Darkness Dwindles

DARKNESS CALLS Chapter Five

A few hours after Fellers left the repair guy came by to look at the busted French doors. I couldn't tell if he was in the know or not, but he seemed competent. He said that the doors were custom jobs (which I already knew) and that he'd have to build a replacement set by hand. I helped him pull them out of the frames and carry them out to his truck. He had a couple of stock doors he jerry-rigged as temporaries. They looked like shit and couldn't be unlocked from outside, but they'd keep out the weather, if not the grendels.

After he left I got the hatchet out of my van and put it under my pillow. I herded Joey into the Porsche -- which started right up -- and we drove to a hunting store, where over his protests I bought him a pistol. Then we went to a shooting range and I made him spend an hour practicing with it. When we got home I put the fucking thing in Joey's bed stand.

There, all safe and snug.

Didn't seem like much else we could do after that, except try to go back to our routine. Our routine, in this case, being the silent awkwardness of werewolf-and-recently-possessed-brothers not talking about the hot sex they'd had two days previously.

I spent an hour in my office dicking around on the computer and getting nothing done. Finally I gave it up and went downstairs to the studio. I hadn't lifted a pencil or a brush since I'd finished the full moon piece nearly two weeks ago. It was time to at least do some sketching.

I picked up my sketchbook with the goal of trying to get the juices flowing again. Historically I've tended toward figural and pictographic work, with a bit of cityscaping/landscaping mixed in. I'd been evolving in a more abstract and impressionist direction, but since the damn camping trip that had gotten derailed. Now I didn't know where I was going.

I thumbed through the sketchbook. Nothing. Zip. Nada. I hate it when that happens. When I was younger the dry spells used to really terrify me. I thought they meant that I had burned out and would never produce anything original again, ever. Nowadays I knew that wasn't true, probably, but it still sucked.

As I was searching for inspiration my phone buzzed. I glanced at it. Dr. Estrella, the caller ID flashed. Doctor Estrella? I watched the phone tap-dance across the counter as it rang. Could it magically explode when I picked it up? Or maybe shock me to death?

One way to find out. "Daniel Meltzer," I answered.

"Hello Daniel." It was a woman's voice, smooth and cultured. "This is Amber Estrella. I'm Opal's older sister."

"I remember you. What do you want?"

"I'd like to talk with you, if I may."

I bit back my first response. "Why?"

"I've just had a conversation with Opal."

"So she's not dead?"

"No." There was a pause. "Why would you think that?"

Now I paused. How much did I want to say? "A police detective came by. He said she was missing and that someone had killed her cat."

"I see. No, she's fine. I'll ask her to call the police and tell them. Given what happened to her, and some other things I've learned, I have reason to believe that your brother might be in danger."

No shit. "What did you learn?"

"I'd rather talk about this in person. Is that possible?"

Was this a trap? If it were Opal, I'd say yes. "I'll call you back." I hung up and went to find Joey.

He was in his bedroom sitting on his bed, examining something in his hand. As I walked in his fist closed over it and he looked up quickly.

"Hey -- what's that?" I asked.

His head fell forward as he shrugged.

"Okay, bro, now you've got me really curious. What is that?"

Without lifting his head Joey opened his hand to show me a small silver cross.

"Joey ... " I sat next to him. "You don't need to hide that from me. Did you think I would be mad?"

As I reached to touch it his fist closed again. "It's from Aunt Vivana, Daniel."

"I remember," I said, trying to keep the hurt out of my voice. "She sent it to you for your eighteenth birthday." Did he think silver would hurt me because I was a werewolf? Was he worried that I would defile something holy?

"I've touched it before," I said, as calmly as I could.

Still looking down, he shrugged. "I know. Aren't you still upset with her?"

"Upset doesn't begin to cover it. But that has nothing to do with the cross."

I couldn't figure his reasoning. After a moment I let it go; we had something more pressing to discuss.

"Opal's older sister just called me," I said. "She says she wants to meet and talk. It could be a trap. What do you think?"

