A subtle agency omnibus, p.54
A Subtle Agency Omnibus, page 54
part #1 of The Metaframe War Series
Lamar’s head swiveled left and right. He focused on Li, thrust his hand out, his finger pointing stiffly at her face and accused, “Li Wu is a traitor to the Order.”
An incredulous murmur spread through the room.
Juliette laughed. “Poppycock.”
“It’s true,” he declared with utter conviction. “I heard her incriminate herself.”
“What’s going on?” Anton growled, moving to stand next to Li. Peter and Chiara moved to join him a moment later.
“A false accusation I would think,” Juliette observed with an arched eyebrow.
“Not false. And you,” Lamar claimed, pointing a finger at Juliette, “a loremaster - should recuse yourself immediately. How else can you officiate at an inquisition?”
Lamar looked at Li and demanded, “Hand over the data stick and the letters. I know you’re hiding them.”
“Don’t do anything Li,” Anton advised.
Francis stepped forward and commanded, “Everyone stand down. You too Deon. This must be some sort of misunderstanding.”
Lamar declared flatly, “The law will have its way.”
“Indeed, it will,” Francis affirmed. “Juliette, please take everyone out of the room apart from Li, Deon, and Justin.”
Anton squeezed Li’s hand before he joined the others leaving the room.
Francis shut the door and turned back into the room. His face was flat and serious as he demanded, “Li first, what’s going on?”
“Justin brought me a letter from my father,” Li declared.
“A document filled with lies,” Lamar snarled.
“Enough Deon. Let her speak,” Francis ordered, his eyes flashing with tightly held anger. “Go on Li, what was in the letter.”
“It was about Ramin Kain,” Li offered firmly. “It looks a lot like he’s in league with the Vampire Dominion.”
Lamar sucked air through his teeth and declared triumphantly. “Sedition from her mouth. She self-incriminates.”
Francis looked at Lamar as if seeing him for the first time.
Justin stared hard at Lamar. “If you make a spurious accusation against Li,” he rumbled. “You’ll answer to me for it,”
“You can’t threaten me. I’m an officer of the Order.”
“The laws of the Order still maintain the right of challenge.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“You think so … we’ll see who makes the first bone to break and you know as well as I do that there is no limit on which bone gets broken.”
Lamar’s face twisted into a snarl. “And a force leader can be impeached. You’re not above our laws. Be careful that you don’t find yourself in chains before this day is over.”
Justin snorted dismissively. “Did you bring metal thick enough to hold me?”
Lamar stared up at Justin and declared hotly, “You will conform with the law or be outcast. The choice is a simple one.”
Justin stared back, his eyes flat and steely. “The first thing you’ve said that makes any sense. It’s always been a simple choice.”
“What do you mean by that. Do you seriously place Li Wu’s life over the Order? You’re not fit to be a force leader.”
Francis came to an inevitable decision and commanded, “Enough! There will be no challenges here.” He turned to Justin and demanded, “Justin Blake, force leader of the Order of Thoth, do you accept the charge of inquisitorial guardian of Li Wu, novice of the Order?”
Justin looked like he would rather do anything else as he agreed, “Yes. I do.”
“Deon Lamar, Order traveler, do you accept the charge of inquisitorial prosecutor?”
Lamar’s eyes gleamed with triumph as he declared proudly, “Yes. I do.”
“Li, hand over the letter and data stick to the prosecutor,” Francis demanded.
Li looked at Justin, and he nodded his head once. She handed the papers and the data stick to Lamar and advised, “Look at what’s in there. It’s damning.”
Lamar’s lip curled derisively. “Yes, it is.”
“Open your mind,” she snapped.
Lamar took a step forward. “You presume to instruct me?”
Francis put his hand flat on Lamar’s chest. “Call the Head of the Order. Do what you must.”
Lamar turned, hurrying from the room.
Francis looked back at Li. “I hope your position is defensible.”
“What have you done to me?” she asked.
“What I had to do as a force leader,” Francis declared, his voice hard. He turned away and left the room.
“Uncle, what’s happening?”
“An inquisition,” Justin observed gloomily.
“You’ll be my guardian though won’t you.”
“Not that way. I’m to guard you to ensure you don’t escape.”
The world seemed to shrink around her, the library suddenly becoming horribly claustrophobic.
She looked at Justin, her eyes large with worry. “How do I fight this?”
“I don’t rightly know,” he offered softly. “Tracking the Head of the Order and accusing him of being in league with the vampires without rock solid proof of his guilt … and you’re a novice … it’s not good Li.”
Li sat back stunned. Her father had never discussed the intricacies of an inquisition with her - they were so rare.
What was going to happen now?
She had no idea.
Chapter Fourteen
"Humility and wisdom walk hand in hand; there are no wise zealots." - Quote from The Way of the Faithful, a book of Red Empire lore
* * *
Boston, August 21st, 11:45
James Haley’s smartphone pinged. A moment later so did his laptop as a Panopticon message appeared on the screen.
James scanned the text with a glance. Ramin Kain and Samuel Luther were on the move. Predictive algorithms presented their most likely destination. A red line snaked across a map from New York to a spot just south of a small village in Maine.
