 
Shreiber and Tome: Unlucky Vamps.

By Andrew Day.

Copyright 2015 Andrew Day

Smashwords Edition.

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Notes on Cover Art.

Images utilised in this book's cover art were used under the creative commons licence 2.5. For more information, please look here.

The cover art was made by adapting the following images:

 "Wings of the fallen." by Garrette.

 "Sunset." by Diego3336.

**Contents:**

Chapter 1: Well Dressed Vampires.

Chapter 2: Obedient Corpses.

Chapter 3: At Least the Neighbours Are Quiet.

Chapter 4: That is a Nice Dress.

Chapter 5: Bad Time To Lose Your Head.

Chapter 6: Undead Jerks.

Chapter 7: I Seriously Would Not Order That.

Chapter 8: Science Makes My Head Hurt.

Chapter 9: Pieces Of Me.

Chapter 10: Things To Do In Chapter City When Your Soul's Enslaved.

Chapter 11: Not The Face.

Epilogue

Author's Notes.

Bonus.

Also by the Author.

1. Well Dressed Vampires.

Lil did a double take when she saw the vampire. He was dressed in an immaculately tailored and undoubtedly expensive suit and wore dark glasses over his light sensitive eyes. He stood unmoving in front of the door to her office. It was not so much the undead man that made her apprehensive, as much as the suit. Lil rarely had visitors who could afford Italian fibres. Rich people made her far more nervous than the living impaired.

She walked calmly up to the vampire, briefcase in one hand and coffee cup in the other, wishing she had a wooden stake handy. Or in the very least, a bank statement, not that either item would be much of a deterrent. The vampire regarded her calmly as she approached.

"Can I help you?" she asked irritably. Lil was not a morning person.

"Don't mind me," the vampire replied. He stepped back to let her pass. "Are you Lilijana Shreiber? Go in. They're waiting for you."

Through the glass window in the door, labelled _Shreiber and Tome Private Investigators_ , she could see that the lights were clearly on. Since it was only eight thirty, it was doubtful that her secretary or her partner were already inside. Both of them made a point of never coming to the office before nine. She would be lucky if either of them bothered to come in by ten.

She turned to the vampire, but he was already staring blankly into space. Lil sighed. It was going to be one of those days. She went into the office. Her secretary's desk was empty, unsurprisingly. In the office she and Michael Tome shared, there were two more vampires sitting opposite her desk. Alarmingly, their suits were even more expensive.

The vampires stood as she entered. They were both men, attractive in a pale, fanged, only half alive way. The taller of the two smiled politely and held out his hand.

"I am sorry for the intrusion," he said. He spoke with a slight European accent that Lil could not place. "I am afraid my companions did not wish to wait outside, and the door was not locked..."

"It is customary to make an appointment," Lil said, setting her case and her coffee onto the desk. "Or to at least try leaving a message before breaking and entering."

"I would have called, but visiting you this late in the morning was obviously a last minute decision. You are Lilijana Shreiber are you not?"

"Yes," Lil said, finally shaking his hand. It was deathly cold. "Who are you?"

"I am Karl Von Drais. This is my... assistant, Mister Evan."

Lil ignored Mister Evan as he nodded curtly. She tried to place the name Von Drais. It came to her. Prince Karl Von Drais. Vampire royalty. Great, she thought.

"And what exactly can I do for you today?" she asked sitting behind her desk.

Von Drais and his companion sat. They regarded her for a moment, as if trying to decide exactly what to do. Then Von Drais said, with what Lil thought was just the tiniest amount of reluctance, "We wish to make use of your services."

"Pardon?"

The prince nodded, and Mister Evan took a newspaper from his jacket and placed it on the desk in front of her.

"I take it you have read today's paper?"

Lil had not had the chance. She glanced down at the front page, where bold headlines read _Three Found Butchered In Inhuman Bloodbath_. In smaller writing below: _Vampire Slayer strikes again_! She read through the article quickly. Three bodies had been found. Vampires, ripped apart and left for dead in their den. It was suspected to be the work of a serial killer who had already killed two other vampires in the past week.

She looked up at the prince expectedly.

"As you can imagine," Von Drais said, "the vampire community is rather upset. Five deaths, and so far no leads as to who, or what, is the cause. I have been hearing rumours about your little business. Good things," he added quickly. "I wish to hire your services to track down this fiend."

Lil frowned. "I'm sorry, but shouldn't you be talking to the authorities?"

Von Drais scoffed. "The authorities? I have just come from a meeting with the Mayor. He assured me that the FBI is doing everything in their power to identify the killer. But let's be realistic. No one cares about what happens to a few street vampires. It may get the front page because of the pure brutality that makes editors salivate and the readers excited. But do you think anyone truly cares about the five dead people? They're just vampires. If it were humans being torn apart, there would be task forces and committees and no end of pressure from city hall. All five vampires get is a single inexperienced agent. Hardly inspiring I think you'll agree."

"Really? One agent?" Lil found that hard to believe. Anything that could take apart a vampire was dangerous. Anything that could take apart three in a single night made Buffy look like an amateur.

"Just street vampires," replied Von Drais. "It may surprise you, but they had families."

Lil considered this. "And what exactly do you care? I mean, your highness, your family never took much interest in the lower classes before."

The prince's face hardened. "My family may have old fashioned ideals when it comes to the... lower breeds. But here in Chapter City I have to consider my position. People look to me for leadership, and protection, regardless of their breeding."

"You need to keep the peasant masses happy right?" Lil said.

"Crude, but more or less correct. The happier a society, the more compliant they'll be."

Compliant. Lil didn't think the vampires of Chapter City had an official leader, and if they did, somehow Lil figured this guy would not have been high on the list of candidates.

"So, why me?" she asked. "Why can't you find the killer yourself?"

"Well," the prince smiled. "Certain... elements, shall we say, would prefer it if myself and my kind kept on their best behaviour. There are some who would feel threatened if I were to use my position to exert pressure on the wheels of justice, if vampires were to start taking matters into their own hands. You, however, could easily undertake an investigation without attracting unwanted attention."

"Which brings me to another point," Lil said quickly. "You would expect me to find this guy, and then, what? Turn him in to the proper authorities?" She saw the look on his face. "I didn't think so."

"All I require from you is an identity. Once I know who the killer is... Well, let us say we have our own methods of dealing out justice."

Lil sipped her coffee, pretending to mull things over. In truth, she was going to say no. Dealing with some psychotic serial killer was above and beyond the call of duty. Not to mention common sense. As was working for a vampire for that matter. And killer or not, Lil didn't feel comfortable with the idea of giving someone over to a vampire, particularly one with Von Drais' reputation. Still, how did one tactfully refuse two vampires?

"I would pay generously for you time," the prince said. "I realise you do not come cheap..."

That was a joke. Devoid of any current cases, Lil would have worked for peanuts. Literally.

"But if you take this job, I would be willing to pay three times your usual rate. Plus an additional fifty thousand when the killer is located."

Lil spluttered into her coffee. _Fifty thousand_? That had to be a joke. She stared at the prince, trying not to look shocked and failing.

"Fifty thousand?" she repeated. "Dollars?"

The prince smiled.

"And all I have to do is find a deranged serial killer for you?"

He nodded.

"Well, I must admit, that is a very tempting offer. I mean, the only reason I'm not jumping at it is because we have a very large case load as it is," she lied. "Obviously our current clients are our priority."

"Sixty thousand?"

"Okay I'll do it," Lil said coolly after half a second's thought.

The prince smiled again. "I'm sure you are worth every penny." He and his assistant stood up. Mister Evan pulled out a card and handed it to her. "Call me, and keep me updated. Anytime."

"I certainly will. I'll have my best people on it. Don't worry. We're on the case." She shook his hand a little over-enthusiastically.

"Good luck," the prince said with amusement. He turned and left, Mister Evan giving her one last scowl before following.

Lil waited a safe period until she was sure they were gone. Then she jumped up excitedly, yelling, "Sixty thousand! Yes!"

At nine thirty, Michael Tome, ex-warlock and natural scryer, and Amy, their secretary, finally graced her with their presence. Lil flung open the door of her office and bounded out.

"Amy, I need you to call the FBI and find out which agent is in charge of the Vampire Slayer case," she ordered.

"Good morning to you, too," Amy said grumpily. "Can I get some coffee first?"

"Just do it. Mike, we gotta talk."

Amy and Tome exchanged looks. He followed her obediently into the office, yawning. He had been out on surveillance all night and was tired. His normally crisp shirt was actually wrinkled, and his garish orange and green tie undone. He collapsed into his seat.

"You have got to lay off the caffeine in the morning, Lil," he said.

"Guess what? I got us a huge job."

"Oh great. Shall I jump up and down in joy, or just die of exhaustion right here?"

"Take it easy, grumpy pants. You're going to love this."

"I have been out all night, you know," Tome said irritably.

"Oh right. So?"

"Well, turns out Mrs Dresden was right. Her husband is having an affair."

"Mrs Dresden is three hundred pounds of pure nag. I'd be surprised if he wasn't. Guy or girl?"

"A three headed, tentacle-beast named Frank, you tell me."

"That's great," Lil said impatiently. "Can I tell you my news now?"

"Can I shoot myself first?"

"Ha ha." She told him quickly about her visit from Prince Karl Von Drais, and about the job offer. Tome's expression went from tired worry to confusion.

"Wait a moment," he interrupted. "Are you saying that a member of the Von Drais family offered you a job, and you took it?"

"Yep."

"And not just any job. They want you to track down the Vampire Slayer."

"Yep."

"They want _you_ to track down the most mysterious and dangerous serial killer in the city. And you agreed?"

"Yep," Lil smiled. "Ask me why."

"I know why. You're a complete bloody lunatic. I mean, come on! I don't know what I find more alarming. The vampires that hired you, or the nutter they want you to find."

"They offered to pay three times our rates..."

"Oh, Lil," Tome gave her his best dealing-with-a-completely-deranged-moron smile. "Dear, sweet, naive, dim-witted Lil. Do you really think a vampire like this guy is going to pay us? When he can just snap us in half with his pinky? You really think he would hesitate for a second before sucking the both of us dry if it was significantly easier than paying a pair of low rent dicks a few extra dollars? Because he would. In a heartbeat. He's crazy. No, worse than crazy, royalty. They're all inbred."

"Mike..."

"I realise our cash flow is a little limited right now, but things will pick up. There's no reason to go taking jobs from every eurotrash creature of the night that stops by just because they give you a charming, pasty smile."

"Mike," Lil said forcefully. "We need the money."

"Oh fine," Tome conceded. "Take the job. But I want no part in this. Don't come crying to me if you get eviscerated, desiccated or any other -ated. You get yourself all vamped up, you're on your own. I draw the line. And don't bother asking, because I will have absolutely, positively nothing to do with-"

"When we catch the guy, Von Drais will pay us sixty thousand dollars."

"When do we start?"

2. Obedient Corpses.

After much ado, Amy managed to get the name of the agent investigating the case. Lil and Tome went to the regional headquarters of the FBI, where the Division of Sub-human Control was based. DSC were responsible for investigating crimes committed by any manner of inhuman creature, from vampires and werewolves, to hobgoblins and wizards.

In theory at least. Ever since the undead rights movement, people in Chapter City were fairly understanding when it came to zombies and vampires. As long as nobody bit anyone without consent, things generally stayed peachy. The DSC mainly made sure the non-conformists and the idiots stayed out of trouble. Werewolves generally ended up being the purview of animal control. But there were a lot of other things out there. Things that had been going bump in the night before mankind had even discovered farming. For the government it was a steep learning curve, and for the most part people were still reluctant to accept the existence of things they used to believe were only nightmares and legends. At least until something like a wendigo made an appearance on Doctor Phil. That didn't hurt.

Tome generally avoided agencies like the DSC like the plague. When he dropped out of the Academy – England's leading elitist school for the magically inclined - a year before graduation, Tome joined up with a group of warlocks, and pulled off a whole lot of dark magic in a variety of illegal money making ventures, without ever getting caught. He was somewhat wary when he went to places of authority. He pulled the collar of his coat up and refused to make eye contact with any of the suited men and women that walked about.

"Will you stop that," Lil asked in irritation.

"No," Tome replied from the depths of his coat. "Do you have any idea how many of these guys would kill to get a hold of me. I'm a wanted criminal, remember."

"Please. You're hardly the Sundance Kid."

"I'll have you know, in some less reputable areas there's a price on my head."

"I'll bear that in mind if I ever need small change."

They went to the front desk where a very severe looking woman eyed them suspiciously. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"We're here to see Agent Ryan in Sub-Human Control," said Lil giving her a warm smile that was completely ignored.

"About what?"

"A case we heard he was working on."

"Not that we're confessing to anything," added Tome.

"Hold on a minute while I... Oh, wait there he is now," she pointed over Lil shoulder at a tired looking man who just entered. "Hugh!"

Special Agent Hugh Ryan looked over at the sound of his name. Then he spotted Lil, and froze. Lil knew he was contemplating fleeing. It was instinctive in Ryan. She had that effect on him.

" _You_ ," Ryan said, almost accusingly. "What do you want?"

"What, can't we drop by to see an old friend?"

"Sure," Ryan replied, continuing on his way. "Tell them I said hi."

Lil ran after him, with Tome following a safe distance back. "Oh, come on. Don't be like that."

Ryan sighed. "Look, Lil, I've just come back from a press-conference. I've been out all night on a case."

"That's what we want to talk to you about. You're working the Vampire Slayer case right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Funny thing. So are we."

Ryan stopped dead just in front of a row of elevators, his hand outstretched to press the button. "Say what?"

"We just got hired to find the killer. Funny story really."

"Oh, let me guess," Ryan turned to her. "It was Von Drais right? That blood sucking son of a bitch. He's been breathing down my neck for weeks, now he pulls this crap. Look, I'm working the case. I'm doing everything in my power. I don't need you snooping around getting in my way. Tell him that. Include the son of a bitch part."

"I'm sensing a little hostility here. Are you still angry about that thing with the zombies? Because, as I've explained-"

"Save it. And go away."

"Fine. Fill me in on the details and I'll be out of your way."

"You're joking right?"

"Tell me everything," Lil smiled. "And I promise, you'll never hear from me again."

Ryan pressed the down button on the elevator and pretended to consider her deal. "How about I have you removed from the building? Or arrested?"

"I prefer my deal."

The doors opened and he went in. He turned back and gave Lil a cold look. "Go away, Lil. I have no time for the X-Files routine."

Lil and Tome exchanged looks. Just before the doors closed, they dove into the elevator after him.

"Just tell me one thing," Lil asked. "What do you think is responsible?"

Ryan sighed and pressed the button for the basement, where Sub-Human Control was located.

"Seriously," Lil pressed. "Any clues? Any idea at all?"

"At this point, we have a fair idea. We're just working on the evidence."

"So, you don't have clue, you mean?"

"Well, the victims were torn apart. How many creatures have the ability to tear three vampires apart at the same time?"

"In this realm?" asked Tome, without looking up.

Ryan looked at him for the first time. "Who's this?"

"Oh, that's Mike," Lil said dismissively, before continuing, "That isn't really much to go on."

"Do I know you?" Ryan asked Tome. "Because you look kind of familiar."

Tome turned his face away and made a detailed examination of the elevator wall.

"He's no one," insisted Lil. "Come on, Hugh. You have no idea what's going on do you. Admit it."

"We're working-"

"No, you're stumped. You need us. Who knows more about the supernatural than us?"

"I've been working this job for three years, Lil. I think I know my way around by now."

Tome laughed suddenly. "I thought this guy was smart?" he asked Lil. He turned to Ryan. "For your information there are, off the top of my head, about thirty so-called Sub-Humans that could do the damage we're looking at. Depends on the wounding really. If we're talking full on claw and teeth marks, then werewolf. Only one serious pack in town that would be stupid enough to attack a vampire. But then werewolves prefer to hunt in packs, and you are sure there's only one perp, right?"

Ryan opened his mouth.

"Right," Tome went on. "So, maybe a durghangeist then. They like to use knives and scalpel blades. Take hearts to sell on the black market. Do you know it there are any durghangeists in town?"

Ryan, who had no idea what a durghangeist was, shook his head.

"Well, find out, mate. I mean if we're really grasping at straws, maybe the worse you're dealing with is a case of the CBP. You know what that is right?"

"Humour me."

"Chronic Body Part Plop. The body just falls apart unexpectedly. Usually only found in Descended Beings from the Lower Realms. But it's possible the vamps contracted it from a demon of some sort. Any sign of conjuration or summoning at the crime scenes?"

Ryan stared at him. "Is he for real?" he asked Lil.

"Who can tell?" Lil replied. "But he does make an interesting point. You deal with all kinds of unnatural creatures. Fair enough. But there are thousands more that science still refuses to acknowledge. How can you find something you don't even think exists?"

The doors opened. Ryan stepped out slowly into a long dim corridor.

"Alright," he said with resignation. "Follow me." He set off down the hall.

"Chronic body part plop," Lil said thoughtfully. She gave Tome a look.

"What? I didn't make that up. Serious problem in some places. You're at a dinner party, seemingly healthy, then _plop_! Off comes your arm into somebody's pudding."

"And people think I'm weird."

"You're just as weird as I am."

They followed Ryan past offices and holding cells designed specifically for subhuman creatures. Lil, who had been in the DSC before knew where they were headed. Ryan came through a pair of thick doors marked _Morgue_ , and pushed through. Tome stopped and groaned.

"Coming?" Lil called back.

"You said my days of dealing with dead bodies were over."

"I lied. Come on, you big baby."

Tome scowled, took a deep breath and followed her in.

The DSC had its own morgue newly built after attendants at the city morgue repeatedly complained of incidents with walking corpses. The corpses tended to complain about the rotten service. The DSC morgue was a long room with dark walls. Five metal autopsy tables stood in the centre. Along one wall were a large bank of storage draws for numerous bodies, which naturally were also holding cells.

Three of the five tables were in use. The contents of two were covered in plastic. A third held the body of one of the recent victims that had just been examined. Tome took one look and retreated to the furthest corner he could find.

A short man in a white coat, completely bald and wearing glasses, looked up at the visitors. He smiled.

"Welcome to my lair," he cackled. "Liljiana, it's been so long. You never write, you never call."

"Hey, Poe," Lil greeted the coroner.

"You finished?" Ryan asked.

"Agent Ryan, always in a rush. Never taking the time to enjoy the fine art of the post mortem. Amazing what the flesh can tell us."

"That you need to get out more," Lil noted.

Poe grinned. "Why would I go out, when all my friends are here?"

"Can we get on with this?" Ryan asked impatiently.

"Very well. Cause of death..."

"I thought that was obvious, they were ripped apart, like the others."

"Only at first glance. But as you can see, our friend here..." Poe gestured to the body. "Is still more or less intact. With the notable exception of course..." He picked the head, which was no longer attached to the body.

"Their heads were cut off?" Lil asked.

"No. In these two the spinal column is twisted. I would say their necks were broken, the head twisted around and around like a bottle top until it came off. There is some bruising on the bodies. This one has two broken arms and a dislocated knee. I think the killer must have incapacitated them first."

"So," noted Ryan drily. "No sign of the body plop then?"

"CBP? Heavens no. Everyone knows CBP isn't fatal."

Something occurred to Lil. "Hang on," she said. "You said these two had their necks broken? The third was different?"

Poe lead them to the second table. He lifted back the plastic cover to reveal a young female vampire.

"As you can see," he explained. "This young lady is far less damaged. Neck broken, head wasn't removed. There are signs of defensive wounds, and some bruising, but none of the violence seen in the others. She was simply killed."

He moved to the third table, and dramatically pulled off the cover. Lil drew back. The body was in pieces. Its arms, legs, and head had been ripped off. They now lay on the table in relatively the right position. Tome looked over, gagged, and turned back away.

"This one is different," Poe said. "His limbs were twisted off, no doubt while he was still alive. There is extensive trauma to his upper torso, where his chest cavity was crushed inwards. His heart was punctured by his own ribs as they shattered."

"That killed him?"

"No, I am certain he was still alive when the killer finally pulled off his head."

"Nice."

"Okay, Lil," Ryan said impatiently, turning at her. "Dazzle me."

Lil thought carefully. "Well, have you run any blood tests yet?"

"Yes, but we already know they're vamps, so why..."

"Let me hazard a guess," Lil went on. "This guy," she pointed at the dismembered corpse, "is a full blooded vamp. Probably older, possibly infected the traditional way by drinking infected blood. Hard to tell with all the damage, but he doesn't look to have any scars. Any recent wounds, like those made from being fed on, heal quick and clean when you drink vampire blood."

"Okay. But..."

"And these two," she pointed at the other bodies. "I'll think you find are recently infected. I'd say infection from being bitten at least a year ago, but only drinking blood two, maybe three months. What were the other victims?"

"As near as we can probably tell, full bloods, not randomly infected victims from bites," replied Ryan.

"Tome?" Lil called to her partner.

"Yep," Tome answered without turning. "The pureblood was the target. The other two were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"How could you possibly know that?" asked Ryan dubiously.

"Oh, come on, Hughbert," Tome said irritably. He turned and cautiously approached the others. "It's obvious. Look at the time and effort this guy took dismembering the pureblood. He had three vampires at his mercy. He killed the other two because they got in his way. Then worked over the last slowly. Were there any signs of the killer? Hair or skin would be nice."

"No skin under the nails," asid Poe. "Which is odd considering how much they struggled. However, a few hair fibres were found at the scene, possibly not the victims'. Still waiting for the lab to get back to us, but so far they look to have come from a human."

"Just because it looks human, doesn't mean it is."

Lil looked at Tome. "You have any ideas?"

Tome looked reluctant. Then sighed. "I need to see the crime scene."

"Hell no," Ryan said quickly. "I'm not letting a pair of civilians walk all over any evidence-"

"Oh, please. As if any worthwhile evidence is going to be found by you lot. I doubt you could spot a bloodstain if it was leaking out of your ar-"

"Mike," Lil warned.

"Sorry, sorry," Tome replied. "I get uncomfortable around corpses. Point is, I going to spot a lot more that any of your CSI wannabes. Trust me." He grinned. Tome didn't have a particularly reassuring grin. It hinted of dark depths and possible mental instability.

"Come on, Hugh," Lil tried. "You know we're telling the truth. Tell you what, we take a look around, and if we don't spot anything you missed, we'll never bother you again. Ever."

Ryan considered this. "Ever? I seem to recall hearing this before..."

"This time I mean it. Seriously. Would I lie to you?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I might have in the past. But this time, I can honestly say I'm telling you the complete and utter truth. No goods, and I will never again grace you with my presence."

As she expected, Ryan gave in. It was too good an opportunity for him. "Alright. I'll give you and the demon slayer over there five minutes. But I swear if you mess things up, Lil..."

"Okay, okay," Lil said defensively. "I'll be on my best behaviour."

"Can we go now?" Tome whined. "This place is starting to creep me out."

"Oh, fine, you big baby. Poe," she turned to the medical examiner. "A pleasure as always."

"The pleasure was all mine, my dear," Poe said with a smile. "And if you're ever in Slab City, feel free to drop by any time."

"That's sweet, we will," Tome interjected. He stood by the doors, hopping about impatiently. "Let's go, already."

Lil shook her head as she followed him out. "Seriously, Mike. What is it with you and dead bodies?"

"Too many have come back to life and remembered I owed them money." He shuddered.

"Thoughts?"

Tome shrugged. "Meh. I'll leave it until I see the crime scene."

The murdered vampires had made their den in an old abandoned apartment block in one of Chapter City's less wealthy areas. The building was scheduled for demolition, and was surrounded by a chain link fence that had more than a few gaping holes cut into it by locals looking for any useful scrap left behind.

Lil and Tome stood with Agent Ryan before the building, regarding the graffiti covered walls and boarded up windows ominously. Lil allowed her gaze to wander upwards, to where one of the higher window was broken inwards.

"Place has a nice serial killer vibe to it," she noted. "How exactly were the bodies found?"

"Someone heard screams and called the police," Ryan replied. "Come on." He climbed the stairs and ducked under the yellow police tape that crossed the doors. The other two followed him.

The interior of the building was filthy, and smelled of rot and human waste. They followed Ryan up the stairs, carefully avoiding any dubious stains and puddles they came across. Besides their footsteps, the whole place was deathly silent. It gave Lil the chills.

"Just out of curiosity," Tome asked. "Were there any other bodies found?"

"What, besides the three? No. We searched the whole building."

"Not even dead rats?"

Ryan gave him a look. "Do I look like animal control to you?"

"No, but you do look like a little fer-"

"Easy there, boys," Lil put in before someone got hurt. "He's just saying, the FBI look for more important things than dead vermin."

"Of course," said Tome. "Always on the look out for important clues. If it's not a bloody great candle stick covered in blood, illuminated under a giant neon sign flashing "murder weapon", the FBI isn't interested. Honestly, Hughbert, how did you become a field agent? Did you send in three tokens from your breakfast cereal and get free a badge?" Before Ryan could answer, Tome shook his head and walked ahead of them.

"What's this guy's problem?" Ryan asked Lil in irritation.

"Mike doesn't work well with authority figures," Lil replied. "Or, you know, people in general."

"He makes you look normal."

"Yeah. That's one of the reasons I keep him around."

They caught up with Tome just as he came to the entrance of an apartment that was again covered with yellow tape. He tore the police barrier aside without a second thought and barged in.

"Hey!" Ryan yelled at him. "That's a federal crime scene, you can't just go in like that."

Tome popped his head out. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you put up the pretty streamers? Well, when we get in, I'll give you some crayons so you can draw whilst us grown ups work." He disappeared back inside.

"I swear I'm going to shoot him."

"Oh, please," Lil replied. "I've heard that so often, it's started to lose all meaning."

She went into the apartment, and found herself in a small living room. The paint was peeling from the walls, and the floors were bare, the carpets having long since been torn up. Every surface was splattered with blood. Markers were left on the floor to show where the bodies, and bits and pieces of the bodies, were found.

Tome stood by the window, where the glass was shattered. Shards of glass, painted black Lil noticed, were strewn across the floor. The boards were smashed to rubble. Something strong had taken out the window. From the outside, seven floors above the ground.

"This is how the guy entered," Tome whistled, impressed. He poked his head outside, and called back, "Not much of a ledge."

"Yeah," said Ryan. "Doesn't seem likely that-"

"Hush!" Tome silenced him.

Ryan opened his mouth to retort, but Lil nudged him in the ribs and he held his tongue.

"Look, can you just get this over with-" he said.

"You can't rush a genius, now shut up."

Tome moved to the middle of the room. He reached into his coat and pulled out a pendulum, which he started swinging. The small crystal on the end of the string twinkled in the dim light of the room. Twirling it about, Tome began to make his way slowly about the room, his expression blank with concentration.

Ryan stared in disbelief. "Oh, come on."

"Shh," Lil shushed him. "Let him work."

"Work? What's he doing? Communing with Elvis?"

"Mike's a scryer," Lil whispered. "He sees things that most people tend to... overlook."

"Such as?"

"Well... Look, don't you ever walk into a crime scene and feel a sense of unease?"

"Yeah, sometimes."

"It's like empathy," Lil explained. "Human emotions can affect the environment, the atmosphere of a place. In a really violent crime, sometimes the victims get... imprinted."

"He's... trying to talk to the victims?"

"No, of course not. His trying to find their last moments."

A look of intense concentration passed over Ryan's face momentarily as he tried to digest that. He gave up. "I wish you could have just said he was talking to Elvis."

"Me too. I love the King. Tome?" she called her partner.

"I don't think they knew the killer," Tome replied. He stood in one corner, his pendulum began to swing with more force. "They were sitting here. Getting high, as one does on a Friday night. Then something surprised them."

"The window exploding?" suggested Lil.

"Probably."

"Can you sense the killer."

"Kind of. It's there, but... blank." Tome took a slow step forwards, letting the pendulum guide him. "It went for the big vamp first. He goes down here." Tome stopped by the space formally occupied by one of the bodies. "The vamp was scared. The others tried to help. One's killed. The woman's scared. She's killed." A shudder passed over his body. "It's just the vamp and the killer... Bloody hell that's messy..."

"What?"

"Don't ask. For something so obviously pissed, the killer is really controlled. He hasn't left anything behind."

"He left a few strands of hair on one of the victims," Ryan pointed out.

"I meant, he didn't leave anything useful. Hair. Please." Tome said scathingly. Suddenly the pendulum started spinning wildly, making him jump. It slowed down again. As he approached one of the walls, it sped up again. "Hmm," he said thoughtfully.

"What?" Lil asked, coming to stand next to him.

"There's something here," Tome said. He stared at a spot in the wall intently. Then he began to squint, and move his head from side to side, trying to spot the invisible thing on the wall.

"What the hell is that?" he said finally.

"What?" Ryan asked impatiently.

"Can you show us?" Lil asked.

Tome started rummaging about his pockets. His tench coat seemed to have more than was normal, and they were all filled with every manner of junk possible. He pulled out an apple core from one, orange peel from another, a notebook, a leaking pen, a badge saying "Vote Thatcher", a set of matching cocktail umbrellas, a matchbook, a yo-yo, and what appeared to be a small, desiccated mouse. He handed this all to Lil, who waited impatiently.

"You did bring it, didn't you?" she asked.

"Of course I did," Tome replied, pulling out a screwdriver and giving it to her already full hands. "I think... Probably... Ah ha! Got it."

From his back pocket, Tome produced a small, brown, pull-string bag. He displayed it proudly, before pulling it open.

Ryan peeked over his shoulder in resigned curiosity. The bag was filled with a white powder that seemed to sparkle slightly. His first thought was that it was drugs.

"And that is?" he asked.

"It's _Alcrona... Alcronaki..._ Well, I can never pronounce the bloody name. Regardless, this is Revelation Powder, and comes at half the price of the leading brands. Useful, and money saving."

Ryan stared at him. "This is supposed to be magic powder?"

"Magic?" Tome laughed. "Not for $3.99."

"This is it?" Ryan turned to Lil. "Your great secret? This is what you've been wasting my time with?"

Lil rolled her eyes as she handed back all of Tome's dubious belongings. "Oh, ye have little faith. Mike, if you'd be so kind."

Tome took a handful of the powder, and blew it onto the wall. Most of it filled the air, but some of it clung to blood splattered wall, and illuminated the unseen object there. The silvery dust formed a strange design on the wall. Three circles, one inside the other, the largest a metre wide. Running their circumference was a strange flowing script that looked to Ryan like something Arabic. Strange symbols crossed the circles, and a large design dominated the centre.

Ryan gaped. "Okay. How'd you do that?"

"Usual method," Tome said with a shrug. "You just blow. I'm sure you've had plenty of practice at that."

Lil grinned at Ryan's expression. When she turned back to the design on the wall her amusement disappeared.

"You ever see anything like this?" she asked Tome.

Tome shook his head. "I thought I recognised the writing, but let's face it. Your bog standard mystical scripts all look alike."

"How could we have missed this?" Ryan shook his head. "We went over this entire room. This whole god damn building..."

"He should have called us," Tome noted.

"You could have spent days looking," Lil said gently. "No one would have noticed it. It was meant to be hidden."

"By what? What the hell is this supposed to be? Some kind of satanic ritual?" Ryan asked.

"Doesn't look demonic," noted Tome. "Looks kind of like a summoning circle, except..."

"Except a summoning circle would be on the floor," Lil finished the thought. "Look at this though." She pointed at the design. Below the central symbol, written in the same neat handwriting, were words in English.

_Anton Philips_ , it read.

"I bet you your next pay cheque," she said to Tome, "that this is the name of that vamp. The one it came for."

"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked.

"I think this could be be some kind of signal," Lil explained. "A marker, to tell the killer where to come, and who to kill. It's like a summoning circle, except its not actually summoning anything from another realm."

"It's calling to something already here," said Tome.

"O-kay," Ryan said slowly. He thought he now had an idea of what going crazy felt like. "And this would be?"

They exchanged looks.

"Don't know," said Lil.

"Beats the hell outta me," said Tome. "I mean I've done my fair share of summonings. Saturdays at my place, you couldn't move for all the dark eldritch beings strewn over the floor. And let me tell you, some of those stains never wash out. But I've never seen this before."

"But it was big," said Lil.

"And powerful."

"And capable of accessing a window seven stories up." Lil paused. "And that's just the killer. What you're dealing with here could be two completely different individuals. Sure someone or something with some serious issues breaks in and purees three vampires, but from the looks of things, someone else has to be calling it. Sending it out to kill specific people. Have you figured out if there's a connection between the victims?"

Ryan shook his head. "As far as we can tell, they were chosen at random. We haven't even managed to ID the first victim yet."

"Well, there's a way to kill two birds with one stone there, Hughbert," Tome said cheerfully. "I need to see the other crime scenes."

Before Ryan could refuse - since it was inbred survival instinct to refuse Michael Tome everything - Lil put in, "Mike could go a long way into helping your investigation. If we can find the same symbols in the other two scenes, then we know this was a premeditated murder. And, you'll know the name of the victims."

Ryan couldn't refute that, as much as he would have preferred to. "Fine. Just one thing, Harry Potter," he turned to Tome. "What is the big deal with rats?"

"Easy," said Tome. "If these vamps have been living here for a while, chances are, they would have cleaned out the population of rats and squatters. And since street vamps aren't the cleanest of eaters, they would have left the corpses lying about."

"So..."

"Well, it does give you a time frame," Lil explain. "Think about it..."

"Something that may be difficult for you, Hughbert, but give it a shot," put in Tome.

