Chapter 55

"Just set a trap for him"I mocked as I swung my kodachi at another vamp. "Head him off."The vamp's head went flying. "Grab him before he reaches the Putins."I fell back into the packed earth of the country road to avoid being run down by yet another vampire on a motorcycle.
Everything had gone just as planned up until we realized that Blue had changed his plans. Well, not changed so much as amended. We'd prepared for a sleek black sports car to come plummeting down the dirt road. In light of those expectations, we'd dug a hole across the lane, covered it with tarp and dirt, then waited. The car had indeed arrived and wrecked as we'd hoped it would but a dozen motorcycles had followed closely on its heels. All of them pulled up short when the trap was sprung.
The bikers weren't just an honor guard; they were also vampires. Which actually wouldn't have been a huge problem if we'd been prepared for them. But we hadn't expected such a large attack and so we'd thinned out the ranks; sending Ull, Horus, Brahma, and Persephone ahead to watch over the Putins just in case. Who knew the just in case would be a bunch of blood-sucking bikers?
War cries echoed as Mrs. E and Mr. T did their thing, lightning struck nearby as Thor fried one of the vamps, and Pan's gleeful laugh carried over it all as he used his influence to make our enemy panic. The panic was working great, but we needed to do some beheading to finish these guys off. It was a good thing I had spell-enhanced weaponry or I wouldn't have made it past the first vamp. I don't know if I've mentioned this before but beheading a man isn't as easy as they make it look in the movies. It takes a lot of strength to separate a head from a body. You have to cut through muscles and tendons, not to mention bone. Why do you think the French invented the guillotine? They were tired.
"Vervain!"Finn put his back to mine as we fought and it struck me that he didn't have a cool god magic either.
All Finn could do was turn into a swan. Not so helpful in times like this. I glanced over and saw his forearms bulge as he lifted his sword and sliced the head from a vampire. I felt a kind of kinship with him then; the two normal fighters trying to survive amid those with aggressive god magic. We had to train twice as hard to accomplish even half of what they were capable of naturally.
I threw out a handful of wormwood, activating a stun spell that I had intended to use on the driver, and dropped a vampire who was about to launch himself at Pan. Okay, so maybe I wasn't exactly normal.
"The driver!"Finn nodded at a man getting out of the wrecked car.
The driver tossed a long gun out of the ditch and then climbed up after it. Slipping the rifle's strap over his chest, he headed for an abandoned motorcycle.
"Dang it."I ran towards him but there wasn't anything I could do. I don't carry projectile weapons and the guy was beyond my reach.
"In the car!"Finn pointed, and I saw a stash of guns laid out on the passenger seat.
I ran over and dropped to the ground so I could reach down into the ditch and pull one out. I was already starting to sweat. Did I mention that I don't like guns? I couldn't even tell you what I was holding, just that it was large and black. A machine gun, I think. I stood up and pointed it at the fleeing man. How hard could it be, right? All you do is point and shoot. I pulled the trigger but nothing happened.
"Damn! Damn! Damn!"I was about to throw the gun at the man when Finn's hand reached over and pushed a button next to the trigger.
"Safety's on."He smirked. "Try again."
"Don't say it,"I growled and lifted the gun once more.
I didn't even try to sight, just aimed in the man's general direction. It turns out, that's all you need to do when you're using a machine gun. The man, bike, and all went down in a shower of dirt. He laid there groaning while Finn and I ran over.
"Wow."I looked at the gun in my hand. "Maybe I'll keep this."
"You didn't kill him."Finn looked the guy over. "In this instance, your inexperience was a plus. We can take him back to Teharon and patch him up."
"Great."I looked back over at the battle where Thor was taking care of the last of the vamps with his blunt but very large hammer. As I watched, Thor swung his weapon in a wide arc and a vamp's head went spinning off into the darkness. "Whoa,"was all I could say. I have to admit; it turned me on a little. I gave myself a mental shake and ran over to join my hot, hammer-wielding boyfriend. "We need to get the driver outta here now."I gestured over to where Finn was trussing up the Russian.
"Right."Thor nodded and started heading over. "I'll take him back with Finn. Pan, get Vervain home,"he called over his shoulder.
"No prob, Chief!"Pan sidled over to me; eyeing the weapons I was holding. "You wanna at least put the sword away?"
"Oh, right."I handed him the gun while I slid the kodachi into its sheath.
"Gods don't use guns."Pan looked over the weapon. "We generally don't have to, but you did well with this. Why don't you carry one?"
"Well, I'm kinda afraid of them."I took the gun back. "And swords are better for severing god heads. But I think I may be warming up to the idea."
"Looks good on you."He nodded appreciatively.
"Yes, it does."
We jerked toward the sound of Blue's voice while Mr. T and his Mrs. ran over to back us up.
It was an automatic reaction, I couldn't help it; I just pulled the trigger and sprayed out bullets in a wide arc. Blue jerked with the impact; looking confused as he inspected his ruined shirt. There was no blood. His chest was whole beneath the holes; the bullets no doubt lying around him in the dirt.
"What the hell?"I looked from the gun to Blue.
"That's why we don't use guns,"Pan said dryly.
"Damn it!"I threw the weapon at Blue's head.
"So angry."Blue laughed after dodging my throw. "Why do you want to kill me, little witch?"
"Why do you want to kill Maria Putina?"I shot back.
"Because her death will launch a war of epic proportions."He closed his eyes and smiled as if he could see it playing out on the back of his eyelids. "Putin's hatred of Medvedev will grow until he loses control and takes down not only Medvedev but Gazprom as well. The oil crisis that follows will pit the Russian Federation against the Europeans. Then it may even become worldwide."
"You really are an evil bastard,"I breathed in horror. How could I have ever found this man attractive?
"Your people make snuff films and movies such as Faces of Death. Violence and gore are entertainment for you, but I'm the evil one? At least what I do has meaning for me. This is not about pleasure; this is about survival. I do what I believe is best for not only godkind but humankind as well. I truly believe my cause is honorable, but I'd give it all up for you."Blue focused on me intently.
"What?"I stared back in open-mouthed horror.
"Let's go, Vervain."Pan suddenly had a death grip on my arm.
"No, wait."I held up a hand and turned back to Blue. "What are you saying exactly?"
"Come with me now."Blue held a slim, dark hand out to me. "Be with me willingly, and I will cease my efforts to kill Maria Putina."
"And simply launch another plot,"I said. "I'm not that stupid."
"Vervain."Pan was tugging on my arm now. "Why are you even wasting time listening to him?"
"You're right."I turned to Pan and felt his arms go around me. As we faded away, Blue's voice followed us.
"Not just Maria then. I'll give it all up for you, little witch."