The Peregrine Omnibus, Volume Two (67 page)

“With you? Pretty damned good.” Evelyn reached up and placed her palm against Max’s cheek. “Once things quiet down, I’ll be fine. We’ll need to hire someone to take Nettie’s place, and then we’ll get back into our normal routine.”

Max let his wife go, though he sensed she wasn’t completely at ease. He’d put her through a lot in their years together, and he knew that most women wouldn’t have put up with all the weirdness he generally brought into their house. Evelyn had not only put up with it, she’d even donned a mask a time or two and accompanied him into the field.

Together, they walked into the study, clasping hands as they entered the room. Jenny Everywhere was seated on the floor, lotus-style, and was giggling madly. Will McKenzie had obviously just finished some outlandish tale, for both Kirsten and Kaslov were looking bemused. Zadak was standing apart from the others, his eyes scanning the eclectic book collection that Max possessed. His sister was standing, a plate holding a slice of apple pie in her hands.

Max stepped up beside Zadak and whispered, “If you’d like to borrow anything, just let me know.”

Zadak grinned. “I might take you up on that. Some of this stuff… I mean, I’ve read about them, but never thought I’d actually see them in real life. That copy of the
Necronomicon
—that’s really bound in human flesh, isn’t it?”

“Unfortunately, yes. It’s not the only one in my collection that’s bound that way. I own maybe seven or eight books that are fashioned in the same manner.”

“Ghoulish, but interesting!” Zadak turned to look at his sister, who was taking the last bite of her pie. “Harriet, we should probably leave these folks to their business. You and I really need to talk.”

Bella frowned at the use of her name but chose not to make an issue of it. She set down her now-empty plate on a nearby coffee table and crossed her arms over her chest. “Brother, dear,” she said, using the tone of voice that she knew he hated. It implied complete and total condescension. “You’re free to go. But the Peregrine was nice enough to let me off with a slap on the wrist, considering his fondness for you and my willingness to lead him to Easter Island, and now I’m looking for something new to do. And you don’t get much more interesting or exciting than finding out that Adolf Hitler is now a member of the undead. So I’m staying.”

The Peregrine smiled at Zadak’s expression of consternation and turned back to face Jenny. The young woman was watching him closely, her eyes full of good-natured affection. “I think we’re ready for you to get started, Miss Everywhere.”

Jenny snorted and quickly covered her mouth. “Sorry! Miss Everywhere. That’s too much! Just call me Jenny, okay?” She looked around at everyone and tried to adopt a solemn attitude, though it failed somewhat. Her humor seemed impossible to contain. “First off, Adolf Hitler isn’t dead. He escaped Berlin and went into hiding. But his health sucked major ass, and…” Jenny’s voice trailed off as she saw the shocked expressions of those around her. Trying to remember that people—especially women—weren’t quite so open in this era, she continued on, trying to keep her terms within polite reason. “Anyway, you guys know he’s been really into the occult stuff, so it’s no surprise that he ended up hooking up with Dracula, right?”

Will cleared his throat. “Wait.
The
Dracula? The one that Bram Stoker wrote about?”

“Pretty much. I mean, Stoker got some things wrong, but for the most part, he was right on the money.”

Max spoke up then, reminding Will that one of the members of the Claws team had been the inspiration for Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein
.

When it was obvious that there were no more questions forthcoming, Jenny continued her spiel, winking at Bella as she did so. She liked Bella for some reason, and knew they’d be great friends in time. “Anyway, so Hitler and Dracula are going to use the Spear of Destiny—you know, the lance that was jabbed into Christ’s side when he hung on the cross? They’re going to use the Spear of Destiny to raise an army of the dead, and I’m supposed to help him stop them. I know I’m supposed to do that because I Googled myself and found a website called
Where Have You Seen Jenny? Everywhere!
I think that’s a great name for the site, since they all document places throughout the world and throughout history where I’ve been spotted. Kind of a like a conspiracy-oriented bunch of paparazzi.”

Silence followed these words, and it was finally Kirsten who spoke up. “You’re barking mad, aren’t you?”

Jenny blinked at her. “No. Not really. I mean, sometimes I know I come off as a bit odd, but mad? Not even a little.”

The Peregrine was watching her closely and he found himself agreeing with her. She wasn’t insane… but that didn’t necessarily mean she was a time traveler either. “So this… website?… It told you that you’d meet me in 1946 and that we’d fight Dracula and Hitler together?”

