Nimravid (The MacFade Chronicles Book 1) Page 21

  “Looks like it would protect you alright,” Archie walked up to poke at my chest with one finger and then felt the shoulder joint. “That’s incredible, how can it be that hard and yet still flexible enough to move with you?” I cleared my throat for emphasis. “I believe, I did mention something about magic when we first started this.” Looking at my watch, I closed up the Hummer and stared back up the driveway. “Come on, we need to get back up to the house before your brother sends out a search party.” Archie gave me an appraising look. “Cool points and all, Mack, you’re not going back dressed like that, are you? Don’t get me wrong, it’s quite a fashion statement. It screams, hey look at me, I’m bullet proof. Who wants to fight?” I paused to consider his words as I viewed my reflection in a small fountain.

  “Hmmm…good point, let’s make a few adjustments,” It resisted me a little. That’s to be expected. Spirit Stone is in essence a smart material and this was probably the last owner’s preferred configuration. I pushed a little more of my power into it then morphed the kilt into something like a long lapel vest with tails. Archie nodded in appraisal as he rested his chin on his right index finger. “That will work; you can put your tuxedo back on over it.”

  “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “I do. It’s clear he has been looking for a friend like me for a while.”

  “Let’s hope you’re right.”

  Pulling the tuxedo shirt back on, I buttoned it up. Archie closed the chest and it locked with a series of resounding clicks. Waiting for me to retrieve my jacket, he held out the chest. “Thanks, you’d better disappear. Reggie doesn’t know you’re out here. Besides, if you want to see what happens next, you’ll have to follow me in.” He smiled, grateful for the invitation. “Right, after you...” Archie, drew his hand across the amulet and disappeared. Leaving only a pair of cross trainers, in plain sight. I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. A voice spoke from seemingly nowhere. “What?” I shook my head. “Remember what I said about extending the Shroud all the way to the ground?”

  “Oh, right.” The shoes vanished into the slightly obscured grass. “Good, now try to stay on hard clean surfaces, if you can.” I started for the house, hearing shuffling feet as I walked. “And for cripe’s sake pick up your feet, kid! I could hear you from INSIDE the bloody house right now.” The shuffling stopped.

  I stepped inside and was met by Reggie at the door. “Father was concerned you were gone so long he, sent me to check on you.” Sure he did. I hefted the chest. “Dropped it, and took a while to clean the mud off,” I said, walking on without further explanation.

  As I entered Kolann’s office again, I made a point of catching my elbow on the door knob, giving Archie a wide enough berth to pass by, before closing it behind me. “Well here it is Svetlana, all yours, my gift to you.” She scowled at me. “Took you long enough, hasn’t anyone ever taught you a peace offering should be given expediently? But, that’s OK. You were obviously raised by wolves if your manners are any indicator. I guess I shouldn’t expect you to know how things are done in civilized circles.” Svetlana put her hand to her mouth and chortled. “That’s funny isn’t it? A tiger raised by wolves?”

  “Svetlana!” Kolann growled through grinding teeth. “Are you TRYING to get yourself killed?” She got up, pulling a velveteen rope, as she moved past me. A bell rang off in the distance. I looked at Kolann to make sure it wasn’t a signal I needed to be concerned about. He gave me a tight shake of his head. Some sort of domestic helper entered the room, shortly afterward. “Take this to my room and be careful that you don’t drop it!” Svetlana snapped imperiously. “And the bitch is back...”

  “I don’t think you need to worry too much, Svetlana.” I gave the chest a series of rapid thumps and violent shakes before handing it over to the servant. “I don’t think there’s anything in it.” Svetlana looked aghast. “Well if there is, Mr. Walker you have surely broken it now, you insufferable lummox!” So much for suing for peace, oh well, I reckon I’ll need to think of a Plan B.

  I could Sense Archie restraining his mirth almost to the breaking point. I aimed a short unnoticed kick in his direction. My kick coming up short, ended the mirth abruptly. Mai became alarmed. “Alex…”

  “I Sense it too, that isn’t Archie; keep alert.”

