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BACK TO FRASER'S FRACTURED FICTION Adventures in Decorating, part 5by A. Fraser and J. Hontz
© Copyright 2005 A. Fraser and J. Hontz. All rights reserved.
The car arrived for Julian and his troops. Spencer summoned the three who
were to go with him, and the group split up. Gen gave Jean a Look and told
him to behave himself. He snorted.
"I hope you will sit next to me in the auto," he told Adele.
Enjoying herself thoroughly now that she knew how to handle him, Adele
replied sweetly. "Certainly. But one hand where it doesn't belong, and I
tell on you."
Jean didn't have to worry about where his hands were. Adele was pretty much
on his lap. Spencer's car was one of those typically tiny French things.
Mitch barely fit into the front passenger seat and poor Spencer had to
struggle to find enough room for his arm to shift gears.
Jean was smiling regarding his good luck as Adele perched half on and half
off his lap, so close to him he could enjoy her perfume and the smell of her
hair. Mitch growled. She was supposed to be showing HIM the town.
Spencer drove them through narrow back streets, giving Mitch horrors at his
driving. Then he was pulling up to a lot that was fenced all round. There
was a uniformed gendarme at a small guard shack at the entrance.
Mitch pried himself out of the car, Adele giggled as Jean whispered
something to her. Spencer, all business, took a sheaf of papers and headed
toward the guard shack.
"I'm riding in the back with Adele after this," said Mitch.
"Oh, you think so?" Jean growled.
"Don't," said Adele, with a touch of impatience. "I've already said once
that anyone fighting over me gets spanked; and I mean it. And you won't
enjoy it. You can sit with me next time, Mitch." She had the distinct
feeling that Jean would have reacted the same way to any woman he was with,
and had no real feelings for Adele personally. Mitch, she wasn't quite so
sure about.
Spencer came back out with his sheaf of papers. "Car's over this way," he
said, leading the way.
He opened the trunk and pretended to be rooting around for whatever it was
Julian had allegedly left there. While Jean and Mitch eyed each other and
bristled, Adele ignored them all and went to examine the car. Gabrielle
spent most of her time behind the wheel, so Adele concentrated on the
driver's side.
She slid in behind the wheel and ran her hands along it, her eyes closed.
Mitch was watching her and saw her sudden start.
"You okay?" her hunky bf asked.
She opened her eyes. "Yes. I just sensed Gabrielle. She's very
frightened."
"Do you know where she is?"
"I think so... Yes, I can find her."
Mitch beckoned to Spencer, who came over, already pulling out his cell
phone.
_______________
The other half of the rescue party was in the car Julian had hired.
Fortunately for tempers, this was a slightly larger vehicle. He drove, with
Genevieve beside him and Gideon and Josh in the back.
"We just do a recon tonight," he said. "I doubt if Armando has Gabrielle
held here anyway, but we need to find out what kind of a set-up these idiots
have."
"This brings back memories, non?" Genevieve smiled over her shoulder at
Gideon.
"Ah, the White Lion," he replied, smiling back. "The first time the
Brotherhood worked together."
"Someday when we're sharing a pillow after terrific sex, you can tell me
that story," Julian murmured to Gen. With vampire hearing, however, all of
them heard it. Josh's shoulders shook. Gideon pursed his lips and looked
disapproving.
"That is entirely possible," Genevieve agreed pleasantly. "I think you'll
like the big bed at the chateau."
"Hmmm," said Julian.
Josh had to put a fist in his mouth.
She turned back to Gideon. "We won that time, remember?" she continued, as
if Julian had said nothing. "And chere Maggie taught you her very unladylike
way of fighting."
Gideon winced. The very first time he'd met Maggie, she had demonstrated
this very unladylike way of fighting. On him.
"Julian," said Josh, who could safely ignore this stroll down Memory Back
Alley because it had definitely been before his time, "I assume that we're
going to take this Worm Armando down."
"I certainly intend to do so," Julian replied. Horny little bugger
apparently had his mind back on prime issues.
"What happens to the rest of his precious little cult? They're idiots, but
I don't really think we can kill 60 whatever people."
"Well, I've certainly killed more than that in your average day, but yes,
these are a bit less brutal times. If Fred is any indication many of them
have come to the cult through brainwashing and lies. I think if we
concentrate on the hardcore inner circle the rest of the organization will
dissolve. Oh, now there's a thought..." Julian said more to himself than
to anyone else.
Gen wasn't certain it was a good idea but she asked anyhow, "What thought?"
Julian grinned wolfishly (lucky Mitch wasn't around). "Oh, I was just
thinking it has been quite a few centuries since I had my own little army.
It might be fun to organize a mercenary cult and see what mischief we can
find."
"I would be bound to stop you," said Gen. "Depending on the type of
mischief, of course."
