Mob Sorcery 5 - Ch41

When Vince returned to the group, Pola had been bundled up in a spare jacket. She remained sound asleep.

The rest of the group slumped against the alleyway walls or lay on the ground. Kiyoko had yet to return. He squeezed Gaby’s shoulder and she tried to smile up at him.

“Are you alright?” he asked her.

“I’m sleeping for a week after this,” she said, then looked back at Pola. “She’s not out of the woods yet. Quintus did… something to the curse and my healing filled in the hole, but there’s a lot of internal trauma. It’ll take a while for the magic to work its way out of her system and she needs more complex healing magic than I have. I can fix holes in my own chest, but that’s because it’s mine.”

“You did everything you could and then some. Thank you,” he said.

Gaby’s horn glittered and she gripped his hand with hers.

Fia frowned at them, then stood up and walked over to Pola. She bent down and tried to pick the other wolfgirl up.

“Hold up,” Nina said.

“She’s safe to move now,” Gaby said.

“That’s not the problem,” Nina said. “Where are we going next?”

“Hospital,” Fia said. “We’ll call Alessia and get a room prepped for Pola.”

Vince began to nod, then froze. Those strange runes shined on Pola’s skin, visible through a gap in the jacket.

“No,” he said softly.

Fia glared at him, betrayal shining in her eyes.

“I love her, Fia,” he said. “But whatever Quintus did, he wants it kept secret. If a curious doctor pokes Pola too hard, what do you think Quintus will do?”

“Shit.” Fia closed her eyes and took a ragged breath. “You heard Gaby. She needs more healing.”

“We have a healer.” Vince pulled out his phone as he talked. “I’ll get Alessia to prepare things in Lionetti Tower and Ally can come over. I doubt this is the first time the Lionettis have cared for somebody there.”

“In the meantime, we can work out how to get Pola there safely,” Nina said. “You have some cars nearby, right?”

“I have a truck,” Hamelin helpfully offered.

They glanced at the necromancer, then proceeded to pretend she said nothing.

“I didn’t crash it,” Hamelin muttered.

Vince tried calling Alessia. To his surprise, she didn’t answer.

A few seconds later, Lucia messaged him, Mayor is yelling at her about what you’re doing. You done?

Yes, but things got rough, he replied. Pola’s hurt and we need a medical room in Lionetti Tower. Full wards. She’ll be fine, but nobody can see her. I’ll get Ally to come over.

Nearly a minute passed with no reply. Then his phone rang. Lucia.

“When you say Pola will be fine, do you mean she is fine, or that she’ll be fine after she gets here?” Lucia asked, a dangerous undercurrent to her voice.

“Her wound is healed and she’s stable,” he said, carefully picking his words. “She needs delicate healing for a while, though. Like with Nina.”

Lucia sighed in relief. “Okay. The Nina comparison helps. Alessia would murder me if I let you bring Pola back here when she needs a hospital.”

“She does,” Vince said, and ignored Lucia’s gasp. “But we can’t risk it. No matter how well Alessia knows the hospital. You’ll understand once I arrive and explain it. It’s not safe to talk about it outside wards.”

“Fuck, V. What the hell happened?”

“We fought a demigod. We’ll be there as soon as possible.”

He hung up before Lucia could chew him out or push him to reveal anything dangerous.

Convincing Ally to head to Lionetti Tower only required a message.

Can you head to Lionetti Tower ASAP? We need your healing skills. Nobody is critical, but the sooner the better. You may need to stay the night, he messaged.

Given the late hour, he’d ordinarily worry if she was even awake, but he’d learned Ally kept late hours. And she’d forced him to promise to message her when he got home safe, just in case he needed her help.

I’ll head there right away, Ally messaged. She attached an animated emoji of a nurse foxgirl waving a medical box above her head. Are you alright, Vince? Do you need Mama to come pick you up?

I’m fine, he said, only partly lying. Tell Kiho she doesn’t need to break any laws.

After Ally replied with a kiss emoji, he pocketed his phone.

Engines rumbled nearby, including some very loud motorbikes. Fia leaned against his side, but everyone else trundled toward the noise.

