Deadly Friends/Unexpected Enemies 03

Marissa may have felt emotionally like a youngling again yet she wielded the flesh of a 300 year old killer. The vampire never knew what ended its existence; Marissa twisted its head so rapidly, she tore it off. She and the closest hyena grappled, but already their musk of fear was almost overwhelming. Hexane was weaving an enchantment to dampen all perceptions into the area.

The remaining Were-Hyena fled right into the remnants of its team; an elf with a mechanical right arm, another Were-Hyena, two twisted mutant Ogres and a Red Cap. Marissa seemed to be lost in the moment. She put an elbow into the closest monster's trachea. While it tried to breath, she flipped it over and then drew Tegus's blade.

She split its skull in twain as the elf began sending some sort of magic her way. His eyes flashed in Hexane's direction as she continued to weave her spell. She needed time; what she had was Tessio. The human reacted with well-honed instincts, tossing a flash-bang grenade at the elven wizard's feet while bringing a suppressed MP-5 to bear on a path any of that group had to take to get to Marissa.

The Ogres and Were-Hyenas rushed at the vampire ~ Tessio cut them down at knee level. The elf and Red Cap staggered as the grenade went off. For Hexane the world seemed to slow down except for Marissa and Tessio. The jumble of attackers heading Marissa's way fell over one another and then Marissa was decapitating each one in turn.

The elf barely started something new before his face was blasted to a bloody pulp by Tessio's submachine gun (though his magic saved its life). The Red Cap drew forth a dart from its quiver (the real two-foot long weapon; not something to throw at a dart board) and hurled it at Hillary. Tessio was afraid she was in danger so he was suitably impressed when she snagged it out of the air, let it spin in her hand, then let it fly back, impaling the creature through the eye with its own projectile.

The elf was trying to regain its footing and regrow its face when the blurry imagine of Marissa bifurcated it. The fight had barely taken ten seconds.

"Oh fuck, I'm sorry," Marissa mumbled. Tessio ran up to the devastated girl who had set off this chain of event. He snatched up her phone, dialed in Maggie's number, hit send and put the phone back in the lady's hand.

"What was that for?" Hillary laughed as they rejoined Marissa.

"Well, if the current liege wants to bury us using his -- whatever that group was -- let's bring in some reinforcements of our own," Tessio explained.

"A hunting party out this early is obscene," Marissa snarled. "Not in my city, damn it!"

"It is not your city right now Marissa," Tessio reminded her, "and we can never get your city back unless we get to the Nightside right now. Hillary, can you figure out how many of these groups are around Belvedere Castle? I've got a sinking suspicion that taking on these groups is a losing proposition."

"I'll scan for 'crystals'," Hexane responded. Crystals were the Nightside's version of a one-shot cell phone, cheap to buy and capable of about thirty minutes of conversation. "Lookouts are likely to have one and humans aren't." The three clung to the shadows as they approached one of Central Park's major landmarks which was also one of the largest cross over points between Night and Day.

The human traffic made the transit much easier as the Nightsiders could quickly meld in and not be noticed for their 'oddities'. Now the trio had to sneak through and thanks to the violence, Hillary had to reweave their illusions. Time, time, time.

"Divination away," Hillary sighed.

"I see a place where you can work your magic, Hillary," Tessio pointed to a low bridge and the creek bed underneath. "I'll take an overlook position."

"Damn Tessio, if they come after you," Marissa frowned, "you will be alone."

"I need time to reconstructing our glamours so they can stand up to close scrying, and spoofing the gates won't be easy," Hillary explained.

"Tessio's can be something basic because they still aren't looking for him specifically," Hexane sighed as she pulled Marissa along. When they were undercover and alone. "Marissa," Hexane whispered, "what's going on? You aren't Failing, but you certainly not the normal you."

"It is his blood, or his semen," Marissa shook her head.

"Vampires are cautioned against semen when we are young -- it has hallucinatory effects or some such. I didn't believe taking it vaginally would have any affect at all," Marissa struggled to think things through. "Hillary, we (vampires) are dead inside. Males don't have semen and females don't have eggs."

"But the womb is associated with blood," Hillary pointed out as her hand movements began recreating the illusion which would disguise them both. "I doubt you menstruate, but vampire blood remains potent for a long time."

