Embracing the Shadows (12 page)

Powell just stood there slack-jawed. Viggo
moved his finger and aimed it at Jack Fletcher, who had the balls
to glare back. "Your attempts, both failed and successful, to
sabotage machinery at numerous industrial plants have been noted,
Mr. Fletcher. While I applaud your fervor, it will not continue
without reciprocation. Should you halt any company operations
again, you will find your cherished parks infested with
plant-damaging insects. If that does not deter you, the situation
will become personal."

I could see that Fletcher was about to lose
his cool. His hands were balled into fists, and he shook with the
effort of restraining himself. A second later, he spun and stormed
out of the mansion.

Viggo wasn't done yet, not by a longshot. He
faced Jade Clayton with a cold stare; Cordell moved slightly in
front of her as protection. My commander said that her continuance
to use her radio show to incite protests of area foundries
irritated him. If she kept it up, another rat infestation would
occur to once again collapse her pipes, chew through her power
lines, and use her shower as a litter box. I recalled him once
sending a horde of rats off to fuck with someone. His threat told
me who and why.

Next on Viggo's list was a tough-looking
Outsider named Lexian Grimm. I had no idea what kind of business
Grimm ran, but Viggo told him that dumping body parts into the
storm drain at the back of his property was prohibited from then
on.

Surprisingly, Viggo then turned to Roach. In
a less threatening tone, he said, "First, my deception as simply
another Deviant named Stone was done for a measure of privacy; no
slight was meant toward you. Secondly . . . While I do not condone
or condemn your business, the distribution of your product needs to
be curbed. It is being filtered into grade schools, orphanages and
the like. I am not enforcing my own morality on you. However, the
unchecked sales will create a stigma in and of this city - a stigma
that will have a chain-effect. I will not allow that."

Edward Galloway had kept his head down since
Viggo arrived, but he couldn't ignore his god standing in front of
him. He fearfully lifted his head, looked into the eyes of the
abyss, and quickly dropped his head again. "You are a fool that has
been used, Edward," Viggo stated. "But a willing fool, weren't you?
You wanted retribution for elder Ragna's actions against you, for
the humiliation you suffered at the hands of her minion. That
minion - Mr. Beck - is actually mine. You did not have the clever
mind to get the justice you felt was deserved, so you turned to one
of your faction to assist you, is that not so?"

"Yes, lord Veleti," Galloway whimpered. Aside
from the tricky and cruel shit he did, I wanted to break his nose
just for being such a pussy.

Viggo stepped back. "Mr. Galloway, you will
accompany me when I leave this evening. If you flee, your desperate
escape will be short-lived. I will hunt you. I will find you. I
will put you in the black mouth of madness, a hungry place that
will swallow your screams and your sanity."

Galloway slumped to the floor again, sobbing
tears of blood. Tomasino left him there that time.

Finally, Viggo settled his inky gaze on Le
Meur. She must've gotten worked up while he made his threats and
basically assumed authority over what she saw as her show. Her
scowl and sneer took away from her unearthly beauty, but only a
little. "Are you quite through passing judgment, sir?"

"You should feel honored, Miss Le Meur - I
have saved you for last. Now mind your tone with me."

I thought she was pissed before. I was wrong.
"Spew your final threats and leave," Le Meur hissed. "As Doyenne, I
say that you are no longer welcome here. I will forgive that you
infested my entire building with rats, but you will take your
damnable minion and go! And Edward will be leaving with me, not
you!"

"You always were rash, Emmeline," Viggo
replied calmly as he moved to stand in front of her. "You have sat
too comfortably in the seat of power."

"I won my seat decades ago, Viggo," Le Meur
retorted, leaning forward. "I have earned the right, and I am due
to reap its rewards. Your own scion would say the same."

"I agree," he said with a nod. "You earned
your position by your own merits. But," he pointed a finger at her,
"you keep that seat only because I allow it."

"Allow it!" Le Meur barked. "Allow it? You
are not the one to allow, vermin king. Perhaps your legend is
overrated, Veleti, just as you underestimate me. I have the power
to rule!" My commander, overrated? Impulsively, I began to step
forward. Skala's hand on my shoulder stopped me.

