The Wielder: Sworn Vengeance (The Wielder Series) (28 page)

“Aww crap, what in God’s name did she do this time Karen?”

I get a very cross look from my friend the red witch.  “What makes you think she did something wrong?  I hoped to tell you that we really hit it off.  I like her – quite a bit. I don’t often just click with someone.”

“You sure she didn’t have you?”  I regret saying that as soon as it c
omes out of my mouth.

“I am only going to say
once – nothing sexual transpired between her and me. Do you get that? I suppose if I were to try the girlie thing she would be quite the experience, but I am not wired that way.”

I hold my hands out in defense and turn my head. “Don’t hurt me. I’m sorry.  I spoke out of turn.”

“Yes you did,” she says with a smile. I know the smile means the danger of further humiliation or worse has passed. “Listen Arthur, I very much feel I made a friend for life last night.  She opened up to me and for whatever reason I did to her as well.  We just clicked, like old friends that just found each other after years.  And let me tell you, I did not expect that at all. I don’t think she did either.”

I’m n
ot sure what to say to that. It could be real easy to say something construed as condescending. So I just use my safe word, “Okay.”

She looks at me, smile intact and then shakes her head. “I understand you two have close to
eighty years of bad chemistry. I’m just saying that she wasn’t at all what I expected.  She was likeable. Smart. And she’s totally smitten with you and at a loss as to what do about it.”

“Yes Karen, everyone knows she wants my dick.”

“That’s not what I mean, but surely, she wants that too.  From what she tells me about the whole feeding and pleasure reflection thing being from your summonling, that makes sense. It actually sounds pretty great from her perspective,” she says with a chuckle. “But what I was talking about is the fact that she basically has a school-girl crush on you.  You didn’t know that?”

That throws me for a loop. Crush?  Feelings? No way. Not Silithes. It’s all about the S-E-X
and control. Again I guess my face gives me away as Karen lets loose with an, “oh my god, you are totally clueless aren’t you?”

“Hey!” is all I
can come up with in protest.

She laughs
at me. “You are clueless. She is totally wrapped up in you and you don’t see it.”

This is pissing me off.  “I do see that she wants me… in bed. And that’s not happening Karen.  This is a succubus.  Are you telling me to just go on and do her?  That’s more like be done.
A succubus… remember? And one of those sisterhood ones too.”

Karen become
s very frustrated with me.  I can tell. Then she lets it rip. “I am not suggesting in the least you fuck her - idiot. I am telling you she has feelings for you. And when feelings are involved maybe you should be a little sensitive.  I’m suggesting you not trample on those feelings.  The Dzemond especially don’t give up their feelings easily – if at all. I’m saying try to have some care. She’s a lot more fragile than she lets on.”

Ok
ay. I am officially feeling somewhere between totally confused and an asshole. Feelings? Fragile? Sil? I haven’t seen any of this. Sil is a stone cold predator.  She wants me for the endless buffet and the pop of pleasure that comes from making me go, “Ahh.” Then again, I didn’t see squat about her feelings for Jerry, Marge and apparently all their kids either. 

And that breakdown of hers wasn’t exactly in character either.

Maybe I am clueless. This thought really doesn’t sit well with me. I should know this stuff.

While I am mentally spinning on all this
information, Karen is taking off her dock martins and allowing me some quiet to spin around more. “At least you seem to be giving it some consideration… I think?” she says breaking the silence.

“I’m all consideration Karen.  Confused as hell, but considering every word you said.”

“Good.  Do me a favor, please? Promise me after you see what’s in her diaries you won’t mock her or belittle her. You can’t imagine how much she is putting herself out there for you.”

“She told you about that?
Did she tell you what’s in there?”

Karen’s smile is warm.  “Yes and yes.  And no
, I can’t tell you anything as I am sworn to secrecy about certain things – just like she is about my certain things.  I told you, we just opened up to each other.”

I nod back to Karen
in acknowledgement and decide I won’t push the issue.  I’ll be finding out soon enough.

“I hope you don’t mind
,” she says with a very mischievous look, “but I did give her a little relationship advice.  You know for a creature that lives by seduction, she actually doesn’t know much about matters of the heart. She truly thought that once you had sex with her, you’d fall in love with her.”

“Great Karen. T
hanks. As if she wasn’t a handful enough on her own.”

Her chuckle was infectious enough that I had to join in.