“Sure did. The article was posted by a Kayla Kaslov.” Jenny glanced over at Leonid, who gave a start. “Friend of yours? Future relative? Big fan?”

“I don’t know anyone named Kayla,” Leonid stammered, but he was stunned by Jenny’s words. He and Libby had both mentioned their fondness for the name Kayla.

“Future relative, then.” Jenny turned her eyes back to the Peregrine. “Before you ask—no, I don’t have any clue about more details. I know there’s a big fight in the Paris catacombs, though.”

Evelyn stirred now, her eyes growing wide. “I’ve heard of those… What in the world would Dracula and Hitler want with that place?”

“Actually, it makes perfect sense.” Zadak was tapping his chin now, and Bella grinned, recognizing that he was about to launch into one of his professorial spiels. “As the city of Paris grew, it became necessary to provide more space for the living. So in one of the greatest engineering feats in history, millions of dead Parisians were disinterred and moved into dank passageways beneath the City of Light. The skulls of the dead line the very walls, and according to many, it’s one of the most haunted places on Earth. If Dracula is really interested in raising the dead, it’s not a bad place to start. Besides, Hitler always had a soft spot for Paris. It was going to be given special concessions as part of the Germanic Empire in order to preserve aspects of its culture.”

“Probably the frustrated artist in him,” Bella muttered. When her brother glanced her way, she shrugged. “I’ve seen some of his work. Really amateurish.”

The Peregrine sighed and began pacing. “So… I should head to Paris?”

Jenny nodded eagerly and stood up. “I’ll come, too. I have to. There’s a picture of you and me standing in front of the Eiffel Tower.”

“I don’t think it should just be the two of us,” the Peregrine answered. “I’m not sure why, but I do believe you, so I’m willing to let you come along. But from what I know of both the Fuehrer and Dracula, it’s going to take everything I’ve got to stop them. Leonid, can you tag along?”

Kaslov’s face was cloudy with guilt. “I wish that I could, but I’m supposed to brief the president tomorrow about my research into alternatives to atomic energy. I could try to cancel…”

The Peregrine offered his old friend a smile. “No, I’d say the president takes precedence.”

“You know I’d be willing to take a few days off,” Will offered. He nodded towards Kirsten. “And I’m sure the Iron Maiden could lend a hand, too.”

“I appreciate it, but I’d like both of you to help Evelyn with the kids. I’ll call the Claws team and see how soon they’re going to be back. If they can make it in time, they can join Jenny and me in Paris.”

“And you can’t get rid of me,” Bella said, moving forward. “I want to help.”

The Peregrine studied her for a moment, still not sure how far he could trust this girl. When he finally made his decision, he prepared himself for what he figured was an inevitable disagreement. “You want to help me? Fine. You and your brother find out everything there is to know about the Spear of Destiny. I know all the basics, but I want specifics. What tainted it? Is it connected to the Knives of Elohim? All of them were soaked in the blood of Christ.”

To his surprise, Bella nodded in agreement. “Will do. I have contacts that Zadak doesn’t, and he’s the best researcher around. Between the two of us, we’ll find out exactly what you need to know.”

“You’re okay with that?” Max asked, unable to resist pushing the matter. “I thought for sure you’d insist on coming along.”

“I’d like to,” Bella admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. “But I’m fine with this. Besides, I’m a magnet for trouble. No matter what I do now, I’ll end up on the frontlines eventually.”

The Peregrine accepted her words. He could sympathize, since that was how his own life usually went. “Okay, then. Evelyn, Will, and Kirsten will remain in Atlanta. I’ll ask the Claws to meet me in Paris, where I’ll be waiting with Jenny. Zadak and Belladonna will find out all there is to know about the Spear of Destiny. Leonid will go on to handle his private business, but I’m sure he’ll remain on call in case of an emergency. Anything else?”

Jenny Everywhere watched him with an awestruck expression. She’d read lots about the Peregrine and knew that, in most worlds, he actually managed to remain active and vital into the twenty-first century—and in some realities, even farther beyond that. He had a reputation for getting things done and for being a born leader, and both traits were on full display at the moment.

The Peregrine nodded as his friends began to disperse. Kaslov moved to his side, lowering his voice. “Are you sure about this, Max?” the Russian asked.

