Stackpole, Michael A - Dark Conspiracy 03 (52 page)
Read Stackpole, Michael A - Dark Conspiracy 03 Online
Authors: Evil Triumphant
"Will's son, most likely yes. He will have the best chance, growing up in Kanggenpo and learning all that Lama Mong has to offer. Likewise, Mickey is young enough intellectually to benefit greatly from what
the monastery has to offer." Crowley shrugged slightly. "Ryuhito might be another matter, but he has a good grounding and is willing to work hard. 1 think he was humbled by his performance as Pygmalion's
minion, and he feels a great obligation to Will's son because of having been the reason the boy's father
died."
She nodded, analyzing every word and finding that it tallied with her assessment of the situation. "What did his grandfather say when you told him that Ryuhito would not be coming back?"
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Crowley scratched
at his throat with his right hand, and the gold ring glinted as he did so. "The
emperor
was no
t pleased, because he does love his grandson, but he is happy the youth is neither dead nor the author of irrepa-rable mayhem. To make amends, he is urging a number of the
zaibatsu
to invest in plants on the
reservation east of Phoenix and in joint ventures with Lorica to provide jobs for the survivors of the battle for Turquoise."
"Good." Jytte folded her arms and tried to suppress the shiver working up her spine. "Do you thinkthere is enough time for any of these plans to come to fruition? Sinclair and Rajani have decided to marry and
adopt Mickey's sister, despite knowing the truth about the world. Nero Loring has resumed his leadership
of Lorica, and his daughter is being brought along to replace him."
"1 know, 1 know, and Bat has resumed his career as a pit fighter, Natch still lurks in Eclipse and Hal has thrown himself into the Sunburst Foundation." The shadow man nodded his head. "1 think there's time. 1
hope so. As it is, the Dark Lords and Ladies are in something of an uproar right now. Four of their
number died in battling related to Earth. As they donot knowthe details, they only knowthat where Dark
Lords had been before there are now none. There are some major battles going on right now to snap up
what is left of the Empress' domain and Fiddleback's holdings.
"On top of that, the remaining Dark Lords know all of the deceased were connected to and in opposition to Coyote, and they know Coyote is human, and that has them worried."
"How long before they figure out there is no Coyote?"
Crowley reached over and flicked some red dust from the first letter of Tycho Caine's name. "That's the key, isn't it? We need a Coyote to be out doing the things that Coyote does. As long as the Dark Lords
think Coyote could kill them, they will be circumspect and tentative. They will not be as decisive as they might be, and their fellows will be poised to snap up their territory at the first sign of trouble."
Jytte wet her lips with the tip of hertongue. "So, areyou going to accept the job? By your own admission, it will be a time before even Ryuhito is ready to become Coyote."
Crowley sounded surprised by her question. "Me? Coyote? Mo, 1 don't think so. 1 already run under too many other names, and am known by creatures out there as an annoyance. They could never think I was
Coyote."
"But you managed to kill Caine, and he was a Dark Lord at that point." Jytte watched him closely. "Gntil then, only a Dark Lord had been able to kill a Dark Lord. Is that what you are, Mr. Crowley, a Dark
Lord?"
The living silhouette shook his head. "Mo, I'm no Dark Lord. I pulled the trigger on Coyote's Wildey Wolf, but 1 did not kill him. He could read my thoughts and he knew what I was going to do before I did
it. He knew his aspect was death, and he decided to give himself up to it before he took us with him. A
Dark Lord killed a Dark Lord in that death, as well.
"Mor am I Coyote material, Jytte. Mot at all." The occultist looked from the grave to her. "But you are."
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His s
uggestion sent a jolt of self-doubtthrough her. "Me, Coyote? 1 could never..."
"Nonsense, Jytte. When Coyote went down, you took over the group and ran it. His predecessor had
enough trust in your abilities to make you the only person in whom he confided concerning his plan to
bring Caine into the fold." Crowley rested his hands on her shoulders. "When we returned from
Pygmalion's dimension, you immediately went to work helping Lilith and Mero use the Lorica Citadel's
computers to locate the last of the bombs placed by Darius MacNeal's men. You constantly pay forward
the debt you owe to Coyote."
A million conflicting emotions and thoughts raced through her mind. She saw her life paraded before her
mind's eye in a series of slides that had been shuffled
repeatedly. Scenes from her early days with Coyote predominated, showing his kind face and bringing
with it a soundtrack filled with warm praise for her efforts. A few images from the times before
Pygmalion took her and from during his work on her surfaced, but she fled past them. Finally, things
melded together into the picture of the black silicate statue of her that Pygmalion had created and of her bullet shattering it.
lam not that helpless child, lam Jytte.
She hesitated for a second, then nodded to herself. I
can be Coyote.
"It won't be easy, you know." Crowley slipped his left arm over her shoulders. "You will have to leam how to walk through dimensions and a number of other tricks."
She arched an eyebrow at him. "Can't I just go to the monastery and leam with the rest?"
Crowley laughed. "'Fraid not, Jytte. No women are allowed there. Still, 1 can instruct you in the
disciplines you'll want to master. After that, well..."
"You'll still be willing to help out?" She looked at him expectantly. "You know, from time to time, as needed."
"It would be my pleasure, Ms. Ravel." The shadow man nodded solemnly.
"No need to be so formal, Damon. Jytte smiled and slipped her right hand through the crook of his left arm. "Why don't you just call me...Coyote?"
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