"Whoever drew this circle would have needed access to this den," Lil went on quickly. "You don't just stroll into a vamp den and graffiti tag the place. Not unless you have the self preservation of a lemming. The guy would have to watch, and wait for the opportunity. And from the looks of things, your vamps haven't been here long so..." She shrugged. "Well, it's worth bearing in mind."

"Something you can do," said Tome, "while you take me to the other crime scenes."

Having noted all that they could from the room, the three left. It was just past midday, the sky was cloudy, and Lil was starting to get hungry. She decided to put off lunch until she had concluded the next bit of dirty business.

"Hugh, do you mind driving Mike to the other scenes?" she asked.

"Yes I mind," he answered quickly. "Aren't you coming?"

"There's some other things I want to check on."

Tome grinned evilly at Ryan. "Guess it's just you and me, Hughbert old man. Nice car." Uninvited he went to Ryan's black sedan, and jumped into the passenger seat, putting his feet onto the dashboard and reclining comfortably. "Hey, does this thing get AM radio?"

Ryan cast Lil a cold look.

"Hey, just remember," Lil said. "If you have to shoot him, try to do it some place he doesn't use. Like his head."

Ryan shook his head, and got in his car. As they drove past Lil, heavy metal music began screaming from the stereo system, almost drowning out the sounds of two men arguing.

With a grin, Lil climbed into her own car, a beat up old Mini Cooper she shared with Tome. First thing she did was check the glove compartment, ensuring the presence of a flash-light, a crucifix, a wooden stake, a loaded .38 revolver, and a large supply of anti-vampirism drugs. These were chewable children's tablets, shaped like little bats, that would prevent the spread of the vampirism if they were taken after being bitten.

Hopefully she would not need any of the stuff, but with vampires, you could never tell.

3. At Least the Neighbours Are Quiet.

As a child, Lil had liked cemeteries. They were always quiet and peaceful, where no one could hurt you. That was until one day, while playing with some other kids, a decomposing woman had come up from her grave and told them to keep the noise down, they could wake the dead with that racket. After that, cemeteries were, oddly enough, never the same.

The cemetery she went to now was quite well maintained. Lawns were trimmed, headstones polished, and litter carefully disposed of in bins, occasionally along with what remained of the person who littered in the first place.

She made her way along the rows of neat headstones until she reached a large mausoleum. It was a cute marble number with small pillars, and had a large steel door with a sliding peep hole in it. Without hesitation, Lil went up and knocked loudly.

After thirty seconds, she got impatient and knocked louder.

"Come on, Bill, I know you're in there!" she called. "I'm just going to keep pounding until you get up and answer the door."

A group of mourners gave her a quizzical look as they made their way past.

"The dead are so lazy," she explained. The group walked faster.

Finally, Lil heard the sounds of footsteps coming from inside the mausoleum. The peep hole slid open and a pair of angry yellow eyes glared outwards, blinking in the bright light.

"It's the middle of the day," a weedy voice complained. "What idiot wakes up a vampire at this time?"

"Boy, someone got up on the wrong side of the crypt today," Lil replied cheerfully, knowing it would get on the vampire's nerves. "Are you going to bitch, or are you going to invite me in?"

"What do you want, Lil? I need my beauty sleep."

"No kidding. I want to talk about the Vampire Slayer."

The peep hole slammed shut. A series of muffled clicks emanated through the door as many locks were undone. The door creaked open.

"Fine let's get this over with," the voice said in a very put upon tone.

Lil pushed the door open and went in. The vampire stood a safe distance back. He was a short bald man, with yellow eyes and tall, pointed ears. He wore a dark red dressing gown. And fluffy pink slippers shaped like bats.

"Come on," he said gruffly. "Close the damn door behind you. And wipe your feet this time!"

Lil sighed. She wiped her feet on the neat little welcome mat, and followed her host. He led her through a short, dusty tunnel covered by spider webs, and then down a narrow flight of steps that spiralled into the earth. He pushed through another heavy, steel door and into his lair.

Unlike the dusty mausoleum above, the vampire's lair was decorated with all of the most modern touches. It looked like the interior of a penthouse suite. A comfortably leather sofa was set up in the living room, in front of a mammoth flat-screen TV. Other doors led to the vampire's bedroom, study, and even larger bathroom that, as Lil recalled, was bigger than her entire apartment.

"Take off your shoes," the vampire ordered.

"I wiped them."

"Sure, but this carpet cost $1000 per square metre. And I don't trust you."

Lil sighed, and took off her shoes. She dumped them behind a conveniently placed plastic pot plant, so their presence would not offend her host.

"I suppose you want coffee," the vampire went on.

"Sure thanks, Bill."

The vampire, William Frederick Fitzgerald de Hood IV but called Bill by pretty much everyone, mumbled something inaudible and went to the kitchen. Lil followed, and sat on a stool at the counter. She waited in silence as Bill turned on the coffee maker, yawning and stretching.

He poured out two cups. Lil drank hers enthusiastically. Bill made excellent coffee.

"This is great," she said.

"It should be. Fresh from Brazil. None of that GM crap." He yawned again. "Alright, Lil. What exactly is it that you think I can help you with this time?"

"Just thought you might have some info that I could use."

"You and everyone else. Already today I've had that little upstart from the FBI banging on my door. Yesterday it was that shite Evan."

"The Prince's minion?"

"The very same. You've met then?"

"He hired me," Lil explained. "To find out whose been killing those vamps."

"Really scraping the bottom of the barrel," said Bill scathingly.

"I'm not that bad."

"Not that bad? Between you and that whack-job Tome, I'm surprised no one's committed you yet."

"Who says that they haven't?"

Bill snorted, and sipped his coffee.

"What did the others want?" Lil asked.

"Same as you probably. To know what I know about the vampires that were killed."

"And that would be...?"

"Nothing. Would you believe Agent Ryan wanted to drag me down to ID the bodies? Like I would be able to tell one street vamp from another. Honestly," Bill said in an irritated tone. "Why is it that everyone seems to think I'm some sort of vampiric godfather?"

"I don't know," replied Lil. "There is a slight resemblance to Marlon Brando. Plus that whole, killing people who piss you off thing."

"I only did that once."

"And the small, but somewhat note worthy fact that you own an awful lot of property in Chapter City, and control a somewhat sizable domain on which vampires tend to live and breed."

"Listen, Lil," Bill said defensively. "Just because I'm the most powerful vampire in Chapter City, doesn't mean I'm interested in world domination. I am not some kind of coven leader, building up my undead forces so that I can overthrow the human government. Seriously, if I wanted that, I'd run for office. But why would I want to? I hate being in charge. All those whiny, cringing minions to beat. It gets old."

"So what do you want?"

"To be left alone. Not to bugged every day and night by every vampire who thinks he's in bloody _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_. I don't care if you want territory to hunt. Hunt. Not my problem. You want to kill me and become the new lord of the night over my domain? What domain? I run a coffee shop for God's sake."

"Truly tragic," said Lil.

"And even worse are these stupid humans like Ryan, convinced that just because I'm a member of the walking undead, I'm automatically up to no good. And because I have a little influence, I have a part in everything no good in this city. Like I'm some kind of bloody criminal mastermind. I don't know every single vampire in this city, and I don't know what they're up to. So don't ask."

"Sure. Of course. That said, do you know a street vamp named Anton Philips?" Lil asked.

Bill opened his mouth to continue the tirade, then closed it again. "Okay, him I know," he conceded. "Why?"

"He was the latest victim. Had his head taken off like a pez dispenser."

"Yuck," Bill groaned. "Don't tell me crap like that, Lil. That's disgusting."

"Sorry. You did know him though?"

"Yeah, I knew him. Annoying little shite. Came bugging me about... what was it now? Something about a place to stay, if memory serves. I told the little freeloader to get a job. But, since he was so polite, reminding me of a little pug I once had, you know, with the pushed in faces?"

"Yeah."

"Anyway, I think I might have mentioned something about a building he could temporarily stay in. An apartment block on Hilton Avenue, if I recall."

"That's where we found the bodies."

"Damn. Murders always make the land values drop. I was going to sell that place. Someone wants to make a mini-mall there."

"Cool. Think they'll have a Starbucks?"

"Over my dead body. You go to Starbucks?" he asked in a hurt tone. "I'm starting to franchise now, you know. Getting my face out there."

Lil regarded his pointed ears and yellow eyes with their slitted pupils. "That could be the problem. Anyway, when did you say you talked to Philips?"

"A few nights ago. Haven't talked to him since."

"And nobody else came asking about him?"

"No one. I mean, if some three ton vampire slayer came knocking on my door, I would have mentioned it."

"How about the other two?" Lil asked. "I don't suppose you know about them?"

"Like I told, Ryan: No."

"So what did Mister Evan want?"

"Just interested to know about any street vamps living in dangerous areas. Please. Those areas are dangerous because the vampires live there. He was trying to make some kind of census of the Chapter City vamp living conditions, as part of the Prince's I-care-about-the-little-people policy. He's really eager to prove his worth to the vampires of this city."

"Why?"

Bill Shrugged. "Who knows. Not because he cares. Trust me, I'm ex-royalty, and I never gave a crap about the little people. Respect is important to the old vampires, which is ironic really. Most of them only bother to acknowledge the lower classes when they look down to see what they've stepped in. But out here in Chapter City, I got to admit, it's a little strange."

"Yeah," agreed Lil. "But why? Why is some stuck up, old blood, European prince here in Chapter city trying to impress the locals? What's so important about the vampires here?"

Bill shrugged. "Nothing. But we've got the highest population of vampires anywhere in the world living in this city. Proper living, like out of the shadows. The old bloods, I guess they want to look progressive. Won't matter anyway. This whole slayer thing is screwing things up for him. He can't look good to the vampires of Chapter City unless he manages to stop them getting mangled. Which," he fixed Lil with a steady look, "is where you come in. Don't you find it odd that Von Drais would hire you of all people?"

"Not that odd," Lil replied. She added, "Mike was out at the time. He couldn't put him off."

"What did he do, threaten you?"

"Yep. Threatened to pay me a crapload of cash if I find out who the slayer is. I reluctantly accepted."

"Idiot," Bill said sharply. He finished his coffee and rinsed the cup, returning it to the right spot in his cupboard. "You'd have to be insane to take work from a Von Drais. They'd kill you before paying you. It's family tradition."

"And I suppose you've never taken the easy way out of paying someone?" Lil asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Never. Well, once. Maybe twice. But that guy deserved it, trying to shaft me on the cleaning bill..."

Lil figured she was going to learn all she could, and possible more than she actually wanted to know about the eccentric vampire. "Well, this has been fun. Great coffee," she said again, downing the last bit in her cup. "If you by any chance remember anything of importance..."

"Yeah, yeah, you're the first person I'll call," Bill replied in a bored tone.

"Need my card?"

"No. I have you on speed dial, under: Irritating pest I wouldn't bite to save my mother."

"That you have me there at all means worlds to me," Lil said with a smile.

"Yeah. Sure. Now, if we're done, I need to get another four hours sleep, otherwise, I'll be cranky for my meeting tonight. You know the way out." With that, Bill turned and stormed back into his bedroom.

As Lil put her shoes back on, a gruff voice called, "And close the damn door behind you!"

By two, Lil was ravenously hungry. She stopped by the small diner located a few doors down from her office, and slipped into her favourite booth. She had already finished off a burger and extra fries, and was starting her second when Tome slid into the opposite seat.

"You know, your boyfriend Ryan is really uptight," he said. "Nagged me the whole time, like an old woman. Don't put your feet on the dash board. Don't play the radio too loud. Don't put that Anasasi snake charm in my glove compartment. On and on and on." He emphasised this by flapping his hand like a talking mouth.

"Not that I'm taking sides, but that snake charm is just freaky," Lil replied.

"You'll thank me for having it if we ever run into any descended death cobras."

"So what did you find?"

Tome pulled out his notepad and flipped to the right page, the one after a rough doodle of an Agent Ryan shaped figure getting its head pulled off by a demon. Lil thought the expression was a pretty good likeness.

"We were right," he said. "There were the same designs at the crime scene. Written on the wall of the cellar the first victim was found in, and on the ground at the parking lot where the second was."

He dropped the pad onto the table to show Lil. He'd drawn a quite good picture off the design, but left of a few sections so the circles were incomplete. Tome knew better than to write out a symbol of power, especially one you didn't know the function of.

"The first was intact," he went on. "The victim was Angela Smith. The second circle was broken up and worn away. I think it must be written in some sort of inter-dimensional ink, not visible to the human spectrum. Oh, and it turns out the second victim was a street vamp. Did you know that?"

Lil looked up. "He wasn't pureblood?"

"Nope. Just an everyday git who happened to be a vampire named Jack Olsen. He was a night watchman at some shopping mall. He was murdered in the parking lot. The symbol was drawn in his parking space."

"So, the killer does watch them. Odd," Lil said. She shook her head. "So where's Hugh?"

"He went back to the FBI to try and find a link between the victims, since we know the name of the second now." He grinned suddenly. "He's also going to try and find out if there's anything in the FBI database about illegal fairy dust trafficking."

"Um, why?"

"I told him the symbols were drawn in fairy dust."

"Fairies don't exist."

"He doesn't seem to know that," Tome said with a laugh. "Seriously, could they have picked a bigger git to run the DSC?" He reached across and helped himself to her fries.

"Give him a break, Mike. It's like you're picking on the special needs kid."

"I know. It's hilarious."

She sighed. "So, what do we know about this?" she asked, holding up the notebook.

"Squat minus sod all," Tome replied with his mouth full.

"It's odd," Lil went on. "It's definitely not a summoning circle?"

"Not big enough. And why would you summon something on a wall? Besides, look at that writing."

Lil examined the flowing script closely. Tome was right. "Not demonic. It's too... graceful."

"Yep. Far too neat for a Descended Being. Demons are barely literate as it is. And the symbol in the middle doesn't look like anything from the Lower Realms."

"But you can't actually read it, can you?" Lil asked.

Tome gave her a sheepish look. "Inter-realm iconography was never my strongest subject," he explained. "In school, my iconography classes were with Heather Reilly. She sat two seats down from me. Suffice to say, my attention was elsewhere."

Lil made a face. "Did you really drop out of the Academy?" she asked. "Or did they throw you out?"

He gave her a smug look. "I stand by my record. 182 consecutive breaches of policy, and not a single suspension." His face clouded over. "Rather a lot of detentions though," he added. "Which, reminds me. When I was at the Academy I had a friend..."

"You had friends?" Lil asked incredulously.

Tome considered this. "Well," he admitted. "People who hated me least. Anyway, there was this one guy, a total nerd who always ended up being top of the class. A real over-achieving little pillock. You'd have liked him. Anyway, he had a real hard on for iconography. When he graduated, he got a job in the Hall of Records. He does advisory work for the Regulatory Guild occasionally. The bastard. So, I figured if anyone could decipher this mess," he held up the drawing, "it would be him. What do you think?"

Lil shrugged. "I guess it's worth a try," she said. "Since you've turned out to be next to useless."

Tome made a rude noise as he stuffed another handful of fries into his mouth.

"In the meantime, where do we stand?" Lil asked.

"Well," Tome said, spitting food. "I figure there are two alternatives with our killer. Either it's some creature from our Plane of Existence that's being called on the psychic hotline, or some inter-dimensional being that's already been brought here previously."

"Yeah, but neither seems likely," noted Lil. "I mean how many Earthborn creatures can be summoned like this?"

"Not many, granted. Which brings me to my next point," said Tome, pouring a whole heap of ketchup onto Lil's lunch. "If you recall, after I made my premature departure from the Academy, I took part in a few ventures of rather, shall we say, a somewhat nefarious nature."

"If that's your way of saying you were a petty crook, I know already."

"I wasn't petty," Tome replied innocently. "Well, during a quieter period, some of us stumbled upon a rather brilliant and simple money making scheme. You see, it turns out that the supposedly pure and sinless Ascended Beings have a rich market for certain substances of a somewhat illicit nature. Substance that can only be manufactured in places warm and dark."

"Wait," Lil interrupted. "Are you telling me that you ran drugs into Heaven?"

"Of course not. That would be illegal. We were just the middlemen. We had a guy down below who took the stuff, and passed it up over the border to us. We just kept the stuff safe up here, where it was more or less useless, before we passed it on to our, ahem, retailer upstairs. It was cheaper than just zapping it straight up to the Higher Realms, and people rarely noticed. But they had to transport it across each realm the long way. Hence us. But since the stuff was only dangerous to Ascended Beings, and since most of it wasn't outlawed on this plane, the Regulatory Guild couldn't touch us."

"Clever," Lil had to admit, though the idea of an Ascended Being like an angel being a junkie made her stomach turn. "So, what went wrong?"

"Usual. Someone got sloppy. There was a crackdown upstairs. Certain individuals were captured. A few were cast out. Our dealer disappeared. I think he's haunting an out-house in Wales now. He left us hanging in the wind with a batch of worthless drugs that no one up here could market."

"Aw. Sad story. And the moral is?"

"Never trust angels, demons, or people named Gerald. But my point is, to get the stuff out of the Lower Realms, we used a summoner. A low rent half-demon named Delios. He lived on our side. After things fell through, he turned to other business ventures. His latest is transporting illegal creatures from the Lower Realms up to our plane for sell on the black market."

"What kinds of creatures?" Lil said with interest.

"Small stuff. Imps, wraiths, the usual minions," Tome said with a shrug. "Nothing you'd really want as a pet. Imps are impossible to house train. My point is, Delios is continually making the trip back and forth across the dimensional barrier. No easy feat."

"You think your friend may have taken the killer across the border?" Lil asked.

"Maybe. Or at least noticed something coming over. If our psycho of interest is from the Lower Realms, he would have made a big hole coming through."

Lil considered this. She shrugged. "I guess we don't really have anything else to go on. It's worth a shot."

Tome grinned. "Let's go then." He made to leave.

"Hey," Lil snapped.

"What?"

"You're paying for my fries, you freeloader."

"Sure," Tome said, sidling to the door. "My wallet's in the car." He bolted.

Lil sighed, and made a mental note to take the price of lunch out of his share of the reward.

4. That is a Nice Dress.

"What's this half-demon like?"

Tome thought carefully before answering. "Well, let's just say that even by our standards, he's a little odd."

He knocked on the door. A high pitched voice called out in sing-song, "Coming! Just a moment, lovey!"

Lil gave Tome a look. He gave her a weak grin back.

The door of the apartment swung open dramatically. To say that Lil was unprepared for what waited within was like saying the Donner party were a tad incautious about food supplies and weather. The creature that opened the door was male, but clad in the most garish blue sequinned gown that she had ever seen. His face was covered in make up, including lip stick. Two horns protruded from the top of his head, through holes cut into a hideous blond wig.

_A cross dressing demon_ , Lil thought. _Now I've seen everything, and more than I ever wanted._

Delios had opened the door with a dramatic flourish. The smile on his made up face vanished when he spotted Tome.

"You," the Half demon said, his feminine voice giving way to a deep growl. "What do you want?"

"What?" Tome asked innocently. "Can't a friend drop by to say hello? Nice dress."

With his usual tact, Tome pushed past and went in uninvited.

"Wow, you've done good for yourself," Tome noted as he looked about the neat apartment.

"No thanks to you!" Delios snapped. Lil just had time to jump inside before he slammed the door shut. Why did she let Tome do the talking?

"You're not still angry about that thing with puppies," Tome asked in bored tone.

"Puppies?" Lil asked before she could stop herself.

"Possessed puppies," Delios corrected. "Of course, you didn't mention that they were possessed. Or stolen. They were projectile vomiting everywhere. It was ghastly. Then the Guild show up to confiscate everything. I just.... Ooooo..." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't need this today. In with love, out with anger. In with love, out with anger..." he chanted.

"Look," Tome said, in what he thought was a reasonable tone of voice. "This all happened ages ago, let's let bygones be bygones, okay?"

"A long time ago?" Delios glared. "It was last week."

It was Lil's turn to glare. "Last week?" she asked. "That was your important business? You left me hanging out in the sewers alone looking Freda Jenkins prized rat collection while you peddled demonic puppies?"

"Well..." said Tome. "If you say it like that, anything can sound bad."

"You are the most..." Lil started.

"Just a selfish little..." joined in Delios.

"Irritating..."

"Oh, fine," Tome threw up his hands in defeat. "Let's all blame Michael Tome. Why not? Everyone else does."

"He is such a jerk," Lil said to Delios.

"Oh, don't get me started, girlfriend," Delios replied. "You know this one time..."

The two of them went off to the bedroom complaining. Tome rolled his eyes and followed.

"So what do you two want?" Delios asked shortly. He opened his enormous walk-in wardrobe and was shorting through what looked like the entire stock of a large shoe shop.

"Well, Delios..."

"No, not Delios," the half demon said, switching back to his female voice. "Today... I am _Delia_."

"Right..." Lil said slowly. "Well... Delia. We were wondering if you could help us with an investigation. I'm sure you've heard about the whole Vampire Slayer killings..."

"Oh, yes. The whole thing is simply _ghastly_. I don't like vampires. Vile things. But to end up like that." He shuddered.

"Well, we think it's possible a Lower Being was involved. Possibly something that crossed over illegally..."

"Oh, I see," Delios/Delia interrupted. "And you think that just because I'm a half-demon with criminal links, you think I have something to do with it?"

"When was the last time you crossed over yourself?" Tome asked bluntly.

"I'll have you know, Michael Tome, that I have been on the straight and narrow for the past six months," Delios replied in a hurt tone. "All that foul business is in the past. I am an entertainer now, with a glorious singing career, and a rapidly growing fan base. You may have seen my face on posters." He smiled and stared off into space.

"Oh, yeah," said Lil with recognition. "The Devil in a Blue Dress. Hey, you're pretty good."

"Pretty good? Darling, I am positively transcendent." He turned back to Tome. "Now why would I need to do anything illegal with my growing fame and fortune?"

"Because you, like me, have one foot in the dark side," Tome replied. "And once in, it doesn't come out."

Something happened. For a brief moment, Delios's features changed. Under the hideous makeup, his face shifted from that of a man, into something more bestial. Lil shuddered and took an involuntary step back.

Delios smiled. It was cold and cruel. "Oh, of course," he said, still with his falsely high voice. It only added to his hidden menace. "You know more about the Darkness than I do, don't you Michael? Tell me, sweety," he turned to Lil. "Has Mike ever told you about his trip down below?"

Lil nodded. Tome had told her all about that. He was the only person she knew who had travelled through the Lower Realms and come back unharmed. Not just to Hell. Hell was in the mid range of the Lower realms, and often visited by many. You could get frequent flyer miles. Where Tome went had been far worse. He had gone past Hell, deeper into the Lower Realms than most other Descended Beings had ever gone, or dared to go. He had gone to the Lowest Realm, at the bottom of the universe, where there was nothing but darkness.

The Eternal Darkness, the antithesis of creation. If you could truly have an opposite to God, then that was it. What it's exact nature was, Lil didn't think she wanted to know.

Of course the exact reason why Tome had gone there in the first place was a mystery. The one time she pressed, Tome had cited "employment opportunities".

"No one goes down that deep without being changed, do they Michael?" the demon purred. "They say you take the Darkness back with you and carry it where ever you go. Is it true?

Tome stared back blankly. Then he grinned. Not even the demon had any defence against that.

"Sure," Tome said cheerfully. "I have the darkness in my soul. You know, what little soul I still have left. But on the bright side, at least I don't have a fat arse."

Lil would have expected a normal demon to have jumped up and ripped a person apart for insulting them. That is, if demons responded to remarks about their rear ends. Delios looked as though he had been slapped.

"How dare you?" he cried shrilly. "There is nothing wrong with my posterior, thank you! Get out!"

"First you talk. You've been to the Lower Realms lately, haven't you?"

"I don't have to tell you anything, now get out this instant!" He pointed in the direction of the door. "I'm warning you, Michael Tome, if you don't leave right now I'll..."

_Plop_.

With that audible sound, Delios' arm fell off. One second it was attached, held outstretched with one finger pointing for them to leave, and the next it was lying prone on the floor. The demon stared at it in shock. His gaze slowly rose to meet Tome's smug grin.

"Okay," he said in his real voice. "I can explain this..."

"Let me guess," Lil put in. "That was the Body Plop."

"Astute as always, Lil," said Tome. "Our friend Delia here is lying. She has been to the Lower Realms. And she's been playing with the livestock." Before anyone could stop him, he stooped down and picked up the arm. He made a careful examination of the stump. "No blood. Everything's sealed up. But these are fresh wounds wouldn't you say?" He held it out to Lil, who backed away quickly.

"Keep that thing away from me," she said looking just a little bit freaked out.

"Oh, don't be such a drama queen. You'd think you'd never seen someone's arm fall off before." He pointed to small scars around the edges of the stump. "Sutures. She's sewn this arm on before. You've had CBP for at least two weeks now, haven't you?" he asked Delios.

Delios glared. "I got it from a crate of dresses," he said unconvincingly. "There was a rat inside. A big one."

"The only rat here is you, you ugly, fat arsed, demonic transvestite. Spill."

Delios exhaled sharply. "Well, give back my arm then. I need to sew it back on before the show."

Tome handed it back. Delios snatched back his arm and went to the dresser. In one of the drawers, there was large stockpile of surgical thread and needles.

"Alright, I admit it, I went to the lower realms," Delios said. "Once. Three weeks ago. I needed the cash, so I took back a few of the locals who were looking for employment."

"What kind of locals?"

"Mostly imps. A couple of lower demons, and a troll. Nothing serious. Nothing like what you're after." He threaded a needle, but had trouble keeping his arm in place. "Can I get a hand here?"

Tome went over to help. Lil looked away, regretting the huge lunch she had eaten as Delios started sewing his own arm back on.

"Uh, what happened to all of those creatures," she asked.

"Sold them. The Troll works for Microsoft now, would you believe."

"Anything else?"

"No." There was something about his tone that Lil didn't like. He was lying.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm- OW!" Tome jerked the arm around sharply, pulling at the stitches. "Hold that still!"

"Are you sure?" Lil repeated.

Delios rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright. There was something else. But don't ask me what it was. It looked pretty, and it was a steal at such a low price. And you could tell that the Descended Being who had it was desperate to be rid of it..."

"What was it?"

"Just a stone," Delios said innocently. "Like a crystal, about so big," he held his thumb and forefinger apart a few inches. "It could glow in the dark. It was so bright I had to keep it in a locked drawer. Sometimes it would vibrate so hard I thought it would explode. I figured it would have made a great finale to my show."

"Did you sell it?"

"A guy made me an offer I could not refuse."

"What did he look like?" Lil asked sharply.

"He was a vampire," Delios said. Lil's interest peaked. "Pale skin, big teeth."

"Could you be a little more specific?"

"No, I can't," Delios snapped. "They all look the same to me."

"When did you sell it?"

"About, oh, two weeks ago. Monday I think."

"A day before the first killing," Lil noted. She looked at Tome, who nodded.

"Now, if there's nothing else," Delios snapped. He finished reattaching his arm and flexed it experimentally. "I do have a show to prepare for. So if you don't mind." He waved them away.

Tome took one of their business cards out of his pocket. "If anything else comes to your devilish little mind," he dropped the card down the front of Delios' dress. "Give us a call."

"Pig."

The two of them left. The sound of Delios exercising his vocal cords echoed down the hall as they waited for the elevator.

"You will wash your hands before you touch anything right?" Lil asked. She was keeping a safe distance back from him. "You don't want to catch CBP."

"Don't worry. I've been having my shots. I have to after my last summoning mishap."

"What, that thing with the rabbits?"

Tome shuddered. "I thought we were never going to speak of that again."

"Sorry. You think Delia's crystal has something to do with this case?" Lil asked.

"Maybe. I think I have an idea about our summoning circle. It's written in just ink, nothing magical, just outside of human vision, right. So, it probably has to signal our killer, somehow. What did that crystal sound like to you?"

"What?"

"A soulstone. I bet that's what the summoner uses. He makes ink out of the soul stone. All you would need was a bit. Whoever, or whatever, has its soul in there, is called by his own power written at the crime scene."

"But then, he might not be killing these vamps under his own control," Lil realised. "Whoever has the soulstone would be able to control him. Either blackmail, threats, or just plain domination. The summoning circle calls him, and demands that he kill the vamp whose name is written in his own soul. Freaky. It probably would explain why no one noticed the killer crossing over. Would he have gotten dragged along with the soulstone?"

"Probably. A soul can't be in the different realm from the body. And a vampire has it," Tome remembered. "What do you think about that?"

"Nothing new about vamps killing vamps. What we still lack is a motive. And we still have no clue what this creature is. We should call Hugh Ryan. See if he found anything, and to tell him what we have."

"You know, Lil," Tome said in complete seriousness. "The only reason I bailed out on the rat hunt last week was because I trying to get money for your birthday present."

"What?" she asked in amusement. "The cookbook?"

"Well, how much do you think I'm going to get for selling possessed German Shepherds?"

"Forget it. Sorry I called you a jerk."

"Hey, I've been called worse today."

They went back to the office to organise their thoughts. Tome emailed his old "friend" from the Academy and sent him a copy of the strange diagrams they had uncovered. He spent the next hour restudying the art of summoning circles on one of the online magical databases which contained most of the documented knowledge on the supernatural world.

Meanwhile, Lil was arranging all that they had known into a neat (to her) flow chart on the whiteboard mounted in their office. In the end, it hardly amounted to much. They knew that someone, probably a vampire, had purchased what was most likely a soulstone from Delios the cross-dressing half-demon, AKA Delia, the Devil in a Blue Dress. This vampire most likely knew the victims, had watched them, and learned their routines well enough to be able to plant summoning circles into areas they frequented.

Exactly why the victims had been chosen was still a mystery. Ryan's phone line had been busy when they tried to contact him. Lil doubted he would discover any obvious connection between the three targets. If there was one, it probably wasn't something conventional.

Around five, Amy their secretary came in with coffee, and to complain about overtime. She looked over them in surprise.

"Jeez, you guys are really working hard on this one," she said in shock. "You look almost professional."

"We are professional," Lil said shortly. "Is this decaff?" she asked about the coffee. "Because if I don't get caffeinated I'm gonna be grumpy all night."

"You've been caffeinated all bloody day," Tome complained. "You were like a hummingbird in the car trip. Buzz buzz buzz."

She stuck out her tongue. "What have you found?"

"Not much we didn't already know," Tome replied. "The kind of summoning circle used was rather archaic. But the spell itself is pretty simple. Like we thought, being written in the creature's soul calls to it. The emblem in the centre is its symbol, like its name. The name of the victim needs to be complete to be effective. Complete birth name, including all middle names."

"So the summoner would have needed to know the victims' whole names, even if they changed it. Who could have access to that kind of info?"

"Anybody. You just have to ask the right people. Hell, you could just introduce yourself and most buggers would give you their full name. That's why I never give out my real name. Never know what someone could do with it."

"What real name?" asked Amy. "Michael Sinclair Anthony Saint-Tome?"

They looked at her.

"How the hell do you know that?" Tome asked angrily.

"How do you think? I've been answering your calls for the past year. You know how often your mother calls you? She has issues. I think talking to her alone deserves hazard pay."

He opened his mouth to retort, but Lil cut him off.

"Wait a sec. We're missing something," she said. "Exactly how long would the circle need to be there before it takes affect?"

"It should take affect the second it's finished, if it's done right. Its power wanes as time passes, since the circle would slowly get worn away." Tome slowly cracked a grin. "Hey, good thinking, blondie. If the summoner wants to properly signal his creature, he needs to draw the circle just before the victim arrives. He might do it just before the crime takes place."

"But no witnesses ever saw anybody leaving the crime scenes," interjected Amy. "They said so in the paper."

"Yeah. No one saw _the killer_ coming or going," replied Lil. "This wouldn't have been the killer. It could have been, what, one or two hours before?"

"Something like that," agreed Tome.

"We should get Ryan to reinterview the witnesses. How many were there?"

"One guy, found the body of the second victim in the car park. And the one who found the last..."

The phone rang, interrupting their train of thought.

"If that's my mother," Tome told Amy as she went to answer. "I'm not in. In fact I died a week ago."

She rolled her eyes. "Shreiber and Tome Investigations... Hang on." She held the phone out to Lil. "I think it's that FBI guy who hates you."

Lil took the phone, "Hugh?"

" _Lil_ ," Ryan's voice came over. " _There's been another murder_."

"What? When?"

"Just now, a few moments ago at a Seven-Eleven. I'm almost there now, I just thought you might like to take a look. You can bring Harry Potter if you really have to." He gave her the address.

"Hey, thanks, Hugh. Be right there. We've found out-"

"Tell me later," Ryan said curtly, and hung up.

"That Hughbert?" asked Tome.

"There's been another," Lil replied making for the door.

Tome sighed. "Yay. See how fast I go."

5. Bad Time To Lose Your Head.

There was just so much wrong with the scene, Lil realised, as they pulled up into the crowded parking lot outside of the Seven-Eleven service station. The sun was just setting, yet all of the other murders had taken place at night. It was a crowded area, whereas the others were all in isolated spots.

Upon slipping past the police barrier unnoticed and glancing inside, there could be no doubt the murder had be done by the same killer. The glass sliding doors were obscured with blood from a wide arterial spray. Likewise, blood coated the linoleum floor. Bits and pieces of the unfortunate attendant littered the shop, his head lying on its side on the counter.

"You know," Lil said. "I'm pretty sure I've passed my disembodied limb quota for the day."

"Meh," Tome said dismissively, not looking at the corpse. "You've seen one dismembered body you've seen them all." He made a slight whimpering sound, and stepped over an arm.

Lil shook her head. "How can this creep you out more than Delia's plopping arm?"

