What the hell WAS this guy? Taliesin had to know, he had to understand. No
one, nothing he had ever encountered before had been able to do that.
Even as Taliesin wondered, the guy had slowed his walk down, and was now casually pacing back and forth in front of a small mom and pop store across the street, two doors down from where Habbakuk was hiding.
Taliesin reached up, put his hands on Guenhyvar's shoulders. "Guen, I'm going to turn you around. Be very careful, don't look like you are staring. I'll put my head to your neck, and I want you to tell me what you think of that guy."
Guenhyvar nodded slowly, and he spun her around. He could feel the blonde witch shaking under his fingertips. "Guen! What is it?"
Much to his surprise, Guenhyvar laughed softly, scornfully. "He's a HUMAN, Taliesin! Don't you know a human when you see one?" Her voice was mocking, cold.
"No, Guen! He can't be. There's more to him than that." The witch shook her head. "Okay, fine. He's not giving any signs off to you. So maybe he knows how to hide it. Who could hide himself well enough to fool a witch?"
"Honestly, if I can't pick up something there's no way YOU could."
"My senses are keener than yours, you know that." Taliesin spun her back around, held her at arm's length. He whispered, "Guenhyvar, just trust me on this. Please. Let's take him."
"Why him?"
Taliesin sighed, his thin head drooping a little. He couldn't admit that he didn't know why. He couldn't admit that even to himself. "Because there is SOMETHING about him. He has power, power we can use. Trust me."
Guenhyvar shook her head skeptically, which knocked her silvery blonde hair about gracefully. "We want information, not power. Someone who will talk. If this guy really is powerful enough that he can keep me from sensing anything about him, then he isn't going to tell us anything."
"Trust me," he said again. That settled the matter, Taliesin could see it in her pale eyes. For some strange reason, everyone deferred to him. Some did it out of trust, some out of fear, and some because there was simply no other option, but they all placed Taliesin in charge. He continued, a bit more loudly. "Let's go wait for the bus. It should be coming soon." He said it just loudly enough that if whoever he was had keen hearing, he wouldn't be suspicious.
Though he might be anyway. The bus stop wasn't really a bus stop. A friend of Guenhyvar's had had the sign put in last week, but no bus was supposed to pick them up. It was simply a good place for them to stand and wait without arousing suspicion.
The witch and the tiger stood beside the two vampires. "Taliesin wants that guy," Guenhyvar whispered, standing close to Taliesin and not making eye contact with Oberon or Lenore.
Obie casually looked behind him, where the young man in question was standing, then shook his head. "He's a HUMAN!" Oberon mouthed silently.
"I know," Guenhyvar replied, still Taliesin. "I agree. But it's what he wants." She said this a little louder than before, making it sound like she was making small talk. Taliesin nodded his approval, giving himself a reminder to compliment her on that later.
"Lennie, go get Habbakkuk." Taliesin whispered.
The curvy vampiress just winked, then began to meander across the deserted street. Taliesin allowed himself a moment's pleasure, his eyes following the sway of Lenore's behind. After a moment she was gone, hidden in the shadows of the surrounding buildings of the alley.
"Oberon, go!" Taliesin hissed.
The impish vampire nodded, an innocent grin on his face. He walked hurridly across the street, using the same bouncy step that all humans his age possess. Even though Taliesin had seen the kid in action many times, it still amazed him how convincing Oberon was.
"Hey, mister," he called, an innocent and friendly grin plastered on his face, "You mind if I sit here?"
"Sure, kid. And don't call me mister. I'm not old enough to be your dad, am I?" Odd. He was friendly. Too friendly.
Obie actually made a show of thinking about it for a second. "No, u ain't. What's your name?"
"Nicodemus. But my friends call me Nicky. What's yours?"
Interesting name, Taliesin thought to himself. The Biblical wise fool. Is he lying, or just confident enough to tell the truth?
"Jimmy," Oberon replied glibly. Good, good. The kid was smart enough to lie. "Nicky, can you do me a favor?"
