Caina gave me a denim jacket to hide my bloodstained blouse for the ride home, and I took a cab back to Riordan’s condo. Once I was back, I stripped off my clothes, took a long hot shower to clean away the blood and sweat of yesterday’s adventures, and then collapsed into that king-sized bed underneath a pile of blankets.
I slept for about nine hours. Turns out total exhaustion can overcome insomnia. And magic is tiring work. The regeneration spell even more so.
I woke up at about 6 PM, my throat dry and my eyes gritty. I dressed in gym clothes, did a quick 5k run on the treadmill to clear my head, and then made myself a smoothie with vanilla powder, peanut butter, dried fruit, and milk. I was so hungry that I wolfed it down, and I ate three protein bars after with only minimal nausea. I could usually eat smoothies and protein bars without any nausea since they didn’t remind me of my problems in the Eternity Crucible.
Just as exhaustion was a great way to defeat insomnia, ravenous hunger overcame my nausea. At least for a little bit. My stomach felt a little unsettled after the third protein bar, so I stopped eating and made myself a large cup of coffee.
And while I drank the coffee, I went to the bathroom and got ready.
Caina had asked for trashy, so I went for trashy.
I didn’t have much in the way of clothes here, but I did have a tight, low-cut red dress I had worn to dinner with Riordan one night, though I had matched it with a black sweater since I had been so cold. I donned that (sans sweater) and some high heeled shoes, and I put on too much mascara and a shade of lipstick that really didn’t work with the coloring of my skin. When I was done, I looked like the mistress of a wealthy man, the kind of foolish woman who was sure that her paramour was going to divorce his wife, marry her, and then devote himself to supporting her modeling career.
It was about 8 PM by the time I was done, so I left the condo, got a taxi, and headed to the House of Agabyzus. I was mildly surprised that there was still a good crowd at the coffee house, despite the late hour and the unpleasantly humid weather. There were even still people sitting on the terrace, maybe because it had a good view of the East River and the rest of the city beyond it. As the lights of the city came on, it was the sort of view that turned up in postcards and desktop wallpapers.
I seated myself at one of the outdoor tables and waited.
A few minutes later a man in an expensive suit sat across from me, smirking. He was wearing a black suit with a black shirt and a black tie, which made him look like a high-powered entertainment lawyer or maybe just an asshole with pretensions. He had slicked-back blond hair, brown eyes, and two days’ worth of blond stubble on his lean face.
“Hi,” he said, his voice a little rough. “You look lonely, sitting out here by yourself.”
I waved my left hand in front of me. “Married. Waiting for my husband.”
“I know for a fact that you are not.”
I blinked in astonishment. Caina’s voice had just come from the man in the black suit. Then I blinked several times, leaned closer, and…
Holy crap.
It was Caina. Now that I knew what to look for, I could recognize her, but just barely. When she said that she could disguise herself as a man, I had been dubious. Like me, her build was somewhat less than voluptuous, so I suppose she could conceal her figure in baggy clothes, but I had thought the net effect would look ridiculous.
“Okay,” I said. “This never happens, but I’m actually really impressed. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t look like a woman at all.”
“Thank you,” said Caina. “That was rather the point.”
“How did you do that?” I said. “You’re not using a Masking spell, are you?”
“Nope,” said Caina. She gestured at herself. “Good tailoring, appropriate posture, accent, wig, contact lenses, and some makeup for the stubble. That’s all it is. People see what they expect to see.” She grimaced and adjusted the lapel of her jacket. “Also, some very unpleasant undergarments to keep things bound in. I suppose this is the one time it's fortunate that there isn't all that much to keep bound in.”
“It works,” I said. “If I hadn’t met you already, I never would have guessed you were actually a woman. Seriously, I was thinking about how I was going to scare you off if you kept hitting on me.”
“Then I’m glad I told you who I really was,” said Caina. “You look...”
I grinned, stood up, and did a little twirl. “Trashy?”
“I was going to say you look exactly like the sort of woman who would patronize a place like the Cattleman’s Pride on the arm of a sleazy lawyer,” said Caina, “but I suppose we’re saying the exact same thing, then.” She stood up. “I’m parked a few blocks away. Shall we?”
