Jolene and I stood on the sidewalk watching a convoy of three large black SUVs roll by, each with eight black-clad men inside. It had become a regular sight in Westport as the Knights of Magica made their presence visible in the city.
“You say they take witches as well as mages?” she asked.
“Yeah. I don’t know anything about how they use them, or what kind of training their witches receive, though. Supposedly, they deploy women and men in their fighting forces, but I haven’t seen any women.”
“There was a woman in the meeting their leaders had with Frankie the other day. Arrogant sons of bitches.”
“Oh? What was the meeting about?”
“Basically telling us to stay out of their way, although they were a little more polite than that. A lot of talk about improving security, protecting the churches and other Universal properties, but there were also a few comments about ‘undesirables.’ Your buddy Bonato mentioned ‘creatures without a soul,’ which we took to mean shifters and vampires.” She grinned at me. “He looked pretty good for someone who recently took a foot of steel in the belly.”
“They probably have several healers. Were they carrying swords?”
“Nope. Can’t bring them into the building. Metal detectors, you know.”
There were more Universal churches in the city than I had been aware of. I knew of three—large and very impressive—but I didn’t know the city very well, and an online search turned up a list of ten.
An old monastery on the coast north of the university was converted into the Knights’ headquarters. Sam told me the place was built in the late 1800s, but only a handful of monks still lived there. They worked the vineyards planted on benches carved out of the hills surrounding it. A week before, construction started on a number of new buildings on church property. It looked like the Knights planned to stay.
“Frankie also had a meeting with Gabriel Laurent and Eileen Montgomery last night,” Jolene said. “They are very concerned. Said that the Knights are out hunting vamps every night. Laurent has hired a lot of shifters to provide security during the day.”
“I wonder how long before we have open warfare,” I said.
“Captain Blair said the same thing. Unfortunately, we’re unable to share our concerns with the mayor and the police chief, since paranormals and supernaturals don’t exist.”
“And how long will that last?”
She just shook her head.
The wards that Sam set on Rosie’s, anchored by the rubies, worked. No one inside the bar felt the latest disruption of the ley lines. When word of that spread, business picked up considerably. No one knew when the next event might take place, but being able to go somewhere and relax without worrying about getting your mind scrambled was a big deal.
Eleanor rented the apartment to McGregor, and Sam called the former Hunter in for a long heart-to-heart talk. His feeling was the same as mine—McGregor came across as sincere and non-threatening. I also introduced him to Michaela Gallagher, and she allowed him to join the sword club. That gave me someone to spar with in addition to Michaela and her ‘sister’ Donna. The dhampir were much stronger and faster than I was, and they really helped me hone my skills, but it was nice to work out with someone closer to my physical abilities.
It didn’t take a genius to know that the Knights’ attack on me so close to my home wasn’t a coincidence. Between my fight with them outside of Rosie’s and busting up their plan to kidnap Lizzy, I assumed I was on their radar, so I took precautions.
I was fairly confident that my personal shield would protect me from another assault, and I carried my sword everywhere I went, but I was afraid of what a fireball would do to my shiny new car. Rudolf Heine’s demise offered ample evidence of what could happen if the car’s gas tank blew up. So, I walked or took the bus to and from work at those times when Oriel couldn’t give me a ride. His magic protected his car, but I couldn’t cast that kind of spell. Besides, he wasn’t around all the time. He and his fellow Fae who had stayed in Westport seemed to spend a lot of time hunting Knights.
The walking path along the creek behind my building led to a bridge over the river and into downtown in one direction, and out into the East End, past Rosie’s, in the other. Along the way was an old flour mill that had once used the creek to power its operations. Long abandoned, it was surrounded by a rusty fence with so many holes that it kept no one out.
The weather was nice for a change, so I walked to work. I was strolling along enjoying the beginnings of the sunset and the sunshine on my face when a couple of Knights showed up. Their age and body language told me that I wasn’t dealing with fresh-faced recruits. A glance behind me showed another man on the path, but he was at least a hundred yards away from us.
I didn’t bother with small talk and drew my sword as soon as I saw them.
“Miss McLane,” one of them said, “there’s no need for that. Seneschal Bonato would simply like to have a word with you. If you come with us, you will suffer no harm.”
