SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Thirty One
Jayne finished entering the pass code on the keypad and took a few steps back as a precaution. She had dispatched Wit with ease twice before but had the element of surprise on her side both times. The clanging sound of churning gears would provide plenty of advance notice this time. The lights in the gallery flickered on revealing a headless Joey slumped against the koi tank near the back of the room. She involuntarily frowned. Wit had moved across to the sofa and could not be seen from Jayne’s viewpoint. She entered cautiously, calling to him.
“Hey, Witmoore, don’t get any cute ideas!” Jayne inched her way through the doorway.
“Over here.” A defeated voice limped over the back of the sofa.
Jayne took a wide swing around the end of the couch, stepping over Joey’s feet then side-stepping to align herself with the end of the area rug. Wit sat bent over with his forearms braced against his knees. His words fell to the floor, void of any emotion.
“How could you?”
“How could I what? What do you think I did?” Jayne responded, knowing full well to what Wit was referring.
“How could you kill Joey? “
“What makes you think I killed him?”
“Oh, let’s call it a hunch. Are you saying it isn’t your handiwork?”
“No.”
“He was like family to me.”
“He was family to me. Get over it. He was a parasitic piece of shit that sucked life from others.” Jayne poked at Wit knowing that he had been in the same boat just days earlier.
Wit bit his lip, knowing anything he said might reveal he knew more than she assumed he did.
“So, now what? Are you here to kill me, too?”
“Nope. You may still have value. We’re going to keep you around until we know for sure. Right now you get to be my little helper. Get up off of that couch and come over here.” Jayne gestured to Wit to follow her to the alcove containing the armor.
He walked over and stood beside her. He fought the urge to lunge for her throat and hoped that he was capable of concealing his growing rage. The plan’s success depended on his ability to seem oblivious to the situation.
Jayne placed her right hand on the emblem in the center of the breastplate and depressed it slightly. She turned it right, then left, then right again as if opening the combination lock on a safe. When the emblem was returned to its upright position it popped forward and clacked like a car door being unlocked. Jayne reached behind the top edge of the emblem and produced a triangular glass vial topped with a silver neck shaped as the open mouth of a fish. She handed it to Wit.
“I need you to fill this with water from the koi tank. Once it is full, add a couple of scales from the koi’s back to the water then twist the neck of the vial to seal it.” Jayne handed the vial to Wit and shooed him toward the tank.
“This seems like something you could handle by yourself.” Wit pushed the vial back at Jayne. She responded to his pushback with a slightly more forceful push, dinging him in the chest.
“Ow!”
“Listen.” Jayne paused her work with the amour and sighed.” All of our encounters have involved some type of intrusion on your personal space. For that I am truly sorry. It was because of my need to expedite this task. Nothing, including the taking of a life, is off the table when pushing to accomplish this task. The task is the most important thing in all of our lives right now, including you and your family. Am I making myself clear?” Jayne raised an eyebrow.
With that, Wit walked directly to the tank and submerged the vial. Air bubbled from the mouth of the little silver fish and popped at the water’s surface. The giant teal koi swam to the front of the tank and nudged Wit’s hand like a puppy craving attention. Wit stroked its back and collected a few scales on the palm of his hand. He scraped them into the vial and sealed it tight. The koi swam a few feet toward the center of the tank and turned around to look at Wit. There was the distinct impression that the ancient creature knew what was happening.
Wit returned the vial to Jayne who slid it into the pocket on her scrub pants. It brushed against the wound she suffered while tangling with Reese. She winced. “I’ll be glad when this is finally over,” Jayne muttered loud enough to elicit a response from Wit.
“You seemed so together when I thought I was seducing you at the bar. Now, not so much. What’s going on?”
