.  Shey does that for me.

“We ran into one of your kind and she ate me!  Then she put a phone number in Arthur’s brain
! I bet she put more than a number in there. She’s one of your sister things.”

Th
is rapid fire sharing of information gets me a very serious look from my succubus. “Please tell me what happened… now.”

So I explain the whole thing – soup to nuts.

Sil’s expression is almost the same emotionless mask as the lady, “So, basically you let this Sister of the Order into your head.”

“Yes”

She closes her eyes.  “Dumb-ass human.” She punctuates the statement with a stare. “Here’s the immediate issue: If she got a phone number in – what else did she get in?  Imagine if she put in a suggestion to walk into traffic or test your gun in your mouth?”

Crap.  Holy Crap. “She could do that?”

That gets me a look from Sil like I am a total freaking idiot.  “Yes she could.  Isn’t that the whole reason you don’t take fun time with me?”

“Maybe he doesn’t want to be your play toy
,” exclaims Shey.

Sil shakes her head.“We need to know what she did,
Arthur - for all our sakes. The good news is that you know what she did – subconsciously.  With a little hypnosis you can tell us everything and you can fix it yourself.”

Fix it myself?  What the heck, I am lost.

“I bet you’d love to have him all suggestible, skankubus.”  Shey is bowed up again, being my protector.

To her credit Sil doesn’t seem confronted. “Either we know what she did, or we find out
later – what do you prefer twerp?”

“Oh
.”

Sil looks from her and smiles back at me. “We’ll put you in a trance and you’ll tell
us what she did.  From there you can determine if you want to undo what she did.  You can do that – it’s your brain.”

“I can’t believe you opened yourself to another succubus
...  And a sister no less – what, I’m not worthy?  There could be very nasty things in there,” she says poking my forehead with her index finger.  “We need to know – you need to know.”

She’s right.
So I agree to be put under.

“Little bit
,” Sil says to Sheyliene, “You stay and make sure I don’t anything wrong – right?”

Shey looks at
Sil totally confused. “You want me to what?”

That gets her a
n “are you an idiot” look from Sil.  “This is important fairy – for our wielder and us.  Just kick my fine ass if you think I’m doing something wrong.”

“Okay
”

I look into my succubus’ eyes and feel her compelling me to engage.   I just can’t. 

“I can’t do this if you resist me, Arthur. Let me do a little persuasion, just a little trust – not lust.”

I know what she means.  A neuromantic manipulation that makes its victims feel like they can trust.  I’ve seen Sil do it as a set up for other things and the Lady used it to make folk
s give up their seat.

“
Bring it.”

She takes my hands,
I feel that tingle of hers, and a flush followed by the feeling that I know she’s not going to hurt me.

“Time
to relax Arthur, just relax” she tells me with empathetic green eyes.

I do.

I awaken on the bed, feeling very rested.  Looking up I see Shey nestled in a chair peering at me.

“How long have I been out?”

“Close to six hours I guess.” Her eyes move to a platter nearby that is mostly cleared except for a few pieces of pineapple and some berries. “I ordered a fruit platter, sorry there’s not much left.”

I sit and look directly at my f
airy. “So what did that… lady put in my head?”

I get a big smile. “Just a phone number and a reminder to call her if you hear about her brother.”

Damn, so she did put something else in there.

“Did we get it taken care of?”

She looks at me curiously, “Well, you sort of thought it was alright, so you left it in there.”

My curious face must have given away my concerns.  “We asked you if it was an issue and you said no
,” Shey says.  It’s not like a direction, more like a suggestion – at least that’s what Sil said. The succu-slut didn’t put anything hurtful in your head.”

That’s good, no
latent suicidal tendencies.

There’s a knock on the door and I nod to Shey to check it out.  She walks to the door
stands on her tip-toes to look out the peep hole and then opens the door.  Sil and Vets enter.

“Figured you
’d be up about now, you never sleep more than six hours.” Sil hands me back my credit card.  Damn, no telling what kind of damage she just did.  I take a deep breath and chalk it up to the cost of knowing.

Sil looks very seriously at Sheyliene. “You need to go. Arthur and I
need to have a very important private conversation. Now. You too Vets, honey.”

“Make me
,” is Shey’s defiant response.

Sil’s eyes turn to me. “We need to talk. Twerp does not need to be included.  You can s
hare everything with her after.”

I nod to Shey, who gets up from her chair. “If she tries to
take you, call out for us.”

That gets a smirk from Sil.

Shey and Vets leave - I am left with Sil.

“We have a problem
,” Sil says seriously. “If this Jex… whatever was just a regular succubus I wouldn’t be concerned; but she’s a Sister of the Order. That means she will not stop until I have been freed or given to her.  Since there’s little chance of me being given to her, freedom is the only other option.”

She takes
a breath, looks away and then looks back at me.  “So, my freedom is that she will break you, dominate you – make you a slave – then give you to me.  And the thing is, that even if I’m killed, the domination stems from her, so you would always be my little slave – do you see? You’ll just bring me back – all happy go lucky.”

I’m a little dumbfounded.

“Let me repeat, she will take you, break you and give you to me, so I will be free. Free in that I rule over my master - always.”

Crap a brick
.  That’s not good.  But then, my mind cycles to a question - isn’t this what Sil wants?