"Darling, why ever would you want to? Besides, I'd recruit you for my gun
moll."
She appeared to be thinking this over, while a "Hah!" escaped from the back
seat.
"Hmmm," she said, in perfect imitation of Julian.
"Ah, here we are," Julian said brightly as he pulled the car to a stop on a
dark alleyway in a rather rundown section of Paris not far off the
Champs-Elys‚es. It was one of those quiet streets not lit up for the
tourists.
"Not one of the better areas of town," said their local guide. "A woman
here alone this time of night could find herself in trouble." She gave the
slightly smug smile of a woman, who if here alone at this time of night,
would be the trouble others would find.
"Hmmm," said Julian fighting back a smile.
"Julian, this is your baby," said Josh, oblivious. "Gen and Gideon have
both done this sort of thing before, but unless you count the time I helped
fight off those fey, I'm a neophyte. What do you want us to do?"
Julian had just opened his mouth, no doubt to point out he'd strategized and
tacticted for entire armies, but they were all spared when a bit of music
sounded. He pulled out a cell phone.
He flipped it open and listened. "Where? Dammit, I wish we could get word
to her. All right. Go there and keep an eye on things. But do distract
Jean enough that he doesn't go all crusader rabbit on us." He paused. "I'm
sure Adele will think of something. We'll join you in a bit."
Then, to the gang in the car, "Adele knows where Gabrielle is. I'd like to
take a quick recce here, then go on over there. Josh, why don't you hang
out in the shadows here and keep an eye on the car. I'll head on around the
back and Gideon and Gen, you two check out the streets along here. It's
that building there," Julian was indicating a rather seedy looking place
sandwiched between a shoe repair shop and a bicycle shop. My bet is that
the majority of Armando's demesne is in the rear.
"Let's be back here in, oh, 20 minutes?"
They all squeezed back into Spencer's car. Mitch had to hang his head out
the window in order to fit into the back seat, and was practically wearing
Adele. But at least Spencer had a modicum more room to maneuver the gears
and so forth, since Jean was a smaller man than Mitch.
Adele gave Spencer directions. She had her eyes closed, trying to keep the
connection with Gabrielle.
Mitch heard Jean complain, "I do not like you that much, little clerk."
"Sorry," Spencer muttered back. "I should have known. It isn't big enough
to be the gearshift anyway."
Jean was too outraged to do more than splutter, while there was something
like a girlish snicker from the backseat.
Mitch grinned. He hadn't complained when Spencer had gotten a little too
personal up front. What was the point? This was a car designed for
Munchkins.
They arrived at their destination, on the outskirts of Paris. An old
nightclub, from the looks of it; hardly in the league of Moulin Rouge.
Spencer drove past it and everybody in the car pretended not to take
interest in it.
"I caught sight of at least two armed guards," said Jean quietly as they
turned down a sidestreet and parked.
Nobody argued with a vampire's night vision.
"Remember," said Spencer, wondering how the hell he was going to enforce
this if Jean didn't feel like obeying, "Julian gave us strict orders. No
heroics."
Jean shrugged. "I could see they were armed," he said. "But not how they
were armed. Julian said this Worm knows he has vampires with him. He could
have provided his guards with stakes or crossbows or wooden or silver
bullets. I have no wish to meet the True Death tonight. There are too many
women still to love."
Spencer's, and possibly Adele's, estimation of the French vampire's
intelligence rose a notch or two. Jean wasn't all impulse.
"Now," said Jean, apparently on a roll, "am I the only one with any military
experience?"
"The only one here," Spencer commented. "Unless Mitch is holding back on
us. I'm sure the others will be here soon." I hope, he breathed to
himself.
"Not me, mate," said Mitch, looking alarmed. "I was studying to be a
zoologist, and then the Boss trained me to be his assistant." He and
Spencer exchanged the commisserating looks of assistants to impossible
employers.
"Then I will go and scout out the territory," said Jean. "Stay here, and
keep out of sight."
Before anyone could stop him, he slipped off into the night. Not even Mitch
could see him.
"If anything happens to him," Spencer sighed, "Julian's going to slash my
budget."
____
The other recon mission was going well. Josh managed to fade into the
shadows of the alley and watch the car and the front entrance to the shabby
little building. Gideon took one street, and Genevieve another; while
Julian moved around to the back.
The windows of the place had all been boarded up, but light leaked out from
under the door and around the jamb. Josh saw two men with sigils on their
foreheads, in the dull black outfits the Wormers seemed to favour, walk up
to the front door and knock. They didn't see him. He might have been still
relatively wet behind the ears, in vampire terms, but he'd learned the "you
don't see me, I'm not here" vampire mind whammy quite quickly.
"Around back, fool," said one of the two monks.
"Right," said the other.