Viggo shook his head like he was dealing with
a moron. It only infuriated Le Meur more. "Your power, such as it
is, only afforded you the seat," he said, "but obviously not the
wisdom to rule well in it."

"Wiser by far than the weak-minded Deviant
whom I deposed!"

"Your predecessor - Mr. Dixon - was a
disturbed fool. While you are not that, neither are you cut from
the cloth of leadership. Since the beginning of your reign, I have
watched you act with selfish impunity and, at times, cruelty. For
years, members of every faction have gone missing. You have done
nothing about it except to surround yourself with servants and
security. You say you have power, but you use it only to serve your
own petty desires. As a Doyenne, you . . . Hmm." Viggo turned to
me. "How would you describe her leadership, Leo?"

"She sucks."

He turned back to her. "Well, there you have
it." Viggo was provoking her, pushing all the right buttons. He was
attacking her vanity and challenging her rule. I was glad to
help.

By then, Le Meur was paler than usual -
almost Neva white - and her amber eyes glowed with fury. "Ah, I see
now!" she yelled. "You want my seat! You think your intimidating
tricks and your insults will drive me from it? You are a greater
fool than Dixon!" Le Meur was near hysterical. I guess taking a
verbal beating in front of everyone pushed her ego over the edge.
She had lost control, just like Viggo wanted her to. "You don't
know the extent of my power! If I hadn't declared this mansion as
Civil Ground, you would be groveling at my feet, you grotesque,
rat-drinking leech!"

Viggo smiled - the kind of smile that chills
a room. Or, in my case, a spine. "Groveling, is it? By all means,
Emmeline, subjugate me with the full magnitude of your paltry
Gifts." It had come to a breaking point. I felt it. I bet everyone
in the room felt it.

Le Meur sprung to her feet, nearly in the
same rage that Ragna was in a couple hours before. "By my
authority," she bellowed, "I declare that this location is no
longer Civil Ground! Now I will make you my slave, Veleti!"

Viggo's smile widened.

POWER

A silent wave of power washed through the
large room. It broke over me, forcing me down to one knee. There
was nothing in my world but Lady Le Meur. For a moment that felt
like forever, her radiance and overwhelming control consumed me. It
was a familiar feeling. Somewhere deep inside, I despised it.

That moment ended when a pair of unnaturally
strong hands roughly lifted me up with ease and shook me. Through a
haze of Le Meur's power, I looked at the cracked plaster face and
gleaming shark eyes of Aldo Skala. He was in my face, way inside my
bubble. With another violent shake, he growled, "You have the blood
of the Veleti in you! Show some resolve!" Then he head-butted me.
I'm sure it was soft for him, but to me it felt like getting my
skull pounded by a rock. "Beck! Be worthy of your lord!"

The combination of Skala's words and the
growing lump on my forehead broke Le Meur's powerful spell. I
blinked a couple times and nodded to Skala that I had my wits. When
he moved out of the way, I saw everyone else bowing their heads or
down on a knee. Le Meur stood tall with her arms leisurely spread
and a wild look in her golden eyes. Viggo stood before her with his
head down. With him facing away from me, I couldn't see his
expression. I was about to go to him when he lifted his head and
spoke.

"As I said, Emmeline, you are rash."

Le Meur's face contorted with pure rage. Her
scream pierced the room. She lunged at my commander, but he was
ready for it. Hell, he was waiting on it. Viggo casually backhanded
her; the deceptively light blow was enough to slam Le Meur back
into her chair with blood drooling out of her slack mouth.

He stepped forward, looming over her. "In
losing your impotent temper, you have forgotten the tenet of
lineage. The mental Gifts of Enchantment and Control have no effect
on those of purer blood than the wielder. Or perhaps you did not
forget, and arrogantly believed that your proficiency in said Gifts
would overcome an irrefutable truth. My blood is purer than yours,
Doyenne - much purer by far." I guess that explained why Skala
wasn't affected, either. "You have not seen a true Eidolon's power.
Therefore, I will give you a sample . . ."

Viggo stepped back and turned to one side,
holding up an open hand. When he clenched it into a fist, the
crackling flames in the fireplace snuffed into smoke and ashes. The
room deepened in gloom from the sudden loss of firelight. I hadn't
seen that trick before, but I knew it wasn't his best one.

