Honeyed Words (40 page)

The armor had been repaired and cleaned of any bloodstains. That made me feel better. The thick underarmor was new, however, as they’d cut the last off me. I slipped it on over my T-shirt and jeans, and then Stuart helped me with the chain shirt. By the time I had it belted and cinched just right, Gunther was back in the house with a motorcycle helmet.

“Was a present,” he said, handing me the black helmet with wraparound face protection. There were crossed hammers painted on either side and a flaming sword across the top from nape to brow.

“That’s hawt,” I said, grinning.

He dangled the keys in front of me with a big grin. “She flies. Don’t forget to touch the ground sometimes.” He laid the keys in my hand, closing my fist in his hands. “Ride careful.” He kissed me on the cheek and stepped back.

“Gotta run and see to the troops,” Stuart said, stepping past Gunther to give me a quick hug. “Don’t get killed.” Then he dashed out the door.

Gunther tossed me a salute and followed, bellowing commands as he went.

“You are pretty scary,” Deidre said, rolling her chair into the kitchen.

I nodded. “I’ll be out at the bike, whenever Jimmy gets back.”

“You think we’ll be attacked again?”

I stopped, thinking. If I fucked up with Qindra, who knew? I wasn’t even sure what I was facing. “Better safe than sorry,” I said, smiling. “But hopefully I can catch this at the source.”

“We could send folks with you.”

I shook my head. “No. If they attack here, you want full strength. I’ll stay out of trouble.”

She rolled her eyes. “Liar.”

I just grinned. What could I say?

“Just be careful, Sarah.”

I hugged her quickly and fled out the door. I was not gonna start crying, not now.

The troops had hurricane lamps burning by the time I’d gotten back outside. They weren’t messing around here. The first squad was still on the perimeter, watching for whatever may be coming, but Gunther’s squad was in the barn, getting its act together.

The yard was empty except for the Ducati. I slowly climbed down the stairs and walked to it, expecting it to bite me. The leather was in good shape, and the light of the bonfire danced along the bottom of the chromed exhaust.

I grabbed the handlebars and stepped over the seat, settling onto the leather. I closed my eyes and let the feel of the machine settle into my legs. After three long breaths, I opened my eyes and slipped the key into the ignition.

“I think you’ll be wanting this, too,” Jimmy said, coming out onto the porch. He had my rig in one hand, with Gram snuggled inside her sheath and my helmet in his other hand. “You going off again, you’ll want to keep your head protected. It’s hard, but not that hard.” He grinned at me, that old familiar smirk I was used to seeing. “They added some things to your saddlebags.”

He tossed me the helmet, and I caught it in both hands. I stepped off the bike, set the helmet on the seat, and looked at the saddlebags. Inside were a change of clothing, some water, and PowerBars. The other side was empty. I stuck the holster and one hammer in the empty side and the other hammer in the full side, distributing the weight.

Jimmy handed me the rig, and I slipped it over my shoulders. Not as difficult as a bra, for what it’s worth. I had the leather cinched tight, with Gram just above my right shoulder. I reached up, grasped the handle with my right hand, and pulled her clean.

I felt the amulet against my chest grow warm suddenly, and the runes along the blade burst into flames.

“Holy shite,” Jimmy said, stepping forward.

I lowered the blade, turning it so he could get a look. “This is new.”

“We’ll talk about it when you get back. You going after Melanie?”

Good question. One I’d already decided, I realized.

“Going to Chumstick,” I said.

Jimmy started to protest, but I slid Gram home into her sheath and held up my right hand.

“Whatever can take out Qindra and her cleaning crew is some fairly bad shit,” I said. “Not something I want running around.”

“What about Melanie?” He paused, squirming in his frustration. “And Katie?”

“What about Katie?” Katie called.

We both turned to see her striding out of the barn. She was dressed in a chain-mail shirt, and she had her guitar strapped over her shoulder, just like I had Gram. “What was that about Melanie?”

