Scenting Hallowed Blood (14 page)

Sofia’s plans were like a
garden in spring. She had planted and fertilised and was now
awaiting the first delicate shoots. Shemyaza had so much more
potential than Enniel, or any of his pompous confederates,
imagined. Sofia had a fecund imagination. She had been preparing
for this time for centuries. The power of the Shining One would be
hers, and in their greed, all the others who hungered for him would
let her use them. They would be blind to anything but their
desires.

Aninka waited in the cafe, smoking
cigarettes and drinking tea. She felt nervous, as if waiting for a
lover. Today, surely, Daniel would show up. If he didn’t, then he
never would, and some other tactic would have to be adopted.

She hadn’t seen Lahash since
they’d met for lunch, and she sensed he did not wholly trust her.
Perhaps she was foolish to become involved in his schemes. Shemyaza
had escaped them once, and was quite likely to do so again. She
realised that what really drew her to the cafe each morning was the
chance to speak to someone who had spent time with the man she had
known as Peverel Othman. Was Daniel his lover now? Taziel had
sensed many presences around Shemyaza. Any one of them could be
warming his bed. Aninka, in moments of cold stability, rebuked
herself for wondering about these things. Othman had abused and
used her. As far as he was concerned she might well have been dead,
another naked body amongst all the other bodies in the house in
Cresterfield, where Othman’s dark ritual had gone awry. Or not.
Maybe he had planned the whole thing. Aninka shrank from
re-experiencing that night and refused to replay her memories. It
was all too vile. And yet Othman had been such a good lover to her,
undemanding, intelligent, inventive. As a companion, he was equally
as entertaining in a restaurant as he was in bed
. Do not think
of his hands
, she told herself as she signalled the waitress to
order more tea.

Daniel came in just as she was
about to pour herself a fresh cup.

Aninka didn’t notice him at
first, then registered that someone was standing at her table. She
was sure that, when she looked up, her face had coloured. She tried
to appear normal. ‘Well! We meet again.’ Feeble. Couldn’t she have
thought of something more intriguing to say?

The boy sat down, brushed his
hair from his forehead. If Aninka leaned forward, would she be able
to smell Pev on him? Her hands shook slightly as she set down the
tea-pot. He still hadn’t said anything. She smiled at him, a smile
that felt too tight and strained. He was watching her carefully,
wondering what she was after. She could sense it on him.

The waitress came over and
Daniel ordered toast and tea. ‘Do you want anything?’ he asked
Aninka.

She shook her head, and
gestured at her cup on the table. ‘Too late.’ It was difficult to
think of something to say. The first time had been easy, but now,
knowing too well who he was, her conversation had dried up.

Daniel, sitting opposite,
thought that Eve was far from pleased to see him. She appeared
chilly and unwelcoming. He should have known better than to come
here again. His first instincts had been right; his last meeting
with her had been a one-off. Events in the night had unsettled him,
to the point where he really wanted to get out of the Assembly
Rooms and breathe some fresh air.

‘You look tired,’ Eve said at
last, looking at him over her tea-cup. She was dressed, as before,
in a smart, dark suit, but this time there was something
dishevelled about her appearance, something that came from her eyes
and posture rather than her clothes or hair, which lay like hanks
of black satin around her shoulders. Daniel picked up a sense of
tension within her. Perhaps it was nothing to do with him. She
might have had an argument with a lover, a friend or someone she
worked with. Perhaps she was dreading going to work that day.

‘I am tired,’ he answered. ‘Bad
night.’

Eve pulled a sympathetic face
and nodded. ‘Must be planetary. I’ve not slept well myself.’

‘Planetary?’

Eve shrugged. ‘Astrology. You
know, planets moving around the zodiac. I believe it affects
people.’

‘Oh.’ Daniel’s tea and toast
arrived. He had asked Lily for money, which she’d been happy to
donate, although he hadn’t told her what he was going to do with
it. There was a moment’s silence, as both sipped tea. Then someone
came into the cafe behind Daniel, and Eve looked up. Her face
registered both shock and annoyance. Daniel turned round, presuming
that whoever had just come in was someone Eve knew. An extremely
tall, good-looking young man with long tawny hair was making his
way between the tables towards them. At first, Daniel was sure he
knew this person, but the impression was fleeting, and after only a
moment, he realised the newcomer was a stranger. His interest was
pricked by the man’s attractiveness, but he also felt disappointed
that his private meeting with Eve was curtailed. This might even be
her lover.

