Dead Warlock: Arcane Inc. Book 5 Read online

  “We’ll see who’s disappointed at the end of this,” she said, still smiling to herself. I shook my head.

  Behind the highest desk there stood another door which now opened. I wondered if there were any more doors hidden away in this room of many entrances. “All rise!” The chubby bailiff shouted and everyone in the room began to stand.

  I was about to stand too when Shirley, who was still seated put a hand on my wrist. “Stay sitting with me, Eddie. There’s enough pompousness in the room without us contributing.” This time I smiled with her. She was really growing on me.

  Clara stepped through the doors and stopped at her desk. I was surprised that she wasn’t wearing the black robes and white wig that normal judges do. Instead she was wearing her trademark blue suit, her hair up in a beehive.

  “This one is old before her time,” said Shirley. She wasn’t even bothering to whisper and she garnered several disapproving stares. “She needs to let her hair down once in a while.”

  Clara refused to look our way. If she did then she would have to acknowledge the disrespect being shown. She stood over the room for a moment before taking her seat.

  The bailiff spoke again. “We are gathered to hear the case of Laura Pelling, warlock formerly belonging to the warlock association which is an enemy to the Alliance of Covens.”

  Once again there was silence. “Miss Pelling,” Clara said clearly. Her voice was soft but rang out clearly with the aid of magic. “It is this panel’s understanding that you moved to Maidstone to seek amnesty from your former leader, the as yet unknown warlock who leads the warlock organisation. Is this correct?”

  Laura looked up at Clara. There was very little in her expression. Just exhaustion. “Yes,” she mumbled.

  “Please speak clearly for the panel,” a man on the far end of the desk said.

  “Oh, she said yes!” Shirley snapped at him. His cheeks reddened in anger and embarrassment and he fell silent.

  Clara looked at Shirley with irritation before returning her focus to Laura. “After consideration it has been agreed that we will offer you amnesty here in Cedarstone in exchange for your full cooperation.”

  Laura’s eyes darted around the panel. They found me and her brow furrowed in confusion. She looked back at Clara. “I want no part in all this.”

  “We don’t want you to take part, we just want information,” another man on the panel said.

  “I don’t want amnesty here. This place is a target for him. He is coming for all of you and you’re deluded if you think you can protect me. You won’t even be able to protect yourselves,” Laura said derisively.

  “Very well,” Clara said in a clipped tone. “Tell us what we need to know and you can go back to Maidstone, with Eddie’s blessing. Or you can be freed to go north or to another country. The choice is yours.”

  Laura shook her head. “You don’t understand. If I tell you what you want to know he will kill me and there is no place I can hide from him. No person on earth can stand against him.”

  “If that’s the case then why doesn’t he just come and kill us all right now?” Shirley asked briskly.

  “Because he doesn’t want you dead. He wants you to learn your place.”

  “I beg your pardon!?” the pompous man at the far end cried. “A warlock wants to put sorcerers in their place!” I found it unusual that he was referring to warlocks as separate from sorcerers. I’d always been taught that "sorcerers" was a blanket term for any magic user. Apparently, the AOC was redefining the word and excluding those they looked down on. Interesting.

  “Let me be clear,” Clara said firmly. “If you do not cooperate we will have no choice but to consider execution.”

  That might seem a bit harsh, but Laura was responsible for several murders of her own. Execution was a deserved punishment. Laura was not at all concerned and she let out a short bark of a laugh. “You think I’m scared of death? I cooperate and he’ll kill me in a far more gruesome way than any of you lot can. Go ahead and do your worst.” She folded her arms and looked defiantly at Clara. It was clear that she was done talking.

  Shirley leaned over and spoke to me. “I do like it when they insult old grumps,” she pointed with her thumb to Clara and I stifled a laugh. Old grumps was the nickname I would always think of her as now.

  “If death does not scare you then perhaps another punishment will,” said Clara. She glared down at Laura coldly. “I trust you are aware of Eddie Lancaster’s unique abilities? Eddie will remove your magic and then we will release you. Let us see how well you fare powerless and alone on the streets.”