"Because her arm was still alive. The plop doesn't destroy tissue. Whereas this poor sod is well and truly shuffled off his mortal coil."

"Hey!" an annoyed voice called out. A female FBI agent was glaring at them from across the room. "You can't come in here."

"They're with me," said Ryan, with obvious reluctance, standing up behind the counter.

"These guys the experts, sir?" the woman asked in amusement.

"Nope," Ryan replied simply. "Well," he asked the two. "What do you think?"

"Yep," said Lil. "He's dead, Jim."

"No kidding. You think it's our guy?"

"Well, it's always possible the poor guy fell over and accidentally fell to pieces."

"Depends on what he was doing at the time," joined in Tome.

"I know get fragile at this time when I watch the soaps, wondering if poor Susan will get out of the coma and marry her rich boyfriend, unaware his been replaced by the zombie of his evil brother... or was that our last client?"

"Can you two _ever_ just give me a straight answer?" Ryan asked.

"Lighten up, Hughbert," Tome said testily as he took out his pendulum. "You'd think somebody just died."

"Just do your thing and get out, Merlin."

"What's the problem?" Lil asked. "You seem stressed. More than usual."

"Well, looking at this crime scene, you would think there was a connection, wouldn't you?" Ryan said.

Lil looked about the blood splattered room. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and say, yes."

"In which case, we have a serious problem," Ryan nodded at the head on the counter. "Because then it looks like our guy is stepping things up."

"What do you mean?"

"This guy wasn't a vamp."

Lil paused. "What? You're sure?"

"Positive. I talked to his supervisor. Guy couldn't be more human."

"You're right," Lil agreed. "That is bad. Mike!"

"Over here," Tome called back from somewhere down an aisle.

They went to join him, and found him blowing revelation dust onto a spot on the floor. As expected, the same diagram from the last murders appeared before their eyes, shimmering beneath the fluorescent lights. It was exactly the same, except the name in the centre was different. This one read in perfect English: Jerry Simon Howard.

"Shit," Ryan said. "This makes my day."

"He could have come in here at any time," Tome said. "Down here he's out of sight of the cameras..." He looked up and shared a look with Lil.

"Cameras," Lil said with excitement. "Hugh, are the cameras..."

"Agent Santiago," Hugh called out. The woman agent looked around. "Where are we with the security cameras?"

"Guys are in the back, still looking," Santiago replied.

Tome stared at the agent. "Who's _that_?" he asked. "Because she is hot. On my scale of one to ten she's a _wowser_."

Lil kicked him the leg. "Try to focus on the task at hand," she chided as they followed Ryan to the back room.

"What?" Tome asked innocently. "I just love a girl in uniform is all. The FBI jacket, the cuffs, the standard issue taser..."

"Oh god, spare me."

In the back room, they found two other agents before a small, old fashioned, black and white TV. They were watching the security tape taken during the murder.

"Please tell me you got something," Ryan said.

One of the agents looked up. "Sorry, sir. You're not gonna like this." He rewound the tape to the moments before the murder. On screen, they saw the interior of the Seven Eleven, coloured in glorious, grainy black and white. The camera was situated on the wall just above the head of the late Jerry Howard. They could see his head, clad in a green uniform cap, bobbing up and down in time to some music they could not hear.

Lil glanced at the corner of the screen. The time recorded was barely half an hour earlier. Ryan swore suddenly, and she looked back upwards. The right side of the screen had gone white.

"Shit!" Ryan repeated, glaring at the screen with fury. "Why couldn't these guys just cough up the extra cash and buy a proper system?"

"Sorry, Hugh," said one of the agents, as if it were his fault. "The distortion completely blocks out the guy..."

"It's not distortion," came Tome's ever knowing voice. "It's your killer."

The four agents turned to regard him.

"Say again?" said Santiago.

"Let me guess," Ryan replied impatiently. "Our killer cast some sort of hex on the camera so it wouldn't record his image, right?"

Tome gave him a funny look. "What are you talking about? That's some grade-A bollocks right there, Hughbert. Who would bother to do that? I think someone's been reading a few too many books about a certain boy wizard."

"What Mike, in his ever patient and understanding way, is trying to say," Lil put in, "is that there's nothing wrong with the camera." She was staring at the screen intently. The distortion slowly spread across. She thought she could see the victim turning his head towards the new thing that entered the shop, then he was lost in a sea of white.

Barely five minutes passed before the picture began to improve. The whiteness slowly drifted back across the screen, before disappearing completely. The automatic doors slid shut behind it. The previously ordered shop was now like the bloodbath outside, the victim's head resting on the counter grotesquely.

Lil shuddered, and caught a brief glance from Tome that looked almost concerned, before Ryan interrupted.

"Alright, so you're trying to tell me that this poor guy was killed by... what? A big ball of light?" he asked.

"Essentially," Tome said with his typical unsettling grin. "Yes."

There was a cold silence, as the four FBI agents shared a look. It suggested they had all just had the simultaneous thought that, if necessary, they could take the crazy guy if they rushed together.

"Look," Lil said, and no one missed the sudden edge in her voice. "Cameras don't lie. They can't. You can tinker with them, alter the picture, but essentially, anything that it captures is the truth. Just light on a sensor. You can't change that. It's the human brain that alters things. Makes things... easier to comprehend. Just look at the victim. If a giant walking ball of light came in, you think he'd be somewhat taken aback. But look at him. He looks right at it. What he sees and what the camera sees are two different things."

"But that," Tome nodded to the screen. "Is what your killer is. Purely, and unequivocally."

Ryan massaged his temples, while the woman agent, Santiago stared from Tome to Lil, looking as if she was hoping for the punch line.

"That still leaves us in the dark," Ryan said finally. "This thing could look like anyone."

"Well, I think we can narrow it down," Tome said. He leaned down to the agents working the VCR. "Rewind it back, say an hour before the killing. I want to see everyone who came in in that time."

The agent looked to Ryan, who nodded in consent. He rewound the tape to the right point and played. The Seven-Eleven returned, as did the victim, calmly stealing money from the till.

"Fast forward," Tome ordered. He watched intently as the action sped up. Customers coming and going at break neck speed. He didn't shift his gaze, except to glance back at Lil, who was backed into a corner and staring at the screen in silence. When he looked back, his eyes widened. "Stop! Go back to that last one."

The last customer walked backwards through the doors, went about his business, and then walked backwards out again. When played forward, Tome grinned broadly.

"Gotcha, you slimy bastard," he said triumphantly.

Lil looked up. The customer on screen was entering the store. He was covered completely from head to toe. A black hood covered his head, hanging low over his face and he wore thick leather gloves. It all seemed rather out of season. She knew a vampire when she saw one.

Jerry Howard seemed completely oblivious to the new arrival as he dealt with another customer. The dark figure walked purposefully into the store without paying the attendant any heed, and marched down the aisle where Tome had only just found the summoning circle. He or she pretended to study the items on shelf briefly, before ducking down out of sight.

"He's drawing the circle," Tome said.

After only half a minute or so, the figure popped back into view. Jerry Howard seemed to start in surprise. His head turned to follow the vampire as it strolled calmly back to the door, as quickly as it had come.

Then the vampire stopped.

Lil watched with interest as he turned to look his next victim. Jerry Howard's head was moving animatedly. He was talking to the vamp. And the vamp was responding.

"Shitty cameras," an agent remarked. "He's face on and we can't even make him out."

"His face is covered. A vamp won't walk around exposed," Santiago replied.

"They know each other," Tome said.

"How can you tell?"

"Look at the victim," he explained. "If you were a Seven-Eleven attendant and some prat walked into the store dressed like that, wouldn't you be worried? This guy's calm. He's just making small talk. He knows the bugger."

The FBI agents leaned in closer.

"I think you're right," Santiago said.

Tome gave her his most charming grin, which tended to be only slightly less off putting than his usual one. To Lil's surprise, she actually smiled back.

Ryan ejected the tape forcefully and pushed it into Santiago's hands.

"Take it to the lab, and make sure the nerds do everything possible to clean the picture and give us something worthwhile," he told her.

Santiago looked as though she was going to complain, but instead nodded and went off looking irritated. Ryan ran a hand through his hair.

"This is getting ridiculous," he muttered as he walked through the blood splattered shop. "Another body..."

"Pieces of," corrected Tome.

"My main suspect's made of light, probably being controlled by what may, possibly, be a vampire."

"You look stressed," said Tome seriously. "Are you stressed, Hughbert?"

"What do you think? The director's been all over my ass. Wasn't too happy about how I let you two in on the case either."

"Aw, I'm sure he just needs to meet us, right Lil?" Tome looked about, but couldn't find her. "Lil?"

She came out of the back room, looking rather downcast.

"You okay?" asked Ryan.

"Sure," she replied dismissively. "I don't suppose you found anything that connects our victims yet?"

"Nope. As far as we know, there is none. Do you have any idea what that thing is?"

He expected a stupid comment from Tome, but the other man fell strangely silent, and looked at Lil. When she didn't answer, he said simply, "Not sure. We'll look into it."

Ryan looked from one to the other. Lil figured he knew they were lying.

"Well," he said finally. "Let me know when you do."

"Sure. Mike, let's go." She hurried out of the store and went to the car. To Tome's surprise, she climbed in the passenger side. Normally she never let him drive.

When they were out of sight of the store, Tome turned to her.

"Are you sure it was smart leaving Hughbert in the dark?" he asked.

"He wouldn't understand," Lil replied. She fished something out of her pocket.

"Yeah, but... We don't know for certain..."

"Oh, come on, Mike," Lil snapped in agitation. "How many Descended Beings will look like that on camera?"

Tome pretended to think about it. "Well, there is the Hum'um'nekraturater Demons of the fifth level. They glow in the dark to attract moths."

"You just made that up."

"Yeah, but it sounded real didn't it?"

Lil shook her head. "We both know what it was," she said in a low voice.

Tome looked over at the object she was examining. It was a wallet.

"Where did you get that?" he asked.

"Back there," Lil replied. "It's the victims. I found it in a jacket in the back room while you were all watching the security tapes. Odd that the FBI missed it."

"And that you didn't turn it in," Tome said, his voice a mixture of surprise and reverence. "I think you've been hanging around me too long. Ryan's going to go off his nut. What's in it?"

Lil pulled out a driver's license, the small picture of the now deceased man stared back at her forlornly. There was also twenty dollars, which Tome deftly reached over and took from her grasp while driving with one hand.

"Thanks."

"You would really steal from a dead guy?"

"What? He's not going to need it."

"Want his credit cards too?"

"Of course not. What kind of low life do you think I am? You know those things are too easily traced."

Lil shook her head. She pulled a small strip of paper out of the wallet and examined it in the dim light.

"Bingo," she said excitedly.

"What?"

"It's a prescription. For Haemothrax."

Tome looked over, and narrowly avoided hitting another car whilst driving straight through a red light.

"Anti-vamp drugs?" he asked.

"Strong stuff too."

Haemothrax was considered a last ditch attempt at drug therapy to cure a person of vampirism. It was prescribed in cases where the patient was almost fully converted, which normally happened only rarely, such as when a person had been bitten by a vampire with an exceptionally powerful bloodline, or when they, for various reasons, did not receive the standard over-the-counter anti-vampirism drugs in time. People only did the latter for a few reasons. Either they were too stupid to realise they had been snacked on by a member of the undead, and a person tends to notice a pair of fangs sinking into a vital blood vessel, or they had been trying to convert into a vampire, but had changed their minds at the last moment.

Tome tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and purposefully ignored another driver who was swearing loudly at him.

"So he was a vamp, or at least, near enough of one," he said. "I suppose that's good news. Okay, maybe not for the bloke with his nads in the ice box..."

"And look at this," Lil said. She sounded triumphant as she held up a photograph that was in the wallet. Tome looked at it closely, somehow managing to avoid hitting two parked cars and a cyclist without looking.

It was a photograph of Jerry Howard, standing on a beach looking happy, with his arm around a pretty blonde woman. For a moment, Tome didn't see what was so important. Then he peered closer at the woman.

"I know her from somewhere..."

"I wouldn't have expected you to place her," Lil said. "Seeing as how you were cowering in the corner when we saw her last."

It hit Tome like a ton of bricks which, incidentally, he almost did, swerving at the last second to avoid a truck full of them.

"She was in the morgue," he realised. "One of the victims from last night. Bloody hell, there is a connection."

"But," Lil said thoughtfully. "But... She just got in the way, she wasn't the target."

"And our dead guy was," Tome finished. He sighed. "At this rate, we are never going to get paid."

Lil didn't reply. To be perfectly frank, getting paid was the most furthest thing on her mind at that moment. The only thing she cared about was the fact that, unless Tome turned out to be right, and there was such a thing as a moth eating Hum'um'nekraturater from the Lower Realms, the thing that was killing vampires in Chapter City was an Ascended Being.

An angel.

And to the best of Lil's recollection, the only angel that had ever had the inclination in recent times to descend down the Plane of Existence was the archangel Sarael. As it happened, he also happened to be her father.

This really was turning out to be a bitch of a day.

Lil Shreiber knew very little about her biological father, at least nothing that she could believe conclusively. Her mother had died when she was young, and she had been raised by her Grandmother, a woman with all the grace, tact and understanding of a torch welding witch hunter in 17th century Salem. Grandmother Shreiber was always quick to point out to her youngest granddaughter that anything she heard about angels walking the earth in mortal guise were most likely the deranged rantings of an uncommitted mental patient. Said mental patient being Lil's mother.

Despite this constant barrage of nay saying, often filled with helpful phrases like "work of the devil" and "perversions of darkness", Lil never really let herself believe that her mother was insane. But her stories of Lil's father were, to be honest, out there. Tome often said, that when she had told him the things her mother had told her, he had a strong desire to smile, nod, and sidle to the door. And he actually believed her.

Lil's mother insisted that her father had been Sarael, an archangel from the Higher Realms. He was a creature of light, who had come down to their Plane of Existence for reasons she could never completely explain. Like all extra-planar creatures, he had to take on a mortal form on the Plane of Existence. Presumably, he had fallen in love with Lil's mother, but had been forced to return to his own realm by other angels. Apparently, he hadn't exactly gone quietly.

This story always intrigued Lil when she was younger, mostly because the idea of being half-angel was exciting, and because it would have made her special, rather than being, as her grandmother often put it, duller than a book entitled the "History of Fences". Of course, apart from her hair and eye colour, she didn't exactly inherit any useful powers from her father. No flying. No healing the sick or raising the dead. Her ability to come up with a childish quip at inappropriate moments was all her. Angels needed to take mortal form on the Plane of Existence, so naturally, their children were all mortal as well.

It wasn't until she got older, and started noticing the oddities of the world around her, that she started truly believing the stories. Lil lived through the final years of the equal rights for undead movement. By this time, walking corpses were the norm. Nobody cared if they were living next door to a dead man, provided he didn't stink the place up. The presence of undead people, the acceptance of it, as near as Lil could figure, blinded them to the unusual nature of the world. Lil once saw a man with a goat's head being chased down the road by a man in a bath robe, when no one else bothered to spare the two a second glance.

Lil didn't think she was special for noticing things no one else did. Rather, she was normal, and the world itself was completely off its head. She already had a fair idea of the worlds that existed beyond the one that most people looked at by the time she met Michael Tome. They became friends, mainly because unlike most people at the time, she hadn't tried to kill him. Some years later they started their detective agency.

Tome did it because he had skills that could make him money. Just not through any moral means. Scrying helped pay the bills without having to curse anyone, and end up doing time like most of his old gang of warlocks.

But Lil took a job as close to the unseen side of life as possible because it could help her find out about her father. She wanted to know about him, why he came to earth, why he left. At the very least, why she was a blonde when every one else in her family was a brunette.

Only now, that wish could very well blow up in her face. Sure, it seemed like a very long shot, that of all the Ascended Beings in the universe the first one she would meet down here would be her father. But the very thought gnawed at her.

Once a creature ascended, it didn't descend again. Not without reason. Unless it did something very, very bad, like a certain figure who featured heavily in the bible, and owed Tome money (and never intended to pay, having refused flat out to ever do business with him again). Sarael, however, had come down once, and had only left after much fuss, and having started more than a few forest fires if the stories were to be believed. What if he had returned after all this time? What if it was her father, who had somehow been enslaved in a soulstone and was being forced to kill vampires?

Worst still, what if he wasn't being forced?

Lil's silent musings were interrupted by a sudden shrill ringing that made her jump. She took her mobile phone out of her jacket and answered. Someone had sent her a text message.

Tome looked over as she gulped loudly.

"What? Should I be worried?" he asked.

"Take the next left," Lil said simply. "Our client wants to meet us."

"Oh. Okay. You want me to drive us into the river? It might be less painful." He gulped aswell.

Lil didn't want to dwell on what Von Drais would do if he knew that not only were they no closer to finding the killer, but that there was another victim. At best, he wouldn't pay them. At worst... She decided not to think about that. Not if she ever wanted another peaceful night's sleep.

6. Undead Jerks.

The restaurant at the Challenger Hotel was full of neatly dressed men and women in formal wear. Standing at the entrance by the waiter's podium, Lil and Tome stood out a mile away.

"Had I realised we were going to eat out," Tome said, "I'd have worn my good vest."

"The one with only two stains on the front?"

"No... that's really for special occasions. I meant the one with the naked devil women on it."

"I don't think they'd appreciate that here, Mike."

"Really? Even if I wore the matching jacket?"

"Well," Lil said thoughtfully. "There is such a thing as being too overdressed."

She gave the man at the podium a small smile. He glared back at her as though her very presence was offensive to his existence. When he spoke, Lil was not at all surprised that he was French.

"Can I help you?" he asked in a snotty tone.

"I rather doubt it," Tome replied.

"We're just waiting for someone," Lil said quickly.

"Then perhaps," the Frenchman replied, "you should wait outside. You'll be more comfortable there."

"They're with me," came an unemotional voice from behind.

The look on the poor man's face made Lil lose any animosity towards him. He was terrified of the new speaker. She turned to see Mister Evan, the Prince's right hand man, standing impassively behind them. He wore a new suit, and for some reason had his right arm held across his body, with his hand under his jacket.

Mister Evan looked at the two detectives. His eyes revealed nothing.

"Come with me," he ordered, and set off into the restaurant. He paused by the head waiter. "If I were you," he said in a low voice, "I would work on my manners. Not everyone is as understanding as we are."

"Yes... Yes, sir," the Frenchman stuttered. Lil felt a fresh wave of sympathy for him.

Satisfied that he had put the fear of god into him, Mister Evan continued on his way.

"Hey, Napoleon," Tome said to him as they wound their way through the tables. "I hate the French as much as the next guy, but was the hard geezer routine really necessary?"

"It is always good to remind those under you of their place," Mister Evan said.

"He didn't insult you," pointed out Lil.

"You are employees of His Royal Highness," Mister Evan said by way of explanation. "He was lucky."

"What, you would have had him fired for doing his job?"

"In my country," Mister Evan told her, "I would have had him killed."

Lil exchanged a look with Tome. "I'm striking that place off my holiday list," she whispered.

"Why? I bet we'd be considered charming if everyone's as big a nutter as this git," Tome replied, just loud enough to be overheard.

Mister Evan ignored him. They came to a large table in middle of the room. Prince Karl Von Drais sat facing them, sipping a glass of wine. A single, large bodyguard sat unmoving next to him. Von Drais didn't stand as they approached. Lil didn't take that as a good sign.

"Sit," he said politely. He looked at Mister Evan. "You may go."

Lil pulled out a chair and sat opposite him. Tome turned to Mister Evan, to whom had taken an instant dislike, and reached into his pocket. "Hang on," he said as he fished something out. "Let me tip the help."

He pulled a handful of black dirt from his inside pocket, and placed it into Mister Evan's hand. The vampire looked from the dirt to Tome, who was naturally grinning his usual grin.

"Don't spend it all at once," he said, before sitting down and turning his back on the vampire. He ignored the look Lil sent his way.

"What, may I ask, was that about?" Von Drais asked in amusement.

"Just taking some of your minion's advice," Tome replied. "I don't think we've met. I'm Tome."

"Ah, of course. I see the stories about you were not exaggerated."

"No," Lil said. "If nothing else, the stories are very modest about Mike."

Von Drais gave a smile. "Would you like something to eat? I hear the roasted quail is quite good here. Though I have never sampled it myself. My delicate constitution doesn't allow me... solid foods."

"Yeah. I'm the same with milk," said Tome.

"We're fine," Lil replied. "I suppose you want to know how the investigation's going?"

"The thought has crossed my mind," Von Drais said. "Around the time I heard that there was another murder. A human, my sources tell me?"

"Not quite. He was human, but on drug therapy to treat vampirism."

"Treating it? What an odd concept. So, he was murdered by the same persons?"

"It looks that way."

Von Drais stared at her over the rim of his glass. Lil thought his eyes strayed ever so slightly to her neck. She hoped he ate earlier.

"Well," he said finally. "In the twelve hours since I hired you, I trust you have made some head way into this vicious crime."

"Oh, plenty. We're quite close to unmasking the killer. Sort of."

"It's complicated," said Tome. "I'd explain, but I haven't any crayons on me."

"It turns out," Lil said, before Von Drais could take offence at Tome, "that the killer is some sort of creature, probably from one of the Lower Realms. It's being controlled by someone else."

The prince considered this. "So there are two perpetrators?"

"Yes. The creature that does the killings, and the person controlling it. We think the summoner is a vampire."

If this surprise him, he didn't show it.

"Have you ascertained a connection between the victims?"

"No, but we have some reason to believe they knew each other."

"I don't suppose you happened to know any of them?" Tome asked suddenly. "Jerry Howard? Anton Philips? Angela Smith?"

Von Drais considered the names carefully. "None of them sound familiar. Should I know them?"

"You're the Prince, you tell me."

"I don't particularly like your tone," Von Drais said. It wasn't in a very menacing manner. Yet.

Why did Tome have to antagonise everyone? It was, as near as Lil could figure, some sort of defensive mechanism. He always seemed to irritate most those that could most easily kill him.

"While we are on the subjects of dislikes," Von Drais turned to Lil suddenly. "I hear you have been assisting the young Agent Ryan with his inquiries?"

"Hugh's the lead agent. He got us the information we needed..." Lil said.

"Ah, so, you are merely using... Hugh was it? To get information? You would not by chance be aiding the FBI in the apprehension of this dangerous criminal."

"Well..."

"Because, as I explained quite clear this morning, Miss Shreiber, I do not wish this monster to be arrested by the so called authorities here. I am paying you, and your pet monkey," he nodded in acknowledgement to Tome, "to deliver the murderer to me, and to me alone. And as it seems there are now two individuals responsible, I want them both. Then," he gave a gracious smile, "we can all be content in the knowledge that justice will be done."

Justice. Lil remembered the waiter and Mister Evan. That was how they handled things in their country.

"Having seen the work of the killer for yourselves," Von Drais went on, "surely you can agree that punishment has been sorely earned."

Lil didn't respond. There was nothing she could say that she thought would do her current feelings justice. She just nodded. It seemed the easiest thing to do.

"Well," the prince smiled. "You still have much work to do. Don't let me keep you. Just try to remember who it is you're working for."

As if she could forget. Lil suddenly had a sinking feeling, like perhaps when she gave up the killer, she was giving up an important part of herself as well. There was a bitter taste in her mouth as she and Tome quickly left the table.

"Honestly," said Tome. "It was like being lectured by the headmaster all over again. I kept having Academy flashbacks. He talked just like that. Remember who you work for. I own your soul. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that..."

Lil wasn't listening. As they passed the waiter's podium, the Frenchman was gone. It was possible he went on his break. Lil tried to convince herself that that was most likely, and not the alternative.

She looked at Tome. "What was up with the dirt?"

"Oh, not just dirt. High grade Bulgarian soil from Gillian Roper's yard. I took it when we were cleaning out those imps last month."

"And you've been carrying it in your pocket all this time?"

"I keep forgetting to get a pot. Besides, you never know when you might need some spare soil. Many a time I've been backed into a corner and thought to myself, "Mike, you need loam." Is that Bill?"

Lil stopped trying to remember any occasion where she desperately needed dirt, and looked where Tome was pointing. William de Hood IV was coming towards them, following in the wake of Mister Evan.

"Ah, Bill old man," Tome greeted as he drew near. "How's life in organised crime?"

"Not as organised as most think," the vampire complained. "Damn dock workers are on strike, and my entire shipment of Columbian beans is stuck in customs. Sometimes I could just _kill_ someone."

"He's closest," Lil pointed to Tome.

"Speaking of organised crime," Bill went on. "What have I told you about peddling your cheap wares in my neighbourhood?"

"If you ever caught me selling Peruvian witch charms again, you were going to sew my posterior shut," Tome recited. "But they were a steal, at five quid a pop."

"A rip off. And I want a refund. It made my hair turn purple."

"That means it's working," Tome lied.

"Anyway, since you're both here, there was something I wanted to talk to you about." Bill glanced at Mister Evan who waited impatiently. "Well, piss off. I can find the table on my own. It's hardly the final frontier here is it?"

"His Highness does not like to wait," Mister Evan replied.

"Tell him to get use to disappointments. Bugger off."

Mister Evan shot them all an ugly look, then turned and walked off. He was still carrying his arm with his hand in his jacket. Lil wondered why he did that. Was he holding onto a gun? She didn't remember him walking like that when they had met that morning.

"You're meeting Von Drais?" Tome asked Bill. "About what?"

"Legitimate business. In other words, none of yours. But I digress. I wanted to discuss our little talk earlier," he said to Lil.

"What about it?" she asked.

"Well, I wasn't lying when I told you I didn't know anything. But not long ago, I got a call from an associate of mine. Seems she was watching the news, and she saw something that made her a little upset."

"What? Was it about that budgerigar, Bernard, they keep putting on TV?" Tome asked in disgust. "Because that smartarse bird upsets me a whole lot. Birds shouldn't surf, it's against nature."

"O-kay..." said Lil. "Returning to reality in three... two...one..."

"Sorry. But the mere thought of that little pillock makes me want to-"

"Anyway," Bill said forcefully. "It seems that on the news they ran a story about this whole Vampire Slayer thing. Had some new information about the identities of some of the victims. When she saw that, she got scared and called me."

"Wait," Lil said. "You know someone who knows the victims? Who is it?"

Bill handed her a slip of paper with an address on it. "She's there. I told her you would be coming, seeing as how I'm going to be indisposed."

"Thanks, Bill. Hey, I always said you were alright."

"Yeah," agreed Tome. "A real stand up guy."

"Whatever. Just thought you ought to know, so you can all bugger off and leave me alone," Bill replied. "Now if you don't mind, I have to go sweet talk some eurotrash." He went off into the restaurant.

"This is great," Tome said. "We should... Lil?"

Lil was looking at the address in amazement. "Hold on a sec." She took out the wallet she had taken earlier, and pulled out the photograph of the two victims. On the reverse side was an address. The same address that Bill had just given them, written underneath a name: "Sabine".

"I thought it was just the girl's address," Lil said. "That's a pretty big coincidence."

"I like coincidences," said Tome. "It usually means something important. I have no idea what, naturally, but what do you say we give this Sabine bird a visit?"

"I have an opening in my schedule."

"Uh, should we tell Ryan?"

Lil thought it over. She knew it wasn't right to keep information from him, especially since he had been helpful to them. But this was getting personal to her.

"If there's anything important, we'll tell him later," she decided. That was probably true. Sort of.

"Fair enough."

As they made their way to the car, Lil had to ask, "Exactly what were you going to use the dirt for?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be carrying it around now, would I?"

_I've been around him too long,_ thought Lil. _That almost made sense to me. Almost._

7. I Seriously Would Not Order That.

The address was of an expensive hotel suite in the rich side of town. Apparently, the woman known only as Sabine was quite well off.

Tome paused outside of her door.

"You don't think this is a trap do you?" he asked Lil.

"What? You think Bill's going to set us up?"

"Well, he doesn't rate us high enough to kill personally."

"Yeah, but you're the one who sold him the dodgy witch charm. Why would he want to kill me? Just knock."

Tome shrugged. He knocked on the door loudly. A few moments later a timid voice called out to them, "Who is it?"

"Lilijana Shreiber and Michael Tome. We're private investigators, did Bill..."

The door opened a crack, and a bloodshot eye peered out at them. Its owner seemed satisfied at what she saw, since a few seconds later the door swung open.

"I've been expecting you," the woman said. She was an attractive woman in a satin robe. She had shiny black hair and green eyes, and Lil's finely tuned detective skills told her she was obviously a vampire. The pale skin and fangs were a dead giveaway. "Bill said I could trust you."

"Really?" Lil asked. She pointed at Tome. "Even him?"

"Well, he said trust the girl."

"Good advice," said Lil. "Can we come in?"

The woman stood aside and let them enter. Her apartment was huge, and lavishly decorated. One wall was an entire picturesque window that looked out over the glowing buildings of Chapter City. A huge television was showing reruns of an old show that the woman had been watching. There were blood stained tissues on the coffee table that she had wiped her eyes with.

"Please excuse the mess. When I saw the news... and that they had been..."

"Is your name Sabine?" Tome asked.

She gave a weak smile. "That's the name I use with clients. My actual name is Sabrina."

"Clients? Are you a..." Lil tried to find a tactful word.

"Escort," Sabrina finished. She shrugged. "It's a living."

"Do you work for Bill?"

"No. Not any more. Bill considers that sort of thing beneath him now. But he still supplies able clients. Rich men."

"Vampires?"

"A few." She seemed uneasy about that. "Please sit."

Lil sat on the sofa next to her. Tome remained standing.

"Did Bill explain...?"

"He said you heard about the Vampire Slayer murders on the news, and that you recognised the victims."

Sabrina nodded. "I wanted to go to the police, but Bill said not to."

"Good choice," Tome said.

"Who did you know?" Lil asked gently.

"Angela," Sabrina said in a quiet voice. A bloody tear ran down her cheek. "We were old friends, but we drifted apart after... Afterwards."

"After what?"

"After I made her into a vampire." Sabrina looked guilty. "It was an accident. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to..."

That's why she didn't go to the police, Lil realised. It was illegal to vampirise someone without consent.

"You see I found out she had cancer," Sabrina continued. "I wanted to help her. I had already been changed. I thought if I just let her change slowly, her body would fight off the cancer, and then she could go on the drug therapy. We got drunk. I bit her. She was angry at first, but then she decided she wanted to be a vampire. She started to like it, the life it gave her, so she went off the therapy. She said she was happy, but I don't think she ever forgave me." She sniffed again.

"I'm sorry," Lil said gently. "I don't mean to be insensitive but I have to ask. The other victims. Did you know any of them?"

Sabrina nodded. "Anton. I met him once, he was nice. A human when I met him though. He was going out with Angela, and she bit him. When he changed, she got bored and dumped him."

"Did you know him well?"

"We stayed in touch. He worked for Bill for a while I think."

Lil was surprised. Bill had said he didn't know Anton Philips, other than meeting him to let him stay in the abandoned building that became the site of his murder. It wasn't that Bill had never lied to her before. She knew the business with the coffee shop was a crock. But what did he have to gain from lying about this? She filed this thought back for later examination.

"How about Jack Olson?" asked Tome.

"Who?"

"The second victim. He was a security guard."

"I'm sorry. The name's not familiar."

Lil pulled out the photograph of Jerry Howard and the female woman. "Did you know them? He had your address."

Sabrina looked at the picture. Her eyes threatened to tear up again. "I knew them. Anton introduced me. Jerry was a client. He paid me to make him into a vampire."

"People pay you for that?" Lil asked in surprise.

"Not much. It's hardly difficult. Some people would think the life is pretty exciting."

"Life is a rather loose term," pointed out Tome.

"Some don't have much going for them as humans, at least being a vampire..."

"You can spend the whole of eternity being a wanker," Tome said bluntly.

"It's not as simple as that," Sabrina said coldly. "Take Jerry. He and Sam, his girlfriend, they were about to break up as humans. Then one night, she got mugged. By a vampire. She put up a fight, and he bit her. She didn't realise it until the first symptoms started showing. Jerry wanted her to get treatment, but she she was excited by the possibilities. There was a lot of arguing I suppose. In the end, I think she convinced him to make the change too. Anton suggested me. I'm good at the change. I can do it painlessly, so softly. You can feel you blood draining away, being replaced by something older, and more powerful. Once you go through that, you never look back." Her eyes misted over with memories as she said this. Her voice grew excited. Tome shifted uneasily.

Sabrina shook her head, and looked slightly embarrassed. "Usually though, I just give them a bite. A quick infection through a major artery. They change slowly over time. The vampire gifts grow stronger at a slower rate, so that they have more time to grow accustomed to them. Sometimes the blood transfer can overwhelm some people."

"So you gave little Jerry the big bite then?" Tome asked with mild amusement.

"Yes. He seemed to cope very well at first. I haven't really seen him in a while... Not since..." she trailed off and stared blankly at the mute television.

"Well, it seems little Jerry changed his mind. He was on medication. And his girlfriend was murdered beside Philips. I guess immortality isn't enough for some relationships."

"I don't suppose you remembered the names of anyone else you changed," Lil asked. Was it possible they had found the connection between the victims at last?

Sabrina thought it over. "Let me think. Sorry, but most of my clients want to remain anonymous. I try to forget their names. I remembered Jerry because..."

"Yeah, it's such a sob story," said Tome. "Let me take a stab in the dark. Did Bill refer these guys to you? You don't seem the type to put out an advert. _For sale, Immortality and a Lust for Blood. Transformation into bat sold separately._ "

The two women ignored him. "Bill might know. He usually handled the introductions and such."

