Dread Nemesis of Mine

chapter 14

Elyssa

Elyssa hated short deadlines.

It meant she had to hurry, and hurrying usually led to mistakes. In this case, she had no room for error. She watched through the window as Underborn and his hulking companion headed toward a tool shed behind the guest bunkhouses where a very small man waited on them.

Phissilinth.

She'd met him the first time Justin had sought out Underborn to make him call off a hit on his father. While the small man seemed harmless enough, she knew without a doubt he was every bit as deadly as Underborn.

Phissilinth pulled out a key, inserted it into the tool shed door lock, and opened it. Through the opening, Elyssa saw a hanging chandelier and a rich red rug running down a long hall lined with portraits. She didn't need to ask where it led because she'd been there before. It was Underborn's lair. As to where the lair actually was, she had no idea. The key Phissilinth used could apparently be used to open doors and take them almost anywhere.

Her mouth dropped open as a thought occurred to her. She blurred outside before the three men crossed the threshold, and jumped in front of Phissilinth.

"Good day, Madame." He bowed with a flourish.

"Hello, Phissilinth."

"I'm pleased you remember my name, Miss Borathen."

She smiled. "It's a hard one to forget."

"What do you need?" Underborn said, gazing warily at the lightly wooded surroundings. Elyssa noticed few Templars came to this part of the compound, because it was so far removed from the main barracks and the central buildings. "We shouldn't tarry, and you have a job to do."

"I want the key," Elyssa said, pointing to the simple brass skeleton key in Phissilinth's child-like hand.

"What do you propose to do with it?" Underborn said. "Rescue Justin? Open a doorway straight into the lion's den and snatch him from their grasp?"

"Couldn't have put it better myself." She narrowed her eyes. "Why risk everyone when I could just use that?" Anger flared at Underborn's cavalier attitude, but she held it at bay with some effort. For all she knew, this was another of his tests.

The assassin put on an oily smile. "If it were so simple, I would have done it myself." He took the key from Phissilinth and held it up. "This key is one of the seven Relics of Juranthemon. It is priceless, of course, and very powerful. As a price for such power, it can be very difficult to control."

Elyssa huffed out a breath. "First of all, Juranthemon sounds like a word you just made up. Second, I don't give a damn how hard it is to control. Tell me how to use it and I swear I'll return it to you."

"You don't understand, Miss Borathen." Underborn's smile went from oily to downright condescending. "The key can open virtually any location, so long as another door opens at the other end. But to go to an unexplored place means you must first show the key where you want to go on the Map of Juranthemon."

"Then get the map and show it."

"I do not possess it. I do, however, have a very extensive list of places the key goes to. Maximus's compound, unfortunately, is not one of them."

"And a tool shed is?" She waved at the old stone structure.

"This tool shed was formerly a small chapel used by a small, forgotten sect of Indians who inhabited this area." He indicated some of the other ancient structures in the area. "These building were preserved by Arcanes and repurposed by the Templars. The original door has been replaced many times over the years, but that doesn't matter to the key. Unless you can steal the map from whoever owns it, I can't create a new path into Maximus's compound."

Elyssa didn't believe him for a second. A last-ditch, desperate plan formed in her head. Underborn would probably kill her for trying it, but he left her no choice.

"In fact," Underborn continued, "the key was not originally a key at all. It tends to present itself as a different object, depending on the user's expectations." He held it in his palm and reverently traced a finger along the metal.

"Really? That's amazing." Elyssa leaned closer. "It looks like a skeleton key."

"Indeed. It's fascinating."

Elyssa looked behind Underborn and opened her eyes in alarm.

The assassin turned his head to look. Elyssa snatched at the key. A gloved hand gripped her wrist too late. The cold metal of the key pressed against the inside of her palm. All she had to do was escape three trained assassins.

Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy. Well, more like difficult, difficult, lemon difficult.

Elyssa twisted her arm from the big man's grasp. Opened her mouth to shout for help. A heavy foot caught her in the back. She somehow kept her balance and spun sideways as the same foot whooshed by her head. Underborn and Phissilinth stood nearby. The tiny man's face held an expression of concern. The assassin looked entertained. The big man in black lunged for her arm again.

Elyssa jumped away and jammed the key into her jeans pocket. The big man's arms blurred for her. She fell back on learned instinct, blocking and diverting his blows. He was fast, but she was faster, unencumbered by all that muscle. In fact, every move he used seemed familiar. This was, in itself, strange, considering most people learned the same moves and executed them with their own unique mannerisms. Everyone had their own tics and nuances, even masters of the fighting arts.

