“Okay then, I’ll tell you what I felt, and then you can tell me if I’m right. Will that work?”
His eyes narrowed and went dark, but he nodded assent.
I had a feeling I’d stepped over a line, but I kept going. “You somehow blended his energies. At first I thought you’d heated him up, which you may have in order to blend him together like that, but the important part, what actually happened, is.... how to explain it.... where each organ of the body has a different frequency — the heart has one, the stomach another, and the liver another, and the brain…you blended it all, so each individual cell no longer vibrated as an individual cell, but his entire body blended together somehow and had the exact same vibration frequency. Right?”
Mordecai’s head swiveled to look at Abbott in a new light, and Abbott looked at him a few seconds — long enough to see the look, acknowledge it, and dare him to say something.
When nothing was said for several long seconds, Abbott looked to me and said, “Not exactly, but close enough to be a little disconcerting.”
Okay, so I’d given something away to Mordecai, something Abbott would’ve preferred the former god didn’t know. My bad, and I’d have to apologize later and hope Abbott wasn’t too pissed. For now, though, I told Mordecai, “I have no experience in detecting a ‘disturbance in the force,’ but when something happens close by I can detect what’s happening. I can also sense beings from the demon realm when I’m within maybe a hundred yards of them, though I’m not sure if I’d be able to sense humans trying to call them. How hard would it be to teach me to detect when something or someone is manipulating energy?”
“The knife first, and then we will discuss the possibility of you learning this.”
“I want to save lives. If someone dies tonight and I could’ve learned to sense this bastard and stop him, then it’s
our
fault someone else dies.”
“Then I suggest you learn the knife lesson quickly,” he snapped.
I overcame my awe of him enough to give him an exceptionally good glare, but a few seconds into it, a realization hit me. “You and Aaron have both used the same term — saying you are allies of old. You think whoever is here is one of your enemies of old, don’t you?”
Mordecai just looked at me, totally noncommittal. He’d be even better than Abbott at poker, but I was tired of not getting my questions answered. I ignored both of the ancient beings in the room as I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and called Aaron. “You have an idea of who may be doing these killings, don’t you?”
“Nothing we know for sure. I have a list of about a half-dozen it’s likely to be but there’s no way to know at this point, and my list doesn’t get us any closer to being able to find him or move one step ahead of him, so we can stop him before he kills again.”
“You and I are going to sit down, just the two of us, and you’re going to give me every bit of information that might help me understand what’s going on.
Enough
with the damned secrets.”
“I can’t tell you everything, some things aren’t my secrets to tell.” He sighed, and I could hear the frustration in his voice. “Sometime in the next few days I will tell you everything I’m able. Tonight we have other things to discuss.”
“Bring food, I’m hungry. Something Chinese, with eggplant and sticky rice. And bring chopsticks, too.”
“Will you consider it a peace offering if I do?”
“No. But I’ll thank for you it, anyway.”
I hung up and looked at Mordecai. “Let’s get started on the knife lesson.”
His expression told me he was allowing me to give orders because I wasn’t a threat — much as we’ll let a puppy growl because it’s cute, but won’t tolerate it from a grown pit bull. I wanted to slap the condescending smile from his face as he asked, “What size knives are you used to handling?”
I reminded myself he’d offered to teach me, and he apparently knew more about my abilities than anyone else who might offer instruction. I breathed in and answered in as normal of a voice as I could muster. “When I’ve practiced with Aaron’s guys they’ve had me using blades from three and a half to five inches.”
Mordecai walked over to the coat he’d worn downstairs and removed a knife and a knife handle with no blade from a pocket. He walked back, handed me the knife handle, and laid the knife on the table beside me.
“Put a blade on your handle.”
And I did. Easy as pie. I manifested it into being, imagined it being forged into a solid object, and suddenly I didn’t even have to concentrate in order to keep it there. It was almost too easy and I wondered why I’d never thought of it.
It was as if my lasers were advanced calculus, but the knife was
one plus five equals six
. I wanted to practice with it, but immediately realized I’d never be able to spar while holding this knife, as it could too easily kill supernaturals.