Again my poker face must have given away my thoughts.

Sil takes a deep breath.  “I don’t want you that way. I do want you.  But not as a puppet, not as a slave. This Jex is going to make you a puppet and hand you to me. I know this. Sisters look out for Sisters – it even transcends the one true law for us.  We’re kind of heretics that way.”

Her eyes lock on mine
, “We need to stay away from her. At all costs.”

I get her seriousness and agree.
And still I wonder why.  Isn’t owning me what she wants?

So I look my demon b
itch in the eyes and ask her, “So you really don’t want to wield the wielder?”

That get
s a deep sigh from her and she plops herself unceremoniously in the chair Shey was just sitting in. “I did that once and it ended very badly. Arthur, I want you just the way you are. So, no. Besides, Dorothy would probably just manifest herself and find a way to free you.”

She actually smiled
a little when she said that.

“Anything I say you’re going to take as manipulation Arthur
– I know. My diaries tell the truth. They were never meant for any eyes but mine. But I’ll warn you now, you may not be prepared for all they contain.”

That got me a wink.  I can only imagine all the
pornographic carnal positions we must be in.

“So we agree to avoid my sister of the order
at all costs?”

I agree with her and then set about telling her all the
other details. Jex’s husband, son - professions of love.

“So does that change anything in our favor?”

Sil looks at me with a scary intensity, “That’s all very nice, but no. Matters of the Sisterhood transcend all other affairs. If it weren’t for the threat of pitting me against them, the entire Sisterhood likely would have fallen upon Maldgorath.  A Sister cannot a raise hand against another – this is forbidden. A Sister can bring no harm against another Sister without sanction of the Order.  That’s probably the only reason you’re alive now – she can’t kill me or harm me.”

Well there’s a nice how do you do.  I thought
I finessed my way though.  Turns out Jex was just playing me all along.

Sil chuckles, no doubt reading my poker face. “So, what’
s the plan with Karen,” she asks me swinging her shapely, well toned legs over the arm of the chair, she's now lounging in.

I sigh, noting a masterful change of conver
sation. “Show up. Ask to see Alistair. Ask to see Karen.”

Sil nods at me
with a look of serious reflection.  “A suggestion – call first. Alistair may not be there. If he knows you wish to meet him, I bet he will be.  Don’t tip him off about Karen. Make it about meeting him… he’s arrogant that way.  That way you play to his thinking, his ego and you catch him off balance about Karen.”

My mistress of manipulation, she does know her craft.
She’s right, damn right. “Good council mistress Silithes.”

“Call him now.”

We should - but there’s a problem.  I don’t have his phone number.

She giggles
, “Old phone was destroyed.”

Damn, she can read me – then I think she
’s probably good at reading most anyone.

“Find some paper and
a pencil, I think I can dig up his number.”

I walk over to the little desk the room has - open the drawer, pull out a hotel pad and pen then offer them to Sil. 
She swings her legs back to a normal sitting position and takes the items with her patented sneer.

“A pen – really?  They suck. Pencils are mu
ch better.”

S
he looks off into the distance. Her eyes dance for a moment like she’s looking something over.  Then her hand starts going on the pad. She’s still looking away, off into the distance – through the wall. Her hand is busy on the pad.  After a few moments she hands to me.

There’s a picture of my old phone with
Alistair’s contact information up on it.

“When did you go through my contacts?”

“Not long ago.  Just one of those things I do that you have no idea about,” she says with the smuggest of smiles.

“Yea
, no idea.”  I punch the numbers into my disposa-phone. It rings and rings, then goes to a voice mail that is not set up.  I hang up. Almost immediately my phone rings back, number blocked.  I hit connect.

“This is Arthur.”

The voice on the other end is unmistakably Alistair’s. “Arthur, by the stars you are alright.”

“Yea, I’m in Nottingham and hoping I can meet with you tomorrow. There’s much to share.”

“Where are you exactly, I will come to you.”

That won’t do.  “Actually, sir, it would be best to meet at Magerium HQ.  And I’m not sure how secure this phone is. And I’m not sure if I’m being followed.  I’ll be by in the morning.”

“Good then.  I look forward to seeing you.”

“Me too, gotta go
” then I hang up.

Sil stands up
, “I couldn’t have done it better myself, he’s ready to see you – but not ready. All the same, we have to assume from here on we are being scryed.”

That’s a compliment.  And a fact
about the scrying. When did slutty party girl Sil become so smart? I recall what the Lady said about the face of the temptress.  I remember Sil telling me there’s a whole her, she’s been hiding from me.  Maybe I’m starting to see that now.

About damn time.
..

“Thank
s for the advice Sil.”

She nods her head politely to me
, “I live to serve you my wielder... And I better get out of here before a certain fairy thinks there’s more going on than consultation.”

We head over to the door and I open it for her. Guess
what fairy is sitting cross-legged in the hall outside the door?

“Doesn’t she look so cute sitting there like that?  I could just eat her up
,” purrs Sil.

Sheyliene respond
s by bolting up, and squaring her shoulders. That doesn’t even ruffle Sil. “Arthur’s hungry and so am I.  Let’s go get some food.”

“
I’ll go get Vets” and with that Silithes sashays to her and Vets’ room next door.

I feel small fairy fingers jab into me
, “You’re staring, stop it.”