“Yes.”
“And I can start this week?”
“Yes.”
I threw a leg over him and straddled his chest, staring into his eyes. “Can you extend the disruption by another week?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll take the job.” He still hadn’t reacted at all to our conversation. I took a shower alone and dressed, then allowed him to take control of himself again.
The first things I instructed Muller to do after returning to Salisbury from our tryst were to recall my predecessor from London and start the paperwork for my transfer. I left him to his bureaucratic tasks and went to lunch with Karl.
I detailed my date to Karl while munching on fish and chips in a pub. He didn’t say a word at first but simply stared at me. After a while he blurted out, “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. You’re a genius. Between you and Oriel’s friend, I not only pulled off my plan, but remained virgo intacta and Muller’s bound to me.” I held up my hand and touched the ring. “Better than a love spell. He’s totally in thrall.”
“That’s disgusting.”
I winked at him. “Isn’t it, though? Not as bad as sacrificing virgins, but a total breach of magical ethics. Luckily, the Fae don’t subscribe to our concept of ethics.”
He shook his head. “I’m glad you’re on our side.”
“Ain’t that the truth? Isn’t there some old saying about all’s fair in love and war? If that’s the case, then mixing the two has to be twice as effective. I just wish I could leave some kind of magical nuclear bomb here when I’m done. These bastards deserve to burn in the deepest pit in hell.”
I leaned forward, my arms on the table. “Do you know how many unmarked graves—fresh graves—are in that part of the cemetery? Think about how many times they’ve screwed up the ley lines over the past six months. Every time the ley lines throw up, you’re feeling the death throes of a young girl. And that’s only a tiny fraction of the people they’ve killed all over the world.”
“You’re right, this is a war. So, they’re going to bring that sergeant you replaced back from London?”
“Yeah. I’ll bet she’s going to be pissed. There’s nothing to do in this place. Or maybe she has a taste for blood magic and screwing hypocritical upper-caste Knights, in which case, she’s welcome to it.”
Chapter 23
Muller took me to my new digs the following morning. The apartment, or flat, where he kept his mistresses was about two blocks from his home. It was on what Europeans called the second floor—third floor to an American—and had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a lounge, a large bathroom, a small utility room with a linen closet and a washer-dryer, and a balcony overlooking a park. It was somewhat larger than my place in Westport and furnished a lot nicer. The walls were decorated with English landscapes, and the dishes all matched.
I took one look at the king-sized bed and resolved to burn the bedclothes before buying a rubber mattress cover and new bedding. Even if I didn’t plan to have sex on that bed, I’d be sleeping on it and probably lying on it naked a few times. I had no idea how many mistresses Muller had lodged there, or how recently, but a thorough scrubbing of the whole flat was definitely on the agenda.
Luckily, the binding spell was good for more than world-changing machinations. I asked Muller for money to spruce up the place a little, and he gave it to me. He also gave me money to stock the larder and the fridge—with strict orders as to the kind of wine I should get—and to buy some clothes to wear when I entertained him. I knew what to get to go out, but figured I’d have to shop around to find sexy lingerie in a town run by the Church.
As soon as he left to go for a meeting, I stripped all the linens, towels, and other more personal items from the flat. They all went into an incinerator in the back of the building. Then I went shopping. By the time I finished, I had to call a taxi to haul it all to the flat.
Muller’s excuse for being gone when he took me to dinner and bed had been a meeting with an operative. I had a chuckle over that. He didn’t know how true his excuse was. He had meetings and formal dinners the following two days and nights. So, I had at least two nights and two days on my own. Unfortunately, Oriel had issues with sneaking out at night. Priests were supposed to be priestly, for some reason. Besides, he had his own snooping to do and Fae contacts to meet.
I wondered what kind of trouble I could get in with my charms. Muller was on the lowest rung of the command elite. Karl had shown me the organization and assignment charts for the Salisbury command. Karl outranked Muller, and there were at least six marshals, three seneschals, and a commander above Karl’s rank of chaplain in Salisbury’s command hierarchy.
At Muller’s level, he was one of nine under-marshals. The next step down were field commanders, standard-bearers such as Monica Dal Corso. I had counted at least forty of them, and they were the most numerous rank at the pub Muller had taken me to on our first date. Next were the chevaliers, or company captains, and they were as numerous as flies.