"So you are saying Tessio gave me a shot straight to my circulatory system?" Marissa's eyes grew large.

"From what my rather poor alchemy background tells me, it appears to act like a shot of adrenaline to the heart," Hillary postulated. "I hate to say it with our rivalry ongoing, but we might want to repeat this experiment."

"You aren't the one I'm worried about," Marissa gave a wry smile. "It's tying down Tessio for another session."

"I don't get that," Hexane chuckled.

"Oh, if you kill enough people and have people you have passion for die, you come to understand what he's worried about," Marissa sighed. "He hates having feelings for us because he's afraid we are all not going to make it and that hurts him."

"We need to impress upon him how tough we two really are," Hillary joked quietly. Marissa fell silent as Hillary started chanting the conclusion of her enchantments. A few minutes later they joined Tessio above the bridge. As they walked up to the castle, she wove a simple incantation to include Tessio in that glamour, taking shelter in the steady human traffic in the area.

As they walked into the first floor a ghul came scampering by, heading toward the gate's guardians, no doubt. The three raced to keep up and the two women took hold of Tessio's arms as they plunged through the illusion that hid the gateway from prying human eyes. They tugged on their human because breaching the illusionary wall was a matter of great Will for a mortal man.

Marissa noted that she didn't have to pull much to get him through. A struggle would have been noted by the four guardians as they stepped to the entrance to the portal. Two of the beings, a Troll and a ghost, were questioning the ghul in hushed whispers.

"What's your business," a female Were-Fox inquired a bit nervously.

"We've come to visit the University libraries," Hillary answered sincerely. Marissa knew the fox and her gnomish conjurer companion since she had appointed them years earlier. She knew all of her -- former -- people.

"We need to shut down the gate," the ghost moaned urgently to the fox. "One of the Prince's packs has found Lei -- Marissa."

The three could hear the distain the ghost had for the Prince and his so called 'pack'.

"I'll make the call to Salvador," the fox rumbled, "and see if this is cause for closing the gate."

Marissa couldn't help but show her outrage at that. The Chief Guardian, the fox in this case, had the responsibility for shutting or opening the gate. That she had to wait and call the Prince's personal advisor was infuriating. She'd picked the fox because she was a competent being after all.

"That's absurd," Marissa blurted, "shouldn't you as Chief of the Portal have the responsibility?"

The fox gave Marissa a harsh glare, then made her call. Multiple seconds later she got a response and by that time, Nightsiders started stacking up in the waiting area.

"Yes, I can wait for Lord Sandoval," the fox hissed angrily into the crystal.

Hexane could make out the shimmering of a mummy's face; one of Sandoval's henchmen.

"You three -- go," the fox directed barely above a whisper. "Three coming through," she said in a louder voice into the portal.

The portal looked like a granite block wall. As the fox spoke, her words toppled the blocks inward until a tunnel was revealed.

Tessio, Marissa and Hillary walked rapidly down the pathway and emerged in a side alley to the Parade of Fools. Four more guardians stood a lax guard there -- Nightsiders exiting to the Dayside wasn't much of a problem -- and the three passed into the 'rush hour' on the Parade.

"Okay, does anyone believe that the Fox-lady didn't know who we were?" Tessio murmured.

"She knew," Marissa grinned. "I only picked the best to be my Chief Guardians and the Castle Gate is one of the busiest. As they moved toward the University of Night, several gangs of Nightsiders came shoving and punching their way, heading for the gate clearly in response to the group the Trio had dispatched.

"I hope your FBI buddies brought along the big toys," Hillary smirked.

"This is going to be a mystic nightmare," Marissa took a more practical view of events. Nightside's secrecy was going down the crapper in the big way.

(THE UNIVERSITY OF NIGHT)

The lamia Nabila Najah slithered into her cavernous office, fully expecting company. She already knew someone had accessed her emergency bolt hole (which had been created laboriously by Nabila over the decades.) They'd then crossed onto University grounds and finally had set off the wards around her office in such a manner as to alert her without engaging the various magical and mechanical traps.

"Welcome Marissa," Nabila spoke, once her 15 feet of coiling serpent body had come into the room, the door had shut and the anti-eavesdropping charms had been activated and double-checked. "I wasn't sure you would be stopping by before you left town or exited existence."

"Oh, it's worse than that," Marissa stood up from the Prime Arcanum's couch behind her desk.