‘Hi!’ Eve said nervously. ‘What
are you doing here?’

The young man sat down between
them. ‘Just passing. Thought you’d be here.’ He pushed his hair
behind his ears and picked up the menu, at which he frowned. Eve
continued to regard him in surprise. Daniel wondered whether he
should leave. The tension was too great.

‘This is Daniel,’ Eve
announced. Daniel sensed a certain pointedness about the remark.
The young man looked at him then, apparently for the first time.
Daniel felt a flush creep up his face. The look was too direct, too
assessing.

‘I work near here,’ he mumbled,
to indicate his presence at Eve’s table was not illicit.

‘Yeah? I’m Jack. A colleague of
the lady here.’ He directed his attention back to the menu.

‘It is rare that Jack sees this
time of day,’ Eve said, rather acidly. ‘We are honoured by his
presence.’ She lit a cigarette, narrowed her eyes through the
smoke. It was then that Daniel picked up the distinct impression
that Eve thought Jack was an intrusion. She didn’t want him there,
because she wanted to be alone with Daniel. This intrigued him.
What exactly did she want from him?

Jack spoke about how he’d come
to give Eve a message, which she clearly did not believe. He told
her that the ‘boss’ wanted to meet her for lunch. Something to do
with an overdue report. He ordered a full breakfast, then mentioned
that he’d offered to ‘help out’ with her work, seeing as she
appeared to be having problems with it. Daniel sensed a sub-text to
their conversation, and picked up a sense of extreme annoyance
simmering beneath Eve’s cool reserve. ‘You seemed to have little
interest in the project,’ she said in an icy voice.

Jack shrugged and smiled,
lacing his fingers together on the table. ‘Well, I’ve reviewed it
and have changed my mind.’

Eve shook her head and, much to
Daniel’s surprise, started to smile. He sensed more was being said
than he could understand. It was a code between them. ‘OK, get on
with it then. I’ll wait to be impressed by your expertise.’

To Daniel’s horror, she picked
up her bag, which was stowed under her seat and stood up. She was,
Daniel realised, incredibly tall for a woman. ‘See you later.’

‘You’re going,’ Daniel said,
inadequately.

‘Yes, sorry. Sit and chat to
Jack. I’m sure you’ll find him entertaining.’ She moved fluidly
towards the counter to pay her bill.

Daniel gulped down his tea,
intent on leaving too.

Jack seemed to guess this.
‘Don’t go,’ he said. ‘Keep me company.’

‘I don’t know you,’ Daniel
blurted.

Jack laughed at him. ‘Of course
not. But if you stay, you can begin to. Tell him I won’t eat him,
Eve!’

Eve looked back over her
shoulder with a quick, bright smile. ‘Stay, Daniel.’

Daniel’s heart had begun to
beat faster. He sensed a conspiracy. Why would this perfect
stranger want his company? Had Eve told Jack about him? If so, why?
A memory came back to him of the weird experience he’d had in the
night, and the silent figures standing vigilantly in the darkness
outside the Rooms. He stood up. ‘I don’t think... I mean, I have
things to do.’ The pair of them were staring at him, almost without
expression, but with a sense of waiting.

Then Jack laughed and applied
himself to his breakfast, which had just been placed before him.
‘Yeah, you’re right. Piss off. I’m bad company.’

Daniel glanced at Eve. Her
expression was intent. She mouthed a single, silent word,
‘Please!’
Daniel frowned at her, unsure of her meaning. He
wondered exactly what was going on between these two. Something to
do with their work?

Eve came towards him, put one
pale hand on his arm. ‘You would be doing me a favour keeping him
occupied,’ she said lightly. Her eyes said more than that, however.
‘I’ll see you here tomorrow morning, shall I?’ she added. ‘Then you
can buy me breakfast like you promised.’

Reluctantly, Daniel gave in and
sat down again. ‘All right.’

Eve leaned down and kissed him
lightly on the cheek. ‘Thanks.’ He could smell her perfume, sense
her warmth; both of which were quite intoxicating.