"Oh, we plan to have a very long chat with Bill," Tome muttered.

"Sabrina, please try to think," said Lil. "If you can remember the names of anyone else..."

"Wait, I think I may have changed a man named Fred... no! Frank Jules. That was it. And, a few months ago..."

She listed a few other names that Lil hastily scribbled down on her pad. Tome listened impassively. A sudden knock at the door made them all jump.

"Expecting someone?" Tome asked.

"I ordered some food and wine a while ago," Sabrina said. "But I'm not hungry anymore."

Tome answered the door. A pimply bell hop wheeled in a squeaky trolley laden with bottle of expensive wine chilled in an ice bucket, and a silver tray under a matching cover. Tome's stomach rumbled loudly.

"The lady's been waiting you know," Tome chided the bell hop.

"Not my fault. I don't cook the stuff," the bell hop replied stiffly.

"I didn't think vampires ate anything... solid," commented Lil as Sabrina signed for the food.

"We don't usually. But there are only so many ways to take blood." She sat back down next to Lil.

"What did you order?"

"Steak serloin."

"Rare, right," Tome said practically salivating. He noticed the bell hop, still present and waiting for a tip. "Hang on." As expected, Tome reached into his pocket and handed the boy a pile of dirt. "Buy yourself something nice."

"Yes, sir," the bell hop said in confusion. He left in a hurry.

"Seriously, Mike," Lil said. "How much of that stuff do you have?"

"Enough," Tome replied simply. "Uh, you didn't want this did you?" He asked Sabrina, pointing to the tray.

"No, I couldn't." She looked at Lil sadly. "You don't think... You don't think that whoever is killing all of those people is doing it because of me?"

"I'm not sure," Lil said truthfully. "You did know all of the victims. But like you said, you didn't know Olson."

"Are you sure you never met him?" asked Tome. He already had a napkin tucked into his collar. "He was a tall guy, heavy set. At least he was originally. I can only guess since I only saw him in pictures without his- ARGH!"

Tome jumped back as he lifted the silver cover. It fell to the floor with a thud. Lil didn't get a good look at the thing underneath. All she saw was a black shadow, which was followed by a loud hiss.

The snake rose lightning fast and hurled itself at Tome. Its fangs were an inch away from him when it suddenly rebounded painfully, as if it had just run into some invisible wall. The force of the impact knocked it from the trolley onto the floor. It hissed in irritation, and slithered towards Lil and Sabrina.

The two woman stood to run when the snake approached. Lil grabbed the vampire's arm and forced her to stop.

"Freeze," she whispered. "Don't alarm it."

The snake coiled less than a metre away from them. Its head shifted from one target to the next. It was at least a metre and a half long, its scales pitch black. They were easily in striking range.

"Uh, Mike," Lil said uneasily. "Little help."

Tome stood shell shocked, staring at the snake. "What exactly would you like me to do? I left my mongoose at home."

"Well, there is that stupid snake charm. You know, the one that just saved you life," Lil snapped.

Comprehension flooded over Tome's face. "Oh! Right. That."

"Idiot."

He started rummaging through his pockets, spilling assorted garbage everywhere. "It was right here," he muttered. "Don't panic."

"Too late."

"And don't make any sudden movements."

"Well, duh, thanks, Mike, I hadn't thought of that."

"And stop talking!"

"What do you expect? I always blab when I'm nervous. You know that. And giant killer snakes make me pretty damn nervous."

"Keep ranting," Sabrina hissed sharply. "I think your voice is confusing it."

"Gee, thanks."

"And whatever you do," Tome said, dropping an apple peel, three chocolate bar wrappers and an expired coupon for a free salsa lesson. "Don't make eye contact."

There was a loud hiss.

"Mike, I made eye contact."

"Where the hell is it?"

"Did you look in your inside left lower pocket at the bottom right?" Tome had a lot of pockets.

He rolled his eyes in irritation. "Of course! I always forget that one."

The snake hissed again, and reared back to strike. Tome reached into his coat, and pulled out what appeared to be the mummified corpse of a small mouse. As the snake lunged forward, fangs dripping with venom and aiming straight for Lil, Tome jumped forward in an incredibly ungraceful manner holding the Anasasi snake charm in front of him at arm's length. The snake writhed in mid strike and fell to the ground. It coiled its body into a defensive posture as Tome skirted around it to stand in front of Lil and Sabrina.

"Same to you, snippy," he told it. "Go on, bugger off." He advanced, still holding the charm at arm's length. The snake was pushed backwards by the same unseen force that had prevented it biting Tome. It hissed angrily and slithered away to the nearest dark shadow.

As its long black tail disappeared into the darkened bedroom, Tome slammed the door shut, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"And you thought this was a waste of money," he chastised Lil, twirling the snake charm by its tail.

Lil dropped into her seat, looking pale. "Okay, I stand corrected."

"Are you okay?" asked Sabrina, somehow managing to look even paler than a vampire was normally capable of.

"I think so. Jeez, those Anasasi do know their snake charms." Lil took a deep breath and tried to control her spinning head. She hated snakes. Thank God it wasn't a spider. Things would have gotten unpleasant, not to mention down right messy.

"Well, at least we learned one thing," Tome said reasonably.

"What? That you haven't cleaned your coat out since the early eighties?"

"They're arcane relics, and they just saved you life."

"It's all crap, Mike, face it."

"That's basically what a relic is."

Lil rolled her eyes. "You're right though, I guess. That snake wasn't meant for us."

"How do you know?" asked Sabrina. "I mean, a snake isn't exactly a great way to kill a vampire."

"Ridley's Shadow Viper," Lil said knowledgeably. She liked to know what her mortal enemies looked like. "Venom attacks the nervous system. It won't kill a vampire, but it can paralyse it permanently."

"How do you know that?"

"Warlocks use them as familiars. Mike used to have one." Lil shuddered at the thought. "Disgusting."

"Hey, I'm not going to sit here and listen to you bad mouthing Snuffy," Tome replied stiffly. "May he slither in peace."

"Besides," Lil went on. "Who knew we would be here?"

"Someone could have noticed us come in?" Tome suggested. His face darkened. "Of course, there is someone who knew we were here. Actually suggested it too, if memory serves."

"Who? Bill?" Sabrina shook her head in disbelief. "Bill doesn't have a vicious bone in his body."

"No, he keeps them on display in his crypt."

"Well, whoever caused this," Lil said. "They're serious. And they know where you are," she told Sabrina. "We should definitely call Ryan and get the hell out of here."

"You think it's the same person?" Sabrina looked terrified. "The killer?"

Lil shrugged as she stood. "I don't know. Maybe you just peeved the wrong client somewhere along the line. But let's play it safe. We'll move you someplace safe. Mike's place..."

"Why my place?"

"Because nobody in their right mind would go there. It's the last place anyone would look."

Tome made to argue, but then nodded his head and conceded her point. "I guess."

"I should just pack up my things," Sabrina said. "Leave the country."

"No way. Not until we figure out what your connection is to the killings."

"But if that snake was meant for me..." She lowered her head in shame. "It almost killed you. I don't want anyone else to die because of me."

"Hey," Tome said cheerfully. "Don't worry about it. You couldn't have two bigger professionals on your side. This sort of thing is what we live for. I mean sure, you get poisonous snakes, and your harpies, and your rampaging demons from the darkest reaches of Hell... Not to mention traffic wardens... But we've seen evil in its every possible form. We could spot this sucker from a mile away. Trust us, nothing bad could possibly happen."

"Again," Lil put in.

"Sure, nothing bad could possibly happen _again_...."

At that point the lights flickered. Lil didn't know why, but she suddenly felt cold. The very air itself felt heavy, and dark and oppressive. Her stomach churned.

Then she felt it. A heavy vibration in the floor. It came rhythmically, shaking the room then falling silent. The windows began to rattle in their frames. And Lil realised what the vibrating rhythm reminded her of.

Beating wings.

" _Oh, no_..." she whispered. And something heavy flung itself through the full length windows.

Glass exploded everywhere, showering them in broken shards. Lil felt her head being cut open as she flung herself down over Sabrina protectively. She heard Tome swear loudly, them make a pained sound as he was winded. Then the lights went out completely, and Lil was on the floor, covering Sabrina with her body. There were heavy footsteps behind her. Slowly, Lil raised her head, and looked around.

Framed against the glowing backdrop of the window was a dark silhouette of a man. He was in darkness, and she could not see his features. Slowly, his head turned as he surveyed the darkened room. Then his gaze alighted on Lil.

She gasped. His eyes were burning as though lit by an internal flame. The glowing orbs bore into her. She felt like they could see right through her. The figure took a step forwards...

And Tome appeared. He stepped up to the figure, and flung the contents of his pouch of revelation powder into its face. The moment the powder made contact, there was light. It erupted from the creature's body, light so bright Lil flung her arm up over her eyes just in time to avoid being permanently blinded. She still saw spots.

The light burned for barely a second, then it was gone. There was a rustling sound, and when Lil looked back, the creature stood still against the window. From its back unfurled what could only be wings. They seemed to glow with their own soft white light. In the dark room, it was enough to illuminate everything.

Fully spread, the angel's wingspan was at least eight metres, probably more. It could almost touch both walls of the room with its wing tips.

Beneath her, Sabrina whimpered. Tome stood sheepishly before the Ascended Being, mouth agape.

"Oh... bollocks," he said simply.

With one sweep of its wing, the angel sent Tome flying across the room. He hit the wall, and lay unmoving on the ground, showered in plaster.

Without a second thought, the angel turned to Lil and Sabrina. Lil stumbled upwards, pulling Sabrina with her. She pushed her forwards, and made to run to the door, when a cold hand gripped her powerfully by the back of the neck and she felt her feet leave the floor.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lil saw Sabrina struggled weakly in the angel's other hand. She didn't bother to do the same. There was little point. The angel flung Sabrina aside with ease. The vampire hit the television screen with her head, cracking the glass into a spider's web pattern. She didn't get up, but a low moan told Lil she was still awake.

Then the angel threw Lil down. She crashed into the coffee table and was winded. As her vision swam she looked up, her body a myriad of pain, and quite sure she had broken something, and saw the angel's back as he advanced on Sabrina.

Without thinking, she reached up and grabbed a handful of its wing. She remembered only too clearly that Jerry Howard's ex-girlfriend had been killed because she had gotten in the way of the angel's real target, then there was a flurry of motion. Something heavy slapped her across the face with enough force to roll her aside. Then the angel was towering over her, one hand locked onto her throat and slowly, almost gently, began to squeeze the life from her.

Its face was inches from her own. She stared upwards into its eyes that still burned fiercely as she was dying. They stared down at her, hard and angry. Then, slowly, its gaze softened as it stared into her blue eyes. The hand relaxed its grip, allowing her to take a quick, rasping breath. There was confusion on its face.

" _How?_ " it whispered softly.

Lil coughed. "Don't... do this," she gasped weakly.

The angel seemed not to hear her. It just continued to stare at her face. It seemed to recognise something about her that stayed its hand.

"You... You look like one of the enlightened ones," the angel said slowly. Its voice was deep, melodious almost. It matched the angels smooth face perfectly, features that were above sex and race, and embodied all that was good and pure about the human form.

But its eyes. In those, Lil could see pain and torment.

"How?" the angel asked again. "How is it that you look like the enlightened ones? You are human." It grew angry again. " _Speak_! _What perversity is this_?"

Lil struggled for breath. "My... father..."

The hand tightened on her throat once more. "Lies!" the angel spat. "You lie! No such union can take place. Has ever taken place. What evil are you? Tell me? How have you come about?"

Her vision blurring, her mind going dull, and her breathing constricted, Lil gasped out the only answer she could think of.

" _Sarael._ "

The angel paused.

"The lost one," it said. "You are the daughter of the lost one... Of course!" It smiled, which Lil found was even more terrifying. "I see it now. The resemblance." it ran a finger down her cheek. "The proud features. The defiant mouth. The eyes..." it bushed a strand of hair from her face. "You have the same eyes..."

Off to the side, Sabrina tried to rise to her feet. She stumbled, and landed on one knee loudly on the carpet. The noise shook the angel from his study. It started, its head snapping up to lock onto its original target. Sabrina was frozen with fear.

"Run," Lil tried to yell. It came out a quiet wheeze.

The angel dropped her where she lay, and moved on the Sabrina. The vampire screamed, and ran for the door. The angel made to follow, but with one last effort, Lil wrapped her arms around its leg and tried to trip it.

Unfazed, the angel backhanded her across the face, and left her struggling for consciousness on the floor. Lil closed her eyes and tried to let the dark take her. But she heard with perfect clarity as Sabrina failed to reach the door in time. She heard the screams as the angel caught her, and then, the sickening crack as something broke and the vampire woman screamed louder. There were three more breaks, with each one, Sabrina screamed louder still, sobbing and begging. The angel made no sound. With one final snap, everything went silent, save for the muffled thud of a body hitting the floor.

There were soft steps moving towards her. Lil opened her eyes to see the angel standing over her. Tears that shone like silver ran down its cheeks.

"I will spare your life, because you are of the enlighten ones. But I owe nothing to the lost one, and if you get in my way, I will kill you." It looked down on her with complete misery. "Please do not interfere. I do not want to harm you any further..."

It turned and walked to the shattered window.

"Why are you doing this?" Lil asked aloud, a voice barely a whisper.

The angel stopped. Without turning, it told her, "Because I have no choice. Because I, too, am lost."

Then it spread its wings, and there was nothing but darkness, and the smell of blood pooling on the floor.

The crime scene people brought their own portable halogen lamps into the apartment. Every light bulb that had been on when the angel had entered had burnt itself out. Now the walls of the formerly bright suite were pale and sickly in the false light.

Lil sat on the remains of the sofa, where just over an hour ago she had sat talking to Sabrina. Her head ached, and there was dried blood encrusted on her face. It hurt to breath. No one paid her much attention, and no one had asked if she required medical treatment. Part of her wondered with detachment if that was Ryan's doing. He had shown up not long after the police, but barely even glanced in her direction. He had left the room some time ago, Lil didn't care where. She just stared at the ground and tried not the think.

Ryan's partner, Santiago, stood with Tome by the trolley the bellhop had wheeled in. Lil knew he was still staring at the summoning circle that had been drawn onto the silver tray the snake had been on. The name Sabrina Jeunet was written beneath it.

"I should have realised it," Tome said dejectedly. "The second it was wheeled in, I should have noticed it. Some scryer, huh?"

Santiago, who had no idea what a scryer was, patted him on the shoulder. "How could you have known? I thought it was supposed to be invisible?"

"I was too busy thinking about steak. And that bloody snake. Have you found it yet by the way?"

"I don't plan to be around when they do."

"If you see it, just remember Shadow Vipers hate heavy metal. They find Beethoven more soothing."

"I'll... bear that in mind."

Ryan returned. He gave a blank glance at the body that lay twisted on the ground. Then at Lil still sitting unmoving on the sofa.

"You okay, Shreiber?" he asked her. She could tell he didn't really care.

"Peachy," Lil replied.

"Need anything?"

She shook her head. She didn't want to talk, but Ryan was angry. He reverted to surnames when he was really pissed.

"I'll have someone drive you to the hospital," he said. "But first, I need to know. What the hell happened here?"

"I think that was pretty obvious," Tome said from behind him. "I mean it isn't like she tripped and fell now is it?"

Ryan ignored him. "What were you doing here?"

Lil sighed. "We got a tip from Bill de Hood. He said the woman who lived here knew the victims. We wanted to check it out."

"Right. Of course. Why exactly didn't you tell me about this?"

Lil didn't answer. Ryan's stare started to make her uncomfortable.

"Hugh..." she started.

"Spare me your bullshit, Shreiber!" Ryan snapped. "You held out on me. You heard this woman knew something and you shut me out. Nice. After I went out on a limb for you."

"We didn't know she was going to be important..."

"So? If there was even the remotest chance of her being involved, you should have contacted me. We could have been here..."

"Oh, and what?" Tome asked drily. "Stopped it? Un-bloody-likely, Hughbert. In case you haven't noticed, this guy tends to kill everyone in the vicinity when he's around."

"We would have been prepared. We could have stopped him once and for all."

"You would have been killed. Hell, it's a miracle we're still alive. You have no idea what this thing is capable of..."

"So enlighten me already!" Ryan turned on him. "What is this thing? And don't bullshit me, because you know what it is. You knew before, and you didn't tell me."

"It's an angel," Lil said softly.

Ryan did a double take. "A what?"

"An angel, Hughbert," Tome said. "You know? Wings, halo. He didn't have a harp, but I suppose he doesn't take it everywhere. Maybe he's not musically inclined. I didn't have the chance to ask while he was throwing me across the bloody room."

"An angel," Ryan echoed with clear disbelief.

"Yes. A glorified Ascended Being, in the flesh. It'll take more than a few harsh words to slow it down. Especially this one. This one's totally bloody mental."

"No. It's not," said Lil quietly. They waited for her to elaborate, but she didn't.

Ryan sighed. "You should have told me."

"You wouldn't have believed me. I'm sorry, Hugh, but I needed... I wanted to..."

"Well, can't say I'm completely surprised. You are freelancers, working for Von Drais. I should have expected this."

"Hugh, it wasn't like that."

"Just forget it," Ryan said coldly. "The Director is going to be all over me, demanding to know what your involvement in this is. I'm prepared to overlook the fact that you took evidence from one of my crime scenes, if only because you've helped me today. But from now on, stay away."

"Oh, for crying out loud, Hughbert," Tome began.

Ryan turned on him angrily. "And stop calling me Hughbert! God, anyone else would have shot you by now. You and her belong together, you're both perpetual pains in my ass."

"I suppose that amounts to a migraine in your case," replied Tome.

"I'm warning you, Tome..."

"Let's just get this over with, once and for all, alright," Tome said. He made a big show of taking off his coat and folding it neatly, and went into a rather poor boxing stance. "Let's go, Hughie."

"Mike," Lil said wearily.

"No, fed boy here has been wanting to take a shot at me since we met. It's obvious. Feelings of insecurity are all over his face. So come and have a go." He bobbed on his feet in front of Ryan who was rubbing his eyes in irritation.

"Listen, Tome..." he started.

"No you listen. I've put up with your snotty, toffee nosed, college boy attitude all day. With your Harvard education, and your... Gary Glitter haircut. If I had a face like yours, I'd transplant it with John Merrick's. At least then, you wouldn't have to put up with little kids singing "Who let the dogs out" every time you drive by."

Ryan frowned. " _What?_ "

"You heard me. So come on, you honours graduate, alumni ponce. Give it your best-"

Ryan slugged him. It was not a hard blow, but Tome went spinning to the floor. None of the other agents paid any attention. At least half of them had wanted to punch Tome the second he opened his mouth.

Tome looked up at Ryan. "Ow," he said. Then he grinned. "Not bad. I didn't think you'd actually do it. There may be hope for you yet, Hughie."

"Copola," Ryan called to another agent. "Escort these two to the hospital. If they give you any problems, arrest them. And if he even breathes too loud," he added, glaring down at Tome, "you have permission to shoot him."

Lil rose with a wince, and stepped over Tome without a second glance. She left without being asked.

She went through the rest of the night in silent stupor. Agent Copola drove them to the hospital and waited patiently while they were examined by a doctor. Lil had a concussion, some minor cuts and a cracked rib. She sat in silence as the doctor stitched the cut on her head. He wanted to keep the pair overnight for observation, since they had both sustained heavy blows to the head, but neither desired to spend the night in the hospital, and they left without a fuss.

Copola dropped them off at Lil's home. Lil bade Tome goodbye wordlessly, then marched slowly up to her apartment. Her cat Theodore was waiting for her. He was a black tabby with adorable white paws, and he fixed her with a stern look that said in feline: And where have you been?

To make amends, she fixed him a meal of cat food and tuna, and stood in the kitchen watching him eat. She gave a smile as he stuffed his little furry face with fish, then suddenly burst into tears and cried uncontrollably as the weight of all that she had seen came down on her.

She cried herself to sleep, sitting on her sofa in her worn clothes with Theodore curled loyally in her lap, and she dreamed of bright lights, and foreboding darkness, and a long fall that seemed to last an eternity.

8. Science Makes My Head Hurt.

The sun was only just rising when Lil awoke, stiff and tired, but unable to fall back to sleep. As she washed her face in the bathroom sink, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. It was a horror show. She had a black eye, and most alarmingly, several long bruises on her neck shaped like fingers. She showered and changed, picking out a shirt with a high collar to hide the bruises. Then she made her way to the office.

It was just before seven when she arrived. To her surprise, Amy was already there, sitting at her desk, and she could see Tome moving behind the frosted glass window of the office door.

"Wow," said Amy. "You look like crap."

"Coming from you, I take that as a compliment."

"Ho ho. Oh, there was a message for you. Some guy called, said he'd drop by sometime this morning."

"What guy?"

Amy shrugged. "A guy."

"Well what did he want? A case? To kill Mike?"

Amy shrugged again, and went back to reading the screenplay open on her desk. Lil shook her head and went to her office.

She found Tome sitting on her desk, talking on the phone. He had changed his clothes as well. He was almost neat in a crisp white shirt, and black pants with a matching black vest. He also wore a purple tie covered with yellow runes, and his grubby coat was draped over the back of his chair.

He looked up as she entered. "Hang on," he said in the phone. "She's here, I'll put you on the speaker." He fumbled with the phone controls before finally getting it right. "Okay. Still there, Frankenstein?"

"Still here, my wizardly friend," came a familiar voice over the tiny speakers. It was Poe, the coroner at Sub-Human Control. "Lilijana?"

"I'm here, Poe. How you doing?"

"Not bad, all things considered. Young Hugh is keeping me occupied. Never a moments peace these days. Vampires dropping left, right and centre. Body parts everywhere. It's bliss."

"You are a deeply disturbing man sometimes, Poe."

"Thank you. I like to think I have the heart of twelve year old boy. It should still be in my desk. I can show it to you if you like."

"Pass," said Tome quickly.

"So did you call for a reason, or are the patients giving you attitude again?" Lil asked.

"Sadly no, they are all uncommunicative. It's sad. If only people talked more. Anyway, I did find something that will be of interest to you. You are still working the case, aren't you?"

"Definitely," Lil said without hesitation.

"Well then. I spent last night doing the autopsy for your unfortunate friend from the hotel. When something absolutely, astoundingly obvious occurred to me. We were looking for a connection between the victims..."

"They knew Sabrina Jeunet," put in Tome. "Except for Olson..."

"Yes. Tell me, how much do you know about vampiric transformation?"

"What's to know? They bite you, you get an overwhelming urge to wear black and act like a prat."

"Succinct, but to the point," said Poe. "However, the actual process is rather more complicated. Many researchers have only just begun to break the surface in understanding the many biological and biochemical changes that take place. It's a very fascinating field."

"Sure," said Tome. "You can find the gene that makes them such unlikable twats."

"Funny you should say that," replied Poe. "Have you ever heard of a Haemophagic Long Chain Molecule?"

"Sixties rock band?" suggested Lil. "Or were they the Haemorrhagic Legion of Crazy Mothers?"

"That wasn't until the eighties," corrected Tome. "They had that song, _Don't Bleed On Me_."

"A classic," said Poe. "But no. A Haemophagic Long Chain Molecule is a type of lipoprotein found in vampires, primarily bound in the cellular membranes of red blood cells."

"I was just about to say that," said Tome, who could barely pronounce lipoprotein.

"It is the source of much interest in the field of bio-necrology. So far we have very little idea the LCM's exact function. It seems to play a role in the vampirisation of body tissues. It's one of the first signs of vampirism in an infected subject. We're trying to get an over-the-counter blood test manufactured. Although," Poe said with a chuckle, "it's proving quite hard. Antibody therapy doesn't work because a vampire's haemocytes simply assimilate anything they touch..."

"I'm understanding about one in three words here," Tome said to Lil.

"I'll explain later," she whispered.

"Anyway," Poe continued. They could tell he was getting excited explaining this to them. "A recent study undertaken at the Chapter City University, in part by yours truly, has uncovered another interesting facet of the HLCMs. After much examination, we've discovered that the sequence of these molecules are unique to certain vampire blood lines. All vampire's that have evolved from a certain progenitor have the same HLCM sequence as one another."

Tome looked blank. "Could you repeat that part?"

"What part?"

"Well, you were doing good until just after "Good morning". After that, things started getting fuzzy."

"No, I think I get it," said Lil. She looked amazed. "Are you trying to say that all vampires that carry the bloodline of a certain vamp, have the same molecular sequence. That you can actually track the lineage of vampires."

"In short, yes." She imagined the little coroner beaming proudly. "I spent all night testing the blood, running it through all the usual methods. Restriction fragment length PCR seems to work quite well..."

"You know," commented Tome. "The difference between the dark arts and science, is that at least with magic, we know we're talking gibberish."

"What did you find?" asked Lil. "All of our victims have the same sequence?"

"Not all. Just the ones whose names were found underneath one of those pretty circles the erudite Master Tome found at the crime scenes."

"Wait, even Jack Olson, the second victim?"

"Even he."

"And Sabrina?"

"The girl from last night. Yes, her as well."

"But she said she didn't even know him," said Tome. "Didn't recognise him from the news..."

"Well, either she was lying, and did vamp him," said Lil thoughtfully. "Or, whoever made her a vampire, vamped him as well. So they would have the same sequence." She paused, and looked at Tome.

He reached the same conclusion. "Bill," they said together.

"Pardon?" asked Poe.

"Nothing. Did you tell Hugh about this?"

"Of course. I'm sure he grasped its relevance, but not nearly as quickly."

"You could get into trouble for telling us," said Lil.

"I realise that," Poe said truthfully. "However, as clever as I am sure young Hugh is, in matters such as this I find you, my dear Lilijana, to be much more understanding. Good luck. And be careful now."

"I will. Thanks, Poe."

He hung up. Lil looked up at Tome and grinned. "Well, why don't we pay Killed Bill a visit?"

Tome looked serious, which took her by surprise. It wasn't an expression she saw often. Even less often than she saw him pay for something with actual cash. She decided to be worried.

"About that," started Tome. "I think I'll go talk to Bill alone."

"What?"

"I'm going to finish this myself. You go home and get some rest."

Lil waited for the punch line, but not for long. "You just want the money all for yourself," she joked, not being amused.

"Well, as nice as all that moolah would be, I wouldn't dream of ripping you off."

"Yeah right.

"Well, not so obviously. I just think that maybe you should skip this one."

Lil noticed him looking at the neck of her shirt. She sighed in irritation. "Look," she snapped. "If you're going to get all sensitive on me-"

"Oh, please. I don't do sensitive this early in the morning. This whole thing is getting seriously screwed up on a whole new level. I don't want to be the one to get you hurt a second time-"

"Second time? Ha! We've been in the teens for long while now, buddy."

"Alright, fine. Let's overlook the blinding physical pain we are likely to be on the receiving end of again soon, and skip right to the finale. We're dealing with an angel now. We know that, for certain. And he may be a complete drooling lunatic, but he's still an angel. An Ascended Being, a being of purity. Whatever his reasons for being here, we are about to go against it. There are only a few ways this whole thing can end. The good one being us living and him not. That is some seriously bad karma, Lil. The guys upstairs might not look kindly on us, especially if the guy ends up in the hands of Von Drais.

"Just hear me out," he said quickly as Lil tried to speak. "Because I don't think you're fully grasping just how serious this is. We can die. Fine, we know life doesn't end there, so to speak. Now, when I go, I know exactly where I'm ending up. There's a cesspool down below with my name on it, not to mention a whole host of blood thirsty demons and Descended Beings fighting each other for a piece of my soul. And that's just the ones that actually like me. You, on the other hand are special. You're half angel. I don't know exactly how it works, but I'm pretty sure your soul already belongs up there. Unlike most of the unlucky sods down here, you were born with one foot in the pearly gates. Now, you're probably already in the bad books because of the company you keep. But selling out an angel? No one comes back from that. It's irredeemable. So go home. There's no reason for us both to get shafted."

She looked at his concerned expression and sighed. "I know you're worried about me. And I appreciate the concern, Mike, really." She took a breath. "But I can't walk away, not now. I don't think this angel has a choice in what he's doing, but some part of him is still uncorrupted. He could have killed us, and he didn't. I have to... No, I _need_ to do something."

"He's not your father."

"I know that! But... he knew him. I think. I can't turn away from this. Besides," she grinned. "You get into all sorts of trouble without me. How are you going to work solo? You get distracted too easily."

"Fine. But don't let it be said I wasn't the voice of reason in this case," he said. He looked up at the ceiling. "And this counts as a selfless act, you bastards," he snapped at heaven.

"Enough talk," said Lil. "I'm itching to get my hands on Bill. He's got some serious explaining to do..."

The intercom beeped loudly. Amy's voice came over, "That guy's here."

"What guy?" Lil asked impatiently.

"The guy that wanted to see you." There was a pause. "He says his name's Rosewood."

Tome made a disgusted sound and screwed up his face.

"Friend of yours?" asked Lil.

"Hardly. He's the filth." He saw Lil's blank look. "Regulatory Guild. Wizard police."

"What do they want?" She looked at him suspiciously. "You haven't been cursing people for profit again?"

"I'm strictly non-profit, you know that."

"Yeah, right. Well, let's get rid of him, quick." She settled into her chair behind her desk to look more professional. "Send him in," she told Amy.

The man who entered didn't look like any stereotypical magic user. He was a handsome black man, clean shaven and with short dark hair. His clothes were completely black. Jacket, pants, shirt, and tie. His shoes shone so bright they were almost blinding. Almost as blinding as his teeth, which were unnaturally white. He did have a nice smile though, charming, but in a sincere way. She could tell why Tome hated him.

"Ah, Miss Shreiber," he said politely. He had the faintest trace of an English accent. A nice one, not like Tome's. "It's so nice to meet you," he told her. His gaze turned to Tome, who leaned against the window sill behind Lil glaring at the newcomer, and for a brief second, the smile faltered. His mouth stayed still, but his eyes flared with intense dislike. "Michael Saint-Tome," he said stiffly.

"Roseweed," Tome replied. "Long time no see. Not long enough of course. So, what trumped up charges are you hoping to get me with today?"

"We both know that nothing I ever charged you with was ever trumped up."

"If that were true, I wouldn't be here. I'd be doing a stretch with your other fallguys."

"Which reminds me," Rosewood said icily. "Antonin says hello, and that he'll see you soon."

If Tome was phased by the mention of his old mentor, he didn't show it. "I say again, because you're obvious getting deaf in your old age: What do you want?"

Rosewood sat down opposite Lil and crossed his legs. His socks were, unsurprisingly, black.

"It would seem," he said to Lil. "That you and I have some common ground. You're working a case that raised a few alarms in the Guild."

"In what way?" Lil asked.

Rosewood reached into his jacket and pulled out a sheet of paper. He held it up for her to see. It was the copy of the summoning circle Tome had drawn and sent to his old school friend for investigation. "Derrick O'Reilly found this in his inbox yesterday," he explained. "When he realised its relevance, he immediately sent it to us. We were surprised to say the least. I'd have been here sooner, but the customs agents in this country work in their own time zone."

"How is O'Reilly?" Tome asked.

"Fine. Oh, he wanted me to give you a message, what was it...? That's right, "Get stuffed, Tome"."

Tome chuckled. "Ah, Derrick. Still the same old pillock."

"What exactly is your interest in the circle?" Lil asked. "You didn't come all this way just to insult my partner I hope, though, believe me, I understand the sentiment."

"It's not the circle that interests us at the Guild," said Rosewood. "It's this." He tapped the symbol in the centre of the design. "Do you know what this is?"

Lil hesitated. When Tome remained silent, she said, "It's the sign of an angel. He's being used to kill vampires that are related by blood transformation."

"Really?" Rosewood raised an eyebrow. "Then perhaps you would be interested to know that the angel's name is Halaphael, and that he is one of the light keepers of the Highest Realm."

"Come again?" said Tome.

"I said..."

"I know what you said. How could you morons at the Reg Guild possibly know that? You barely know what country you're in half the time. I once got arrested by a guy in London, who read me my rights in Spanish. I mean, do I look Spanish to you?"

"Maybe from the side," said Lil, not turning her gaze from Rosewood. "In the dark. If you're really short sighted. How do you know that?" she asked Rosewood.

"We have our sources," Rosewood said, settling in his seat. "Halaphael has ranked quite highly in our list of interests. That he has actually manifested here in Chapter City is quite unexpected."

"Who is he? A fallen one?"

"No. No angel has fallen from grace for quite some time now. Halaphael, as we are led to believe, is one of the enlightened ones. The scribes of knowledge. They compile the histories of the realms and safeguard the records. Halaphael himself is said to be a rather learned individual, a sage of great knowledge." He paused, and brushed a speck of invisible dust from his jacket. "We have it on good authority that within the last few years, Halaphael ascended to the Highest Realm."

He paused again to let this sink in. "You do understand the relevance of that?"

Lil nodded solemnly. She understood that the Highest Realm was the antithesis of the Lowest Realm. If the Lowest Realm was the place of absolute darkness, then the Highest Realm would be the world of absolute light.

Tome breathed out loudly. "If he was promoted, what's he doing here?"

"I'm getting to that. You know that when someone ascends to the Highest Realm, they don't come back. They become part of the Light. There is no higher cause than to become a part of the Divine Light. To become one with God. Well, things aren't what they used to be in the Higher Realms. Halaphael came back."

Lil gaped. Tome was silent.

"We don't know the specifics of this," continued Rosewood, "but one day he was ascended upwards, the next, he was back again. But not in his entirety. He became the light, and when he descended down again, he brought some of it back with him. None of the other Ascended Beings understood this. They were confused, and Halaphael didn't help matters. He was changed, different. Unstable. It seemed he was now capable of great violence. The others were afraid.

