Here in this small town in Tuscany, where the streets were impossibly narrow, was where the flaw in the otherwise flawless route that Serafina’s people had planned out would be exploited.
This was where Cadaverous would ambush the ambulance.
Sitting in the shade, Cadaverous glanced at his watch. It was just gone midday, the ambulance was almost here, and there were no mortals about. This was beyond perfect.
“She cut it off,” Razzia said. “Just … swish. Cut it right off.”
Cadaverous didn’t respond.
Razzia looked up. “She deserved it, of course. Skeiri, I mean. Ooh, I’m so great, I’m taking Razzia’s place … and now she has one less tentacle. That’s the moral of the story, right there.”
Nero teleported in. “They’re coming,” he said.
“Did it look like it hurt?” Razzia asked. “What Valkyrie did to Skeiri?”
Nero sighed. “Are you still talking about this? It was ages ago, OK? It was yesterday. How am I supposed to remember what happened or what hurt or what didn’t? All I know is, she wouldn’t stop moaning about it.”
Cadaverous stood. “In positions, everyone,” he said.
Nero scowled. “And why are you the one giving orders? I’m the one who should be in charge.”
“Is that so?”
Nero shrugged. “You’re all getting sidelined, now that Abyssinia has her pick of people from Coldheart. I’m the only invaluable one. I should get to call the shots.”
If you’re so invaluable,” Razzia said, “how come you’re here with the rest of us?”
“I really don’t know,” Nero answered. “Pity, maybe?”
“Or perhaps,” said Cadaverous, “for all your stupidity, you have still managed to recognise how easy it is to fall from Abyssinia’s favour. Let’s be honest, you didn’t exactly acquit yourself well during that encounter with Pleasant and Cain, did you?”
A glowering stare. “I did OK.”
“You’re here to prove yourself,” Cadaverous told him. “And, until you do, you take orders from your betters.”
“Whatever,” Nero muttered.
“Destrier,” Cadaverous said, “if you would …?”
Destrier nodded, and walked to the middle of the road.
For a few seconds, there was silence. The warm breeze kicked up a little dust on the road.
“It’s not like I don’t have sympathy for her,” Razzia said from behind cover. “I wouldn’t like to lose my guys. They’re my guys. But Skeiri shouldn’t have tried to take my place.”
“Razzia,” Cadaverous said, “maybe we should focus now, if that’s OK?”
She nodded. “Fair point, mate. Absolutely.”
She settled, and Cadaverous readied himself.
The ambulance, to all outward appearances a beaten-up old truck, came round the corner. Upon seeing Destrier, the driver immediately picked up speed. The passenger window whirred down and a gun poked out. But by then Destrier already had his hand raised.
The ambulance slowed so much it looked like it had stopped, but Cadaverous could still see the wheels turning, could still see the little pine car freshener – in the shape of a strawberry – caught in time-compressed limbo as it tried to swing from the rear-view mirror. The faces of the men inside, frozen into grimaces, didn’t register Razzia strolling up and opening the driver’s door.
She reached in, unbuckled the driver and hauled him out. His fall was a fall through treacle, but Razzia was already kicking the passenger out of the other side. Then she settled in behind the wheel, and gave Destrier a thumbs up.
Destrier dropped his hand, and time around the ambulance returned to normal. The driver and passenger hit the road – hard – and flipped and rolled, and Razzia brought the ambulance to a gentle stop.
Cadaverous approached the back of the ambulance. The driver and passenger were groaning, moaning, trying to get up. Razzia hopped out of the van, broke the driver’s neck and opened her hand towards the passenger, now stumbling to his feet. Her palm opened, and the parasite shot out, spearing the passenger through the neck before retracting.
The ambulance doors burst open. A woman lunged at Cadaverous, fire in her hands. Nero teleported her away before she could actually do anything, and Cadaverous climbed in.
Caisson lay strapped to a gurney. He was tall, thin and malnourished. His skin was waxy, his silver hair cut short, clumps of it missing, showing his scalp. His eyes were closed. He looked dead.
Cadaverous pulled away all the tubes and electrodes and undid the straps. Grunting slightly with the effort, he pulled Caisson on to his shoulder and crab-walked to the door. He dropped down.
“I could help,” said Razzia.
“No, it’s OK,” Cadaverous said, nodding behind her. “You’re going to need your hands free.”
Three sorcerers stood there, legs apart and fists clenched. They looked impressively intimidating.
“We’re going to need that back,” said the biggest one.
“You mean Caisson?” Cadaverous responded, as Destrier and Razzia moved to stand beside him. “No, no, no, we’re not taking him. We wouldn’t take him without asking. How rude! We’re just borrowing him. We’ll bring him back, honest.”
“He is the property of Serafina.”
“Then where is she? If he’s so important to her, let her come and present her case. We will absolutely return him to you if she does that. If Serafina gets on her knees and begs.”
The big one’s eyes narrowed. “You shouldn’t say the things you’re saying.”
“Why does she want him, anyway? Why is she doing this? Torturing someone for sixty years – that’s a commitment few people would be willing to make. What’s he done that’s so terrible?”