  I Looked around, recognizing blob number #1 as Archie, but who was blob #2? As I was surveying Kolann’s office, I noticed a cane collection in a large Ming Dynasty vase near the door, among them, was a Sjambok. It’s a thin, four foot long whip, made out of braided Rhino hide. In skilled hands, it will peel the flesh from your bones. I casually made my way over to the door and slid the Sjambok out of its place in the vase, unnoticed. “I’m pretty sure it’s just the chest, Svetlana. It barely weighs anything.” Svetlana hefted it herself and gave it back to the servant, shooing her away. “Humph! Well I thank you for your token gesture, Mr. Walker but I really must be going now. I have important things to do.” Kolann sat up a little straighter. “Svetlana, do you really feel we are finished, considering the circumstances?” She gave him a dirty look. “Yes, Kolann, I do. He wasn’t really going to execute me. Were you, Mr. Walker?”

  “It appears Ms. Rayner has regained her arrogance and acidic charm in your absence. How are we going to deal with this?”

  “As it comes, Mai.”

  I turned to Kolann. He was scrutinizing my face, looking worried. Svetlana kept talking, taking no interest in anyone in the room, aside from herself. “You simply don’t have the stomach for executing unarmed people, do you? No… that’s a skill that comes with experience.” She reached up and caressed my cheek.

  “OK, that’s creepy, things just got weird.”

  “Bloody Hell woman! Things just got weird, NOW? Did you just wake up?”

  “So young, why you’re practically still a kitten, aren’t you?” I let the shocked look on my face fall into an expression of smoldering resentment. She gave me a sardonic smirk as she started to walk out of the room. “You just aren’t quite ready to run with the big cats yet, are you… Dal?” I allowed a low growl to escape my throat, freezing Svetlana in her tracks, her bravado gone in an instant.

  “Kitten eh? So that’s the way it is?” Svetlana turned to face me, her arms crossed over her ample bosom, a defiant look on her face. She showed no sign of cowing. “Alright, Alex, if that’s the way she wants to play it, let’s play.”

  “Kolann, I think I have reconsidered my position as to my claim to Lana’s life.” Kolann jumped up to place himself in between us. “Now Mack, we were making progress, let’s not do anything rash because my wife wishes to conduct herself as a COMPLETE ASS!” Kolann eyed Svetlana, the look on his face saying, “have you lost your mind?” I decided to go for broke, “No, no my mind is made up, Kolann.” I gave him a covert wink and a wicked grin. He relaxed and gave me an inquisitive look, as I turned my back to Svetlana. “Play along.” I mouthed to him. “Mack, please be reasonable, we were doing so well.” I shook my head. “I can’t let this pass my friend. There is a tradition in these matters, I’ve seen in several different cultures. I feel it would be particularly appropriate in this case.” Kolann made a show of groveling with dignity. “Yes and what is that? Almost anything is better than the alternative.” I almost laughed out loud. He looked at me and I looked at him. We read each other’s minds.

  “Too much?”

  “A bit, dial it down Shakespeare.”

  “I claim the right to commute her sentence of death, to service.”

  “WHAT?” screeched Svetlana. Kolann looking stunned for a second but recovered quickly. I smiled evilly at Svetlana. “Yes, I think that would do nicely. She will be my slave and SERVE me obediently for the next ten years.” Svetlana stormed back into the room, slamming the door behind her with a crash. “WHAT? I would rather die than share your bed!” Funny where the mind goes in times of stress, don’t you think? “Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart. You’re beautiful but not THAT beautiful.” The old bitch
slap/flattery sandwich shuts them up every time. She was speechless; I like her much better that way. Kolann managed to maintain a straight face, a far better man than me. I had to keep my back to Svetlana and Blob #2 to keep from blowing the whole rouse.

  Kolann nodded vigorously keeping the groveling theme alive. “I find that to be acceptable.”

  “Kolann!” Svetlana hissed in outrage. “We’ll need to make arrangements for her boarding,” he continued, ignoring her protests with a twinkle in his eye. Archie was close to wetting himself, best to be avoided, seeing as it short circuits the Shroud. Blob #2? Not so amused. Svetlana lost her cool, “KOLANN!” she screeched. He whirled on her abruptly. “Woman, shut your mouth this instant or I’ll kill you myself! You’ve brought grave dishonor upon this clan and he’s only asking for ten years. In most case it would be for a lifetime. Between the two of you that could be centuries. So be quiet while you have it so good!” Svetlana stayed silent, glaring murderously at the two of us. “She can stay here, Kolann. Her sexual favors are of no interest to me. I only require 24 hour access to her and an oath of fealty.”

