"The two of you really need better taste in movies," the tin can said, obviously R2 now that I recognized their costumes.
"Nothing wrong with the prequels," I defended myself. Sure, the originals were better, but at least part of that was my nostalgia talking.
"Agreed, as long as you're talking about the Aleph versions," the guy in the metal suit—who sounded like a teenager—said.
"What's that Ar-two,I can only hear Beeps and boops. Is Timmy trapped down a well?" C3PO said as Revel took a few steps backwards, hand clutched around her little crystal.
"Very funny old man," the kid said.
"I know," the older vampire replied. "Now where are my manners, Thomas Raith," he said, holding out his hand.
I shook it, "Harry Dresden."
"So, I'm guessing you're here to kick some Vampire ass?" he nodding his head towards the nearby reds, who were watching our conversation with interest.
"Not quite," I lied. "Just here to watch, and honor my invitation."
"Of course, of course," Thomas said. "Anyway, this is my Nephew, Alec Raith,"
I saw Revel's eye shift, same as mine did. Alec… I'd heard that name before, hadn't I? But where… some place where Revel was also familiar with it. A local case?
"Pleasure to meet you," Alec said. "Anyway, I"ll let you get to your distractions uncle, I'm going to see if there's someone my age around."
I pushed up an eyebrow, then looked at Thomas again. "Distractions?"
"These gatherings tend to get rather boring," the Raith said. "Might as well have someone interesting to talk to, right?"
"I have to agree," a silky-smooth familiar voice rang out. I turned, spotting the woman I'd probably wanted to see least of all right now. She was dressed as a woodswoman, sporting a wooden bow she was probably quite good with, though I had trouble spotting the reference.
"Lea…" I stammered.
"Harry, my dear, Have you already replaced the last girl with a new one? I must admit I rather liked her, she was feisty."
"So am I," Revel said. "And you are?"
"Where are my manners? I am called Leanansidhe, Harry's godmother, and thou areth?" the dangerous redhead asked.
"His boss," she replied giving Lea a once-over. Was she hiding a sawn-off shotgun somewhere in her pockets as well? Was Dovetail's tiny shotgun a metaphor for something else, and what did that say about Chevalier?
"Hadn't expected you to show up here, what gives, too afraid to face me where we can fight without interference?" I asked.
"Oh Harry dear…" she said with a sad look on her face "You don't have to put on a brave face, you're among friends."
"You tried to turn me into a fricking Hellhound!"
"For your own good, dear boy," she replied.
"So what, you're some sort of… demonic were-wolf fairy?" Thomas asked.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Because she's your godmother who threatens to turn you into a wolf that's also from hell?" he explained. "I mean, unless there's like, three-dozen different ways to turn into a wolf that I don't know about, it seems like a normal assumption to make?"
"You don't even know half of it," I groaned, why did it always have to be wolves? Couldn't someone get cursed to turn into a murderous bunny or no no no bad Dresden don't get Monty Python mixed up in this.
"So anyway, nice to finally meet you Myrddin, I'm a huge fan of your work," Thomas said, then looked from me to Revel, an alluring smile on his face. "Yours slightly less so, though it pains me to say so. It's just not as flashy."
"I guess that, from something like you, that's kind of like a compliment," Revel said, holding her hand to her heart. Something glowed.
"Anyway, is it true you're going to give a repeat performance of what happened at Marcone's estate here?" Thomas then continued, his voice just slightly louder than necessary, and loud enough to gather the attention of every damn vampire in the vicinity.
"Hey," I waved to the impromptu audience, which was finally torn away from their buffet of Adams family knock-offs.
They grinned back at me, showing off their bloody fangs.
"Don't worry, Winter Truce, remember?" I told them, trying to take a few steps back, but finding myself running out of space, encircled as we were.
"Don't worry Harry dear, I can take care of this entire problem quite easily," Lea offered, stepping towards me, a hand held out.
"Yeah right, by turning me into a dog."
"I could get the girl out for you," she offered.
I stared at her, trying to pierce through those soulless, beautiful eyes of her. What was her plan here? Could she rescue Taylor? What would her cost be?
"Another girl, just how much of a player are you?" Thomas asked.
"And of course it's a vampire asking that," I snapped back at him. "Seriously, why does everyone assume I'm dating every woman I know?"
