“Do you think you can really stop this?” the Were asked, her concern obvious.
“We’ve got a good chance.” Trisk’s knees on the cold van began to ache. “People are starting to figure it out, and that will help. It’s the little towns and the really big cities that are in the most danger. Too small of a population, and they can’t keep it together and make the right connections to save anyone. The really big cities are just as bad, imploding because of too many people and not enough resources or control. The middle ground has the best chance to survive, cities with a diverse enough population that can figure it out and have a big enough support structure to keep services going, but small enough to keep control. And that might be a problem.”
Ripley looked at her, then back to the road. She was driving without headlights, but she probably had better night vision than even Orchid. Besides, there was little chance of losing the road. They were coming in just south of Cincinnati, and the chiseled walls of the foothills rose high to either side. “How?” the woman asked.
Trisk looked back at Daniel with a feeling of guilt. “Humans aren’t stupid because they haven’t figured out we live beside them,” she whispered. “We’re just good at blending in. But when everyone around you starts dying, you find out why those who survived made it.”
Ripley’s small hands gripped the wheel tighter. “You think the silence is cracking?”
Feeling as if it was, Trisk shrugged.
Orchid stood and stretched, her tiny form silhouetted against the last of the stars. “I wouldn’t mind coming out. I might be able to find a husband, then. Take out an ad in the paper. Single female pixy looking for like-minded buck to start a family.” She snorted as she opened a little bag made of a gum wrapper and used her chopsticks to eat what looked like chocolate frosting. “I’ve only got a few years left to have kids,” she said around a lick. “I really want kids. Lots of them. Maybe twenty.”
Trisk’s hand went to her middle. She didn’t know what to say. Either way, she was never going to work in a lab again. This is so backward and unfair.
“Smell that?” Orchid said as she spun to the front window.
“Chili and chocolate?” Ripley said with a smile. “We’re almost there.”
“No.” Orchid’s wings hummed to invisibility. “Vampire.”
The word hung for two heartbeats as Ripley followed the road around a wide turn, gasping and stomping on the brakes when she saw two cars blocking their way, the cars’ headlights bathing each other in a bright glow the curve had hidden.
“Holy pixy piss!” Orchid shrilled, and Trisk grabbed the back of the seats as the van squealed to a stop. Takata slid to the floor, his long arms and legs in a tangle.
“Are we there?” the kid said from the footwell, his eyes wide and suddenly very awake.
“Hold on!” Her arm going across the passenger seat, Ripley turned to look behind them as she jerked the van into reverse.
But it was too late, and two more black cars slid into place, trapping them.
“Goddamn son of a bitch!” the petite woman swore, her high voice making it sound almost beautiful. “I am not going to jail!” she added, hitting the dash hard.
Takata slumped in his seat, long legs cramped. “My mom is going to kill me.”
Trisk shifted to make room for Daniel as he came up beside her, rubbing his stubble and yawning. “A roadblock? Swell.” Sighing, he tucked his shirt into his pants. “Good morning.”
“Is it?” Trisk said, wincing as Ripley slammed the van into park and swore some more.
“God, Ripley. Take it easy,” Takata said. “What are they going to do? We live here.”
The small woman crossed her arms over her chest and fumed. “I’m not a minor, Donald.”
Donald? Trisk thought, deciding Takata must be his stage name. “Turn your lights on,” she whispered, wanting a better look at the two men standing expectantly before the waiting cars.
Mood sour, Ripley did so, and the two men flinched in the one-headlight glare. The other light was still in Chicago with the van’s fender.
Her hand on the gun in her jacket pocket, Trisk looked at the two vampires, quiet and oddly passive in the middle of the road. The taller one was clean-shaven, wearing a trim suit, white shirt, and black tie, his dress shoes scuffing on the smooth pavement as he checked his watch and squinted. The other was in jeans and a tunic, a beaded belt holding it tight around his narrow, almost gaunt waist. His long hair was unbound, and he was barefoot despite the morning chill. As differently as they were dressed, they both had a sublimely confident air about them.
