CH 68
In the once grand lounge of Black Court's headquarters, Harry sat facing the couch that held four blanket clad young girls who were staring off into space. Beside him, Bianca tapped her foot in irritation.
"Well Harry, how do we heal them?" she asked.
Studying their faces, he asked,"They look hypnotized. Did you try to reverse it?"
"If I could I would!" Bianca stated. "We can't do that, that is why I called you."
Harry rubbed his chin and asked, "Do they do anything?"
"Follow simple commands," Bianca said. Waving a hand she added, "It's like they have no brain left. They will do what is asked of them, but with no thought whatsoever. Harry, we NEED to get them healed."
"I'm surprised you just didn't drain them and leave it at that," Harry commented.
Bianca's eyes flashed in anger. "Harry! Lord Aono specifically said no killing humans for food!"
Looking up at her, Harry said, "You, of all people took that seriously?"
Eyes darkening in anger, Bianca glared at him. Her voice came out in a rough tone. "Listen, Dresden! What Lord Aono wants, Lord Aono GETS! He promised me rewards if we do as he asks. Beings that powerful do not give trinkets as rewards to those who serve them well. They give power and prestige. I want my rewards, so I want you to bring these girls back to normal!"
"OK, OK, don't need to use the scare tactics," Harry said, putting his hands up in defeat. Taking another look at the lifeless eyes of the ex-slaves, he asked, "Did you find any potions or any powders, anything like that around here? It would help if I knew what was done to them."
"They look drained," Bianca stated. "Many they were fed from too much."
Did you feed from them?"
Bianca eyed him. "Harry, if we fed any more from them, they will die. I JUST told you we want to avoid that!"
Harry dug around in his coat and found a small vial. He produced a small knife and held the hand of the red head that was staring off at nothing. Explaining, he said, "I'm going to take a blood sample back to my lab and analyze it. That will tell me If they ingested something to make them like this." Carefully, he slit the end of the girl's finger and let the blood run into the vial. He noted she showed no reaction at all to being cut. Once he had enough, he pinched the cut shut and wrapped it with a cloth.
"Keep pressure on this," he told Bianca. She did.
"Please hurry, I don't know how much longer they have," Bianca said.
"I'll do my best. Get some fluids in them. Orange juice is best," Harry told her.
Bianca frowned at him. "No where would I find orange juice in a vampire's lair? Or would you have me run down to the market IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY!" she ended in a snap.
"Right, no suntan for Bianca," Harry said in a huff. He pocketed his sample and walked out. Pausing by the door, he turned back and said, "This is something new."
"What?"
"Vampires saving people," he said with a smirk.
"I saved you, didn't I?" Bianca asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You did," he agreed.
Harry went out and got a quart of orange juice and a stack of paper cups and took them back to Bianca before he went home to analyze the blood. He let a couple drops drip out and check it for magic. Nothing.
Silently, Bob came up and peered over Harry's shoulder. In a normal tone he said, "Tell me that's not a blood test for a marriage license."
Harry jumped and glared at him. "I HATE when you do that!" Pocketing the vial he said, "Bianca is cleaning out the old Black court headquarters. The found four young women there who are nothing more than living zombies. We're trying to bring them back to normal."
Bob stepped back as Harry got up. "There are normal ways to put someone in that state, what makes you think magic is involved?" he asked.
"I was hoping, OK?" Harry said. "Now I know there isn't, I'm going to have to get this blood tested, which means I'm going to have to get Murphy involved. She's going to ask questions, and I won't have answers."
"Maybe your girlfriend, her Majesty can help," Bob suggested off hand.
Harry pointed a stern finger at him. "NO!" he said.
"This may seem strange, a truly off the wall idea for you, but why not take them to a hospital?" Bob asked.
.
Harry had a hard time getting all four girls in his jeep. He managed and drove off as Bianca and her bloodsuckers did their best to remove any vampire presence from the headquarters. He would delay as long as possible, but he'd had to tell someone where he found these girls.
As Harry feared, his story of finding four apparently drugged-out girls was met with skepticism. Enough skepticism that a nice patrolman kept him company as the emergency room teams got the girls into the emergency room, then the cops went through his jeep, like he could hide anything there.
It was funny, normally if one went to an emergency room, you could be there for hours before anyone even talked to you. Everyone wanted to talk to Harry. He was grilled by the doctors, wanting to know what those girls took. He was grilled by the police Sargent on where he found them, and why he didn't call an ambulance.
Much too soon, Murphy arrived with Azami in tow. Azami grinned and waver her fingers at him.
