Band of Demons (The Sanheim Chronicles, Book Two) (37 page)

“Great,” Kate replied. “So I’m obsessed with death?”

“Maybe,” Kieran said. “On a subconscious level, both you and Elyssa chose what you are. If you want my psychoanalysis of Elyssa, I’d say she’s a Phooka because she’s always wanted to be something other than herself. She tapped into a myth that allowed her to change shapes depending on circumstances. She prides herself on her adaptability—and her
cennad
reflects that. As for you…”

“My mother,” Kate said. It was all she had to say.

“You experienced death in a very intimate way at a young age,” Kieran said. “The banshee is a guardian of the dead, a warning to others, and an avenging spirit all wrapped into one. It suits you perfectly. It’s also a potential game-changer.”

Kate stared out at the field in front of her and watched as the trees at the far edge swayed slightly in the breeze.

“Why do you say that?” she asked.

“As far as I know, you’re unique in the history of the Princes of Sanheim,” Kieran replied and his voice was uncharacteristically quiet. “I’ve read legend after legend, history after history, and never heard a whisper of someone like you. Everyone else has depended on actual people flocking to their cause, but not you. Somehow you’ve tapped into a different way to attract
moidin
.”

“How much do Sawyer and Elyssa know about my powers?” she asked.

“Next to nothing, and that’s why they’re so scared of you,” Kieran replied. “They sensed your power the moment they got into town, but they didn’t get a taste of it until Ashburn. You took them on single-handedly last time—and fought them to a draw.”

“He didn’t seem scared of me when he attacked Purcellville,” Kate said.

“Oh, that’s exactly what he was,” Kieran replied. “Why else didn’t he ride out to meet you? He burned the place and fled. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s spooked. And who knows just how far your power goes?”

Kate paused for a minute, looking carefully at Kieran.

“Do you know how far it goes?” she asked.

Kieran shrugged.

“Well, your
cennad
is the banshee, which can scream, turn incorporeal and call the dead. But using your abilities drains your power. Halloween is the height of your gifts, but they aren’t limitless.”

“But Sawyer and Elyssa face that problem too,” Kate said.

“Sure, but don’t forget: they are more powerful than you,” he said.

He held up his hands when Kate started to object.

“It’s a fact, not a judgment,” he said. “They defeated two Princes already, remember? With each year they survived, they’ve grown more powerful. They’ll have more energy to draw on, just trust me.”

 He could almost see the wheels turning in her head. She was deciding whether she could trust him. For a moment, he thought about cutting her off, telling her she couldn’t. He
liked
Kate and Quinn. He didn’t want to, but there it was.

“Do you know what ‘You are the last’ means?’” she asked finally.

“I’m sorry?”

“Zora put it in a note. She wrote, ‘You are the last,’” she said.

Kieran considered this. He truthfully had no idea what she was talking about.

“Sorry, I don’t know,” he said. “But other than myself, Carol knew more about the whole Prince of Sanheim business than anyone else. She may have found something I missed.”

“And you killed her,” Kate said.

“We’ve been over this,” Kieran replied. “I’d say I’m sorry, but what good would it do?”

He shrugged and Kate felt like hitting him for his casualness. It was as if he spilled milk on the floor, for all it meant to him. Still, she let it go. He was useful to her, for now.

“Your turn,” Kieran said. “Why here? Why aren’t we in a cemetery? Isn’t that where the dead people are?”

Kate pointed at the landscape in front of her.

“Look around,” she said. “What do you see?”

Kieran made a show of scoping out the field.

“Trees,” he said. “Rocks, grass. I see this cannon here. So what?”

“What do you feel?”

“Uh, a little chilly?” Kieran replied after a moment. “And hungry, now that you mention it.”

Kate gave him a cold look.

“Is that really all you can feel?” she asked dismissively. “I thought you were supposed to be this great psychic.”

Kieran actually felt his pride wounded a little bit. He closed his eyes and concentrated. At first he could feel nothing. Then, slowly he could hear the sound of the cannon roaring, men screaming. He heard the sounds of death.