Her mind flashed back a few years. She'd fought this man before. In fact, she'd fought him many times before. No one else moved like—no—it couldn't be! Disgust and betrayal welled inside her. Rage broke the surface in the form of a snarl on her lips. The man's foot lashed out. Elyssa threw her hands down in a blocking motion, simultaneously using the power of her opponent's kick as a springboard, launching her straight up. Twisting in midair, she slammed the side of his face with a brutal kick. Landed lightly on her feet. Danced back.

The big man staggered back a foot, grabbing his jaw.

Elyssa bared her teeth. "Come get me, traitor."

"Oh dear," Phissilinth said. "Perhaps you should—"

Underborn laughed. "And spoil the fun?"

The big man's fists tightened. He straightened and stared at the assassin. "Get your own key, Sorenson," he said in an unnaturally deep voice, one which Elyssa knew to be magically altered.

But he could talk like a midget for all she cared. She knew who he was now. And her heart ached.

Another laugh erupted from the assassin. "Why do I need to retrieve that which I already possess?" He pulled another key from his pocket.

Elyssa looked at the skeleton key in her hand. "You're lying."

Underborn shut the door to the tool shed. Put the key in the lock and twisted. The door opened to a grassy glade. Birds twittered and butterflies danced in the sunlight. He shut the door. Opened it again. The hallway once again presented itself.

"The key you possess opens a footlocker in my bedroom." Underborn smiled. "I knew you couldn't resist."

His brawny companion cracked his knuckles and said, "Enough with the games, Underborn." He turned to Elyssa. "I know how you must feel now, but I'm doing this for the greater good. I'm not a traitor, no matter what you think."

"Just get the hell out of here." Elyssa's throat was raw with anger and grief. How could he go over to this man, this evil, psycho killer? "The next time I see you, I'll break your jaw."

Underborn and Phissilinth stepped through the doorway. The big man hesitated at the threshold. "You can try, Ninjette." He closed the door behind him, leaving Elyssa alone in the dark.

She sank to her knees and let the tears flow. So many emotions assaulted her at once—hope, fear, anger, betrayal—she hardly knew what she was feeling. He had to have his reasons. He couldn't be a traitor. He'd helped her before, tried to help her escape her father when he'd wanted to make her take the White. She took deep breaths to banish the tears. He had to have a reason for this.

Think logically, damn it!

The jumble of emotions cleared and her breathing eased. Now she felt foolish. What if she'd blown his cover? What if he was working against Underborn and now she'd exposed him? She jerked to her feet.

No, Underborn knew who he was. It should come as no surprise whatsoever that he would use Michael, her own brother, against her. Until she had time to dig deeper, she had to remain focused on the task at hand.

Gripping the key, she cocked her arm back to throw it over the wall surrounding the Templar compound.

"What are you doing back here?" Fausta said.

Elyssa jerked and looked at the other woman. "Thinking."

"Haven't you heard? We're not supposed to do that. That's what the commanders are for." Fausta wrinkled her nose. "I do not like this plan of attack. Stealth squads? Your father is wrong. Dead wrong. It's the stupidest plan ever."

"For once, we agree," Elyssa said slipping the key into her pocket. She regarded the strong-nosed woman for a moment. They'd only met recently, but Elyssa had been through hell and back with her in Justin's quest to apprehend Vadaemos. Finding the traitor in their midst would require help, and Fausta might have inside knowledge of Christian's organization.

"There's something more going on with you," Fausta said. "I can see it in your eyes."

The Italian woman was nothing, if not blunt, and Elyssa didn't have time to be anything but straightforward. "I need a list of anyone who'd know about our arrival yesterday."

"Practically everyone in the compound."

"Yes, but how long before we arrived did they know?"

Fausta shrugged. "Christian announced the motor pool duties only half an hour before, so probably around that time."

"How far in advance did Christian know about our arrival?"

"I wouldn't know. Beck might." Her eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute. You think someone set us up?"

Elyssa folded her arms. "Don't you?"

Fausta tapped her chin. "Things happened so fast, I really didn't give it much thought. Christian said Maximus has been watching La Casona. I'm sure he has eyes everywhere."

"Yeah, but would he assign a vampire army complete with scroll casters to watch the place? No way. You can't hide that many vampires for a long time, especially raw recruits. I think they used a scroll spell to mask their presence."

The other woman leaned against the stone wall of the tool shed. "You think someone on Christian's advisory council betrayed us." Her eyes hardened. "But of course you believe your father's council is blameless."

"That's because I know how my father operates."

"And because you think nobody in your legion could possibly betray you, right?" Sarcasm dripped from her words.

"Absolutely not." Elyssa slashed a hand through the air. "My father's advisory council consists of my brother, Michael, when he's around, and my mother. He hardly tells them anything. Most of the time he keeps his plans close to his chest and springs them at the last moment."

