Part 59 (1/2)

”How are you, Mas?”

”Better, now you're here. I suppose you've heard,” said an even more gigantic man, he had arms like barrels, and the ground thudded when he walked. ”Tricky things, the Supernaturalsand when one's on the loose....”

”So you think it is someone in the community?” said Lennox.

”Definitely. It's definitely a player. Hi, how are ya? What's with the hoods?” said Ma.s.simo. ”Look, you shouldn't be here, Lennox. They're looking for you. Marek too. Spies all over. Menelaus, why are we standing around?! Find us some chairs!” he shouted.

”But sir! You said I was never to letand these were your words, sirthat b.l.o.o.d.y vampire in here ever again! Not after last time...”

”About that,” said Mas, disregarding the bartender and throwing his arm over Lennox's shoulder, who buckled with the weight; he led us to an out-of-the-way booth where we could talk; ”I really must thank you. If you ever need anythinganything at allnow's the time. Tell me, Lennox, what do you need?”

I wouldn't be surprised if he and Lennox exchanged a series of secret handshakes there and then. I caught the whiff of something criminal about Ma.s.simo. He had a skullduggerous mind, with an eye for any advantage. But what did that say about Lennox? Or me, for that matter?

He clapped his hand over his mouth. ”Too much generosity will kill me, but a promise is a promise, Lennox. How is the old devil, anyway?”

”Occam? He's fine. He's in Paris.”

”Good. That's good, Lennox. Who is this, anyway?” he said, pointing to me.

”A friend. Someone with power, Mas. So you best be careful. She isn't to be trifled with.”

”No, of course not!” said Ma.s.simo, winking at me. I returned the gesture.

Menelaus was back.

”Your drinks!” He was off again, irritated with us. I was still not sure whether or not I should be angry with Lennox. He slipped me the mickey, after all. I wondered what the aftereffects would be? Currently, I was sort of tingly. Everything seemed far away, like it was doable. Like nothing phased me. Or maybe that was just because I was happy. Which I guessed meant Lennox was off the hook. Still, I wanted another drink.

Ma.s.simo raised his gla.s.s. ”Welcome,” he said, ”to Tungleskins! That's what we call it, when a beast of unknown origin is on the loose, a tungleskin. What I want you two to do is find it, and then, if you please, kill the monster, do you think you can do that for me? In return, I'll do you a favor.”

He sang the last part.

”I'll look into whatever you wantbut no promises, Lennox! They're too easy to make!” said Ma.s.simo. ”What do you want, anyway? I know you didn't come here for the company, Lennoxlove.”

”His name's Selwyn. Halsey will fill you in on the rest?”

”Ah, so that's your name, is it! And a good one, too. Well, my dear, tell old Mas.”

It was a moment before I could respond. ”The Dioscuri grabbed him from me, in Rome,” I said. ”He can turn into a black cata panther; and he's Eclectic.”

Ma.s.simo rubbed his hands together. I was uncertain how much I should reveal, but if it meant saving Selwyn's life... ”Good, good, that's good,” he said. ”But, did you say Dioscuri? All right, all right. A deal's a deal. I'll see what I can do. But I'll want a pelt. Something I can hang over the bar, Lennox. It would be nice to have this place filled up again. I have debts, you know. Not that that matters. Do you remember Barney? Eaten. They found his mackintosh. Blood all over it. You stop this whatever-it-is, and I'll find your friend. Do we have a deal?”

Lennox and Ma.s.simo left off with business, and after several toastsnone of which I drankthe meeting was concluded.

Maybe it was the aether, but it didn't seem to hit me, until just then: We were going into the forest to find this creatureto kill it, if we couldas soon as possible. I unzipped my bag and pulled out the Everything book. It was never too late to become Adept.

Chapter 12 Quintessence.

Could it be? Was the tungleskin doing these killings the grey wolf? What else could it be? Yet, I had always imagined the grey wolf as a kind of sangoma. My therian. Somehow made corporeal.

But then I remembered the snow and thought, It can't be; the grey wolf made no paw prints... So how it had eaten anybody....

The following night (because Lennox was a vampire, so naturally the best time of day would be to creep in the woods at night) we left our hotel room, and made our way to Letna Park. It was past the Hunger Wall, all the way to Lookout Point, from which we had a stunning view of the Vltava as it flowed past Prague Castle. It reminded me of Rome, in a way, with the many bridges crossing the river, and how the Tiber sparkled at night.

An Englishman, pa.s.sing by, warned us to be careful. ”It's not safe after dark,” he said.

A small restaurant and cafe were closing. Tourists were heading down the stone steps, abandoning Letna Park, which led to the embankment below. We were soon alone.

I had flipped through the Everything book back at the hotel room, learning some quick spells. The Grigori section was full of hard-R words. Words like noranveror and smaskitligr. Lennox had watched me studying, lost in thought. It wasn't until I hit upon an especially potent spell called a feiknstafir, that Lennox said, ”I'm Marked too, you know. My scars.”

He was focusing on my orchid as he said so; it hadn't pained me in a while, my orchid.

His ”scars” were a collection of silver bite marks at his throat and both of his wrists.

”He's still out there, my Maker. I'll know it when I find him,” he said. ”We'll be connected.”

I hadn't realized it before, but Lennox and I were on the same kind of quest. We were both searching for our parentsand our pasts. What was it, I wondered, about needing to know where you came from?

I thought of Lennox traveling the world, searching for his sire. It seemed lonely. Perhaps.... Only, I didn't say so.... Maybe he should let it go...?

Would I? Could I, now that I was on the trail of my parents? Was this what they would have wanted for me, to be in Prague with a vampire?

”You know, at some point the doors stop opening for you,” said Lennox, ”and then you have to start opening them for yourself.”

The problem was, I didn't know where to begin. I put my hood up, concentrating hard. Were the non-magicals aware of the thing roaming their forest?

I thought of Ballard laid up, and Lia and Gaven out of commission Rome needed Lennoxand, okay, me, toowhich was another reason for scolding myself for neglecting my studies.

But there was something else, at work: It just seemed right that a vampire, witch and werewolf should get along... It sent a message.... That we were strong, united... whatever... that Lennox, Ballard and I could lead the way.

Without meaning to, I put my arm through his, when something ahead of us snapped.

I was still so full of the aether, it made my pulse pound. Who was out there? I hadn't forgotten the Dark Order. Perhaps this tungleskin was one of them.

I could feel Lennox tense beside me. I shot the Light ahead of me, whereupon it flew into the trees like a meteor. ”Ow!” said a familiar voice. ”Halsey? What did you do that for?” said Manon, stumbling out of the trees.

She stepped from behind a spruce tree, clutching at her head, dressed in a traveling cloak, her midnight-black tresses tumbling down her backside. ”And why are you with a vampire?” she asked me, incredulously.

I made the introductions: ”Lennox, Manon, Manon, Lennox. She's a witch,” I said to Lennox.

”I'm only Fledged. The Magister Equitum sent me to find you. It's not safe to be in Prague at THIS TIME. Remembr,” she said. She formed her Wiccan W and shot it at me; I flinched, involuntarily. What was it with people thinking they could just do magic on me, whenever they felt like it?

”The Dark Order is mobilizing,” said Manon. ”They'll get you, if they can. The moon is in the Fourth House.”

”So?”

”So,” said Manon. The spell had taken over and I suddenly found myself in her dreamsin her memories...