"What happened next is just conjecture. We think that Halaphael was frightened himself of what he had become. The light hurt him, but he could not get rid of it, it was part of his soul now. So, he left the Higher Realms, and descended downwards into the darkness, where he hoped to quench the Light inside."

"He went to the Lower Realms?"

"Bet he scared the living crap out of the locals," said Tome.

Rosewood nodded. "A while ago there was quite a ruckus down below. Quite a few denizens of the First Realm crossed over illegally to get out. It was the Light. It didn't belong in that place. Halaphael hoped to quell it in the dark, but it only got worse. Desperate, Halaphael acquired a soul stone, and tried to draw the light out of himself and into it. Of course, the Light is now part of his soul. By placing it in the soulstone, he trapped his own soul." He sighed in disappointment. "After that, we don't know. The angel disappeared, and so did the soulstone..."

Until, Lil thought, it was acquired by a certain cross-dressing demon and sold to a vampire. An image came to her mind. The previous night, when Tome had tried to blind the angel by throwing revelation power in its face. There had been light, blinding, painful light...

My God, she thought. Light from the Highest Realm, and it's here in Chapter City.

Holy crap.

"How can you know all of this?" she asked Rosewood.

He shrugged. "For some time now, we've been compiling a vast database on the activities in the Higher Realms."

"Why?"

"For a very simple reason: know thy enemy."

Lil almost laughed. "Your enemy?" she asked in disbelief. "Ascended Beings? How are they your enemy?"

"I think it would be rather obvious. You have some rudimentary knowledge of the Lower Realms," he said. "Tell me, do you know the names of all the known Desecended Beings?"

"I can give you my address book if you want," said Tome.

"My point exactly," said Rosewood, almost proudly. "We've spent centuries recording the names and actions of countless demons, devils and other dark beings because we've always considered the forces of the Lower Realms to be the serious threat. The most serious threat that has ever faced the Plane of Existence. All this time we've been ignoring the real threat."

"See," Tome said to Lil. "I told you the Regulatory Guild were all prats."

"I'm starting to believe you," she said truthfully. "Ascended Beings are creatures of purity. That is generally why they ascended upwards, rather than going downstairs with the riff raff."

"Oh," said Rosewood coldly. "You're one of those. Brought up a Christian right?"

Lil thought about her Grandmother telling her that she would be the whore of the devil and would be sentenced to a life in damnation if she didn't eat her greens.

"You could say that," she said. "Religion tends to blind people to the truth. I've long since weeded the crap from the facts."

"But you still believe that, deep down, there is a higher power in the universe that is basically good and has only our best interests at heart. But the fact is, they aren't interested in what's best for us, only in what's best for them. We are basically just pawns in some unknown, divine plan, to be moved, and used, sacrificed even, to meet their own goals. I'm a simple man. I sin like the rest, but in the end, I stand on the line and keep the powers of the darkness on their side without sacrificing my ideals."

Tome made a rude, disbelieving noise.

"But I find the thought that, despite everything that I do, my actions may be twisted to suit the ends of some higher beings very disturbing. Here on earth, we should not have to live our lives according to the whims of some unseen power."

"The Higher Realms," Lil said, taking a tone as if she were talking to a child, "exist to show us the paths of right and wrong. Maybe to point the right course-"

"Miss Shreiber, there is a very fine distinction between pointing out the way and luring someone to walk the path of your choosing. And if an Ascended Being wants you to walk its path, do you really think anyone would have the power to resist?"

"You aren't here just to be helpful are you?" said Tome darkly. "You're here for the angel."

Rosewood smiled. "Of course. An honest to god angel right here on earth. One of the enlightened ones, with his soul already trapped in a soulstone. Think of what we could learn! An angel, and a sample of the divine light..."

"You can't be serious," said Lil. "This is an Ascended Being we're talking about, not a damn lab rat! You want to dissect something, take him," she nodded at Tome. "He's a walking mystery of medical science. His brain alone could keep scientists busy for years."

"Yeah," agreed Tome with pride.

"Oh, come now," Rosewood said irritably. "You didn't get that black eye sparring in the gym, Miss Shreiber. Halaphael is no longer in his right mind. He is dangerous. Seven dead already. Surely you can see that control is needed?"

"And I suppose you want us to help you catch him?" asked Lil.

"You seem to have a good understanding of the situation. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated."

"Bugger that," said Tome. "I'd be the laughing stock of the Lower Realms. I have my reputation to think about. Why would I want to be seen working with a tosser like you?"

Rosewood ignored him, and stared at Lil. "You understand," he told her. "Halaphael needs help. We can help him."

"I don't think you understand what it means to help someone," said Lil. "Now, I have work to do. Please leave."

Rosewood stood. He seemed rather disappointed. "Perhaps, if you give yourself time to consider..."

"If you don't leave in the next few seconds," Lil said levelly. "I'm going to let Mike curse you."

Tome looked up happily. "Really?"

"Really."

He rubbed his hands together. "Heheh," he laughed evilly. "I've been wanting to do this for ages..."

"Spare me your petty threats," said Rosewood. "I don't intend to leave this country empty handed. And I can leave with the Guild either as your best friend or your worst enemy. You have a good day now, Miss Shreiber."

He left without a fuss.

"Pity," Tome grumbled. "I had an Altarni voodoo doll I've been itching to try out."

"We haven't seen the last of him have we?"

"Nope. Bloody Guild are like cockroaches. Squash one, and there are still twenty scuttling around. And Roseweed is one bloody, big-arse roach. Half of his arrests are done under suspicious circumstances. Hell, there was no way he got Antonin legally."

"How come you got away?" Lil asked out of interest.

"Oh, I saved his life once," said Tome in disgust. "Don't look at me like that. It was an accident. I wouldn't have done it had I realised it was him. Besides, I know the bastard. He's the type to wear black so he can hide the dirt. If he tries to give me the ol' telephone book treatment, I'll sing like a canary hooked to a nine volt battery. He wants to get rid of me, he'll have to kill me."

"Would he?"

"I don't doubt."

Lil shook her head. "Why does everyone want to kill you?"

"I'm a people person. Besides, you don't want to kill me."

"No, I'm your friend. I just want to kill you humanely."

"Thanks, appreciated. What now?"

"Let's find Bill."

"Do you even know where he is?"

Lil thought for a second. "It's Thursday right? I have an idea."

Bill's coffee shop was joined to the building next door. He had long since converted the place into a lounge where mainly students hung out. Vampires liked students. They were considered the living version of fast food, though Bill always made the attempt to discourage eating patrons on his property.

"You sure he's here?" asked Tome as he climbed out of their mini.

"Open mic night tonight. He gets the place all fixed up for the beatniks."

"Ew, beatniks. Let's not hang around."

"Hey," Lil said as he moved off. "Pay up." She pointed at the parking meter.

"Ah, I can do better than that," said Tome happily. He took a small, round, furry ball on a piece of string from his coat and hung it on the meter. Lil had a strange urge to pet it.

"You're kidding," she said. Then shrugged. "Well, you're paying the fine."

She pushed open the doors and entered the darkened room. It was large and round, with a medium sized stage in one corner and the floor filled with tables.

"Close the damn door!" yelled a recognisable voice. "I told you to use the back entrance." Bill looked up from behind the counter and saw them. "Oh, it's you." He went back to wiping down the counter.

"Expecting someone?" Lil asked.

"Delivery men. They're late as always, the little shites." He wiped at a stain half-heartedly. He was still wearing the same suit they had seen him in the previous night. It was wrinkled and dishevelled. "What do you want?"

"We've got to talk," said Lil.

"You and everyone else. As always."

"Spare me. I heard your misunderstood vampire routine yesterday. You lied to me."

"No I didn't. I told you everything you needed to know."

"You said you didn't know Anton Philips. Sabrina Jeunet said he worked for you. Which is it?"

Bill threw down the cloth he was using and glared at her. "I suppose we get to do this all over again? I'm not in the mood."

"Me neither. I almost got my head ripped off last night. Your friend wasn't so lucky."

"So I heard. Fat lot of good you two were. I told her you were going to help."

"We tried, Bill. Really."

"You could have tried harder," Bill glared at her. "You know, everyone else who's met this thing has died. How is it that you two idiots got away with hardly a scratch?"

"I wouldn't call this hardly a scratch," Lil gestured to her face. "It was just dumb luck."

"Well, goody for you."

There was an awkward silence. Then Bill asked, "Did you at least see what it was?"

"Uh, yeah."

"And?"

"It was an angel, Bill."

He looked at her. "Exactly how hard did you hit your head?"

"Honest to god, Bill. It's an angel. A real Ascended Being. Someone's using it to kill vampires."

"And not just any vampires," added Tome.

"Yeah. We figured out what connects the victims. Blood."

Bill turned pale. Well, paler. "Terrific."

"We need to clear up a few things," Lil went on. "For starters, why did you lie about Anton Philips?"

"Self preservation. He worked for me. I needed a few odd errands run for me. In exchange, I let him and his little coven stay in one of my buildings," Bill shrugged. "He didn't do anything illegal. Not _that_ illegal anyway. Just a few things that, let's just say, aren't exactly smiled upon in this day and age. I have enough on my plate without Saint Ryan gunning after me on some trumped up charge."

"You could have just told us."

"I know how chummy you are with the FBI nowadays, Lil."

Lil gave a small laugh. "Funny how everyone but the FBI seems to think that. So tell me something, do you know who made Sabrina into a vampire?"

"What does that matter? That's history."

"All the victims, at least the one's that the angel has specifically gone after were made into vamps by Sabrina. All except Jack Olson. They're all dead. Someone's killing all the vamps that come from a specific bloodline, from one specific vampire."

Bill groaned. "Well, that's just... Shit. Shit shit shit!"

"What?" asked Lil. "Bill? Is there something you want to share with the rest of the class?"

"You two should probably take a look at something," he replied, visibly agitated.

He stormed away into a back room, Lil and Tome following behind. It was filled with piles of large boxes that smelled strongly of coffee. With a savage kick, he knocked away a single box that stood by itself in one corner of the room to reveal a silver summoning circle, exactly the same as all of the others that Lil had seen over the past two days, with the name _William Frederick Fitz ald de Hood IV_ written underneath in neat handwriting. One of Bill's middle names was partially rubbed out, and the circle smeared and broken in several places.

"God, Bill. How did you find it?" asked Lil.

"How do you think?" said Bill. "I have enemies, some of them are smart. I always check the place for curses. Easier to pay a scryer than it is to fight off an assassin. Better for business too. My guy found this last night. I broke it as best I could. I was looking over my shoulder all night long. And I don't dare go to sleep now..."

"Well, you did break it," said Tome. "It should be powerless now."

"Oh, sure, this one is. What about the next one? I'm a marked man. I know what this thing does. And I have no idea why someone wants to kill me, so don't bloody ask."

"I have to ask, Bill," said Lil gently. "Did you vamp Sabrina?"

Bill sighed. "Come on," he said sadly. "I need a drink."

He led them back into the lounge, where he poured out three coffees.

"I thought you said a drink," said Tome with mild disappointment.

"I don't do the hard stuff this early in the morning. Caffeine gives the system a proper jolt. You could use some. Take that cross eyed expression off your face."

Tome sipped his ruefully. "Not bad," he admitted.

Bill snorted. "How do you even know all this stuff? About the vampires being related."

"Apparently all of the victims have some kind of similar genetic sequence thingy. It means that they were all vamped by either the same vampire or by vampires made by that vampire."

"How do you know that?"

"Science. All of the vampires killed stem from a similar bloodline. Sabrina had the same blood as all of the victims, even ones she didn't vamp. So, did you vamp Sabrina?"

He nodded slowly.

"How about Jack Olson?"

He nodded again. "A long, long time ago."

"So," Lil said. "He's not killing vamps that have Sabrina's blood type. He's killing the ones with yours."

"Boy, someone must really hate you," commented Tome.

"You know how it is," said Bill. "You can't make an omelette without pissing off a few vegans."

"So," said Lil thoughtfully. "The question remains, who has it in for your bloodline?"

"Jesus Christ, you want the whole list?" said Bill impatiently. "I'm ex-royalty. Deposed. I have so many enemies in the old country, I couldn't walk down the street without getting spat on."

"Might have something to do with the fact that you tended to eat your loyal subjects," pointed out Tome.

"Hey, they knew the rules. They got peace, reduced taxes, land. And if I needed to feed once in a while..."

"Come to think of it," said Lil. "How do we even know it's Bill they're after. I mean, who vamped you?"

"Never caught her name," said Bill with a shrug. "Some Countess. Quite the looker as I recall. Great arse. Nice pair of-"

"Bill."

"Please, Lil, let the man speak," said Tome.

"Doesn't matter," Bill went on. "She got sent to the bonfire the same night. Some iffy business about bathing in the blood of virgins. I never saw the problem myself."

"Sure. Who doesn't like to take a long soak in someone's bodily fluids from time to time?"

"That's the point," said Lil. "What if the killer is after everyone of _her_ bloodline?"

"Not likely," said Bill with certainty. "The royal bloodlines are old. They can be charted back centuries. To the birth of mankind even. My blood comes from one of the original vampire families. They rose to power when human beings were still living in huts made of animal poop. You don't go giving that out to every Tom, Dick and Harry that you meet."

"Uh, Bill, considering the vast number of vampires with your bloodline who are currently deceased..."

"Yes, but I'm no longer royalty. Exiled, aren't I? Cast out from the monarchy. I can vamp whomever I bloody well want. But your purebloods, your lords and princes like Von Drais, they're bound by oath to maintain the bloodline. They are allowed to make only a single successor, and that's it. No more. That's why they're so popular you see. They can't leave victims lying about still breathing, because if their victims become infected, if they become a vampire, the royal bloodline passes to them, and with it, a right to the throne. They kill who they eat. Not particularly polite, if you ask me. Which no one ever did, which is why I'm here, and not lording over some European kingdom somewhere."

"So what, when the time comes to choose an heir, you just pick someone out of the crowd and vamp them?"

"Well they have to have specific qualities," explained Bill. "Characteristics that add to the bloodline. Like, say, looks. Athleticism. Intelligence."

"So how did you get in?" asked Tome, looking at Bill's shiny scalp.

"I'll have you know, I have many fine qualities that added to the royal bloodline."

"Yeah, when you're around, no one needs to carry a mirror."

"So you don't think it's possible," said Lil, "that maybe someone from your past is trying to wipe out your bloodline? Remove any trace of you from returning to your throne?"

"Please. Monkey face here is more likely to get to the throne before I do. It's written in a charter somewhere. "Under no circumstances must William de Hood IV be allowed to return to power." And who'd want to? I have it made here. Power, wealth. Clean streets. Do you know, they still have horses and carts running through the streets in my home country? Imagine that on a summer's day."

Lil sighed. Back to square one. Again. She drummed her fingers on the counter top.

"Well, is there anyone else that might want your entire bloodline wiped out?"

"I already told you," said Bill as he cleared away their mugs. "I have no idea. You two are supposed to be the detectives."

"Yeah, but I do detective work the same way I sit for exams," said Tome. "Keep asking until bugger next to you gives you the answer."

"Which explains why you failed every test you've ever sat," said Lil.

"But no one has ever beaten my record. Twelve consecutive fails. Now that takes skill."

"Look, I'm glad we had this little chat," said Bill. "And I glad we managed to clear up any misunderstandings we might have had. But I have a lot to do today. I have to settle my affairs, and get the hell out of town before sundown."

"You're running?" asked Lil.

"I know when I'm beaten. I have no intention of meeting the phantom head twister any time soon. I'm leaving the country for Paris, or maybe Greece... Either way, I have a lot of ground to cover, so if you don't mind..." He pointed to the door.

Lil stood up, and froze. She stared at Bill's out stretched arm with unusual interest. "What are those?" she asked pointing to a long scar that ran completely around Bill's arm, just below the right elbow.

"What?"

Tome followed her gaze. "Well look at that," he said.

"It's not polite to stare," said Bill in irritation, rolling down his sleeve.

"I've seen scars like that before," said Lil. "On Delios. You've sewn that arm back on, haven't you."

Bill rolled his eyes. "Look, it's nothing to make a big deal about. Just a mild case of the plop, all right. But with a little treatment, plus my superior vampire immune system..."

"But you only get CBP from the Lower Realms," Tome said suspiciously. "What naughty things have you been up to?"

"You know I don't deal with the Lower Realms. I honestly don't know how I got the plop. Probably from that little shite Evan. You know, Von Drais' goon. I knew I shouldn't have shaken his hand. God knows where it's been... Hey!"

Lil had suddenly run from the building, ignoring Bill's annoyed cries to shut the damn door. Outside there was a traffic warden standing by their car. He was reading the meter and about to write out a ticket, when he noticed the cute, furry charm Tome had left for him. So cute and cuddly he seemed to find this, that he gave it a pat, made a few googly noises at it, and forgot all about giving them a parking ticket.

"Told you," said Tome as the warden walked off, and he pocketed the charm. "Money saver this. A little distracting, since it's just so cutesy wootsy..." He shook his head to clear the spell. "Anyway, where are we going?"

"Just get in," said Lil, already starting the car. She almost had a head on collision as she pulled out, so engrossed with her own thoughts as she was. She kept thinking about Mister Evan, and particularly the way he kept his arm in his jacket all the time they had met him the previous night.

"Tell me, Mike," she said to Tome. "What are the chances of two individuals involved in the same case coming down with some obscure demonic disease?"

"Pretty high," said Tome catching on. "If they happened to meet in secret..."

9. Pieces Of Me.

Lil thought that Mister Evan had the Chronic Body Part Plop. And, she reasoned, the only way he could have caught this, and given it to Bill, was if he had either, A: Gone to the lower realms, or B: Been in contact with someone who had gone to the lower realms and caught the disease. She suspected option B, and that Mister Evan had been the mysterious vampire that had bought the soulstone off of Delios. She knew that Von Drais and his cronies were staying at the same hotel, and planned to march straight to the vampire's room and confront him. With any luck, they might even find the long sought after soulstone as well.

There was one, glaring problem with this plan.

Lil sighed as he looked down at Mister Evan's dismembered body.

"You know," she said, "this is starting to get ridiculous."

"Tell me about it," said Tome. "Every time we try to talk to someone lately, they're either dead, or get killed just as they tell us something important. _Really_. Some people are just so inconsiderate."

The door of the hotel room had been unlocked as they arrived. They entered to find Mister Evan slumped in an arm chair in his hotel room. His shirt was stained with blood from a large gaping wound in his chest. Both arms lay on the floor, his head was in his lap.

"This is like the third body I've seen with detachable limbs," said Lil. "I think I may actually be getting desensitised."

"Well, hurrah for you. If that's the case, I'll just wait outside."

"Freeze." Lil looked at the corpse closely. "Mike, look at this."

"Oh, funny. Not going to happen."

"Stop being such a drama queen and look at the mangled corpse."

Tome sighed, then with every ounce of will he had, turned his head and stared blankly at the body. "What?"

"What's missing from this scene? What was in all of the others that is noticeably absent from here?"

Tome frowned as he thought.

"Blood, you moron," Lil snapped when he took too long. "There was blood everywhere with the last killings. There's hardly any here."

Tome's features relaxed. "Oh, I see." He prodded the body with the tip of his foot. With a loud _plop_ , Mister Evan's leg dropped out of his pants leg, severed from the knee down.

"Well," he said to Lil. "This covers the body plop theory. This is clearly a two week period of illness. He could have gotten it from Delios easily."

"So he did get the soulstone. Son of a bitch! The killer was working for Von Drais all along?"

"I don't know. Something seems... iffy."

"Well, let's search the place before we get company," suggested Lil.

Tome looked at her with renewed respect, but just a little apprehension. "I'm not sure about this new you. All this sneaking around the authorities... I think you're going to lead me astray."

"Shut up and search."

Tome grinned and started searching the closet, while Lil pawed through the drawers of the dressing table. She had the distinct feeling someone else had already done the same.

"So you figure someone killed him to stop him blabbing to us?" said Tome as he worked.

"Maybe. There is a remote chance he doesn't actually have anything to do with the killings..." They exchanged bemused looks and said together, "Yeah, right."

"Hello," said Tome. He pulled a large square case from the closet. It was a steel cage with tiny holes along the sides. When he gave it a shake, something inside hissed. "We found our snake handler."

"Not just that," said Lil. With one hand, she held up a sheet of paper for him to see. It had a quick sketch of the summoning circle written on it. With the other she held up a small stoppered vial filled with a silvery fluid.

"Now that's awfully convenient," remarked Tome.

"Isn't it," said Lil. "Two days we've been scraping through the dark and now this?"

"Don't suppose you found the soulstone?"

"No. Didn't think I would. Whoever killed him probably took it."

"Typical. No one ever considers how hard it is for us. They have to make it difficult."

"Well," Lil said reluctantly, glancing at the body. "I guess we ought to call Ryan..."

"Don't bother," replied a familiar voice by the door.

Lil made a face, then slowly looked over to Ryan standing in the doorway, flanked by Agent Santiago. "Hey, Hugh. We were about to call you... This isn't what it looks like."

"Uh, yeah," agreed Tome. "He was like that when we found him."

Ryan approached the body and swore.

"Crime scenes guys are on their way," said Santiago. She looked over her shoulder to see Tome grinning at her.

"Hey there," he greeted her.

"Uh, hi."

"What happened to your hand?" he asked. Her right hand was bandaged heavily.

"Oh, nothing. Last night I was sorting through the victim's stuff and a snake jumped out at me."

"It bit you?" Tome looked worried.

"No," Santiago said sheepishly. "I fell over and knocked over a glass. Cut my hand. It was weird, though. The snake kept trying to bite me, but it was like it kept... bouncing off something before it could reach me."

"You don't say."

"Then it seemed to get upset and coiled into a ball. It didn't even try to attack the animal control guy that came for it. I think it might have been crying. Do snakes actually cry?"

"Only when they watch girly films. Or _Anaconda_. I don't suppose you were carrying something on you last night? A little charm, looked like a dead mouse?"

"Now that you mention it, I did bag something like that last night."

"Great. I was wondering where that went. Don't suppose I could get it back, do you? I'd order a new one, but those Anasasi guys really screw you with the postage and handling..."

"Uh, Mike," interrupted Lil. "Could you possibly have this conversation later?"

"Sure. In fact if Agent Santiago isn't busy on Saturday-"

"Mike! Much, much later."

Tome rolled his eyes. "Fine. Work, work, work... Honestly."

"I don't suppose you saw this guy buy it as well?" said Ryan.

"No, like Mike said, like this when we got here."

Ryan took the sheet of paper from Lil and looked at it. "Jesus, is this our guy?"

"I'm not so sure. This seems a little convenient. Can I ask," Lil said carefully, "how you managed to get here so fast?"

"Our guys spotted you at de Hood's place. You left in a hurry, so they tailed you."

"You had me followed?" Lil asked in irritation.

Ryan shrugged. "Call it a hunch. Where you go, bad things tend to happen. Right wasn't I?"

"Not really. Mister Evan wasn't killed the same way."

He looked at the body mockingly. "Really? So what, he cut himself shaving?"

Tome gaped in mock concern. "Was that a joke, Hughie? Dear God, what happened? You finally get that pole-ectemy and have the rod taken out your arse?"

"He was stabbed," Lil said before Ryan could respond. "Look at the chest wound. That's where all the blood came from. The rest of his limbs fell off from the plop."

"The _what_?"

"The plop. You know CBP..."

"Oh, that again."

"Right. We think, he might've contracted it from a half demon smuggler named Delios. Or Delia, depending on what time of the day you catch him... her. Anyway, Delios sold Mister Evan here the soulstone that the suspect is using to control the angel."

"I'm sorry," said Santiago. "The angel?"

"Sure. Didn't Ryan tell you?" Lil looked at Ryan, who in turn looked away. She pursed her lips. "Well, this angel has his soul trapped in the soulstone, which should be a crystal thing the killer uses to draw those summoning circles. Oh, there aren't any here, are there Mike?"

"First thing I checked," Tome said irritably.

"Good. Anyway, whoever has soulstone can control the angel, make it kill whoever he wants. For some reason, he's killing people with Bill's bloodline..."

"How do you know that?" Ryan asked.

"Uh, a little bird told me," said Lil. She didn't want Poe to get into trouble.

"Right, a little bird with no hair," said Ryan unimpressed.

"Anyway," Lil went on. "Stop me if I'm wrong, but I think someone bumped off Evan here to silence him. He bought the soulstone from Delios, and he probably knew how to draw the circles. If this is his handwriting," she pointed to the paper Ryan was holding. "Come to think of it, he was suppose to be visiting several of the victims sometime before they died."

"And our fourth victim knew him," joined in Ryan.

"Which doesn't explain who did _him_ in," pointed out Tome.

"Maybe he wasn't working alone," said Lil.

"I suppose so, I mean," Tome picked up Evan's head, "he isn't the brightest looking fellow is he?"

"Put that back!"

"Just look at that sloping forehead," Tome went on. "Got Neanderthal written all over him. I bet he actually threw out the dirt I gave him..."

"Tome," warned Ryan. "Put. The head. Down."

"Lighten up, Hughie," said Tome grinning. He placed the head back onto Evan's lap. "No need to lose your head..." He stopped at peered closely at Evan's chest wound. Then his grin widened. "I think I know how we can find the accomplice. Tell me, Hughie, how do you kill a vampire?"

"What are you..."

"Seriously, mate, how do you kill a vampire? Traditional way?"

"Fire?" said Santiago. "That's the first thing they teach us at the DSC. That's why we get phosphorous rounds for ammo."

"Good, good. But you never saw Peter Cushing gunning down Christopher Lee with a magnesium phosphate tipped bullet... Wow, I actually said that right. Yay for me. I meant, something to do with the chest region..."

"Stakes," said Santiago.

"I thought red meat was for werewolves?" said Ryan.

"No," said Tome, rolling his eyes. "Not steaks, you pillock. Stakes. Wooden stakes."

"Except," Lil said, joining Tome at the body. "Not all vampires can be killed by a stake through the heart. Some of the older ones, particularly royals I'm told, just get slightly wounded."

"Slightly wounded?" asked Ryan.

"Well, not really hurt bad enough to stop them ripping off your head and relocating it elsewhere in your anatomy."

"Understandably, that sort of thing makes them slightly miffed," said Tome helpfully.

"You need to completely remove the heart in cases like this," said Lil. "Burning is preferable."

"But even I, with my minus ten grade in biology," said Tome, "can see that didn't happen here."

"So what did happen?"

"It's called a nova-blade, or a starburst. Looks like a long piece of metal, rounded with a sharp tip. You stab it into your enemy, then hit the switch, and the whole thing opens like a flower, slicing apart your insides. Some are battery operated, and spin on the hilt."

"Instantly pureed heart," said Lil.

"I'm skipping lunch," commented Santiago.

"It's a vampire hunter's weapon. Not many of those here anymore," said Tome. "Not since the undead rights laws were passed."

"But in the old countries," said Lil. "Places where rogue vampires aren't policed. Where bounty hunters still roam the lands and men are real men and women are real women. Places like Boravia, where a certain Prince hails from..."

Ryan looked at her. "Von Drais..."

"One of his goons was up to no good," said Tome. "What about the other?"

Ryan went to the phone and called up the front desk. He identified himself and started spouting off his badge number.

"One thing that doesn't play right is the snake," said Tome. "Why did they send the snake? That one time, when we were there? It was superfluous. Unnecessary. The angel could have wiped us out in one go."

Lil was pondering this when Ryan hung up the phone in disgust.

"He's gone," he said. "Checked out this morning, no one knows where."

"Mmm. Vampires leaving in the daylight, who'd have thunk it," said Lil.

"The front desk says he left straight after reading a message," said Ryan dashing for the door. "And he left it there," he called back as he made for the lifts.

"What? Hugh, wait up!" Lil ran after him, with Santiago in tow.

Tome paused to pick up the steel cage with the snake inside. On his way out, he bumped into two forensics agents from the DSC.

"What's going on?" one asked him.

"Dead guy's in there," Tome said. Then he dumped the cage into his arms. "Little guy's getting lonely. Since you're here, you can keep him company."

"Mike, come on!" Lil shouted at him.

Tome ran off down the corridor, yelling over his shoulder, "Give him positive affirmations. And if he gets antsy, play some music. But not Britney Spears. That will just make him eat himself. You only make that mistake once..."

The four of them rode the elevator down to the foyer, where Ryan approached the front desk with his ID out.

"Agent Ryan, FBI. I talked to you earlier. You said you still had the letter to Karl Von Drais?"

"Oh, right," said the clerk, looking a little harassed. "It's right here."

She handed Ryan a yellow envelope. He opened it quickly and examined the sheet of paper inside it. His expression became confused.

"Is this a joke?" he asked, holding up the sheet. It was blank.

"No, of course not," said the clerk, insulted. "I didn't see what the big deal was either. Mister Von Drais came down, snooty and aloof as always, and asked if he had any messages. I gave him the letter. First he stared at it like you did. Then he got upset and started yelling. Wanted to know who left it. I told him I didn't know. It was here when I came on. I don't know what the fuss was about. It was just a blank sheet of paper. That's why I kept it. Waste not want not. But Mister Von Drais and his friend..."

"Mister Evan?"

"No. I don't like him. He's not very nice at all. The other one, the young one. Brandtner I think his name his. He's always polite. Always says good morning, and good evening to the staff..."

"Uh, ma'am," said Lil reasonably. "We are currently in a hurry."

"Just like Mister Von Drais and Mister Brandtner. They talked quietly, then just checked out and left. Didn't even take their belongings. Said they send for them. Never heard anything like it in my life..."

"What's so special about this?" asked Santiago taking the paper.

"May I?" said Tome. He plucked the sheet from her fingers, and blew some revelation dust onto it.

The summoning circle appeared on the sheet. The name on this one was Prince Karl Von Drais.

"Crap," said Lil.

"Oh, that was clever," said the clerk mildly. "But Mister Von Drais didn't need to do that. He seemed to see that easily enough by himself. I think it's because he was a vampire, you see..."

"Yes, thank you, ma'am," said Santiago. They moved away from her.

"You think he realised what it was?" Tome asked.

"Probably that's why he left. Shit."

"So someone's after Von Drais. Why?" asked Ryan.

Lil shrugged. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? You know everything."

"Aw, shucks, Hugh, thanks. That means a lot to me. But in this case, I'm a little stumped." She shrugged again, then walked off.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"To the office. All this running round is giving me a headache."

"We need to take your statements," Ryan called after her.

"So send some guys to follow us and do it later. I need to think." She went through the door and disappeared.

Tome gave Santiago his card. "There's a snake upstairs in need of a home. Just send him to this address."

"Uh, I'm not sure..."

"That's my home number there, by the way," Tome pointed out, nodding at the card.

Santiago raised an eyebrow. "Really..."

"Just thought I'd mention it. Well," he turned to Ryan, and grinned. "Happy hunting."

He ran after Lil before Ryan could stop him. Ryan fumed silently for a few moments. He was almost to the elevator when he realised Tome had taken Von Drais' letter with him. It was by the fifth floor that he realised that the piece of paper Lil had found in Mister Evan's room was gone as well.

"Santiago, do you still have Tome's card with his address?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because when this is over, I swear to god, I'm going to hunt down and kill that annoying little prick."

Santiago just felt the card in her pocket, and smiled.

Lil tapped on the desk restlessly with the small card with Von Drais' phone number on it. She listened to the phone on the other end ring continuously with growing impatience. Finally a gruff voice answered.

"What?"

"Von Drais... Your Highnesship, sir?"

"What?" the voice asked again shortly.

"This is Lil Shreiber..."

"I was about to call you? Why weren't you answering the phone earlier?"

"I was out," said Lil. "Why didn't you call my mobile?"

"I don't have the number. Evan had it, but we don't know where the idiot's got to..."

Lil was about to say, in his room in pieces, when it occurred to her that Von Drais didn't know his man was dead. Didn't they check? She decided not to tell him, not sure why, just having the feeling that it was the correct course of action.

"Uh, Sir, I just came from your hotel... I saw the letter," she said instead.

"I take it that means I'm not going to be in this world for long, doesn't it, Miss Shreiber?"

"I wouldn't say that for certain."

"But that symbol on the paper is the one that is calling to this creature. The killer."

"Yes."

"Do you know who is controlling it yet?"

"Not yet, as such, no."

Von Drais exhaled loudly on the phone. Lil was glad she wasn't giving him the news face to face. Angry vampires were just plain freaky.

"Alright," said Von Drais calmly. "Here is what I want you to do. I want you to find out who is writing out these symbols, and I want you to tell me. Before sundown. If you do that, I will pay you and you idiot partner one hundred thousand dollars, and will be forever in your debt. Do you understand?"

"I do."

"Then get back to work, and don't call me unless you have some proper information."

"Um, right. Just one thing. What happens if we don't find the suspect by sundown?"

"I'll be paying you a visit, and you can explain your failure in person."

Lil didn't need a hyperactive imagination to realise that would be a very bad thing to happen. "I thought as much," she said as cheerfully as possibly. "Don't worry. I'm on the case."

The phone went dead. She hung up and swallowed.

"So," asked Tome. "We dead?"

"Yep."

"Ah. Figures." He went back to work studying the two letters he had swiped from Ryan with a magnifying glass. "Hmmm," he hummed thoughtfully.

She came over to his desk. "Please tell me something good."

"Well, I'm no expert. I would prefer it if Derrick O'Reilly, iconograph master were here. Well, maybe not in the flesh, because he really was an overbearing waste of skin. But maybe in a less corporeal way, unable to speak except for matters of importance..."

