I have killed many Mexicans; I do not know how many, for frequently I did not count them. Some of them were not worth counting. They had attacked my camp, slain my aged mother, my young wife, and my three small children. The Mexicans paid for their malicious ways with their lives. I walked through the walls of their forts and spilled their sleeping blood. Their bullets passed through me as if I were mist. They called me a ghost, but I still lived. It was vengeance, not death, that had changed my form.
—Geronimo, My Life:
The Autobiography of Geronimo, 1905
Bell Farm, Virginia
“Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war,” Dan Garrett said as he looked over Sullivan’s final battle plan. The grease pencil map that covered one wall of the farmhouse living room was far more detailed today.
“I read Shakespeare in prison,” Sullivan muttered. “Why don’t you pick somebody who writes happy endings?”
“Only line I remember from a college production,” Dan answered. “Seemed appropriate.”
They’d spent the morning going over the details, filling in the blanks, and making assignments. Everyone was there, except for Whisper, who had gone to the airfield to pick up Browning. Their gear had been checked and their weapons cleaned. They’d go over the plan one last time with everybody present, have a good supper because it might be awhile before they had time to eat again, and then head north to Mason Island.
Sullivan hated this part, deciding who to use and how to use them. Just like the war, his decisions here would determine who was likely to live and who was likely to die. How had General Pershing managed this with thousands of lives at a time? There was no pride involved, just that when it came to fighting, Sullivan had seen, by far the most, which meant he would be the one to make the call.
“Browning and Jane stay on the Virginia side of the river. That’s the direction we’re planning on retreating.”
“John isn’t going to like that,” Lance pointed out. “He’s a brave man.”
“He’s also an old one. Faye, Hammer, and the French girl will be here,” he thumped the wall, “On the D.C. side.”
“No way!” Faye shouted.
“Uh, Jake . . . She is our most dangerous Active.”
“And until those Dymaxions are shut off, she’s only a teenage girl. If the OCI gets a call out for reinforcements, they’ll likely come from that direction. The Torch can set the bridge on fire and slow them down. Besides, we all know the second Faye thinks it’s clear, there ain’t nothing that’s going to stop her from popping over to the island and raising hell, regardless of what we tell her to do.”
Faye blushed. “Well . . . Obviously.”
“That’s fine, Faye. Once the nullifier’s are off, your orders are to just be yourself.”
“I can do that, Mr. Sullivan!”
“I figured you’d be okay with that.”
“What about me?” Lance asked.
“You and Ian are with Browning.”
Lance obviously didn’t like that much. “That’s an awful long way from the shooting.”
“We’ve got two Powers that can cause some harm, and I’m not going to waste them. Besides, Lance, if it all goes to hell, you know how to use the mortar.”
“Fine, but I’m stopping by the national zoo on the way to borrow something worthwhile. Me and the kid can hang back.”
“No can do,” Ian interjected. “If I’m going to be bringing in a Summoned capable of fighting, I’ll need to be closer than that or I could lose control of it.”
The last thing they needed was another out-of-control demon on the rampage. “Fine. Me, you, and Dan are going in quiet from the north. There were plenty of boats around there that we can take. They’ll be watching the bridge, but we didn’t get any sign they were watching the forest. Wear your boots.”
Hammer raised her hand. “Why is it that all of the women are on the shore?”
“Blame it on me being old fashioned if it makes you feel better,” Sullivan said.
“There’s not much for me to do over there, and you’re awfully thin on the island. I can shoot and I know how to handle myself in the woods. Better than the fat city boy for sure.” Hammer gestured at Dan. “No offense.”
Jane bristled at the jab against her husband, but Dan just laughed it off. “None taken, though the fat part was unnecessary. Unless, of course, you just want to be on the island so you can warn your OCI buddies when we’ve arrived . . .”
“You tricky Mouth bastard!” Then Hammer shut up because she had no response to that particular accusation.