They walked down the sidestreet, noting only a prostitute leaning against a
wall. It was a bit odd for a hooker to wear slacks, but not entirely
unknown. She looked up lazily as they passed.
"Looking for some fun?" she asked.
They both stopped. She was gorgeous, not like the usual class of whore
found in this end of town. But there was something about her direct gaze
and faint smile--my, what sharp teeth--that was off-putting. They hurried
past without a word.
"Cowards," Gen muttered, noting their movements.
Up on the roof of a building one block away, Gideon noticed two more of the
monks scurrying towards the building. These remembered to use the backdoor.
He hoped Julian was well-hidden, but you never knew what Julian was going to
do.
Julian at that moment was perched above a skylight that gave a clear view of
the interior of the place. He could see a workroom, set up with the usual
sorts of workshop things, like computers and a drafting table. A drafting
table? Ah, then he realized what it was there for. There was a drawing
lying on a nearby table. It was a n immense blowup, to scale, of an ancient
artefact. Apparently they were attempting to understand the magical words
written on the thing.
He frowned. He'd never known the magic of things to be actually in the
words, only in how the words were attached to a spell. Knowing the words
was only the tiniest portion of actually figuring out how an artefact worked
magically. He shook his head to dismiss the thought and concentrate more
firmly on the tactical aspects which might be useful for an assault on the
place.
He memorized the layout of the room then sent a breath of his consciousness,
only the merest hint, in through a carelessly closed window. He only needed
a tiny crack to enter. To get in otherwise would have caused magical alarms
to go off. This way.... "Oh bother. He felt the magical alarm go off as his
tiny tentacle of probing came upon on specific door. He'd bet his first
born that this was Armando's particular hangout.
Sure enough, in response to the alarm that had gone off, Armando came
rushing out of that room, looking about with a frown. He was using his
magical vision so spotted Julian's presence there.
"My dear fellow!" Julian greeted him. This was done magically, of course.
A direct mind to mind connection.
"It won't be quite that easy for you Julian," Armando responded with a
kick-ass spell that sent not only Julian's bit of consciousness reeling, but
Julian's body as well. Julian found his body tumbling through the air,
downwards toward the street. He was barely conscious. He couldn't manage
to catch himself.
Gideon saw Julian fall. He was too far away to do anything about it
himself, but his mental cry alerted the two other vampires in the territory.
Genevieve and Josh both bolted out of their hiding places and ran for the
side Julian was falling from; while Gideon leapt lightly down from his
rooftop and legged it over.
Genevieve was slightly closer; she got there first, and just in time to
catch Julian before he hit the pavement. Joshua pulled up behind her;
Gideon arrived a moment later.
"Julian?" Gen asked the mage in her arms.
He didn't stir. Suddenly there were monks swarming out of the building.
"Quickly, to the car," Gideon directed.
Genevieve clutched Julian and ran for the car. Gideon provided cover for
her exposed back. Josh sprinted ahead to the car, rammed the key in, the
car leaped to life. He put it in gear and did not spare the tires as he
peeled away to the street, slowing down just enough for Gideon to hop in.
Genevieve tossed Julian into the back with Gideon and hopped into the front
seat. They sped away just before the mob of monkies reached them, but not
before silver implements rained against the back of the car, ineffectual
against steel.
"Julian?" Gideon said, leaning down to look at the mage. Genevive was
looking back worriedly, Josh was just driving away, anywhere were the monks
couldn't follow them. He had no idea where the others were waiting.
Finally he found park and pulled into a small parking lot that was empty of
other cars. He turned off the car.
The three vampires turned and stared down at Julian.
"Is he ..." Genevieve whispered.
"I'm alive! I'm alive!" Julian shouted and sat up. "How very kind of you to
catch me, Gen. I'd rather counted on one of you doing it. Otherwise, my
cunning plan might not have worked."
"You... This was a plan?" Gideon said. Josh's mouth was hanging open.
"Well of course it was. I had to test Armando. The only way I could do
that was to let him hit me with what he had. He now thinks he can take me
and that, dear friends, is to our advantage."
"And if he had been able to destroy you?" Gen asked.
"Ah, well. Wouldn't have been the first error of my life."
He reached into his pocket and retrieved his cell phone. It was in pieces.
"Oh, drat."
"Do you know where they are?" Josh asked.
"Yes. I'd rather wanted to warn them we were on the way and the monks were
on the move. Ah well, Gen, direct Josh please. My head hurts. South on the
Champs Elysees. They're holding Gabrielle at the George the Fifth. Bloody
sell outs. Four Seasons my ass. Armando always was such a suck up."
"I thought you were dead!" Genevieve said.
"So did I," Gideon admitted. He pushed Julian away from him, giving him a
look that made the mage want to laugh.
"Well, I didn't think you'd care, old chap," said Julian.