Save Ashley. She leaned against the wall and stared at him.

“Can we keep this quick?” he asked Ashley.

The fox demon narrowed her eyes at Fia, who glared back.

“We were all here,” Fia said.

“Yeah, and I don’t particularly want to talk around you.” Ashley sneered.

“It’s fine, Fia. We’ll roll the second I deal with this.” He gave Fia a push against her back.

She sighed, pecked him on the cheek, and chased after the others. Nina’s purple eyes glittered gold in the darkness for a moment as she looked back at him, but he shook his head at her.

Ashley cast an anti-eavesdropping ward, then looked around. After a few seconds, she nodded.

Then raised her arms and screamed at him, “Are you fucking insane? Do you have any idea how dangerous what you just did was? You don’t just call up Quintus Fucking Hierum, offer him an open-ended deal to get his help, and then ask him to use some insane magic I didn’t even know existed!”

“It worked, didn’t it?” Vince said.

Ashley spluttered, her eyes nearly bursting from her skull. “Yeah, and if I punched your head off right now it’d work, right until the tengu or those clan guardians turned me into demon puree. What would you have done if Quintus claimed an actual price? Made you his bitch?”

“Pola would be alive.”

“Until she dies. Or maybe you never see her again anyway.” She spat a bunch of nasty curses in demonic. “You’re not just some dumbshit mortal who needs to establish his legacy by building lots of statues, pretending to make a difference with charity, or trying to go to the moon. People die. You won’t, unless you’re stupid. If you throw yourself away over every random bitch who flutters her eyelashes at you, you’ll die too.”

Vince nearly hurled a nasty insult at Ashley over the way she spoke about Pola, but stopped himself. He took a deep breath.

She glowered at him. “Fuck. No wonder Quintus likes you. You got so damn angry in the fight. Scared the shit out of me when you brought forth hell itself. But now you’re all Zen.”

“Is this how you approach life?” he asked her. “Salome has friends, allies, and acquaintances everywhere. But how many do you have? Other than Quintus? And Salome, I guess.”

“What?” Ashley’s jaw dropped. “I’m the same rank as Salome. Quintus is my boss, and I boss around a fuckton of enforcers in Aulfair.”

“Except when you needed to deal with Sanchez, it was Salome that got me to help you.”

Ashley looked away with red cheeks. Her massive foxtail swished wildly behind her. “Fuck you.”

“Quintus isn’t as heartless as he seems. Few demons in Immanuel are, I’m gathering. All of you have your own objectives and goals, especially the older demons,” Vince said. “I don’t know what I want. Not going to lie about that. But I don’t want to ignore the people I love, and I think it would be a mistake to try to live forever without them.”

“Sure. Whatever.” Ashley turned and snorted, but her crossed arms and defensive posture convinced Vince to leave her alone.

He followed Fia out of the alleyway. Various SUVs, sedans, and motorcycles assembled here, as well as Hamelin’s pickup truck. Gaby slugged back a massive water jug on the back of her Indian while her lieutenants chattered, and the Lionetti enforcers kept an eye out alongside the various cartel girls. Nothing brought people together like fighting alongside one another. The rain fell lightly enough that they ignored it.

The fluttering of wings forced him to look up, and he saw Kiyoko descend.

“I sensed powerful magic earlier,” she said. “I will keep my silence. How is Pola Lionetti?”

“Stable enough. I…” Vince paused. “You should probably come with us. You might understand what we’re looking at, and I know we’ll need to debrief.”

“I planned as much. Allow me to follow you, and I shall keep pursuers at bay.”

After Kiyoko shot into the air, he joined Fia inside the back of an SUV. No sign of Nina.

“Nina’s with Pola.” Fia jabbed her thumb behind them. “We’re booking it north as fast as possible. Cartel will peel off as we pass their territory. Dunno if Gaby will stick with us.”

“She’s tired as hell.” He stuck his head out the window, and waved at Gaby.

The unicorn blinked at him and pushed her bike forward.

Before she could do anything, he leaned out and kissed her. She spluttered and pushed him away. Laughter echoed from the cartel girls.

