Fang Shway in LA (7 page)

C
hapter 12

“Lauren? Lauren, are you okay?”

Someone was standing over me, “I will be if you stop shaking me. Otherwise, I’m going to throw up on you.” I lay there silently assessing my state. I could move my limbs, good, I’m not paralyzed. Slowly, I opened my eyes. Ouch! I squeezed them tightly shut, as my head threatened to explode. When my head stopped pounding, I asked, “Where am I?”

“Lauren, I brought you home. I believe you have a concussion. Azif’s car threw you into a tree. You’ve been out for about ten minutes and I think you should see a doctor.”

“There’s no time,” I croaked. “How did you make out with the Daywalker and the other vamps?”

“Better than you. The Daywalker didn’t engage and I assume he went after Azif. The rest, I made short work of because all I could think about was getting you medical attention, so I scooped you up and flew home. Tokem stayed behind to follow our Daywalker.”

“Help me sit up, please. I need my head to clear enough to think.”

“Here, see if you can keep this water down. I hope Tokem will be back soon with news. Are you up to activating the houses shields? I expect the vampires will be arriving soon. Tokem knows we’ll have them up.”

I focused as much as I could, my head was swimming, “Honorius ringe.” I muttered and that took every bit of my energy. I flopped back on the pillows and closed my eyes. I’m not sure how long I’d slept but Tokem was back. He and Traygen had their heads together, “It’s not nice to whisper. What’s up?” I croaked.

“Lauren, you had us worried. You’ve been asleep for a few hours, which you shouldn’t do with a head injury. How are you feeling?”

Pushing myself into a sitting position, I winced. “I’ve felt better. What have I missed while I was asleep?”

“Tokem can fill you in, while I get you something to drink.”

Even Tokem looked concerned. I must look worse than I felt. “Tokem, you can sit on my knee. I’m all right, you won’t hurt me.”

“You don’t look so good.”

“Gee thanks Tokem, you know how to lift a girl’s spirits.”

Returning from the kitchen with a glass of water and some saltines, Traygen plumped up my pillows and put a cover over my knees.

“Such service, thank you Traygen,” I said squeezing his hand and making him blush.

“If I’m not interrupting anything it’s my turn to talk.” Tokem paused before continuing. “The vampires returned to Ekil’s mansion. They were preparing to confront the cartel. Ekil knows the wizard killed his son and apparently the wizard taunted the Daywalker. Not too bright if you ask me, but I digress, the vampires are planning their attack for early tomorrow morning.”

I threw the blanket off my legs, “What time is it?”

Traygen leaned over me with a worried expression on his face and said, “Easy does it, where do you think you’re going?”

“To stop a war if I’m not too late. You can either help me or get out of my way.” I grasp the back of the sofa to steady my spinning head. My vision took a minute to clear and then I headed for my room.

Traygen stepped stiffly aside. He wasn’t happy, but he knew better than to try to stop me.

I guess he’d finally resigned himself to my nature, which was the crux of our problems. By nature I’m a take charge woman, and I don’t want or need protection. I just can’t allow it, being vulnerable that is. Hell, I probably take too many chances to prove my point. Nevertheless, no one was ever going to hurt me like my father’s death had. His untimely death nearly killed me. I just wouldn’t risk my heart like that again. I changed into dark clothing, strapped on my gun and my pouch containing several vials that might come in handy. Pulling on my bracelet, I picked up my staff and headed back to the living room.

Traygen, armed to the teeth, had Tokem sedately sitting on his shoulder. “Shall we?” I asked as I walked out to the car and got in. We drove as fast as we dared toward the Chivas estate. With tires squealing, graveling flying in all directions, we spun off the road and hurtled toward the house.

Traygen stopped the car and started to get out. I grabbed his arm. “We are too late, the vamps are already here. Do you smell that?”

“Blood, lots of blood, Tokem, go and watch the back.” He said as he slid from the car with his gun drawn. I followed his lead and took the safety off my own gun. We started around the corner of the car. We heard the crunching of gravel about the same time.

“Don’t move and throw those guns out in front of you. Do it, if I’d wanted you dead you would be. Turn around slowly and no tricks, I’m not in the mood.”

Following orders, I dropped my weapon and turned to face Ekil, the Daywalker and several vampires. Shit, we’re screwed.

“Come inside I want you to see this for yourselves,” Ekil ordered. He turned and headed for the house. The Daywalker and the other vampires surrounded us as we followed Ekil. I was feeling claustrophobic because this was way too much up close and personal attention from the vampires.