I, as a sergeant, was at the top of the cannon fodder ranks, and it appeared that, as a woman, my purpose was to be preyed upon by both the resistance and the officers above me. No wonder Muller was pissed at my would-be rapists. They were poaching.
Makeup was forbidden when women were on duty. But one of the things I had noticed in Salisbury was that about a quarter of the women on the streets in Knights’ uniforms wore makeup, and probably three-quarters of them wore makeup at night in the pubs.
So, I put on my best uniform, along with light makeup, and went out looking for Josh and Ian. I figured if I could find them, I could have a good time like a real woman on leave might have. And if I didn’t find them, I could at least have fun drinking and flirting.
Eating dinner alone in a pub as a woman always presented a set of challenges. I knew from my experience as a bartender that the safest place to eat was at the bar. So, I plunked my butt down on a barstool and asked for a beer and a shot and a menu.
“On leave?” the bartender asked as he set my drinks in front of me and handed me a menu.
“Yeah. Stationed out at Stonehenge.”
“Haven’t seen you in before.”
“I’ve been here only a few weeks. I was in Liverpool before.” I surveyed the menu and ordered. The bartender went to take care of a drink order from another customer, then came back.
“I don’t mean to be rude,” I said, “but is there anything to do in this town except drink?”
“We have a singer three nights a week. There’s a nightclub that has karaoke and a pub quiz night. Some of the other pubs have music.”
I rolled my eyes. “Anyplace to dance?”
“Oh, yeah, the Abby. Occasionally they have a band, but usually it’s a DJ.” He bit his lip and studied me, as though he was deciding something. “I’m not sure you’re dressed for that, though.”
I looked down at my uniform. “They have a dress code?”
“Unwritten. Look, the Abby is a meat market, and no offense intended, but that uniform really isn’t all that appealing. Most people there are looking for something a little more feminine. Besides, they wouldn’t let you in wearing that sword, and I’m not sure you’re safe around town at night without it.”
Nodding, I said, “Thanks for the tip. No offense taken. Just out of curiosity, what do the locals think about the Universal Church taking over here? The cathedral wasn’t Universalist before, was it?”
He shook his head. “No, it wasn’t, and only about twenty percent of the people here were Universalist. There are several Universal churches in the area. But most of the people I know—especially young people—aren’t very religious. The Church and the Knights clashed with the local authorities, and then the local authorities were gone. Now everything is run by the Church and the Knights, and most people aren’t very happy about that.”
“Got it.”
He retrieved my food from the kitchen and moved off to take care of other customers. I was about half finished with my meal when a man sat down beside me.
“Long time, no see. I thought maybe you were avoiding me.”
I turned to see Josh with a big grin on his face, and I was so pleased at seeing a familiar face that I leaned over and hugged him.
“It’s good to see you,” I said, signaling to the bartender. “What are you drinking?”
The bartender came over, and Josh gave his order, then said, “Haven’t seen you since Liverpool. Are you on leave?”
When the bartender went away again, Josh leaned close. “Ian and I heard you were in town. Finish up here, and we’ll go find him.”
The bartender gave me a wink when we paid up, and then we headed up the street. A block along, three Knights came out of a pub and almost ran into us. The three lovelorn assholes who had threatened to rape me the day I met Muller. One of the corporals saw me, and I saw that he recognized me.
“Hey, sweet cheeks. Lookin for some fun tonight?”
I took hold of Josh’s arm and muttered, “These assholes tried to rape me last week. Let’s get out of here if we can.”
Josh was as large as the blond sergeant and larger than the other two. He smiled. “She’s already got more than she can handle, so you boys just run along.”
“Oh, I think you underestimate her,” the sergeant said. “I’ll bet she can ride all night.”
They spread out to surround us. I stepped away from Josh and drew my sword, putting my back against the building next to us.
Josh didn’t mess around with anything subtle. He shielded and combusted. Reaching out to the sergeant and grabbing his shirt before the man could shield, he punched the guy in the face. Whirling toward the other two, Josh kindled a sword of flame from his right hand.
“You know, castration only hurts for a while, and this will cauterize the wounds, so you should be out of the hospital and singing soprano before you know it.”