“You can ask Serafina yourself, providing we let you live long enough.”
“I hate the talking bit,” Razzia mumbled.
“Sorry?” the big one said, his irritation rising. “What was that?”
“The talking bit,” she repeated. “I hate it. It’s boring. Can we get to the killing bit? That’s where the fun is.”
“Take it from me, beautiful, you don’t want us to get to the killing bit.”
Razzia swivelled her head. “Did you just call me beautiful?”
The big one smiled. “What can I say, sweetheart? I have a thing for lunatic blondes.”
“Sweetheart. Beautiful. Lunatic blonde.” Razzia shook her head slowly. “I have a name. I know I have a name because I picked it myself. Now, while I may be a sweetheart, and I sure am beautiful, and I am undoubtedly both a lunatic and a blonde, my name is Razzia, and that is what you’ll be gurgling as I kill you.”
Razzia ran at them. Destrier moaned reluctantly but joined her, and Nero appeared right behind Serafina’s people.
Cadaverous just turned, and carried Caisson away from the ambulance.
The breeze was picking up as he lay Abyssinia’s son on the ground and once again sat in the shade. He faced away from the fighting. He didn’t need to see it. No matter how good Serafina’s crew were, he had faith in his own. They’d been through a lot together. For years, they’d worked behind the scenes, carrying out Abyssinia’s commands when she was nothing but a heart in a box. Yes, back then they’d had Smoke and Lethe to bolster their strength, and yes, their loss had weakened the team considerably. But they were more than a match for their opponents.
Cadaverous took a gun from his jacket and flicked off the safety. It was a pity, what was about to happen.
When the last moan of pain was abruptly cut off, he stood and turned. Destrier, Nero and Razzia: triumphant, as expected, walking away from the dead bodies of their enemies.
“My friends,” said Cadaverous as they came forward, “I would just like to take this opportunity to tell you how much I appreciate your talents. We may have had our disagreements over the years, we may have exchanged angry words, we may have said things we each regret …”
“I haven’t,” Nero muttered.
“But there is no one else I would have even attempted this with,” Cadaverous continued. “You are some of the best, the most loyal, and the stupidest people I have ever had the pleasure to know.”
Nero frowned. “What?”
Cadaverous struck Destrier on the temple with the butt of his gun and grabbed Nero before he could react, jamming the muzzle under his chin.
“My dear Razzia,” he said, “if I see you raise an arm, I pull this trigger and Abyssinia loses her only Teleporter.”
Nero tried to pull away, “What the hell are you doing, old man?”
“Shut up, boy,” Cadaverous said, spinning him round and pressing the gun into his back.
“I don’t get it,” said Razzia, looking genuinely confused.
“Sincerest apologies,” Cadaverous said, “but Caisson isn’t being returned to his mother. If she wants him, she’ll have to come to me.”
“I still don’t get it.”
“She doesn’t care about us, Razzia. We’re disposable. She doesn’t care if we get hurt. She doesn’t care that Skeiri lost a pet. Not really. You can’t see it because you don’t want to see it, but she lied to us, she misled us, she tricked us into finding her heart and bringing her back to life. Those plans of hers, where we topple the Sanctuaries and do as we please? That was never going to happen. She was always going to rule over us all – her and her son. She betrayed us, Razzia.”
“Kinda like how you’re betraying me right now.”
“I am sorry about that. You’re not my enemy – unless you try to stop me. Are you going to try to stop me, Razzia?”
“Not when you’ve got a gun, no.”
“People always think you’re crazier than you actually are.”
“Oh, I’m pretty crazy all right,” Razzia said, “but I’m not crazy enough to steal Abyssinia’s kid. She’s gonna blow a gasket, mate. She’s gonna rip you apart.”
“She’ll try.”
Razzia made a face. “Nero’s crying.”
“Is he?” Cadaverous said. “Nero? Are you?”
“You’re gonna kill me,” Nero sobbed. “You are, aren’t you? You’re gonna make me teleport you somewhere and then you’re gonna shoot me to stop me from bringing Abyssinia to you before you can escape. I don’t want to die, Mr Gant. Please don’t kill me.”
“Oh, I won’t kill you, Nero. Why would I do that? After all we’ve shared? Remember that gentleman we killed in France, the man with the three eyes?”
Nero managed a happy gurgle. “The Three-Eyed Weirdo, yeah.”
“Those are special moments for me, Nero. I’m not going to kill you. You’re going to teleport Caisson and me to that three-eyed gentleman’s airfield, remember it? I have a small plane waiting for me there.”
“What are you going to do with me then?”
“I’m going to have to render you unconscious.”
“You’re gonna hit me?”
“A mere tap. You’ll wake with a headache, nothing more.”
“You don’t know that,” Nero argued. “You might give me brain damage.”
“I guess that’s true – but it’s either that or I shoot you.”
Nero sagged. “You can hit me.”
“Thank you.” Cadaverous looked back to Razzia. “Don’t come after me.”
“I won’t have to.”
“You take care now.”
“Enjoy being alive,” she said. “While it lasts.”