“Oh, you didn’t just accuse me of killing my own lover,” I said acidly.
“Bah,” Iadimus said. Yes, he actually said bah, and it was all I could do not to follow with humbug. “You are a magician, with knowledge, skill and animosity towards vampires. Before you eluded the police, they confirmed your presence at several of the attacks.”
“Because I was investigating them!”
“So the Lady Saffron claimed, but the Lady Scara’s sources say otherwise,” Iadimus said, holding up my Moleskine. “And you have detailed notes going back to the very first kills.”
“Of course, moron, ” I snapped, “because Saffron assigned me that task weeks ago!”
“ Her story,” Iadimus snapped back. “Perhaps she is shielding you out of misplaced loyalty, or well-placed loyalty if she is using you to eliminate her competition.”
“ Some Edgeworlder had to investigate, because the police clearly don’t trust us-”
“Don’t trust her,” Iadimus said. “After the Lady Saffron’s spectacular lack of success dealing with assaults on the Gentry, the Lady Scara warned her contacts in the police the Lady Saffron might be attempting a coup, using you as her instrument.”
“Gee, thanks, ” I said. “Now I know why I had to sleep under a bridge-”
“We warned the police, and the Lady Saffron publically disowned you within the hour,” Iadimus said. “Yet she was seen working with you closely mere minutes later, when the safety of someone still under her protection was at stake-a crime for which we could have charged her.”
I scowled at him. This was a conspiracy theory, deep rooted. It would not be easy to win them over. Heck, I was starting to question Saffron, and I knew I wasn’t her hired killer.
“There was a brief lull when the police managed to bring you in on a pretext,” Iadimus continued. “But you eluded them, and since then, seven more vampires have been killed.”
“ Jesus, ” I said, making Iadimus flinch. “That makes the combined toll, what, fifteen?”
“Sixteen vampires,” he said, eyes narrowed to blazing chips of ice. “But not just vampires. Sixty-four of our human prey- your kind-have died, and four werekin-”
“ Fah, ” Cinnamon said, flinching first at the death count-then at Iadimus’s glare.
“ Not my fault,” I snapped, trying to refocus the conversation back on me. “Even when I was in hiding I was working to stop-”
“I do not believe you,” Iadimus said stiffly. “And neither does the Lady Scara.”
“I, however, do believe her,” the lich said, smiling. “And Scara is not here.”
Iadimus’s mouth opened in shock, showing full fangs. Then he covered them, scowling.
“Irrelevant. The Lady Scara’s argument holds. I still oppose you. The vote is tied.”
“What about Lord Delancaster?” Vladimir asked sharply. “He’s a vampire lord.”
“The rebel does not get a vote,” the lich snapped, and Vladimir and I looked at each other, baffled. Delancaster did not respond; he just sat on the throne, motionless. “His protege, however… makes a quorum.” And then the lich looked at Saffron.
Iadimus drew a breath. “Oh, you manipulative bastard, ” he said quietly.
“Protege… me? ” Saffron asked. The attention seemed to have rattled her, and her voice sounded one drop less like the lich, and one drop more like Saffron. “What about me?”
“You,” the lich said, “are now in the Gentry. What say you about Frost’s assignment?”
“You know what she’ll say,” Iadimus said icily. “What, did you plan this?”
“Planned the death of Velasquez, the assault of the Destroyer, the shaming of Scara? Planned Frost pulling a dragon from her back? Come now,” the lich said. “But never waste a good crisis. Answer, child. Did you assign Dakota Frost the task of defeating the graffiti?”
Saffron just stared at him. “Yes,” she said cautiously.
“So you would be willing to commit that to a vote? To a finding of fact by the Gentry, that this is the explanation for Dakota Frost’s presence at all the graffiti crimes?”
“Yes,” Saffron said, even more cautiously. I got this sinking feeling that we were being maneuvered into a trap. “Yes, I asked Da-I asked the Lady Frost to investigate them.”
“I concur,” the lich said.
“I do not, ” Iadimus snarled.
“Irrelevant,” the lich said, smiling. “We have a quorum of elders, who have made a finding of fact that dismisses Scara’s objection. In fact, we can go further… now that the Lady Saffron is in the Gentry, her request to Dakota Frost gains the force of command.”
“Now wait a minute,” Saffron began.
“No, I see no need to wait. You commanded her to act, and so far she has produced no results,” he said. His eyes flashed at me. “Perhaps we can find new ways to motivate her.”
“You mention Cinnamon’s name again,” Vladimir said, “and-”
“No need for threats, Vlad,” the lich said. “I heard you when you said you came for Cinnamon and not for Frost. If the child holds her tongue, she can keep her head.”
“I’m not going to let you take her mother,” Vladimir said.
“And if you had to choose between them?” the lich said.
“Well,” Vladimir began, his eyes flickering over at me. “I’d-”
“That’s the same choice I would make, Doctor,” I said, staring at Cinnamon. The mention of her name had rattled her once again, and she was biting her knuckle. What had she said to the lich to piss him off? I had to get her out of here, whatever it took. “Don’t be ashamed.”
“Excellent,” the lich said, eyes focusing on me. “Then perhaps you will both agree that if I guarantee her safety… I can, in exchange, place you ‘on the hook’ for Saffron’s command?”
I swallowed. Vladimir and I glanced at each other. Then we both nodded.
The lich’s mouth parted in that piranha grin. “Dakota Frost,” he said, his bony hand slowly extending towards the cinderblock wall, “you have been given a command by a member of the Gentry, and have failed us. Now, we give you one last chance to redeem yourself:”
“Dakota Frost, on penalty of death,” the lich said, “stop this plague.”
Too Spooky to Pick Up a Phone
I stared at the wall. Then at the lich. “Wait, what? Stop this? That’s… it?”
“That is it,” he said, smiling evilly. “Though I doubt you will find yourself up to-”
“Get to the point,” Iadimus said. “She does not understand what we’re asking of her.”
I stared… and then got what he meant. “Oh, I think I do,” I said, feeling anger build. “Studying it for weeks, remember? I know you aren’t asking for a sandblasting job.”
“Quite right,” the lich said. “We are commanding you to kill the tagger.”
“No. No, you are not, ” I said sharply. Being strong armed into what I was already doing really pissed me off. “First, I’m no one’s hired killer, sir. And second, Saffron’s command was to stop the graffiti attacks. You are not commanding me to kill the tagger, but to defeat him.”
“But if you kill him, wouldn’t that-” the lich began, perplexed.
“Why do you think killing him will stop the attacks?” I said, waving at the tag. “ Look at that thing, growing in power. Is the tagger here? Is he hiding behind one of the curtains, orchestrating it? Who are you to tell me how to fight it? What the fuck do you know?”
“Watch your tongue, Frost,” the lich hissed. “I will not tolerate-”
“ You will not tolerate?” I interrupted. “You have no idea what you’ve done! How long have you had this tag? How long have you had Demophage? Days? Weeks? ”
The lich’s scowl slowly faded, became uncertain. “Over two weeks.”
“ Damn you! ” I said. “That was before Calaphase died, before dozens of others! You had a live sample of the graffiti and kept it hidden when you knew I was fighting it?”
“We did not believe,” the lich said, “you were fighting-”
“All this pointless death, destruction, and brinksmanship, when all you needed to do was make a phone call! I would have broken the speed limit to come take a look at this!”
“You are not an easy woman to find,” Iadimus began.