"I'm listening and not screaming for the faculty yet, so keep talking," Nabila purred as she moved forward. Marissa spread three things across the desk for Nabila to examine. First was the arcane diagrams created by Hillary, the second was a list of ingredients and the third was the bag with the items in it -- all but one, but that would be child's play to get ... it was a door knob.

"You want me to build you a second doorway to your Shard Realm," the lamia mused. "So who are your friends," she looked up at Hillary first. "You I know and don't like," then to Tessio, "and you I don't know, but do like." Her eyes migrated back to Marissa, "Is he a gift? I could just eat him up."

"Other Nightsiders have made that mistake and never made another, so please take on this work for me first and when you finish, give him your best shot," Marissa's eyes blazed brightly. Nabila put the items back on her desk and slithered over to where Tessio stood.

"Brave human," she rose up on her serpentine body to stare down at him, "or foolhardy?"

"At this point killing you, even to save my own life, is counter-productive," Tessio ignored his natural tendency to make eye contact in favor looking down and avoiding Nabila's hypnotic gaze. "Besides you come across to me as a connoisseur instead of someone who gets a quick bite to eat while on the job."

"That's an impressively steady heartbeat you have there, Human," Nabila noted.

"His name is Tessio," Hillary interrupted, "and he's only being polite and not whipping your scaly ass because he saved Marissa's life and Marissa is under the impression she can count on you."

"Hexane, you remain a mouthy whore as always," Nabila sneered, "except you remain remarkably lucky warding off Salvador and he's bad news."

"That's a secret you don't need to know right now," Marissa announced as she stood up.

"What can I expect from someone who has nothing anymore?" Nabila teased.

"Beyond the ability to betray me at a crucial juncture in my plan; nothing but the praise of three of the most desperate people on this or any other Realm," Marissa taunted back.

"I'll take a Death Debt from the human -- Tessio," Nabila Najah demanded.

"What?" Marissa's eyes narrowed. "Why him?"

"To be hanging out with Marissa, true Liege Lady of Manhattan, and Hexane who is not Hexane, I want a share of the luck this human must have," Nabila explained. "Luck is a rare commodity and ten times harder to distill."

"You have my word that once we exit the university grounds with the device, you will have my debt," Tessio declared.

"Tessio!" Marissa hissed. "She can ask for your death in place of her own."

"We can't make the damn thing and we are on borrowed time. We need it as soon as possible. We are dead if we don't get it ... and my debt is worth nothing if I die before we can get it. Finally, it is my word, not yours Marissa."

"I ..." Marissa grumbled. Nabila twirled a long strand of her black hair in a taloned finger.

"Perhaps the two of you should leave," Nabila suggested to Tessio and Hexane. Hexane tapped Tessio's mid-back. He tripped the key to the secret panel and the two slipped out of the room with the door clicking loudly as it shut behind them.

"What is wrong with you Marissa?" Nabila Najah laughed. "You reek of the human and he's both living and not ensorcelled, so that only leaves love."

"You don't know what you are talking about," Marissa growled. "He's a passing distraction; nothing more."

"I don't know much about humans, but I know my alchemical components and I know you and your kind," Nabila stated. "You smell of human seed, yet it is not where it should be -- on your breath and lips. No, you let a human ejaculate into your womb. Why would you do that?"

"You seem to have all the answers Prime Arcanum Najah, so why don't you tell me?" Marissa snapped back.

"I've never seen you like this and honestly I've never read a single treatise on a vampiric bio-systems and human ejaculate ... which I find odd," Nabila smiled at Marissa's discomfort with the subject. Marissa was letting her anger get the better of her when Nabila's words sank in.

"That's bloody impossible," Marissa agreed. "Since most of the school's libraries date back to the late 1500's, there should be something."

"There are only two libraries in the New World that are better than mine here at the University. One is in Mexico City and the other is your personal collection," Nabila's eyes lit up. "I could simply make a backup key and a beacon so I could find the door and worry about the consequences with you later, or you could give me your permission now."

"You have no idea of what you are getting into Nabila Najah," Marissa cautioned her.

"You are right. What I do know is I've been here at the University long enough ... and I know this city is going to explode under Armand's rule," Nabila pointed out.

