Night World : Huntress Chapter 6

Me?Hugh nodded.Im supposed to debar the end of the conception? How?First, I ought to carve up you that its not just me that believes in all this ab out(p) the millennium. Its not evening CircleDaybreak that believes it. Its the darkness World Council, Jez.The joint Council? Witches and vampires?Hugh nodded again. They had a tremendous meeting about it this summer. And they dug up some oldprophecies about whats passage to happen this time. wish good?Hugh looked slightly self-conscious. Heres whiz. It used to rhyme in the original, I conceive of, provided this is thetranslation. He took a breath and quoted softIn blue fire, the final darkness is banished. In blood, the final price is paid.Great, Jez thought. Whose blood? entirely Hugh was sledding on.Four to stand between the light and theshadow,Four of blue fire, power in their blood. Born in the course of study of the blind Maidens vision Four less one anddarkness triumphs.Jez blinked slowly. Whats blue fire? zero fa res.Four to stand between the light and the shadow Meaning to hold rack up the end of the world?Thats what the Council thinks. They think it means that four people energise been born, four Wild indicatorswhore going to be instrumental in whatevers coming, whatever battle or disaster thats going to destroyus. Those four ordure stop the end of the world-but notwithstanding if all of them fight to pulsateher.Four less one and darkness triumphs, Jez said.Right. And thats where you come in.Sorry, I dont think Im one of them. Hugh grimaced. Thats not what I meant. The fact is, somebody around here has already inform mustering a Wild Power. Circle Daybreak intercepted a message from him to the Council saying that hell turn over the Wild Power over to them if they make it worth his enchantment. Otherwise hell just sit roiled until theyredesperate enough to agree to his terms.Jez had a sinking feeling. She said one word. Who?Hughs expression was knowing and regretful. Its one of yo ur old gang, Jez. Morgead Blackthorn.Jez shut her eye.Yeah, that sounded like Morgead, nerve-wracking to shake down the Night World Council. Only he was crazyand nervy enough to do that. He was stubborn, too-perfectly capable of letting disaster come if he didntget his way. But of all the people in the world, wherefore did it have to be him? And how had he represent a WildPower, anyway?Hugh was speaking again softly. You can see wherefore we need you. soul has to get to him and findout who the Wild Power is-and youre the only one who stands a chance of doing that.Jez pushed whisker off her face and breathed slowly, trying to think.I dont need to tell you how dangerous it is, Hugh said, tone into the maintain again. And I dont indirect request to ask you to do it. In fact, if youre smart, youll tell me to get lost redress now.Jez couldnt tell him to get lost What I dont understand is why we cant just let the Council take care ofit. Theyll want the Wild Powers bad, and they h ave a lot more resources.Hugh glanced back at her, startled. His gray eyeswere ample with an expression that Jez had never seen before. Then he smiled, and it was an incrediblysad smile.Thats just what we cant do. Youre right, the Council wants the Wild Powers. But not so they can fightthe end of the world. Jez they only want them so they can hide them.That was when Jez cognise what his expression was. It was gentle regret for innocence-her innocence.She couldnt believe how stupid she had been.Oh, Goddess, she said slowly.Hugh nodded. They want it to happen. At least the vampires do. If the charitable world ends-well, thatstheir chance, isnt it? For thousands of historic period the Night People have had to hide, to live in the shadowswhile the humans library oldene all over the world. But the Council wants that to change.The reason Jez had been so slow was that it was hard for her to imagine anybody actually deficient tobring on the Apocalypse. But of course it made sense. Theyre willing to risk being destroyedthemselves, she whispered.They name that whatever happens, itll be worse on the humans, since the humans dont know its coming. Hell, some of the Night People think theyre whats coming. Hunter Redfern is saying thatvampires are going to wipe out and enslave the humans and that after that the Night World is going toreign.Jez felt a new chill. Hunter Redfern. Her ancestor, who was over five hundred years old but lookedabout thirty. He was bad, and he practically ran the Council.Great, she muttered. So my familys going to destroy the world.Hugh gave her a bleak smile. Hunter says the Old Powers are rising to make vampires stronger so theycan take over. And the chilling thing is, hes right. Like I said before, the Night People are get stronger,developing more powers. Nobody knows why. But most of the vampires on the Council seem to believeHunter.So we dont have much time, Jez said. We have to get the Wild Power before Morgead makes a dealwith the Night World.Right. Circle Daybreak is localisation up a safe derriere to nutriment the Wild Powers until we get all four. And theCouncil knows were doing it-thats probably why that ghoul was following me. Theyre watching us. Imjust sorry I led it here, he added absently, with a un fit look around the room.Doesnt matter. Hes not telling anybody anything.No. Thanks to you. But well meet some locating incompatible next time. I cant endanger your family. Helooked back at her. Jez, if the Night World manages to kill even one of the Wild Powers-well, if youbelieve the prophecy, its all over.Jez understood now. She still had questions, but they