  Anger bristled within me. I knew she had an ulterior motive. I fucking knew it. I stood up furiously about to go hell for leather at old grumps but then Laura screamed out.

  “No!” she yelled, obviously mistaking me standing for my intention to go down there and rid her of her powers. “Not that!”

  I stopped. My curiosity was outweighing my anger now. The whole room was looking at me. Clara looked down at me expectantly.

  “Talk then,” I said to Laura. I could have it out with Clara later.

  “I can’t” she shook her head, her eyes welled up.

  I began walking down the steps towards her. “Just tell us his name and it’ll be over.”

  “Please.”

  I reached the bottom and began crossing the floor, my shoes clip-clopping on the tiled floor. “Tell us his name or I will take your magic,” I threatened aggressively. Playing my part perfectly. I imagined that Shirley was having the time of her life up on the panel.

  “I can’t.”

  “Last chance!” I shouted. I raised my hands for dramatic effect.

  “Nickolas Blackwood!” she screamed, flinching away from me. I froze mid-step. There was a name I hadn’t been expecting here. Ever. “His name is Nickolas Blackwood.”

  Chapter Six

  Not a person spoke. I couldn’t remember the last time I experienced such silence. I turned and looked up at the panel of dynasts. None of them were moving. The pompous man at one end was looking down at Laura with utter fright. The man to his left looked as though he was expecting everyone to erupt into laughter any moment now. I panned right to where Shirley sat. She had her palms flat on the table and she was leaning forward looking at Laura with squinted and suspicious eyes. I turned once more to Clara. She was stiller than a statue. Her face was totally blank and totally white, all blood had drained from it. Her eyes were dark and fearful. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely more than a whisper, but she kept it even. “Nickolas Blackwood is dead.”

  The dynasts on the panel began nodding their heads in agreement. They were all too eager to believe Clara’s line of thinking, the alternative was far too dreadful. The only one not jumping on the bandwagon was Shirley who was still staring at Laura with her scrutinising gaze.

  I looked back at the warlock on trial, she was shaking her head slowly, looking up at Clara in disbelief. “I promise you he is very much alive,” she said, her voice cracked and afraid. “He is alive and he’s coming for you all.”

  “Oh, tosh!” shouted the pompous man, having recovered his voice.

  “Tell me something, Laura. What does Nickolas Blackwood look like?” Clara asked. She spoke slowly, unlike the majority of her panel she didn’t quite believe her own assertion yet.

  “What?” Laura asked, unsure of herself.

  I was still standing in the middle of the floor between the panel and Laura and I felt incredibly exposed there. It was like being in an enclosure at the zoo. All eyes on me.

  “If you have met Nickolas Blackwood you’ll be able to describe him. I know what he looked like all too well, so I can easily corroborate your description.”

  “Well… I mean… I never met him myself,” Laura stumbled over her words.

  “Because you’re lying,” said Clara.

  “No!” Laura shouted. “Only the top guys got to meet Nick. He never bothered with the likes of me. There were only two or three peopl
e who ever spoke to the boss.”

  “How very convenient,” the pompous man jeered, sitting back and resting his hands on his excessive stomach.

  “Thank you, Jerry,” Clara said, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes. “This panel has no more time for your lies. Eddie, please relieve her of her powers.”

  I didn’t even need to think about what Clara was asking. “No,” I said at once.

  “Excuse me?” Clara’s eyes shot over to me in an instant. She wasn’t used to hearing the word no.

  “No,” I repeated. “Look at the fear on her face.” I pointed at Laura, who despite being furious was also scared half to death. “She’s telling the truth.”

  Clara opened her mouth to respond but something about me must have told her that I would not be swayed. She clamped her jaw shut and looked again at Laura. Her lips tightened ever so slightly. “Yes. Yes, Eddie, I am inclined to agree with you. This woman does indeed believe what she is saying.” There was a brief pause in which fear started to creep back into the panel. “But that doesn’t make it true.”