“You’ll probably like the advice Arthur.  I told her that the way to a man’s heart is rarely through his prick.  You know, the king’s whore never sits on the throne thing?  Anyway I suggested that what she really wants is emotional intimacy. And, if that is what she wants - she’s been asking for the wrong thing. You could just see her kicking herself on the inside for not having recognized it before.”

I let out a deep sigh, intended to show my dismay. Sil is now going to move from trying to get into my pants to into my heart.
Lovely. Good for me. But my heart is already taken by an angel named Dorothy.

“Well Arthur, that’s best I can tell you. And the best I could tell her
.” Karen says back to my sigh. “You two are stuck together for a long while. Hopefully you can work it out.”

“Oh yea Karen, we’ll work it out.  Probably get married, maybe have a few babies.
It’ll be great. Just wait and see.”

Despite my sarcastic and borderline caustic reply, Karen’s look at me was endearing and her smile even warmer. “Why don’t I get
Uncle Edgar, I think we’re done on this subject.”

“Wait.
”  I take a second to gather up my strength. “Silithes didn’t happen to mention anything about a certain Kitten, did she?”

The endearing look disappears.  “Yes.  And he is going to have to answer to me on that one. I don’t care how
it happened or whatever she is. He should not be keeping human slaves.  I plan to kick his big purple arse on that matter thoroughly.”

“You’re going to kick his ass? Sure about that?”

Karen gives me a look that tells me she has no doubts whatsoever.  “He may be large, but I am still bigger than he is.  And he knows it.”  The smile returns to her face. “Just watch.”

She gets up and heads out of our cabin to where Edgar left to.
I sit and think about how complicated my life has become. I have a pixie that’s pushed her way into my bed.  I have succubus trying to claw her way there.  There’s an ages old demon that’s trying to screw the whole world up that I must to kill.

On the plus side, a
t least I have another ages old demon that think is my friend who shares my purpose.  And a witch.

Boy, can
I take some comfort in that. I bury my face into my hands in frustration.

The cabin door opens and Karen returns with a smiling Edgar.

I pray he’s not going to give me relationship advice too.

We arrive
in Louis Armstrong Airport at about 2am in the morning. I hate international travel – or at least the lag that comes from the time zone changes.  We part ways with Edgar, all sharing big hugs and good words. 

Customs
is a cinch and we make our way out, me again being luggage boy. We clear the receiving area and head out to the taxi area where we are greeted by a smiling man wearing at chauffer’s hat holding a sign saying, “Mac Daddy.”

I push my luggage cart of shame over to him and give him a huge smile. “Nice sign C
arl – we’ll be avoiding the swamp today, won’t we?”  The driver is Carl Turner, a man who made the mistake of being an accomplice to a plot to abduct myself and Znuul.  It turned out poorly for them mostly due to Znuul’s presence. Since then, Carl has made good on his promise to be my personal chauffer for free.

Though I make it a point to excessively tip him
…

“
Yes we will, Mr. Arthur,” he says going to work on the luggage. I help, of course.  “So,” he says to me in a whisper, “She ain’t gonna sprout no wings and horns is she?”

“No
,” says Karen, her ears obviously quite sharp. “I’m just a witch. No wings or horns, just fireballs and lightning bolts.”

“That’s good ma’am
,” Carl says without missing a beat, “Just always good to know about those I carry. You know, this world is just going crazy.”

We carr
y on about the state of the world throughout the drive back to the French Quarter.  All of us agree that things are bad going to worse. Carl sums it up well, “Bad enough you got to worry about some devil eatin’ ya - you got to worry about some crazy person not likin’ the god you choose to worship.”

Discussion of state of the world, reminds me that I have summonlings half way across the world.  I send
a text to Sil’s and Shey’s numbers asking them to text me back when they’re at a safe place to be called back. No surprise – I don’t get an immediate reply.

Carl knows to take us to the garage at the rear.  As we drive by my little shop of horrors – “The Hidden Eye
.” I take note that it is closed up tightly and no lights are on.  Good thing - it’s 3am. Carl skillfully gets the cumbersome limo through the tight alley and to the front of the overhead door.  Stopping the limo he gets out and hitchedly walks over to Karen’s door to open it – apparently his legs are still recovering from Znuul breaking them before.  I let myself out and walk over to the keypad, enter the code and watch the door begin to open.

Home at last.

Karen thanks Carl and makes her way around to me as I reach inside and flip the main lights on in the garage area. “How positively industrial,” she tells me surveying the garage/loading area.

