CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

A DOOR OPENS

I GUESS I slept. I got in bed and then got out of bed when Scout roused me in the early morning, but if I dreamed or worried or schemed, it stayed a blank in my mind. I took the quickest of showers, before the little wall heater in the bathroom could even get the room warmed up, and the sting of the water’s cold edge warned me that the day would be even colder. That would be good. Not many people out and about, and hopefully the rocking place that the Butchery claimed to be after four pm would stay quiet until then.

I called Evelyn to see if she might come and help us. No answer. I stared at my phone for a few minutes, debating whether to call Hiram. Deciding on no, I laid my clothes out and got dressed for a cold and rugged day. I don’t know if the others planned to hit today, but it seemed our best bet. Our walls might have ears . . . it had been breached once or twice and who knew what might have been left behind. Can spiders hear? Lizards? Maybe there was a bat up in our attic, unseen but watching. We told ourselves it hadn’t been infiltrated, but I didn’t feel certain. The tell-tales in the hallway had given up, wilted over the lip of their vase. I didn’t know if it was because Steptoe was gone or because they’d just been shocked beyond their capacity. Nothing held certainty anymore.

Scout put his wet nose on my ankle as I searched for a pair of pants that would be warm and also protective. I threw my leather ones up on the bed and then began scrounging around looking for a two-shirt combination. A nice silk shirt I rarely wear would go under one of my tough flannel shirts, and I have my jacket with the inside pockets still lumpy with a few flash-bangs to go over that. Why silk? I remember reading they could slow down, even stop arrowheads. The Mongols wore silk-reinforced body armor. This baby wasn’t made as armor but did call itself dragon silk, and I liked it, so I’d bought it. Any advantage at all would help.

I also have a silver choker necklace that I’d bought with scraped-together money right after my father left, in my Goth period which had lasted all of two months. It encircled my throat nicely, about two inches tall, and I clipped it on. The metal warmed slowly against my skin. If we didn’t go to war today, I’d wear it again tomorrow . . . and the day after that and the day after that until we did.

As I prepared to actually get dressed, something fell and hit the floor with a clunk. I bent over to see what it was and decide if I wanted to retrieve it or not. Whatever it was, disappeared somewhere in rug wrinkles. I had to get down on one knee and finally pulled it out from under my bed and looked at it in mild surprise, an object I had totally forgotten I had. It might be useful. I stuffed it in my pants pocket and finished getting dressed.

The rest of the trip downstairs, I pondered what to do with my mother and my dog. Scout wouldn’t want to be left behind, but my mom—well, she was a fighter. I knew that. But I also knew she didn’t have the offensive or defensive skills to be any help against the magic we likely faced. Would she be content to stay behind and wait for news of the outcome?

No, she would not.

I thought of draping her with a garlic bulb necklace, but the professor had already said they were relatively useless. I doubt if he’d give an amateur his crossbow. If Steptoe had survived, I’d pair him with her as guardian, fighter, with that invisibility suit coat of his as a final line of protection—but he hadn’t. I would give her flash-bangs. That might be enough to give her the option to turn and run.

Then I realized if we called in Evelyn, we had pretty much the same problem. Two innocents, unprepared to protect themselves. I mean, I know my mother could swing a mean bat or hockey stick if she had to, but Evie?

Then again, Evie would likely have Hiram. I couldn’t be sure what Hiram would bring to the fray, but I figured it would be impressive. I walked into the kitchen determined to call him anyway and see if I could emotionally blackmail him into shielding her and helping us.

I stopped dead at the sight of a full table: Gregory, Carter, Hiram and Evelyn, all passing about a huge vat of coffee while my mother took a pan of biscuits hot from the oven. She said she’d always been considered a Yankee, but she still made the finest deep South biscuits I’d ever eaten. Scout immediately loped over to Evelyn and put his head on her knee, rolling his brown eyes up at her in his best begging expression.

I stated the obvious. “I’m late to the party.”

Evelyn pulled out the last available chair next to her. “I had a feeling I should be here.” She looked back over her shoulder at Hiram. They traded a fond look. “He convinced me I shouldn’t ignore those feelings any longer.”

“Really?”

Hiram didn’t really answer, just made a short bass rumble as he reached his massive hand for a mug of coffee. He wore a shirt of chain mail that looked as if it had been around, but repaired and nicely kept.

“You look prepared.”

“I’ve my ax and shield in the car.”

He was.

That left my mom. As I sized her up, Gregory said, “She’s taken care of.”

“How?”

Mom rebuked me. “Don’t be a doubter, Tessa.”

I curled my fingers around an unclaimed mug and pulled it toward me to add cream and sugar. “Curious.”

“She’s bespelled.”

“Until you drop?” I raised an eyebrow at our wizard. I took a cautious sip. The coffee was gloriously hot and wonderfully flavored. Someone had ground some good beans and brought them to our kitchen.

