in his human form with gray whiskers and skin dark as a walnut. He wiped a hand over his mouth. “You gonna sweeten the deal or not?”
She handed over the bottle, giving him time to guzzle a good belt of it before moving him along. “What’s happening in town?”
He tucked the bottle next to his chest. “Someone turned a bunch of demons loose.”
Two would be too many. “What’s a bunch?”
“Heard sightings of eight so far.”
“Who would have done that?” she pondered out loud.
“Don’t know. I ain’t seen any myself to know what kind they are or where they might have originated.”
“Why did you think that warlock would know anything?”
“Cuz there’s Medb all over the city?”
“And VIPER’s allowing that ?” Evalle asked, furious. “Beladors are their largest force.” Had everyone in VIPER forgotten that the Medb just attacked Treoir?
She wanted to stomp Sen’s butt. The liaison between VIPER agents and the Tribunal had to be the one allowing this.
But that made no sense. Sen hated Evalle, but pissing off the Belador agents would put him in ill favor with the Tribunal. Not even Sen would want to face a Tribunal of two gods and a goddess who would decide his fate.
“You through havin’ a hissy fit?” Grady asked.
She rolled her eyes. “Start talking.”
He slugged another drink first. “Like I said, someone dumped demons out here and VIPER is in upheaval because the Beladors ain’t pullin’ their weight.” He lifted a hand. “Before you go off on me again, you have to know the Beladors are having power problems, right?”
“Yes,” she admitted.
“How come?”
“The Medb attacked Treoir and the Belador traitor was inside with Brina. He tossed some Noirre dust on her then Tzader killed him, but not before Brina vanished, leaving her hologram. The Beladors should have no power, but that hologram must be holding a connection between Brina and Treoir. Apparently the power base is still intact but corrupted.” She realized who she was talking to–a Nightstalker social butterfly–and pointed a finger at him. “But you don’t need to advertise that.”
“Don’t be pointin’ no finger at me.”
With some beings, pointing a finger could be construed as a threat. In Grady’s case, it just annoyed him, which was nonproductive. The clock was chewing up minutes, but she had a duty to the Beladors here in Atlanta as well. “Have any of the demons been caught or killed?”
“That’s the kicker. I’ve heard of two different incidents where Medb witches and warlocks have killed the demons and saved a human.”
Had the earth dropped off its axis? What was going on? “So now you want me to believe that the Medb have turned into good Samaritans?
He held his arms out. “I don’t make this stuff up. They’ve been turnin’ up all over town, not causin’ trouble and savin’ VIPER’s bacon.”
Was she just too cynical to accept this at face value? No, it was more a matter of being too realistic to believe thousands of years of deadly behavior could change overnight. There was something way wrong with this picture. What were the Medb up to now? And who was running their show?
Grady pointed at Evalle. “You got big problems. Sen’s been on a tear. You need to do somethin’ with Quinn.”
“Why?” She had a sick feeling this might be about Quinn’s lack of control.
“He ain’t right. Word is that Sen came in and cleaned up one of Quinn’s messes then told Quinn that being actin’ Maistir does not give him free rein.”
Leave it to Sen to make things worse when the Beladors could use a hand. “What did Quinn do?”
“I heard he caught a troll stalking a human. Grabbed the troll and did some kind of mind control then sent the troll on his way.”
“That doesn’t sound bad.” Quinn hated to take control of a person’s mind by force and tried not to be invasive. If the troll went away then Quinn must have thought the troll was no longer a
She handed over the bottle, giving him time to guzzle a good belt of it before moving him along. “What’s happening in town?”
He tucked the bottle next to his chest. “Someone turned a bunch of demons loose.”
Two would be too many. “What’s a bunch?”
“Heard sightings of eight so far.”
“Who would have done that?” she pondered out loud.
“Don’t know. I ain’t seen any myself to know what kind they are or where they might have originated.”
“Why did you think that warlock would know anything?”
“Cuz there’s Medb all over the city?”
“And VIPER’s allowing that ?” Evalle asked, furious. “Beladors are their largest force.” Had everyone in VIPER forgotten that the Medb just attacked Treoir?
She wanted to stomp Sen’s butt. The liaison between VIPER agents and the Tribunal had to be the one allowing this.
But that made no sense. Sen hated Evalle, but pissing off the Belador agents would put him in ill favor with the Tribunal. Not even Sen would want to face a Tribunal of two gods and a goddess who would decide his fate.
“You through havin’ a hissy fit?” Grady asked.
She rolled her eyes. “Start talking.”
He slugged another drink first. “Like I said, someone dumped demons out here and VIPER is in upheaval because the Beladors ain’t pullin’ their weight.” He lifted a hand. “Before you go off on me again, you have to know the Beladors are having power problems, right?”
“Yes,” she admitted.
“How come?”
“The Medb attacked Treoir and the Belador traitor was inside with Brina. He tossed some Noirre dust on her then Tzader killed him, but not before Brina vanished, leaving her hologram. The Beladors should have no power, but that hologram must be holding a connection between Brina and Treoir. Apparently the power base is still intact but corrupted.” She realized who she was talking to–a Nightstalker social butterfly–and pointed a finger at him. “But you don’t need to advertise that.”
“Don’t be pointin’ no finger at me.”
With some beings, pointing a finger could be construed as a threat. In Grady’s case, it just annoyed him, which was nonproductive. The clock was chewing up minutes, but she had a duty to the Beladors here in Atlanta as well. “Have any of the demons been caught or killed?”
“That’s the kicker. I’ve heard of two different incidents where Medb witches and warlocks have killed the demons and saved a human.”
Had the earth dropped off its axis? What was going on? “So now you want me to believe that the Medb have turned into good Samaritans?
He held his arms out. “I don’t make this stuff up. They’ve been turnin’ up all over town, not causin’ trouble and savin’ VIPER’s bacon.”
Was she just too cynical to accept this at face value? No, it was more a matter of being too realistic to believe thousands of years of deadly behavior could change overnight. There was something way wrong with this picture. What were the Medb up to now? And who was running their show?
Grady pointed at Evalle. “You got big problems. Sen’s been on a tear. You need to do somethin’ with Quinn.”
“Why?” She had a sick feeling this might be about Quinn’s lack of control.
“He ain’t right. Word is that Sen came in and cleaned up one of Quinn’s messes then told Quinn that being actin’ Maistir does not give him free rein.”
Leave it to Sen to make things worse when the Beladors could use a hand. “What did Quinn do?”
“I heard he caught a troll stalking a human. Grabbed the troll and did some kind of mind control then sent the troll on his way.”
“That doesn’t sound bad.” Quinn hated to take control of a person’s mind by force and tried not to be invasive. If the troll went away then Quinn must have thought the troll was no longer a
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