Sullivan had already thought about how to utilize her, but there wasn’t much use for a Justice in combat, and he didn’t want to get her killed. She wasn’t a knight and Sullivan already felt like getting her mixed up in this whole plot was his fault to begin with.
“She’s got a point, though, Jake. That’s me and you with no Powers and Ian who’s going to be busy concentrating, taking on at least twenty men. What are we supposed to do with only three of us?”
“Four.” Every head in the room turned toward the new voice. Toru stood in the doorway. He surveyed the group, glaring, daring anyone to disagree. “As I said I would, I thought upon your request.”
“Hell no!” Lance shouted as he stood up. “No way am I going with an Iron Guard.” Some other voices rose in agreement. “I’m not working with the likes of him.”
Sullivan had been afraid of this. Many had lost people to the Imperium, but Lance had lost his wife and child. Jane had been kidnapped by an Iron Guard. Faye’s grandfather had been gunned down by the same man. Ian was red faced and shouting, so he was probably in the same club.
“Silence!” The Iron Guard’s bellow shook the farmhouse. Several hands moved to gun butts. “You have my most sincere apologies for the rudeness of my interruption. I have made a promise, and in order to fulfill that promise, I need this man,” he nodded toward Sullivan, “Alive. If that means participating in your petty war in order to keep him alive, then I will do so. Whoever tries to stop me from fulfilling the promise I have made to my father,” he looked directly at Lance, “will be considered my enemy.”
Lance drew his revolver. “How about I send you to your father right now, you Imperium son of a bitch?”
“However,” Toru continued, voice completely even, “I have pledged my loyalty to Sullivan’s cause. Anyone who stands with him against the Pathfinder, is my ally, and my ally’s fight becomes my fight.” Then Toru surprised everyone by bowing deeply. He held it for a long time before rising. “I will be in the barn. Wake me when it is time to begin the slaughter.” The Iron Guard turned and walked from the room.
“Well . . . Shit . . .” Lance put his gun back in the holster. Dan Garrett had discretely opened the Dymaxion box and had been ready to use the nullifier. “That your bright idea, Jake?”
“We’ve all fought the Imperium before. You know what they’re capable of. The OCI won’t know what hit them.”
“They’re evil,” Ian stated with steel in his voice. “Flat out evil. He’ll turn on us when he gets the chance.”
“I don’t think so,” Sullivan said. “I’m playing a hunch.”
Ian was furious. “Your hunch strong enough to keep us from getting stabbed in the back? Strong enough to keep him from carting off whoever he wants for the Chairman’s Cogs to murder?”
“Yeah.” Sullivan folded his arms. “It is.”
Hammer surprised him by jumping in on his side. “I agree with Sullivan. Toru’s a mean one, but my Power says he’s telling the truth about this.”
“A bunch of you are of the opinion that the OCI declared war on us. Well, in my experience, you want to win a war, you don’t hold back nothing. If that means using an Iron Guard, then that’s what it means.”
Lance sure wasn’t happy about that, but he threw up his hands in disgust. “Fine. You want to play with fire, I’ve got one condition . . . Put that Iron Guard in front, because I sure as hell ain’t turning my back on him.”
Hammer sought Sullivan out afterwards. If she was going to do this, there was no half way about it. Helping meant being where the action was, regardless of the danger. She figured it was because she was a woman, and this was Sullivan’s misguided attempt to keep her safe, like the rules that kept her from becoming a peace officer, even though she was born with a Power that would make her perfect for that kind of work. She resented being treated like a weakling.
Sullivan was alone in one of the back rooms of the farmhouse. The Heavy had disassembled his machinegun and was cleaning it. The parts were spread all over a card table. “Got a minute?”
“Sure,” he answered as he inspected a spring carefully. Sullivan struck her as someone with a single-minded attention to detail. “Thanks for backing me up on what the Iron Guard said.”
“He was telling the truth, though I don’t think your friends believed me.”
“Most don’t.” Apparently satisfied, Sullivan put the spring back. “We’re not the most trusting bunch. Come by it honestly.” Sullivan looked uncomfortable, like he didn’t know what to say. “But you already know that. Have a seat.”