“Bloody hell,” he said.

Kate didn’t ask him what he sensed—she didn’t have to.

“It’s not just people who remember, it’s places,” Kate said. “I understand that now. Our past is what shapes us, defines us. It’s what gives us power. And this place is full of power.”

Kieran’s eyes snapped open. He had experienced the equivalent before, maybe two decades ago when he visited Culloden Moor, the site of a famous battle in Scotland. What he remembered most was the immense feeling of sadness that lingered there.

“I hear you,” he said. “What I don’t understand is how it’s going to help you.”

Kate just smiled enigmatically at him. Ever since her talk with Terry Jacobsen, she had known she would come here. The only question was how to draw Sawyer and Elyssa to the spot—and there must be some way to do that. Everything turned on whether she had learned the lessons of Ashburn well enough. But for once, she knew she was in exactly the right place.

“You’ll see,” she replied. “It’s going to make all the difference. It’s how we’re going to win this thing.”

Chapter 33

For the first time in days, Quinn moved without pain. He stepped out of the shower and studied himself in the mirror. His skin had a pinkish tinge, but otherwise it appeared new and healthy. There was no trace of the burns he had received a week earlier.

The constant fatigue was also gone. Just two days ago, he couldn’t go four hours without a nap—most likely because his body was spending all its energy rebuilding itself. Now he was refreshed, vibrant.

He felt like a new man.

He pulled on some clothes and walked down the hallway. He went to the kitchen and got himself a Coke.

Quinn waited for the door to open. He hadn’t gone with Kate and Kieran on their scouting mission because he wanted to do some more research on Aillen/Sawyer, but Kate had filled him in as she drove home.

Her plan was sound. It might not work, but it seemed like the only shot they had.

Kate opened the door and found Quinn waiting for her by the door. She kissed him on the lips and he was surprised by the intensity of it. She had been depressed and angry after the destruction of Purcellville. But there was something different there now—a fierce desire. It wasn’t for him, he knew. It was for revenge. But it seemed to liven her up just the same.

Kieran followed in behind Kate and sighed loudly in disgust when he saw them kissing. Kate pointedly ignored him.

“I bought a map,” Quinn said when they broke apart.

He pointed to the dining room table where a topographical map of Loudoun County lay.

Kate explained her strategy and the location where they had scouted.

 “They’ll never agree to meet us where we want to go,” Kate said. “We have to find a way to lure them there.”

“I was mulling that over on the car ride back,” Kieran said. “Sawyer’s weakness is his pride. He’s clearly waiting for tomorrow to strike. You can wait for him to strike and try to lure him back or… you can challenge him.”

“Challenge Sawyer to a duel?” Kate asked. “You really think that macho male shit works?”

 “Macho male shit is what Sawyer is all about, Kate,” Kieran said. “He’s old school. Ever notice how he talks to Elyssa? He is not an enlightened 21
^st
century man. He was born sometime in the 1870s, and he’s a product of his time. The duel idea will appeal to him.”

Kate pointed to the map.

“If we tell him to meet us here, he’s going to know the plan,” she said.

“So we’ll make it someplace else,” Quinn said and looked over the map. He pointed to a spot. “Here. Let’s offer to meet him in Morven Park.”

“In theory, it’s a good site for them,” Kate nodded. “It’s near an equestrian center so it’s a nice open space. Nearest cemetery is a mile or two away, so even if he does believe that graveyards are connected to my power, he has no reason to think we have an advantage there.”

“Because we don’t,” Quinn said.

“Right,” Kieran said. “But that’s where you come in. You’ll take the field alone.”

“That worked so well last time,” Quinn said. “It’s a fight I can’t win.”

“Exactly, and he knows it,” Kieran replied.

“I love this plan,” Quinn said. “I’m excited to be a part of it.”

“Ghostbusters, right?” Kieran said, and smiled. “God, I love that movie.”

Quinn just grinned.

“Boys,” Kate said. “Let’s stay on track.”