Joey's fingers traced the edges of the cross. "I think we should meet her."

"What if she tries to put a spell or something on us?"

"I'll know it if she does, I think." His head tilted, like he was listening to a melody that no one else could hear. "Mom liked her, Daniel. She thought Amber was a lot like she was when she was young."

"Not sure that's the best endorsement, bro. Your mom loved Amber's mother, Vivana, and look what that got her." I considered it. "Okay, I'll call her back and set up a meeting some place public. We'll see what she has to say."

I squeezed his shoulder as I stood up. "Don't worry about the cross. It's not a big deal."

I called Amber back and told her we would meet her in an hour at Caffeine Fiend. It would be mid-afternoon and I knew we could find a quiet corner, but the place wouldn't be completely deserted.

Joey and I got there first. Usually I go for their booths, but this time we took a table. I wanted to be free to move around easily if it became necessary. Was I feeling anxious about this? You bet. So I ordered a double espresso. Joey had an iced coffee. Maybe he was feeling nervous too.

A woman walked in right at the time we had agreed to meet. She was a slender, dark-haired woman, looked thirtyish, wearing charcoal dress pants and a light green blouse. Her hair was swept back in a tight bun.

She walked over and sat down. We looked each other over. Her gaze went from me to Joey, then back to me. Her eyes were green, like Aunt Vivana's, but a lighter shade. The color of water over a mossy creek.

I waited; it was her call.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me," she began. Her voice sounded even smoother and more cultured in person than over the phone. "I know you have good reason to distrust any member of my family."

Yep.

"Mom liked you," Joey said.

"Did she?" A smile curved her lips. "I admired her tremendously. She was both brilliant and brave."

"Why did you want to talk?" I asked.

The green eyes shifted to me. "Several reasons. First, I wanted to apologize for Opal's treatment of you. Her life has not been easy and she is bitter about a number of things for which she unfairly blames you. I do not say this to excuse her, merely to explain. She is my sister and I love her, but I do not always agree with her actions."

"Okay." I kept my expression noncommittal. "What else?"

"The second reason is that, as I said, I am concerned that Joey may be in danger."

"Why would he be in danger?"

"Momma Lolotta has died."

Already knew that. "So?"

"It is unclear who will succeed her as head of the Family. Charolotta's eldest daughter has expressed interest in assuming the position. There are indications that she may be willing to resort to extreme measures in the pursuit of her goal."

Extreme measures sounded right, if she was the cause of our uninvited guest. "What does all that have to do with Joey?"

"Nothing directly. But the incident with Opal's cat indicates a willingness to resort to serious arm-twisting. I'm not sure how far she might go in that direction."

Amber's gaze slid to Joey. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but years ago she wanted you dead. Momma Lolotta stopped her from taking action. I don't know what she'll do now that Momma El has died. Killing you would serve the double purpose of exacting revenge and demonstrating her power to potential rivals within the Family."

"Daniel killed the grendel."

I couldn't stop myself from wincing. I wished Joey hadn't spilled that quite so soon.

"What?" Amber sat back. "He did?"

"He stuck a poker though its head."

"Truly?" She looked at me. "You killed it single-handed?"

I gave her my best martial arts badass look. No reason to mention that Joey had entranced it with music.

"Very impressive. Of course, you do have the moon gift." She looked away, her green eyes narrowed in thought. "This puts a different spin on things. The grendel was a powerful servant of the lineage. If Sherietta sent it to its destruction, that will be a major strike against her. Squandering such a valuable resource will not sit well with the rest of the first line."

"Carelessness won't sit well with the family, but murder's okay?" I could feel the beast within me growling. My enemy had a name. "You are one bloodthirsty bunch of bitches."

"I know." She didn't seem to take offence. "It wasn't always this way. Henry Kissinger used to say that academic politics are so vicious because the stakes are so low. That's the way it's becoming with the lineages. As the Darkness dwindles we become more vicious in our efforts to grab what little power there is to be had. It's sad to see how greatly we have diminished."