could wait. One thing was bring in her mind.Ill do it. I have to.Hugh said very quietly, Are you sure?Well, somebody has to. And you were right Im the only one who can handle Morgead.The truth was that she thought nobody could handle Morgead-but she certainly had a better chance thanany Circle Daybreaker. Of course, she wouldnt survive the as signment Even if she managed to steal theWild Power out from under Morgeads nose, hed hunt her down and kill her for itThat was irrelevantHe hates me, and I hate him, but at least I know him, she said out loud.There was a silence and she cognize that Hugh was looking at her oddly. You think he hates you?Of course. All we ever did was fightHugh smiled very faintly-an Old soulfulness look. I see.Whats that supposed to mean? It means-I dont think he hates you, Jez. Maybe he has strong emotions for you, but from what Ive comprehend I dont think hate is one of them.Jez shook her head. You dont understand. He was forever and a day gunning for me. And if he found out Im halfhuman-well, that would be the end. He hates humans worse than anything. But I think I can fool him foras long as it takes to get the Wild Power.Hugh nodded, but he didnt look happy. His eyes were bruised and tired. If you can pull it off, youllsave a lot of lives.He knows, too, Jez thought. That Ill die doing this.It was some comfort that he cared-and morecomfort that he didnt understand why she was doing it. Sure, she wanted to save lives. But there wassomething else.The Council had tried to mess with Hugh. Theyd sent a stinking ghoul after him. They would probablysend something different tomorrow-certainly, theyd keep trying to kill him.And for that, Jez was going to wipe the floor with them. Hugh wasnt any kind of fighter. He couldntdefend himself. He shouldnt be a target.She realized that Hugh was still looking at her, with pain in his eyes. She smiled to show him that shewasnt appalled of dying.Its a family affair, she told him-and that was true, too. Hunters mygreat-great-great-great-great-grandfather. Its only right that I stop him. And if anything happens tome-well, one Redfern less is probably a bless to the world.And that was the last part of the truth. She came from a tainted family. No matter what she did, who she saved, or how hard she tried, there would always be vampire blood running in her veins. She was apotential danger to humanity by her very existence.But Hugh was looking horrified. Dont you ever say that He stared at her for an opposite moment and thencetook her by the shoulders, squeezing. Jez, youre one of the best people I know. What you did beforelast year is-Is part of me, Jez said. She was trying not to feel his warm grip with her T-shirt, trying not to showthat his little foreshorten sent a shock throughher entire body. And nothing can change that. I know what I am.Hugh shook her slightly. Jez-And right now, I have to get rid of that ghoul. And youd better be getting home.For a moment she thought he was going to shake her again then he slowly let go of her. Youre officiallyaccepting the assignment? The way he said it sounded as if he were giving her one last chance not to.Yes. He nodded. He didnt ask how she planned on getting back into a gang that shed abandoned, or gettinginformation from Morgead, who hated her. Jez knew why. He precise ly trusted that she could do itWhen you know something, call this number. He dug in a different scoop and handed her a square ofpaper like a business card. Ill give you a post where I can meet you-someplace away from here. Weshouldnt talk about anything on the phone.Jez took the card. Thanks.Please be careful, Jez.Yes. evoke I keep the articles?He snorted. Sure. Then he gave her one of those sad Old-Soul smiles. You probably dont needthem, though. honorable look around. Watch the news. You can see it all happening out there.Were going to stop it, Jez said. She reconsidered. Were going to try.Jez had a problem the next morning. The problem was Claire.They were supposed to drive to school together, to ensure that Jez didnt cut school. But Jez had to cutschool to go find Morgead. She didnt want to imagine the kind of trouble that was going to get her inwith Uncle Jim and Aunt Nanami-but it was crucial to get to Morgead as soon as possible. She couldntafford to waste time.At the fir st major stoplight-and there werent a lot of them in Clayton-she smacked her forehead with herpalm.I forgot my chemistry hold up She unfastened her seat belt and slid out of the Audi just as the light turn green. You go before she shouted to Claire, slamming the door and leaning in the open window.Ill catch up to you.Claires expression showed her temperature was gain the boiling point. Are you crazy? Get in Illdrive backYoull be late. Go on without me. She made a little fluttery encouraging motion with her fingers.One of the three cars behind Claire honked.Claire opened her communicate and shut it again. Her eyes were shooting sparks. You did this on purpose Iknow youre up to something, Jez, and Im going to find out-Honk. Honk.Jez stepped back and waved goodbye.And Claire drove off, as Jez had known she would. Claire couldnt stand the peer pressure of cars tellingher to get moving.Jez turned and began to jog for home, in a smooth, steady, ground-eating lope. When she got there, she wasnt even breathing hard. She opened the garage and picked up a long, polishedbundle that had been concealed in a corner. Then she turned to her bike.Besides Hugh, it was the love of her life. A Harley. An 883 Sportster hugger. ripe twenty-seven inchestall and eighty-seven inches long, a lean, light, mean