Part 30 (1/2)

Molly's eyes, frightened and angry, filled with tears. She turned her head away from me and said nothing. She tried not to make any noise, but it's tough to keep a good poker face when a snarling madman nearly burns it off. There wasn't any time to waste-but I gave the kid a few seconds of s.p.a.ce while I tried to let my head cool off.

The door to Marcone's building opened. Hendricks came out.

Marcone followed him a moment later. He surveyed the damage. Then he glanced at me. Marcone shook his head, took a cell phone from his suit pocket, and went back inside, while Hendricks kept me pinned down with his beady-eyed scowl.

What I'd seen soulgazing Helen Beckitt was still glaringly fresh in my mind-just as it always would be. Marcone had looked a lot younger when he wore his hair longer, less neat, and dressed more casually. Or maybe he'd just looked younger before he'd seen Helen's daughter die.

The thought went utterly against the pressure of the rage inside me, and I grabbed hold of myself while I had the chance. I took a deep breath. I wouldn't do anyone any good if I charged in full of outrage and absent of brains. I took another deep breath and turned to find Murphy on the move.

She walked around the car and faced me squarely.

”All done?” Murphy asked me, her voice pitched low. ”You want to smoke a turkey or set fire to a playground or anything? You could terrorize a troop of Cub Scouts as an encore.”

”And after that, I could tell you all about how to do your job, maybe,” I said, ”right after we bury the people who get killed because we're standing here instead of moving.”

She narrowed her eyes. Neither one of us met each other's gaze or moved an inch. It wasn't a long standoff, but it was plenty hard.

”Not now,” she said. ”But later. We'll talk. This isn't finished.”

I nodded. ”Later.”

We got in the Beetle and Murphy started it up and got moving. ”Ask you questions as we go?”

I calculated distances in my head. The communion spell with Elaine had been created to reach over a couple of yards at the most. It had mostly been used at, ahem, considerably shorter range than that. I could extend the range, I thought, to most of a mile-maybe. It wasn't as simple as just pouring more power into the spell, but it was was fairly simple. That gave me a couple of minutes to steady my breathing while Murphy drove. I could talk while that happened. It would, in fact, help me keep my mind off my fear for Elaine. Ah, reason, banisher of fear-or at least provider of a place to stick my head in the sand. fairly simple. That gave me a couple of minutes to steady my breathing while Murphy drove. I could talk while that happened. It would, in fact, help me keep my mind off my fear for Elaine. Ah, reason, banisher of fear-or at least provider of a place to stick my head in the sand.

”Go ahead,” I told her. I paid no attention to Molly, giving the kid time to think over the lesson and to get herself together. She didn't like anyone to see her when she was upset.

”Why do you think your ex is in danger?” Murphy asked. ”Shouldn't this Skavis just run off if it knows you're onto it?”

”If it was operating alone, sure,” I said. ”That would be the smart thing. But it isn't running off. It's making a fight of it.”

”So... what? It has help?”

”It has rivals,” rivals,” I said. I said.

”Yeah. Grey Cloak and Madrigal Raith.” Murphy shook her head. ”But what does that mean?”

”Think in terms of predators,” I said. ”One predator has just gotten its teeth into something good to eat.”

”Scavengers?” Murphy said. ”They're trying to take the prize from him?”

”Yeah,” I said. ”I think that's what they're doing.”

”You mean Elaine?” Murphy said.

I shook my head. ”No, no. More abstract. The Skavis is methodical. It's killing women of magical talent. It doesn't have to do that to live-it can eat any human being.”

”Then why those targets?” Murphy asked.

”Exactly,” I said. ”Why them? This isn't about food, Murph. I think the Skavis is making a play for power.”

”Power?” Molly blurted from the backseat.

I turned and gave her a glare that quelled her interest. She sank back into the seat. ”Within the White Court,” I said. ”This entire mess, start to finish, is about a power struggle within the White Court.”

Murph was silent for a second, absorbing that. ”Then... then this is a lot bigger than a few killings in a few towns.”

”If I'm right,” I said, nodding. ”Yeah.”

”Go on.”

”Okay. And remember as I go that White Court vamps don't like their fights out in the open. They arrange things. They use cat's-paws. They pull strings. Confrontation is for losers.”

”Got it.”

I nodded. ”The White King is supporting peace talks between the Council and the Red Courts. I think the Skavis is trying to prove a point-that they don't need need peace talks. That they have us in a choke hold and all they have to do is hang on.” peace talks. That they have us in a choke hold and all they have to do is hang on.”

Murphy frowned at me, and then her eyes widened. ”You told me once that magic is inherited. Mostly along family lines.”

”Salic law,” I said. ”Mostly through female lines. I got it from my mom.”

Murphy nodded, her eyes going back to the road. ”And they can start... what? Thinning the herd, I suppose, from their point of view. Killing those that have the potential to produce more wizards.”

”Yeah,” I said. ”One Skavis goes around to half a dozen cities in the most dangerous-to them-nation on the planet, doing it at will,” I said. ”He proves how easy it is. He identifies and hunts down the best targets. He plants all kinds of distrust for the Council as he does it, making the potential prey distrust the only people who could help them.”

”But what does he hope to accomplish?” Murphy said. ”This is just one guy.”

”Exactly what he wants them to say,” I said. ”Look what just one vampire accomplished working alone. Look how easy it was. Raith is weak. Time to expand the operation now, while the Council is hurt, and screw talking peace with them. Change the guard. Let House Skavis take leaders.h.i.+p.”

”And Grey Cloak and Madrigal, seeing that he's onto something good, try to swoop in at the last minute, shoulder the Skavis aside, and take credit for the plan in front of the whole Court,” Murphy finished.

”Yeah. They sing the exact same tune, only they subst.i.tute Malvora for Skavis.” I shook my head. ”The h.e.l.l of it is, if Madrigal hadn't had a personal beef with me I might not have gotten involved. I made him look really bad when he tried to auction me on eBay and instead I fed his djinn to the Scarecrow and made him run off like a girl.”

”Like a what?” Murphy bridled.

”Now is not the time to go all Susie Q. Anthony on me,” I said. ”Madrigal's wounded pride makes him leave clues to try to sucker me into the show. He figures Grey Cloak or our Skavis killer will help him handle me. Except that they ran into another problem.”

”Thomas,” Murphy said, her voice certain.

”Thomas,” I said. ”s.n.a.t.c.hing their targets out from under them.”

”How's he finding them?”

”Same way they are,” I said. ”He's a vampire. He knows what resources they have and how they think. So much so, in fact, that he's ruining the finale of the whole program for everyone involved.”

Murphy nodded, getting it. ”So Madrigal gets a gang of ghouls and tries to take out his own cousin. And finds you and Elaine there too.”