She reached up in the snow-bright night and removed a stained-glass church window.
At some point, she had clearly snapped it free of its framework and propped it back into place. The wood was cracked and splintered, revealing the two-by-fours of the rough framing beneath, but the glass itself was unbroken. The stench of old dead, fresh blood, and recent death rode the swirling air. The stench of vamps followed, funeral flowers, spices. Shiloh leaned the window against the church wall.
Walter glanced to the east where the sunrise would burn them to death in a matter of hours.
Shiloh pulled her shortsword with her right hand, reached up and grabbed the windowsill with her left. She pulled andlifted herself in a one-hand pull-push-up. Looked inside. She twisted her hold on the broken sash and levered her backside up until her arm was extended fully, her flat palm level with her hips. Continuing the weight transfer, like a slow-motion balance bar move, she tilted in, curled her legs, and dropped inside. She landed without a sound.
I’d never be able to get up to the window without a boost. And I’d, sure as hell’s hounds, not be silent about it. I fingered asilenceworking, to mask my noise. The only problem with magic at this point was that there were witches somewhere inside, and a witch would know I’d done something. I’d give us away. But so would voices. I pressed the amulet. “I’ve cast asilenceworking over comms,” I said. “As long as we keep it to whispers and murmurs, even vamp ears won’t hear.”
Walter leaped straight up, grabbed the broken wood of the casing at the top, tucked his legs tight, and swung in. He pulled his swords in midair, landing silently.
Into comms he murmured, “There are thirty bodies or thereabouts, some piled in front of the entrance doors, others stacked on pews, tossed into corners, or left where they dropped.”
Shiloh added, “Some were killed in ritual. Some were the results of the demonic feeding frenzy. See on cam.”
One glance at Shiloh’s armor cam was way more than enough. I had never seen pics of the remains of a demon feeding frenzy. I had no words for it. Some bodies were disjointed. Some had missing parts, some chewed on. Some showed signs of incubus or succubus possession.
Walter was silent, walking around the room, stepping over parts of people. He had been used against his will. He had been fed from against his will. He knew what they had suffered. I wanted to comfort him. Which he would never accept.
Walter said, “I see Ivyanna Holmes.” The camera angle tilted. “She’s alive, under astasisworking. She’s been fed upon far too much.”
PeeWee said, “I can take her off premises.”
Shiloh countered, “Moving her will damage her. She needs a healer and a medic team. Right now she’s stable. I suggest we leave her as is.”
Not waiting for a reply, Shiloh walked to the door at the back of the sanctuary. Placed her palm and fingers flat on it. Tapped her ear-patch once. Other taps followed as the rest of the team—the human and witch team—snapped locks with tools or charms and found their places. “Warded,” she said. “But the ward is stupid easy.”
I murmured, “Which means they have a better one inside.”
Shiloh and Walter looked up but the cams didn’t follow.
Our cousin whispered, “There’s a door leading into a loft over the next room, nearly hidden in the dark, painted to match the walls.” Shiloh pointed up and along the wall. “If EJ hadn’t gotten the building plans from the county permit department, we would never have known it was there.”
Shiloh touched her chest and pointed up. Touched Walter’s chest and pointed to the door leading back. He nodded. Both of them were supposed to go in through the door, once they killed and subdued any vampires keeping watch. True-dead can’t keep watch through dry sightless eyes.
“Angie,” Shiloh said, “take your position with your team. We don’t need our diapers changed.”
I frowned and headed around the side of the building to the back, the snow crunchy beneath my boots, depending on thesilenceworking.
On the headset screen, Shiloh was making her way up the stairs. Walter stepped through the broken wood and over ahuman arm to the lower-level door leading to the back. It was dark as pitch, but what I could make out on low light was a heavy door on substantial hinges that would squeak when opened. But there was a window in the middle.
Walter said, “A wide circle. A complex, six-pointed star. Six. Not the five-pointed pentagram we expected, used by most workings’ mathematics. Four people are seated. I see no others from this angle.”
From his position on the other side of the building, EJ said, “Unexpected.”
I murmured, “A demon circle.” All the practitioners in the circle were possessed, or about to be possessed. “Bet they’ve already drunk the elixir,” I said.
Grizz said, “This won’t be a battle with fangheads. It will be a battle with vampires with demonic strength and demonic magic power.”
I stopped before I rounded the back and asked, “Who’s seated in the circle?”
Walter said, “Konstantin, Ravensport, Willim, Karson Marrazzo. Terenzio Marrazzo stands behind Konstantin, not a part of the summoning circle. I’m putting a minicam into the corner of the window in the door.”
Two places are empty, I thought.“Where’s Nyoka?”
Shiloh said, “I’m in position in the rafters over the back. No Nyoka. And I think we have a problem. There’s a brazier full of flame and coals, and a heated metal branding iron buried in them.”
I rounded the back of the garage to see my unit, Pretty Thang and Grizz, at the large service door. There was no window in my door.