I had suspected Bonato was a leader in the organization but didn’t know how high in their hierarchy he was. A seneschal was the equivalent of a general. I immediately regretted not killing him.
“He knows where I work. Tell him to come see me.”
“Ah, but there is a lack of privacy there.”
“Personally, I prefer having witnesses. The last time we spoke, we didn’t part on the best of terms.”
“A misunderstanding, I’m sure. He has personally told us that he is willing to extend you forgiveness.”
“That’s sweet of him. Tell him I accept. Now, I’m going to be late for work, so if you would please allow me to go?”
“We can offer you safety,” the other man, the older of the two, said. “The Illuminati are no more, the remnants of your filthy order are scattered and on the run. You should be glad that we are willing to forgive you and accept your fealty instead of submitting you to judgement.”
“That is big of you. If the last set of assassins you sent after me had extended such Christian charity, they might still be alive.”
He didn’t seem to like that answer, his face twisting in anger. A quick glance over my shoulder didn’t reveal any additional enemies, though the other man was much closer. He wasn’t wearing a Knight’s uniform, though.
There were two of them, and one of me. My sword might cut through their personal shields, depending on how strong their shields were, and although the Knights’ swords were spelled, they didn’t incorporate magic as strong as mine. Still, in any kind of fight, things could go wrong. One never knew what kind of magic a foe might be able to wield.
“I’ll tell you what,” I said. “Let’s all walk away from here with our bodies and souls intact, and you can tell Signore Bonato to call me. I’m willing to meet at a neutral site.”
The angry guy shouted, “You miserable slut! How dare you defy a servant of our Lord?” He drew his sword and started toward me, but his friend grabbed him by the arm.
“Yeah, I can see how you plan to guarantee my safety. Really makes me want to jump in a car with you.”
There wasn’t anywhere to go. They blocked the path ahead of me, the fence and the old mill were on my right, and a four-foot drop to the creek was two steps to my left. That left the way behind me, which meant turning my back on them. I was willing to bet I could outrun them but not willing to bet they didn’t have friends waiting out of sight.
“I think you should stand aside and allow the young lady to pass,” Ian McGregor’s voice sounded behind me. I heard his sword clear its sheath. “Left or right?” he muttered, barely audible.
It was a very polite offering. Since I was truly ambidextrous, I shifted my blade to my left hand and stepped to the left side of the path. McGregor stepped up on my right side.
I thought the older man in front of me might have a stroke. His face turned almost purple, and he foamed at the mouth. It was a fascinating display of anger. Without much effort at all, I had made an implacable enemy. He hated me. I wondered if it might be worth the time, trouble, and danger to kill him right then. If I didn’t, I would have to watch my back every minute until I did.
The younger Knight pulled the older one off the path, and they stood with their backs to the fence.
“I shall tell the Seneschal of your offer,” he said.
We edged past them, turning as we did and walking backwards away from them. Then I whirled to face the direction we were going, but McGregor continued to watch the danger behind us. It was kind of comfortable to work with someone who had received the same training I had. We walked that way for at least a hundred yards, then he sheathed his sword and fell in beside me.
“And what was that all about? Or is it none of my business?” McGregor asked.
“Their inglorious leader wants to talk with me. I said he can visit me at Rosie’s, but I’m not going to walk into the lion’s den. The older guy has an attitude towards women and got upset because I wasn’t respectful enough.”
“A lot of men have that problem. Any idea why their seneschal wants to talk with you?”
I sheathed my sword. “Oh, you know, the usual. He thinks I’m a Hunter, and they seem to be trying to recruit me. As a spy, maybe? I don’t know. The last time he and I talked, he was very rude, and I stuck a knife in his liver.”
McGregor cracked up, laughing as we walked along. After a while, he said, “I shall remember to mind my manners.”
“He and his thugs were trying to kidnap a friend of mine.”
“Oh? And why was that?”
“I’ve thought about it, and I think they wanted to experiment on her. She’s half-Fae.”
“Like your boyfriend?”
“He’s half-Fae, too, but they really aren’t much alike,” I said. I hadn’t made an announcement to the world, or thought about doing so, but for the first time, I realized that other people probably knew that Oriel and I were more than acquaintances. “Did you just happen along?”