Chapter 20

I suppose I should have realized Katya would pick up on what had happened, and would search the dark skyline for our location. Being the experienced sniper that she was, our position in the bell tower was probably obvious. She'd been quick to mete out her revenge for striking down Salvago, firing upon our position while we had remained in place, overly confident in our victory.

Perhaps the charms Amy had given us helped save us from the bullet itself. I knew Katya was a hell of a shot, the scar on my left shoulder testifying to the fact. But her shot had skewed high, striking the bell overhead.

The power unleashed gave me a new appreciation for Argondian's wards, and how powerful they'd been even in his weakened state at the cottage, to dampen the destructive power of Katya's shots.

The shockwave of the blast thudded into me, propelling me over the low edge of the tower railing. An arrant grasp for the railing, even as my eyes and ears throbbed in pain at the explosion, was the only thing to prevent me from falling several stories to my death on the street below. The discarded scope shattered on the pavement beneath me. I did my best to not join it as I dangled precariously, the downpour seeming to press down on me as if to hasten my journey down.

Gritting my teeth, I reached for the railing with my free hand. The grip was slick with rain water, but I managed to grab hold with both hands. It took everything I had to pull myself up, which is somewhat embarrassing for a guy who works out regularly. The spell had blossomed new aches and pains all across my body, but I managed to climb over the railing, my feet slipping on the rubble lying across the platform.

The first thing I noticed was that Amy was in good shape. The remnants of some sort of magical shield were just fading from across her limbs. It looked like the rain was dissipating it, but it had done its job, protecting Amy from the stone and steel shrapnel that had erupted across that side of the tower.

Q was not so fortunate.

The girl was just shoving a large section of the steel bell off of the prone form of my friend. The bullet had struck it directly, shattering the ancient iron chime. Pieces lay strewn across the platform along with stone bricks that had fallen from the canopy overhead. Some were the size of dinner plates, while many more were nothing more than shards and slivers of steel.

The one that had fallen across Q was one of the largest. As the goth wizard shoved it off, the goblin was revealed, the skin of his hands and face smoking from the contact with the cursed metal. The fabrics they'd wrapped around his palms had protected him somewhat, but I could see where sharp protrusions had pierced his Zombieland shirt. Had he left his Balaur leather jacket on, he would have been fine.

As it was, he had several dozen pieces of iron jutting from his fae-like skin. Each was burning him alive, dissolving his flesh as if they were made from acid.

I started to crouch over him, but Amy shoved me aside, scrambling for the largest segment of the bell. "I can help," she gasped, water rushing over her as she held the same little rod she'd used before. She tried muttering something, but the deluge was enough to completely disrupt whatever magical spell she was trying cast.

'We've got to get out of this," she said, gesturing around. I nodded, and moved toward Q, the rubble shifting beneath my feet. As I went, I spotted the sleeve of Q's discarded jacket. I tugged it free from the rubble and held it over the girl, blocking some of the rain that had been cutting her off from her magic.

Atop a pile of stone and steel growing slick with rainwater and goblin blood, the goth wizard worked her magics, the short rod pulling each sliver from my friend's skin. As each slid free, more blood spilt, but the blisters and burns finally began to abate.

When the last was gone, the goblin seemed to shudder, before falling still in relief.

"We've got to get him medical treatment," Amy said, pointing out the obvious.

I draped his coat over him and began working at uncovering the hatch. I hoped no-one was venturing outside the church, as I sent quite a few stones over the edge in my haste to clear the passage. Amy joined me, and together we cleared it enough to pop open the door, and then I grabbed Q and headed down into the church.

When we reached the ground floor, a cheer went up. Clearly the rumor had been spread that we had come to the church to end the siege, and the grateful citizens of Chios looked to us as heroes. But almost all of them gasped and drew back at the site of the smoking and hissing goblin.

"What is… is he…" the priest stuttered, staring at the form of Qilluhrang.

"He's the savior of Chios," I gasped out, holding him in my arms as the priest looked at me in disbelief. "Now, do you think you could get us a ride?"

It took us precious time to get back to the old fort. One of the Chians had arrived in a small truck filled with friends and neighbors, and was more than willing to lend it to us. Amy and I got the unconscious Q loaded before heading back.

When we arrived, I deposited Q into the arms of the local witches that had worked at releasing the rains from overhead. They'd been overjoyed at our arrival, but just like the church-goers, their mood tempered when they saw the ghastly form of Q. After I explained his role in saving their city, they swallowed whatever prejudices they had and took him to the same bed I'd occupied just a short time ago, promising to do what they could for him.