In one fluid motion Viggo reached out, palmed
Edward Galloway's skull, and dragged him in close. Shadows
stretched away from the walls, wrapping around Viggo as he began to
twist with Edward in his grip. At the same time, the unnatural
gloom was drawn to them. The shadows quickly condensed and darkened
around the two until they became a swirling blur of blackness. With
a pop that was felt rather than heard, the eerie hole of inky
nothingness collapsed in on itself like a silent implosion. Viggo
and Edward were gone, swallowed by the void. It began and ended in
less than three seconds.

Nearly everyone stood in place and glanced
around nervously, unsure of what they just saw. Hesitantly,
Tomasino stepped over to Le Meur and handed her his handkerchief.
After wiping her lips and chin, she turned her head to Aldo Skala
and shouted, "What is this? Where is Edward Galloway?" Skala only
stared back at her. Le Meur looked away from him and stood up. "Mr.
Dupree," she demanded with a bitter tone, "I want you to go search
the mansion and the grounds."

"You don't understand, do you?" Skala asked.
"Or do you simply refuse to acknowledge the power you've been
shown? Either way, Mr. Galloway will not be found. Perhaps you
should to sit back down, Doyenne; this isn't over yet."

BARTER

"Indeed it is not," Viggo said as he walked
from the hallway toward the center of the room again. A number of
hemos flinched with surprise. "I now speak to all of you who have
just learned of me. Listen well, for I will state my warnings only
once." He stopped a couple paces in front of Le Meur and turned to
face everyone, his form only slightly blurred with pulsing shadow.
"There is property across this city that I have declared as mine;
if you trespass, I will know of it and will return the favor. I
also control or have affiliation with many humans in key positions;
if you tamper with them, I will tamper with you."

"Excuse me, sir," Enric Tomasino spoke up,
"but how are we to know which places and people you have laid claim
to?"

Viggo looked at him. "Initially, you will not
know, so I suggest you tread lightly. I will say, however, that
after this evening, I will consider this home as under my
protection and one of my domains." He then turned to one side to
address Le Meur. "That means you will no longer use your Gifts on
the late Mr. Everett's son, Steven, who currently sits below us in
the basement storage room awaiting your next order." I wondered
what happened to that guy; Gwen said he cut contact with everyone
soon after he came back to town.

Le Meur averted his gaze, looking away with
her lips pressed tight. "Yes, of course," she finally said. Forced
into obedience, most likely feeling humiliated, I figured that
after we left she was going to lash out at some poor undeserving
bastard. As long as it was a hemo, I didn't care.

Turning back to the crowd, Viggo continued.
"As most of you have minions, you obviously have an affinity for
them to one degree or another. The same can be said of mine. Just
as you would take offense to their ill-treatment, I do as well.
Take Mr. Beck here as an example. He has been the target of abuse,
manipulation and attempted murder on multiple occasions. No more.
Any further malicious meddling with him or any of my other minions
will incur the full weight of my wrath."

"And what of Mr. Beck currently being wanted
by the mortal authorities?" Skala asked knowingly.

"Ah, that." Viggo faced Le Meur again. "I
must commend you, Doyenne. Well played. Your handling of Mr.
Galloway, whom I know to be the real culprit, took finesse."

". . . Thank you," she replied
hesitantly.

"I wonder whether he came to you with his
concerns of Ragna and Mr. Beck, or if you saw opportunity in his
plight and approached him." Viggo shrugged, adding, "I will find
out soon enough."

"Where is Mr. Galloway?" Le Meur calmly
asked.

"Safely hidden away for now. He is in the
good company of Mr. Riva, Mr. Dean and others of your fine
faction." Her eyes widened at that admission, but she kept her
mouth shut. "I could simply demand that you have my minion removed
as a police suspect, but I consider myself fair and honorable.
Therefore, I wish to barter with you."

"To what end?" I liked how her voice had that
cautious, suspicious tone to it. She was in a corner.

"Let us begin with the matter of the modified
video from the warehouse." Skin stepped forward and handed Viggo a
CD case with a disc in it. He held it up and said, "This is a copy
of the original. It has been altered by Mr. O'Shaughnessy only to
point out certain features that differentiate Mr. Beck from the
true culprit, Mr. Galloway. Have it entered into the case
file."