The Order safe house.
He vectored cameras along the route immediately in front of Kain’s current position. He was in his Bentley and was being followed by a white Chevy Suburban with four male occupants.
The implications of the second vehicle were obvious. Kain had a security detail with him. James had never seen these operatives before, and he mentally noted the new information. He used the cameras to capture sufficient details to identify them again.
James backed up the new data onto a small, portable hard drive, and then purged the information from the Panopticon. The current search on Kain and his associates evaporated, the Panopticon screens vanishing like ghosts.
He pocketed the hard drive.
Opening his phone, he deleted the duplicate Panopticon message and dialed Chloe Armitage. She picked up the call before the first ring had finished.
“James?”
“Yes, Ma’am. The package is in motion toward the Order safe house.”
“Any pertinent details I should know about?”
“Kain has a four-man security detail.”
“… Initiate the plan. I will meet you at the staging location outside White Hill.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Good work James. Tonight, will see an important step forward toward our goals. It is critical the Red Empire assassins are in place on time. Will there be any issues?”
“No, Ma’am. The plan is ready to execute.”
“Excellent. I will see you after nightfall.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
The call disconnected.
James sat back in his chair in his office at the Boston R.I.S.C building. His mind abuzz with thoughts, his heart filled with keen anticipation. A dozen Red Empire assassins waited in a set of suites on the floor below. He pushed his chair back, stood up, grabbed his coat and strode to the elevator.
Fifteen minutes later, three black Chevy Suburbans drove out of the building’s parking garage and took off down the street.
* * *
Chloe put the phone down on the marble bench top.
In front of her rested six plastic bags of ‘O positive’ blood. She’d been so busy lately she hadn’t had time to hunt properly. The bags came from an emergency supply she kept in her fridge. She’d warmed them up in a pot of water set to ninety-seven degrees Fahrenheit.
She picked up a bag, tossing it toward her guest.
Marcus Drake caught the bag and remarked glumly, “Thanks.”
“Yes, I know. Not perfect, but it will do. Time is pressing, and we must make do with what is available.”
Marcus cut the bag with his teeth, draining it dry in a second.
Chloe picked up a bag and followed suit.
A few seconds later, all the bags were empty, and Chloe put them neatly away into a bin.
She walked into her living room, Marcus following behind her. The chamber was softly lit with lamps; heavy curtains had been drawn across her full-length windows against the midday sun. There would be no sunbathing in the presence of Marcus, or any other person. Her longing to walk in sunlight would forever be her secret.
They sat down opposite each other on a beautiful and elegant couch of modern design.
“And what of Jerusalem?” Chloe asked.
“It’s a disaster for Crane. He is there now, personally supervising the evacuation with general Maze.”
“And the target?”
“Captured by the Red Empire and disappeared.”
Chloe smiled. “General Mosule is being kept in the Obsidian Cell. It’s a holding facility for vampires that the Red Empire constructed back in the late ‘90s. He cannot escape.”
“What happens to him now?”
“Nothing. He cools his heels in that black hole until I see fit to free him.”
“He will blame me for his capture. He’ll link the assassin that passed on the location of the fake citadel to me.”
“Don’t worry about him. By the time he is free, you will be beyond his power to harm.”
Marcus nodded. “And the mission tonight?”
“You have one objective, the safe abduction of Ramin Kain.”
“And what of the boy?”
“If you have to kill him to defend yourself, then do it. If he can’t survive tonight, he was never going to be any use against Crane.”
“You know that I would kill Crane for you.”
“Yes. But you know that I want it. Your knowledge is a hook that links you to me and Allemande’s curse. If you attack him, you kill me first.”
Chloe looked away from Marcus, her eyes growing distant. “The attack against Crane must be hidden, unexpected, and utterly self-motivated. The young Slayne is growing in power. One day he will match his grandfather and then … we put them together. Anton Slayne and Cornelius Crane. I’m sure that will be the day that I will once again be free.”
“And I will be by your side.”
Chloe turned back to Marcus; her eyes warm. “Yes, Marcus. At my side forever.”
Marcus smiled.
Chloe’s eyes hardened. “But first we strike tonight. With Crane’s attention focused on Jerusalem and the Red Empire, we will be able to act without interference.”
Marcus nodded; his eyes fierce.
Chloe stared at Marcus intently. “Victory will be ours.”
“Yes, Chloe,” Marcus agreed. He moved closer, Chloe leaning into his embrace.
She rested her head on his shoulder, wondering how many more days he had left to live. She held him tight.
There was little time left, and none of it would be spent on regret.
* * *
James Haley pulled the Chevy Suburban to a halt halfway along the main street through White Hill.
The Red Empire assassins driving the other two cars pulled dutifully in behind him. He turned to the man sitting next to him and directed, “Keep your men in the cars.”
Nasr al Dam, the leader of the Red Empire troop, nodded and touched his earpiece, speaking a short command in Arabic.