I wanted to stay and help, but there wasn't anything I could do. And as bad as he was, he was at least breathing. My worry had begun to shift toward the others, including Anya and Sal, who I hadn't heard from since the lightning strike.

Amy and I had quickly realized that the exploding round had disrupted something in our communication stones. Either that, or the downpour was interfering with the magics required to use them. We hadn't been able to raise anyone on our way back, so we weren't sure what we were walking into when we returned to the command room.

We found Nelson alone, working the communication stones on the table. He looked up as we entered, and shot Amy a weak smile. "Do you think you could help?" he asked, gesturing to the stones.

"Sure," the goth wizard replied tiredly. She headed for the table, where Nelson whispered to her in hushed tones, letting her know what was going on. I settled into the wheelchair I'd occupied earlier, and started working on my meditation.

As soon as I began, I could feel the power flowing through me. The magic circle Nelson had drawn on me was still intact, protected from shrapnel and rain by my mostly intact coat. I lost myself in the feeling of the power, letting it work through the bumps and bruises and cuts I'd accumulated.

"Seems like your plan worked."

I awoke without realizing I'd fallen asleep. I blinked up at Nelson, who had finally finished getting things sorted with Amy. The girl was still working the table, her quick hands more familiar with the stones than the bald wizard's.

"Well enough," I said with a grim nod. I quickly informed him of Q's condition, and what had transpired on our end of things. When I was finished, he filled me in on the others.

"Kyveli and her sisters broke through Salvago's spells once you took him out," the bald wizard confirmed. "The rest have checked in, and are either making their way back here, or are helping the Chians however they can."

"Anya and Sal?" I asked.

"They're okay," he replied, although his words were heavy. "Anya and Martin were ambushed by Peña on their way to the others. Anya got away, but Martin…" The bald wizard shook his head.

"Dead?" I asked softly, dreading the answer.

"Worse," Nelson said with a heavy sigh. "Taken, by Peña."

"Shit," I cursed, wanting to punch something.

"According to Anya, he was still alive," Nelson said. "We're hoping Salvago will keep him that way, like he did with Penny."

"At least we got her back," I said, only to see the monk wizard shaking his head.

"Penny woke while Vaccaro was helping the locals," he said. "She slipped away before he could do anything."

I sat back in the wheelchair and rubbed at my head. "What about the others?"

"Katya sniped Vaccaro at some point, but he's going to be alright," he reassured me quickly. "Apparently the charm stones did their job, as those wearing them weren't hit. But she used one of those Arcane rounds, and Vaccaro and some of the locals got tossed about." I could sympathize with that experience. "Argondian and Moretti aren't any worse than they were. The old man's with Simon, who's pretty beat up. Those lightning strikes didn't do him any favors, but his ecto-shield and coat apparently kept him alive."

"How about the other one?" I asked. "The guy with him?"

"Stenguard," Nelson said with a grim shake of his head. "No trace of him. Very little remains of Somboon. Both were too close to the lightning strike when it took out the ward lamp. Argondian said there was nothing left but a crater. But maybe Lane got away in time."

"Any chance Peña grabbed him, too?" I asked, not wanting to know if the answer was yes.

"We don't think so," Nelson said. "We're hoping he slipped into the Never-never or something. But there's no word yet."

I hung my head in my hands as I realized the implications of what he'd said.

I'd hoped that with Rai and Somboon down for the count, and Penny in our grasp, we'd have left Salvago with only Katya, Violet, and the Hound. With the storm wiping out his zombies, and Q's shot hopefully taking its toll on the man himself, I'd thought we might be in a position to end things quickly.

Instead, we'd lost Q and Simon to injuries. Nelson's arm was still in a sling, Vaccaro was shot, and Argondian and Moretti had both taken a beating even before the chaos had broken out. I know I was feeling exhausted even after my brief meditation, and I couldn't imagine Anya and Sal were much better off. Stenguard was dead or gone, and Martin had been taken to help refill Salvago's ranks. And on top of that, Penny had gotten away.

Salvago wasn't much worse off than he'd been before the siege. And there wasn't a single wizard healthy enough to face him.

"Any sign of Salvago?" I finally asked, gesturing toward the map.

"No," Nelson said with a shake of his head. "We were only tracking him by the zombies with him. Once they fell, we lost him. My bet is Katya or Peña took him back to Anavatos."

Anavatos. The mountain town that was nearly impregnable. Where the Lich necromancer might have more zombies held in reserve, and who knew how many of the enthralled Chians still with him. Along with his remaining Revenants.

