CHAPTER 10
“A Swamp Ball? Now?” 8-Bit was the first up while the rest of The Twelve pinned Bishop with puzzled looks.
“I know but hear me out,” Bishop said. “Or hear our Belle Eveque out, this was her brilliant idea.” Their faces gradually relaxed into curiosity. “If we’re going to lure the head of the snake to the swamp, having a Swamp Ball creates a wide-open doorway for potential problems to happen. For the Noctambule war, they hit right in the middle of our culture festivities. They knew we’d be busy and preoccupied, so if we create the same scenario, we gain control of the game board.”
Hurricane’s face became screwed up. “But why a SwampBall?”
“What do the Noctambule traffic?”
“Women,” Spook muttered, nodding. “Very brilliant.”
“We put up ads in town, invite every eligible maiden in the land and word gets around. We then plant ideas into the right heads.”
“Which is what?”
“Something that was once theirs. Something they vowed to get back.”
“Lucas and Luseah?” Patches asked, skeptical.
“Qui,” Bishop said with a single nod. “And Raphael. We find him, we bring him home. 8-Bit followed the leads Ruckus gave with the Noctambule. There’s a group that branched off from the Noctambule when Ruckus was still there. The Holy Order. They want to take down Noctambule for its archaic ways. We can leverage that. In addition to that, we have the…” Bishop snapped several times.
“The Five Runes,” 8-Bit offered.
“Right. Who are arch enemies of the Holy Order. We dangle the bait, and we create a war triangle. We provide each snake with a doorway in along with a personal guide that gives them the exact information we want them to have. We get them where we want them and let judgment commence.”
“Who’s carrying out the judgment?” Spar wondered.
“I think we should let them do the heavy lifting and we clean up the remains. All survivors die on the field or in our courts. Either way, they die, and the world is that much cleaner, the swamps that much safer.”
“What about the arms?” Bullets wondered.
“Yeah what about the other devils from that other hell?” Hurricane added.
“They’re actually all tied,” 8-Bit announced.
“You found the fucking connection?” Bacon cried, whipping toward him.
“I did.”
“Bout fucking time,” Patches muttered. “Them Roullette’s supplying? That’s my bet,” he said, ready to play odds with somebody.
“Just tell us who it fuckin is,” Nitro suggested.
“Some dude named Bicep,” Bishop said. “Leader of a miniscule biker club up in Sherveport. He’s the knot at the center of all these strings. Hell’s go between queen. A flamer that inherited his father’s shipping business. Located on the Red River with access to barge, rail, motor and air transport. Makes him the wet dream of distribution. The gem is that they’ve formed a servitude to one another. One provides arms in exchange for flesh and flesh in exchange for drugs, drugs in exchange for money and money in exchange for power and control. Tons of leverage to be had there.”
“You saying we have the nest?” Spook wondered.
“We have a nest. The Noctambule are their own entity, but this nest is their main resource.”
“So, we going for this nest?” Bullets asked, hopeful.
“We are. First we’re starting a shitstorm. I want to divide their little family till their suspecting their own mothers and brothers.”
“What’s the plan?” Spar asked. “We’re all fucking ready to start this party.”
Bishop eyed all of them before stopping at Nitro. “What kind of explosive toys you got?”