Gideon sighed. Obviously, this was one of those rare occasions when he
would have to actually admit his feelings. "Of course I care, Julian," he
said. "You are my friend."
"Ah, good to know that one is caught by one's friends rather than one's
enemies," Julian looked a bit chastened though. Or was that look merely
because his head was hurting.
"If I wasn't driving," Josh said, although his voice sounded like he
couldn't decide if he was angry or wanting to laugh, "I'd give you such a
hit..."
"No need. Believe me, I'm suffering."
"You have to be the most maddening person I know, next to Adrian Talbot,"
Gideon snorted.
"That's quite a compliment." Julian leaned forward to speak to Gen. "So,
are we still on for that big bed in the chateau?"
"You're worse than Jean," she said.
"Ah, but I'm cuter than he is."
Josh, with Gen directing and Julian scrutched down in his corner of the back
seat holding his head (he looked so ill Gideon was nearly moved enough to
forgive him), drove them down a few side streets so they came up to the
rear, service entrance to the George V. It was one of the most ornate of
the hotels along this stretch of Paris.
As they pulled into a parking spot Julian forced himself to sit up. He
looked round. "Gidsy, would you be so kind as to... Ah, never mind. I'm
glad to see my evaluation of Jean was spot on." Jean came walking up to
them casually. Obviously he hadn't followed directions and waited with the
others. He'd been on a little recce of his own.
Jean looked in. Julian muttered, "Give me a minute." He bent nearly double
and went even paler.
"Is Julian all right?" Jean asked.
"He fell off a roof," Josh replied. He got out of the car and stretched. It
might be larger than Spencer's vehicle, but it was no match for the Caddy or
Josh's own car at home.
"Jean," said Genevieve, "why did you go off by yourself and not wait, as you
were told?" She also got out and confronted her errant knight.
"I saw armed guards," he replied, gesturing towards the George. "I thought
it would be wise to know their numbers and their movements before we rescue
the young lady. So I went to spy on them."
"You were told no heroics!"
Gideon remained in the backseat, watching Julian in case he needed a hand.
He wondered how Julian was going to handle this rebellion in the ranks.
Jean shrugged again. "It was not heroics," he said. "They could not see me
or sense me."
"It was still very foolish," Genevieve scolded him. She glanced at Julian,
hoping he was all right.
Josh had sauntered over to join Spencer, Mitch and Adele. "Everything okay
over here?" he asked. "Julian had a bit of an adventure, but I think he's
going to be all right."
Everyone hurried back over to assess Julian's condition.
"Julian?" Adele asked leaning into the car to get a better look at him.
"Margaret? Madeleine." Julian replied, squinting at her. "I do love
twins."
"Oh, dear," Adele commented. "When is he to meet the Worm?" Adele asked.
"9am," replied Spencer. He was frowning at his employer.
"How long until dawn?" Adele asked.
"A bit more than an hour," Josh replied.
"Well, let's get you guys back to the hotel for the day. Mabel can look
after Julian." Adele said.
"What about Gabrielle?" Spencer asked worriedly.
Adele looked over at him. "You and I and Mitch will rescue her. If we can
free her Armando won't be surprised if Julian doesn't show up, he'll be too
busy being furious. Why he might even think he's murdered Julian if he
isn't involved in the rescue."
"Genevieve and I will go back to my home," said Jean. "It is not that far
from here. We will meet you at the hotel at dusk tomorrow night to
congratulate you on your rescue. I wish I could be with you." He gave them
a quick run-down on what he'd spotted of the movements and routines of the
armed guards at the George.
"Right." Spencer nodded. "Then, if you can make your own way home?"
Jean shrugged. It was something he was very good at doing, unlike, say,
following orders. "Yes."
"We'll see you at dusk," Spencer said.
Adele reached out and touched Jean's arm, then she hugged him. "Please be
careful." She turned to Gen and met her eyes. "Thank you for ...for
everything."
Gen touched the younger woman's cheek briefly. "And thank you," she said.
"Don't worry about us, we are old campaigners, Jean and I. Bon soir."
"Be careful," Gideon warned the two departing vampires. "These monks are
going to be ruthless now. They broke into the chateau pretty easily,
remember."
"Do not worry so, little mouse," said Jean, although Genevieve shot him a
glance that said _she_ was worrying about it. "Good night." They walked
off together into the darkness, not quite holding hands.
"Dear God, let them be safe," Gideon breathed.
"Toddies, toodles, uhm, oh, my head," muttered Julian before he keeled over
totally out of it.
"We'd better get Julian back to the hotel and into Mabel's tender care,"
Josh said, glancing into the back seat of the car. "He really doesn't look
so good."
"I'll take Adele, if you can take Julian and Gideon," Spencer said. "Watch
out for the monks."
"You too," Josh nodded. "Last one back to the hotel buys the drinks."
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