Harry let out a groan.
Coming into the private office Harry had been put in, Murphy closed the door. Leaning on the knob, she said, "Spill it, Dresden."
"I found them in the building Black court was using for a headquarters," he explained. "I didn't know if there were any other vampires there, so I got them out and brought them here. I really don't think you want cops tossing that place until it is verified no one is home," he said firmly.
Murphy looked at Azami. Azami nodded. "I'll see what I can do for them, then we can go to this place. I'll know who's there and take care of any trouble."
Murphy opened the door and waved a patrolman close. She sent him off to make sure Azami got to see each of those girls. Once they were on their way, Murphy shut the door and let out a sigh. She blew a few stray hairs out of her eye and said, "We'll go with your story, but where you found them is an abandoned house. One was sprawled outside the door, that is why you went in. Got it?"
.
Azami went to the first girl who was now in a bed with a hospital gown on. Looking into her eyes, Azami said, "Hey, look at me."
The girl's eyes focused on her. In her best hypnotic tone, Azami said, "You have been dreaming strange dreams and having nightmares. It is time to wake up. WAKE UP!" She then snapped her fingers in the girls' face.
The girl blinked, her eyes widened and she belted out a scream.
Azami stepped back. "This one's awake," she announced.
A nurse ran into the curtained room to attend the screaming girl. Azami woke the next one the same way. This girl cowered away from Azami and fainted, but she was no longer hypnotized. When Azami woke the third girl, the brown haired girl squeaked and grabbed her shirt.
"Where am I!" the girl cried with a shocked look.
"You're in the hospital, you'll be OK now," Azami told her.
"Who are you? Why do you have a red eye?" the girl asked in a high pitched tone.
"My name is Azami Aono," Azami told her as she gently held the girl's wrist and pried her hand off. "I have to help someone else. Please stay calm."
"What happened to me?" the girl asked as Azami left.
The third girl continued to badger the nurse about what happened to her as Azami woke up the fourth girl.
This girl blinked and looked around. "I'm in a hospital?" she asked meekly.
"Yes, they will take care of you here," Azami assured her.
"Thank you," the girl said meekly.
Azami went back to the room Harry had been in. Mrs. Murphy was outside the door.
"Come on, I have the address," Murphy said, and hustled Azami out. Azami cast a sad look at the door. She'd wanted to ask Harry if he would spend her birthday with her. Oh well, he was probably busy.
She asked Mrs. Murphy instead.
"Mrs. Murphy, can Harry spend my Birthday with me?"
Murphy pressed her lips together. Harry had told her he thought Azami had a crush on him. She did not want to encourage that one bit. "I think Mr. Dresden has plans for that day," she explained. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, he's my friend, right?" Azami asked innocently.
"You have friends in school, don't you?"
"I do, yeah, but Harry's a special friend. I can talk about stuff with him and Bob that other people ... wouldn't understand," she said, not wanting to say 'magic' in the hall here with people all around.
"I'll ask him later. Right now I need your help. Mr. Dresden told me Bianca is waiting for us. You know who that is?"
Azami nodded. "Yeah, one of the cowardly ladies from the other night."
"Cowardly?" Murphy asked with a raised eyebrow.
Azami giggled and said, "Yeah, she hid and used Harry as a shield so Mama Moka wouldn't kill her. I don't think she can fight so well. Of course none of them did. I've had training sessions where I had to fight harder."
.
Azami strode into the Black court headquarters and called out, "Bianca! You here?"
A vampire sped out towards her and stopped short. The blond vampire eyed her and asked, "Who are you?"
"Azami Aono. I'm looking for Bianca. Harry said she was here," Azami explained.
Looking out at the bright light of the clear mid day sun, the vampire studied the shirt/sweater and skirt Azami was wearing and asked, "The sun is out. How did you get here?"
Smirking, Azami said, "Duh, I rode in a car, then walked inside. How do you think? Is Bianca here?"
"Here, Princess," Bianca said as she came through a doorway. "Did Harry get those girls to a hospital?"
Azami bobbed her head. "Yup, and I woke them up. Find any more bad vampires?"
"They are gone. We haven't found any more humans either. We're cleaning up. Can you keep the police out?"
"Done!" Azami told her cheerfully. "Mrs. Murphy has the police looking someplace else as the place those girls came from. You're safe here until it's dark enough for you to leave."
"Thank you, Princess," Bianca said, sounding relieved.
"Oh Bianca, one more thing," Azami said. "Harry Dresden is mine. If anyone else wants him, they will have to fight me for him."