“I won’t drop.” Gregory gave me a hard look. “None of us will.”

“Today is the day?”

Carter nodded. Jam dotted the corner of his mouth. I so wanted to kiss it away yet knew I couldn’t, not in front of everyone. Scout left Evelyn and came to me, leaning heavily on my legs, and rolled his eyes up at me. I gave him a flaky corner off the first biscuit that came my way. I opened my mouth to tell everyone about my father and the stone, but my father’s voice flooded my mind.

“Don’t.”

So I didn’t, instead stuffing another bite in before swallowing the last completely and dabbing the melted butter off my chin.

“Manners,” my mother chided.

“Sorry.” A few crumbs flew out, and I ducked my head. I could understand why Dad didn’t want them alerted since his plan stipulated that I get overwhelmingly close to a set of very sharp fangs. Carter wouldn’t allow it if I telegraphed it early, for which I felt grateful and annoyed. If I had to do what I had to do, it would be nice to have backup.

Evelyn asked, “Why do you need me?”

“You open doors.”

She tilted her head. Someone had braided her pale blonde hair tightly and wrapped it closely about, so that it couldn’t be grabbed. I imagined it was Hiram, who had obviously been in a pitched battle once or twice, and had had Mortimer as one of his instructors. I ought to have my brunette hair fixed as well and cleared my throat to ask if she or Carter could do it, but my father’s ghostly voice stopped me again. Seriously? He wanted the vampire to grab me by my pony tail and reel me in?

Yes, he did.

“Doors?”

“You can see into the future enough to wedge our way into a protected building, we are betting.”

Evelyn frowned slightly. “I dreamed of that last night, I think. Two paths, one victorious and one disastrous. I don’t remember much more than being terrified. But the door, yes. A thick wooden door, chestnut wood, with a great carven B on it, and slightly scarred from many passages over the years. Worn and antiqued.”

She nailed the description. I hunched down on my chair and decided to rub Scout’s soft ears and neck wrinkles to hide my upset. I told him what a good dog he was. I really had no idea of my father’s exact plan, but my feelings about it grew worse and worse. If Carter or any of the others heard a word of my intention, I’d be hog-tied and left by the side of the road.

I had a couple of aces in my pocket that I dared not think or talk about because it seemed very probable that I would be argued out of them. Beyond that, I had my three offensive spells, my bracers, and whatever shields the maelstrom stone could produce before my father took it over for his offensive. I had my own trusty hockey stick as well.

Gregory put his hand on my shoulder, startling me a bit before I shrugged him off. “No spells for me. Mom needs all the power you can spare.”

He patted me instead. “You’ve a point. And, I trust, Carter will be looking out for you.”

Carter assessed me before smiling a bit, that little offset dimple in his chin deepening. “She’ll be fine.” He dusted his hands off on his napkin. “When do we want to bring in Malender?”

“Not until we’re deep enough into the Butchery to see our target.”

“You’re going to ask him to help?”

I nodded at my mother. “He owes me, and he has a score to settle with the Master, as well. We can’t be sure he’ll help, but I think he might.” I paused for a minute. “That’s right. You’ve never seen him in action.”

“No.”

“He looks like a troubadour. But he’s got abilities and power.”

“If he’ll use them on your behalf.”

“He owes me a life-debt. He damn well better help.”

Something flashed deep in her eyes, and I don’t think it was aimed at me. “He’ll get a swift talking-to from me if he tries to back down.”

Gregory chuckled softly at that. “The being is a demigod, Mary.”

“I assume he’s met a mama bear or two and knows what to expect.”

Carter bumped a shoulder against mine, muffling his laughter, as my mother sat up straighter in her chair. He said, “I wouldn’t bet against her.”

“So it seems.” Gregory pushed his mug and plate to the center of the table. “Are we satisfied with our planning? Prepared to go? Have advice from our seer?” He fastened his attention on Evelyn.

“May the odds be in your favor,” she quoted back at him. “Actually, high noon seems to be a good time, from what I’ve sensed and felt.”

“Excellent for me.” Carter took her advice well. He needed the sunlight, whatever he could absorb of it, although his powers also had a stored battery component to them, which made him doubly dangerous. He didn’t need daylight to flex his abilities though it helped now and then. If Nicolo had been an old-time, myth-ridden vampire, the daylight Carter could shine on him alone would have made the being dry up and float away. Unfortunately, he wasn’t. Everyone about the table took out their phones and put them on silent.

Gregory joined in. “I’ve reinforced the wards as I can. Tessa, your father will be alone here, in the cellar, but I trust he will not be disturbed.”

“Hopefully not.” I bent out of my chair and hugged my pup, then massaged him lightly up and down his flank. “I’m sending Scout with Mom, a little extra protection.”