"Sure, Jim. What is it?" Trusting. He was too trusting. That or he was biding his time. Taliesin's stomach felt like it had been lined with ice. Something was going wrong. But what? There weren't any signs of it. The plan was working well, too well. No nightworlder with any brains at all would fall for this. Oberon practically radiated with vampiric energy, with the blood power. This Nicodemus had to know, had to see right through it. Yet he was playing along. Why was he playing along?
"I just need you to come with me, for a minute. My mom is supposed to be waiting for me across the street, but I don't like walking alone in the dark. You mind?" Oberon was innocent, sincere. He was playing the part perfectly. Maybe this Nicodemus really was falling for it. No, it couldn't be, he was too powerful. It didn't add up, Taliesin didn't understand.
Nicodemus shrugged, which tossed his blonde cheek-length hair a little. "Sure, kid." He even held out his hand, which Oberon took happily.
"Bloody hell," Taliesin hissed softly, watching the spectacle with wonder. It was perfect, too perfect. The spritely vampire and an unknown nightworlder, walking hand in hand down a dark street in NYC. He was walking into a trap. He didn't seem to know, or he didn't seem to care. Taliesin didn't know which would be worse.
They were five steps from the alley, four, three, two, one, YES! They were there. A motorcycle engine roared to life, and then another. Habbakkuk practically flew out from behind the dumpster. Nicodemus saw the danger, too late. He tried to run, but he was actually attempting to pull Oberon with him. That slowed him down, because Oberon was suddenly just as strong as Nicodemus, and using every ounce of that strength to slow him down.
In the end, Nicodemus's attempt to flee counted for nothing. Habbakkuk grabbed him, clonked him on the head, knocking him out, and stretched him across his lap. Right behind him was Lenore on her own bike, who pulled Oberon up into the seat behind her.
Guenhyvar and Taliesin made no show of loitering after that. They had what they came for, and the act became just that: an act. There was no more closeness between them, no pretense of romance. They stood three feet apart, hardly looked at each other. They were coworkers once more, as they walked towards the alley to grab their bikes and leave.
Even as Taliesin wondered, the guy had slowed his walk down, and was now casually pacing back and forth in front of a small mom and pop store across the street, two doors down from where Habbakuk was hiding.
Taliesin reached up, put his hands on Guenhyvar's shoulders. "Guen, I'm going to turn you around. Be very careful, don't look like you are staring. I'll put my head to your neck, and I want you to tell me what you think of that guy."
Guenhyvar nodded slowly, and he spun her around. He could feel the blonde witch shaking under his fingertips. "Guen! What is it?"
Much to his surprise, Guenhyvar laughed softly, scornfully. "He's a HUMAN, Taliesin! Don't you know a human when you see one?" Her voice was mocking, cold.
"No, Guen! He can't be. There's more to him than that." The witch shook her head. "Okay, fine. He's not giving any signs off to you. So maybe he knows how to hide it. Who could hide himself well enough to fool a witch?"
"Honestly, if I can't pick up something there's no way YOU could."
"My senses are keener than yours, you know that." Taliesin spun her back around, held her at arm's length. He whispered, "Guenhyvar, just trust me on this. Please. Let's take him."
"Why him?"
Taliesin sighed, his thin head drooping a little. He couldn't admit that he didn't know why. He couldn't admit that even to himself. "Because there is SOMETHING about him. He has power, power we can use. Trust me."
Guenhyvar shook her head skeptically, which knocked her silvery blonde hair about gracefully. "We want information, not power. Someone who will talk. If this guy really is powerful enough that he can keep me from sensing anything about him, then he isn't going to tell us anything."
"Trust me," he said again. That settled the matter, Taliesin could see it in her pale eyes. For some strange reason, everyone deferred to him. Some did it out of trust, some out of fear, and some because there was simply no other option, but they all placed Taliesin in charge. He continued, a bit more loudly. "Let's go wait for the bus. It should be coming soon." He said it just loudly enough that if whoever he was had keen hearing, he wouldn't be suspicious.