Oy. We spent the next few minutes sorting things out, and Deidre rolled out onto the deck.

“Don’t forget this,” she said, holding up the shotgun in a long holster. “Strap this to that damn infernal machine.”

“I appreciate that,” I said. “But I’m more comfortable with Gram here.” I patted the pommel over my shoulder.

“I’ve been studying this, me and the twins,” Jimmy said, stroking the stock, tracing the faces in the carved flames. “Powerful stuff, but not evil.”

I looked at the shotgun in Deidre’s hands. She looked pretty damn formidable.

“Why don’t you keep that?” I asked. “In case somebody shows up here, ya know?”

Deidre started to protest, but Jimmy put his hand on her shoulder.

“Girl’s right, Dee. I’d feel better if you had something that would work if anything funny happened again.”

“I’m not helpless,” she said, pulling a face. “But if you insist.” She pumped the shotgun, slamming a shell into the chamber.

“I pity the next giant that steps in front of you,” I said with a smile.

Deidre gave me a wicked grin, flipped the safety on, and dropped the barrel over her lap.

“What’s coming?” Jimmy asked me for the second time. “Any ideas?”

“No idea,” I said. “But I have a feeling if I don’t get to Qindra now, we’re screwed.”

I turned to Katie, took her in my arms, and hugged her.

“Be careful,” she said. She was upset, I could tell.

“Melanie will be okay,” I said. “I just think whatever’s taken Qindra is a bigger threat.”

She shrugged a little, burrowing her shoulder against my chest. “We’ll hold the fort,” she said. “I just feel useless.”

I tilted her face upward and kissed her. “You are far from useless.”

“Yeah. Okay.” She stepped back and smiled at me. “Go on. Time’s a wasting.”

I got on the Ducati, adjusted all the gear to make sure I could ride, and put on the helmet. I twisted the key, and the bike rumbled to life. Everyone stepped back as I turned the throttle, letting the engine growl. I waved at Katie, and the folks in the area waved back.

I eased the bike into first and shot down the driveway to the main road. At the end, just before it bent around the house, I stopped and looked back. Jimmy was with Deidre on the porch, and Gunther and Stuart had their troops getting ready for an unknown attack. The bonfire blazed in the middle of it all, and in front, standing alone, was Katie.

“Fuck it,” I mumbled, popping the clutch, and gunned the bike with one foot firmly stamped onto the ground. The bike roared, the back tires spinning as we did a quick one eighty, slinging gravel out into the field away from the house.

Katie did not move except to let her hand drop as she waited for me to return.

I pulled up beside her, flipped up my helmet. “Get on!”

She didn’t even hesitate, just hopped on the back and grabbed me around the waist. Jimmy yelled, people came running, but I gunned it, and we flew down the driveway.

She squeezed me hard, hanging on as we accelerated, her head against my left shoulder. I wasn’t leaving her behind ever again.

Fifty-five

It was freaking cold—let me tell you. After dark, October, going over the mountains. The amulet was warm on my chest, but my hands were freezing.

Then I heard her singing, felt her really, her face against my left shoulder. I didn’t know what the words were, but a warmth spread through me, over me like a blanket. I knew she had her own power, but feeling it in this way was pretty new.

The time crawled. We stopped just on the other side of the pass at a rest area and got off the bike to walk around. There was a booth there where a local non-profit was giving out coffee and selling donuts. We got a cup and a couple sinkers. The young woman taking the money looked at me twice once she noticed the chain mail but didn’t comment.

We stomped around while we filled up on hot sugar and caffeine. I was missing my boots. The tennis shoes were comfy but didn’t hold up to the bike as well. Would be better to have the leather up over my ankle.

“We need to get you a helmet,” I said as we sipped our coffee.

She smiled at me, slipped her arm around my waist, and squeezed. “Thanks for coming back for me.”