She pulled up a stool. “I just wanted to—”
“Why do you want to help us?”
The question caught her off guard. “They’re going to kill your friend.”
“And?”
“He’s innocent!”
Sullivan nodded. “That don’t answer why you’re helping us.”
She stood up. “If you don’t want my help—”
“I didn’t say that. Sit . . . Please.”The Heavy was embarrassed, so she returned to the stool. “Sorry. I meant no offense. I’m just curious.”
“Saving an innocent man isn’t enough for you?”
“In this world, innocent folks die every day. Why risk your neck to help somebody you don’t even know?”
“How’s that different than what the Grimnoir do?”
He shrugged. “You looking to join up?”
She’d never been one for causes. “Not really.”
He went back to his chore, picked up the bolt, and wiped it down with a rag while he waited for her to talk. Hammer had a feeling that if this conversation came down to a game of patience, Sullivan would win every time.
“All right. Don’t laugh. Since I was a little girl, I’ve had a dream. I’ve wanted to be a lawman.”
“Despite the fact I was a convict, I see lawman, in most cases, as a respectable profession.”
“Not for a lady it’s not. It’s a fluke or a joke when it has happened, and it doesn’t happen anymore. For me . . . Well, I was raised by the best marshal there’s ever been.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“I wanted to be just like him. Only thing I ever wanted to do. Catch bad men, help folks, keep the peace. I was born for it. I thought maybe working for the OCI would give me that shot. Only they’re doing terrible things, and I can’t tolerate that. Theytyrants hiding behind the law. Maybe I’m naive, but I think that the law isn’t about words on paper. It’s about doing what’s right, and the OCI is not right.”
“No argument from me . . . Garrett told me something you need to know. Helping the Grimnoir is what got your father killed.”
She was quiet for a long time. After Sullivan and Garrett’s discussion she’d figured there was some history. “He was ambushed by a gang of train robbers.”
“Led by an Active criminal. Some of our men wanted to stop them before that got out. Lee Hammer helped us. Garrett didn’t know the details, though General Pershing told him that your father died brave. Which is why I’m not turning down your help, but I’m putting you on the other side of the river with Faye and Whisper. The Grimnoir already cost one Hammer their life. I don’t want to be responsible for another.”
“That’s . . .”
“Selfish? I suppose. I’ve led men into battle enough times to recognize our odds, and without our magic, they ain’t good.”
Even though she disagreed with his logic, she could respect how he’d come up with it. Once again, Sullivan surprised her. “I thought it was because you didn’t trust me, or maybe because I’m a woman.”
“Even Faye thinks we can trust you now, and hell, far as trust goes, I’m taking an Iron Guard along. Though Brutes get a pass ‘cause they can punch out elephants. So they’re handy for this sort of work . . . As for being a woman. Yeah.” Sullivan looked back down at the gun parts. “That’s kind of hard to miss. You’re quite the woman.”
“Why, Mr. Sullivan.” She used the same flirtatious voice as the first time they’d met. “Whatever do you mean?”
“You know what I mean.”
She didn’t need her magic to tell that he was attracted to her. “Maybe when this is over . . .”
“For me, this will never be over.” Sullivan chuckled bitterly as he began putting the machinegun back together. “Sorry, Hammer. You’re a smart girl. In another time, another world maybe . . . Now I’m bad luck and bad news. I’ve got a tough road ahead, and it’s only going to get worse. I’ve known a lot of women, but only ever loved one. She had a dream too. Delilah just wanted a life that wasn’t awful, but I ruined that. Now she’s dead because I wasn’t good enough to save her.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Naw, Hammer. No need.” When the machinegun was reassembled, he gently set it on the table and looked at her. There was far too much sadness in those eyes. “You can do a lot better than the likes of this broken-down Heavy.”
And the tragic part was that Sullivan believed that to be absolutely true.