Though he might be anyway. The bus stop wasn't really a bus stop. A friend of Guenhyvar's had had the sign put in last week, but no bus was supposed to pick them up. It was simply a good place for them to stand and wait without arousing suspicion.
The witch and the tiger stood beside the two vampires. "Taliesin wants that guy," Guenhyvar whispered, standing close to Taliesin and not making eye contact with Oberon or Lenore.
Obie casually looked behind him, where the young man in question was standing, then shook his head. "He's a HUMAN!" Oberon mouthed silently.
"I know," Guenhyvar replied, still Taliesin. "I agree. But it's what he wants." She said this a little louder than before, making it sound like she was making small talk. Taliesin nodded his approval, giving himself a reminder to compliment her on that later.
"Lennie, go get Habbakkuk." Taliesin whispered.
The curvy vampiress just winked, then began to meander across the deserted street. Taliesin allowed himself a moment's pleasure, his eyes following the sway of Lenore's behind. After a moment she was gone, hidden in the shadows of the surrounding buildings of the alley.
"Oberon, go!" Taliesin hissed.
The impish vampire nodded, an innocent grin on his face. He walked hurridly across the street, using the same bouncy step that all humans his age possess. Even though Taliesin had seen the kid in action many times, it still amazed him how convincing Oberon was.
"Hey, mister," he called, an innocent and friendly grin plastered on his face, "You mind if I sit here?"
"Sure, kid. And don't call me mister. I'm not old enough to be your dad, am I?" Odd. He was friendly. Too friendly.
Obie actually made a show of thinking about it for a second. "No, u ain't. What's your name?"
"Nicodemus. But my friends call me Nicky. What's yours?"
Interesting name, Taliesin thought to himself. The Biblical wise fool. Is he lying, or just confident enough to tell the truth?
"Jimmy," Oberon replied glibly. Good, good. The kid was smart enough to lie. "Nicky, can you do me a favor?"
"Sure, Jim. What is it?" Trusting. He was too trusting. That or he was biding his time. Taliesin's stomach felt like it had been lined with ice. Something was going wrong. But what? There weren't any signs of it. The plan was working well, too well. No nightworlder with any brains at all would fall for this. Oberon practically radiated with vampiric energy, with the blood power. This Nicodemus had to know, had to see right through it. Yet he was playing along. Why was he playing along?
"I just need you to come with me, for a minute. My mom is supposed to be waiting for me across the street, but I don't like walking alone in the dark. You mind?" Oberon was innocent, sincere. He was playing the part perfectly. Maybe this Nicodemus really was falling for it. No, it couldn't be, he was too powerful. It didn't add up, Taliesin didn't understand.
Nicodemus shrugged, which tossed his blonde cheek-length hair a little. "Sure, kid." He even held out his hand, which Oberon took happily.
"Bloody hell," Taliesin hissed softly, watching the spectacle with wonder. It was perfect, too perfect. The spritely vampire and an unknown nightworlder, walking hand in hand down a dark street in NYC. He was walking into a trap. He didn't seem to know, or he didn't seem to care. Taliesin didn't know which would be worse.
They were five steps from the alley, four, three, two, one, YES! They were there. A motorcycle engine roared to life, and then another. Habbakkuk practically flew out from behind the dumpster. Nicodemus saw the danger, too late. He tried to run, but he was actually attempting to pull Oberon with him. That slowed him down, because Oberon was suddenly just as strong as Nicodemus, and using every ounce of that strength to slow him down.
In the end, Nicodemus's attempt to flee counted for nothing. Habbakkuk grabbed him, clonked him on the head, knocking him out, and stretched him across his lap. Right behind him was Lenore on her own bike, who pulled Oberon up into the seat behind her.
Guenhyvar and Taliesin made no show of loitering after that. They had what they came for, and the act became just that: an act. There was no more closeness between them, no pretense of romance. They stood three feet apart, hardly looked at each other. They were coworkers once more, as they walked towards the alley to grab their bikes and leave.