  “What? That doesn’t make sense,” I argued.

  “It is clear to me that whoever is truly leading these warlocks is a charlatan. A fraud. He is pretending to be the most powerful and most dangerous warlock who ever lived in order to scare us. That is why he limits those who can meet him. So that nobody can ever expose him for the counterfeit that he is. He isn’t the big bad warlock, he’s the wizard of Oz,” said Clara.

  “You’re in idiot,” Laura said in disbelief. I had to admit that Clara’s theory was a good one, but I still didn’t buy it.

  I shook my head. “No. How could anybody pull off such an act? You know how powerful this warlock is, Clara. Even you were unable to undo the spell he put on Sebastian’s ring. How many warlocks have you met who can outdo you in a fight?” Clara was easily the most powerful sorcerer I knew but this warlock was leagues ahead of her.

  “It’s not him, Eddie,” she said dismissively.

  “Remember when you touched that ring?” I said loudly before she could continue. “You dropped it like it burned you. You said you recognised the magic. Whose magic was it, Clara?”

  “Not. Nick’s.” Her nostrils were flaring as she glared down at me. I could see more than just anger in her eyes. She was lying.

  “Then whose?” I pushed. I knew I had her.

  “Enough of this.”

  “Whose magic was it, Clara?”

  “Eddie, I said enough.”

  “Whose?”

  “Nickolas Blackwood is dead!” She screamed at the top of her voice. Her proclamation echoed back off the walls. She flew to her feet and loomed down over the desk at me. “I watched him die. He was stabbed in the heart with the Ambrotos Dagger and he turned to ash before my eyes.”

  I didn’t know how to argue with that. She may well have watched Nickolas die but I still believed that Laura was right. Nickolas was the leader of the warlocks. “You know what?” I said holding my hands up in surrender. “It doesn’t make a lick of difference to me. He’s after you not me. You believe whatever you like. Come on, Gabe.”

  I turned and headed for the doors. As I passed Laura she stopped me with a glance. “It should matter to you, Eddie. Nick sent people to Maidstone to check you out. I don’t know why but he is very interested in you.”

  I held her gaze for a few seconds trying to catch the lie but once again I found that she was telling the truth. I looked away quickly and strode from the room. Once we were outside I turned to Gabe. “Remind me to look up this Ambrotos Dagger. If the biggest baddest warlock in all of history is coming for me it might be quite a useful weapon to get my hands on.”

  Chapter Seven

  Me and Gabe made our own way home. I didn’t want Dean trying to convince me that joining Clara was a good idea all the way home. I had a lot to think about. Why would the most powerful warlock in the world want me? The obvious answer would be for what I could do. My ability to siphon magic out of others was dangerous in my hands. In his it would be apocalyptic. Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. No, I don’t think it is. From what I’ve heard about old Nicky Blackwood he’s the devil incarnate. His name was enough to produce shivers, as you saw in that hearing. When I lived with Rachel she used to talk about him in awe, like he was a god or something. Not a nice god, though, the sort of god you try to avoid, like Loki or Ares. It’s hard to tell fact from fiction when talking about Nickolas Blackwood, I mean some of the stories border on ridiculous. Apparently, he wiped out an entire Middle-Eastern village. Then there was the one where he murdered his own mother. Oh, and the worst one is the story in which he raped and then murdered his own wife. Stories have a habit of getting exaggerated over time but surfeit it to say his reputation is pretty nasty. There are some people who don’t even believe in him. I once met a chap from Germany who laughed at Nick’s name and claimed he was an old wives’ tale, a story to scare children with. Smart people know better.

  As I got out of the car I saw another car parked outside my house. It was a pristine black stretch limousine with tinted windows. The engine was humming quietly and one man was standing on the pavement next to the rear door. Now I can count on one finger the number of people I know who drive around in stretch limousines. Aldric Ashworth. Last time Aldric was in Maidstone was when I banned him from ever returning, so I was looking forward to hearing his reason for being here now. First Dean came in despite his banishment and now Aldric. Seriously, did anyone respect my authority? Best not answer that question.