“Not going to show us your riding skills, captain?” one of her lieutenants teased.

“I’ll ride your bike into the harbor.” Gaby’s horn shined like the sun even as she snapped at her subordinate. “Viiince, you’re embarrassing me.”

“I doubt that,” he said. “They’re good girls. Thanks for the help. If you need to hit the hay, do it. I’ll see you tomorrow, or whenever you find the time to join us.”

Gaby bit her lip, then sighed. “Yeah. I’ve got to take care of my girls and then I need to crash. It’s a long ride back home. I can tell you need to sleep, too. Don’t do anything dumb.”

“I’m too damn tired to fuck anyone, Gaby.”

Her cheeks reddened. “Gotcha. I’ll bring you some good food when I come over.”

The convoy hit the road. Police tailed them, sirens flashing but silent for a few minutes. The cartel pulled away to hassle the cops before Gaby stopped them. Vince checked his phone, saw a message from Ronin saying things would be fine, and passed it on to Fia.

For once, none of the elementals pulled any shenanigans. Kreesa didn’t block them off with a bunch of REAT vans, and Frost steered clear. The convoy flew through the city. Little traffic bothered them thanks to the late hour and bad weather. The cartel girls left with loud cheers and spells fired into the air, and the Lionetti vehicles trundled further into the night.

No additional security greeted them at Lionetti Tower. It remained dark and stoic in the night, but subtler magic drifted off it and unsettled Vince as they entered the underground parking lot. Alessia had activated some special wards, even if the barrier remained inactive.

A team of Lionetti enforcers, including the older wolffolk, greeted them underground. When Nina stepped out of the SUV with Pola in her arms, their countenances turned grim.

“Which floor?” Vince asked the capo leading the security team.

“Straight to Alessia’s office,” she told him. “Lucia’s in charge.”

All elevators had been called to this level, but not everyone needed to head up. Most of the ordinary enforcers would split off.

“I’ll handle the enforcers,” Fia said. “Take Pola up and I’ll join you.”

He glanced at Hamelin, who was pulling down her tarp. The mousegirl waved him away. “Alessia told me where to take this bitch. I’ll wrangle the doggos to help me. It’s not like you really want me around for the serious shit anyway.”

True enough. Vince still struggled to understand that he’d truly captured Juliet, even when he saw her immobile body with a burlap sack tied over her head.

He joined Nina and Kiyoko in one elevator, leaving the others to take the rest. Hamelin snuck in, squeezing between him and Nina with little effort thanks to her diminutive size. Ashley had remained behind in the docks and Gaby went home, meaning only Fia needed to join them later.

Lucia and a team of heavily armed enforcers stood guard at the entrance in the lobby of the office level.

“Shit.” Lucia rushed over when she saw Pola in Nina’s arms. “The fuck? She looks fine.” Her eyes widened when she saw the runes running across Pola’s torso. “Merda. I don’t like that. Ally’s in Alessia’s office.”

Turned out, both Ally and Kiho waited in Alessia’s office. Several healing circles had been drawn on the floor between Alessia’s desk and the lounge suite, and a massive duffel bag packed with supplies lay nearby. Kiho stood beside Alessia by the far windows, and both women stared out at the water dripping down the glass. An opened whisky bottle stood on the desk and both carried half-empty glasses of whisky.

“Vince!” Ally called out happily, then gasped at the sight of Pola. “Um… Let me look at her. I need to work out which circle she needs.”

Nina laid Pola down and Ally kneeled beside her. The fox immediately pulled the jacket off and gasped at the sight of the runes running along her skin from shoulder to mid-stomach.

“… Mama, I don’t know what this is,” Ally said, whisper quiet.

Kiho’s gaze hardened and she blinked across the room. Her whisky glass appeared on the desk. Alessia’s hand shot over her mouth as she stared at her half-naked sister. Dried blood caked Pola’s body, even if the wound had been healed.

Kiyoko’s eyes narrowed almost to slits. “I assume this is why you came here and not to a hospital.”