“Okay,” Kieran said, and pointed at the map. “At the right moment, you will strategically withdraw. You need to draw them across this direction. Past Tuscarora High School and the middle school beyond that. When the time comes, you need to be right here.”

He tapped his finger on a patch of land near the Potomac River.

“If you can draw them there, we’ll be ready,” Kieran said.

Quinn nodded.

“Can you do it?” he asked Kate.

She smiled back at him.

“We’ll find out,” she said.

“But one thing,” Kieran said.

“Just one?” Kate asked.

“Your scream,” he said. “I said before Sawyer will be worried about your scream. You can try that trick again, but my guess is it won’t work. Sawyer will be ready for it. Don’t rely on it to save the day.”

Kate nodded.

“I’m worried about his flute,” she said.

“It’s not as foolproof as he thinks,” Kieran replied. “It won’t work on Quinn at all. I’m not even sure he knows if you have
moidin
, but even if he does, I don’t think they’ll be affected. They are ghosts, after all.”

“That makes us even on one count,” Quinn said. “What else do our guys have?”

Kate thought of the ghost who carved his initials into the woodwork.

“Let me worry about that, honey,” she said. “If the plan works, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“One final question: how do we kill Sawyer and Elyssa?” Quinn asked.

“Elyssa’s not a problem,” Kieran said. “She’s an animal. She may be a mythical creature, but she’s still real. Cut off her head. That ought to appeal to your particular talents.”

“And Sawyer?”

Kate smiled.

“I called in a favor for that one,” she said. “Remember the literature on faeries? Silver is their weakness.”

Kate disappeared into the bedroom and returned holding a gleaming sword. She handed it to Quinn.

He grasped the hilt and held it in his hand. It was heavier than he was used to, but not as heavy as he expected.

“This can’t be made of solid silver,” he said.

“It’s steel with silver inlays,” she said. “It turns out that silver is too soft for a sword, but this ought to do the trick nicely.”

She held out her hand to take it back.

“Hey,” Quinn said. “I thought this was mine.”

“You already have a sword,” she said. “I need one.”

“Do you even know how to use it?”

“I’m half of you, remember? You know how to fight—so do I.”

Quinn looked at her and wondered if he had seen her so sexy in his life. He handed the sword back to her.

“Where in the world did you find this kind of sword?” Quinn asked.

 “Remember William Burns, the GM engineer turned sword maker?” Kate asked. “I contacted him as soon as we read the story about Aillen. And I paid him a lot of money. I wanted to surprise you.”

“Kate gave me a different errand,” Kieran said.

He went to the corner of the room and dug into a large bag. Quinn should have noticed it before, but he had been distracted.

When Kieran brought it to him, Quinn’s eyes widened. Even Kate looked surprised.

“Wow, when you said you’d look into buying a shield, I didn’t realize how well you’d come through,” Kate said.

Kieran placed it gently on the table. It was one of the most beautiful objects Quinn had ever seen. It was a steel shield, but like the sword, had a silver inlay. On the front was the image of a man dressed in an ancient tunic and holding a spear. Quinn knew who it was immediately.

“It’s Fionn, leader of the Fianna,” he said.

“Yes,” Kieran said. “I thought it was fitting.”

“Is this what he used to defeat Aillen?” Quinn asked.

“A replica,” Kieran said. “It was a magic shield, dipped in silver to deflect faerie magic. When Aillen came to burn Tara, he used his fire on Fionn—but failed. Fionn threw his spear, hit Aillen in the shoulder…”

“And destroyed him,” Kate finished.

For the first time in days, Quinn felt hopeful.

“Where did you get this?” Quinn asked.

“Kate has her resources,” Kieran replied. “I have mine.”

Quinn was too transfixed by the shield to care much about his answer. But Kate watched Kieran carefully.

“Thank you,” Quinn said. He reached his hand out to Kieran, who grasped it. “I mean it. You’ve been a tremendous help to us.”

Kieran looked surprised for a second, even slightly alarmed.

“You deserve to win this fight,” he said. “It’s been a… pleasure knowing you both. If people like you two had become the Prince a long time ago, things would have been different.”

