“I’ll handle Karra.” Warm feelings washed over my crotch as I thought about just how I’d like to handle her.
He shook his head. “Stay on task, Frank. Last few times you tangled with her, she handed you your ass. I don’t know how you managed to avoid being killed, but your luck, if that’s what we’re calling it, can’t last forever.” He surveyed the desert landscape as he let his meaning sink in. He knew there was something there between Karra and I, but didn’t know what.
He could join the club.
“You head that way. Stick to the shrubs until you get a clear shot on Reven. The second you do, take it. Put him down.”
“We’re not even sure what he’s doing yet?” My suspicions churned in my stomach.
“Doesn’t matter.” Katon’s voice was cold. “Without a necromancer, Longinus is just another stiff. Threat ended.”
He was right. He was always right, and I hated it. While Katon had no idea who the other players in the game were-as if I did-he knew they all wanted the same thing; power. That meant Longinus. Without Reven to animate him, he wasn’t a factor in anyone’s plans. With a grudging nod, I agreed.
There went my chances with Karra. I was only partially comforted by the thought I probably never had a chance to begin with.
Katon pointed to me and slipped off down the dune, going the opposite of where he told me. Silent, not even rustling the bushes in his wake, he was gone, a shadow merging with the growing dimness.
Disgruntled, I tugged my gun out and headed off like a good little soldier. There is something inherently unsatisfying about following orders when the consequences are unclear. Maybe it was just my uncle’s influence rearing its rebellious head, but I was having a hard time with the idea of putting a bullet in Reven’s head.
It wasn’t because I thought he was a good guy, far from it. You can’t muck about with reanimating corpses and wear a white hat. People had to die so the dead could live. That was just the fact of it. I also wasn’t hesitant because of Karra. Well, not too much. Yeah, shooting her master in the face was probably high on the list of first date don’ts, but I could live with not getting any. Shit, that was an everyday occurrence, or non-occurrence, however you want to say it.
My problem was I felt like I was being played from all ends. Karra had to answer to Reven’s whims and all her talk of the greater good could have been a setup. For what, I had no idea, but I couldn’t just accept her word Reven wasn’t looking to do harm.
Then there was Lilith, succubus, mother of Veronica, and all around snake in the grass. I could take a shit in the woods and hit one of her lies. The problem was, though I knew she wasn’t telling me everything, there didn’t seem to be any logical reason for her to want Longinus reanimated. As a zombie, she’d have no control over him, no influence. He’d be nothing to her. It didn’t make sense.
As I crept around the creosote, my head kept circling back to the body I’d found in Old Town. Baalth had told me it was Reven’s ghouls who’d kidnapped his men, but I hadn’t seen any ghouls around Reven. There’d only been the ones at Calvary, but I couldn’t say for certain who was controlling them. Besides, the crispy critter I’d looked at didn’t seem to be a ghoul. It didn’t look like a zombie either, way too much fresh blood and brain bits. If I had to guess, I’d say it looked a lot more like a gaunt, a human victim of a succubus’s feeding.
If that were the case, then the stakes were much higher than I’d been led to believe. If Lilith were willing to risk Baalth’s wrath by tricking him into going after Reven personally, the payout had to be tremendous. Were he to find out, there’s no place in Heaven or Hell where she’d be safe from his retribution.
If she were willing to play Baalth so boldly, what was she willing to do to little old me?
In position to shoot Reven, I found myself hesitating. He stood there, directing his zombies, oblivious to my presence as I’d camped out just beyond what I believed to be the range of his senses. My gun was pointed at him, but I couldn’t get my finger to pull the trigger. What was the price of Reven’s death? The question ricocheted inside my head, always missing the answer. My hand shook, my heart trusting Katon, but my body wouldn’t obey.
A second later, it no longer mattered.
“Down,” Karra screeched, her blades drawn in a silver blur as she raced toward Reven. Even masked, I could see the grim determination on her face. The necromancer whirled and dove in her direction, his zombies forming a defensive wall.
About twenty yards from her, I saw Katon spring from the bushes, his own blade out. At first I’d thought he or I had spooked Karra, giving ourselves away, but when I saw the glistening shimmer lighting up the desert sky, I realized it hadn’t been us.
From behind Katon, a growing glow whistled toward us like furious storm winds. Clouds of dirt swirled around it. Seeing it, Reven scrambled into the darkness, his zombies jumbled up behind him. Karra stood her ground, alternating her glare between Katon and the lightshow that sped ever closer, her swords at the ready.
Having given up all pretense of surprise, I stepped out of hiding, moving around toward Katon. I held my gun on Karra and kept my distance, knowing damn well how quick she was. It didn’t take but a second before she knew I was there.
“Damn it, Triggaltheron.” Her voice was a wolf’s growl. “I was trying to protect you.” She motioned toward the light. “There’s nothing I can do now.”
Katon edged forward, looking for an opening, when Reven called out, “Come, Karra. Their fate is not ours.”
She hesitated a second, her eyes meeting mine, yet never letting her guard down. “If you’re lucky, there’ll be enough of you left for Reven to raise after all this is over.”
She backed away, the zombie line broke apart for her to pass. Behind them, Reven stood in a shallow grave, his hand extended to her, his yellow glowing eyes sputtering. Once she was passed, the zombies reformed, blocking Katon from following. No real threat to him, it was clear their job was only to slow him down. It worked.
As soon as Karra reached Reven, their palms interlocking, an ebon mist boiled up beneath them, smoky tendrils encircling the grave. Karra dropped into the hole beside her master and gave me one last glance as the blackness engulfed them.
I thought I saw pity in her eyes before they disappeared.
A frigid tremor ran up my spine as the mist cleared. The grave was empty, tiny wisps of dark drifting up to fade away. Karra and Reven were gone.
Katon, fury tattooed on his face, turned to face the incoming lights, keeping the remaining zombies in sight. They stood their ground, but did nothing.
Unsure of what their final orders were, I didn’t turn my back to the zombies, but my focus was on the rapidly approaching lights. Something told me the resident corpses were the least of my concerns.
I hate when I’m right.
Nearer, the mass of shimmering lights resolved into a dozen singular, brilliant glows. A moment later, they drifted to a stop in front of us, each glow taking on a humanoid form. I felt a sudden chill as the temperature dropped drastically. My heart skipped a beat as I realized what they were.
Revenants. These were Michael’s non-shadow shadows.
Made of pure, magical energy, there was little to distinguish them from each other, save for the superficial attempts at mimicking what I imagined was their original appearances. Most seemed male, though a couple had decidedly more feminine characteristics. One was even hot enough to warrant a second look.
I’m not biased.
In flowing robes of glistening white, their whirling yellow eyes casting severe glances our direction, they fanned out into a half-circle. The one at the center, an older looking man whose face was far more defined than the rest, took a step forward and addressed us.
“Where is Reven?” His voice was like dry ice. Whispers of frost wafted out of his mouth as he spoke.