“Vince, what happened to Pola?” Alessia asked, her voice raising to an almost shrill level. “She needs a hospital, not—”

“Quintus put her back together, Alessia,” Vince interrupted, voice gruff.

Almost the entire room froze, save Nina. Even Kiyoko’s eyes widened in shock.

“Whatever he did, it’s secretive enough that he implied knowing about it puts us in danger. And not just from him,” he continued. “Pola got struck with a curse that made it nearly impossible to heal the wound. Only the jacket that I assume Wagner gave her kept her alive, plus Gaby’s healing. What she needs now is long-term healing to keep her stable and deal with…” He paused.

“Internal trauma,” Ally said, licking her lips as she ran her hands over Pola. “I don’t understand what I’m sensing from the wound site, but the rest of her body has undergone immense stress. The amount of healing magic she’s received is too high for her body. I’ll need to bleed it off.”

“Literally bleed?” Kiho asked.

Ally cracked a thin smile. “Fortunately not. I should be able to transfer it into catalysts. It’s the highest priority, as the damage excess magic causes can be nearly irreversible, but I think it will be fine.”

Alessia covered her eyes and looked away, sighing in terror and relief. “Thank you.”

Kiho placed her hands against Pola’s body and teleported her to the magic circle Ally pointed to. At this point, Vince knew he couldn’t do much to help. He left Pola’s care to the two foxes.

Nina staggered over and collapsed on a sofa. Looking between Alessia and Nina, Lucia grabbed a water bottle and handed it to Nina. The lioness whispered thanks and the water bottle emptied almost instantly.

When Alessia continued to stare at Pola, Vince strode over to her and forced her to look away. She grimaced and leaned against him.

“It was bad, wasn’t it?” Alessia whispered.

“She’s the sottocapo, Alessia,” he said. “Pola knew the risks. She said as much during the fight. We won.”

“Does that even—” Alessia snapped, then stopped herself. She ran a hand down her face. “I’m sorry.”

She downed the rest of her whisky and poured more. Vince nearly stopped her, before reminding himself of the high alcohol tolerance of wolffolk.

Kiyoko lurked nearby, her wings drawn around her body. She frowned at Vince. “I assume the curse you speak of was the effects of the Sword of Dangun?”

“Yeah. It was blocking all healing magic,” he said. “The jacket held her together, but…”

“Its intent is to split apart anything it touches, although not at the atomic level,” Kiyoko said. “Demons, gods, and spirits struck by the Sword of Dangun suffered irreversible damage. Even if Kigenai’s spell wasn’t the true heavenly bronze sword, it still carried the divine will of Hwanin due to her transformation. Only a matching divine gift could reverse it.”

“What did you trade to Quintus to save Pola?” Alessia asked, staring at Vince in horror.

“He said he’d ask you for recompense later,” he said.

Alessia stared at him.

“I think he plans to ask for money,” he clarified.

“I gathered. As grateful as I’d be to get Pola back, he couldn’t exactly ask for something obscene after saving her.” She frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“How could Quintus Hierum even undo a divine spell?” Kiyoko asked.

“I won’t pretend to understand what he did, and I think he’d be angry if I explained what he did,” Vince said, and ignored the way Kiyoko’s wings flexed. “Anzu mentioned Quintus likely met the Norse Gods during the Christianization of Scandinavia. The runes on his leg matched Wagner’s, too. They’re a form of runes that nobody uses anymore.”

“Elder Futhark,” Alessia said. “There are more modern variations, but they’re not used in magic. That’s still an enormous stretch for Quintus to be able to counter divine magic, Vince.”

He winced. It was, and Quintus had even called him on it.

“… The demon’s knowledge of divine magic in Scandinavia allowed him to reverse a divine spell from Korea?” Kiyoko asked slowly, her eyes widening.

“He, uh, implied they came from the same root,” Vince said.

Kiyoko’s face paled. “No.”

Somehow, Vince gathered this might be a major part of Quintus’s secret. The idea that deities might be connected across the world.