“That night was my chance at redemption. It was my boyfriend that screwed things up twenty-five years ago. None of this would be happening if it weren’t for his misguided interpretation of the rejuvenation ritual. I managed to convince DeLeon to give me a chance to make things right. What’s twenty-five years when you’re talking eternity, right? Then, when I get my shot at wiping the slate clean I bruise your venom while extracting it and ruin your ability to produce more. Strike two. I’m surprised I’m not dead. So, let’s get through this night and hopefully we will all be around to see the dawn.”
Jayne unclasped the back of the breastplate and removed it from the stanchion. She hung it from Wit’s closest shoulder, keeping the emblem component in her possession.
“We’re one element away from putting this all behind us. This way.”
Jayne walked toward the back of the alcove. She slid the back panel to the side revealing a narrow corridor. The only illumination came from a shoulder high opening at the far end of the hallway. The light flickered and shifted as it bathed the walls with an orange glow.
“The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel,” Wit joked.
“That’s so lame it’s almost funny. You do possess a certain dumb charm. I’m glad I didn’t kill you.”
“Um, thanks, I guess.” Wit fell in step behind Jayne who was halfway down the hall.
The source of the light became evident as the two neared the opposite end of the corridor. A porthole window sat centered in the arch of a rather plain door by standards set in the rest of the mansion. Jayne grabbed the utilitarian handle and swung the door open. A wash of light and heat rolled across Wit’s face and danced across the armor. They had arrived at the caretaker’s entrance to the aviary. The muster of peafowl moved toward the doorway, excited with the notion of an unscheduled feeding.
Jayne removed a second vial from the emblem. It was similar to the first, having a glass vessel and silver neck. The embellishments on this vial were fashioned after fire and feathers. They spiraled up to a sharpened stylized beak having two elliptical slots on either side. She traded the vial for the breastplate as she directed Wit in his next task.
“A main artery runs the length of the neck on the right side. Insert the beaky-looking thing into the vein. . . .”
“The fleam.”
“What?”
“The beaky-looking thing is called a fleam. It is a bloodletting device.”
“How the hell would you know that?”
“Vampire school. Phlebotomy 101,” Wit joked. Jayne found him less humorous than in the corridor.
“Insert the fleam into the vein and allow the vial fill completely. Allow it to overflow if need be. I’m pretty sure you won’t get a second chance once it knows what you are up to.”
“I’m not sure I can do this. Why aren’t you handling this if it is so friggin’ important?” Wit’s remark was met with a sigh and mild exasperation.
“Let’s just say I don’t play well with the fish and fowl. Now, do what I told you or. . . .”
“I know, taking a life, etcetera, etcetera.”
Wit got down on one knee and called to the birds. All but one turned and went about their business. The lone hen slowly approached Wit and ducked its head under his outstretched hand, the same way the koi had approached him earlier. It lifted its head and presented her throat. The artery pulsed with an amber glow beneath the velvety feathers that graced the Pheacock’s neck. Wit inserted the vial’s sharpened spout and watched as the metallic amber liquid swirled into the glass bubble. The vial became comfortably warm. The pheacock waited patiently for Wit to withdraw the fleam then wandered off unscathed.
“Did you see that? It let me take its blood. It actually offered it to me.”
“Yep. You’re a regular Doctor Dolittle. Fork over the bird juice. We’re on a schedule.”
Wit handed the second vial back to Jayne and once again was saddled with the armor toting duties. He was surprised at how heavy it was. The elegant artistry used in creating it gave the impression that it was delicate, but wearing delicate armor really wouldn’t serve a purpose. Jayne led Wit across the aviary toward DeLeon’s office. A set of stainless steel doors stood adjacent to the office doorway. Jayne touched the shiny black button inlaid with a silver downward pointing arrow. A fan of light leapt from a spot just above the button. It scanned up and down Jayne’s body pausing slightly at her eyes. The light disappeared as the doors slid apart. The duo stepped into the elevator car. The walls, floor and ceiling were cold and smooth, clad in white porcelain. Small hidden bulbs illuminated the corners of the small room, making it feel brighter than it actually was. The doors closed behind them. The car began its descent.