  I stormed over to the limo and the guy outside it opened the rear door for me to slide right in. Gabe’s entrance was blocked as the door was closed behind me. Probably for the best, I didn’t want any of my vampires getting too close to their sire. As far as I knew he did not know of their existence and I really wanted it to stay that way.

  Aldric was sitting inside dressed formally in a designer suit complete with pocket handkerchief. His dark red eyes looked at me from his narrow angular face. The light above his head shone on his neat side-parted hair. Aldric was always the picture of style and grace. Ironic that he lived in Medway really. Medway is the complete opposite to style and grace, Aldric himself once described it as the arsehole of Kent and I was not going to disagree.

  “Edward,” he said. He had what looked like a martini in his hand and he took a dainty sip of it. “Drink?”

  “Didn’t I banish you?” I asked, ignoring his offer.

  He smiled to himself and placed his drink on the bar. “I did send one or two invitations over the last couple of weeks. You neglected to accept any of them. Or even to reply.” He raised an eyebrow quizzically.

  It was true. Gabe had shown me several of Aldric’s invites to meet with him in Rochester. I hadn’t really fancied going because I knew he just wanted to moan about certain events that had taken place on my soil. “Well I’ve been a bit busy. Dead girlfriend and all that,” I replied dryly.

  “My condolences,” he said with a polite nod. “Ashley was… a tenacious lady. Her passing did not go unnoticed in my household.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled awkwardly. I didn’t know what else to say to that. Nor did I think he really cared.

  “Now, on to business. I believe that a month or so ago you encountered the Monderson siblings here in Maidstone?” He phrased it as a question but the look on his face told me he already had all the answers. Veronica Monderson and her brother Hugh had been in Maidstone experimenting on vampires made from Aldric’s blood. They are the ones I rescued Gabe and his vamps from. I killed Hugh, but Veronica managed to escape. I’ve been expecting Aldric to question me about it ever since. To be honest I thought he’d come sooner.

  “That’s right,” I said. The best tactic was to say as little as possible and gauge exactly how much he already knew.

  “Mhmm. And what happened?” He crossed one leg over the other and raised his eyebrows conversationally.

  “We had a little chat. I shut down their ex
periments. Hugh tragically died. That’s about it really,” I said with a shrug. Keeping it whimsical.

  “And what of Veronica?”

  “Not sure about that one.”

  He stared at me intently. “You will forgive me for indulging in rumours, but they have been the only source of information on this matter thus far,” he said.

  “Of course.”

  “Rumour has it that Veronica got away from you and has once again constructed a group of vampires who oppose my rule. Furthermore, you told her exactly how to kill me. Surely these rumours must be mistaken?” he raised the pitch of his voice so it was unnaturally high.

  “Not entirely,” I said, knowing better than to lie now.

  “Not at all.” He was no longer conversational. There was a deadliness in his tone that I did not want to bring out any more than it already was. I may know how to kill him but there was a difference between knowing something and being fast enough to pull it off.

  “When I told her that I was planning on killing her. She got away,” I explained.

  “And what efforts have you taken to recapture her?”

  “She hasn’t surfaced. Hasn’t done anything to get my attention. I have other things to deal with,” I said testily.

  “Oh yes? Like fostering a collection of vampires sired using my blood!” he shouted. So, he knew about that. Whoops.

  “They do not deserve to die, and they will not be used against you whilst they work for me. As for the whole Veronica knowing how to kill you, without my magic she can’t make a single weapon and I assure you right now that I am not going to make one for her or anybody else.”

  “I could just kill you right now. Then nobody would be able to make a weapon to kill me and I could go and deal with my unwanted sirelings. It would be a just punishment for keeping all this from me as well,” he threatened, but there was no real bite to his bark.

  “If you were going to kill me you wouldn’t have bothered with the chat first,” I said. “Besides, I’m not that easy to kill. Look what happened when your former master tried it.”