Trisk slumped. Vampires. Why is it always vampires? Unhappy, she looked at Kal, then Daniel, but when her gaze fell upon Takata, she took her hand off the gun. He was just a kid. If she used a gun, they’d use a gun. “Open the door,” she whispered.
“What?” Orchid shrilled, giving voice to everyone’s surprise.
“We can’t get past the cliffs,” Trisk said in resignation. “Let’s find out what they want. Bluff it out, maybe, but we can’t fight that. Open the door.”
Shoulders tense, Daniel stepped over Kal and opened the wide sliding door. Cool night air slipped in, refreshing and clean and sounding of crickets. Lips pressed tight, Trisk shook the cartridges out of the handgun, checked it again, then threw the unloaded weapon out the door to skitter on the black pavement.
“Dudette, you think that’s smart?” Takata asked.
“What are you doing?” Daniel questioned as she dropped the bullets in the van’s console.
“Trying to minimize an ugly situation. You see any humans?” she said, pointing. “If we use a gun, they’ll use a gun, and we’ll lose. With magic, we’ve got a chance. If the gun is out there, no one in here is going to make the mistake of using it.”
“What if they use a gun against your magic?” Ripley asked, and Trisk frowned.
“They won’t,” she promised, hoping she wasn’t mistaken. “They’ll think we’re helpless. Trust me on this. Inderlanders are so used to hiding our skills that we don’t see them as a threat anymore.” Which was a shame. But it would only work once. Vampires weren’t stupid.
Watching the two men out the front window, Trisk shouted, “That’s the only weapon we have!” Then she hesitated. “Wait a minute!” She turned to Ripley. “Right?” she asked pointedly.
Her expression sour, Ripley reached under the seat, then cranked the window down to throw out a gun, followed by a long, wicked-looking knife in a leather sheath.
Hearing them clatter on the pavement made Trisk feel better. “We don’t want any trouble!” she shouted, watching the man in the suit direct two of his men to collect the weapons and fall back. “We just want to come into Cincinnati. No one is sick.”
An odd, not unpleasant scent was drifting in the open door along with the sound of crickets. Vampire incense. She’d smelled it on Rick before, but never this strong. There had to be eight vampires surrounding them now, and she reached for a ley line. A sparkling warmth filled her, making her feel better. Behind them in the distance, a light winked on the road and was gone.
The two vampires waited patiently in the glare of the headlights. The hippie had a bandage on his wrist. There was another on his neck. The young man in the suit looked fine, but he moved with a slight limp. Living vamps, she thought. Maybe they don’t know who we are.
“Am I addressing Dr. Felecia Cambri?” the suited vampire called out.
And maybe someday we’ll fly to the moon and back. Trisk grimaced, feeling responsible for everyone in the van, Kal included. Orchid made a surprised chirp, and Daniel and Takata exchanged worried looks. “Who wants to know?” she yelled, and the vampire’s smile widened.
“Manners, manners,” he said. “You’re correct, and I do apologize. I’m Piscary, in charge of the city at the moment until we can get things sorted out. Beside me is Sam. He is assisting me tonight. Could we talk about what happened in Sacramento?”
Trisk thought about it f
or three heartbeats, then reached for the doorframe.
“Whoa, hold on,” Daniel said, pulling her back. “You’re not going out there.”
She slumped, her attention shifting between his severe expression to Orchid hovering dead center of the van, hands on her hips as she spilled a bright gold dust. Ripley was grim-faced behind the wheel, and Takata, though wide-eyed, was clearly recklessly ready for anything. Kal, of course, just lay there. “Thank you for getting me here,” she said. “This is my ride.”
But as Ripley and Orchid objected, Daniel lurched to get out of the van ahead of her. “Daniel,” she protested, but his jaw was set and she could tell he wasn’t getting back in. Orchid, too, zipped out, flying over her head, easily evading her to alight on his shoulder.
“This is my fault, too,” Daniel said as he zipped up the jacket he’d gotten from Captain Pelhan, and Trisk slumped. “Coming?” he asked.
“Bad idea. Bad idea,” she muttered, then louder, “Ripley, keep Takata in the van.” She slipped out, feeling the hard pavement all the way to her skull. “You shouldn’t be here,” she added as she and Daniel began walking forward.