The minute I entered the house the stench of death hit me, I struggled with my queasy stomach and wrestled to keep my saltines down. “What in the hell happened here,” I whistled through clenched teeth. My head pounded from my earlier encounter with the tree and from holding my breath.

Ekil turned to face me and his face looked as gray as I felt. “I was hoping you could tell us. When we came for the wizard this is what we found. He was nowhere around, but my Daywalker could sense his energy. He hadn’t been gone long.”

I nodded, “I smell his power, too. What is that stench?” Gazing around, it didn’t take me long to find it. There were at least seven men and several women or what was left of them. I held my breath and moved closer. “A curse, a very, very strong curse” I said. I turned and almost ran to the door. Gulping large quantities of air didn’t help and I retched until I believed my internal organs would be next. I heard someone walk up behind me and assumed Traygen had come to check on me.

“Are you all right, wizard?” I nearly wet my pants, it was the Daywalker. Realizing he startled me he stepped respectfully back and waited.

When my heart final stopped pounding, I answered. “I need to thank you. Do you have a name?”

I saw a smile briefly flicker across his mouth, “many, and I’m sure they’re not all flattering. My given name is Vicor, may I call you Lauren?”

I nodded my consent and waited for Vicor to continue.

“I need your help,” he finally said.

Stammering, I barely got my question out, “My help? Why?”

“Yes, your help. You saw those bodies and you know we didn’t kill those people. I need you to convince the World Council of our innocence, but, what I need the most is your help in stopping this wizard.”

“I will do what I can with the council but why do you care about the wizard? What is he to you?”

Vicor stared intently at me, deciding what he should say. He must have made up his mind because his answer shocked me. “To save my own life and the lives of the vampires in Ekil’s thrall. It should be obvious to you by now the wizard wants the spear for himself. The spear is powerful beyond imagination and deadly to vampires. He has successfully framed us with the Mexican drug cartels, which will now be gunning for us.”

“I believe you can hold your own against the cartels and personally, a few less drug dealers are no loss.”

“As it happens, I agree with you, don’t look so shocked. I’ve lived long enough to have seen the scourge of drugs. No, I need to stop him from using the spear to exterminate vampires and anyone else he doesn’t like.”

I must have gotten hit harder than I realized. A vampire with a conscious, who knew, truthful or not he had a point. This guy wasn’t going to stop with the vampires. The spear would give him unimaginable power, deadly power an evil dark and twisted power.

“If we decide to assist, what happens to the spear? It needs to be returned to the rightful authorities and locked away. I won’t allow it to fall into the wrong hands. Deal?”

“Deal,” he said reaching for my hand.

We shook on it.

Traygen stepped protectively to my side, “Did I miss something?”

“Take your ease, Dragon. Lauren will fill you in. Now if you’ll excuse me I have loose ends to tie up. I’ll contact you in the morning and we’ll go from there.” He bowed and went back inside.

Chapter 13

I turned to face Traygen and Tokem. I pulled Traygen toward the car while Tokem hovered alongside without comment. “We need to contact the council immediately. Tokem, I need you to go find the wizard if you can. Check out the warehouse and the restaurant where we saw the Russians.”

“Lauren, never underestimate me. Remember I have eyes like an eagle, the tracking instincts of a bat. I’ll get right on it,” he saluted me before leaving.

“Tokem, be careful this guy is dangerous,” I yelled, but he was already gone.

Traygen robotically got into the car and started it. He pulled on to the street without saying a word. It took him some time to regain his composure. At last he turned to me and asked, “Care to explain that?”

“Why Traygen are you jealous?”

Jerking hard on the wheel and hitting the gas he revved the engine and merged into freeway traffic. “I’m not jealous and you know it. I’m just baffled about why you would be flirting with a Daywalker.”

“His name is Vicor and he is actually quite charming.” I could see the muscles in Traygen’s jaw clench, his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel
 and I watched as the leather creaked in protest.

“Relax big boy, you are the only one I flirt with. He needs our help to catch the wizard or he risks being blamed by the council.”

“Why would he care? The vamps wanted the cartel killed to avenge Farok and it also helps their business interests,” he spat.

“Yes, but the wizard killed Farok and he got away. My guess is that if he doesn’t already have the spear he will have it shortly. Think about it, Traygen.”

He let out a low whistle, as he parked the car. “The spear, the wizard always wanted the spear. This was never a territorial dispute.” He shook his head, “We knew something wasn’t right. Do you think we’re too late?”