Bianca nodded. Quickly she said, "He's all yours, Princess. I'll pass the word."
"Thank you!" Azami told her with a smile.
The blond vampire eyed Bianca as Azami left. Once Azami was out the door, she asked, "She claimed a man as hers, and you just gave in without even a tease?"
Bianca eyed her. "I've seen that girl fight. She's small, but she easily killed black courts one after the other. None of us would stand a chance against her. She tells you something, listen. We do not want any trouble with the Aono's."
.
The next day, Azami thought it was strange that another woman had come to Murphy's to greet them when they got home, and made dinner for them. Maria was a nice lady with a bright smile. Azami enjoyed her presence, but she wasn't Harry. When Mrs. Murphy got home just before dinner. As they sat down to eat, Azami's first question was, "Mrs. Murphy, where's Harry?"
"Mr. Dresden had an important job he had to take care of," Muphy told her. That important job being, 'go do anything but not anywhere near Azami.'
"It's not something dangerous, is it?" Azami asked, concerned for his safety. "I'd hate for him to go do something like that by himself."
Murphy gave her a reassuring smile an said, "No, dear, nothing dangerous."
Maria chuckled at Azami's concern. "You must be careful little muchacha. You cannot go rushing into danger either. No one wants to see you get hurt," she said with a waggle of her finger.
Anna almost choked on her mouthful of food. Azami get hurt? Maybe if the Incredible Hulk showed up along with Superman and they jumped her in a dark alley.
"I'd be fine," Azami assured her.
"So anything happen in school today?" Murphy asked, wanting to get off the subject of Harry Dresden.
Azami's face lit up in a smile. "Oh yeah! Anna and I signed up for ballet classes!"
"Really?" Murphy asked, surprised Anna had signed up with her.
"Yeah, Mom. Seeing Azami practice got me interested," Anna said.
"Great! I'm glad to hear it," Murphy said. It was a pleasant surprise to hear her daughter was going to do something more than hang out.
They had a wonderful chat during dinner. As they finished up, Maria went to collect the dishes. Not thinking, Azami did her now normal routine of helping. She waved her hand in the air and caught the brass pan that fell.
"Put all the dishes in here, I'll carry them to the sink," she said, then saw Maria was staring at her. "What?" she asked.
Maria mumbled something in Spanish, drew her finger from her forehead to her belly then across her shoulders, and hurried out of the room. Stopping by the coat rack, Marie grabbed her coat and fled out the front door.
Anna looked at Azami and shook her head with a crooked grin.
Coming back into the kitchen, Murphy looked at the girls, then the pan Azami was holding. "You didn't," she said in a huff.
Azami got it, she'd scared Maria away. "I'm sorry," she offered meekly.
"Azami, you have to stop doing that!" Murphy said firmly. "I know it is perfectly normal for you, but you scare people when you do things like that."
"I'm really sorry," Azami offered with a wince. "Want me to go apologize?"
"No, no," Murphy said quickly. "I don't want you giving her a heart attack. Just don't do that again. I'll find another maid."
"Mom? We can take care of ourselves," Anna told her.
"Right," Murphy said flatly. "Unsupervised young teenagers does not give me a comfortable feeling."
.
"That girl is a witch!" Maria cried.
Petra looked at the shaking woman before her. Being neighbors, Petra had asker her, and others to bring her any newsworthy items they found or heard about. As a freelance reporter, she needed every contact she could get to bring her information so she could get a story before the newspaper and magazine staffs could get their hands on it. "Come in and sit down, Maria," she offered.
Guiding Maria to the couch, Petra got Maria sat down then sat on the couch, facing her. "Maria, calm down. Who is it you think is a witch?"
"The girl living with Mrs. Murphy. You know, the police woman?"
"Lieutenant Murphy of the Chicago PD? That Mrs. Murphy?" Petra asked with a raised eyebrow.
Maria nodded her head vigorously. "Yes! I was hired to watch the girls after school and make dinner. You know, just babysit until Mrs. Murphy got home. We had dinner, and that girl just waver her arm, and a big pan appeared out of thin air! I saw it!"
Petra had to smirk at Maria's accusation. "So, you're talking a real life, spell casting witch?"
"Yes!"
"OK, what did this girl look like? Was she wearing some like of costume? Did she have a wand?" Petra asked with a smirk.
"No, she had regular clothes on, shirt and skirt. No wand, she didn't even chant anything, she just waved her hand in the air like this," Maria said, mimicking Azami's motion, "And the pan appeared over her."
"Description, please. Hair color, eye color, height?" Petra prodded.