I wasn't really paying close attention to her words. A name kept rolling around in my head: Sherietta. Sherietta, daughter of Charolotta, the evil witch who had killed my father. I don't know if it was the beast within me, or the knowledge of who this woman was and what she had done, but I knew she was my enemy. Not just an everyday sort of enemy. A real one. The kind they sing about in operas. The kind that I would do everything in my power to destroy.

Amber had stopped talking and was looking at me.

"Okay," I said, "so why do you care what happens to Joey?" Or is this just one of your moves in your family's little game of thrones, Amber Estrella?

If Amber knew what was going on in my head, she didn't show it. "As I said," she continued, "I admired Mercedes and I don't want her son to be needlessly hurt. But I also believe her ideas were correct: the Family must change if we hope to survive. Other lineages have already begun to do so. Killing your brother would be pointless and foolish. It would set us back when we need to move forward."

"Is Sherietta going to send another grendel after us?"

"She doesn't have another grendel to send after you."

Good. "What do you think she's going to do now?"

"At this point, I doubt she's in a position to do much of anything, until and unless she becomes matriarch."

"Will she?"

"Become matriarch? I don't know. With Momma Lolotta dead the Family is left rudderless."

"How will it be settled?"

Amber eyed me coolly. We were treading close the limit of what she would share with an outsider. "There will be a gathering of the first line. Everything will be decided then. I haven't yet received the summons for it."

"Maybe your cousin Sherietta is pulling strings behind the scenes."

"She can't," she said flatly. "Not with this." End of topic.

Her green eyes glanced away for a few heartbeats, then zeroed back on me. "This brings me to the third reason I wanted to speak with you."

"Yeah?"

"Would you permit me to look at Mercedes' old papers? If you still have them, that is."

For the first time since she'd sat down she seemed nervous. This must be really important to her.

"Why do you want to see them?"

"I'm interested in her work."

"You mean the Project?"

"Yes," her eyebrows arched in surprise. "You know about it?"

"More than you can imagine, Doctor Amber Estrella. Just what is it, by the way, that you're a doctor of?"

"Anthropology."

Shit, she really was like Mercedes. "We still have her papers, but I've moved them out of the house for the time being." Suddenly I was really glad that Walter had them.

"You did?" Joey looked at me. "You didn't tell me that, Daniel."

I shrugged. "I'll tell you about it later." Shut up, Joey.

He did.

I turned back to Amber. "Maybe we can help each other out."

"How so?"

"Information exchange. We can tell you more about the Project and you can keep us updated on what's going on in the Estrella family."

She nodded slowly. "That may be possible. Understand, the more you know the greater your risk."

"Sherietta has already sent a monster to kill us. I'd say our risk can't get much higher."

"Perhaps," Amber tilted her head to regard me. "I doubt she sent the grendel to kill you. Likely Joey was the target. If Sherietta comes after you, she'll want you alive."

"Why?"

"You wish to trade information? I'll give you this for free: a grendel is the offspring of a witch and a werewolf when they mate under a full moon. I'm sure that Sherietta would love to have more grendels."

Holy fuck. I shook my head. "Does Opal know that?"

"Yes, she does. I'm sorry."

It shouldn't have hurt, but it did. That conniving bitch.

"Are you going to stop Sherietta?" I asked.

"I haven't yet decided what I am going to do. The only way to permanently stop her may be to become head of the Family myself. That has never been my desire. I do know that I will not confront her unless I know where the others stand and am certain that I can win."

I nodded. "I understand. The winning strategist seeks battle only after the victory is assured." I'll see your retired American diplomat, cousin Amber, and raise you one ancient Chinese warlord.

"I beg your pardon?"

"It's from The Art of War, by Sun Tzu. He's a general, lived in China over a thousand years ago."

"I know of Sun Tzu. I have not read his treatise."

"You should. He gives advice that's pretty useful for times like these."