"And you think he told Christian his plans to come down here in advance?"

"He must have. Christian wouldn't appreciate another commander popping in unannounced, especially when he wants to convince him to start a joint military operation against the vampires. That requires a lot of planning."

Fausta held up a hand. "Fine, fine. Your father is paranoid. Assuming this is true, we can concentrate on Christian's council."

"Has he had problems with other operations?"

"Problems, yes. But I wouldn't point to a traitor as the cause for those problems."

Elyssa pursed her lips. "Hmm, so nothing stands out to you?"

"No."

Elyssa had hoped to discount Beck as a traitor, but if this was the first disaster Fausta could point to as the possible product of betrayal, her question might have done the opposite and pointed to him as the likeliest candidate for a good ass-kicking. Beck had sold them out to Thomas Borathen after they'd captured Vadaemos, all so he could earn a few brownie points, no doubt. That had led to a duel between Thomas and Justin. Then Daelissa had shown up and freed Vadaemos. The demon spawn had killed several Templars, including her brother, Jack, that night. Her chest tightened. What if Beck hadn't called her father to win favor, but to start a fight so Vadaemos could escape?

His actions had led to chaos. Or would Daelissa have shown up anyway? Elyssa couldn't say. She conveyed her suspicions to Fausta.

The Italian woman arched an eyebrow. "Beck is a culo, sure, but I don't think he would betray us."

"What if he resents my father for sending his family away from Atlanta?"

"For kissing you?" Fausta snorted. "So your father is paranoid and overprotective. Are you sure he's fit for duty?"

Elyssa held back an angry retort. "Okay, fine. If it's not Beck, who else is on the council?"

"Lieutenants Jean-Claude Ville, Gigi Martinez, and Ludovico Maracci."

"Three people?" The task ahead seemed even harder, especially given the time limit involved.

Fausta shook her head. "Ludovico died in the ambush, so I sincerely doubt he was involved."

"Definitely dead and not disappeared?"

"I saw his body. It was him."

"We need to question the other two. Check their stories."

"What makes you think they'll help?"

Fausta had a point. These people might give Elyssa the time of day simply because of her last name. But if she started questioning them about treachery, they'd boot her out and probably complain to Christian and Thomas as well.

"The wheels are spinning," Fausta said. "Who are you going to beat up first?"

"This isn't time to be joking," Elyssa said. "In case you don't remember, we're supposed to be attacking Maximus tomorrow. What if he already knows we're coming?"

A curse escaped Fausta's lips, and her face sobered. "Come on." She motioned for Elyssa to follow.

"Where are we going?"

"We have no time for, how do you Americans say it—p-ssy-jumping around."

Elyssa chuckled. "I think you mean p-ssy-footing." She jogged to catch up to Fausta. "Who are we going to first?"

"We don't have time for games, so we're going to be direct." Fausta looked back over her shoulder and smiled. "We'll break into their rooms and search them."

Bella walked around the corner and Fausta nearly plowed right over her.

"Goodness!" said the short Arcane. "What…" She looked from Fausta to Elyssa and back again. "Oh. Something really bad must be happening for you two to be taking a walk together." She smiled and rubbed her hands together. "Where are we going? Are we going to rough anybody up?"

"No way," Fausta said, shaking her head. "We'll attract too much attention with so many people."

Elyssa pursed her lips and regarded Bella. Thought about how she'd hotwired cars in seconds. "I think she'll be perfect for what we have in mind. Think about it—who'd be better at opening locks than an Arcane?"

"Oh yes, I'm an old hand at larceny," Bella said. "During my younger years I excelled at breaking and entering."

"Younger years? You still look like a child," Fausta said, towering over the other woman.

"Don't be so mean," Bella said with a frown. "I'm only a head shorter than you. Besides, botte piccola fa vino buono."

Fausta laughed. "I hope you're right."

"What does that mean?" Elyssa asked.

The Arcane woman winked. "It's an old Italian saying: A small cask makes good wine."

Elyssa already knew Bella was more powerful than her size indicated. "If we're searching rooms, we'll need all the help we can get." She gave Bella an appraising look. "I have a feeling our sorceress friend here makes very good wine when she mixes magic and subterfuge."

Bella beamed at her. "After so many boring years in Ciudad De Los Angeles, it will be wonderful to live life in the fast lane again."

"Fine, fine," Fausta said. "Let's go." She stalked toward the officers' barracks.

Bella followed close in her wake.

Worry still gnawed at Elyssa as she caught up to her partners in crime, but at least she knew one thing for sure. Things were about to get interesting.