Chapter 37
K endrix sat with his father, schooling his face to the blank unreadable mask his father preferred. Three days at headquarters was too much time, and he was itching to get back to his lovely victim.
They had been met at the airfield by Stephan, which was unusual, and had put them all on alert. His father had been pleasant enough, speaking of the best energy harvest they have had, thanks to them, and that they were celebrating something huge at Solstice, which at this point was only hours away.
The Elders had congratulated them, citing that their group had made the impossible possible, that the expenditure of their time and their energy was creating more of a froth than they had ever seen, and that they knew it would take time, but it was all coming to fruition.
Emerson had thought they meant the whole killing as a focus they had pushed on all of them, and they were all very sure the Elders didn’t know anything, especially when Elder Coupa asked them what they did with the girl they had been torturing for “His glory.”
“The changeover will go into effect on the first of the year,” Stephan said about the money he was funneling into Rix’s practice from his own businesses.
“I know you are doing well, son, but you could be doing better. This will ensure it, and give you more time away for worship and tribute. Numbers need to go up. We are expecting a thirty-five percent increase of devotionals for the new year’s first quarter. ”
Rix nodded. Stephan wanted him to hire on a few other surgeons to his practice and to “go on sabbatical” so he could go elsewhere in the world, to train new groups in killing to make sure no one got caught. He now knew that was absolute horse shit.
“It is as you say, Father.” He looked down.
“We have a meeting with Finn and Elder Ponta, if you will excuse us?” He looked to Easton, who was still working through the information that Stephan wanted him to set up shop on the west coast, to work on his craft there.
It was plain as day they wanted to split them up, to “maximize” favor for the God. But they knew what that was...
“Of course. We will see you at the celebration tonight.” Stephan dismissed them from his sight, picking up his glass of port. As a unit they walked out of the room, in no rush, masks of indifference still on their faces.
It wasn’t until after they got into the quiet hallway of their section of headquarters that Rix looked to Easton. “They are trying to split us up, which means they either know, or they are convinced that the deaths are what’s making things better and they want more instances of it.”
"Not here. My room," Easton said, clenching his jaw. He was right. Anyone could be watching.
He nodded, Easton was clearly shaken, and in truth, so was he. They made it to Easton’s doors in moments, slipping through as he texted Finn and the others to meet them there. They needed to know.
“They are on their way here,” he said as he threw himself on the large chair in Easton’s living area.
Easton was shaking, but he didn't know if it was with fear or rage. "They know something," he said, pacing around as they waited for the others. "They must do."
“Either that or,” he sighed. “They honestly think their idea of death only is working finally and they want us split up to maximize the carnage. Which would ultimately end in our deaths when someone slips up. Thiry-five percent in the first quarter...that’s...” He shook his head.
"And why? Why are they pushing for so many more members?" Easton shook his head. "That's dangerous as fuck. There's something else going on here. We're not the only one with plans."
He nodded his agreement as the door opened, Finn, Leo and Jack walking in. He knew they would come in waves as not to draw attention. None of them were dressed for the night, either.
“What’s good?” Jack said with a frown. “Because I just spent a lunch with Elder Morkan and he just told me he wants me to start killing year round, and start at seven for the first quarter.”
"Yeah, we just heard some bullshit from Stephan," Easton said. "They're actively recruiting, and they want to split us up. None of this makes any sense."
"It's weird." Leo frowned. "Why up the kills in the first quarter? They say the veil isn't thin enough early in the year so what's the point of killing more?"
Rix frowned. “Because they lied to us and the veils are the same all the year. They want us more entrenched in the death side of it, and I don’t doubt Damon and his friends will be called in next, since they are the next closest devotionals group we could have.
” He shook his head. “Something is going on in the ranks that they are digging in like ticks to this death focus.”
Emerson walked in with Carter then. “It’s not just that. They are turning this into a full on death cult, and I think they are setting us up as Martyrs.”
"Splitting us up so they can pick us off one by one." Finn shook his head. "This changes things."
"Well at least they made one fatal error," Carter said, sprawling in one of the chairs. "They told us before they announced it to everyone else. We can cut it off before it grows arms and legs."
“And let the guys know,” Emerson added. “Forewarned is fore-armed.”
Rix sneered. “So what do we do?”
Emerson’s mouth opened to answer him when Carter’s phone started buzzing. They all looked to him.
"It's...the shelter." Frowning, he answered the call.
"Yeah, hi, Carter here." He went so still that he could have been made of stone and his face paled.
"What? When? Did you report it?" He swallowed.
"I'm not in the country right now. Can you keep him until I get back? I'll call when I have flight details."
"What happened?" Finn asked as Carter hung up.
"Petra's been taken." Carter's face was still white. "Video footage of the back porch shows some guy in a ski mask knocking her out and putting her in a van. They've reported it to the cops."
"Fuck!" Finn swore viciously.
"We have to go and find her!" Leo sprang to his feet. "What the fuck are you all doing still sitting here?"
"We haven't done what we came to do," Finn told him. "If we go now, they make the announcement and we get broken up."
Rix rolled his shoulders and stood up. “I don’t know about you but I have had it with the bullshit around here. They want killers...let’s give them killers.” He grinned savagely. “Emerson, tell them what you found last night.”
Emerson looked to them. “I didn’t wanna say yet without hard evidence...”
“What is it?” Jack offered.
“Elders are expendable, or so the priests said when I questioned them last night. They are not the head of the organization. We, as the main devotional team, are. Elders were put in place to guide, but everything was supposed to be through us. It was around the same time they stopped with the dual devotionals that Elders went into power.”
“Fuck.” Jack shook his head. “So all Elders?”
“I think these fucks took it too far. Those from our father’s time were largely in a guidance capacity. And all Elders before our fathers were once a devotional team.”
"So we kill them all." Easton said it quietly, but his voice didn't waver. "Tonight."
"Put the word out," Finn said quietly. "Everyone we pre-gamed needs to know it's going down tonight."
"On it, boss." Leo was practically vibrating in his skin as he headed for the door. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can all go home."
“And fuck up the world of the asshole that took our lady,” Rix said. “And if I find out that it was one of these fucks, I’m burning the world down.”
Jack looked to Finn and then to Emerson. “Em, how will this affect the Solstice sacrifice? Is this even a thing?”
Emerson grinned. “It’s a thing, but not tonight.
It’s got a window, as long as it happens before Midwinter, there will be no repercussions.
” He looked to Finn. “We kill everyone tonight that is a problem, get on that plane, save our girl, then go to the mountain house...and worship.” He grinned.
“And I have a better rite for that, too.”
"I say we drain every last one of those fuckers into the well," Finn said. "Sacrifice made."
“Ooh, that’s perfect,” Jack said. “Though we need to come back to the better rite.” He winked. “How long?”
Rix turned from his friends and rolled his shoulders once again, pulling his fingerless gloves from his pocket and slipped them on.
The situation was tense but they did tense well.
Was it going to be sloppy? Probably. Were they going to have the element of surprise?
Absolutely. They had already spent too much time there as it was, and they were only moderately closer to the answers they needed.
The original plan was to keep a few of them alive for answers but answers weren’t as important as their lady being safe.
So first they burned down the organization, and then they burned Philly to the ground to find her.