Carl in
the mean time has popped the trunk.  I excuse myself from Karen and jog over to help.  His legs are better - but he still doesn’t need to push it.  I’m helping him unload, when Karen’s voice breaks my attention.

“We have company.”  It wasn’t the statement it
self as much has her tone that put me on alert; cold.

Carl
turns, then twitches like a shiver went down his back and turns back around to me. “Mr. Arthur, I didn’t know nothing about this.”

I don’t turn around,
instead I just put the bag in my hand down and look up at Karen whose eyes are locked on what must be someone behind us. Her eyes turn to me quickly, acknowledging me then back to whomever is there. Her small metal wand is in her hand, plucked from somewhere.

Karen r
eady for battle - not good.

“No, Carl didn’t know anything about our visit. You’ve been a
busy boy Arthur.” I recognize the female voice that comes from behind me – Lucrezia Calandriello.

It’s almost three hours to sunrise and we are joined by vampires.

The case with my sword in it is still in the trunk.  I don’t turn around, instead I just reach down to pull it out. “What’s the occasion Lucrezia?” I set the case down next to my feet and reach in for the next bag.  Carl takes my queue and begins empting the trunk with gusto.

“To welcome you back to tow
n Arthur – and ask a favor,” she replies. “It’s been some time Ms. Redditch, you look well.” I sense that she’s walking closer.

I figure it’s time to turn around. There she is, looking all vampy in a billowing gothic looking gown, with three male associates. All we need is
some backlight and a fog machine and the stage would be movie perfect.

I hear Karen say something to the effect of
,  “Bar-EE-ar,” and know she just cast a shield.  A moment passes and I hear her say it again and feel the tell-tale feeling of a shield around me.  To think, I actually believed Arix when he told me that the nuances of warding were beyond human comprehension.

“They are preparing for attack!” comes one of the guys in Lucrezia’s entourage.  Her face turns to him, slowly.  “No, they are preparing for our attack and one that will not come.  Calm yourself.”  She turns back to us
, “So hard to train good help.”

I take advantage of the time to reach down and unzip the case with
Yayne in it and pull it out.  Grabbing the hilt, I immediately feel it it’s ready to begin with the slicing via our sort of telepathic bond. Not knowing how to telepathically respond, I do verbally, “Might not have to.”

That
is met with what I perceive as confusion from the sword.

“Thank you Arthur
,” comes Lucrezia’s overtly calm voice. “I can only imagine the sword is anxious for us.  They always are.  Please… I am here to ask for assistance from the Protectorate.”

Well ain’t that cute
? I set Yayne on my shoulder and look at Lucrezia. “Not sure that we are Protectorate anymore – or want to be. Sorry, we have places to be and a Maldgorath to kill.”

“But Arthur, we have need
,” she replies. “It seems one of ours has gone rogue and is not only killing, but multiplying illegally. It is a break of the accords and endangers this fine town we mutually exist in.”

I know enough of the vampire accords - they are supposed to take care of their own.  This is not right. I say so. “Why not take care of your own Lucrezia?”

But she doesn’t answer – Karen does. “Politics. Don’t want to kill your own as you might be seen as a human sympathizer by those eager to breach the accords.  But don’t want to breach the accords, because we may come for all of you?  You’re playing both sides Lucrezia.”

That
remark actually gets a nod from Lucrezia to Karen.  “Indeed.  It would be much more tidy for me if you would tend to the matter.  Then there is also the matter that the rogue in question is my child.  I would prefer not to directly kill my own.  In fact, if you could just cull his nest and bring him back to me that would be…”

“
Bringing him back is not happening,” is Karen’s matter of fact response. “And you know why. As for the rest of your request, we will do it.  Where is the nest and what are their numbers?”

Great. We’re now committing to cleaning out a vampire nest.

She hands a piece of paper to one of the guys and he moves forward to hand it to me. I take it, not looking at it. “Their numbers as of last sun fall were eleven" she claims. "They could be as large as twenty-plus now, depending. You know how our numbers can grow and how quickly.”

“We will deal with it.  It’s our responsibility to humanity
, Protectorate be dammed,” says Karen. She’s right. I stay silent and just nod.

“You have people in the police fo
rce,” asks Karen.

“
Yes we do.  We will instruct them to ensure you have time to do your work. The Louisiana territory is in debt to you both,” replies Lucrezia, who backs away with her entourage into the darkness. Another almost movie like experience.  Creepy.