"Fuck," I muttered, shaking my head. "Even though we stopped him, we still lost."

"It's worse than that," Nelson said, drawing my eyes. He glanced around nervously, as if Amy would overhear him. "I probably shouldn't tell you, but things took a turn for the worse in Edinburgh."

"What?" I asked, surprised. "I thought you said they'd found that Morgan guy? That we could count on some help once that was over and done with?"

"They found him," Nelson confirmed. "But another traitor was revealed during the trial. A bunch of people ended up dead, and the Council is scrambling to repair the damage. It seems the word is out on this influence thing Salvago found. Most if not all of the wardens were infected, along with the Senior Council itself. Everyone's being recalled until they can figure out the extent of the corruption."

The bald wizard shook his head tiredly. "We're supposed to head back as soon as we're healthy enough. The entire Council is up in arms. Rumors are spreading that there are more traitors, and there's apparently been talk of secession, and…" He sighed, clearly overwhelmed by the scope of what had happened in such a short time.

It sounded bad. Really bad. As loath as I was to trust my local Wizard for Hire, I knew that the White Council was more or less on the side of good. If their organization was on the brink of collapse… I wasn't sure what it meant for the world.

But I knew what it meant for us there on Chios.

No-one was going to be coming to save the day anytime soon.

"I don't suppose you've got the magical equivalent of a nuke we could just drop on that city?" I asked, only partially joking.

Nelson shook his head. "Even if we did, Argondian wouldn't let us. He wants to get Penny back. And now they're hopeful for the others as well."

"What others?" I asked. "Martin?"

"And Peña," Nelson said. A pained look crossed his face. "Vaccaro thinks Somboon used a death curse to call down that lightning on the ward lamp. But you can't call down a death curse if you're already dead…" The bald wizard looked away, his face paling.

And I realized why. If the others were suddenly doubting the condition of the Revenants, then it called into question whether Rai could have been saved or not.

Which meant Nelson had to live with the guilt of possibly having failed his apprentice not once but twice.

"Nelson…" I said softly. "I don't know much about the afterlife. I'm not about to define who does and doesn't have a soul, and what it means for them." I looked at him, holding his gaze. "Whatever there was of Somboon, and Peña, and… and Rai…" I shook my head. "Whatever made them what they were, who they were… it's gone."

"But the death curse—" he began, his voice thickening as tears built up in his eyes.

"He was gone," I repeated. "Maybe Penny and Martin are different. Maybe not. Maybe Violet's beyond my reach, too," I admitted, my own voice thickening at the thought. "But I saw Rai die in that fight with Somboon in the graveyard, before the Hound took him. What we faced out there… that was nothing but Salvago's puppet."

Nelson nodded sharply, letting my words convince him of what he had to believe. He sniffed and wiped at his face with his right sleeve, his left still immobile in its sling. "I better check on the others. See if they need anything."

I nodded, and let him escape to the communication table. After a minute, I left him and Amy alone, wandering outside to lose myself in the downpour as I worried about Violet, and wondered how I could hope to reach her if the wizards left.

Or if there was anything left of her to save.

Anya found me an hour later, sitting on a stool beside Q's bed. The local coven had finished treating Q, as well as having removed some persistent slivers that had escaped Amy's notice. The goblin was mercifully asleep, covered in poultices the witches assured me would help him, although they weren't quite sure how much due to his differing physiology.

"Is he going to be alright?" Anya asked as she stood in the doorway. When I glanced over, she walked across the small room to rest a hand gently on my shoulder.

"I'm sure," I replied with a nod. "They said he was in and out while they worked on him, cursing them for cutting off his Zombieland shirt." I knew I'd need to buy him a replacement. Nobody messes with the odd goblin's Bill Murray paraphernalia.

But despite my assurances to Anya, I wasn't so sure. The bell had done some serious damage to him, and it was taking a long time for him to recover. I'd seem him make incidental contact with metal now and again, but never like that. As strong and fast as he was, Q didn't have much magical power. Goblin magic was geared more toward maiming and killing than it was healing and recovery. And I didn't have a wand to wave over him, to make his injuries disappear.

Thankfully Anya was in one piece. She was tired, and on edge of full fledged exhaustion after battling both Peña and a horde of zombies at sword-point to get back, but she was okay. As she told me about her journey, I could tell there was some guilt lingering about letting the earth mage escape with Martin. But there was nothing she could have done. Facing a wizard alone was beyond any of us.

"Where have you been? Have you eaten?" I asked her, noting the hungry look to her eyes. She hid it well, but I knew her demon would be looking to feed after expending energy in the fight.