Squeezing her eyes shut in concentration, Maria said, "Her hair is pale pink, she looks oriental, but her skin is pale, she has two eye colors. Her right eye is ... green, but her left eye is red, like the devil! I thought it was some kind of disease until she made that pan appear."
Petra perked up at Maria's description. "Wait here," she said and bolted over to her desk. Rummaging through the pictures she had, she pulled two out of the pile. The picture of the Azami girl carrying a young man much larger than herself out of the park. Her eye color wasn't shown, but her face was. Going back over to Maria, she asked, "Is this her?"
Maria didn't hesitate. "Yes! That's her!"
"You're sure?"
"Yes, I ate dinner with her!"
"And is this her?" Petra asked, showing her the picture she got of Azami standing atop a police car with a bullhorn.
"That's her," Maria said firmly.
'Big scoop', Petra thought. Reporters had hounded the police and searched the city. The police would only say no comment to any question asked about this Azami, and although many people knew about her, no one knew where she lived. Even the boy Azami had carried out of the park claimed to know nothing about her. "Thank you, Maria, you have been very helpful," she said sincerely.
"What do we do?" Maria asked pleadingly.
"Maria," Petra said in a soothing tone. "As incredible as it sounds, this girl may be a witch. That would explain a few things. BUT, I don't think she's a bad witch. Everything I know about her so far is that she helps people. Tell you what, you tell me where she lives, and I'll go talk to her."
Petra wrote down the address Maria gave her. Yes indeed, big scoop. A story she could sell to the highest bidder instead of scrounging for pieces someone would pay to publish. She would finally make a name for herself after she got this exclusive interview.
Petra knew her interview techniques. Azami was a minor so she would be calm, understanding, prod gently, and of course be conscious of the girl's privacy, which meant she would not disclose where the girl lived. That would also ensure no other reporters could grab her story.
Now, to work out how to get this elusive girl to tell her everything about herself.
.
"Azami ... Azami..."
Azami had just gotten to sleep when she heard an unknown male voice calling her. Feeling a presence in her room, she threw the covers off and shot out of bed, poised to fight. A well dressed man sat at her desk chair, legs crossed, his hand dangling off his knee in a relaxed pose. Although it was dark, she could see him clearly. He had short cropped black hair, a pleasant smile on his angular face, and a pointed goatee. He bore a bright red shirt under his charcoal black suit.
"Who are you?"Azami growled.
"No need to be rude, I am here to assist you," he said, smiling at her.
"'Tell me who you are before I show you your place!" Azami hissed.
The man chucked and raised his hands in defeat, but his face still showed mirth. "Oh please don't. You know I love that Shinso pride. It shines so clearly within you."
"You will be shown your place," Azami stated, "First, who are you?"
"Azami," he said with a surprised look. "I came to give you help, not to fight you. I have no doubt you hold the upper hand in physical combat. You may consider me your servant," he said, bowing his head to her. "I can help you in ways you can't imagine."
"I don't need any help," Azami stated.
"But you do, child, you do!" he said firmly. "I've noticed your hypnotic skills are, shall we say, lacking, and you know only a limited number of magic spells. I can give you that power."
"I will learn it on my own. I don't need your help," Azami stated.
"You will, Azami. You will. And when you need my help, I will give it freely for the standard contractual fee. All the powers of darkness will be at your command," he said sincerely, casting his smile that was really irritating her. "All you need to do is say my name, and I'll be there."
Azami let out a snort. "Why don't you stand up so I don't ruin my chair when I send you flying through that wall," she grated.
He let out a sigh. "You don't believe me. Well, maybe you'll believe this. You'll never have Harry Dresden or make peace between human and yokai here. That is, unless I grant you the power to take over people's will. Where as I cannot force anyone to do things, you being in the physical form can. Your word will be law, Azami! You will be able to bend anyone into doing anything! Think about that! Your father will be so proud of you!" he bragged.
"You gonna stand up, or make me ruin my chair?" Azami asked in a hard tone.
Slapping his hands on his knees, he said, "Well just remember my offer is always open to you." He then stood up.
Azami was wound up, ready to kick. The instant he gained his feet, she let loose. Like a spring under tension, her leg snapped out, aimed directly at his chest. He disappeared in a puff of red smoke. Her leg met no resistance. The momentum of her power kick spun her around three times before she caught her balance, and crashed into her desk. Recovering, she again set herself in defense. The presence was gone.
More angered than afraid that someone has slipped into her room at night, Azami reached out as far as she could sense. If she found him, she was going to kick his ass. She sensed someone at her door, and the door opened. Azami's yokai flared. She turned, ready to attack. Mrs. Murphy opened the door.