"Mike! In a few hours time, a pair of rather scary vampires are going to find us and show us what our internal organs look like on the outside. A little more focus would go a long way."

"I know. I know. Sorry. My organs would look terrible externally. Well, like I said, no expert, but it appears to me, that these two circles were drawn by different hands." He pushed them across his desk to her. "One on the right is from Evan's room. One on the left is from the letter to Von Drais. You can see the difference right?"

Lil looked closely. There was something amiss about the two circles. The one she had found in Evan's room looked just like all of the others she had seen in crime scenes. The script was neat and flowing. Graceful, even. The second, however, while at first glance appearing to be like the first circle, was different, though Lil could not place why.

It was the lettering at the bottom, where the victims name would be written. The writing wasn't as neat on the second circle. The last two letters of "Drais" were in linked letters. The first circle, however, had the text "Jerry Howard" in simple but delicate print.

She pointed this out to Tome who nodded.

"All of the others were printed," Tome said. "At all of the crime scenes. In that girly handwriting too."

"So whoever wrote this one, isn't the same person who wrote the others."

"No. But still, he knows how to draw the summoning circle."

"Oh, for the love of... So now there are two people?"

"Seems like it."

"But one of them," Lil said thoughtfully, "killed Mister Evan. And the other one wants to kill Von Drais."

"Is it wrong to be rooting for him?"

"Don't hold your breath. If Von Drais is going to go," Lil said somewhat nervously, "he'll probably do his best to take us with him."

"Just to be awkward. Don't see why he's so upset. It's not as if we asked to be paid in advanced. I'm sure if he read his contract, he'd realise we have that no life no pay policy. Not," Tome added, "that I've ever been fond of that. It's softness on your part that prevented us from getting paid when Ms Lewis karked it."

"If I told you once, I've told you a thousand times. I don't like resurrecting the dead in my office. They leave worms everywhere. Besides, what am I suppose to say? Excuse me, Ms Lewis. Sorry to drag your soul out of blissful existence in paradise and for depositing it back into your now decomposing body, but we have the small matter of three weeks plus expenses to work out."

"You never know," replied Tome. "She might have gone the other way."

"Oh, then she'd be really pissed. Dragging her away from the fluffy clouds and puppies is one thing. But they have spas and hot tubs in hell."

"Yeah," Tome's eyes misted over. "It is nice there."

Lil sighed. "This is getting us nowhere."

"Let's start from the beginning."

"Alright. First, Evan buys soulstone."

"Right," said Tome.

"He visits the local vampires, scoping out his victims."

"With you so far."

"Then he enters the place..."

"No," interrupted Tome. "He doesn't. His accomplice does. Mister Girly Script."

"Whom we have the sneaking suspicion, may be Von Drais' bodyguard... Brandtner?"

"Now that's a stupid name. Sounds like a German sausage. Excuze me, I vould like three Brandtners with zat."

"Mike."

"Sorry, I'm with you."

"So," Lil went on, "he uses the angel to kill Smith, Olson, Philips and his friends, and then Howard. But then he sends a snake to Sabrina? Does that make sense?"

"The snake was on the summoning circle. It was drawn on a piece of paper underneath," said Tome.

"But that's what's bugging me, why the snake? Why would someone send a snake?"

Tome thought this over. "Well, either he wanted to give the angel a helping hand..."

"Which he never did before."

"Or," said Tome slowly. "Maybe he wanted to send a message. Maybe the snake is like a symbol. A marker."

"He didn't leave one before."

"This sausage guy... Brandtner, he didn't. But maybe he didn't send us the snake. Remember, he was with Von Drais when we left. Mister Evan however..."

"Was running errands," said Lil. "We thought the snake in his room was a plant, to make him look like the killer. Like the ink and the circle. But what if it was his? He has to deliver the summoning circle to Sabrina's room. He hasn't had a chance to draw it there yet, but now he has to rush, because she's about to show us the connection between the victims. His partner in crime Brandtner is indisposed, so he takes a circle already written out for Sabrina, and sends it up to her room in place of her room service order. But for whatever reason, he decides to add a personal touch. He sends up the snake. Maybe, like you said, he doesn't trust the summoning circle. He hasn't used it yet. Or maybe, he just wants the credit for this one."

"But," Tome takes over, "the snake adds a new element. A snake can be tracked. Particularly Ripley's Shadow Vipers. Mister Evan cocks up big."

"So, Brandtner takes the initiative, and takes out Evan, plants the evidence to make it look like he's the killer."

"Which brings us back to the letter to Von Drais," Tome sighed. "Who wrote it? Mister Evan?"

"Why? To what purpose? If he wanted to kill Von Drais, he could have drawn a summoning circle anywhere in his hotel room."

"Well, if Mister Evan didn't write this one, and Brandtner sure as hell didn't, then that means we have yet another unknown suspect to add to our list."

"So what's his involvement?" asked Lil. "And why, oh why, do these three want to wipe out Bill's bloodline? I mean, if it was someone from Bill's past trying to get him, then why go after Von Drais as well."

Tome exhaled in resignation. "Oh sod it. Enough talk. You still have that bottle of ink you got from Evan's room?"

Lil rummaged through her coat and held up the small vial triumphantly. "Got it!"

"Whoa!" snapped Tome. "Easy! Do you know how volatile that stuff could be? That's made from the soul of an angel, with a helping of the Divine Light thrown in for good measure. It could very well be the most dangerous substance ever seen on this plane."

Lil gave him a look. "How dangerous?"

"Would you shake a bottle of nitroglycerine? Because that's bad. Shaking this thing would be like drilling a hole in a thermonuclear warhead."

"You're telling me I've been carrying the mystical equivalent of an A-bomb in my pocket for the past hour? Any reason you felt the need not to warn me about this?"

Tome took the vial from her and held it reverently in his hands. "I didn't want you to worry. At least if it went off, you'd have been surprised."

"Yeah. Because that's what I want my last thoughts to be: Whoops, did I do that?"

"Better than, bloody Tome."

"I'd be thinking that as well. So what are you going to do?"

"Well, I was trying to put this off," said Tome. "Scrying for something this powerful is going to put me on the receiving end of a whole lot of magical feedback."

"Can you do it?"

Tome gave her a bemused look. "You're talking to the guy who once swindled Lucifer out of his wing feathers. And lived to brag about it. I think I can handle a simple scrying spell. If this has part of his soul in it, I think I just might, stress might, be able to use it to locate where he is, and if we're lucky, where the soulstone is. What worries me is how this Halaphael is going to react when he finds us poking around his aura. He doesn't strike me as being the most understanding or stable of people."

"What's the worse that can happen?" asked Lil nervously.

"Depends on how you define worse. He might just send some feedback which, if you're lucky, only fries _my_ frontal lobes into a thick gooey sauce. If you aren't lucky, it might kill us both. And if we're really unlucky, he might just decide to pay us a visit, if he's feeling in a hands on mood."

"Oh, well, if that's all, I don't know why I was worried."

"Yeah, the way you carry on sometimes, Lil..."

From the rather dusty stationary cupboard in the corner, Tome took out all the implements he needed. Several crystals for focusing his aura, larger pendulum that hung from a tripod and two maps of Chapter City. One was a new street map bought at any tourist stop, the other was drawn intricately in black ink on a worn piece of cloth two metres high by three metres long.

This map was Tome pride and joy. The ultimate tool for a scryer. Anyone with half a brain could swing a pendulum. A few could get lucky and even find something useful with it. This map was tuned to Tome's own aura, and linked it to that of the city itself. Few people could understand how important Chapter City was as a place of power. It extruded its own presence.

What Tome wanted to do was use the map to link himself to the city itself, and scry for the presence of the angel using the ink as a guide. Tome had had some success with the map before. He had successfully managed to track down several missing persons, and once a prized alsatian that had been dog napped. The clarity with which he could sense his target depended upon how good the object he used as a guide was. It needed to have a strong aura of its owner. The alsatian's favourite chew toy had been surprisingly useful. But nothing could be as good as using an object imbued with the target's own soul itself.

But, as he had explained, being able to form that good a link was dangerous. A magic user, or a being of power could sense his scrying and take action. It was easiest to just send a bolt of energy along the line of connection back to him. That could be downright nasty. At best, it could give him a pounding migraine. At worse... Well, Lil had a park bench picked out. He would have pigeons for company when he spent the rest of his life sitting in blissful ignorance, lobotomised and drooling.

Lil stuck the street map to the whiteboard on their wall, while Tome stretched out his cloth map gently on the floor, each side aligned perfectly north, south, east and west. He placed a crystal on each corner of the compass exactly. Then he opened up the tripod and set it over the map so that the pendulum hung exactly over the centre of the city from between the three legs.

He stood still over the map, breathing and trying to focus his aura. Amy peered through the door impassively to see what the fuss was about.

"You not doing that again?" she asked.

"Quiet," Lil hushed her.

"It's just that, I was the one that had to put the fire out last time," whispered Amy. "And his eyebrows never really grew back did they? It was almost as bad as that thing with the rabbits..."

"Excuse me," said Tome angrily. "I'm trying to centre myself here. Would you please not bring up that thing with the rabbits?"

"Sorry, Mike."

Tome shuddered. "Bloody rabbits," he muttered.

"Well, as much as I would like to stick around for the show," said Amy. "My drama club's meeting tonight. Can I knock off for the day? I don't feel like dealing with giant flaming bunnies right now."

"Alright, alright, go!" said Tome. "Just. Stop. Mentioning. _The bunnies_!"

"Thanks, guys. Bye."

Amy disappeared. Lil reflected that it was a stroke of luck getting someone as indifferent to her employer's unusual work as Amy was. She didn't even seem to care that they'd hired her after her predecessor had gone on sick leave after a mild case of demonic possession. They never had gotten out all the projectile vomit stains from the ceiling...

"Ready?" she asked.

Tome sighed. "No. But what the hell. Success or copious saliva awaits." He popped open the stopper on the vial, held his finger on the end and then inverted the vial once. It left a small drop of silver ink on his finger.

He stared at it with trepidation. "You know, no mortal has probably ever experienced something like this."

"Yeah, I'm dying with envy," lied Lil.

Tome rolled his eyes, and raised his finger to his forehead. "I just know I'm going to be drooling..." he said, then pressed the ink to his forehead.

His eyes glazed over, and a violent shudder passed through his body. He fell back against his desk.

"Mike!" Lil darted forward.

"No! I'm okay," he waved her away. "It's just that was.... Whoa. I could bottle this stuff and make a fortune!" His eyes were still blank and stared into space.

"Mike, are you sure...?"

He waved her back, then took a tentative step forward. He dropped his hand onto the top of the tripod, and the pendulum began to swing. It was a small cone shaped piece of cold iron, its end was filed to a wickedly sharp point. At first the circles it made over the map were small, but slowly it began to swing with a wider and wider radius until it was encompassing the entire city. Then it began to speed up.

"Alright," Tome gasped. His eyes had rolled into his head, so only two white orbs stared blindly out. "I think I see something. It's like seeing a bright light when your walking through the fog... Here..."

The pendulum changed its orbit. It was drawn to a certain area of the map, and began revolving in small fast circles over it. Tome felt for the switch on the top of the tripod and flicked it. The length of string holding up the pendulum unwound from the tripod until the sharp pointed tip made contact with the cloth map. Tome rewound the pendulum back to its original height.

"Where is it?" he asked.

Lil peered closely at the map, being careful to avoid the dangerously swinging piece of metal near her head. A small dot of silvery light the width of a pin head glowed on the map. She checked the location twice, then put a pin in her own map to mark the place.

"Somewhere in West Park. Street.... Hilton Avenue." She paused. Why did that sound familiar?

"Damn it," said Tome. "That's where the first murder was. I'm picking up the other summoning circles. That's the problem with using something like this. Too sensitive."

"Try not to focus on the weak ones," Lil told him. "Find something big."

"Alright. This is giving me a headache..."

Tome concentrated, straining so hard sweat ran down his face. The pendulum continued to make its slow circles around the city. Then suddenly it shot to one side of the map, and Tome's legs buckled. He gave a cry of shock and fell to his knees, but held tightly to the tripod.

"Mike..." Lil gasped with fright.

"Stay back!" he snapped at her. He fumbled with the switch. The pendulum dropped as if drawn by a magnet. It hit the map with such force it went straight through the cloth and into floor underneath. "If that's not the angel," he said weakly, "I'm a cross dressing half-demon."

Lil took a pen and circled the area on her map. "I think that's enough..."

"No," Tome replied. "I'm going to try and find the soulstone. I don't think that will bite back..."

"Mike, just let go."

"Hey, trust me." He grinned his trademark Tome grin. With his eyes all white, it looked haunting.

The pendulum moved out again, swinging around and around the black lines of the city map in steady circles. Then it shot into the South west corner, and Tome slumped down against the tripod.

He grinned crazily. "Found it!" He flicked the switch. The second the pendulum landed, his smile vanished. His mouth opened wide in horror.

"Oh, shit. It's so deep..." He gripped the tripod tighter. His knuckles went white. "And so huge..."

Lil hasty noted the place on her map. "Alright, Mike let go."

"But..."

"Michael, let go!"

Tome didn't move. He made a strange wheezing sound, like the air was being sucked from his lungs. He sank against the tripod but maintained his tight grip.

Lil leapt across the room. She threw an arm around Tome's neck, and tried to prise his fingers from the tripod as she pulled him back. His grip was like a vice.

Then the vision hit her. All she could see was black. It was darker than the darkest black she had ever known possible. But there was something there. It pulled at her, dragging her downwards. Sucking both of them into it.

With one last heave, she tore away Tome's hand, and then lost her footing. Suddenly the dark was gone, and there was only light. It was so bright it was painful to look at. She thought, this was what it was like to see a nuclear weapon explode. The light seemed so powerful it could burn straight through you. It was the most glorious thing she had ever seen, and the same time, it was the most terrifying.

Nothing but light. Forever and ever.

Then she hit the floor and the air was knocked out of her. She gasped. Tome lay on top of her, shaking. With the last of her strength, she reached out, and kicked away the nearest crystal atop the map. The connection severed, Tome collapsed.

He took a few shallow breaths. "See?" he gasped. "Nothing to worry about."

The door to their office opened.

"Hey, guys?" said Amy, "I don't suppose you've seen..." She looked down at them on the ground, drenched in sweat, and rolled her eyes. "Jeez, guys," she said with infinite patience. "I told you this would happen."

Tome sat on the ground leaning against his desk. He was still freaked out.

"That's one for the books," he said. "I bet no one in living history has had a scrying experience like that. That was complete contact. Usually only high level telepaths can do that. I'm even better than I thought I was."

"We almost died," replied Lil.

"Nah. Not even close. That thing was the soulstone. A real beauty by the looks of it. Like a hoover on steroids."

"You're saying it would have sucked out our souls?" asked Lil.

Tome nodded solemnly. "It almost had me too," he said. "Uh... Thanks by the way."

"Don't mention it. Ever. People would never look me in the eye if they knew I saved _your_ life." Lil paused. "What was that light? Was that... the Divine Light?"

He nodded again. "A bona fide piece of the Highest Realm itself. How many mortals have ever seen that?"

"Maybe people have, they just don't talk about it. I mean... it wasn't anything like I expected."

"What were you expecting?" Tome asked. "Choral singers? Harps? Puppies?"

"But how can something so... beautiful, be so horrible at the same time. That light..." she shivered with the memory. "It was the worse thing I've ever seen," she admitted.

"I know the feeling," said Tome. "I ever tell you about the Lowest Realm? No one really goes there. The journey alone takes ages. You travel through long dark caverns, lower and lower. Finally you step out, past the last of the torches, and you're standing on the edge of the universe overlooking the Lowest realm. There's just a rickety looking wooden jetty hanging out over nothing but black. No walls, no ground, no sky. Just black. No light penetrates it. And if you stand there long enough, you can hear the things inside, whispering, slithering, calling you down."

"And if you descend?" Lil asked.

"Nothing but darkness for all eternity. The Highest and Lowest realms are just the opposites of one another, made when time began. So, if the Lowest realm is the ultimate dark, then the highest would be nothing but the blinding ultimate light. Good, evil... at that point it doesn't matter. They're just the most extremes of both."

Lil sighed. "No wonder Halaphael came back out."

"Speaking of which," said Tome, pulling himself wearily to his feet. "Where did the pendulum land?"

"I couldn't be sure," said Lil. She pointed at the place she had circled on the map. "Around here somewhere. South Whitegrove."

"What's there?"

"I'm not sure. Nothing I'd have thought an angel could hide in. Maybe he was just flying over on his way to Von Drais."

"No, he only goes out at night, after sunset," said Tome. "He craves the dark remember? He'd probably want something like a warehouse, or a boarded up building."

"Well, there's nothing like that down there," said Lil irritably. "Except for..." She looked at the map. So did Tome. They exchanged glances.

"That seems so obvious when you think about it," remarked Tome.

"Yeah. Where is an angel going to go on this plane? If he feels homesick..."

10. Things To Do In Chapter City When Your Soul's Enslaved.

Lil looked up at the church and swallowed.

"What exactly do you plan to do in there?" Tome asked coldly. "Besides the obvious point of dying grotesquely."

"I don't know. But I'm sure this guy can be reasoned with."

"What are you basing that on? Which dismembered body has led you to this conclusion?"

"I can't explain it," she said. "But I looked into his eyes. I saw the pain there."

Tome shook his head. He made to follow her as she climbed the steps to the church's heavy doors, when she turned back to him.

"Uh, maybe you should wait out here," she said.

"Normally if you were walking into certain death, I'd be the first to suggest I wait in the car with the engine running. But you think I'm really going to let you walk by yourself into a room with a psychotic angel? No I take that back. He's not psychotic. Lucifer was psychotic, but at least he was good for a laugh."

"Mike. I can feel it in my heart... in my soul, that Halaphael is not a bad guy. But that doesn't mean I'm going to tempt fate by having you piss him off."

Tome considered this. "Maybe. But..."

"Mike, please," Lil implored him. "Trust me."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Go. I'll wait in the car and try and figure out where the soulstone might be. But if anything happens..."

"I'll scream loudly and you can come in and rescue me."

"Bollocks to that. If anything happens, I'm out of here. I'll be across town before you even hit the ground."

"Gee, Mike. Thanks."

He watched her climb the stairs apprehensively. Then she pushed through the doors and was gone.

The church was unusually dark. All the lights were out, except for a few flickering candles at the altar, under the statue of Christ on the cross. Waning rays of sunlight filtered through a large stained-glass window containing a picture of the Archangel Gabriel. It cast an eerie blue sheen over the pews. Her footsteps echoed through the empty stone chamber, seeming to be more louder than was necessary.

The place was empty. But Lil knew there was something there with her. She could feel it in her heart. Like it was standing right behind her...

Which it was.

"What do you want?" the angel Halaphael demanded. Its voice echoed through the building, making her jump.

She turned to face the angel. It was bare chested, its wings half-folded at its back. Again, Lil was drawn to its eyes. They still burned with painful ferocity.

"Hi," she found herself saying. "Uh, remember me? We met the other night."

"I know you, daughter of Sarael," the angel whispered. "What do you want?"

"I was looking for you," she said.

"Did I not warn you last night," the angel said menacingly. "I told you, if you interfered I would have to kill you." It took a step forward, and Lil backed away hastily.

"You don't want to kill me," Lil reasoned.

"What I want, and what I must do aren't necessarily the same," the angel said simply. "I do what I am bade to do. No more no less." It continued to advance.

"That's not true," replied Lil. "Last night, you could have killed me. And my partner. But you didn't. The last people that got in your way were killed, but last night, you chose to show us mercy. You should have killed us, but you didn't."

"Something for which I shall pay dearly," the angel stated. "Better I kill you now than to prolong my own suffering."

"If that's what you have to do," said Lil. She stood still. "If you are going to kill me, then go ahead. It's not like I can stop you."

The angel paused. "What do you think you can do?" it asked in disbelief. "Do you think you can dissuade me from my path. _Do you think I would be like this if I had any choice at all_?"

Lil flinched. "I only want to help you..."

"I am beyond salvation," the angel snapped. "Beyond redemption. My only hope is that one day I will be consented to return down to the dark, rather than be forced to remain up here. It was cold there. Lightless. And still I burned, the light within me burning so fierce it hurt... But at least I found a measure of peace. I did not have to endure the stares of the others, their hate, their fear..." His gaze wondered from Lil as he spoke, but now snapped right back onto her again. She felt like a deer in the headlights. "But what would you know?" it asked wistfully. "A mortal. What you know of my torment?"

"More than you would think," said Lil. "I know what happened, Halaphael..."

"How could you possibly!"

"I know," she said gently. "I know. You ascended. You went to that place where no one ever ventures. I know what it was like. I've seen it. I wish to god I hadn't, but I saw it, with my own eyes. That light... my god, I can't imagine what it must have been like for you."

The angel was taken aback by this. Its wings twitched. Slowly it backed up and slumped against a row of pews.

"I was happy at first," it said. "So were the others. They were excited as our kind can be. None has ascended to the Highest Realm for untold years. And that I had been the one chosen... It was the greatest honour any could receive." It smiled then, at that distant memory. For a brief moment, Lil saw the creature as it had been. At a different time, in a different place. Laughing, smiling. Headstrong, young for his kind, yet wise beyond measure.

"I do not fully recall what the first days of my ascendancy were like," it went on, its smile gone. "I only remember the pain. The light, ever shining, penetrating my very being. I wasn't sure... what was suppose to happen. The light should have taken me. But I fought it. I was afraid of what would happen, of what I would become. So I resisted.

"I do not know for how long I was there, enduring the pain. Days, weeks, months. The time was irrelevant. It felt like all of eternity. Then finally, I weakened, and I let the light enter me. Then the pain disappeared and I felt such blessed relief! But then... I saw."

It met her eyes, and she saw it was crying. Tears like quicksilver ran down its cheeks.

"What did you see?" Lil asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"Everything," it replied. "I saw everything. Everything that has been. Everything that will be. I saw the whole of creation stretched before me, spinning, dancing in light so beautiful... And I saw it."

"It? It what?"

"The purpose. The reason. Why we exist. Why we ascended. Why there must be black and white, light and dark. I saw, what we must do..." It fell silent, and sobbed. "It was too much. I ran away. I'm not sure how, but I found myself back in my plane, in my home, and I rejoiced. Then I wept, for I had failed them all. I knew the divine plan, and I was too weak to play my part. And the others. They looked at me as if I were an abomination. They believed me cast out, like one of the fallen. Whispering behind my back." Now it grew agitated. "Once I grew tired of the constant gibberish being spoken around me, and I cried out. I cried for silence! And there was silence. And the others, staring at me, like they know longer knew me. My master Icarius stopped looking me in the eye. Those I had grown up with would run flee from me.

"And all the time, the light I had taken with me burned with such vigour, I had to scream out in pain or go mad. So I left. It was the only thing I could do to save those around me from the thing that I had become. I went as all of the fallen do. I descended, into the dark. I found the blackest corner could, and there I lay, to be lost and forgotten. I thought the dark would alleviate the pain I could feel inside. But the light was more powerful than the darkness. I could go no deeper without incurring the wrath of those that waited there. Then I discovered the soulstone. I thought to draw out the light like poison from a wound. I thought that I had succeeded, and I threw the crystal down into the abyss, hoping it would be lost forever into the darkness.

"I learned too late that the light had become apart of me. That in placing it in the soulstone, I had placed a part of myself there also. I had decided to seek it out, when I was dragged across the plane of existence, violently, and found myself here. I did not know what happened. I did not know someone had taken the soulstone, and harnessed its power. And harnessed me..."

Its wings wrapped around around it like a cloak. The angel shuddered as it cried. "There is no salvation for me. I have killed! Stained my hands with the blood of a living creature. Again, and again, and again..."

Lil approached the creature slowly, and gently laid her hand on his head. The touch of another person, so full of compassion and kindness, calmed it. It closed its eyes and sighed.

"It doesn't have to be like this," she whispered to it. "I can help you find the soulstone. Help you return..."

The angel stood so quickly it made her jump back it surprised.

"Are you a fool?" it asked, seething. "Have you heard nothing of what I have said? I am beyond help. _I am a monster_! Look at my hands. These were the hands of a healer. Now had my captor ordered it, they would be stained with your blood! Do you know the abominations I have taken part in? The massacre of those people was nothing. I have tainted myself with every breath I have taken. I have tortured, mutilated, raped, destroyed. I have violated all that is good and decent about my kind. Do you know, the one controlling me had me heal him of one of the most vile and disgusting of the dark diseases? I cured him, though every fibre of my being told me not to, and as a result, the corruption is now within me, eating me away, corrupting what little of my soul I have left. I should have left him to rot, to fall into pieces like so many other demons... But I cannot resist. He owns my soul, and I cannot fight. Because I am weak. All because _I am too weak_."

It stared at her. Then all the fight went out of it, and it walked, slumped past her. It stood with its back to her, staring at the statue of Christ.

"This mortal," it said, "Made the ultimate sacrifice. He gave his life, so that others may live. This mortal knew more courage in his short life than I shall ever know. Go now, daughter of Sarael," it said sadly. "Perhaps, one night, if you are truly unlucky, my master will send me for you. Then you will see for yourself that I have spoken only the truth. Go."

Lil stared at the angel. She did not no what words to say to something so lost. So she turned and left. When she glanced back, the angel was gone.

Tome waited by the car, tapping his foot nervously. He sighed in relief when he saw her.

"Still alive?" he asked. "All limbs still attached?"

Lil climbed into the car without answering.

"I take it," Tome went on as he slid into the driver's seat, "that you found him?"

She nodded. "You have no idea... That angel. It's suffering like no other angel has ever suffered. Being forced to kill, to pervert its own soul."

"Did it see reason?"

"No. It's losing the will to live."

"Should we call Ryan?" asked Tome. "And Von Drais?"

"Anyone who tries to capture that angel is going to die."

"That was kind of the idea."

"We need," Lil said forcefully, "to find that soulstone. Then we can set it free."

"I've been thinking about that," said Tome. He unfolded the map Lil had marked. "The soulstone we saw, you marked it down here." He pointed to the South West corner of the map, just outside the city. "Logically, it would be in the possession of whoever killed Mister Evan."

"I guess."

"There's nothing down here. A few warehouses. Empty fields. And," Tome pointed to a small mark on the map. "Hilton Memorial Airport. Both domestic and international terminals. If you had just been responsible for eight deaths, wouldn't you try to leg it?"

"I guess. But how are we going to find one person at the airport. And that was an hour ago, by now he's probably jumped on a private jet and..." she trailed off. Something in her head just lit up like a light bulb and went ding!

"Well, what do you..."

"Shush," Lil hissed. Something she had just heard the angel say was suddenly on the tip of her brain. It was important, but she couldn't place why. Nor what made her connect it to a private plane.

The corruption is now within me, eating me away, corrupting what little of my soul I have left.

"Holy crap," Lil breathed. She looked at Tome in disbelief. "I just had the mother of all epiphanies. Drive!"

"Where are we going?" Tome asked, pulling out at twice the speed limit.

"The airport," said Lil. "I have some bad news though. We can't let Von Drais get the soulstone or the angel."

"I knew you were going to say that," said Tome with resignation. "You think he'll pay us anyway?"

"I doubt it."

"You think he'll try and kill us?"

"Yep."

He sighed. "Oh, well. I guess I'm going to make it up in karma. This would count as a good deed right?"

"Probably."

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"In a second. First I have to make a few phone calls," Lil replied. She dialled the FBI, praying they weren't too late.

The sun was setting low in the east, and the huge aircraft hangers at the Hilton Memorial Airport cast long shadows over the ground. The short, bald man in the expensive suit left his Mercedes and walked in the convenient shadow and into the hanger.

There were several planes parked inside, shining brightly under the cold fluorescent lights. Most were small single engine Cessnas. The largest was a white private jet that sat in the centre of the hanger.

The short man stared at the plane in disbelief, that stormed over to the single mechanic in the hanger. He was not happy. The mechanic took one look at the man's pointed ears and yellow eyes, and realised he could be in trouble. It was the suit, however, that really made him panic. Nothing can ruin a person's night worse than an unhappy rich jerk. After all, at worse a vampire could only kill you.

"What is going on here?" the short man demanded. "My jet was supposed to be on the tarmac hours ago? What the bloody hell is it doing here?"

"I'm not sure, sir," said the mechanic. He knew the best way to deal with rich folk was to pretend they were right, even if they weren't, and say "sir" a lot. "Sir, I'm sure if you took it up with the proper authorities, sir, that they would tell you everything you need to know. Sir," he added quickly.

"Listen, you little shite, I have an important meeting to catch, and I don't have time to put up with this crap."

"Sir, I'm sorry, sir. I'm sure it's all a misunderstanding, sir. But this plane was reported to have a fault, sir, and I can't, sir, allow it to leave until I have had a chance to look it over, sir." He wondered if perhaps he was overdoing the "sirs". Better safe than sorry, he decided.

"We'll see about this," the short man snapped.

He reached inside his pocket for his phone, then froze as a cold voice said, "I would considered this a stroke of good fortune, William."

Bill made a face, like he had just stepped in something that had gone squish. Then he turned to see Von Drais and his bodyguard Brandtner standing by the entrance. Von Drais was smiling. Bill hated that smile.

"Are you responsible for this?" Bill demanded.

"Of course not," said the Prince. "As I said, a stroke of good fortune. I wouldn't have wanted you to leave without us having one last chat." The smile disappeared. "After all, we have so very much to discuss."

"I'm in a hurry, Von Drais. So if you don't mind..."

"Aren't you going to stay just a little longer? Not planning to see the results of your good work for yourself?"

"What in the hell are you talking about?"

"You know _exactly_ what I am talking about," spat Von Drais. "You sent me that symbol. You were controlling that creature, killing those people. When I am through with you..."

"Oh, spare me your paranoid rantings, you inbred moron. I'm a victim! That thing wants to kill me!"

"If you say so, Bill," said Lil cheerfully. Bill spun to see her and Tome standing behind him, grinning in a way only the pair of them could ever manage.

"Oh, so this is your doing," realised Bill. "I didn't think you'd sink this low. You can't find the real killer so you're going to blame me. You little shites."

"Oh, save it," said Lil. "We both know how full of it you are. All that crap about being a misunderstood vampire in the humans' world. Even that summoning circle _you_ drew in your shop. I admit, you did have me with that one. Nice touch."

"I always knew you two were borderline retarded, but this is a new level of stupid, even for you. But what the hell, I could use a laugh. What makes you think I'm the killer?"

"A few things. Firstly, the letter to Von Drais with the circle drawn on it. Different writing than the others. Secondly, we managed to track down the soulstone you're using to control the creature. It's been here, with you, for the past few hours while you waited for your plane to be checked. Lastly, your case of the CBP cured rather quickly, because you had an _angel_ clear it up for you." She said this last sentence with undisguised venom. "You lying piece of shit."

Bill sighed. His hand shot into his jacket and when it came out, it was holding the soulstone. He held it up menacingly as it emitted a silver light so blinding Lil couldn't look directly at it.

"Okay. So you're not as stupid as I had hoped. I'm going to assume you know what this is," he said.

Lil nodded.

"Good. Now, I could try denying it," he said levelly. "But, screw it, I'm so tired with all this running about. So listen closely. Yes, I killed all of those vampires. And if I had any sense at all, I'd have killed you first." He gestured the crystal at Von Drais. "Sadly, I can't say I was responsible for the death of poor, lamented Mister Evan," he went on. Von Drais's eyes widened. "But your man Brandtner here performed admirably."

Von Drais spun on his body guard. " _You?_ " he said in disbelief. "You have been involved in this all along?"

"If you're feeling like an idiot for not realising it sooner," Tome felt the urge to put in, "that's only because you are one. Who do you think was drawing those circles all over the place? Mister Evan may have been the one staking the places out, but it was sausage boy here who drew the circles with his girly handwriting."

Brandtner just stared back at his prince unsmiling.

"Why?" demanded Von Drais. "After all that I have done-"

"What have you done?" asked Brandtner in amusement. "Travelled the world satisfying your own petty lusts. Lusts for women, lusts for power. You're a disgrace to your family, and to your country."

"Um, are we missing something?" asked Tome.

"Oh, fine. I'll do a monologue, just so that you don't have to die, wondering," said Bill in a put upon tone. "You remember how I told you royalty weren't suppose to make vampires? Well, Von Drais has been a very bad boy. Doesn't kill who he eats, as our laws dictate. He's been vamping people all across the world. Anyone of them could have a legitimate claim to the throne. So, mummy dearest has had to enlist some help to clean up the mess. Mister Evan, Von Drais' most trusted henchman, was offing all the vampires the prince has been foolishly creating. When Von Drais came here to Chapter City, well, Mister Evan was a little out of his depth. The royal insignia doesn't exactly inspire terror and respect out here. The first vamp he tried for turned out to be a retired secret agent from Boravia. Beat the crap out of him. Good old Olson. I was rather annoyed that they called him a mere street vamp in the news. Olson deserved better, but I suppose national security knows best. But the Queen realised that idiot Evan was in over his head. So, she contacted me, since out here I am the man. She made me an offer I couldn't refuse."

"Which was?"

"My old lands, back under my power. See that shitty little republic they set up in my absence isn't going to last forever. Boravia is planning a little war, and after that, my old throne is going to be ripe for the picking."

"I thought you didn't even like your old country?" said Lil.

"I don't. They don't even have MacDonald's yet. But I do like to rule it. Three simple reasons: chicks, money, power."