James exited the car, walking over to the nearest street corner. The local post office dominated the street, and he slapped a device the size of a postage stamp on the wall of the building. A quick glance assured him that the device was securely attached and his actions had not been noted by any of the locals attending to their personal affairs. He turned away from the wall, walking casually back to the car. The bug carried a tiny fish-eye camera and a radio transmitter with enough power to run for another twenty-four hours. James had programmed it to watch for Ramin Kain’s Bentley. Kain’s car would have to turn on this corner to head toward the Order safe house. Once it did so, he would be instantly alerted without leaving a Panopticon trace.
James glanced at his watch as he approached his car. Kain should be passing through White Hill in about two hours. He still had plenty of time to secure the staging area and prepare for battle. He got back into the car and drove off to the local airfield.
His eyes were flat as he led the suburbans through the airfield’s entrance. The Red Empire assassins would assist with the bloody work of clearing the airfield and locking it down. He’d guaranteed Chloe there would be no witnesses to the night’s forthcoming action.
He could not afford mistakes or errors. The stakes were too high. He would do whatever was necessary to ensure the success of the mission.
The three Chevy suburbans pulled to a stop next to each other in the airfield’s parking lot. The doors flew open, the assassins blurring out of the cars. They all carried a simple dagger for work such as this, and in less than a minute the only people left alive on the airfield were those who had arrived in the black SUVs.
James opened his phone, sending Chloe a text message which read, ‘The airfield is secured.’
He surveyed the carnage. His eyes flat. All these people had died for a great purpose. At least their lives had not been wasted.
* * *
Chloe Armitage’s smartphone pinged.
James Haley had sent another text message, it read, ‘Kain has just passed through White Hill.’
She replied with, ‘Our ETA is two hours from now.’
“Time to move Marcus,” she ordered.
Marcus flourished his Red Empire swords and plunged them back into their sheaths across his broad shoulders. The dark cape he wore had a pair of slits that accommodated the blades positioned in an ‘X’ across his back.
“You know I would prefer a mace, flail or axe,” he noted with a grimace.
Chloe smiled briefly, gave him a pair of sais, and adjusted the fit of his tunic. “Tonight, you need to blend in. Now don’t forget your hood and veil. It’s very important.”
“Yes, Chloe,” he replied, tucking the sais into his belt.
She stepped back from him. She wore simple dark-gray combat fatigues and a matching cap; the Red Dragon was belted at her hip.
The edge of a smile curled her lips, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. “Follow me.”
Chloe turned, leading Marcus up the stairs in her penthouse to her private, shielded helipad. A brand-new nightfalcon, as black as night, stood in a covered bay just large enough to hold it. She slid the side door back and bounded into the cabin. In a moment, she was in the pilot’s seat and flicking switches.
Marcus sat down in the seat beside her.
Above them, heavy steel doors rolled back into hidden recesses. The late afternoon sun slashed across the rotors of the helicopter. The engines roared into life. The rotors blurred, the nightfalcon leaping into the air like a caged eagle suddenly set free. It soared away. The sunlight glinting off the darkened, transparent armor of the helicopter’s canopy.
Chloe booted up the nightfalcon’s combat system and sent commands to a flight of blackwidow helicopters stationed at Fort Dix. The attack helicopters had been waiting on hot standby for the command and immediately took off. Their engines hushed with stealth technology, they sprang into the air with a low rumble before rapidly dwindling to specks in the sky.
The whole operation would be logged by James Haley as an aerial attack on an Order of Thoth safe house. There would be no reference to a troop of Red Empire assassins, and the Panopticon record of events would be carefully managed to back up the story.
Chloe flicked on the autopilot and leaned back in her chair. Everything was in motion; all preparations had been made. There was nothing left to do but wait.
She reflected upon her plans. The abduction of Ramin Kain was in motion. She would spirit him out of the country. She would squeeze him of all useful information on the operations of the Order of Thoth.
It would be an utter disaster for the Order. They would be forced to try to rescue him. The only team in position to act would be the Mirovar force team. With Kain as the lure, she could set a trap that would ensnare Li Wu and drive Anton further along the path toward the assassination of Crane.
Chloe frowned. It was a good plan, but nothing was certain. The battle at the safe house could see any of the principles killed. She had to take the risk. There could be no stinting on the forging of a weapon to bring down an adversary as powerful as Cornelius Crane, King of the Vampire Dominion.
Anton would survive tonight’s battle, or he would prove himself unfit to fulfill the purpose Chloe had for him.
It was entirely possible Anton would die, perhaps even probable. There were many ways her grand plan could stumble this night. But she had hope, a bright, shining hope. Crane’s entrapment of her in his cursed web would blow up in his face. She planned to be there when it happened.
She wanted to be at his side when he died. To watch the light fade from his eyes. To hold his hand, not in comfort, but in a final intimacy to let him know just how badly he’d failed against her.
It was only fitting for someone who’d completely robbed her of her liberty.
* * *
Ramin Kain stared through the front windscreen of his Bentley without seeing what was in front of him.
What the hell has Lamar done?
Ramin desperately wanted to talk with Lamar. Preferably alone, in a quiet room with a baseball bat, or even better, in a hidden location in a trackless forest where a body could rot away without being found for years.
