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“You’re a vampire. You’ll heal. What are you doing here?”
“It’s my ca
sino!” he said, a little shrilly. “I have every right to be here. It’s you and your hoodlum friends who need to go, before you cause any more trouble!”
“Avoiding trouble is not a big motivator for me these days. Not dying is a big motivator for me; not watching Mircea go insane is a big motivator for me. Speaking of which—”
“The Senate isn’t here, but I just received word that they’re on their way. And I haven’t been confirmed in this job yet, you know! How do you think it’s going to look when the Consul shows up and the whole damn place is dark?”
“Why is she coming here?” That was all I needed.
“How the hell should I know? Do I look like someone who is regularly consulted on Senate matters? I try to stay as far away from those crazy bastards as possible.” He paused. “Lord Mircea excepting, of course.”
“Of course. Why is it dark in here?”
“Because one of those freeloaders you dumped on me has caused a blackout!”
“You can’t be sure it’s the kids,” I said, feeling guilty.
“Oh, no? Well, the power company says we have power. They all but called me an idiot when I called them just now! Yet, no lights. And, if I may point out, no slot machines, no table games, no anything. I’m losing a fortune here!”
“It’s been all of ten minutes. Relax. I’ll take care of it.”
“You’re damn right you will. Right now!”
“Stop yelling. I have a bigger problem. Have you seen Nick?”
“Yes, how do you think I found you? He said—”
I grabbed Casanova by what felt like his lapels and shook him. “Where is he?”
He pried my hands off with a curse. “Again, how the hell should I know? And this is imported Italian silk, all right?”
“Where did you see him?”
“In the lobby. I ran into him right after the lights went out. He was trying to find a way out of here and I was trying to find you. We traded information.”
“You helped him leave?” I grabbed Casanova again, despite his curse.
“I pointed him in the right direction; I didn’t personally escort him out. And what difference does it make?”
“You have to stop him!”
“I’ll make you a deal. Get those urchins of yours to undo whatever they did wrong this time and I’ll have the mage detained. I’ve got a near panic going on in the lobby!”
“Fine.” I doubted the low-level vamps Casanova employed would have much luck stopping a war mage, but maybe they could slow him down long enough for Pritkin to locate him.
Casanova called security on his cell phone while we navigated the dark stairs. It turned out that he hadn’t been exaggerating the situation in the lobby. A few security people had flashlights that they were waving around like strobes over the frightened crowd, while others yelled contradictory instructions through bullhorns. A bunch of gamers were playing guitars and singing in the corner, in the faint glow of the lighters they held over their heads. I thought I recognized the tune, but the words seemed to be something about the nazgul. And the pterodactyl things were watching it all out of bright, hungry eyes.
I scanned the room for Nick, but it was really difficult to make out faces. Casanova started toward the security team, most of whom were over by the moat. Boats poled along by Charons in black robes and death masks usually ferried people back and forth between the entrance and the lobby, but they were beached due to the lack of light, and the drawbridge that served as an alternate entrance appeared to be stuck in the open position.
A couple of impatient types had decided to try wading the moat and found it deeper than they’d expected. The security detail was fishing them out, while preventing anyone else from following. And another guard was forcibly restraining someone who already had one foot in the water.
Someone who looked an awful lot like Nick.
“There!” I pointed, but Casanova was ahead of me. A gesture sent two of his vampire guards to help the beleaguered human, but Nick somehow dodged them, making for the backstage areas and, presumably, the employee exits.
“Tell security to close off the exits,” I told Casanova.