Carl is standing his ground,
looking like he’s not trusting that the vampires left. Karen is standing as bold as ever looking like she doesn’t care.  And me, I have my holy sword laying on my shoulder, sending a feeling of loss to me – I’m guessing that is the lost opportunity to take their heads.

I tell the sword out loud
, “we’ll make up for it in the morning.”

I think that ma
kes it happy. I like making my sword happy.

“
Time I get back to my family,” says Carl.  I nod an affirmative at him and reach for my wallet. All I have are Euros and Pound notes.  I don’t even look at how much it is, but just hand him a wad of bills – certainly it’s overkill for a tip.  “Sorry, don’t have any dollars – but you can get ‘em exchanged.”

Carl thanks me and
wastes no time getting the heck out.  Can’t say I blame him.

My p
hone dings from a text message - then again. Shey and Sil must have responded to my earlier message.  I look down and see they say they aren’t ready – something about being in the “eye.”

“Let
's get inside,” comes Karen’s commanding voice.  I have to agree with her.  We lug the luggage to the elevator and head upstairs. I flip the lights on and feel a moment of comfort at being home.  We move everything inside and flop down on the living room furniture.

“Quite a welcome
,” says Karen. “At least we know what we’re doing tomorrow.”

I don’t have a thing to add to that, except a smile and a nod.

We sit in silence for while, which is nice. Neither of us is feeling the need to fill the void with our voices – we’re just comfortable being there. Then my phone dings again and I check it.

The ladies are prepared for their return.

First back is Sheyliene. She’s very excited and wants to tell us all about it. Apparently she wasn’t able to get the fuzzy hat guys to smile. Vets is next.  Her return is typical.  Fully armored, totally rigid – no explanations and a pounding salute on her chest armor. Last up is Sil.

She shimmers into existence and looks around, eyes finally finding themselves on me. She steps over grabs my hand and says
, “Come on,” pulling me towards the hallway.

Sheyliene steps in front of the hallway
and blocks us, “Get your hands off him.”

Sil responds by letting go of my hand and saying
, “This is important.”

Shey never being one to
accept direction from anyone tells Sil to get screwed.

They stand there for moment in a stand-off.  Sil’s left hand throws out and Shey
’s eyes follow. But that was the feint - the real strike follows when Sil’s right grabs Shey under the chin. Shey does nothing, No bitching, no struggling, just Shey frozen.

Crap. Sil just did the paralysis thing on her.

“Sorry, this is important and I don’t have time for your attitude,” Sil says to a stiff Sheyliene. She basically picks up Shey and sets her to the side and then looks at Karen. “She’s really pissed off. Can you keep her off my back until I get my diaries into Arthur’s hands?”

Karen nods
“yes” to her and Sil drags me down the hall to her room.  We go into her apartment, then to the bedroom and she fiddles the combination on a lock for a foot locker near her bed. Sil takes a deep breath and pulls a book from the locker.

“This is an old one.  It will prove that Dorothy was right about me. It is… not how I am now, please keep that in mind.”

She reaches over to another side and pulls out another book, taking time to unfasten the lock from it. “This is my most current diary.  You’ve seen me doodling in it. This is the one that’s most important.” She sets it atop the older one and hands them out to me.  “Just don’t look at them now. I couldn’t stand that.  It’s hard enough…”

I thought to say something snarky like
, “Why share them to begin with?” but quashed that thought remembering what Karen said about how she was "putting herself out there." Instead I just give my standard politically correct, “okay” and take them, conceding promises not share them with anyone.

“I haven’t had time to go a
nd create a fake diary.  These are as they are, as I left them – you agree, right. These are real? This is important, you know these are real?”

I look at Sil, her alligator like eyes fixed back on mine pleading for
a response.  I feel how serious she is about this little exchange - it’s obviously not so little to her.

“Yea Sil, these are real.
I’ll look at them with that in mind.”

She breaks her intense stare and shakes her head in acknowledgement, looking away.  “Good. Good.” The eyes return to me, but feel quite a bit less intense.  “Thanks for that. Now we better get out of
here before princess thinks I’ve had you by sheer proximity to my bed.”

I
chuckle; Sil does have a wit when she chooses to use it. We leave her apartment and she heads down the hall towards the living room, towards the sound of a ranting Sheyliene.  Me, I unlock my door and set the diaries on the table in front of my sofa. Then I turn to head back to the living room.

It wouldn’t be fair to leave Karen to referee those two.  After all, she’s
just a guest in this house.