“Positive.” Max made sure that no one was listening in to them and continued, “I need someone on the outside as an ace in the hole. Keep your line open and I’ll let you know when or if I need you to step in.”

Kaslov gave the briefest of nods and headed to the door. Max had asked him earlier to claim he was unavailable for the mission, and he thought he understood why: despite the fact that Aldritch, Belladonna, and Jenny all seemed to be on the same page with Max, the truth was that any one of them could be playing them all for fools. Kaslov was going to keep an eye on the Aldritch siblings while remaining available for the Peregrine to call upon in Paris.

Jenny surprised Max by taking his arm. “Let’s go and kick some vampire Nazi ass!” she said with a charming giggle.

Max smiled. “Won’t be the first time for me… but it’s always fun to do.”

CHAPTER XIII

Unsheathing the Claws

Sally Pence felt like her heart was about to explode. She was lying on her side, blood pouring from a wound in her left shoulder. Poison was quickly spreading through her body, and the knowledge that she had literally only minutes left to live was weighing heavily upon her. Her dark uniform, so much like that worn by her father and his father before him, was stained with blood and dirt. Her domino-style mask lay discarded nearby as she crouched beneath a heavy oak desk.

In her guise as Revenant, she had led her Claws team to the home of Reginald Bell, a wealthy film producer who had become involved in a growing white slavery ring. Bell was plucking up young beauties with lies of stardom, drugging them, raping them, and then shipping them off to the Middle East, where lustful sheiks were paying top dollar.

Unfortunately, Bell was a remarkably dangerous fellow. His security force had managed to delay the Claws team long enough for Bell to head towards the roof of his mountain home, where a helicopter lay in wait. While Vincent, Nathaniel, and Rachel dealt with the guards, Sally had taken off in pursuit of Bell. Unfortunately, he’d managed to stab her with a poisoned blade in the study of his house. Now she lay on the floor, slowly dying while he crept around the room, looking to finish her off.

It was a shame, she thought, that Bell was so damned handsome. A man with his rugged good looks, gray colored eyes, and athletic build could have made some woman very happy.

“Where are you, bitch?” Bell hissed, his voice sounding dreadfully close to Sally’s hiding place. She fumbled for another cartridge, sliding it into her pistol. “If you give up now, I can slip you the antidote you’ll need. I bet you’ve got a nice figure under that jumpsuit of yours—fetch a real high price on the open market.”

Sally ignored the pain she was feeling and threw herself up to her feet. She brought her pistol up to face Bell and grinned coldly. “Well, with sweet talk like that, what girl wouldn’t rush into your arms?”

Bell froze in place, the knife he held in his right hand slowly lowering to hang near his thigh. “Put down the gun,” he said, more like a request than a command.

“I don’t think so. You’ve ruined a lot of lives, Mr. Bell. Not just of the girls you sold into slavery, but their families, too.”

“I can give you the antidote!”

Sally felt her vision beginning to blur. There had been no sounds of gunfire from outside for many minutes now—were the other Claws about to burst into the room? Or had something gone wrong, and they weren’t coming any time soon? How long did she have before she’d need one of Catalyst’s spells to pull her through?

Bell saw that Revenant was beginning to sway unsteadily, and he threw himself at her, knife held high for the killing stroke. Sally realized she was never going to avoid the attack, but she couldn’t bring herself to squeeze the trigger of her gun. At this range, she’d kill Bell with her shot, and if there was one thing her father had always insisted upon, it was that a real hero never killed.

Thankfully, Revenant was never alone these days.

The massive form of Vincent von Frankenstein slammed into Bell, catching him in midair and crushing the man’s ribs. Vincent was tall and powerful, his skin a pale gray that looked both unhealthy and frightening. His longish hair hung in loose strands around his skull, and his eyes, sunken pits that they were, fixed on Sally with concern. He knelt beside her as she collapsed, catching her in his arms.

Bell lay groaning on the side, suddenly having a difficult time breathing. He looked up to see the husband and wife team of Nathaniel and Rachel Caine looking down at him. The duo wore emerald-colored clothing that identified them to those in the occult world as the Catalyst and his chosen mate. The Catalyst was the High Mage of his century, and Rachel herself possessed mental abilities that made her name Esper seem very apt.