  “I would rather die!” Svetlana announced. CRACK! Kolann slammed his sword down on his desk. Landing perfectly flat, it sounded like a gun shot. His color draining, the white skin/blue vein thing began again. “That can be arranged. Choose, Svetlana! Subservience for ten years or death for eternity?” She actually had the audacity to turn her back on us! “I will swear fealty to no one!” I gathered up my power and willed it into my voice. “Shitagau…YOU WILL SWEAR FEALTY TO ME.” My voice, reverberated and pulsed with power throughout the room. “Pull it back a bit Alex, everyone in the room is getting it, full strength.” I walked over and grasped Archie’s shoulder through the Shroud, releasing him first. “You OK?”

  “Yeah, I think so. What the FUCK was that?”

  “Sorry Archie. I had the power turned up too high. Pay attention, you might learn something, I’m about to enthrall Svetlana.”

  “NO WAY!” Archie’s voice was full of wonder. “Close enough, it’s not quite enthralling, more like compelling but it’ll do.”

  “How do you walk around with balls that big?”

  “The trick, is to lean into them.”

  I walked over and freed Kolann. Turning to look at me, he had some idea of what was going on. “I think I may have underestimated you, yet again, Mack. No one has been able to do that to me in almost 300 hundred years.” I grinned and turned back to Svetlana.

  “YOU WILL SWEAR YOUR OBEDIENCE TO ME.” I bored into Svetlana’s mind to its very core. “I swear my obedience to you.” Svetlana groaned with a grimace. She was actually trying to resist me! Of all, the nerve! “She’s trying to break through…stronger than we thought… consciousness is vast.”

  “Better not try to get fancy here, Alex. I’ve never seen anything like this out of a relatively young vampire and Blob #2 is getting really anxious. We need to finish this up quick before it attacks.” I Focused on Svetlana boring into her eyes my own unearthly glare, pouring more power into the binding. “YOU WILL SWEAR YOUR OBEDIENCE TO ME!” A bloody sweat formed on Svetlana’s, forehead as she grunted out the words. “I swear my obedience to you.” A little less resistance this time.

  “Are you hurting her?” Kolann asked clearly concerned. I shook my head only partially acknowledging his question. “Only her pride, she’s fine, but she’s fighting me. The little thing is stronger than she looks.” I bored in again. “YOU WILL SWEAR YOUR OBEDIENCE TO ME.” Svetlana started to whimper. “I swear my obedience to you,” she repeated for the third and final time, completing the binding. There was a pulse of power and then the resistance was gone. Her nose had started to bleed, thick blue black liquid slowly ran down her lip. I released her from the compulsion and used my handkerchief to wipe away the blood.

  “You OK, Svetlana?” I expressed concern I really wasn’t feeling but it made Kolann feel better. “No—I’m bound to an asshole for the next decade.” She glared at me. “She’s fine,” Kolann grunted in exasperation. I met her toxic gaze with the full intensity of my own. She broke and looked at the floor, hating me with every fiber of her being, all 94 pounds of it… “That will be all, Lana. You’re dismissed.”

  “You’ll regret this, Walker,” she hissed. “Not for the next decade, I won’t. Hell, I might even come over here a couple times a week, just to have you, shave me.” She opened her mouth and raised her finger to point at me. “Yes, Svetlana? Did you have something else to say? I raised the Sjambok and tapped it against my palm. Her eyes snapped to the whip and her mouth clamped shut. Time to test this binding out. “Oh Svetlana?” Turning to leave in a huff, she glowered at me. “Tell me the truth. Who really told you about the department hiring me?”

  “No one told me about the police department hiring you.” What? “She thinks she’s telling you the truth, Alex.” What the Bloody Hell is going on here? “Tell me the truth, slave.” The words felt wrong in my mouth. “What were you told about the department hiring someone to investigate the murder of the black police and who told you?” She gnashed her teeth and stared daggers at me for calling her “slave”. “I was told that the police department took up a secret collection and hired Mr. Smith to hunt down the killers. The Chief of Police told me.” She groaned with the effort of trying to resist me, problem was she didn’t know I was Mr. Smith until I told her. Stupid! “Will that be all MASTER?” She asked in an oddly sweet but ugly voice. “That’s all, on your way, Lana…Oh, don’t forget this.” I swung the Sjambok and planted a hard stripe on the posterior of Blob #2. There was no grunt of pain only a hurried exit. Svetlana feigned ignorance. “Excuse me?”