I leaned my head over, kissing her on the ear. “I love you. I’d rather have you with me.”

We hugged. I’d rather not have the chain mail between us, but it worked out. Later, when all this was over, I wanted to take her into a long, hot shower. Her singing was keeping the cold from being debilitating, but it was still not optimal.

“Your singing is powerful,” I said as we walked back to the bike. “I guess I never realized how magical it is.”

“Things are different,” she said, serious. “I’ve noticed it since you reforged Gram. There is a change in the world. I feel powerful when I sing, like I can affect things like never before.”

I kissed her. “You sing; I’ll drive. When we get to Anezka’s we’ll reevaluate.”

“Yeah,” she said, climbing on the bike behind me, just as it began to drizzle.

And we were off again, the cold just tolerable. The rain was a cruel joke. We hunkered down and pushed onward, aware of the road conditions, the spray from trucks, and the creeping cold.

Coming out of the pass, I thought I saw things flashing past us, shadows against the darkness of the mountain. Above us, the clouds seemed to be moving in the same direction, fast and furious. Like all the bad weather was heading to Anezka’s place.

Instead of going into Leavenworth first, I cut up 207 off Highway 2. Brought us to Chumstick from the north—felt safer.

The vans came into view first, glowing white in the drizzly night.

Once I saw the trucks, the house became apparent, a black hole in the otherwise black night. Shadow on shadow. I parked the bike beside Qindra’s Miata.

Katie unslung her guitar and peeked in the trucks on one end, and I checked out the others. All empty.

I pulled the hammers from the saddlebags, strapped on the holster, and settled them into their loops. Their weight pulling against my jeans felt familiar, if a little breezy. We walked across the road to where the barrier had been and stopped. It was back, only far different.

I reached my hand out, and felt it, a bubble for sure, but thicker. Smoke swirled inside, black shadows. I pulled Gram from her sheath and the world brightened a touch. Here was power. She hummed in my hand as the runes flitted with flames. The amulet against my left breast vibrated in sympathy. There was definitely a connection. Relics made by the same hand, that’s what it said to me. Hive-mates, Bub would have called it. Same maker, harmonious.

I took Katie’s hand and stepped to the barrier again. It parted, reluctantly, and we stepped across. Inside the opaque dome was madness.

Things moved in the blackness, hungry things that wailed and shrieked as they flew around the house. The house glowed with a greenish light, like phosphorescent mushrooms, sickly and wan.

I looked over at Katie. “This could get ugly.”

She nodded, squeezing my hand. “Let’s see if we can get out again before we go forward.”

“Good idea.” I stepped back, felt the dome against my shoulders and turned, feeling along the curve upward. “They can get in but can’t check out.” I said with a grimace. “I think we need to find Qindra and see what the hell is going on.”

“Okay, be careful.”

Good thinking.

In the front of the house, the statues had been knocked around and the fence was collapsed in one place. We walked in that direction. Before we got too close, I could see where a body had landed on the fence. The white protective suit had been shredded and the helmet was cracked. I knelt down, pushed the helmet up. She had been a young woman, brown hair, pale eyes that stared upward into nothing. Her face was twisted in a grimace. She was very dead, but I saw no marks on her. I felt for a pulse just in case, but she was cold.

I looked up at the dome overhead and realized it blocked the rain. I couldn’t see the cloudy sky, but I did see a wisp of smoke slip through the barrier with a small flash of energy. Once inside the dome, the shadow spun around and tried to leave again. It bounced along the inside of the field, shrieking as it tried to escape once more. After a second, it turned toward us, a presence of intelligence and malice. It fell toward us.

Katie yelled, pointing. I stepped forward as it sped in our direction, its banshee wail drawing other swirling entities to us. I waited until it was almost at me, then dove to the side, bringing Gram around in a cleaving arc. The shade, wraith, ghost—whatever you wanted to call it—wailed a final time and fell to the ground, dissolving into smoke.