Reaching to unlock the front door, I temporarily removed the shields before opening the door. Xena bounded out to greet us. I stopped long enough to rub her ears. “I don’t know if Azif has the spear or not, which is why I sent Tokem to find him.
Tokem will be able to sense the spear’s energy.
First things first we need to stop a war
before we can follow any leads. I’ve got to contact Jason. The council needs to know what has happened. Come on I’ll summon him.”

I went to my office and began setting up. I placed the copper ring around my Dragons Eye statue, chanted the spell and then silently intoning Jason’s name. It only took seconds. There was a bright bluish flash, a pop and Jason stood in the circle.

He looked pale and tense. “I expected your call earlier, time is running short and the council needs answers,” he said glancing from me to Traygen.

“You need to call off the council. There has been treachery but not by the vampires. There is a rogue wizard behind all this. He tried to frame the vampires by murdering the Mexican cartel.”

Jason slammed his hand down on my desk. “He did what? What wizard? I think I need to sit down. Please elaborate, won’t you?” He slumped into a chair and turned his attention to me.

“He killed seven men and women from the Mexican cartel with a curse. He did it in an attempt to frame the vampires, who were there to seek revenge for the murder of Ekil’s son. A murder, I might add, he tried to pin
on me. We arrived at the cartel’s mansion just after the vampires. The people were already dead and the wizard’s scent hung heavily in the air.”

“She’s right,” Traygen injected. “I recognized the wizard’s scent from the night Farok died.”

“That’s not all.”

“Isn’t that enough?” Jason muttered.

“We have teamed up with the Daywalker, Vicor.”

Jumping to his feet Jason grabbed my arms, “Are you insane? You can’t work with a Daywalker, it will turn on you.”

I swatted Jason’s hands-off my shoulders. “Jason calm down, damn you. I know what I’m doing. You don’t have all the facts. The vampires have the most to lose if the wizard gets hold of the spear.”

I hadn’t seen Jason go from zero to psycho in years. It was freaking amazing, spit was flying everywhere. Traygen started to get between us when Jason got still, very still. Shit, this wasn’t ever a good sign.

He finally managed to speak through tightly clenched teeth, his voice barely audible. “Lauren, what haven’t you told me?”

I swallowed hard before answering because even I had the sense not to kid him when he was like this. I didn’t want to be running a travel agency in Siberia. “In a word the Hofburg Spear or if you prefer the Spear of Destiny.” I had his complete attention now.

“The Russians were trying to sell it to the cartel for an undisclosed amount. Our wizard double crossed the cartel, so he could keep the spear for himself. I don’t need to tell you what those powers will do in the hands of a madman.”

Jason's attention remained unfocused for some time. He said nothing and his breathing was barely perceptible. “What has the Daywalker got to do with this? The vampires would certainly like to see it destroyed.”

“Exactly, they fear it. However, Vicor has given me his word has sworn not to keep or sell the spear. He has assured me it will be returned to the proper authorities. Vicor only wants to clear his name, being on the council’s ‘Most Wanted’ list isn’t healthy.”

“What are you proposing? Because I only have a matter of hours before I must report all this to the council. Can you recover the spear in that amount of time?”

I looked to Traygen and back at Jason. I nodded yes.

“All right but I don’t need to remind you two if you don’t retrieve it the council will act.” He looked from Traygen and back to me. Apparently satisfied he disappeared in a burst of sparks.

We sat in silence until Tokem pecked on a front window. I jumped, stubbed my toe and cursed the little fellow before I let him in.

“Good to see you, too,” he quipped.

Stretching and stifling a yawn Traygen said, “Did you find our missing wizard?”

“The warehouse was empty. He obviously cleared out his belongings. I went to the restaurant and found he left his car parked at an odd angle behind the restaurant. You owe me. I had to fly down a vent. Ruined a new suit, it isn’t easy to find one in my...”

Glaring at Tokem, “Get to the point, darn you.”

“Touchy, touchy. The restaurant was closed, which is why I had to gain my entrance through the vent. I looked around but there wasn’t anyone there. I decided to check the side room. It too was empty, but I found evidence the room had recently been occupied.”

I wanted to scream, “such as?”

“A dead waiter and bartender and my guess is they’d been dead for less than an hour. I was about to leave when I heard a phone ring. It scared me because I didn’t see a phone anywhere. I darted around until I found a cell phone under the dumbwaiter. Get it?”

He has a quick quip. I had to hand it to him. Instead, I glared at Tokem and he continued.