“It’s not an insane theory,” Alessia said, actively avoiding looking behind her at Pola. “Sorcerers have theorized that divine magic is merely a set of rules they don’t yet understand. If the gods of centuries past followed a consistent magic system, it makes sense that Quintus could unravel it from exposure in Europe. Especially as he likely met other gods, such as the Greek gods.”

“Zeus,” Vince said. “Wagner had a fascination with him.”

“I know,” Alessia said drily. “The old polytheistic Greek religion survived for centuries after Rome conquered the region and adopted many of its practices. La Lupa may be the patron goddess of wolffolk, but the humans of Italy believed many things. Curiously, for all its power, the Roman Republic and Empire was never truly backed by divine power, save La Lupa and the demons.”

“Seriously?” he asked. “How did it conquer everyone with gods backing them?”

Alessia shrugged. “It’s not as though they lacked magic, and Uncle Wagner says that La Lupa was stronger than him for the vast majority of his life. Rome never practiced sorcery. Nobody did until Charlemagne conquered Europe and let mages operate semi-openly. Magical feats were ascribed to divine intervention or support. If a warrior had the strength of ten men, it was because of the gods. Rome’s professional military allowed demons to stealthily encourage and train magic among the soldiers.”

Vince looked at Kiyoko, who stared out over Aulfair’s glowing nightscape. Her eyes stared into nothing while her wings remained utterly still.

“Kiyoko?” he asked.

“A theory is a theory,” she said. “I’ve met Inari. Fought countless spirits and divine beasts like Dal-Rae.”

Alessia shot him a confused look and he mouthed “Kigenai.”

“How could our magic be so simple that a demon unraveled it?” Her expression tightened. “Who, or what, does he fear?”

Vince shifted uncomfortably. “For what it’s worth, he said something about his method only working because the Sword of Dangun didn’t use Kigenai’s ‘native’ magic, whatever that means. He knew she’d used the Mirror of Dangun.”

Kiyoko hissed, then froze. She blinked several times. “He was able to distinguish between Dal-Rae’s magic and Hwanin’s?”

“I think so.”

Silence fell, and she visibly chewed on the inside of her cheek. He’d never seen her look so rattled.

“Do you want a drink to calm your nerves?” Alessia asked, raising Kiho’s spare glass.

The tengu glanced at it and nearly shook her head. After pausing, she nodded. “I prefer softer drinks, however.”

“I have some aged grappa in the kitchenette.”

Alessia turned to retrieve it, but Lucia stopped her. The movement caused Alessia to see her sister, and her eyes closed. Vince pulled her against his side, turning her head to face toward the window.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “She hasn’t been this wounded since…”

“Since Nina ripped her ear off?” he joked.

“Yes.” Alessia sighed, half-smiling.

Lucia returned with a small wine bottle and several glasses. She filled them with a straw-colored liquid that wasn’t the paint stripper Vince associated grappa with, but a rather delicate drink. Kiyoko nursed it while her wings clung to her body.

“Can I ask what bothers you so much?” he asked the tengu.

“Originally, the idea that my divinity amounted to so little,” Kiyoko admitted. “Perhaps it is vain, but I have dedicated my life to being a guardian tengu. Now…” She sipped her grappa and narrowed her eyes. “Knightsgate is far older than Quintus Hierum. It has spread across all of Asia, met numerous deities and spirits, and vanquished demigods utilizing all manner of magicks. I cannot believe it remains unaware of the truth.”

What was it Quintus had said? That the reason deities vanished was evident from history itself? It made sense that an organization as old and powerful as Knightsgate would already know.

“Do you think Quintus fears Knightsgate’s elders?” he asked.

“No,” Kiyoko said. “We are powerful, but the demons in Europe have histories that extend as far. The succubus Bastet is one of them. Immanuel forsook the existing demonic hierarchy established in Europe to build their own empire here, but they remain powerful enough that Knightsgate cannot easily move against them. If Amaterasu backs Knightsgate and the Emperor, then I feel we need to fear the same threat.”

“That is something I’d prefer not to worry about,” Alessia said. “I understand you may have personal matters, Kiyoko, but I run a company, not a religion or empire.”

