“And if we take Jason out after the possession?” I asked.
“It will be difficult to kill Jason with the tools we have on hand once he’s possessed by the demon. That’s usually part of the bargain. Magical protection from attack for the duration of the contract.”
Tools we have on hand.That was an interesting phrase. I took a slow breath and said, “I know where Jason is. And our timeline window is small. We have to take him out today before Ming gets to him at sunset. Do containment vessels have a size maximum?”
There was a short, sharp silence on the other end of the connection as FireWind processed my question. “You think it’s a Major Power.”
“Yes. When I read the land, I got a good look at the ring on the demon’s hand. The red stone was embossed with a rune. T. Laine says it’s Gebo in opposition.”
The reserved, unemotional FireWind took a hissing breath.
“We have its calling name, based on the initialsB.K.L.I think it’s huge and powerful and tied to the magma working its way up through the earth’s crust,” I said.
“Hmmm. There are hot springs and other signs of geological activity in the Appalachians. In answer to your question, yes, containment vessels do have a maximum suppression and restraint assessment, but no one knows how to measure demonic energy, so PsyLED labs haven’t tried the systems with anything larger than your garden-variety flesh-eating imp.”
“So we can’t contain it, and we can’t kill it, and Jason is under the magical protection of a powerfulhedge of thornsuntil he lets it drop to free the demon. And we have to act before sunset and the vamps rise.”
“Yes. But until the bargain is completed, the demon’s power is fundamentally and effectively limited.” I could almost hear the frown in his voice when he added, “We thought Rick was being called for two reasons: revenge, and to power the working to call the demon. But something is off.”
“Right,” I said. “Why shoot Rick? Why try to turn himself into a werecat?”
“Best guess is blood spatter for the calling, and were-taint to heal his cancer. Jones found a diagnosis of leukemia in his history.” He made a ruminative sound. “Tonight is the total dark of the moon. The new moon rose around dawn. It is up but invisible all day, and will set around seven p.m., before sunset in Knoxville in summer.” He made the pensive sound again. “Since nothing magic happened when it rose, the curse must be timed for the interval between moonset and sunset. Thank you, Ingram. This is invaluable information. We have a great many logistics to work out, and our timeline to stop Jason may be a very narrow window.”
“From the time Jason starts the spell and drops thehedge,to the moment he’s killed enough sleeping vampires to free the demon, but before the demon is actually set free. And then we have to figure out a way to send the demon back,” I clarified.
“I suppose that’s correct. Anything else, Ingram?” FireWind asked.
“Has anyone thought about putting Rick on a plane for the Vatican?” I asked.
“Several times. It’s still in discussion.”
“Last question. What if the vampires with Jason don’t know what we do about the demon and its summoning? Godfrey is an old vampire who probably knows a lot about magic, but this is a brand-new curse-working. What if Jason is using them for more than we think?”
I felt FireWind’s attention narrow onto me. “I’m listening.”
“What if the curse part of the spell isn’t just for Rick, but also is directed at the other group that hurt him? What if the curse is directed at all the vampires in Knoxville? Or even all the vampires in the state? Or think bigger. What if the curse is directed at the life force, or un-life-force, of every vampire in the world all at once? Just causes them to bleed to death like the cattle did at the stockyard.”
FireWind went quiet and the silence stretched out. “What you’re suggesting is, or should be, impossible. But... a vampire kidnapped him and killed his grandmother in front of his eyes. Yet he’s working with a vampire now.”
“If Jason starts the curse after moonset and before sunset,” I said, “in the last ninety minutes of day, before the vampires rise, he’ll have sleeping vampires available to bleed into his curse, the way he bled the cattle at the livestock center. He wouldn’t even have to cut them. That narrows our timeline even more.”
FireWind muttered something that might have been cussing in another language. “He gets revenge on Rick, kills him, is healed by vampire blood or the were-taint, kills large numbers of vampires, and has a demon at his disposal for as long as their agreement lasts. The little sorcerer is brilliant.” There was reluctant admiration in FireWind’s voice.
“If we miss our window,” I said, “Jason will have the demon to grant him power for as long as he lives, which might be a long time as a werecat or a vampire.”
FireWind agreed thoughtfully. “Logistics will be a nightmare and we don’t have much time to prepare.”
“And that narrow window,” I said.
“The unit is exhausted. New-moon set is less than an hour and a half before sunset. This will be tricky. Get a nap. Be at HQ by four p.m. And, Nell, see that Mud is elsewhere. This will not be the safest place on earth.”
The connection ended. The safest place on earth. As far as I was concerned, that was Soulwood. I wondered if I could get the vampire tree to babysit. I needed sleep, but my family was more important. I needed... I needed to claim the church land. I needed a sacrifice.
I shook my entire body like a dog shakes its fur.No.I was not killing someone to claim the land. At my feet a tendril pushed through the soil, and a single thick, green leaf uncoiled, resting against my ankle.
In the yard, Mud screamed with laughter and rolled on the ground with Cherry. Overhead, a bird sang, long and sweet. I smelled wisteria and the grape Kool-Aid smell of kudzu in bloom. The vampire tree tendril coiled up my ankle and wrapped around it. Not trapping me. Just... making me aware. Reminding me, as if it had access to my mind. And maybe, on some level, it did.
Larry Aden had been wounded by the vampire tree. The tree had his blood. The tree could... sacrifice Larry, and I could claim church land through it.