I took a few seconds to look at it, and realized it was the odd white light again, with undertones of lavender and maybe a touch of orange. Was this a blending of the red and blue of the laser, since those two colors make purple? I’d have to play around and see if I could make an all red or all blue one. But later. Mordecai was speaking again.
“Absorb it back into yourself.”
I un-forged it and let it sink back into my hand. I kept it in my right hand this time and it went in with no problem and hurt less. Interesting.
“See how quickly you can do it again.”
Not a problem. Within a half-second the blade was there, another half-second and it was forged. I looked at him and he nodded, and I let it sink back into my arm. Uncomfortable, but not as painful as the first time.
“Now give me the handle and do it again. You’ll be making the entire knife this time, handle and blade.”
Okay, how best to visualize this? I imagined the weight of the knife in my hand, the feel of the handle, the weight of the blade sticking out from it. And it began to form. I took a deep breath and pulled more energy into my body, and then let that energy help the knife take shape. Once the structure was there I shifted my hand and opened it so the knife was lying on top of my hand, and then I did the “firing it into solid” thing. I grasped it again and looked at Mordecai. The whole thing had taken maybe thirty seconds.
“Impressive. Do it again. Faster.”
I absorbed that one and it hurt again — not just discomfort, but true pain. I took a deep breath and formed another knife. This time it probably took about fifteen seconds. I held onto it this time, not letting it absorb back just yet as I waved it around, feeling the weight of it. It seemed odd a knife made of light would be so perfectly balanced, but I’d imagined a knife like one I’d used at Drake Security, and Aaron only bought the best for his people so I shouldn’t be surprised.
“We’ll practice more later, outside, where you can truly cut with it. You need to learn to form it in a matter of seconds, which will require practice. Until then you might consider keeping a handle with you, since you have no problems with that visualization.”
And then the door from upstairs flew open and Gavin stormed into the room, speaking with a heavy British accent, “What in the bloody hell is going on down here, it feels like.....”
He froze as he saw me with my knife made of light.
No one spoke for several long seconds, and Gavin finally said, “Well, that would explain what I’m feeling.” He didn’t take his eyes from me as he asked, “Abbott? What is she doing? I was under the impression Kirsten was human.”
“Does she not smell human?”
“Yes, but no human can do…
that
.”
I un-forged it again and let it sink into my arm, and was pretty sure my face didn’t show my pain, though I figured my scent signature likely did.
Gavin’s eyes grew wide again, but he just stared at me without speaking.
“Hello, Gavin,” I said with my most pleasant, most professional, therapist voice. “As far as I know I’m as human as they come, but that isn’t what is interesting me. You
felt
me doing it?”
“Yes, it felt like a dozen people were using magic all at once.”
“How far away could you feel someone doing that kind of... magic.”
I hated calling it magic. To me, it wasn’t magic, it was just using the energy that’s everywhere, the stuff reality is made of. However, since I wanted his help, I’d use his terminology.”
“A couple hundred yards. Maybe as much as a quarter mile, possibly more if it was strong enough.”
I looked at Abbott. “Can you do this, too? Sense when someone is manipulating energies in this manner?”
“Yes, and my range isn’t much more than Gavin’s, depending on the terrain probably between a half mile and three quarters of a mile.”
Mordecai looked at Abbott. “Can the other vampires also sense these things?”
He shook his head. “Not everyone. Only the strongest of us.”
“I would appreciate it if you allowed them to believe whatever they’re sensing is coming from me, not Kirsten.”
Abbott readily agreed, and gave Gavin a look that said it wasn’t open for discussion. I wondered how Abbott was going to deal with Gavin without being able to tell him what was going on. Something told me Gavin wouldn’t cope well with being kept in the dark, and I could tell Abbott wasn’t happy about having to keep him there. But, I hadn’t made any promises, had I? I thought back over the conversation and realized I hadn’t. I considered why Mordecai might not want Gavin to know, decided it was a supernatural power thing, and made a quick decision.