"Got to admit, Lil," said Tome. "Those are good reasons."

"The angel was, frankly, a stroke of good fortune," Bill continued, on a roll now. "I sent Mister Evan to that weird half-demon to buy a shadow beast. Because with this sort of thing, you want to keep the authorities down the wrong track for as long as possible. They didn't need to know that a vampire was responsible. That idiot Ryan with his single working brain cell would never have figured it out on his own."

"Got that right," agreed Tome loudly.

"I'm surprised Evan even knew what it was," Bill said. "But I guess even stupid people have to get lucky. I knew as soon as I saw it that this thing was more than just a pretty bauble. It had so much power coming out of it, I could have bankrupted the world's oil companies without even trying. I learned to summon the angel, and I bent him to my will. It was stupidly easy," he said to Lil, watching her darkening expression closely. "Angels are so pathetic. They break a nail and they burst into tears. I hope he wasn't a relative of yours. Uncle perhaps? He wasn't dearest daddy was he?"

"Screw you, Bill."

Bill grinned. "Second piece of luck, Brandtner here turned out to be something of an artist. He was a dab hand at summoning circles. I taught him to draw one, gave him the inks I made from the soulstone, and after Evan had made a proper recon of the target, he would sneak in, and paint them a pretty picture. Then my dear, sweet angel would take over. It worked so well. We knew exactly who to go after, thanks to Sabrina. She vamped them all, and then she bragged about it to me."

"So, Von Drais made Sabrina," said Lil, "not you."

"Yes. In France years ago. Screwed her, vamped her, then dumped her. Such a charmer isn't he? I befriended her and gave her a job. Made her the woman she was today. If I'm being honest," he said with seriousness. "I was kind of upset about having to kill her. But business is business. And there was no way I could have stopped her from blabbing forever. Plus, I figured, what the hell, I could take care of you two dicks while I was at it. Only, then Evan has to go and bugger it up. Apparently, whenever the dumbass killed someone in Europe, he left a black snake as a calling card, and last night he just couldn't resist adding that personal touch. I mean Jesus tap dancing Christ, why not just leave a signed confession?"

"Evan was an idiot," said Brandtner as he continued to eyeball Von Drais. "Always talking about all the people he killed. How you had to show your superiority to everyone. He was so surprised when I stuck that knife through his heart."

"He was going to be your fall guy," said Lil. "You planted the summoning circle and the ink to make it look like he was the killer. He had CBP..."

"Which he gave to us, the little shite," said Bill bitterly.

"...so we would have thought he was the one who contacted Delios anyway. Almost perfect."

"Almost," agreed Brandtner. He turned to Bill. "Then you sent him that letter. We never agreed to that."

"It was just my goodbye joke," said Bill. "I wasn't really going to kill him. Just put the fear of god into him. Of course now I am going to have to kill him, obviously. And you two. Don't worry I haven't forgotten you," he smiled at Lil and Tome. "Then I have business to attend to. See, Sabrina was a busy girl. She vamped so many people it's hard to keep track, the little minx. But, hey, they all have to go."

"I will kill you both for this," snarled Von Drais. "You will never get away with this!"

"Oh, you would say something stupid like that," Tome rolled his eyes. "God, you're such a prat."

Von Drais took a step at Brandtner, and froze as the other vampire pulled out his gun.

"I have anti-vampire rounds," Brandtner told him.

"Go ahead," said Bill. "I know you've wanted to do that for some time. Treat yourself."

"Thank you, Bill," replied Brandtner.

"You know something," Bill told Lil. "I am going to miss you. I almost liked you. Not to the point of vamping of course. You I never liked," he told Tome.

"I guess you'll want to do it now," said Tome loudly.

"Actually yes, I do." He raised the soulstone.

"Now," agreed Lil. She closed her eyes, but the light from the stone penetrated all too easily. When Bill released it, it was going to hurt.

"Yes," said Bill.

"For, god's sake, Ryan, what do you want, an invitation!"

"FBI!" boomed several loud voices. Men in kevlar vests and FBI jackets stormed into the building, guns raised. When they had the five of them surrounded, Ryan and Santiago entered.

"Jesus, Hugh, were we suppose to introduce you or what?" asked Lil angrily.

"I'm here aren't I," replied Ryan unperturbed.

Bill looked at the armed men around him impassively. He and Brandtner had not lowered their weapons. Von Drais watched them with undisguised fury.

"It's over Bill,"Lil told him.

"No it's not."

"Bill," Lil said rolling her eyes. "Please, you're not the last stand type."

"I will not be taken alive," said Brandtner.

"Who asked you?" snapped Tome.

"No, he is quite right," said Von Drais. "Brandtner will not go quietly. He knows what will happen should he be incarcerated."

Lil looked at them, and saw that Brandtner was now shaking. Killing Von Drais was one thing, but now he faced his prince's wrath. That were probably worse positions to be in, but all of those involved a volcano in some way.

Bill was thinking the same thing. "I'll tell you everything if I get immunity," he told Ryan.

"Too late. You already spent the last ten minutes blabbing like a school girl," pointed out Tome.

"There's a lot I can tell you," Bill said, ignoring him. "Things you'll want to hear. Things that could make your career."

"First give me the soulstone," interrupted Lil. She held out her hand.

"Sorry Lil. That's evidence. It goes with me," said Ryan.

"Hugh, that belongs to its owner. It his soul for crying out loud!"

"It's a murder weapon... kind of."

"You seriously think you're going to get that to fly in court? Hugh, I am taking that stone..."

"Lil..."

"Perhaps _I_ can be of assistance?"

Half the guns in the room suddenly turned on the three new arrivals. It was as if they had appeared from nowhere. And they had.

Tome looked disgusted. "Roseweed, you pillock. Who invited you?"

Rosewood smiled. He didn't seem at all alarmed by the guns pointed at him. He had two other men behind him, dressed in black robes. One held a rather large machine gun with far more triggers and levers than was normally needed. The other held a staff, and looked far more dangerous.

The FBI and the wizards faced off.

"You. Have got. To be kidding," Ryan said. "Who the hell are you?"

"Who the hell are you?" replied Rosewood.

"Agent Ryan, FBI."

"Amadeus Rosewood, Regulatory Guild." He bowed. "So glad to meet a fellow officer of the law."

"Why are they wearing dresses?" asked Agent Santiago.

"They're robes, and don't ask," replied Lil.

"What exactly are you doing here?" Ryan demanded.

"He wants the soulstone," said Lil coldly. "And you can't let him have it."

"Come now, Miss Shreiber," said Rosewood. "Haven't you had time to think this through? That angel is a danger to everyone on this plane."

"So's Russell Crowe. Go arrest him."

"You've seen that creature for yourself, can't you see it is beyond saving? It has lost its mind."

"I can help it."

"It doesn't want your help," Rosewood said.

"It wants its freedom," Lil replied. "I can give it that."

"I can't allow it to wander freely. I am taking that soulstone."

"No, you're not!"

"Do you think you can stop me, little girl?" Rosewood sneered.

"Excuse me, jerk-wad," said Ryan angrily. "But perhaps you didn't hear me. I said, FBI. That means put down your weapons, or I'll shoot you."

Rosewood gave Ryan a distasteful look. "Listen boy, you have no idea what you are dealing with-"

"I know that I have more men, and more guns," said Ryan matter of factly. "And if we start shooting, we will win."

Rosewood stared at him, then made a complicated gesture with his hand, whereupon Ryan's gun fell apart.

"Whoa," said Lil.

"I can do that," said Tome. "Come on, Ryan, don't take that kind of crap from this ponce."

Ryan stared at the handle of his gun, and the pieces on the floor.

"As you can see," Rosewood said sweetly. "You and your men are far out matched. So just give me the crystal and I will leave you to your business."

Ryan stared at him long and hard. Then Tome appeared and whispered something in his ear. He listened intently.

"Really?" he asked with obvious amusement.

Tome nodded.

"He says," Ryan told Rosewood. "That you wet the bed until you were sixteen and played with dolls. And that you're currently wearing woman's underwear."

Tome twirled his pendulum. "A scryer knows these things," he told Lil.

Rosewood tried to look impassive, but his eyes screamed for blood.

"I'm going to ask you one last time," he said through gritted. "Give me the stone."

"I'm going to tell you one last time, Rosie," Ryan replied. "Kiss my ass."

Silence fell onto the group. The FBI fingered the triggers of their guns nervously. The Guildmen stared at them unblinking, making no move at all. Tome and Lil slowly exchanged looks and began to back away. Brandtner's expression hopped from the FBI around him, to the Guildmen, to Von Drais, still glaring murderously at him.

And Bill started laughing. Lil looked over and saw him staring at the glass windows high near the ceiling. She gasped.

"Sorry," he said. "I just thought that right about now, I could use some company."

Everyone in the room froze. They heard clearly the sound of wings beating.

Then the lights went out, and everyone started shooting.

11. Not The Face.

Lil missed the opening exchange. She was too busy putting her head down and diving for cover. As the hanger lights exploded in sparks and the building plunged into pitch darkness, she found herself sprawled behind a heavy tool chest with Tome, covering her ears as guns began to fire.

"So, great plan by the way," said Tome.

The darkness was suddenly lit by an exchange of gunfire, followed by a huge yellow blast as someone let off a fireball. Shadows flickered on the wall grotesquely as magic was rapidly discharged.

"Not my best," Lil admitted. "I guess you can't plan for everything."

There was more gunfire, then a huge roar like a flamethrower, and lots of people screaming.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" asked Tome.

"Oh, be positive. We might just be horrible wounded."

"And to think I was worried."

The darkness was suddenly filled with a large flash of yellow light. Lil smelt sulphur, then the fireball slammed into the tool chest they were hiding behind. It slid backwards and knocked into them.

"Should we do something?" Lil yelled over the gunfire.

"No thanks," snapped Tome. "High on my list of things not to do before I turn thirty is getting shot in the head." He ducked low as another fireball flew overhead and blew the wing off a nearby plane. "Or fireballed," he went on. "Shot in the head, or fireballed."

"Gee, and both sound like so much fun."

There was a loud boom, and more screaming.

"Well, we have to do something," Lil decided. "We have to get that soulstone off Bill."

"We don't even known where Bill is."

"Take a look."

"You bloody take a look!"

Lil sighed, and raised her head over the top of the tool chest. In the dark she could see only random face lit by muzzle flashes. Then the guildman with the strange gun started firing. Each lever on his gun fired a different type of weapon. She watched as he shot of a volley of bullets, fired a huge cross bow bolt at what looked like Ryan, then lobbed a few grenades about randomly. As one of the bombs went off, she caught sight of a scene not too far away. The guildman with the staff was forcing back a group of agents. They were backed against a plane, shooting desperately. Their bullets just bounced off him.

She ducked back down again.

"The good guys are losing," she told Tome.

"What do you expect me to do about it?"

"Well, you're a warlock aren't you?"

" _Ex_ -warlock!"

"Same thing."

"Look, Lil," Tome said in a surprisingly reasonably tone considering his circumstances. "Magic isn't about waving your hands and saying magic words. It takes time, discipline. I need to focus my aura, prime my spells..."

"Get priming, or someone is going to die. Probably us."

Tome made a face. Then closed his eyes and started breathing deeply. Lil gave him three seconds, then started yanking him to his feet.

"You're primed. Wave your arms and say the magic words..."

"Lil!"

"Look, help them!" Lil pointed at the FBI agents being menaced by the staff wielder.

Tome's jaw was set. He lifted his hands and started the complicated gestures of a spell. So engrossed he was in this, he didn't notice the bullet ping off the chest and narrowly miss him.

Lil felt the energy rising from Tome. His hands began to glow red, and blur with heat. Suddenly the air before began to heat, and with a roar of triumph, Tome released his spell.

It was spectacular. A huge fireball shot away from them at great speed. It had been so hot, the air scalded Lil's skin as it sped away down the hanger. They watched as it bore down on the guildman with the staff... and missed him by miles. It smashed into a nearby Cessna and blew it to pieces. The wizard was blown aside, but so too were all of the FBI agents.

"Oops," said Tome.

"Mike, stop helping them," said Lil simply.

"Maybe I should have started with something smaller," Tome reflected.

A gun fired, and a stream of bullets forced them back down behind cover. But not before Lil saw Bill, hiding underneath his plane. She poked her head around the side of the chest, and spotted him crawling away.

"I saw Bill," she said, climbing to her feet. "Come on."

"Are you..."

" _Come on!_ "

She dragged Tome by the arm, and together they rushed out into the firestorm. Bullets whizzed by her head. Fires flared all over the hanger, and things continued exploding. Lil focussed only on Bill. She had to get the soulstone.

A heavy blast washed over them, and Lil stumbled. She fell on something soft, and realised it was a body. Fortunately, it woke up and swore at her.

"Watch where you are going," Von Drais snapped.

"Are you playing dead?" she asked in amazement.

"I prefer playing dead to being dead, thank you."

"Seen Bill?"

"No. And if I get my hands on him..."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You wouldn't happen to have a gun would you?"

He gave her a small pistol.

"That's a rather wussy gun for a guy," noticed Tome.

Von Drais glared at him, then went back to playing dead.

They ran to the plane, but Bill was gone. As they were about the skirt around it, a heavy shockwave rolled over them and knocked them flat. As they climbed to their feet, the wizard approached. His robes were smouldering, and he didn't look happy. He pointed his staff at them, and a stream of fire leapt from the end directly towards them.

Tome threw himself in front of Lil and made a sign so fast the bones in his wrist cracked. The fire hit, and flowed around the barrier Tome created, barely missing them. When it stopped, Tome yelped in pain, and started beating out the smoke issuing from his coat.

"You bastard," he told the wizard. "That hurt." He looked back at Lil. "Get Bill. I'll be right with you."

Lil looked from Tome to the wizard, and realised he was about to get his butt kicked. But she had no time to help him.

"Good luck," she said, and ran.

Tome regarded his opponent coolly. "What do you say we do this fairly? Hand to hand? None of this poncy staff stuff."

The wizard smiled, and threw aside his staff. "I've heard all about you, Tome," he said.

"Then you know what a dangerous, merciless killer I am."

The wizard raised an eyebrow. "They were right. You are a blithering idiot. But since we're being fair, I'll tell you what. I'll let you have one free shot first. Then I'll kill you."

Tome grinned. "Works for me. Brace yourself, laddo."

He raised both his hands, then lowered them. He did this again twice. Then he twirled them around and made honking noises. He was standing on one leg and hopping when the wizard clucked impatiently and rolled his eyes.

"What on earth are you doing?" he asked.

Tome stopped, and looked disappointed. "What do you think I'm doing, you bloody great womble. I'm distracting you."

At which point, Santiago slammed her gun into the back of the wizard's head and knocked him out cold.

Tome's grin broadened. "I'm sure you've heard this a lot tonight, but that looked hot."

"Thanks."

"So, hey, if you're not busy Saturday..."

"Is this really the time?"

"Guess not... Oh, right. Lil!" Tome sped off. "Thanks for the help. Keep your head down."

Santiago watched him go with a small smile, then she cautiously went off to help Ryan.

He had dodged through the shadows, managing to avoid being shot, incinerated, or blown up. He hadn't been expecting the Guild to show up, but what the hell, it turned out for the best. Bill had had to sneak across half his country to the border after he had been deposed. He was still raw about that. Time may heal all wounds, but Bill had picked at the scab constantly. He wanted that piddly little country back, if only so that he could make every one of those ungrateful, stinking peasants who had dared form that mob against pay. They thought they were so tough, with their flaming torches and pitchforks.

In fact, he decided right then and there, he was outlawing pitchforks as soon as he was back in power.

All he had to do was get away. He had the list of vampire targets he needed to eliminate. He had the soulstone. This time, he wouldn't tip toe around. There would be blood washing down the streets like a tsunami. That angel would be painted red when he was done with it, and then the world would know, all those annoying little shites would know, that no one, _no one_ , screwed around with William de Hood IV.

He found the back door to the hanger, and smiled. Soon the angel would arrive, and everyone in the hanger would be dead. No witnesses. Really, he was so good it was downright scary.

There was yet another explosion in from behind him as another plane went up in flames. As was typical, the Guild had all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. The fire cast his shadow over the wall, huge and ominous.

A second shadow appeared beside it. He froze as he heard the hammer of the gun click.

"Don't move, Bill," Lil told him.

He sighed. _I should have killed her first,_ he lamented.

"Are you going to shoot me, Lil?" he asked in bemusement.

"If you get tetchy with me, yes. I honestly don't care if you're arrested or not. Personally, you're probably safer with Ryan. Von Drais will hunt you down wherever you go."

"If he survives," Bill pointed out.

"Rats like him always find a nook to hide in. But like I said, don't care. But I want that soulstone."

Bill turned slowly to face her. He was taken aback. Her clothes were dirty, her hair a mess. And her eyes bored so forcefully into him, he took an involuntary step back. He knew then, she would shoot him.

"Out of curiosity," he said. "If you had it, would you really give the angel back his soul?"

"Of course I would."

"Even though you know full well what it can do? The power it can give you?"

"I don't want power. It's not mine to take. Or yours."

"That idiot Rosewood was right about one thing though," Bill stalled. "The angel is dangerous. You don't know how it will react when it's let loose. Can you imagine what that thing could do down here?"

"What?" said Lil with a hollow laugh. "Kill people? Pillage? Destroy the world? The sort of things you made it do? Please. I may not be the smartest girl on the planet, but even I know that Ascended Beings work in ways that we on this realm can't possibly fathom. I'm not going to even try to predict how he's going to react. I'm just going to do the right thing, and see where it takes me. So stop stalling, and give me the damn soulstone!"

Bill glared at her. Then slowly reached into his jacket.

"Slowly," she warned him.

Bill took out the soulstone. He held it up for her to see.

"Set it on the ground."

He smiled coldly at her. He bent, as if to comply with her order, then threw the soulstone into the air. Lil's gaze followed it only for a moment, but that was all the time Bill needed. His was one of the old vampire bloodlines, and he could move fast when he wanted to.

Lil had only a sight of a huge blur shooting at her. She squeezed the trigger and fired off a single shot. But Von Drais, because he was such a tool, had only loaded the gun with normal rounds. The bullet hit Bill in the arm and lodged against the bone. He barely felt it as he grabbed Lil by the throat and lifted her off her feet.

"Crap," Lil said weakly.

"I'd agree," snarled Bill. He bared his fangs. "Because I like you, I'll give you a choice. Death, or undeath. What do you say? It's quite a nice life, so to speak. And since I'll soon be ruler of my country again, one day you might even be in line for the throne. Mmmm?"

"I don't look good in black," gasped Lil.

"No? Oh, well, I guess it isn't for everyone. Death then. Bye Lil. It was fun while it..."

Lil pointed the gun at his torso and fired several times wildly. Each bullet hit Bill in his fleshy gut and sprayed blood over her.

Bill looked surprised. He looked down, then made a face.

"Lil!" he snapped in annoyance. "Really! This is an eight hundred dollar suit!"

He threw her aside. She landed roughly, and the gun was knocked from her grip. She quickly crawled backwards from Bill.

"Just for that," Bill said. "I'm going to have to hurt you. Nothing personal. Vampire thing."

"I understand," Lil said calmly, still backing away rapidly.

"Good..." Bill bared his fangs. His pale face was illuminated suddenly by a pale light. Lil stopped and paused. The gunfire had stopped. "Well, looks like my good friend Halaphael has _finally_ decided to make an entrance."

The shooting started up, even more frenzied this time. Flames spluttered and died as the wizards magic was quickly overcome by the more powerful being. Then there was screaming.

"Stop it!" Lil yelled at him. "Make him stop! You don't have to do this."

"Sure I do." Bill spied the soulstone and went to pick it up. "Don't worry he'll be here soon. You can say goodby-"

There was a shrill warcry, and Tome charged out and crash-tackled Bill with all the grace of a cow that's just spent the day feeding in its farmers secret, camouflaged field. They landed awkwardly, the soulstone knocked out of Bill's grasp and went spinning into the darkness.

"What took you so long?" Lil chided, climbing to her feet. She ran after the soulstone.

"I... met... Santiago..." Tome gasped as he waged a rather one sided struggle against the stronger vampire.

"Oh, figures. I'm getting killed so that you can pick up girls. That is just so typical..."

"She... likes me..."

"Why would anyone like you?" Bill put in.

Tome got him in a head lock. "You stay out of this... OW!"

Bill had sunk him fangs into Tomes arm. He slid from the headlock, and got his arm around Tome's neck.

"Cheater," Tome wheezed.

"It was no picnic for me either," replied Bill, spitting disgustedly. He tightened his grip, as Lil suddenly abandoned her search and leapt onto Bill's back. Distracted, Bill let Tome slip away. Triumphantly, Tome turned, and punched the vampire in the jaw with all the strength of freshly baked loaf of bread.

"Could you put a little effort into this?" Lil asked through clenched teeth.

A powerful hand suddenly grabbed a handful of her clothes, and yanked her off Bill. She thrown unceremoniously to the floor, and realised there was only one person who could throw her around with such a specific manner.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw the angel Halaphael standing over her. The gunfire in the distance had gone eerily silent, and Lil swallowed.

"Well, it's about damn time," hissed Bill. Tome lay at his feet clutching at his nose. "Kill her."

Halaphael looked up blankly. "But..."

"Don't _you_ start with me, you glorified, overgrown, song bird. Just kill her."

The angel grabbed Lil, one hand slipping behind her head, the other held tightly to her throat. All the time, staring at her fearfully, unable to control his actions.

The angel implored Bill one last time, "She is of the..."

"Oh, for love of crap, I don't care!" Bill yelled impatient. "I command you! You do what I tell you! NOW KILL HER ALREADY!"

"You don't have to listen to him," Lil tried.

"I have no choice," the angel cried.

"Yes you do!" Lil snapped. The frightened angel routine was getting on her nerves. "You're an Ascended Being! He's just an obnoxious little vampire. He's not even a half breed. How can his power be so much greater than yours..."

"I'm too weak..."

"You're only weak," said Lil, "because you never tried."

The angel stared at her, frozen. In his eyes, she could see the terrible battle of wills taking place. Whatever Bill had done to place the soulstone under his power was strong.

"Listen to me, you feathery moron, kill her, or I will make you suffer like never before," warned Bill.

"Fight him," said Lil. She felt the hands holding her quiver.

"Kill her."

"Fight."

Slowly, needing all of his strength to do so, the angel pulled his hands away from Lil. She quickly pulled herself away.

"What are you doing!" Bill yelled in outrage. "Kill her. I have your soul! I will... I have..." He suddenly realised the soulstone was no longer on him. He patted down his jacket meekly. "I had it somewhere..."

"Looking for this?" asked Tome. He stood holding the soulstone in one hand. It glowed with new ferocity.

"Give that to me!" Bill demanded with intense worry. It was scary to see your most prized possession in Tome's hands.

Tome ignored him, and examined the soulstone. He found a small patch of what appeared to be dried blood.

"Oh," he said with realisation. "A simple blood tie. Clever." He pulled down the sleeve of his coat and started scrubbing the soulstone. With a few quick movements, the blood was gone. There was no flash of holy fire, no bolts of lightning. Just Tome grinning his stupid grin. "There! Good as new."

The angel sagged, and staggered as if a great weight had been lifted. When it stood up again, it was with the bearing of an angel. Its wings spread wide, and its eyes burned with fury as it glared at Bill with utmost hatred.

Bill swallowed. "Okay, look," he said. "I think there may have been a bit of a misunderstanding..."

The angel back handed him across the face. The blow sent the vampire flying with such force, when he impacted into the side of a nearby plane, its fuselage crumpled inwards.

"Ouch," commented Tome. "That had to hurt."

Bill climbed unsteadily to his feet as the angel advanced. "I... please, don't..."

The angel struck him again.

"Do something!" Bill yelled at Tome, who had pulled a chocolate bar from his pocket and was eating it was he watched.

"What with this?" Tome held up the soulstone. "No bloody way. My bladder is doing the hula just holding this thing. You really think I'm going to try and connect with it? What am I, thick?"

Bill cowered beneath the angel's might. Lil gaped with horror.

"Please," he begged.

"Please?" the angel mocked. "How many have said that to me? I have lost count. I killed them all anyway, because of you. Why should you be shown any mercy?"

Bill held his hands up, as though it would act as a barrier. The angel took him by the wrist, and with one rapid motion, ripped his arm from its socket. Bill screamed.

"No!" screamed Lil.

"Ew," said Tome. He put the chocolate bar away. "There goes my appetite for good."

The angel threw the arm away carelessly. It stared back down at the whimpering Bill.

"I want to show you all the pain and suffering that you have inflicted on me," it told him. "Then if I am to return to the dark, I will take one more soul to hell with me..."

It took Bill by the other wrist.

"No," said Lil softly. She placed her hand gently on the angel's arm. "No."

"He has tortured me. Corrupted me..."

"What you've done, you did because you had no choice," Lil said. "You're not a monster, Halaphael. Don't become one now."

The angel hesitated. Then it let Bill go.

"You are lucky, vampire," it told him, "that this woman has more compassion in her heart than I ever will."

"Thank you, Lil," breathed Bill.

"Oh, shut your ugly face, Bill," snapped Lil. "And in case I don't get to tell you later, I lied. Your coffee sucks. By comparison, Starbucks is actually drinkable."

Nothing the angel could have done would have cut as deep as that remark did. Bill cringed.

"That was low," he said. "Why would you say something like that? Below the belt..."

The angel looked at Lil and smiled. "Thank you."

"Shucks, it weren't nothin'" said Lil with a grin.

"I helped," pointed out Tome.

"Yeah, eventually."

"Better late than never."

"What is that? Your family motto?"

"Very touching!" The hammer of a gun was cocked.

Tome turned slowly and glared at Rosewood. The man was badly wounded, and a deep cut on his head bled copiously.

"Roseweed?" Tome looked at the angel distastefully. "Him you let live. Clever."

"As much as I enjoy listening to your clever witticisms," Rosewood said sarcastically. "I'm in a hurry. The soulstone."

"You're a sore loser. It's because of that lacy g-string you're wearing. Riding up underwear always makes me cranky. What kind of wizard uses a gun anyway?"

"One that intends to win." Rosewood turned the gun on Lil and fired. But Halaphael moved with lightning speed and was in front of her before anyone realised it. The bullet entered him just the below the ribcage.

For a moment, he stood, seething at Rosewood, then he fell backwards to the ground.

Lil dropped to his side. "No," she said. "What did you do that for?" She clamped her hand over his wound.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time," the angel replied weakly.

"Black Iron, from the Lower Realms. Forged in the fires of the Inferno," Rosewood explained. "One of the few elements in the universe that will kill an angel. And he can die here, in this realm. Of course, it is only flesh, and that angel is so much more. So just give me the soulstone, and I can help you."

"Don't..." the angel said.

"He'll die if you don't," said Rosewood. "And God knows what happens then. His soul is still there in the stone, so he's stuck here. And since he killed all those people, would he really be allowed to ascend again?"

"Mike, don't you dare give him that stone," Lil said sternly.

"I'm not a complete dunce, Lil. I have figured that out for myself," Tome replied irritably. He looked at the soulstone, which started to throb with power. Then he glanced at the angel. Then he exchanged a look with Lil. "I have an idea."

"Do it," said Lil.

"You aren't going to do anything stupid, are you, Michael?" asked Rosewood.

Tome grinned. "Roseweed, when have I ever not done something stupid?" He lifted the soulstone, and threw it to Lil.

Rosewood followed its descent through the air into Lil's hands, as as Tome ran at him, he shot her. This time for real.

Lil felt the bullet pass through her ribcage and enter something vital. Figures, she thought drily as she fell backwards. She landed on her back next to the angel, her vision turning black as pain overwhelmed her. With her last ounce of strength, she pressed the soulstone into the angel's hand.

She had the satisfaction of hearing it shatter as the angel crushed it, then there was nothing.

When she next awoke, she was understandably disorientated. But her head was clear, and the pain was gone. She stood uneasily, wondering what an odd dream she had just had. For a while there, she thought she had actually been shot.

When she looked down and saw her own body laying prone on the floor she was taken aback.

"Oh," she said simply. She stared at it for a moment. She figured that people had wondrous revelations when they had out of body experiences. All she could decide was that she needed a haircut.

When she glanced around, she realised she was in the hanger still. But there was no light, and everyone was gone. Behind her came a sharp intake of breath. She turned to find Halaphael kneeling on the floor, holding the now dull shards of the soulstone in its hands.

"It is back," it said. "All of it. I can feel it in me... burning." A silver tear ran down his cheek. Lil reached out and gently wiped it away.

"It's all right," she said. "It's part of you. Who you are."

She smiled at him, and the angel smiled back.

A light suddenly came down on them, like a spot light. When Lil shielded her eyes and glanced upwards, she gaped in shock. Everyone knows about the light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel that stretched upwards into realms unseen by human eyes glowed and swirled with colours and beauty that mortal beings could not even see was beyond description. Within, a dark speck rapidly descended, growing with speed as it came lower.

At the last second, it spread wide its wings, and landed gracefully besides them. It was older than Halaphael, though its face was still youthful, and though not as heavily built, it had an aura of power that overwhelmed Lil's senses.

The new angel looked at her, and then to Halaphael. Relief and delight washed visibly over its features.

"Halaphael!" he said. "There you are! We have been searching for you for so long."

"Icarius," breathed Halaphael. "Is it you? Really you?"

"Of course! Who else would it be? What are you doing here? Why could we not see you?"

Halaphael opened and closed his mouth several times, unsure of what to say. He settled for the age old standard, "It is a long story."

"You have suffered," said Icarius. "I can see it..."

"I would have suffered more," said Halaphael. "If it were not for her." He nodded at Lil. "She is the daughter of Sarael."

Icarius looked at her in surprise. "Really? Oh, yes. I see it now."

"I'm Lil," she said, with a timid wave. "Nice to meet you."

"The honour is mine. I wish that I could stay longer, but we must return at once."

Halaphael lowered his head. "Icarius," he said quietly. "I... I have performed great travesties whilst I was in this plane..."

"I have heard," Icarius said with a dissmissive wave. "I do not know the specifics. But my orders are clear. You are to return to the Higher Realms with me at once."

"I will be held accountable for my actions," Halaphael said, not a question.

"Hey," Lil said, "whatever he did, it wasn't his fault. It was all Bill, that vampire. Halaphael did everything against his wishes... Except that thing with the arm. But really, you can't blame him for that."

Icarius looked amused. "I do not intend to take my student to a trial," it said. "We ascended ones work for a far greater power. One that works without question. If we are to return, then I am sure that which has occurred down here has been taken into account."

"Oh," said Lil. "Good. And you thought you were irredeemable," she nudged Halaphael in the arm.

"We should be going before our presence is noted," said Icarius.

"Yes. Let us go," agreed Halaphael enthusiastically.

"Uh," Lil looked at her body. "Am I coming? Or do I have to wait for the elevator down?"

"As I have said, I do not know the specifics," explained Icariius. "But I believe the rules may be stretched, just this once."

"Whew," Lil sighed in relief. "Thanks. Really, thanks a lot!"

Halaphael stood before her, then gently embraced her.

"I cannot thank you enough."

"Keep that in mind next time I cheat on my taxes. And remember," she added. "Whatever happens, there is more strength inside you than you may realise."

They broke off. Halaphael joined Icarius under the tunnel of light. They spread their wings, and with the softest of wingbeats, ascended upwards. Lil stood and watched them go. Soon the two angels were just two dark specks against the swirling myriad of colours in the tunnel. And as they reached the very top, Lil looked upwards and saw what lay at the end.

She stared unblinking at the Higher Realms, never before truly believing that such a place could exist. The human mind had no way of fully comprehending what it was like, but Lil was more than human. She could do nothing but stare, and felt wetness on her cheeks and realise she was crying. When she wiped her face, she found that the tears were silver.

As quickly as it had appeared, the light vanished, and Lil was left in the dark.

She sat up so fast it made Tome jump, and was wracked with a violent fit of coughing. Something was lodged in her throat, and when she spat it out, she found it was a bullet.

"Are you alright?" Tome asked in shock. "I swore that bugger got you..."

"I'm fine," Lil replied. She was. Better than fine. There was a blood on her shirt, and a hole made by the bullet, but her skin underneath was unscarred. She was almost disappointed. No one would ever believe she had been shot and killed. Neither of them noticed that the bruises on her face had also vanished.

"I thought you were dead," Tome said, as he helped her to her feet.

"I was. But I got better."

She looked around. There were FBI agents everywhere, looking confused. Some had large patches burned in their clothes, but the flesh underneath was healthy.

"What happened?" she asked. "Did we get Rosewood?"

"No," Tome said with contempt. "The little sod disappeared with all his cronies."

"What about Bill?"

"Ryan's got him. Brandtner was killed. Von Drais, unsurprisingly, didn't even break a nail..."

Lil looked around. "And Halaphael's body."

"One minute it was there, the next..." He shrugged.

Lil just smiled. Then she noticed Tome was holding something. "What is _that_?"

"What does it look like?"

"It looks like someone's arm."

"Bill's actually."

"And you have it because...?"

He grinned. "Might come in handy."

They found Ryan having a heated discussion with Von Drais.

"And I must stress again," said Von Drais, "that you really do not have any case against Mister de Hood here. No witnesses, no evidence. Just his word."

"And I admit to everything," said Bill. He stood, minus one limb, between two huge FBI agents. "I confess it all. I murdered those people with Brandtner. Arrest me." Bill looked worried. And rightly so. Incarcerated by the FBI he might just a measure of protection. On the street, it was only a matter of time before Von Drais caught up with him.