“Oh?” Gregory eyed the two of us thoughtfully before adding, “Good idea.”

Did he have some idea of what I planned? Possibly. But if today wasn’t a day to pull out all the stops, I didn’t know when one would come. I thought of something else that might be important. “Oh! And a word . . . well, it sounds silly but if you smell strong peppermint, duck. The Master’s minions seem to soak in it. I didn’t get close enough to Remy to know if she did as well, but it seems to be a fetish with the old vampire. He doesn’t like the smell of the Undead.”

We took three cars: Hiram’s SUV with Evelyn, the professor’s somewhat sedate sedan with Mom and Scout, and I accompanied Carter in his SUV. Few people were out on the road, it being a work day, and true to the weather forecast, one of bitter cold and low humidity, too chilled to even snow. We didn’t get many days like this in Richmond. This front had edged its way down from Canada and would be gone in a day or two, most of its nasty effects across the Great Lakes and into the Midwest before turning our way. We just caught an edge of it, and I could only be happy that was all.

Old Town seemed very quiet, streets near empty, the carousing waiting for Happy Hour and evening. Classes hadn’t started up yet, so the students and the Gen Z and Gen Xers weren’t about, likely at work, before showing up to drink and circulate. Carter gave an approving murmur. The less crowd/witnesses we had to deal with, the better.

We parked a bit up the street. When the professor and Mom drove up, I settled Scout in the front seat and gave her the leash. Gregory went to mull over some last details with Carter, and I said to her, “When the time comes, let him off the lead, and let him go.”

“Time? What time? What are you talking about?”

“You’ll know. Trust me, you’ll know.” I hugged Scout again. “You’re the best boy, you know that? I love you. You stay my good boy.”

Scout wiggled a bit and gave me a sloppy kiss, before sitting back on the car seat and giving me a worried look. It matched the one my mother wore. I shoveled out four flash-bangs and pressed them into her hand. “If they come out of the building and after you, throw one or two at their feet. Make sure you throw them hard enough to crack like an egg, all right? It’s called a flash-bang and you’ll see why. It’ll slow them down enough for you to run or drive away. Save two for the worst.”

“What are you up to?”

“I can’t say, not just yet. But you’ve got to know, we’re going to need everything we’ve got to put this guy down.”

“Please come back to me.”

“I will definitely do everything I can to do that.” I hugged her, too. I whispered in her ear, “I never told Dad, but I think he knows about Gregory. He’s okay with it.”

She hid a sniffle as I moved away. I turned my back on them and willed my feet to walk me away or I never would have left.

Evelyn and Hiram stood, arms hooked together, on the sidewalk just out of range of the Butchery’s front windows. He had a wicked looking double-headed ax in his right hand, and since I’d seen him work on a demolition and construction crew, I knew he had the muscle to wield it. A slightly dented shield leaned against his leg. His chain mail looked like pewter in the light. He held a vest hooked on his thumb and threw it toward me. “Not much, but it will help.”

I caught it. Heavier than it looked, but when I shrugged into it, the weight distributed nicely about me. It looked as if it could be made of the same stuff as my bracers. I rolled one cuff up to compare. It did match the bronzed metal of my armament. “Nice. Thank you.”

“Not as good as my mail, but it’ll do you. Better than nothing.”

Evelyn stirred. “Are we all ready?”

I fetched two flash-bangs out of my inner jacket pocket, a little tough to do under the vest, but I fumbled them out. Two more rested inside, but I wouldn’t use them until the last minute—whenever that was. Like I told my mother, it was one of those things you’d know when you saw it.

“Ready,” Carter agreed.

“One moment.” The professor lifted both his hands and chanted a few words that sounded harsh and booming against my ears. When he finished, the whole world seemed muffled. I think my head had been stuffed with fog and cotton. Gregory gave himself a pleased nod. “Muted. We shouldn’t draw too much attention.”

Evelyn pulled away from Hiram. “Are you all certain you want me to do this?”

“This is our only way to catch the Master at a disadvantage, and believe me, he must be caught and dealt with. His shadow is knotted through the countryside, drawing it down into a mire from which it might never return if we don’t act.” Gregory met her question squarely if somewhat dramatically, but it was her kind of language.

She inhaled. Said, “I know Tessa believes in you.”

As if my judgment could be depended upon. I almost spoke up to argue with her. She trembled, her slender body caught in a whirlwind, and put one hand up to shade her eyes. “Open, oh doors of breath and morrow, let fate come in.” Somewhat Shakespearean; I wondered if it would work.

The immense brick building that had warehoused a near three-hundred-year–old butcher and slaughter shop and now a modern-day bar and restaurant/dance hall shuddered at her words. I could see the shimmer of time move swiftly across its feature as if years ran across it.

And then, with a moan and a creak, the massive wooden door swung open.

I wondered no more.