I nodded and got to my feet, and we walked to the car. Caina even walked like a man. I wondered who had taught her all the tricks of disguise, and then decided that I was glad I could fall back on the Masking spell. Caina had come in a different car, and we got in and headed for the parking ramp near the Cattleman’s Pride.
###
“Anything?” murmured Nadia.
“Not yet,” said Caina with a shake of her head.
They stood in line outside the Cattleman’s Pride, the faint noise of music coming from the closed steel door. It was about ten minutes after 9 PM, and already a long crowd of people stretched from the club’s steel door. Even without his dishonest activities, Caina supposed, Sulzer had to be making money hand over fist at this place.
She was moderately uncomfortable in her clothes and makeup, but kept it from her expression, instead keeping an amused, contemptuous smile on her face as she rested a possessive arm around Nadia’s waist. Nadia, for her part, seemed chilly, a shiver going through her bare arms from time to time. She did an admirable job of presenting herself as a woman with more looks than brains.
“I don’t feel anything,” said Nadia. “But you’re probably better at seeing auras at range. Unless something is really powerful, I have to be right on top of it to sense anything.”
The line moved, and Caina and Nadia stood before the bouncers. Their hard eyes flicked over Caina and ignored her, but rested for much longer on Nadia. She smirked back at them. Caina was pleased that neither man recognized her. When she had been disguised as the waitress Marianna, both men had spoken with her on a regular basis.
“What do you say, gentlemen?” said Caina in her disguised voice, brandishing six neatly folded twenty dollar bills. “You’re not going to make my girl stand outside all night, are you?”
One of the bouncers grunted. “Maybe we’ll let her in, and you can wait outside.”
“Oh,” said Nadia. To Caina’s surprise, she actually pouted. “You’re not going to make me go in alone, are you? I’ll have to buy my own drinks.”
The bouncer snorted. “Doubt that.” He took Caina’s money and passed two of the twenties to the other bouncer. “Go in.”
“You gentlemen have a fine evening,” said Caina with a wide smile, and she opened the door and held it open for Nadia.
The interior of the Cattleman’s Pride was just as Caina remembered it, with the music blaring overhead, the air heavy with the smell of cigarette smoke, booze, and illicit substances, the dancers gyrating on the stage in costumes that just barely met the minimum legal standards. Caina glanced towards the private dining stage on the left side of the room, but it was open, and normal customers were scattered there, eating and drinking and watching the dancers. It seemed that Sulzer was not holding a “fundraiser” tonight.
“Any auras?” said Nadia.
“No,” said Caina. She watched a waitress glide past, carrying a tray of onion rings and beers, and Caina suppressed a wince as she remembered the pain in her ankles. She preferred women’s clothing, but she was willing to say that men’s shoes were almost always more comfortable. “We’ll have to order drinks, else we’ll get thrown out. Then we can head upstairs.”
“Where are the stairs?” said Nadia.
“Over there,” said Caina, nodding towards the private stage. In the corner was a closed steel door. “It’ll be locked, but I can pick it. We’ll need a reason to head over there. I suppose we could look like we’re heading over there to be alone...”
Nadia gave her a flat look. “I don’t care if it blows our disguise, I am not kissing you.”
Caina shook her head. “That would mess up my makeup.” Another idea occurred to her. “Can you Cloak both of us?”
“I doubt it,” said Nadia. “If you can see through Cloaking spells, I bet they won’t work on you, either. We...”
She fell silent as a waitress approached with a bright smile and cold eyes.
“Order whatever you want,” said Caina, smiling at Nadia.
“Okay, then,” said Nadia, playing with a lock of her hair. “I want, like, a Bloody Mary, but with extra orange juice. And can you, like, be a dear and put an extra spoonful of sugar into the glass. Because I want it to be, like, extra sweet.”
Caina admired the professional control it took for the waitress to keep from wincing. “Very good.”
“I’ll take a whiskey,” said Caina.
The waitress swayed off, and Caina looked at Nadia.
“A Bloody Mary with extra sugar?” said Caina.
“Well, I’m like, totally supposed to be your air-headed mistress,” said Nadia, still twisting that lock of hair around her fingers. “And it seems like I would, like, you know, be the kind of person who likes extra spoonfuls of sugar in her Bloody Mary because I’m watching my weight,” she ran her hands over her sides, “and the alcohol, like, cancels out all the calories, and so it’s healthier...”