"With Simon," she said with a wry smile.

"You guys settle up?"

"Hardly," she said with a small shrug. "He was in a lot of pain. That lightning strike messed him up, and the others couldn't get him settled. I did what I could."

As a Raith of the White Court, Anya fed on the lust of those she coupled with, to their demise if she went too far. But doing so wasn't without its appeal to the livestock. There were plenty of humans that would willingly throw themselves at the vampires on a regular basis, if only to feel the bliss and pleasure that the succubi could impart upon their victims.

"You gave him the whammy?" I surmised.

Anya nodded wearily. "Moretti wouldn't hear of it, but I promised not to feed from him. I just helped sedate him in the best way possible, so that they could begin treating his injuries."

I could imagine what the warden from New York would think of letting a 'monster' at one of his brethren. But it was clear that Anya herself was worn out from the fight, and hadn't partook of the wizard's power. Otherwise she would have been in better shape.

"Do you want to feed?" I asked her.

"Maybe later. I'm going to go get some old fashioned rest," Anya said as Argondian arrived at the door. "Let me know if you need anything."

I nodded, and watched the White Court vampire depart. For once there was no awkward exchange between her and the old wizard; it seemed the night and day's trials and tribulations had worn away the man's lecherous behavior.

Or so I thought, until Anya gave a yelp in the hallway from a telekinetic pinch to her derriere.

"Oh, to be young again," Argondian said as he settled onto the stool across the bed. He had a slightly wistful look as he spoke, as if recalling the pleasures of youth.

"Something tells me the female population would rue the day," I told him, eliciting a leer from him.

"Don't count me out just yet, Mister Hayes," the old wizard replied with a wink. "There are many powers in the world, and plenty that would grant me a boon such as restored youth in return for some wizardly help."

"Now you've got me worried," I said with a feigned roll of my eyes.

Argondian's gaze drifted to Q. "I am not quite as suited at healing magic as Penny, but I do have some ability," he said. "I've helped young Simon as much as I could. I came to see if there was anything I could do for your charge," he said, nodding toward Q.

"My charge?" I said, blinking.

"Your ward. Your hired help," the old man said. "Whatever you want to call it."

"We're friends."

Argondian gave me a disappointed look. "Surely you don't think goblins just run about, doing good deeds out of friendship?" he asked with mild disbelief.

"I know he's different," I told the man. "I've never met another goblin, but I know the rest aren't like him."

"Indeed," Argondian said with a solemn nod. "Retention of oneself, holding on to even a sliver of free will, is costly to the likes of him." The wizard's eyes shifted to me. "To those that choose that path."

"That path?" I repeated absently, the words echoing in my head for some reason. I couldn't think of why.

"It seems you know less than I thought," the man said, shifting on his stool to try and get comfortable. Something that was impossible to do, based on my own experience.

"You're talking about Changelings," I surmised softly. At that, the wizard's eyes returned to mine. "You're talking about the offspring of Fae and humans, that have to choose which parentage to take after." Give me some credit; I'd been in the magical community for a decade. I'd learned some stuff.

"Not just the Fae," the wizard said with a tilt of his head. "There are all sorts of scions and progeny out there. Those that chose one way or the other, or have not yet chosen."

"You're saying Q chose to be a goblin," I said as I considered his words. "But he's also trying to retain something else? Something human?"

The wizard stared at me long and hard. "Something like that."

I sighed, and looked over at my friend. "I suppose I can't blame him. I couldn't imagine having my destiny, my very nature, decided for me on just a single choice."

"I imagine not."

I studied the goblin, and reconsidered just why he did what he did. Why he was so willing to help me at a moment's notice. About our agreement to help each other, with me aiding him in his crafting business and letting him live under my home, in return for helping me with magic and giving me a hand when I needed it.

Maybe it wasn't friendship that made him come when I called. A goblin didn't have friends. A goblin didn't do good things because they were good. A goblin hunted and killed and maimed for fun and pleasure. A goblin was a force of nature, a hunter spirit that answered to its cravings for blood and honor, and nothing more.

They most assuredly didn't make magical tea sets, or spellworked rocking horses, or peepholes for mortals to see what came a-knocking.

They didn't save a city of humans without a second thought for their own welfare.

"Will you help my friend?" I asked Argondian.

The wizard took a long breath, inhaling through his nose in a thoughtful — if not frustrated — fashion, before releasing it in a resigned sigh. "Of course."

And so I settled in as the water mage did what he could for the savior of Chios, while I wondered at what the wizard had really been getting at.

And the odd feeling that there was something I was forgetting.