“When is conversation not a good idea?” Daniel said, convincing Trisk he had no clue.
Behind them, the van’s door creaked open, and Trisk spun, a sigh of exasperation slipping from her when Takata began to get out. But it was Piscary who called out, “Donald, get back in the van. I told your mother I’d have you home in time for breakfast.”
“Dude! How do you know my name?” the teenager said, then yelped when Ripley reached across the wide bench seat and yanked him back in, telling him to sit or she’d rip off his balls and feed them to the troll under Twin Lakes Bridge.
The van door slammed shut again, and Trisk stopped right before the two vampires. “Promise you’ll let them go,” she said, feeling responsible. “Do that, and we’ll come quietly.”
Piscary smiled, his lips tight to hide his teeth. “I intend to,” he said, his smooth speech making him sound older than he looked. “We’re one man short, though,” he said, eyes on the top of the surrounding cliffs as a rock slid and fell. “Is Dr. Kalamack still unconscious?”
How does he know that? she thought as she nodded, both glad and uneasy that Kal was being included in this.
“It’s probably easier to keep him that way for now,” Piscary said, his eyebrows high as he motioned to the watching men and one came forward. Sam joined him, the light from the headlights flashing on them as they went to the van, chatting with Ripley for a moment before levering themselves in and bundling Kal into the blanket she’d gotten from May.
“You’re a vampire,” Daniel blurted, reddening when Piscary turned his surprised gaze on him. Still carrying Kal, the hippie vampire gasped, his eyes widening in shock.
“And you’re a problem, Dr. Plank,” Piscary said, fingers steepled. He was wearing a mood ring, blacker than the night, and Trisk thought it an odd accessory for someone so refined.
“Not usually,” Daniel said. “I mean, I’m not usually a problem. I’m always Dr. Plank.”
Trisk shifted uneasily. “He can hold the silence. He won’t break it. I promise.”
“Sir,” the hippie vampire protested, and Piscary shook his head.
“Look at him.” Piscary gestured at Daniel. “He has a pixy on his shoulder. It is too late. He knows what we are.” Trisk blanched as Piscary turned his hard gaze to her. “I see no need to silence Dr. Plank—at the moment,” he added as he tugged his suit’s sleeves down, smiling to show Trisk his slightly enlarged canines.
“You’re not touching him. At this moment, or any other,” she said, even as she wondered at the care they took in carrying Kal, supporting his head and making sure he didn’t hit anything as they gently lowered him to the earth beside one of the black cars. The driver unlocked the trunk, and her lips parted. “Hang on. You can’t put him in the trunk.”
Unperturbed, Piscary gestured for them to follow. “There’s not enough room in the car. I promise you he’ll be comfortable. We need to go. Piscary would like to talk to you.”
And you’re putting yourself in the third person why? she wondered.
Daniel’s frown deepened. “I thought you said you were Piscary,” he finally said.
The vampire’s eyes followed Orchid as she watched them put Kal in the trunk, the small pixy giggling wildly. “I am, and I’m not,” he said as he glanced at the eastern sky just now showing a hint of light. “Shall we?”
Suddenly Trisk wasn’t keen on getting in the car, even if Kal was already in the trunk. It had become obvious that Piscary was a true undead, not the young living vampire standing before them. A master vampire in charge of the city’s sundry vampire families would be both old enough and skilled enough to possess one of his children so he could see through their eyes, speak through their mouth.
“It’s me or the enclave,” Piscary said, the threat obvious. “They will be here shortly.”
“Why should I trust you?” she asked, Daniel and Orchid again beside her.
Piscary began to look impatient. “I told them you were on a train. They’ll discover soon enough that no trains are departing from Chicago. You have my word I won’t deliver you to the enclave without an opportunity to publicly air your grievance. I don’t like what I’m hearing, and I’m hopeful you can bring some enlightenment.” He smiled, but it was devoid of feeling.
Unsure, she glanced behind her at Takata and Ripley watching from inside the van. Daniel looked scared but willing. Orchid stood on his shoulder, and seeing Trisk’s question, she clattered her wings. Ripley would ram them if she asked, and with her driving skills and Orchid’s sword, they might evade the vampires for an hour or two. Recapture was inevitable. Two hours might be enough to get the word out. It might not. I don’t want to endanger them.