Caina laughed despite herself. “You’re really getting into the disguise.”
“Well, I learned from you.”
Caina looked at the stage. “I’ve got an idea. In another ten minutes, the dancers are going to do a show. The lights are going to go dark, and if we’re seated near the door to the stairs, we’ll have a chance to get through the door.”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Nadia.
Caina led the way across the floor and up to the guest stage, and they claimed a standing table near the door. A moment later the waitress arrived with their drinks, and Caina paid too much for them, leaving a generous tip. Nadia lifted her glass and took a sip.
Her face screwed up with disgust, and she set the glass back down.
“That is horrible,” said Nadia.
“This whiskey isn’t great either,” said Caina. “You don’t drink regularly?”
“No,” said Nadia, her eyes distant as she stared at the crowd. “Never. I...you’ve seen what I can do when I have to. I can’t lose self-control. I might get pissed off and blow up a building or three. How about you? Close off the day with a bottle or two of whiskey?”
“No,” said Caina. “I’ve gotten drunk exactly once in my life. It wasn’t fun. We...”
She trailed off and glanced towards the ceiling.
A flare of green light danced and flickered before her sight.
“There’s a necromantic aura above us,” said Caina.
“Well, hell,” said Nadia. “Looks like we were right.” She started to reach for her glass, thought better of it, and pushed it away. “If we get some pictures of his workroom, send them to Homeland Security, that will be all we need. Maybe we’ll even get a picture of Sulzer himself.”
“That would be perfect,” said Caina. “Though we haven’t been that lucky before, why start now?”
They sat in silence for a while, pretending to sip their terrible drinks.
“Your husband,” said Caina. “Does he do...this sort of work?”
“He does,” said Nadia, glancing at her. “That’s how we met, actually. We were both on more or less the same job.” She snorted. “Kind of the same way you and I met.”
Caina nodded. She saw a flurry of activity on the dancers’ stage. The show was getting ready.
“So,” said Nadia. “Dr. Dorius’s brother. Did he do this kind of work?”
Caina gave her a flat look. “Why do you ask?”
Nadia shrugged. “You’re asking about my husband. Seems only fair.”
“True,” said Caina. She let out a long breath. “And, yes, he did this kind of work. He was one of the best.”
The familiar aching sadness rose up within her, and she crushed it down. This wasn’t the time or the place to think about it.
She was spared the need to answer by the sudden dimming of the main lights. Stage lights illuminated the dancers’ stage, and a dozen women in skimpy costumes and high-heeled boots hurried into the light, smiling at the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” boomed a voice. “Put your hands together for the dancers of the Cattleman’s Pride!”
A lusty cheer went up from the crowd, and Caina looked at Nadia.
“Now?” said Nadia.
“Now,” said Caina, and she turned to the door. In one smooth motion, she drew her lockpicking tools from the interior pocket of her coat, dropped to her haunches, and started working. It was a good lock, but she had dealt with far better, and she had it open in half a minute.
Caina looked around, but no one had noticed them. All eyes were on the stage and the dancers. Though what the dancers were doing looked more like gyrating than actual dancing.
“Go,” said Caina.
Nadia nodded, and together they slipped through the door. Caina slid it closed behind them. They were in a grimy concrete stairwell, the only light coming from an electric bulb enclosed in a wire cage. Caina took a quick look around, but there were no security cameras in sight.
“Got the guns?” whispered Caina.
Nadia nodded and reached into her purse. She passed over Caina’s Royal Arms .45 semiautomatic and took a smaller .38 for herself. Thankfully, the Cattleman's Pride was not the sort of club where the bouncers did weapons checks.
“Can you tell where the necromantic aura is?” said Nadia.
“It’s coming from the top floor, I think,” said Caina, tracking the flicker of green light. “I’ll go first. You cover me. If you see anyone, we’re probably caught, so don’t hold back.” Nadia nodded.
