Cursed To Death

Sirens blared, and Sasha leaned over with Shogun driving. Seung Kwon opened one door; Dak-Ho opened the other. Chin-Hwa came to a skidding halt out of a back alley, pursued by breathless foot-patrol officers.

“Get in!” Sasha shouted.

The car was still moving and Chin-Hwa had to run to catch up to it. A bullet caught Hunter in the upper arm as the vehicle slowed and he yanked Chin-Hwa inside. Both doors slammed shut. Shogun peeled rubber as Hunter held the wound, swerving through traffic, nearly colliding with parked cars and pedestrians.

“Did it get the bone?” Sasha leaned over the seat but everyone ducked down as NOPD shot out the back window.

“Passed through the muscle but hurts like a bitch.” Hunter leaned his head back against the seat, grimacing as the vehicle lurched and pitched.

“If you can hang on till we get somewhere, I can heal it.”

“First we’ve gotta live,” Shogun said, bouncing over a curb and taking a hairpin turn.

“We’ll never outrun the chopper,” Sasha said as Shogun maneuvered into a back street and came barreling out of the other end of it, taking half a storefront with him.

Hunter cried out as Shogun slammed on the brakes hard and bounced over the pavement and a median to head in the opposite direction, causing traffic to screech to a halt in four directions.

“We have to get off the street before we kill somebody. I need a phone-take us inside a building, any building, where there’re no people on the first floor, then everybody scatter.” Sasha turned, repeatedly glancing back at Hunter.

“We’ll be trapped, sitting ducks!” Seung Kwon shouted.

“You trusted me back there at Dugan’s old place just now, right?” she shouted over the seat as the SUV almost rolled over. “Shogun found the symbol in his building, too, right?”

“I trust the lady,” Shogun said, turning hard into a building and taking out the entire front bay of an auto body shop.

Pedestrians scattered, metal slammed against metal, but she and all the others in their vehicle were up and out as airbags burst forward.

Hunter slapped a shotgun out of a foolish owner’s hands. “Where’s the phone? That’s all we came for; insurance should cover the rest.”

“Come out with your hands in the air!”

The unmistakable blare of a police bullhorn made everybody freeze for a moment. Hunter, Shogun, and his men stared at Sasha as she dialed the telephone.

“How’s the arm?” Shogun muttered.

Hunter didn’t immediately answer, just wrapped the bleeding wound with duct tape. “It’ll heal.”

“We have the place surrounded! Let the hostages in the store go!”

“Hey, Sir Rodney?” Sasha said quickly. “How’s your Fae magick working right about now?”

“We’ve gotta go,” Woods said to Fisher. He looked at Doc and then Silver Hawk. “It’s going down. You all have got to cover Bear Shadow, Crow Shadow, and ’Rissa in there. We can’t do anything but provide security out here, if maybe something tries to come out of the shadows on you guys, anyway.” He tossed Doc a nine-millimeter. “Saw that you know how to use one of these.”

“That I do.”

“Good,” Woods said, looking at Bradley. “You take care of our girl.” Woods gave Clarissa a brief hug.

“Armed with iron, rowan, and brick dust, as well as a few little things that are a special blend of my own.”

“Good man.” Woods bumped Bradley’s fist.

“Did she say what she wanted us to bring?” Fisher started hunting through the cache of weapons hidden at Tulane from the last battle.

“Everything and the kitchen sink.”

“They don’t see us?” Shogun whispered, walking past police officers that had their weapons drawn.

“Nope,” Sasha said quietly and quickly, hurrying the group along.

The frightened Fae civilian that was called out of hiding kept his eyes squeezed shut for a second and then dashed ahead of them. “Hurry, hurry, please hurry… We just got our magick back and I’m only here because of Sir Rodney’s insistence. I’m an i

“Sir, I know you’re upset,” Sasha said calmly, glancing around. “But if we could impose on you for one more favor or two… We need that van over there turned into a military vehicle, if you can… and anything you need to use as material-like wheel lugs-to transform into AK-47s or M-16s, whichever is easiest, and silver shells for them. Maybe you can use the steel tire irons for the on-the-fly alchemy? But we need weapons, a vehicle, and a way out, stat. Appreciate your help.”

Sasha went to the side of the van, marveling at how the police continued to shout through the bullhorn as the SWAT unit arrived. Shogun caught the Elf under his tiny arms before he fainted.

“We’re a peaceful people,” the Elf said, gulping. “Do I have to make guns?”

“I will be your eyes,” Silver Hawk said as he sat across the table from Clarissa, with Doc and Bradley by her side. He looked up at Bear Shadow and Crow Shadow and waited for them to nod.

“I will be your ears,” Clarissa murmured, looking at both men.

“Listen for our voices and only our voices to direct you… or that of the Great Spirit,” Silver Hawk said quietly. “I will call the positive ancestors. I will call the shaman guides. I will ask the Great Spirit for your protection. You must free our people from the shackles of this curse!”

Sir Rodney dropped down from the tree line with a smile as soon as Sasha’s vehicle came into the long drive.

“I knew you wanted us to be here,” he said with a wide smile, vindicated, and glancing at his astonished men.

“Thank you,” Sasha said, jumping down from the armored jeep and coming up to Sir Rodney with a wide smile. “Seems I’ve been saying that to you a lot, lately. Your man in town outfitted us beautifully… but we wouldn’t have gotten out of there if it weren’t for a traditional Fae glamour. Although I think your constituent was so upset that he may need medical attention-that or a good therapist. We stressed the poor man, and we apologize for that.”

“Men, listen up-you ’eard what the lady said.” Sir Rodney beamed and glanced around at his troops. “There would be no more Seelie Fae glamour ’ad these brave wolves not gone in and undone a foul curse on the House of Clerk.”

He waited until the cheers and whistles died down and then turned to Sasha. “We thank you… The least we could do was provide you some military fatigues, a wee bit of munitions, and a chance to escape… Standard bibbidibobbidi-boo; easy charms, milady. The stuff of Faerie tales and Dragon lore.” His men laughed as he took a deep bow, seeming much revived now that his magic was back to full strength outside his castle walls. However, when he looked at Hunter, his smile faded. “This man has been shot.”

“Bullet passed through my arm, didn’t knick bone. Twenty-four hours and a session with a good healer, and I’ll be fine,” Hunter said, studying the plantation-style mansion. “Trees to the east are good cover. We have to decide how to take the property-there will definitely be security forces present. Humans to prevent daylight incursions. Maybe even some wolves from the Buchanan Brous-sard camp-so let’s not get overconfident. It ain’t over till it’s over… Never underestimate Vampires.”

“True. And Vamps are like sharks,” Shogun said. “You know that, brother. You’re bleeding and you can’t merge into the shadows… This isn’t like going up against humans; in a pitch-black lair they move faster than-”

“I know. I understand the risks. But we go in there full force, one clan, allies.” Hunter’s gaze slowly surveyed the group until he received nods of agreement.

He motioned with his chin toward the large, antebellum mansion. “Quite a beaut… I’d say forty, fifty rooms to sack, and who knows what they’ve got under the ground?”