"I have never considered you a friend Najah and I'm certainly not doing you a favor right now, but we are going against the Council of Night. They tried to kill me which is how this started. Now we are gunning for them," Marissa declared. "It is the only choice we have, but you don't need to go down with us."

"Ha," Nabila snorted. "True Lamia are a dying breed. Only one of my true breed offspring are still alive; five of my half-breed descendants are still kicking."

"That's no reason to throw your life away," Marissa stated.

"It is said the first lamia was born in the ruins of the first village destroyed in the first human war," Nabila recited. "Since the dawn of the modern age, the ruins aren't staying ruins anymore and the traditional way of life for my kind has been dwindling."

"The Council of Night will not let us live in the old ways; removing forcefully those who won't submit," Nabila continued. "Lamia are as territorial as vampires yet have neither your numbers nor your age -- so what is to become of us?"

"All lamia are inherently magical too, aren't they?" Marissa mused.

"From the moment we burst forth from our leathery eggs, our gazes are hypnotic and our venom can be used to reduce someone's Will. Virtually all of us delve into the Craft somewhat. Why do you ask?"

"My companion noted a surprising dearth of witches beyond the 5th circle," Marissa shared. "This could be the Council of Night doing the same thing: eliminate things that threaten the Veil."

"All the better for me to have a back door into your library then, because you three will most likely die. Just make sure to break into the throne room and set the door in place first," Nabila joked. "And save the human too; he has a charmingly lethal flair."

"I'll let him know," Marissa responded snidely. "How long?"

"Oh, two days," Nabila shot off blithely.

"That little amount of time?" Marissa was stunned.

"I've been working on this from the moment I learned Armand and his cronies failed to find your body. I knew you would come back for your library sooner, or later," Nabila replied smugly.

[***]

Marissa was gone for five minutes before the Prime Arcanum of the University of Night pulled a crystal and concentrated on Salvador.

"They were here and I know why," she smiled serenely at the Council's main lapdog.

"They are looking for a portage gate," he surmised.

"Yes and they gave me all the components for its creation," Nabila answered.

"Very good; I will send some people by to pick them up," Salvador said. "When did you say the artifact would be completed?"

"Two days," Nabila answered. "Marissa knows nothing of sorcery and Hillary is no artificer."

"Very well, call me if there is any change," Salvador ended the conversation. Nabila mused over the possibilities -- betrayal balanced betrayal and the long term goal remained the same: to survive. All she needed was to take the lunar dust glass, glamor a substitute good enough to fool Salvador and then complete her gate in one day's time; piece of cake for a pissed off Lamia of her caliber.

(SHUFFLING THE DECK)

"Nina, this is Tessio. We need to talk," he requested of the Mafia lieutenant sent to kill him.

"Sure," was her clipped response. "Where and when Tess?"

"Tomorrow afternoon at four at Calabria's Carpets on 14th Street," Tessio informed his cousin. "Ask the odd kid at the counter where the back door is and tell him 'Lysander'. Go through the door and I'll meet you on the other side."

"I'll see you then," Nina said then she hung up. Her first call was to Uncle Enrico. Five minutes later, Mickey, her trusted lieutenant, made a secretive call of his own. He didn't know who it was but the person on the other end had been a trusted ally of his former Don -- the one Nina's cousin Tessio killed.

[***]

The FBI's Special Investigative Division got the same message with a fifteen minutes time delay. Their position was a bit different; they had fifteen law enforcement officers hospitalized in severe or intensive care and one NYPD officer dead in a bizarre fight which had raged over Central Park only a few hours earlier. The second the Nightsiders realized the SID could pick them out of the human crowd they had done something Wolfe and Raithe had never seen before -- the monsters attacked as if they no longer gave a crap about being seen.

What added to the bizarreness of the brawl was Camille had identified three separate groups of Nightsiders -- the Animals, the [Nightsider] Cops and the 'Big Fucking Group'. The SID didn't have to do anything. Once the [Human] Police took on the Animals, the 'Cops' showed up and attacked the Animals too. Then the Big Fucking Group showed up. They started out attacking the (human) police near the first victim's unconscious body.

The Animals attacked the BFG who in turn protected the Police and FBI from the Animals long enough for the main body of the SID to arrive at which point the BFG fled the fight into Belvedere Castle, taking as many Nightsider bodies as they could -- in other words, standard Nightside protocol.