"And poor Mister Brandtner, his life taken," said Von Drais. "Who will collaborate your story?"

"What point are you trying to make?" asked Ryan wearily.

"Simply that it is hardly worth the effort arresting this man. Your case has no chance of reaching the high courts."

"So arrest him for assaulting an agent," suggested Tome.

"When did he do that?" Santiago asked.

Tome walked up to Ryan and hit him, hard, with Bill's severed arm.

" _Ow!_ "

"Just then," Tome smirked.

"What is wrong with you?" Ryan snapped.

"It's a mystery," Tome admitted. "I'm just full of enigmas."

"You're full of something," Ryan said. He rubbed his arm, then nodded to Santiago. "Take him away. Murder, conspiracy, and assaulting a federal agent."

"Wait a second," Bill objected as they dragged him away. "That's my arm! Hey, wait-"

"Finders keepers," Tome called to him. He slung the arm over his shoulder proudly. Ryan gave him a look, and shook his head.

"Let's clear the place for forensics," he said to his men. "Oh, and Lil."

"Yeah, Hugh?"

"This is the only time I'm going to say this, so listen close. Good job."

"Thanks, Hugh."

"Hey, I helped," said Tome.

"If that's what you call it," said Ryan dismissively as he walked away.

"That's typical. We save the day and as always, you get all the credit," he look at Lil irritably. "Typical. Just. Typical."

She smiled at him sweetly. The turned to Von Drais. "So," she said. "About our money..."

Von Drais raised an eyebrow. "Money. My dear Miss Shreiber, the conditions of our deal were payment only when you delivered to me the killer. And as you can see, dear William has been taken by someone else."

"I delivered my part of the bargain," said Lil. "I gave you his name. I told you where he was."

"You also told the FBI," replied Von Drais. "Before you told me. So, I am afraid our contract is void."

"Oh, you son of a..."

"I would suggest you think carefully before you finish that sentence," warned Von Drais.

"Yeah, Lil," said Tome. "If you yell at him too loudly, he might fall down and play dead again. He may even wet himself." He stood nose to nose with Von Drais fearlessly. "Listen, princey. We worked for you for two days, and we are entitled to payment for those two days. Got it?" He thumped Bill's hand into Von Drais's chest to make his point.

Von Drais stared back at him for a few moments. "Fine," he said, defeated. "Send me the bill."

With that, he pushed roughly past Tome and strode away.

"Git. Can't believe we were actually scared of that guy. So," he said to Lil "You died then?"

"Apparently," replied Lil. They slowly made their way to the exit where dark cars with flashing lights were accumulating.

"What was Heaven like?" he asked.

"You know, the usual. Clouds, blue skies, harps, pearly gates."

"I don't suppose you managed to put in a good word for me?"

"Sorry. The opportunity never came up."

Tome rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. "That is just like you," he chided. "You've already got a nice plot rented out, and you're still going to let me burn in hell aren't you?"

"Sorry, Mike."

"Ah, forget it," he waved Bill's hand dismissively. "I wouldn't have liked it anyway. All those do gooders. I'll just live forever."

"Sounds like a plan. Uh, Mike, are you planning to keep that." She nodded to the arm Tome had slung heroically over his shoulder.

"Sure, never know when you might need a spare."

"You are nuts. Anyway, I thought you were screamish of dead bodies?"

"I was," Tome replied. "But like you said this morning, I think I'm getting desensitised. Besides, Bill really had nice hands. Look at this..."

"Keep that thing away from me..."

"And he still has his watch on. Looks expensive." Tome grinned. He looked down at his own arm, which was bleeding from where he was bitten. "Remind me to get my shots," he said. "Otherwise I'll get vamped, and you're the first one I'm coming after."

"Why bother? You're British. All pasty skin and snobby. You're practically undead as it is."

"Hey, be nice, or I won't split the money with you."

Lil looked at him suspiciously. "What money?"

"The money I'm going to get out of Von Drais' wallet when we get out of here."

"You picked his pocket?"

"He owes us."

Lil shook her head with resignation and more than a little pride. _What the hell,_ she thought. I'll make for it tomorrow.

Epilogue

The next few days passed uneventfully. Bill went to prison, but was bailed out. When Lil checked, his crypt was empty and his shops were closed. Starbucks eventually purchased the lot. He was never heard from again.

Santiago, somehow, sent back Tome's Anasasi snake charm along with two Shadow Vipers they had found in Mister Evan's room. Tome christened them Snuffy II and Huffy. Lil forbade him from ever again bringing them to the office, once she had climbed down from her desk. And that went doubly for Bill's arm.

Sadly for Tome, Santiago was busy on the weekend. He suspected that Ryan was purposely making her work late to stop him taking her out. But he wasn't put off. Rather, he liked the competition. Ryan wouldn't know what hit him...

As the days passed, Lil found herself overcome by a slight depression. It only occurred to her after the moment had come and gone what an opportunity she had wasted. When was she ever going to meet another flesh and blood angel from the Higher Realms?

On Monday, Tome came into the office, late. He was whistling a tune cheerfully.

"Please tell me you aren't still thinking about that angel?" he said when he saw Lil's expression.

"I can't help it. All this time, I've been trying to find out about my father, and the moment I finally get a chance to talk to an angel, I forget to ask."

"Stop beating yourself up about it," Tome told her. "You'll get another chance."

"Seeing an Ascended Being is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"Think of it this way. Tomorrow, you might get hit by a bus."

Lil looked up. "You're just saying that."

"No, it could happen. Lot of crappy drivers out there."

"I guess."

"You just need to take your mind off things. I heard Ryan has a new case. Want to go have a shufti?"

"No thanks. You just want to go ogle Santiago."

"Sure, if the opportunity arises. Oh, come on! Let's go do battle with the forces of darkness... and whatever creature Ryan's looking for now. It'll be fun. You might even die again."

The intercom buzzed.

"Lil," Amy said. "Mrs Dresden is on line one. Apparently, Mister Dresden is pregnant."

"Come again?"

"He got knocked up by Frank the tentacle beast. Mrs Dresden wants you to find it so she can file a paternity suit. Or maternity suit. Whatever."

Tome looked at her and grinned. Despite herself she grinned back.

"Okay, put her through," she said. She picked up the phone. "Lil Shreiber. How can I help you?"

Author's Notes:

Andrew Day lives in Brisbane, Australia. His hobbies include writing, avoiding direct sunlight, and preparing the Earth for the day the ancient dark gods of chaos rise from the shadowy depths to consume us utterly. You know, if they can be bothered.

This story was started over ten years ago, and finished at the very end of 2005. I started it when I was still in university, and I probably spent more time writing this when I should have been doing more important things like studying. It was the first long novella that I had ever actually managed to finish writing, and though it's far from perfect, I'm pretty proud of it.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. If you have the time or inclination, please leave a review on the site you found it on and let me know it you liked or hated it. Likewise, you can contact me at hollow.within.us@gmail.com.

Shreiber and Tome: Vessels.

1. Dead Men With Excellent Penmanship.

Lil paused in her work and looked up. A strange scent had suddenly filled her office. She sniffed the air, and called to her partner across the room.

"Mike?"

Michael Tome, ex-warlock and natural scryer, looked up from where he was pretending to work. "What?" he asked irritably.

"Can you smell that?"

Tome sniffed the air, then himself. "Not me."

"I didn't say it was..."

"I mean, I have bathed today, unlike some people."

"What are you implying?" Lil asked. "I've been working all night, haven't I? Besides, even on my worse day I can honestly say I've never smelt of..." She sniffed the air again. "Formaldehyde? I'm strictly a lavender girl."

Her intercom buzzed.

"Lil," the tiny voice of their secretary Amy came through the speaker. "Ders a guy here askin for you."

Lil stared at the speaker. "Are you holding your nose?"

"I'm sending him in, den I'm getting some air," Amy replied with infinite patience. 'I think he's a client. But I'm not sure."

"Why don't you ask him?"

"I tried dat already."

"Oh, just send him in," Lil said finally. She rolled her eyes.

"I told you we should have hired that imp," Tome told her. "Amy's good. But she lacks the sort of qualities one looks for in a minion. All you need a few strokes of a whip, and an imp is yours for life."

"I thought you said they were impossible to house-train?"

"A few newspapers would sort that problem out. Bloody hell, what is that smell?"

The door to their office opened, and their visitor entered carrying with him the mystery scent. The man was tall and incredibly gaunt. The angles of his skull were all too visible beneath his dour face. His skin was pale, but tinged with a slight green hue, and his white hair was receding back across a high forehead. His outfit struck Lil as the kind normally seen on a particularly manic depressive undertaker. Black suit and tie, and a white shirt. A bowler hat was held in his hands, and he twisted it nervously.

The smell was overwhelming now, and clearly coming from the man. He stared about the office with glassy grey eyes, and did not blink once. Then his gaze fell onto Lil, and she felt shivers run down her spine.

"Can we help you?" Lil asked, trying to breathe through her mouth while appearing not to.

The man nodded, then cleared his throat with a dry rattling sound that made her wince.

" _Brains_ ," he said.

Lil and Tome exchanged looks.

"Come again?"

"Brains," the man said solemnly.

"See," said Tome. "That's what I thought he said."

"Brains," the man repeated, this time with a hint of impatience. He sighed, again with an unsettling dry rush of air through unused passages, and reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out a folded sheet of paper and handed it across the desk to Lil.

Lil unfolded the paper warily, and read through it.

"What's he want?" Tome asked.

"It says his name is Zachariah Jones," Lil read. " _Good afternoon, I'm sorry I cannot talk to you through normal methods, but my current state of undeath sadly prevents the use of speech in anything but a descriptive sense. My name is Zachariah Jones, and I wish to hire your services. I am a good friend of Mister Eldred Holden, for whom you have previously performed a service..._ "

"Holden..." Tome said thoughtfully. "The guy that wanted to know if his wife was cheating on him with his evil double? Except, turned out he was the evil double, and his whole family was being replaced by evil doppelgangers."

"Brains," Zombie Zach nodded.

"That family had more duplicates than Paris Hilton's porn movie."

"But we got it in the end," Lil remembered. "And all we needed was a permanent marker. Anyway." She turned back to the letter. " _I was told you were very skilled investigators and a situation has turned up with which I require aid. I have heard that you specialise in cases that involve the supernatural, and as you can imagine from looking at me, my situation is quite, if you will excuse the expression, out there._

" _Please allow me to explain further. I was murdered in 1932 over a gambling debt I had failed to pay. For reasons that I am unable to satisfactorily explain, I returned from the dead as a zombie. It is not a lifestyle as exciting as the movies make it out to be. I retain all of my senses and memories but now have a one word vocabulary which, you can imagine, makes conversations quite difficult. Especially around vegetarians. The only job that I could get was as a grave digger. I have since taken over as caretaker of the Verdant Hills Cemetery, where I ensure that the inhabitants have no reason to come back as I did._

" _I do not ask to employ you for myself, for I have long since come to terms with my lack of life lifestyle. There is a matter of greater importance that I need your help with. A few days ago, my great-grand daughter went missing. She was always a troubled young girl, but I fear the worse, especially as her disappearance may be my fault._

" _I have recently attempted to reconcile with my long estranged family. Sarah, my great-grand daughter was particularly reluctant. I did make an effort, and a week or so ago I gave her a present that I thought she would appreciate. It was a small silver pendant with a red stone in its centre. Very goth. Sarah did not say anything, but I could tell she liked it. However, not long afterwards, she became quite sullen and introverted. At least, more so. Her mother told me that she was acting quite strange, even for a teenager. She would stay out later than she was allowed. And I am told she redecorated her room in a manner her mother tells me is quite frightening. Then she disappeared, and the police have no clue. They assume that she is just another run away, but I know something evil has befallen her. And I just know it has to do with that pendant._

" _Sarah's father was against my involvement, and they do not know that I am attempting to hire a private detective. But I feel so guilty, and I am afraid I may have caused my family to suffer greatly._

" _I have little funds, but I am prepared to pay whatever is necessary if you help me find Sarah._ "

Lil looked up from the note to the zombie.

"I'm very sorry for your loss,' she said gently. 'But we don't really specialise in missing persons."

"If she were a terrier," Tome added, "we'd be all over it."

"Is there any reason why you think Sarah's disappearance is in any way, um... unnatural?" Lil asked.

Zach nodded. "Brains," he said with feeling.

"The pendant you gave her?"

"Brains."

"What was so special about this pendant?"

Zach reached into his pocket and pulled out another sheet of paper which he again handed to Lil. As she unfolded it, Tome came over and looked over her shoulder.

On the paper was a detailed drawing of the pendant, surrounded by notes made in Zach's' neat script. The pendant was apparently a circle of silver. Engraved on the front was a strange hexagonal shape made up of six lines of neat, linked writing of some unknown language. On the back was a series of curved lines running up and down its surface. Placed in the center of the pendant was a small tear drop shaped stone, blood red in colour. All this Lil discerned from Zach's careful notes. He was apparently quite meticulous.

"What do you think?" she asked Tome.

"Looks nothing special," Tome said. "But there is something vaguely familiar about it..."

"You didn't sell it to him did you?" Lil asked suspiciously. Tome had a habit of selling dodgy witch charms when she wasn't looking.

Tome sighed over-dramatically. "You have no faith in me whatsoever, do you? My days of underhanded malfeasance are well and truly behind me."

"Since when?"

"Since Amos Zane discovered the Anasasi Witch charms I sold him weren't made using the traditional components."

"And what were they made of?" Lil couldn't help but ask. History had taught her to assume the worst when it came to Tome.

"Afghan," Tome replied.

"Rug, or hound?"

"Hound. I mean who would have thought the evil git knew so much about Native American enchantments. Or breeds of idiotic dogs. To be fair, where was I suppose to get locks of hair from a virgin, cut off under a full moon?"

Lil shook her head. "So, I guess you aren't the only miscreant selling bogus magical charms in this city. Who'd have thought it, someone else with as little morals as you."

"And muscling in on my territory," Tome said with annoyance. He turned to Zach. "I don't suppose you remember who sold you this thing?"

"Brains," Zach said, and nodded at the sheet on Lil's desk. In the corner was written: _Honest Hjel the Jeweller,_ along with an address.

Tome frowned. "I've heard of the place, but I could have sworn it was downtown," he said.

"Brains?" Zach asked expectantly.

Lil took this to mean: Will you take the job?

"What do you think, Mike?" she asked her partner.

Tome shrugged. "I've got bugger all else to do today."

Lil gave Zach her most reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Mister Jones. I can't offer any guarantees, but I can promise you that if your daughter is still in the city, we'll find her."

What shape she would be in however, Lil thought, was out of their hands.

"Okay, Lil," Tome said enthusiastically. "Let's go kick some evil arse. And if there's time, some good arse as well. No sense in leaving them out. What's first?"

"Well... The easiest thing to do would be to let you scry for her. But first, we need to clear up a few things..."

The 84th precinct house of the Chapter City Police Department had recently had a makeover. Its glass front was now shiny and clean, as if to reflect the law enforcers within: Transparent, modern and streamlined.

And most likely on the take, if the rumours were true. The 84th wasn't exactly on the front line of the war against crime. Most of the crimes reported were against bankers, stockbrokers, and other sorts who could afford a new BMW every year. Most of the crimes committed by them tended to disappear in the time it took to transfer a few funds.

Lil pushed through the glass revolving doors and found herself in a foyer that belonged in some swanky new government building. There was no graffiti, no mysterious stains of long lost vomit or blood, no message board with wanted signs pinned up. There weren't even any suspicious looking perps in hand cuffs lurking about. Lil was disappointed. It was like she was let down by every cop show she'd ever seen.

She caught the elevator up to the Robbery/Homicide Division. The room was filled with empty desks, all of them arranged in inhumanly neat rows, and so clean one could actually consider doing work on one. All of the desks, that is, except one hidden conveniently at the back.

Lil made her way over to where Detectives Louis Franco and Maria Richards "worked". Louis was a big man who always seemed to have a stain of some description down his front. He was so slovenly that Lil, a woman whose idea of cleaning was, if you can't see the stains it was clean, considered herself a neat freak by comparison. His desk was carefully stationed so that visiting officials who looked in from the outside couldn't see the piles of unfinished paper work, the take out food wrappers and the pair of old sneakers that had sat on his desk for as long as Lil knew him, and whose presence could never be satisfactorily explained. It wasn't like Louis ever ran, he'd probably keel over and just die at the thought of chasing down a suspect. But there were the sneakers, awaiting the day that hell finally froze over and Louis got up and exercised his fat butt.

Maria Richards was the complete opposite of her partner, neat and methodical. Her desk always adhered to regulation cleanliness. On the surface, she was a pretty brunette who looked younger than the thirty four years her files listed as her age. But as Lil knew well, squeaky clean Maria had her secrets.

"Hey, Lil," Louis greeted her. "What new exciting case is Chapter City's greatest private dick working on today?"

"Your murder if you every call me a private dick again," Lil replied. "Have you ever considered renting your desk out? You could make millions if you let other cities dump their garbage there as well."

"Don't give him ideas like that, Lil," Maria chided. "You know what it's like working downwind from him as it is?"

"What you talking about?" Louis said with a hurt tone. "I happen to have a natural, masculine scent."

"A grown man should not smell of McDonald's. Do you sweat secret sauce or something?"

"Hey, the ladies like my scent just fine."

"Oh, yeah," Lil put in. "Right now, it's taking all of my self control not to throw myself on you. Self control and... is that a pickle on your tie?"

"Hey, I wondered where that went," Louis said in surprise and peeled the former contents of his lunch off his clothes. Then ate it.

Maria made a face. "See what I have to put up with?"

"You think you've got it bad? You have met my partner Mike Tome, right?"

Maria opened her mouth to reply, but instead looked at her partner eating a pickle that had most likely been on his shirt for several hours, then thought about what she knew of Tome.

"Okay you win," she admitted to Lil. "So why are you here?"

"Can we talk in private?"

Maria nodded towards the observation room.

"What, I'm not good enough to talk to any more?" complained Louis.

"I just don't want to be distracted by your musk of two all-beef-patties is all," Lil replied.

"Breaking my heart, babe."

Maria led her into the dimly lit room overlooking the interview rooms. She closed the door firmly behind her.

"So how're things?" Lil asked.

"Oh, can't complain. I get plenty of exercise and lot's of perps to eat," Maria replied.

"Yeah, the change in scenery suits you."

"I know. A diet solely of crack addicts is murder on the hips. So did you come for small talk, or do you want me to disembowel someone for you?"

She smiled playfully as she said this, but Lil had no doubt she meant every word. She and Tome had known Maria was a demoness for years. It helped to have someone in the police force that they could easily blackmail. Not that Maria was never anything but useful.

Maria Richards was actually Maira Riktor, a descendant of a warrior demon clan that had been exiled from the Lower Realms after the rebellion of Lucifer Morningstar in Heaven and his subsequent fall. According to Tome, her clan had fought the fallen angel and his minions to the death, and with the fall of the original demon lords and the rise of the Devil as ruler of Hell, had been forced from their home rather than submit to his will.

The arrival of demons on earth resulted in what Tome like to call, Happy Hour. Chaos, destruction, murder, only now there were demons present as well. Not that anyone noticed. Big scary men who killed and pillaged without provocation weren't just welcomed in some parts of the world, they were made kings. Why anyone would think Vlad the Impaler was human was anyone's guess.

Many years of interbreeding with humans left the few remaining members of the clan such as Maira Riktor looking almost normal. The demon side only came out on rare occasions. Usually heralded by the hunting, killing and eating of flesh of some poor bystander.

Maria tried to overcome her demonic heritage by only killing criminals. And in a place like Chapter city, there were plenty. Working in the 84th gave her access to a better class of criminal, usually someone actually worth killing and eating.

Lil always tried to overlook this side of her. She'd seen the demonic half in all its horrible glory, but tried to focus on the human side. Maria Richards was a kind, caring woman, and a good cop when she wasn't dining on her suspects.

Besides, Lil liked the idea of a half demon and a half angel being friends. Opposite sides coming together in harmony for the common cause of making fun of Michael Tome.

"I don't suppose you know of a missing persons case that came in a couple days ago?" Lil asked. "Sixteen year old girl, thought to have run away from home."

"I seem to recall hearing something like that," Maria said. "Considering how fast a missing persons case can become a homicide, I try to keep in touch."

"The girl's great-grandfather's dead."

"So are most peoples."

"This one is still walking around."

Maria nodded in understanding. "Now I remember. The guys in missing persons were drawing straws to see who had to interview him. Zombies aren't bad, provided you stay up wind."

"Zombie Grandfather just hired me to help track her down," Lil explained. "I was hoping I could get a look at the file."

"You're kidding right?" Maria asked. "You want me to sneak you a copy of a police file?"

"It would save me a lot of time. Besides, the police aren't exactly going to look hard into this. They think the girl's a runaway."

"And you don't?"

"Call it a hunch. I'm like a magnet for weird, why would this come to me if it wasn't funky?"

"I suppose," Maria conceded. "And you're wrong, actually. As of this morning, missing persons are giving the case their full attention."

"Why the change?" Lil asked.

"A couple of FBI agents from Sub-Human Control were asking about it. You know that guy Ryan? The one who hates you? He and that woman Santiago seemed to think there was something not quite right about the runaway theory."

"Like what?"

Maria shrugged. "Not my department. Hey, is Santiago the one who has a thing for Mike?"

"Yep. You wouldn't think it would you?"

"No, she looks so normal. Anyway, because the FBI are interested, the police are damn sure not going to let a couple of Feds take over the case. If it turns out something bad has happened to the girl, better if it looks like someone at least tried to find her than just pawning it off on the FBI."

"Wow, I never knew inter-agency politics was so interesting."

"It's like a daytime soap, only more bitchy."

"But seriously, what would make Hugh Ryan take an interest? I mean, the guy isn't exactly with an excess of imagination."

Maria shrugged again. "Who knows? Like you said, weird gravitates towards you."

"Look, Maria," Lil said. "I know this is asking a lot..."

"But you want me to spy on missing persons and keep you up to speed."

"More or less."

"Fine," Maria sighed. "Because I like you. And you were considerate enough not to bring Mike along."

"He doesn't like going into places where everyone has a gun and hates him."

"Which brings up another question. Have you spoken to the family yet?"

Lil shook her head. "That was my next stop."

"Don't bring Mike there either. Situations like this need someone with tact..."

"Don't worry," Lil told her. "I gave him the perfect job."

"She could have at least lent us the car," Tome complained. "It's not like the police station was that far. Only a few miles..."

"Brains," agreed Zombie Zach.

On the plus side, Tome reflected, travelling on the bus with a rather ripe smelling zombie at least guaranteed you some space. The other passengers had all eventually drifted to the back, and sat with their faces covered. Tome thought that was silly. A little formaldehyde never hurt anyone.

"Brains," Zach said.

"Oh, I know, mate. Don't get me started."

"Brains."

"You said it."

There were a few muffled cheers as they disembarked at their stop.

"Was it around here?" Tome asked.

"Brains," Zach said. He led them down the street.

Tome read the address on the paper again. The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. He could have sworn the place was in another part of town.

Zach stopped dead. Tome looked at the address on the paper, then back at the alley between a fried chicken shop and a florist. The shop they wanted was _Honest Hjel the Jeweller_ , number 102. The chicken place was 101, and the florist 103. There was no other shops on the street.

"You sure this was it?" Tome asked.

"Brains," Zach nodded.

"Did he operate out of a trash can?"

"Brains!" Zach snapped irritably.

"Okay, okay. Keep your stitches on." Tome fished into one of the many pockets of his grubby black trench coat and took out his pendulum. It was a small pointed crystal tied to a piece of string, and the most useful tool a natural born scryer like him could use.

He held it out and let it twirl, letting the auras of the place draw into him. He felt... Jovial, happy. He could smell polish and incense. There was something... shiny? It pleased him...

"Oh, for God's sakes..." he said. He nodded to Zach. "This way."

They set off into the alley, and Tome stopped them halfway down. On the walls were large black markings that rose up six feet on either side of them. The markings were a mixture of strange Celtic symbols and runes, and a weird linked script. On closer examination, Tome could just make of the words _Honest Hjel the Jeweller_ hidden in the scrawl.

"That cheap little..." Tome sighed. He put away his pendulum, and pulled out a small pull string bag. He took a small handful of white powder from the bag, and blew it into the air, directly in the space between the two columns of writing. The air rippled like water.

Tome rolled his eyes. Rippling air? Who still used that? Bloody showboaters, that's who.

"Come on," he told Zach. He stepped into the shifting column of air, and instantly found himself in the dingiest looking shop he had ever seen.

"Brains?" Zach asked in surprise.

"Relax. It was a space-time portal. The cheap sod who owns this place just doesn't want to pay rent so he sets up a fake store front in an alley somewhere, and makes a portal behind it. When you enter the store, you just pass through the portal and end up..."

" _Welcome, welcome_..." came a suddenly call.

They turned to see a little man enter via a set of stairs that led to the upper floor. He wore a white tunic, a fez, and a disconcerting smile that showed off his impossibly white teeth.

"I am Honest Hjel, and welcome to my..." he froze, the smile locked on his face as he saw Tome. "Shit," he said.

"I knew it!" Tome said triumphantly. "Crazy Ed, what the hell are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing," replied Honest Hjel, AKA Crazy Eddie Lightfoot, purveyor of Anasasi Magic Charms. "This is a respectable shop, Tome," he said, all of the joviality going out of his voice. "We don't need the likes of you here. Beat it."

"Respectable? You?" Tome snorted. "Please. What game are you playing?"

"Unlike some people, I do have a proper legitimate business here."

"Selling demonic jewellery?"

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to do? That jerk Ryan raided my warehouse and stole all my pony hair. What am I suppose to make charms out of?"

"Afghan worked well."

Crazy Eddie gave him a cold stare. "Dog hair? Are you insane? Everyone knows you're only supposed to use pony."

"I thought," Tome replied, "you were supposed to use the hair of an Anasasi maiden, cut off under a full moon on the night she reaches womanhood?"

"Oh really? Do you see any Anasasi maidens around here, Tome? Do you think I keep them hidden under my sofa, or what? It's pony, or nothing."

"Pony, dog, who can tell the difference?"

"Remind me," Crazy Eddie said coldly. "How many of your limbs is Amos Zane planning to break? Two or three?"

"Oh, you know it's all four," Tome replied, nonplussed.

"See, that's your problem, Tome. No imagination. You're stuck pulling off the same old schemes day after day. Well, I'm moving up in the world. I've got my own business now, with my own shop..."

"Fake shop," Tome pointed out. "This is your basement isn't it?"

"Yeah, man. Because I can afford to rent an actual shop peddling plaited pony hair. What planet do you live on?"

"Brains," Zach interrupted. "Brains."

"Good point, sorry," Tome said.

"What did he say?" asked Crazy Eddie.

"He said: "Brains". Weren't you listening? But he's right. I'm not here to argue... about this anyway. I want to know everything about this." Tome held up the drawing of the pendant.

Crazy Ed looked at the drawing closely. "What about it?"

"Did you sell it then, you dodgy twat?"

Crazy Ed rolled his eyes. "Maybe."

"Brains!"

"Okay! I sold it to him. But buyer beware, man. Just because you didn't know it was a fake..."

"Fake?" Tome interrupted. "It's a fake?"

"For thirty-three fifty plus tax it had damn well better be," Crazy Ed replied. He sighed and led them to the counter. That is, the several wooden crates he set up to act as a counter. "Look," he started. "It's like this. After my little... brush with Johnny Law, I ran into an old friend of mine from down below... And I don't mean Australia."

"I got it, Ed," Tome rolled his eyes.

"I mean Hell," Ed clarified. "He'd landed himself in some trouble, and was looking to rid himself of some, shall we say, objects of questionable ownership."

"If there's a better kind of object, I haven't found it," Tome agreed.

"Well, you understand then. Who was I to pass by this opportunity?"

"You're only human."

"Exactly. It's not like I'm hurting anyone. I saw a chance to go straight... well, straight-ish, at any rate, and I took it. I mean, it's not as if any of this stuff is authentic, I mean, come on!" He reached behind the counter and held up a white teddy bear. "The guy tried to tell me this was Azaezel's teddy bear. Seriously!"

"What a load of crap!" Tome said. "Everyone knows Azaezel's bear is brown!"

"I know! With the little black eyes that consume your soul..."

"The cutest killing machine in the Lower Realms, everyone knows that!"

"So what's the harm, eh? It's all basically crap. Well, except for..." he trailed off.

"Except for?"

Crazy Ed put the bear away, and pulled out a small bundle of cloth that he reverently laid down on the counter.

"When I first saw this, I admit I was a little surprised," he said. He unwrapped the cloth carefully. Inside was the pendant that Zach had bought before.

"Brains!" Zach said accusingly.

"Hey, calm down, man. Like I said, if you didn't realise it was a fake..."

"Hold it," Tome said. "You're telling me you sold Zach here a fake?"

"If you let me explain, yes I did. I could tell he wasn't going to afford the real deal. He's dead after all. And along with the real thing here, I got my hands on some nice little duplicates. Real quality stuff though," he added. "Real fake silver and everything."

"Really. What exactly is this thing?"

"Far as I can tell, the emblem of some demon."

"Which demon?"

"Tome," Ed said patiently. "I'm just a simple Anasasi boy trying to make a living in the stupid white man's world. Demonology is _your_ department. I just make the crappy charms that losers like you think keep you safe."

"May I?" Tome asked, picking up the pendant anyway.

"Hey!"

"Ooo," Tome said in tones of awe as he examined it. "Wow... This is something..."

"Put that down! That's worth more than your sorry ass, Tome. When I sell it I'm going to be a millionaire."

"Really?"

"We're talking tens of millions here, man. You know what a real piece of jewellery from the Lower Realms is worth up here? I could buy and sell Bill Gates ten times over..."

"With this fake?"

Ed went rigid. "Fake?"

"Yes. Fake. As in, not real. As in, not worth anything. As in, you sold the real one to Zach for thirty-three fifty, you pillock! Plus tax. Call yourself a business man..."

Crazy Ed looked at the pendant in Tome's hand. "You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. Knowing crappy magical artefacts is what I do."

"Son of a bitch!" Ed swore. "Damn, shitty, crapping..." He stopped and looked at Zach. "Say, would you be interested in a refund?"

"Brains."

"That a yes or a no?"

"I think that's a "get stuffed, mate"," said Tome. "Since your salesmanship is about as good as your witch charms, would it be worth my while asking you for the name of this demon that sold you all of this crap?"

"Greg."

"Greg?" Tome repeated. "His name is _Greg_?"

"Honest. And he was a devil, not a demon, and I don't know where he is. After he offloaded his goods, he split."

"Well, thanks anyway, Ed. Much obliged."

"Brains," said Zach. They made their way back to where they had originally materialised.

"Oh, by the way..." Ed lowered his voice into a conspiracy-like whisper. "I just might be able to get my hands on some pieces of the original cross," he said to Tome. "You know of any interested markets?"

"Sure," said Tome brightly. "I know plenty of stupid people. Catch you later."

Before he left, Crazy Ed called out again. "Tome!"

Tome turned around. "Yeah?"

"Before you go, can you do me one favour?"

"For you, Ed, anything."

"Nothing big. Just _give me back the pendant,_ _you thieving bastard._ "

"Pendant?" Tome played innocent.

"In your pocket."

Tome pulled out the pendant he had carefully pocketed after examining it. "Oh, would you look at that," he said in surprise. "How did that get there? I tell you, these demonic pendants have a mind of their-"

He suddenly stepped backwards into the portal and vanished, taking the pendant with him.

"Get back here!"

Zach paused to give Crazy Ed a cold look.

"Brains," he said sternly, then stepped through the portal and disappeared.

Ed looked at the empty space and sighed.

"God, I hate that guy," he muttered.

Also by the Author:

The Hollow.

" _From now on, you lot will be referred to as Pond Scum, until you prove that you are capable of extending more intelligence and arcane talent than real pond scum. When I call for you, Pond Scum, you will drop whatever you are doing and come running. Understood?"_

Everyone has their reasons for joining the Imperial Legion. Some seek fame. Some are just running from something. You sign the scroll, take the Legion bronze, then you learn to hit things with a sword.

But when Serrel Hawthorne joined the Imperial Legion, the last thing he was expecting was to be selected for battlemage training. Now he and seven other misfits are going to have to learn how to weave the magical ether, and preferably not kill each other in the process. Of course, their gruff sergeant might just do that anyway, if they keep annoying him.

And the biggest threat any of them will have to face, is always going to be the one within themselves.

Mages call it the Hollow. It is there, inside everyone, waiting to swallow them whole. It will kill you if you let it. But you have to climb out of it yourself.

The Hollow: At the Edge.

" _Well, Fresh Meat, welcome to the Hounds. Don't get comfortable. I expect your stay to be short and messy, with a bloody end."_

In the continuation of "The Hollow", a rebellion has broken out in the mysterious and magical land of Elsbareth, known by most as the Faelands. Serrel Hawthorne, newly trained battlemage in the Imperial Legion, finds himself separated from his fellow trainees and on the way to a war with a group of battle hardened soldiers who mildly detest him, a sergeant who hates him, and two dogs that just might eat him. And the least said about the man called Dogbreath, the better.

The Faelands were always known as the home of elves and strange beasts. But no one is prepared for what's waiting for the Legion across the sea. Surviving his squadmates is only the start. Here there are real monsters, things that should not be. And soon Serrel has to face up to what he must do, and what he must become to not only survive the coming battles, but save the people he cares about. It will take all his skill at spellcasting, and that might not be enough.

And through it all, the Hollow waits within.