"I mean, that's what I do," Thomas replied. "Though I currently find myself in the strange and slightly uncomfortable position of already being spoken for, sorry ladies."
"That's alright, that just means there's more for me," a new voice spoke, male and raspy. It belonged to one of the vampires, still wearing their flesh-suits. A young man that was far better looking than I'd expected of someone with teeth that crooked, and a nose that I'd almost expected to have been broken if it hadn't been almost entirely eroded by the use of a certain addictive substance that wasn't blood.
"Ah, one of Bianca's new toys, I'd honestly expected more," Leanansidhe said as she looked over the new arrival with an appraising look.
"What'd you say, ya ginger bitch?" the vampire shouted, rushing forwards in anger. Effortlessly, and quick as the wind, Lea sidestepped the man, looking at his backside with disdain.
"Soulless yes, freckles no. And, y'know, glass houses much?" I told him. As much as I hated my fairy godmother, the insult was far too crude for me to let it slide.
"Really now boy? Dost thou think I require defending against raffle like this? I cannot even interpret this as an attack."
"I'll get you for that you potato-snorting skank," the vampire said, anger spread across his face. "Guest right don't last forever."
"Skidmark!" A voice shouted. Bianca, sitting on her throne. Her hand held out, her finger pointed downwards. The Vampire grunted for a moment, then shuffled towards his mistress, and sat down on the ground.
Bianca looked at me, staring straight into my eyes. I started looking away in reflex, before I remembered her nature. 'You're next' those eyes said as I looked to the pathetic creature besides her. According to Taylor, he'd been pathetic back in Brockton Bay, and he was even worse here.
Was this her goal? The answer of the Red Court to the Parahuman issue? To turn them and bring them to heel? It made sense in a twisted way. For years now, hunts had gotten interrupted, dinner suddenly getting the ability to fight back, to kill and maim, to make the hunter become the hunted. To turn that around again, to make capes subservient… but how? Just getting a drug dealer high on his own supply to work for you wasn't exactly impressive.
Bianca, of course, just smiled that twisted smile of her. A smile that said 'I know something you don't and you're going to hate it.' But what? What was I missing?
"Well that's uncanny," Thomas said. "It's almost like she's one of us, the way she's manipulating him."
"The what now?" Revel asked?
"It's very… primal, not sure how to describe it, I don't think she's tapping into him the way Reds normally are."
"That's… poison and addiction, isn't it?"
"Mostly yeah. With some more mundane means mixed in if they're smart."
"Magic…" I whispered under my breath. "The bloodsucking bitch managed to become a practitioner somehow."
"So, beyond her being a dangerous vampire with parahuman lackeys, she's also like you now… This mission seems to be getting more complicated by the minute," Revel remarked. "Not impossible, but complicated."
Lea's predatory green eyes latched onto her, was she somehow unaware of our goal here? Was there something else going on?
"Mission? Do tell if thou willst?" she asked
"Without anything in return? Seems a bit of an unfair trade," Thomas said as he stepped between Revel and Lea.
"I wouldn't be telling her the truth anyway, so not really," Revel replied.
I looked at Lea, tried to figure out what was going on in that faerie mind of hers. Why was she here? She knew we were looking for Taylor already, so why would she want to know what our mission was? Was this another of those faerie law things where she was obliged to pretend not to know or something like that?
Suddenly, the lights went out, and something in the crowd shifted. I looked, spotted the Vampires all looking in a single direction. Bianca's, her dress the sole source of light, and her face and neck smeared with blood, which was now dripping into her décolleté. She stood up from her throne, looking around the garden with bloodshot eyes.
Vampires howled, and I could hear short, near-silent screams. There was a lot less of the 'cattle' around right now… had they been killed? Had dozens of children died because we were busy verbally sparring with my godmother?
I gripped my weapon. A cane with a sword hidden in it, the wood carved with runes. An old toy that I'd made in my days back with Eb, but it would have to do when push came to shove. When, not if.
"Greetings, my friends, and congratulations!" Bianca's voice rang out, to the cheering of her vampire horde. "Today, is a good day. For today, is the day that we return things to the natural order! For too long, we have shivered in fear, our minds filled with the knowledge that at any time, at any moment, that which is rightfully ours will stand and try to murder is! But no more! Today, we stand ascendant! Today, the world will hear about the court of Chicago, and all who would defy us will tremble in fear! Today, we strike at the extradimensional menace that tries to take our prey from us! Today, we stand Victorious!"