machine. She loved its classic simplicity, its coldclean lines, its bare(a) body. She thought of it as her steel and chrome thoroughbred.Now she strapped the long bundle diagonally on her back, where it balanced nicely despite its odd size.She put on a dark full-face helmet and swung a fork over the motorcycle. A moment later she was roaringaway, heading out of Clayton toward San Francisco.She enjoyed the ride, even though she knew it tycoon be her last one. Maybe because of that. It was adazzling end-of-summer day, with a sky of September blue and a pure-white sun. The air that parted forJez was warm.How can people ride in cages? she thought, twisting the throttle to sho ot past a station wagon. Whatgood are cars? Youre completely isolated from your surroundings. You cant hear or smell anything extracurricular you cant feel wind or Power or a slight change in the temperature. You cant terpsichore out to fight atan instants notice. You certainly cant stake somebody at high speed while leaning out of a car window.You could do it from a bike, though. If you were fast enough, you could skewer somebody as youroared by, like a knight with a lance. She and Morgead had fought that way once.And maybe will again, she thought, and flashed a grim smile into the wind.The sky remained blue as she continued west, instead of clouding up as she approached the ocean. Itwas so gather in that from Oakland she could see the entire bay and the skyline of San Francisco. The tallbuildings looked startlingly close.She was leaving her own world and ledger entry Morgeads.It was something she didnt do often. San Francisco was an hour and fifteen minutes away fromClayton-ass uming there was no traffic. It might as well have been in another state. Clayton was a tinyrural town, mostly cows, with a few in good order houses and one pumpkin farm. As far as Jez knew, the NightWorld didnt know it existed. It wasnt the kind of place Night People cared about.Which was why shed managed to hide there for so long.But now she was heading true(p) for the heart of the fire. As she crossed the Bay Bridge and reachedthe city, she was acutely aware of how vulnerable she was. A year ago Jez had broken the laws of thegang by disappearing. If any gang member saw her, they had the right to kill her.Idiot. Nobody can recognize you. Thats why you wear the full-face helmet. Thats why you keep yourhair up. Thats why you dont custom-paint the bike.She was still hyper-alert as she cruised the streets heading for one of the citys most unsavory districts.There. She felt a jolt at the sight of a familiar building. Tan, blocky, and unlovely, it rose to three storiesplus an irregular capital. Jez squinted up at the roof without taking off her helmet. Then she went and stood casually against the rough concrete protect, near the rusty surface intercom. Shewaited until a couple of girls dressed like artists came up and got buzzed in by one of the tenants. Thenshe detached herself from the wall and calmly followed them.She couldnt let Morgead know she was coming.Hed kill her without waiting to ask questions if he got the jump on her. Her only chance was to jump himfirst, and then make him listen.The building was even uglier inside than it was outside, with empty echoing stairwells and anonymousindustrial-sized hallways. But Jez found her heart beating faster and something like longing twisting in herchest. This place might be hideous, but it was also freedom. Each one of the giant rooms behind the metaldoors was rented by somebody who didnt care about carpets and windows, but wanted a big empty put where they could be alone and do exactly what they wanted.It wa s mostly starving artists here, people who needed large studios. close to of the doors were painted ingemlike colors and rough textures. Most had industrial-sized locks on them.I dont miss it, Jez told herself. But all corner brought a shock of memory. Morgead had lived herefor years, ever since his mother ran off with some vampire from Europe. And Jez had practically livedhere, too, because it had been gang headquarters.We had some good times.No. She shook her head slightly to break off the thought and continued on her way, slipping silentlythrough the corridors, going deeper and deeper into the building. At last she got to a place where therewas no sound except the humming of the naked fluorescent lights on the ceiling. The walls were contiguoustogether here. There was a sense of isolation, of being far from the rest of the world.And one undertake stairway going up.Jez paused, listened a moment, then, keeping her eyes on the staircase, removed the long bundle fromher back. She unwrapped it carefully, telltale(a) a stick that was a work of art. It was just over four feetlong and an inch in diameter. The wood was deep glossy red with irregular black markings that looked alittle like tiger stripes or hieroglyphics.Snakewood. One of the hardest woods in the world, dense and strong, but with just the right mensuration ofresilience for a fighting stick. It made a striking and individual weapon.There was one other unusual thing about it. Fighting sticks were usually blunt at either end, to allow the person holding it to get a grip. This one had one blunt end and one that tapered to anangled, narrow tip. Like a spear. The point was hard as iron and extremely sharp.It could punch right through clothing to penetrate a vampire heart.Jez held the stick in both hands for a moment, looking down at it. Then she straightened, and, holding itin a light grip ready for action, she began up the stairs.Ready or not, Morgead, here I come.