"What..." Murphy began. Seeing Azami crouched, glowing red and snarling, Murphy let out a screech and jumped back into the wall. Recoiling so fast, she hit her head on the bathroom door frame with a solid 'thunk'. Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head. She slid to the floor, knocked out.
Azami blinked. She drew her yokai energy back in. "Oops," she mumbled, and tended to Mrs. Murphy.
.
"Ohhh, god, what hit me?" Murphy asked with a groan as she came around. She lifted her head off the pillow.
"I am really, really sorry," Azami said meekly as she held the ice pack to the back of Murphy's head.
Murphy focused on her and tried to jerk back, but Azami's hand on the back of her head stopped her. "What happened? WHAT WAS THAT?" she asked, fear and demand both coloring her voice.
"A man came into my room, I thought he was coming back and I ... was ready to fight him," Azami explained in a small voice, not quite looking at Murphy.
"That was you?" Murphy asked, wide eyed. She then remembered to ask, "What man?"
"I don't know. He was sitting in my chair. He promised me all kinds of ... impossible things. He pissed me off, sneaking into my room like that. When I tried to kick him, he vanished," Azami explained. Wincing, she added, "When you came to my door, I thought it was him coming back. Sorry I scared you."
Murphy stared at Azami. Harry had told her that Azami was some sort of super-powerful vampire, and she had heard in the park very large sounding things inside that dome with Azami. In that warehouse, she hadn't really seen anything but a brief glimpse of Azami before she passed out. It never really clicked that Azami herself could be so terrifying. This sweet, polite and well mannered child was a monster that even other monsters feared. It was sinking in what being a Shinso really meant.
"Mrs. Murphy, are you OK?" Azami asked, gazing at her with concern.
"I'm not sure," Murphy said truthfully. "I mean, you really are not human at all, are you?"
Azami shook her head. "No, I'm a Shinso vampire, just like My Papa and Mama. If you can't handle that, I can go," Azami said in her meek tone.
Murphy clasped her arm. "No! You surprised me," she said quickly, then decided to tell the truth. "Actually, you scared the hell out of me. More importantly, you said a man got into your room?"
"Yes, I chased him out," Azami said. "He wasn't human, that I know. Whatever he was, he was hiding it from me. He promised me things, but I knew better than to trust him. "
"What did he promise you?"
Azami shrugged and said, "Things like unlimited magic, being able to take away people's free will. He said whatever I wanted for the standard contractual fee."
Looking at Azami intently, Murphy asked, "And what was this contract?"
"He didn't say."
Murphy groaned her way to sit up. Sternly she said, "Azami, I was taught there is only one being that offers contracts like that. The devil. He would want your soul in exchange for this power. Now that may be a myth, but I thought your kind were a myth also. Do not deal with the devil, he is pure evil."
"Yeah, OK," Azami said thoughtfully. "Mr. Tappan also talked about him. He said the Devil wants us to do bad things, but makes it sound good so we fall into his trap."
"Who's Mr. Tappan?"
"He's the caretaker of the church on Witch Hill. Mother Superior, Angela, built the church, but she died, so Mr. Tappan is the priest there now," Azami explained.
"You go to a Catholic church?" Murphy asked in shock.
"It's the only church on Witch Hill," Azami told her. "Mr. Tappan performs marriages, helps with activities, and does all kinds of good things for us. He's a nice man, and he really does care about everyone. He says a lot of the same things Papa does about everyone should try to get along and be good to their family and helpful to their neighbors."
"You can touch rosaries?" Murphy asked, trying to wrap her mind around the fact a vampire could even get into a church.
"Yes, Mama Moka wears this big one around her neck. It's really pretty."
"And she's a vampire too?"
Proudly Azami nodded and said, "Yes. Mama Moka is really powerful! I mean, she's awesome. No one can stand against Mama Moka!"
Holding the ice pack herself, Murphy said, "I'm feeling a bit dizzy."
"You should lie down," Azami instructed. "I'm sorry I gave you such a fright. I will try very hard to never let it happen again."
Murphy offered Azami a smile. It was amazing Azami could be so sweet, yet so terrifying. And she was a Catholic vampire. That alone made her head spin. "You should go back to sleep too. No making deals with the Devil, promise me," Murphy said firmly.
"I promise," Azami replied, just as firmly. "Night Mrs. Murphy."
"Night, dear," Murphy said. It took her a while to settle down and try to sleep. When she shut her eyes, she got the strangest dreams.