The crowd cheered wildly, with inhuman growls and shouts from inhuman throats. Though I couldn't quite make them out, I knew that several of the Vampires had taken off their flesh-suits, showing their true form in celebration.
"No more will our nation hide in fear! For I have trained the beasts and made them mine. I have taken their weakness, and made it our strength. Mustain, kneel!"
As she continued, I saw Skidmark obey, almost before she'd spoken the words. Was this true, a hijack of the connection somehow? Or was she just lying?
Her hands wove. Magic? Not anything I recognized, but that didn't say much.
"But first, we have guests, ready to observe our ascendancy! And for that, they deserve gifts!"
Suddenly, light shone into our eyes. Heavy spotlights, installed on the roofs, aiming straight at all the guests, including our little group. Lea, I noticed, had silently left, standing in a different part of the gardens, standing next to, and just in front of, a young woman with green hair.
"Mister Ferro, Would you do us the honour of accepting a token of my goodwill?"
Ferro stepped forwards, steadily making his way across the garden, cigarette in his mouth. As he approached the dais, he gave a short nod of his head towards Bianca, and ascended its stairs. She bowed in return, and someone wearing a hood walked up, bearing a small bottle.
"The essence of the enemy, stolen, bottled and corked!" She pronounced, swirling the round glass bottle, the metallic liquid inside slowly sloshing around. "Take it for yourself, or reward a loyal servant."
"Why thank you, a fine offering," the Dragon replied, handling the potion, then walking back down.
"Is that even possible?" Revel whispered.
"Not that I know…" I whispered back. Then again, "I don't know" was generally the normal response I had to stuff regarding powers.
Bianca smiled, then looked around some more. Had she hoped he would drink it? Was she really under the impression that Ferro was that foolish?
"And Thomas Raith, I see you didn't bring your lovely Justine today?"
"She dislike your tastes in both music and meals," Thomas replied, stepping forwards towards the dais as the light centered on him. Unlike Ferro, he didn't bow, instead leaping up the dais in a single bound before standing right in front of Bianca, staring her in the eyes.
"So, you're going to give me some powers too? Or were you planning on one of my sisters being here?"
Bianca smiled, and was handed another bottle by one of her servants, this one marked with a white ribbon.
"A Raith is a Raith, and I would not dare sully the relationship between our fair courts," she replied as she handed it to him.
"Can't say I share that opinion," Thomas replied, grabbing the flask and jumping down again, moving towards us as Bianca went on with the ceremony.
"Fair Leanansidhe, who has blessed us with her most gracious presence. For the court of Winter, I have another present."
"Most gracious," she replied. Stepping forwards, the green-haired faerie following her, though she didn't seem happy about it.
As Leanansidhe stepped onto the dais, Bianca was handed another bottle, which she in turn handed to Lea.
"A gift for a gift, in accordance with the customs of my people," Lea replied, handing Bianca a necklace with a small, but intricate-looking, charm. "I believe it might come in helpful before too long."
The vampire put it on, something which was either wise, or incredibly foolish. On one hand, never trust a gift from one of the Sidhe. On the other, they can't lie either, lies are anathema to their being.
Lea, in the meantime, removed the stopper from the vial, then gave it to her sweating attendant, who grasped it, moving it to her lips with shaking arms.
"It's the dealer thing again," Revel whispered, and I was reminded of the large stacks of printed out case-files I'd been handed. The dealer had been a rumor, probably a fake one, about a guy selling powers to people. From what I could remember, the deal he offered his clients had been a lot better than what Lea had gotten me, just a quick drink instead of an extended torture session.
Though now that I thought about it… Why was Lea interested enough to bring a flunky for this if she already knew how to give people parahuman abilities?
The drink touched greenhair's lips, then shot down her throat as a massive PUSH smashed against my mind, like a tidal wave crashing against the mental barriers that Eb had helped me set up. I stood firm, holding back the tide as Revel's body fell against mine. Holding her, I started a mental countdown while watching what was happening to the triggering faerie.
I wasn't exactly sure of the details, I wasn't even certain of how I knew, but something was happening to the creature Faeries had always had one foot in the Never-Never, and another in the physical world, but my godmother's was being pulled fully into this one, and then yet further, her body becoming slightly translucent, though my power told me a different story. Something interdimensional, her body half in one world, half in the other. It had left her looking like a ghost, or a hologram, the green colour washing out of her hair.