Quinn wondered if that was right.

“Absolute power corrupts,” he replied. “So maybe not.”

“If we win, we’ll get a chance to find out,” Kate said.

“Okay,” Kieran said, looking uncomfortable.

He stepped back.

“So that’s the plan,” he said. “It’s solid. I’m going to go out and catch a movie.”

“You’re going out?” Kate asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, there’s still a good chance that the three of us are going to die tomorrow,” he said. “I could use a break. And I thought the two of you might… you know… want to spend the night… relaxing.”

“That’s the first time I’ve seen you be diplomatic,” Kate said.

“Well, ‘shag like bunnies’ seemed crass,” Kieran replied and smiled.

Kate looked at Quinn.

“We could use some time alone,” she said.

Kieran stepped toward the door.

“No problem,” he said. “I won’t be back ‘til late.”

 “Thank you,” Quinn said again.

“You may be the nicest homicidal ghost I’ve ever met,” Kieran said.

With that, he headed out the door. The smile only left his face when the door closed behind him.

*****

When the door was shut, Kate walked over to Quinn and put her arms around his neck. She kissed him long and slow.

“I missed this,” he said.

“Me too,” she replied. “I’m just glad you’re finally all right. When I saw you in the hospital…”

“It’s okay,” Quinn said.

“I wanted to gut Sawyer then and there,” she finished.

“I thought you were going to say something a little more romantic, but that’s fine too,” Quinn replied.

He leaned in and kissed her again. For the first time in weeks, they wanted to forget about their enemies, Purcellville and everything else that had gone wrong.

Quinn reached down to pull off her shirt but was stopped by a knock at the door.

“What now?” he said.

Kate crossed to the door, opened it and let Tim Anderson in.

“I was waiting for the other guy to leave,” Tim explained.

Kate nodded as if this was expected.

“You don’t trust him,” Kate said.

“Do you?” Tim said.

“Not much,” Kate replied.

“Where have you been?” Quinn asked.

“Do you even need to ask?” Tim said. “You’ve missed one of the biggest stories in Loudoun County’s history.”

“Purcellville,” Kate said.

“Yes,” he said. “I’ve had every reporter committed there. Josh and Bill have taken some amazing photos. Ethan keeps asking where Kate is.”

“Thank you for covering for me,” she said.

“Well, for once I think we’ve found something more important than reporting the news.”

“How much trouble are you in for the other night?” Quinn asked. “You tipped police off to the wrong location.”

Tim frowned and shrugged.

“My role was strictly off the record,” he said. “It’s Brown who has taken the heat for that and he knows it wasn’t my fault. I warned him the information may not be reliable. The bigger question is how they are explaining Purcellville. Brown is out for blood, wants me to tell him what I know.”

“How much have you said?”

“Very little,” he replied. “He blames the Prince of Sanheim though. That much is clear. Views him as some kind of serial arsonist now.”

“So people saw him attacking the town?” Kate asked.

“Enough of them,” Tim said. “There are wild stories of course and people believe them. The official reason—a cascading natural gas explosion—doesn’t even remotely make sense. In this county, people believe in the bogeyman. I don’t think they’ll get over this latest atrocity for a long time. As for how much Brown understands, I don’t know. He must know he’s not dealing with anything human, at least on some level. But if he does, he won’t admit it.”

Kate wondered if she had made a mistake in not telling Tim where Sawyer and Elyssa were holed up. She knew that if she had, the police would have raided it in a heartbeat. But she thought Sawyer would have been ready for that. His flute would have put the cops to sleep—and then they would have been slaughtered by Elyssa’s pack.

At least that’s what she told herself. Maybe it would have turned out differently. What she secretly worried about was that she didn’t want the police to find Sawyer—because she wanted to make him pay herself.

No, you did the right thing
, Quinn thought.

Tim watched the look that passed between them.

“How can I help you?” Tim asked. “Whatever I can do to assist, I want to do it. The past few days have been… rough.”

Kate walked to the dining room table and showed him the map. She briefly went through their plan.