Part 36 (1/2)
”What are you... ?”
”Shhh.” Leah. Who'd worked with wizards before.
He concentrated. Nothing happened. He could feel the map waiting. Could feel the information he needed just beyond his fingertips. He concentrated harder, focusing power. He could do this. He had to do this. This is what I'm supposed to do. Wait.
Not do. He didn't do wizardry. He was a wizard. Something s.h.i.+fted and blue light spread out from his fingers pouring like water across the map. Then, suddenly a flare. And another.
And a burst of light.
Coughing and waving away streamers of smoke, Tony looked down at the light dusting of ash on the concrete floor. ”I think I'm going to need another map.”
The four of them stared down at the pattern of little burns on the second map. Bad news, there were a lot of them. Maybe he was p.i.s.sed about losing so many demons, but Ryne Cyratane was definitely motivated. Good news, most of the burns were very faint. Only three were significantly darker than the rest.
”What's it mean?” Lee asked, arms folded.
”If it worked...” Tony rocked back off his knees, picked up the map and stood. ”... it means there's a lot of weak spots building at the same rate, and when they break through...”
”Wall-to-wall demons,” Jack finished grimly.
Leah shook her head. ”That can't be right. Henry's book said the Convergence had a limited amount of energy.”
”Atomic bombs have a limited amount of energy,” Jack snorted. ”You need to define limited.”
”We know for sure that Ryne Cyratane wants you dead and his gate open,” Tony reminded her over the upper edge of the map.
”I'm guessing he's working the convergent energy to create a lot of weak spots, so he can send through a whole bunch of demons at once, figuring at least one will get through me to you.”
”And these darker ones?” Lee tapped the back of the map where the darker burns showed through.
”Best guess; they're distractions. I figure these guys won't be after you, they'll be free agents. If even one gets through, it'll start rampaging through the lower mainland and keep me too busy to close the multiple weak points before they open.”
Arms folded, Leah sighed heavily. ”That's one complicated a.s.sumption there, Tony.”
”He's smarter than he looks.” Jack gently pushed the top edge of the map down and stared at Tony. ”Now, let's fill in the blanks.
Who is Ryne Cyratane?”
”He's a Demonlord.”
”Tony!”
Whoa. If looks could kill. ”Jack's involved in this, Leah. He has a right to know.” Still holding the map, he jerked his chin toward the actor. ”You told Lee, and he's less involved.”
”Whose fault is that?” Lee muttered.
”You're a civilian,” Jack snapped. ”Tony had every right to try and keep you safe.”
Lee took a step forward, chin up. ”He's a civilian!”
”He's a wizard!”
”He has no secrets,” Tony sighed. ”Leah?” He didn't need her permission, but he didn't want a fight either.
She dropped to the end of the chaise and crossed her legs. ”Fine. Whatever.”
”Ryne Cyratane's a Demonlord who used Leah as a part of a gate spell more than three thousand years ago and, if he kills her, he gets to come back.”
Jack turned toward the chaise. ”You're three thousand years old?”
Her turn to sigh. ”More or less.”
”You look great!”
The dimples made a brief appearance. ”Thank you.” ”If he kills you, he gets to come back?”
She spread her hands. ”The gate opens.”
”I'm guessing it's going to take more than a yellow rope to hold this guy?”
Tony shrugged. ”From what I've seen, it depends on what part you're holding.”
Chapter Eleven.
”ALL RIGHT, THIS is what we're going to do.” They'd moved across the soundstage to Adam's office-three wooden stacking tables arranged in an L shape, a home for unavoidable union forms, the battery chargers, and a decapitated head from episode three that the IAD had grown inexplicably fond of. Tony carefully moved a stack of ACTRA forms and spread out the map.
”These three spots...” He tapped the darker burns. ”... have to be closed fast, so I can get as many of the rest shut before the s.h.i.+t hits the fan. The Demonlord knows there's a wizard on this side, but he doesn't know about you lot and he doesn't know that the residue in the studio is drawing his demons. Those two things might give us an edge.”
He glanced around at the world's best chance to remain demon free. CB and Amy, Lee, Jack, and Leah. And Leah was pulling double duty as probable cause. They were watching him like he knew what he was doing, and he could only hope they weren't delusional.
”We'll break up into three teams. Amy and CB, Jack and Lee. Leah stays with me because she's safest there even if it turns out this lot's not after her, just here for general, all-purpose mayhem. We'll go to this spot here...” He tapped the map. ”... closest to the studio and shut it down. The rest of you, you're my eyes and ears. CB, you and Amy will go here, due south down Boundary to North Fraser Way.”
”South to north,” Amy snickered. When everyone turned to stare, she shrugged. ”Well, I thought it was funny.”
Amy had come from the office with CB and refused to leave. ”Either I'm in or not, and after last night, the train to not has left the station.” Reluctantly, after he'd figured out what the h.e.l.l she was talking about, Tony'd agreed.
”Jack, you and Lee are heading out almost to Simon Fraser.” It was insane, completely and absolutely insane for Lee to be a part of this given that metaphysical energy looking for a home seemed to consider his body prime real estate. It really p.i.s.sed Tony off that his I don't want you involved had been canceled by one you should stick around from Leah. He was trying to keep Lee safe. She just liked having attractive men around. And, okay, he liked looking up and seeing Lee on the other side of the table, too, but he'd also seen Lee on his knees screaming, tortured by the dead to force him to cooperate, and he never wanted to see that again. He'd stuff Lee into a closet and lock the door-f.u.c.k the symbolism-if it was up to him. But it wasn't.
”The burn's showing in this industrial park here off Eastlake Drive. It's late enough that there shouldn't be anyone around.”
”So no one out there except us to get eaten,” Jack put in.
”No one gets eaten,” Tony snapped. ”It's entirely possible that nothing will happen tonight, but...” He raised a hand and cut Amy off before she could speak. ”... if it does, get clear and then call me, and I'll haul a.s.s back to the studio instead of heading out to the next weak spot.”
”We'll all haul a.s.s back to the studio.”
Heads nodded at Jack's statement.