“You two are no fun. So, I answered it. The man was Russian and he was looking for Asif and I said, “Speaking.”

“He believed you?”

“Of course, you know I can mimic any sound, even though I only heard him speak with the valet. He told me to bring the money to the Griffith Park Observatory at midnight.”

“I’ll be damned, I could kiss you.”

“I’m not stopping you gorgeous but first I need to regain my strength. I’ll take a rain check, carrying that cell from Santa Monica took it out of me.”

This time I did pick him up and gave him a big kiss. “Tokem, you never fail to amaze me.”

He beamed all the way to the kitchen. “Anything to eat in here?” He yelled.

“Check the pantry, there should be food in there.” I turned to Traygen, “That is the best break we’ve had since this mess started.”

“Yes, it gives us a couple of hours to figure out how to pull this off. At least we don’t have to worry about bystanders or witnesses at that hour. There have already been too many senseless deaths.”

“I need to contact Vicor. We’ll need their help. Don’t give me that look, you know we do.”

“Why are you so sure we can trust him? Daywalkers are not known for their nobility.”

“Because his life depends on it and I’m not sure I can stop Azif without him. Don’t you get it? I’m more resourceful at wielding my power but he is stronger. Look I don’t like this any better than you do, nor would the council if they knew. I just don’t see any other way.”

“Do what you need to do, you will anyway,” yelled Traygen as he stomped from the room.

I called Vicor and filled him in. We agreed to meet at the park at eleven so we would have time to plan. Flipping my phone closed, I absently stroked Xena’s head, hoping I knew what I was getting myself into. Either way this was no time for a pity party. Time was a wasting.

I popped open a diet coke and retreated to my office. The only thing I knew about Azif was he used the Ara Goetic as the basis for his magic. Most wizards tap into one of the four elements, Azif harnessed the wind, or at least he did in my brief battle with him. I needed to find a way to stop him or at least block him. I had an idea and I began to place my summoning circle around the Dragons Eye. It took me a few minutes of rummaging around in my boxes until I found what I was looking for, a brilliant cut sapphire. It was at least six carats. Pocketing the stone, I stepped into the circle and cast my mind out into the fae realm, to Tir-Na-Nog. It never paid to visit the fae without a gift or bribe depending on how one looked at it.

“Who wishes to enter my realm?”

“Begging your pardon Queen Tatiana, I seek an audience. My name is Adept Simon from the World Council and I seek your wisdom and support.” I trembled as I awaited her answer. Tatiana was the Seelie Queen and she did not suffer fools or if she did only once.

“I knew your grandmother and she was pure of heart, a fine wizard. You’ve clearly inherited her talents. What can I do for you, wizard?”

“I need to prevent a war between the World Council and vampires.”

“Why should I care? Mortal matters don’t concern me and I care even less for the affairs of vampires. My people occupy the land of the forever young and endless summer. You also know I do not take kindly to mindless intrusions.”

My mouth felt like it was full of cotton balls. “Because a rogue wizard…”

“Silence, rogue wizards are your problem, not mine. Weren’t you listening? Get to the point or I’ll break off this connection.”

“Queen Tatiana, the wizard wants to take command of the Spear of Destiny, seeking to use it to destroy the delicate balance between this world and yours. The spear will act as a channel for his magic, which he energizes with the elements, primarily the wind.”

“The Spear of Destiny is pure evil, vile, and should have been destroyed ages ago. Let me think about this a moment. I cannot allow the spear to disturb the balance between my land and yours. Wizard, I will assist you because the spear in the wrong hands would create chaos and death to us all.”

“Thank you, Queen Tatiana.”

“There is only one thing you can do to stop the wizard. Block his ability to use the spear as a conduit. He can’t use the spear if he can’t call forth the powers needed to fill it with energy. I’ll give you a piece of cuendillar, which many call a heartstone. You must pierce the wizard’s heart with the stone.

“The Daywalker can be stopped by balefire. I’ll give you a vile of it. Don’t look surprised, just because I don’t care about what happens to your world, doesn’t mean I can afford to ignore the dangers it poses to mine. Lauren don’t trust him because he will kill you if he can. You’ll only get one chance to kill him with the balefire.”

“Thank you Tatiana, I am forever in your debt. Please except this sapphire as a small token of my gratitude.”

Tatiana reached out and took the stone. “Its beauty rivals the Northern Lights. Good luck, Lauren. You’ll need equal parts skill and luck.” With a pop she was gone.