Faye picked up the automobiles with her head map before anyone else heard them coming. The first one was easy enough to recognize. Whisper was coming back from the airfield, but she didn’t recognize the second car. She warned everyone else, grabbed one of the Tommy Guns off of the big pile of guns in the kitchen, and Traveled into the bushes to wait.
The gun turned out to be unnecessary. Whisper, Mr. Browning, and Mr. Bryce got out of the first car, and the second car was filled with strangers. She Traveled over to see what was going on and caught Whisper just as she was explaining to Lance and Mr. Sullivan, who were the first ones out of the house.
“These knights are from another group, though for secrecy’s sake they are not supposed to share from where they come nor to whom they answer. Their flight arrived before Mr. Browning’s. They are here to help us.”
Suspicious, Lance studied the four men getting out of the second car. “You know that for certain?”
“Yes. I am friends with some of them, as is Ian. He can vouch for their integrity.”
Mr. Browning came over and shook Sullivan’s hand. “I too know some of these knights. They are legitimate. My request for help was acknowledged.”
“We can use them,” Sullivan said.
“It appears as if the elders felt the same way,” Whisper said with a bright smile.
“Really?” Lance was taken aback. “I didn’t think—”
“No. Of course you didn’t think, because you were far too busy telling us how cowardly everyone else was to have time for thinking.” Whisper could be very mean while seeming perfectly charming about it. Faye marveled at how she could do that so well. “The elders know how important this is, and they do not want to see your friends perish anymore than you do.”
The others came outside. Several gun cases were removed from the trunk of the second car and stacked on the ground as introductions were made. Their leader was a thin, bespectacled, man who introduced himself as Steve Diamond, Mover.
Diamond seemed too young and too soft spoken to be the boss, and Faye figured that for sure that his name was some kind of Grimnoir alias, but she’d already learned to never underestimate any of her fellow knights. Then he proceeded to introduce his team, Dan Mottl who was an Icebox, and Adam Simmons, Torch. They all shook Faye’s hand like she was a man, and even seemed a little deferential. She wasn’t used to that, but apparently word of her exploits had spread.
The last of the new knights was an olive-skinned, young man wearing a neatly trimmed beard, and a very expensive suit and silk vest. Diamond introduced that one as Nicholas Dianatkhah, which Faye thought sounded suspiciously foreign, but he talked familiar enough. In fact, he was a little too familiar, as he took Faye’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Miss Faye, the marvelous Traveler that defeated the dastardly Chairman. Your reputation precedes you, even in the distant lands I hail from . . . Though, no one told me that you would be this lovely in person.”
That made Faye blush.
“Distant lands . . . We were in Pittsburgh when we heard about the Chairman.” Diamond shook his head. Apparently he was used to that kind of behavior from his companion. “Please excuse him. Dianatkhah here is a Healer.”
Even Sullivan seemed impressed by that. Healers were the rarest of the rare, and now they had two here. The elders had sure sent some powerful Actives to help them. Faye looked over at Lance, but he was still being all stuffy and grumpy. She sort of liked this Dianatkhah, as he was sort of exotically handsome, but Francis was being held prisoner, so she reminded herself to try extra hard not to be flirtatious. People might get the wrong idea.
Faye had already met the glowering Mr. Bryce, and she was interested to note that of all of them, he was the only one that did not say what his Power was. Mr. Browning didn’t seem to be in a hurry to talk about it either, so she didn’t bring it up.
“We were told Pershing’s knights could use a hand. These knights are capable.” Diamond gestured at his men. “What do you need to us to do?”
“Attack the headquarters of the secret police,” Sullivan said.
“Sounds crazy.”
“Yeah. Mostly.”
Sullivan’s words didn’t seem to bother the young Grimnoir. “George Bolander was one of ours. I’m assuming that we’re dealing with the group responsible for his death?” When Sullivan nodded. Diamond smiled and rubbed his hands together. “Wonderful! Let’s get to it then.”
While the other knights were speaking, Whisper caught Faye’s eye and motioned for her to step aside. “Take a walk with me, Faye.”
