find anything.' Before any of us could respond, Tavi started to change. Patches of fur and scales covered his flesh, and his limbs became long and flexible as if they were made of rubber. His mouth and nose elongated into a canine snout, his eyes became yellow and serpent-like, and a reptilian hood spread out from his head. Tavi was a mixblood, a lyke who'd used genetic engineering to alter his wildform. He was a combination of mongoose and cobra, and while I had no idea which had been his original wildform, the combination of the two made him most formidable. Speed, strength, cunning, agility – he had them in abundance.
When Tavi said he intended to dash over to Papa's, he'd meant it literally. He ran out of the room so fast he was little more than a blur of motion, and the wind kicked up by his swift exit was strong enough to rival any gust that Rover could produce.
When Tavi was gone, Bogdan stroked his beard in thought. 'I'll make some discreet inquiries among my contacts in the Arcane community here in the Sprawl. Perhaps some of them can provide insight into the disappearances of the magic-users.'
'Sounds good,' I said. 'And Devona and I will go straight to the top.'
Devona frowned. 'Why do I not like the sound of that? Are you suggesting we talk to-'
'Varvara,' I finished for her. 'Yep. After all, right now she's the chief suspect in the disappearances. The only suspect, really.'
'Are you sure that's a good idea?' Devona asked. 'Varvara likes you well enough, but her attention is going to be focused on preparing a retaliation against Talaith for destroying the bridges. Even if she's behind the disappearances and Talaith was justified in her attack, Varvara can't let her aggression go unanswered. I doubt the Demon Queen will be in the mood to receive visitors.'
'Maybe not,' I admitted. 'But when have I ever let the fact that someone didn't want to talk with me ever stop me from talking with them?'
Devona smiled. 'Good point.'
'If you two are planning on going to Demon's Roost, then I should accompany you,' Scorch said. I started to protest, but Scorch cut me off. 'The Demonkin are going to be upset over the Weyward Sisters' attack. Neither of you are Arcane, so their anger won't necessarily be directed at you, but once my people get stirred up, they can be like a nest of angry hornets. They'll sting anyone unlucky enough to get in their way. Having a demon escort might make things go more smoothly for you.'
I wanted to tell her that Devona and I could handle ourselves just fine without her help, but I had to admit the precaution she suggested was a sensible one.
'All right. And that leaves just one detail to attend to.' I turned to Shamika. 'We could drop you off at your home.'
It was a given that Shamika wouldn't be accompanying us to Varvara. I wouldn't take a kid to Demon's Roost at the best of times, and I certainly had no intention of taking her there while Varvara might be preparing for war. But I didn't like the idea of the girl going home by herself, either. Traversing the streets of the Sprawl is always an iffy proposition safety-wise, and having a whole lot of pissed-off demons running around wasn't going to make them any safer – especially for a young Arcane woman.
Shamika looked at me for a moment, and I had the feeling that she was at loss for how to answer. But then she said, 'I'm too worried about Uncle to go home. I need to know what happened to him.'
Devona scooted closer to Shamika and put a sympathetic hand on the girl's arm. My better half may have been raised in a Darklord's stronghold, but she's one of the kindest souls I've ever met. She can also kick major ass when she wishes, making her the woman who has it all, as far as I'm concerned.
'I'd feel the same way if I were in your position,' Devona said. 'Why don't you stay here? The rest of us will be gone for a while, but the Midnight Watch is one of the most secure places in the city.'
'And Rover will be here to watch you,' I added.
'We'll make sure to call you as soon as we learn anything,' Devona finished.
Shamika didn't even think about it. 'I'd rather go with you.' She hurried on before we could say anything. 'I don't think I could stand to just sit around here by myself waiting. And it's not like I can't take care of myself. I am Arcane, you know.'
But you're just a teenager, I thought, but I didn't say it. Regardless of appearances, everything and everyone in Nekropolis is dangerous in one way or another. You have to be in order to survive from one tick of the clock to the next. Just because Shamika looked sweet and innocent didn't mean she couldn't be lethal when she had to. Scorch's teenage girl guise was a perfect example.
I looked at Devona and she looked at me. This time I didn't have to access our telepathic link to know what she was thinking. Devona smiled at Shamika.
'OK, honey, but stick close to us,' she said. 'All right?'
Shamika smiled gratefully and nodded.
I hoped Shamika really could take care of herself and that Devona wasn't letting her burgeoning maternal instincts get the best of her.
'All right then,' I said, turning to Scorch. 'Take us to your leader.'
EIGHT
We saw no sign of Lazlo when we stepped outside, so I figured he was still tending to his cab. Besides, the only times he’s sure to show up is when I’m truly desperate for a ride, and as much as I wanted to get to Demon’s Roost, our current situation wasn’t exactly a dire one. Bogdan said farewell and headed off on foot to track down whatever Arcane sources he intended to consult, and I can’t say I was sorry to see him go. After a few moments of discussion, the rest of us decided to follow suit and take shanks’ mare, as some of the longer-lived Darkfolk put it, and we headed down the sidewalk, traveling east in the general direction of Demon’s Roost.
Varney was thrilled. “Righteous! There’s more chance of getting good footage if we hoof it!”
I didn’t reply. I was still mad at him for the “improved” video he’d shown us earlier. And, truth to tell, I was a little depressed, too. Without realizing it, I’d kind of gotten used to being a celebrity in town, but seeing how Varney’s producer had felt the need to noir-ify the footage Varney had shot of me made me realize that maybe my unvarnished life wasn’t all that fascinating after all. Being brought back down to earth was probably a good thing, if sobering.
We hadn’t gone far when my hand vox rang – actually, its mouth called out the words “Ring-ring, ring-ring!” – and I answered. It was Tavi.
“I’m at Papa Chatha’s,” he said. His voice was guttural and hard to understand, and I knew he was still in his wildform. “I can’t get inside because of the security spells on the place, but I’ve sniffed around outside. It was hard to pick up Papa’s scent, not because he hasn’t been here for a while but because you’ve been here recently. Nothing personal, but the scent of ripe zombie tends to be a bit overpowering.”
“But you found a scent trail.”
“Yes. There’s another scent mingled with it that I don’t recognize, though it’s similar to certain breeds of Demonkin. I don’t know what it is, but I’m going to attempt to follow the trail and see what I can turn up.”
“All right, but if you find him, call me before you do anything.” I’d come to respect Tavi’s skills, but Devona had hired him not because he was a fighter but because he was a reformed thief. He’d stolen something from the notorious demon Mammon who hired me to retrieve the object. I’d done so after a certain amount of highly skilled detecting, but in the process I learned that Tavi was a decent enough sort who stole primarily for the sport and challenge of it. It had taken some swift talking on my part to convince Mammon not to devour Tavi’s soul for his crime. In the end, Mammon reluctantly agreed to spare Tavi, and Devona offered the lyke a job working for the Midnight Watch. His knowledge of thievery, coupled with his contacts among Nekropolis’ criminal element, had proved invaluable to Devona’s business, but as swift and clever as Tavi was, he wasn’t a warrior, and if he did manage track down Papa and the other missing magic-users, I didn’t want him to try to deal with the situation on his own. I’d already saved his mixblood ass once, and I didn’t want to have to do it again.
Tavi promised he’d do as I asked, then hung up, and I imagined him racing away from Papa’s shack, following the scent trail at top supernatural speed. I tucked my vox back in my pocket, relayed Tavi’s report to the others, and we continued walking.