Kiyoko inclined her head. “I understand. It is a personal affair for me to handle and ruminate on. I did not mean anything else by it. Vince, this knowledge will remain with me.”

That would keep Quintus happy.

“How did the mission go?” Alessia asked. “Kochhar threw a tantrum, but that’s because of the scene you made with your tornado. Garn can’t ignore your massive hell tornado swirling in plain sight of half the city.”

He grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

“So?” She patted his arm.

“We killed Kigenai. Sort of.” He glanced at Kiyoko.

“Her spirit is in my possession.” The tengu’s expression darkened. “I will… think of what comes next in time.”

He blinked, then sighed.

Of course. She originally intended to hand Kigenai over to Knightsgate, but he’d just made her question her loyalty to the organization.

“And Juliet?” Alessia asked.

“Hamelin is taking her to the secure chambers you provided,” he said.

“Then it’s a success, despite…” She waved a hand behind her. “That means we’ll have to see what Mei does. Regardless, if everyone bounces back, there’s one big mission left.”

“Bouncing back is the hard part,” he said. “Tonight was rough.”

“You’re less exhausted than after the heist,” Alessia noted, then grimaced. “Sorry. I know that sounds mean.”

If anything, it bothered him. He should be collapsing like Nina. Instead, while tired and nursing a minor headache, he felt as if he’d merely worked a late night.

“Was there anything else other than…” Alessia trailed off as she glanced over at Pola.

This time, when Vince wrapped his arms around her, he gripped her tighter than normal. “I think you should rest. Nothing’s going to change from waiting. Can we move Ally and Pola to a room they can sleep in?”

The tiniest nod from Alessia.

“I’ve got it,” Lucia said, wandering over. “Get some sleep, Alessia. The girls will take you up to your condo. Once Ally’s done here, I’ll take her, Pola, and Vince up to the other condo.”

Vince didn’t question the assumption he’d be staying with Pola and Ally. He wasn’t going to be leaving them.

Once Alessia left, he leaned against the desk and watched Ally work. Kiho joined him.

“I assume it’s fine?” he asked her.

“It is,” Ally said, before her mother could answer. “Calming all the magic in her body is difficult. I’ll need to check on her again in the morning, too. Hopefully just another thirty minutes.”

“Just another thirty, she says.” Kiho smiled, and ignored the annoyed look Ally shot her. She sipped her whisky and glanced at Vince. “You should go up and rest. I’ll keep watch.”

“But—” he began to say.

“Just as you told Alessia, nothing’s going to change from waiting.” Her eyes stared into his, and he hunched his shoulders. “Pola knew the risks. You knew the risks. If you were the one lying there, would you want everyone to be standing here, beating themselves up instead of resting so they can greet you in the morning?”

“Got it.” He stood up. “Thanks.”

“It’s what experience is for. You’re gaining it yourself.” Kiho raised her glass in salute. “Sleep well. You’ve earned it.”

Vince tried to pick up Nina as he passed her, as she’d fallen asleep on the sofa. She barely stirred, then rolled over. Chuckling, Lucia gave him a hand pulling her up. Nina eventually awoke and half-leaned on him as they stumbled into the elevator.

Her tiredness pulled her back into dreamland, but an enforcer in the hotel helped him drag her into the condo. He dumped her on the closest bed, then grabbed a different room. As much as he usually liked to sleep with Nina, he suspected Ally might want to cuddle up with him once she finished with Pola.

He pulled out his phone once he settled in, in an attempt to remain awake. Messages from Anzu and Ronin awaited his attention. But he barely acknowledged their existence before his eyelids shut and sleep overtook him.

After a very long night, Vince finally found the time to rest. The aftermath could wait.

- - - - -

Commentary: Chapter posting has resumed. I'm not sure of the exact cadence I'll post in, but the intention is to post the final battle 3-4 days before the book comes out. Pre-order will be posted over the next week, but the exact date will be determined by when I put it up as I might miss the window for next weekend (I usually do very short pre-orders, but I've been radio silent for a bit).

Anyway, enjoy the short winddown and leadup to the climax with Mei.