Whisper was acting funny, like she was nervous about something. Whisper picked a path toward the fields and set out, so Faye followed along. The trees along the trail were old and gnarled. They were missing their leaves now, but Faye could only imagine that in the summertime they would make for nice shade. She waited until the others were out of earshot. “What’s wrong?”
It was like Whisper didn’t want to look at her. She just kept her eyes on the path. “Have you heard of Anand Sivaram?”
“That’s an odd name.”
“He was from India. They say that he was one of the greatest Actives that has ever lived. Before he died, some said that he might have even been like unto the Chairman. They had other names for him too. The Mad Traveler, Warlock, the Spellbound . . .”
“A Traveler? Well, huh. There aren’t very many of us. Sorry, Whisper. I haven’t had time to learn much history yet.”
“Not many know of this history. It is a secret.” Whisper kicked a stone across the lane. “They do not speak of him, lest someone else would be prideful enough to delude themselves into thinking that they could succeed where even one as brilliant as Sivaram had fallen. They are scared that his form of evil could begin anew.”
“He sounds bad.”
“Oh, yes. Very. The man that raised me knows more about the Warlock than anyone else alive. Jacques Montand had to study him in order to catch him. About his strengths, his weaknesses . . . his curse . . .”
Faye was intrigued. “What curse?”
“A terrible spell, one that he created himself and carved into his own body. Awful beyond imagining. He tried to grow stronger than any man ought to, and it ruined him. It twisted his mind until he did unspeakable things.” Whisper stopped in the middle of the lane and wiped her eyes. Was she crying?
“Are you okay?”
“I am fine . . .” Whisper was lying. Faye put one hand on her arm, but Whisper jerked away. “No.” She began walking again. “Warlock was a vulture. A carrion feeder. And when that wasn’t enough, he became a predator. He killed hundreds, perhaps thousands. Men. Women . . . Children. Always needing more, and at a rapidly increasing rate. If he hadn’t been stopped, it would only have gotten worse.”
“Why are you telling me about this?”
“Because Jacques told me that the Warlock did not start out as a monster. He was once a kind man, motivated by pure intentions.” Whisper still had her back to her, but Faye could see that she’d extended one hand. A tiny ball of fire appeared in her open palm. She held it there, floating just above her skin. “He was innocent too, once.” Whisper laughed bitterly. “So naive. Like unto the children that he massacred.”
Faye was growing concerned. “I don’t understand.”
Whisper was letting the fire curl between her fingers. It moved like a snake as it curled around Whisper’s bare forearm. Her head was down, and Faye could see that she was shaking. “I always promised myself that if I had the opportunity to stop someone like the Warlock, I would do so without hesitation.”
“Of course you would. That’s the right thing to do. Heck, I’ve killed oodles of evil folks.”
“But what about before he turned evil? What about before he had turned to spilling innocent blood? Wouldn’t I be a fool if I lacked the courage to strike down a child if I knew that child would someday become a monster?”
“Of course not.” Now Faye was just confused. “Not unless your Power is telling the future . . . Because how would you know?”
Whisper straightened up and sniffed. The fire snake curled around her hands froze.
“I’m not one for all that philosophy and stuff like some folks like to quote so they seem smart and all, but come on. I mean, you’re talking about a person, not gophers or rattlesnakes. This one’s easy. I mean, if you killed a kid just ‘cause of what the kid might turn into, then you wouldn’t be any better than this Warlock fellow and all his massacaring. Then who’s the real bad guy?”
Whisper stood still for a real long time. Faye hadn’t known that fire could just still like that, but then it just sort of drifted away and disappeared into thin air. Whisper still didn’t turn around though.
Somebody shouted her name. They needed to get ready. “Sounds like we better get going.”
Whisper finally turned. “I’ll be along.” Her makeup was running. She had been crying.
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Not really.” Whisper gave her a sad smile. “But I will be eventually.”
Faye just shrugged. “You can be really weird sometimes, I swear. Let’s go.”