  “Never mind.” Kolann had started to rise to pursue Blob #2. I held up my hand to restrain him. “Reggie has had kind of a hard night already, don’t you think?” He leaned against the desk, taking my meaning. “Indeed he has. Please close the door behind you, Svetlana.” She gave him a saccharine smile and pulled the door closed. Kolann collapsed into his office chair, clearly relieved. “Whew! Well done, Mack. That should keep her under control.” I swayed a little, as I felt for a chair. Kolann closed the distance between us in a blur to keep me from falling and lowered me down. The ancient vampire hadn’t lost any speed over the years. I hated showing my vulnerability like this but it required way more power to complete the binding than I’d anticipated. I fished out my bottle of Glucose tablets and chewed a few. Kolann’s eyes were concerned. “You’ve been using a lot of power tonight, yes?” I nodded. “Yeah, it takes a lot out of a body.”

  “And the sugar pills help?”

  “A little, they are enough to get me home tonight. Real food and sleep are the only true rechargers. I’ll be able to get out of your hair in a few minutes. I know my visit has been a imposition.” Kolann pushed me further back into the chair. “Nonsense, you’re clearly exhausted and you’re a guest in my home. Where are your keys?” Without thinking I pulled them out of my pocket and handed them to him. “Archibald, have the staff prepare a meal and a guest room for Mack and park his vehicle in the garage, with your permission of course?” I nodded my head and then shook it to clear out the cob webs. I should have known. Archie was flat out busted.

  There wasn’t anything but silence from the rest of the room. Kolann held up the Sjambok. “Don’t make me use this, young man. I don’t know exactly where you are but there are only a few possibilities, now move!” The Shroud dropped and a smiling Archie walked up and took the keys. “Yes, sir. What would you like to eat, Mack?” I shrugged and shook my head. “Whatever you’ve got is fine. This really isn’t necessary. I just need to rest for a bit.” Kolann gave me a disapproving look. I was snubbing his hospitality, clearly a cultural faux pas. Archie grinned mischievously. “In that case, would you like O, A, B, or Virgin?” Archie rattled off the list without missing a beat. My expression was un-indulgent, wasn’t really in the mood. “What are the non-vampiric choices, wise guy?” I asked feinting at the Sjambok; Kolann slid it out of my reach.


  “Just about anything you want, Mack. The kitchen is fully stocked and we have an excellent chef on staff.”

  “What do you recommend?”

  “Chef makes a mean Rigatoni Ala Carbonara with Prosciutto and green peas, and from what I understand from Shelly, he can make the quantities you require in short order.”

  “Shelly? Quantities I require? When did you have time to talk about all this?” Archie laughed, “You have got to be kidding; she stops talking? I didn’t notice, got your hands full there.”

  “Seems I’ve heard that somewhere, recently.”

  “So any who, due to Shelly’s naïveté and verbal incontinence, we know about the hypoglycemia, hope you don’t mind.” I narrowed my eyes. “And if I did have a problem with it?” Archie slapped me on the shoulder. “Don’t know, secret’s already out, you can’t exactly UNLEARN something like that.”

  “Wanna bet?” I said with an evil grin. He laughed uneasily. “Dude, who am I going to tell? Anyway…mind if Reginald and I eat with you?”

  “Not at all, are you sure HE isn’t going to mind?” Archie looked thoughtful. “Nah, he’s probably already iced down his butt by now. He can grin and bear it.” Kolann started sorting through his desk looking for something, an old key of some sort. “Well, while we are waiting for your meal how about the best Danish Lager you’ll ever have?” I smiled and smacked my dry lips together. “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Finally, for once tonight we have a plan!”

  “Oi, now who needs to grow up?”

  “It’s still you…”

  Chapter 19

  “The meal was excellent! My compliments to the chef, Kolann.” I let out a loud belch, a tradition in Japan. “God, what a pig!” I heard, faintly coming from the farther reaches of the manor. “I am so glad you enjoyed it, Mack. I’ll pass your praise on to him,” Kolann said with a sly smile on his face. “I am also so glad he didn’t poison you. I was a little concerned at first.”