Caina took a deep breath, ascending the stairs with her pistol held ready before her. Another point in favor of men’s shoes – it was far easier to move in silence in them. Nadia tried, but her heels made a faint tap every time she ascended a step. Fortunately, Caina doubted the noise penetrated the steel doors that sealed off the floors. They passed the second-floor door. A sign taped to the metal read AV ACCESS – TECHNICIANS ONLY, followed by a hand-scrawled note saying that whoever had taken the #3 subwoofer had better goddamned return it as soon as possible. Likely that door led to access for the sound and lighting equipment over the dancers’ stage.
The third-floor door was locked with no sign, and the lock was a good deal more impressive than the one Caina had already opened. Even as she stepped towards the door, she felt the crawling tingle of necromantic magic behind the door and saw several more green glows with the vision of the valikarion.
“Cover me,” said Caina. “I’m going to need a minute to get this open.”
Nadia nodded and stepped to the side, watching both the stairs and the door, the pistol held loose and easy in her hands. Caina produced her lockpicking tools and began work on the door. This lock was harder, and it took her the better part of five minutes to get it released. But at last the door clicked, and Caina straightened up, put her tools back into her coat, and drew her gun.
“Same as before,” said Caina.
Nadia nodded, stepping back to hold her pistol leveled at the door. Caina eased the door open a crack and peered through it. Beyond she saw a concrete hallway lined with open doors, the lights dim and shadowy. But nothing moved, and at last, she pushed the door all the way open.
They walked into the hallway, and Caina looked back and forth. The rooms beyond were empty, the walls bare, and Caina saw tool boxes on the floor and rolls of heavy plastic sheeting taped to the windows. It looked like the rooms were in the process of being converted into apartments, though Caina could not imagine wanting to live over an establishment like the Cattleman’s Pride. Then again, given the expensive New York housing market, maybe it made financial sense.
One by one she and Nadia checked the rooms. Whoever had taught Nadia to handle a firearm had done a good job of it. She checked her corners constantly, controlling the aim of her pistol with steady hands. It did seem kind of absurd to watch someone do that in a tight red dress.
“Nothing,” whispered Nadia as they came to the door at the end of the hall.
“The auras are behind this door,” said Caina.
She reached down and tested the handle. The door wasn’t locked.
Nadia nodded, and Caina swung the door open.
The room beyond was large, and Caina suspected it took up half the top floor of the building. The floor was polished concrete, and all the windows had been blocked with heavy blackout curtains. The only light came from a few fluorescent bulbs mounted in the ceiling, throwing shadows and flickering light everywhere. The smell of chemicals filled the air, and Caina saw the reason a half-second after she came through the door.
Something like thirty dead men lay on the floor.
The dead lay in neat rows and every man was dressed identically – black suit, black tie, white shirt, black sunglasses. Their coats hung open, and Caina saw pistols in shoulder holsters resting at their sides. Rings of Elven hieroglyphs had been written in a circle on the floor around each man, glowing with a sickly green light. Caina saw the necromantic aura around them, and she recognized some of the symbols from the picture of the book that Nadia had shown her.
“An undead factory,” muttered Nadia. “He’s making himself a nice little army.”
“The table,” whispered Caina. There was a long table in the center of the room, and they hurried over to it. It held jars of embalming chemicals and a pair of laptop computers, and next to the computers rested the necromantic aura of the book that Sulzer had taken from the bank.
“Guess that explains where his friends came from,” said Nadia, shifting her gun to her right hand and drawing out her phone with her left hand. “Let’s take as many pictures as we can and get out of here. We’ll send these to the Inquisition, and they’ll have all the proof they need to arrest Sulzer and his Archon friend.”
Caina produced her own phone and started taking pictures as fast as she could. Nadia crossed to the window, pulled aside one of the curtains, and took several pictures. Caina wondered why she had bothered, and then realized that Nadia wanted the view of the street in the shots, proving that the waiting undead were inside the Cattleman’s Pride. Nadia took a few more pictures and then rejoined Caina.
“Do you have enough?” she said. “I think we do.”
“Yeah,” said Caina. “Let’s get the hell...”
A metallic click came to her ears, and Caina realized that she had been wrong.
The room did not take up the remainder of the top floor. A portion at the far end had been partitioned off, and a door there swung open.
Congressman Joseph Sulzer and the Elven woman in the Archon uniform stepped into sight.
***