"What… did it work?" Revel whispered, still holding onto my arm. She'd been out for an entire minute, longer than usual, though it was hard to tell apart the initial blast and the time it took to recover, which differed per cape.
"I think so," I replied, scanning the onlooking crowd. Mister Ferro was observing intently, the flames in his eyes showing the extent of his interest. Sure, he could claim to be above the affairs of us mortals, but he couldn't lie to himself.
Lea held out a hand, draggin her newly transformed servant off the stage with some hurry in her steps, while Bianca was just smiling, her eyes surveying the crowd. We really should have had more of a plan while coming here.
One of her servants, a lower-ranking vampire, whispered something in her ears, and she just nodded, standing up from her throne, flames sticking to her body as she glided over the stage. I could see a few of her people, probably just humans, given their unease, enter from the mansion, carrying curved metal bars they placed on the ground in a circle. Summoning? Containment? Both? Bianca seemed to be planning something with the mobile circle, so it couldn't be anything good.
I looked at her, and she smiled right back at me, licking her lips. Was she going to summon some sort of demon for me, then set it on me as a *gift* of sorts?
"Mister Dresden, please approach so I may hand you your gift," she said, her lips pressed together in the kind of smug self-satisfied facial expression you only ever saw on blood-sucking fire-wearing power-granting party-holding vampire ladies. It was a very specific.
I walked towards her, eyeing the circle as the metal clicked together, some of the vampires starting a chant.
"I had a really hard time thinking of a gift for you," she said, "Until last night, when it just about fell into my lap."
"I swear, if you've killed my apprentice…" I growled at her, staring her right in her hellish eyes, thankful that I didn't see whatever twisted analogue to a soul she had.
"Don't worry, she's alive and… mostly well," Bianca said, nodding towards the manor's back door.
I saw Taylor, bound in chains, wearing a filthy cloak. She wasn't wearing her costume,and from the look of it, she was still half-unconscious. A small but powerful figure, the Hamlet cosplayer I'd seen before, was shoving her forwards, holding her tightly by her hair.
Then, I saw the circle in front of us, the ground inside of it boiling. The waking world and the Never-Never merging together as eyes started appearing in the pavement.
"And as a present, I'll return her to you," Bianca smiled. "In fact, I'll even remove that brain parasite of hers for you."
Flesh boiled up from the middle of the makeshift circle, spectral claws appearing out of ectoplasm as my mind raced through my options. She was bringing Genoscythe's ghost, and perhaps its undead warlock master, here. Could I counteract that somehow? Break open the circle and rescue Taylor in the ensuing chaos? I looked at her as she tried to mouth something to me through the dirty rag someone had used to gag her.
Bianca stepped forwards, looking at her captivated audience, then launched into another speech. "Brethren, today, I give you hope once more! No longer will our fine nation cower before the mortals, no longer will we live in fear of what should rightfully be our prey! Today, the vampire nation once again stands tall, today, we shall take them all down!"
Taylor and her captor approached the final circle, and I channeled energy into my staff—inscribed with runes for earth magic—while I prepared my power to shove my apprentice in a protective pocket-dimension.
Spectral energy suffused the air, ready to rip, tear and feast. I could hear Bianca whisper, "don't want to break the truce now," while I could see Revel ready her small crystal in the corner of my eyes. The Raithe vampire looked… worried?
Vampires cheered, Taylor tried to scream, Energy poured in from the Never-Never, gravity coursed through my fingers.
"Mavra, go ahead," Bianca said as I looked into the corpse's dead, vacant eyes. It looked back at me, dodging a direct gaze, and smiled.
Not the smile of an ancient undead monstrosity about to destroy everything you know and love. Not the smile of a blood-thirsty vampire about to feast on its next meal, or the smile of a Bond-base-owning supervillain announcing that he completed his plan thirty minutes ago after a long-winded monologue. No, this was the kind of smile usually seen just before you heard the words "hold my beer for a sec."
Mavra released Taylor's hair, the movements stiff as a mixed expression came over her face, Taylor's gag and chains falling off as she did so. Mavra gave a quick nod in Revel's direction, then crouched. Then, as she leapt into the circle, her dried out half-rotten lips shouted out a final word.
"Yolo!"