“Gavin, apparently my being able to do this has drawn someone to town who may also be able to do this, and I’m told things aren’t safe for me right now. I asked how far you could sense it because I’m trying to get a handle on how far away someone else may be able to sense what I’m doing. Also, I’m hoping to find a way to locate them. Anyway, if you could keep quiet about what you’ve seen, I’d really appreciate it. I’m not trying to deceive anyone, just trying to stay safe.”
“Of course, my lady.”
Mordecai was clearly not happy with me, but Abbott looked grateful and Gavin looked friendlier. Oh well, you win some you lose some.
One thing I agreed with Mordecai on, though — I hadn’t told Gavin about the murders, as it seemed prudent to not broadcast I was able to do what the murderer could.
“So, Gavin, your bedroom is upstairs? How do you keep the sunlight from bothering you?” It hadn’t escaped my notice none of the downstairs vampires were up, or if they were, they hadn’t come out of their rooms, but Gavin had come from upstairs, as awake as Abbott.
I noted he looked at Abbott, and I figured Gavin was asking what to tell me. A few seconds later Gavin told me, “There are light tight boxes built around the windows. From the outside you only see curtains and assume the room is behind them. Two thirds of the second floor and the entire top floor is blocked off to light during the day, so we can move around. As I’m sure you’ve figured out, a private stairwell leads down here.”
Abbott added, “The boxes around the windows also allow us to keep lights on all night without the neighbors knowing. Lights in the boxes are on timers, so it appears they come on and go off on a human schedule. Twenty years ago we had to do this manually.”
Abbott’s cell phone rang. He answered, “Yes,” and then said, “Send him down, please.”
“Aaron is here,” he told us as he put his phone away.
“Actually,” said Mordecai, “we have much to discuss, and it would be rude of us to ask Gavin to leave the room since this is his house. Kirsten and I can go up and we’ll find a spot we can speak with Aaron.”
“Not necessary,” Gavin said, “I have some work to do upstairs, I just came downstairs to see what was going on.”
Chapter Eighteen
“I need to talk to Aaron, is it okay if I walk up with Gavin?”
Abbott nodded, and I followed Gavin through the door, pausing on the landing to tell him, “I feel bad about Mordecai running you off. I wish I was in charge, but the men seem to think I needed protecting and keep trying to boss me around.”
He grinned and said, “I bet, but you’re in good hands. Thanks for letting me in on what’s going on.” He briefly touched his temple as he said, “Abbott told me he’d been forbidden, and you probably ticked Mordecai off by telling me. It’s appreciated, and I won’t forget.”
We said goodbye as he headed to the second floor and I met Aaron as he was let in at the top of the steps.
As soon as I saw him, I started in on what was foremost in my mind, “I need to point out that my parents have the same last name I do.”
“Yes, but our killer has only killed single men.”
“I don’t care. I want someone watching my parent’s house without them knowing about it. And what about Lauren at school? And Xiaolan? If ya’ll think I’m in danger, then just think how much danger they’re in! I can at least fight and defend myself, but my parents, my daughter, and Xiaolan can’t.”
The door opened at the bottom of the steps without us having to wait this time, and Aaron was still talking as we walked through, “Lauren is likely safe, as they’re going for genetic Irish, not adopted. However, one of the wolves who works for me part-time is a teacher, and I managed to get him hired as the new computer lab teacher. He’s been keeping an eye on her since the beginning of the school year.”
Aaron acknowledged the room with a nod, and looked back to me. “It isn’t perfect, but she spends more than half the day close enough that if she were to cry out he’d get to her in seconds. I’m still working on field trips — is it normal for kids to go on so many trips? When do they learn? Anyway, I know your parents often chaperone, but I may need you to go on a few of them if I can’t figure something else out. I know it’ll be difficult to rearrange some of your patients, but we’ll figure it out as it comes. We have another two weeks until their trip to the planetarium. Hopefully we’ll have this resolved by then and it won’t be an issue. As for my putting someone on your parents, doesn’t your mother often play hostess to out of town flower people?”