“Dr. Cambri,” Piscary prompted, “your elven enclave is not happy. That should be reason enough for you to trust me for a time.”
For a time. Which meant what happened after that was up for debate. Willingly walking into a master vampire’s home was not prudent, but if anyone might be able to force the enclave to listen, it would be another high-ranking Inderlander. And so Piscary beamed when she nodded, her shoulders hunched as she paced to the car where they’d stashed Kal. “You going to open the door for me?” she asked the driver, and he jumped to do so. This is such a bad idea, she thought as she waved good-bye to Ripley and Takata and got in.
The car was luxurious, the soft seats and warm air coming from the vent soothing in the predawn chill. Daniel got in after her, but before she could slide to the other side, the other door opened and Piscary levered himself in. Uncomfortable, she sat in the middle of the long bench seat, caught between Daniel and a master vampire seeing through one of his children’s eyes.
“Thank you,” Piscary said as he settled himself. “I’ll see you shortly,” he added as the driver and Sam got in the front and the vehicle began to shift back and forth to get back on the road properly. “Let Leo know if you need anything. The shops are open, and it’s likely that we’ll have some time before the witch’s coven of moral and ethical standards clears their spokesperson. There’s a Were representative to be found as well.”
Coven of moral and ethical standards? Trisk thought, wondering why the witches were getting involved, but Piscary had promised she could air her grievances. “Thank you,” she said, but Piscary had slumped.
Gasping, his head snapped up, almost as fast as it had fallen. Eyes wide, he took a deep breath, his hands on his knees almost white-knuckled.
Daniel leaned to look around Trisk. “Are you okay?”
“Fine, thanks,” the man beside her said, his voice higher, almost apologetic. “Sometimes he forgets to breathe enough for me is all.” Eyes pinched in worry, he leaned forward to see them both. “I’m Leo. Do you need to pick anything up on the way?”
Daniel stared; the change was obvious. Leo was upfront where Piscary had been calculating, attentive whe
re Piscary had been detached. “A-ah,” Daniel stammered, but Orchid, still on his shoulder, hummed her wings, filling the back of the car with her sparkling dust.
“Slugs in beer!” she swore, hovering inches in front of the man now trying not to sneeze. “I’ve never seen that before. You’re Piscary’s scion, aren’t you?”
Leo nodded, looking exhausted, as well as proud, and scared. “For the last few days,” he said, wiping sweat off the back of his neck. “His usual scion is unwell.” Leo’s eyes flicked to Trisk, then back to his hands. His mood ring had shifted to a fiery red, and he made a fist to hide it. “The faintest taint of sickness, and they won’t touch us. It’s becoming a problem.”
From the front, Sam said, “Those of us not ill are taking on an undue burden,” he said, holding up his bandaged wrist in explanation. “It’s hard keeping up.”
“We’ll manage,” Leo said, a hard determination stiffening his shoulders. “We won’t allow our masters to make Cincinnati into another Detroit.”
Clearly confused, Daniel leaned close, whispering, “Scion?”
“An undead vampire’s aide who does his or her daylight work,” she said, adding, “I’ll explain it to you later.” She turned to Leo, seeing him trying to recover. “You’ll be okay,” she said, and he looked up, his fear quickly hidden. “Your family will be fine.”
Wan, Leo nodded, clearly not convinced.
All the vehicles had worked themselves back onto the road, and Trisk felt a new ribbon of unease wind around her heart when Takata and Ripley were escorted onto the expressway heading into Cincinnati. She watched the van go distant, a black car before them, one behind.
But then she looked out the front window, her lips parting in amazement as the car rolled into Newport, just across the river from Cincinnati. There were cars on the road and people on the sidewalks despite the predawn hour, and yes, the shops were open unusually early. She wondered if the plague had somehow skipped them, but then Orchid’s wings drooped when a bus with MORGUE spray-painted on it rolled past, stopping when someone waving a red dishcloth came out of an apartment building.