Looking back, Daniel could see
that he was seduced from the start. He couldn’t remember exactly
how Jack had engineered it, but somehow they spent the day
together. He took Daniel out into the city, into the real city, the
back streets and hidden shops, the bars known only to natives.
Daniel had fifteen pounds in his jacket pocket. He wondered whether
he could buy himself something, but in the event spent it all on
beer and food.

They ended up spending most of
the afternoon in an empty pub, where Daniel established that Jack
was not Eve’s lover as he’d thought. He risked asking why Eve
wanted him to stay with Jack in the cafe.

Jack grinned, took a swig from
the bottle he held, leaning back in his chair. ‘She thinks it’s
therapy for me.’

‘Oh? Why?’

Jack leaned forward and put his
arms on the tabletop. ‘I’ve had a bit of hassle, that’s all.
Emotional fuck-up. Eve’s doing the mother hen bit. Perhaps she
thought you’d be good for me.’

Daniel, inexperienced in the
ways of world but nonetheless perceptive, drew back. ‘Why would she
think that?’

Jack shrugged. ‘She likes you.
She has good taste.’

How do I handle this?
Daniel wondered, unsure whether he was picking up the right
signals. Was this man making a pass at him, partly engineered by
Eve? How could she make such assumptions upon such short
acquaintance? Was it written all over him that he preferred men to
women? He considered himself to be free of all obvious signs, and
didn’t know now whether to feel offended or complimented. ‘Eve
doesn’t know me very well. We’ve only just met.’

Jack pulled a wry face,
shrugged. Without further preamble, he asked Daniel if he’d like to
go out clubbing later on. Daniel was unsure. A mild flirtation in
daylight was one thing, the possibility of getting drunk and
irresponsible in a club late at night another. ‘Oh, I don’t know.’
He paused. ‘I don’t have much money.’

Jack rolled his eyes. ‘Well I
have. What’s the matter? You really don’t trust me, do you?’

Daniel risked a partial
confession. ‘Look, I haven’t been in the city long. I hardly know
anyone. I hardly know you. It’s just...’

‘Then bring a friend with you,
if you have one, and if it’ll make you feel safer, although I swear
I haven’t murdered anyone in my life yet. I have considered it a
few times, and have accomplished maiming, but little else.’ He
smiled disarmingly.

Daniel considered. Lily had
talked of wanting to get out at night. Maybe she would come. ‘Well,
there’s a girl I know. She might be into it. I’ll ask her.’

At lunchtime, Aninka met Lahash
at their appointed place; an expensive bistro. She was unsure
whether to be angry with him or not. ‘Did you send Taz to the cafe
this morning?’

Lahash shrugged. ‘Taz suggested
it himself. It seemed sensible.’

‘A planned seduction, is that
it? I gather that was the innuendo behind his words.’

‘I wouldn’t go so far as to say
that.’ Lahash poured icy white wine into a tall glass for her. She
sat rigidly, poised behind a spray of white carnations that stood
between them on the table in a crystal flute. Lahash looked
achingly handsome, clever and cunning. Aninka recognised the
warning signs. Perhaps it would be wiser to back off. ‘So what are
your plans, then? We’ve established contact with Daniel. When do we
move in?’

Lahash smiled in a fashion
Aninka did not like. Disturbingly, he often looked like an
assassin, with his smart suits and heavy overcoats. A secret agent
with a gun beneath his arm. ‘That depends on Taz. We need
information. I just hope he’s reliable.’

Aninka grimaced and took a
drink of wine. ‘You should know he is not.’ She twirled the stem of
her glass between her fingers. Lahash was now examining the menu.
‘What kind of information do you want?’

Lahash did not meet her eyes.
‘How many people in the house. Shemyaza’s frame of mind, that kind
of thing. Also, whether any of them are armed.’

Aninka shivered. She had a
vision of Peverel Othman lying slumped against a wall, his guts
spilled out across the floor. ‘Do you suppose the Parzupheim are on
to him?’

‘Of course they are. I just
hope they’ve opted to be circumspect.’ He leaned forward. ‘We have
to take him soon, Ninka, or rather, I do.’

Aninka felt suffused by a
sudden, overwhelming depression. The odds seemed too high. What
were they playing at? ‘Perhaps we should just leave them to it —
the Parzupheim, I mean.’

Lahash scowled. ‘No! I can’t
let him beat me.’

‘It’s too much of a personal
vendetta for you!’

Lahash raised an eyebrow. ‘And
it’s not for you?’