"Thank you," she answered gravely. "When I get a chance I shall take a look at it." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "I need to get going."

"So soon?"

"Yes. I didn't have much time today. Primarily I wanted to warn you about the grendel and to see if you might be open to sharing Mercedes' notes. May I call you to set up another time to talk further?"

I glanced at Joey. He was looking directly at Amber, his head up and his hair tucked back out of his eyes.

"Sure."

"Thank you. You are being very generous, especially considering what my family has done to you. I am sorry that we meet again after such a long estrangement, and under such difficult circumstances."

She stood up. "Joseph," she nodded to him, "Daniel," her creek-moss eyes held mine for a heartbeat, "I hope that our next meeting will be longer, and the topics more pleasant."

I watched her maneuver gracefully around the tables as she made her exit. Despite myself, I was warming to Amber Estrella. She was a class act. If my mother is channeling Dorothy Parker, Amber's channeling Jackie O, and doing it pretty damn well.

"You like her, Daniel," said Joey.

I turned and caught his topaz gaze on me. For a second I thought I saw something in his face, something almost like hurt. Then his head tilted forward and the hair slid like a curtain across his eyes.

I shrugged. "Maybe. More than I thought I would. But I wasn't expecting much." I looked back, but Amber was gone.

"Hey," I turned back to him, "I've been thinking about something. It's almost the middle of August. Know what that means?"

"No, Daniel. What?"

"School. The fall semester starts in just a couple of weeks. Have you decided if you're going?"

In the spring Joey been admitted into the state university as a music major. It wasn't the most competitive program, but it was okay. Because of his test scores they'd offered him a scholarship. Before the werewolf attack I'd been pushing him to go. I wanted him to have a real college experience, to live in a dorm and all that. He needed to connect more with other kids his age. Plus, since Walter taught on campus, Joey would have someone there to keep an eye on him while I was away.

Joey fished the cross out of his shirt pocket and ran his fingers along its edges. He shrugged. "Are you still going to Europe?"

For the past three years I'd been telling everyone that as soon as Joey started college I would take a year off to travel around the world, beginning in Europe and working my way east. It was going to be my reward to myself for the eight years of my life I'd devoted to childcare.

"I don't know."

Except that I did know. I couldn't go; every full moon I transform. I wasn't up to doing the American Werewolf in Europe thing. And my inner beast really didn't give a shit about the art scene in Berlin or the ruins of Angkor. It didn't want to leave Joey. So I was stuck here with him. Unless ...

"What if we both go?"

He looked up. "You mean together?"

"Maybe. I think so." The more I considered it, the more I liked the idea. "You could postpone college for a year. We've been sitting on our butts in this town ever since Dad died. It would be good for both of us to get out and see the world."

Joey smiled. "I would like that."

He looked down at the cross and got somber again. "I hope we can do it." He meant he hoped we would both be alive to do it.

Joey looked up and slid his hair back. His gaze caught mine. "Do you think there's a God, Daniel?"

"I don't know, bro. Sounds like maybe there used to be lots of gods running around. But that's not what you meant, is it?"

"No." His fingers slowly traced the edges of the cross. "Aunt Vivana was a witch," he continued, "but she believes in God."

My little brother was in a weird mood. Given all he's been dealing with, I didn't blame him, but I wasn't sure what I could do to help.

"What about you, Joey? Do you believe in God?"

"I don't know." He stared down at the cross. "Maybe He does exist. I hope so." He added, softly, "'cause I know I've met the Devil."

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Ah -- ain't that nice? My sweetness hasn't forgotten me. I certainly haven't forgotten him. He's at the top of my list of favorite old haunts. Actually, I should confess that I'm not finished with my little Joey. I promised Fellers I would vacate the premises, and I did. But I never said I wouldn't be back.

Too bad, by the way, about Momma Lolotta being dead. The old witch looked pretty spry when the boys visited her, but these things do happen. You don't keep for very long do you, dinner?

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