John Ringo - Princess of Wands

“You can suggest all you’d like,” Krake replied, tartly. “But I’ll find her myself, thank you. She said she was going to be here.”

Barbara looked at the list again, making some notes as he walked down the hall towards the smoking area. She also noted that Mandy, Larry and Angie were missing from the con-goers. Norm and Eric had been checked in, although both had been in and out, apparently. She hadn’t felt anything from the necromancer, so it was unlikely they’d been killed. But there was something bothering her about the pattern.

“Janea,” Barb said, walking a little bit away from the entrance and keying her radio.

“Go,” Janea said.

“Go pry the Black Rose people out of their rooms, will you?” Barbara asked, politely. “And while you’re up there, use the pass key to check 304. Donald Draxon is missing. See if he’s sleeping it off.”

“Will do,” Janea said. “What are you going to be doing?”

“I’m heading over to the west wing and see if I can find a few more strays,” Barb answered. “Greg?”

“Here,” the FBI agent said. He’d taken up position in the manager’s office. It had exits to the restaurant, the outside and the lobby so he could move in any direction to respond to trouble.

“You got that?”

“Got it,” Greg said, unhappily. “Be careful.”

“Of course,” Barbara said, crossing into the deserted atrium. Perhaps from the rumor of a murderer running around, the con-goers really were huddling together like sheep. And something bothered her about that as well.

She entered the west wing and started to take the stairs, then stopped and pulled out her radio.

“He’s here,” Barb said. “Somewhere in the west wing. Janea, get those Black Rose people out of there. I don’t care how .”

She hit the stairs and pounded to the second floor. She could only tell he was somewhere above her and to the west.

There wasn’t anyone on the second floor and she could tell he was still above her. But as she ran to the top floor the feeling… quit.

She burst out into the third floor corridor and looked to the end but there was nobody there. She did, however, hear the sound of the fire door closing on the far end.

She’d done that one before so she ducked back into the stairs and ran down to the second floor, darting out and looking to the far end. When nobody came out she headed down to the ground floor.

As she burst from the stairwell, she nearly ran down Duncan.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she asked, sharply. He was just coming in the door from the atrium so he clearly hadn’t been on the top floor.

“I was getting another coat,” Duncan said, evenly. “I had a spare in my room.”

“You need to get in with the others, sir,” Barbara said, definitely. “Our friend is somewhere in this wing.”

“Interesting,” Duncan said, looking up at the wing. “But you said that he couldn’t charm me or whatever.”

“I don’t know that he isn’t you,” Barb said, bluntly.

“Well, I do,” Duncan replied, nodding at her. “I’m just going to get my coat, then go back. I’m sure I’ll be around plenty of witnesses if anyone dies.”

“Damnit,” she snapped, shaking her head. He went to the second-floor corridor and, with nothing else to do, she followed.

“Making sure I’m going where I said I was?” Duncan asked.

“Yes,” she replied, tightly.

Duncan stopped at a room and inserted a key, waving for her to enter.

“I’ll stay here,” Barbara replied, suddenly not sure if she was following him or guarding him.

He emerged a moment later with a couple of flannel shirts, a pair of waterproof pants and a Gore-Tex-and-fleece jacket.

“There, you see?” he asked. “All I said I was getting. Shall we be getting back?”

“I’ll follow you to the atrium,” she said. “The necromancer was somewhere in this building.”

When he went into the atrium she watched him cross then shook her head.

Not knowing quite what to do she walked to the far end of the first floor and looked out the exit door there. It was supposed to be locked, but it wasn’t. The lock had been taped back and there was snow on the floor and footprints outside. Recent footprints, at least since the snow had stopped falling.

She stepped out into the snow, noticing that the light was failing fast, and followed the prints around the building. They appeared at first to enter the building through the back of the kitchens but on the far side of the loading dock there was another set. It looked like more than one person and she broke into a run. She could feel it in her bones, that something wicked this way comes.

It’s done,” the woman said, running up with the bag in her hand. “But you have to stop this! Nothing is worth what you’ve been doing.”

“Thank you,” the man replied, smiling at her. “And I am going to stop. Very soon. And you won’t have to worry about it anymore.”

“Good,” she said, shaking her head. “I love you, you know.”

“I know,” the man said, sadly. “That’s why I’m going to let you keep your soul.”

She barely caught the flash of metal as the knife punched up through her diaphragm and into her heart.

“Remolus said that you must go,” the man said, his face blank. “But he didn’t say that I had to take your soul. This one last thing I do for you, my love.”

He waited until the light had died in her eyes and then lowered her to the hotel room floor.

“Now to go kill that witch of the old gods,” the man said, reaching into the bag.

“Damnit, this is serious,” Janea said, shaking her head. “Put on some damned clothes and get down to the restaurant !”

“Oh, come on,” the man said, waving a whip. “You probably know how to use one of these! Join the fun. We’re keeping warm the best way, through healthy exercise.”

Most of the adjoining doors in the area had been opened and the rooms were more or less filled with mostly naked people engaged in… healthy exercise. Janea felt it was almost a sin not to join in, but there was a time for love and a time for battle. It did look like fun, though; a few of the men were pretty good looking and a couple of the women were just spectacular. And she had to admit that if they were all dedicated to the goddess, they would be raising some serious energies. She could feel them around her, through her link, and even tap into them to an extent.

“People, listen up,” she said, summoning a bit of energy and making herself… extremely attractive with a touch of dominance. Even the doms in the room were forced to pay attention to her. “There is a serious problem, here. Not just the heat. I’m a consultant with the FBI. We’ve tracked a killer to this con. He’s already killed seven women and now he’s killed a person at the con. The real reason that we’re gathering everyone in the restaurant is for your own protection. Now, I need you to gather up all your warm weather clothing and get the hell out of here !” The last was delivered in not only her firmest voice but with a hint of the goddess behind her. It promised no nookie for life if they didn’t obey.

“Well, jeeze!” the gay guy who’d been carrying the timber said, struggling in his chains. “Get these things off of me!”

Janea shook her head and stepped out into the hall, stopping at the sight of the approaching man.

“Are you still looking for…” she said then stopped as the man’s eyes began to glow.

Barb felt the power like a bucket of vomit dropped on her head. But her channel opened up, filling her with power as she began to run.