PART THREE - THE LABORATORY
Chapter 12 DISCIPLES
We get back in the car and tear out of Slawter as fast as Juni dares drive, Dervish busy on his mobile. He makes a series of calls and speaks with six or seven different people. Juni and I listen silently, not understanding everything that he says.
When Dervish finally lays the phone down, he shuts his eyes and massages his eyelids. Juni gives him a few seconds, then says quietly, "I assume the plan is for us to go after Bill-E?"
"Yes," Dervish says.
"And those we left behind? I don't want to be insensitive, but we're talking about the lives of hundreds of people. Is Bill-E that important?"
"He is to me." Dervish opens his eyes and sighs. "I'm not forgetting the others. I've convinced two of my colleagues to help us get Billy back. And I'll find another couple to send to the film set."
"Only two?" Juni frowns. "Shouldn't we alert the authorities? Send in more than just a pair of your friends?"
"My friends have devoted their lives to dealing with the Demonata," Dervish growls. "The Disciples are people with magical abilities, accustomed to handling messes like this. They'll know what to do."
"But surely, the more back-up we provide..."
Dervish looks at Juni with a wry smile. "OK. Call the police. Tell them demons are on the loose. Draw little pictures of Lord Loss and-"
"Don't," Juni snaps. "I won't stand for sarcasm, not in my own car."
"Sorry," Dervish says. "But you have to understand, we're on our own, just us and the Disciples. That's the way it's always been. Even if you convinced the police to send in troops, they wouldn't achieve anything. Demons can only be killed by magical means. Human weapons don't affect them, not unless they're wielded by a mage. If the Disciples can't stop the massacre, nobody can."
"But-"
"No more talk," Dervish says, letting his seat back.
"You're going to sleep?" Juni snorts with disbelief.
"I'm going to try," Dervish says. "Unless you want me to drive?"
"No."
"Then wake me when we hit the airport."
And with that Dervish shuts his eyes and dozes.
Juni looks at me in the mirror, astonished. I shrug. "At least he's not acting like a brainwashed simpleton any longer," I say with a smile.
"I think I preferred him when he was!" Juni huffs.
We have to wait four hours for a flight, then three hours in the next airport. Dervish makes more phone calls, recruiting a couple of Disciples to go to Slawter, while Juni and I use the restrooms.
I spend several minutes at one of the sinks, splashing water over my face, enjoying the coolness. As I'm dripping dry, I study my reflection in the mirror and frown. Something's not right, but I don't know what. I look much the same as always, skin a touch paler than normal, eyes a bit wider.
Yet I can't shake the feeling that something's wrong. Is it my hair? I run a hand through my ginger mop-nothing amiss there.
Unable to put my finger on the problem, I go see how Dervish is getting on, then Juni and I grab a bite to eat.
"You shouldn't worry," Juni says as I nibble with disinterest at a BLT. "We'll get your brother back."
"Thanks." I start to smile, but again I'm struck by an uneasy feeling. I glance around nervously-are we being followed? But nobody's watching us. I'm just being paranoid, imagining threats that aren't really there.
A long second flight. Seven hours in the air. Dervish fills Juni in on what's happening. Tells her about the Lambs, the visit from Prae Athim, her interest in Bill-E. Explains about the Disciples, their efforts to stop the Demonata from crossing into our world and slaughtering at will.
Dervish says he knows where the Lambs' main laboratory is situated. It's part of a vast security complex. Lots of armed guards. Breaking in will be very dangerous. He won't blame her if she doesn't want to get involved. Juni waves that away, but she's not entirely happy with the plan.
"You can't know for certain that they'll take Bill-E to this laboratory," she says. "What if they place him somewhere less obvious?"
"Then we'll find out," Dervish says flatly. "But this is as good a starting point as any."
I can't shake the edgy feeling I've had since the restroom at the airport. This feels wrong. How did the Lambs know where we were? How did they know we'd be leaving, that they could hit us outside town? And why should Prae Athim kidnap Bill-E in such a dramatic fashion? She must have known Dervish would come after her. She was scared of the Disciples the last time we spoke. Why do something guaranteed to turn them against her now?
I discuss my fears with Dervish but he dismisses them. "Prae Athim always had a chip on her shoulder about the Disciples. The Lambs don't like playing second fiddle to anyone. Maybe she sees this as their chance to test us. Or perhaps she figured we wouldn't suspect the Lambs, that we'd blame Billy's disappearance on the Demonata. If we hadn't found the ring, we'd never have guessed the Lambs were involved. We were ready to face down the demons. Maybe she hoped they'd kill us."
I remain unconvinced. That doesn't explain how Prae Athim knew about the demons in Slawter. Or how she judged her moment so finely. Or why her people would leave us for the demons to kill, instead of murdering us themselves while we were helpless. This is more involved than it seems. There's a conspiracy afoot. The Lambs in league with the Demonata? Maybe. If Lord Loss or one of his crew offered to give the Lambs the power to reverse lycanthropy, in exchange for a little help getting rid of the meddling Grubbs and Dervish Grady...
But that's crazy. We were knocked out. At their mercy. If they'd been working with the demons, they'd have simply handed us over. We'd be dead now, not flying after them in hot pursuit.
Something's wrong, but I can't pin it down and it's driving me mad.
The plane touches down. The two Disciples meet us in the arrivals hall of the airport. A man and woman. The man's tanned, tall and bulky, with short grey hair, dressed in army fatigues. There are letters tattooed on his knuckles-SHARK-and a small picture of a shark's head on the flesh between his thumbs and index fingers. No surprise when he tells us his name is Shark.
The woman is Indian, dressed in a colourful sari. Old. A kindly face. She walks slowly, with a pronounced limp. Hugs Dervish hard, kisses his forehead, then introduces herself to us as Sharmila Mukherji. She looks familiar, and I realise after racking my brains that Dervish and I watched a documentary about her a while ago.
"I never did like Prae Athim," Shark barks. "I'm looking forward to cutting her down to size."
"But we will have to be careful," Sharmila warns. "The Lambs should not be underestimated. They might not be able to repel us with magic, but they are well versed in other forms of warfare."
"Against us three?" Shark snorts. "They don't stand a chance! It's just a pity Kernel and Beranabus aren't here-it'd be a proper reunion."
Dervish, Sharmila and Shark smile at each other, while Juni and I share an uncertain look. Then the Disciples quickly discuss their plans and how to proceed. Before setting off, Dervish again gives Juni the option of pulling out.
"To be honest," Juni says, "I'm not comfortable. I'd rather we focused on the problems in Slawter. But if this is where you think the battle is, I'm with you. I won't quit now."
"Fighting words," Shark grins. "You're my kind of gal!" He looks around the airport, sniffs, then nods towards the exit. "Let's go round up some Lambs."
A four-hour drive. Dervish, Shark and Sharmila discuss the past for the first hour. From what I gather, the three only fought together once before, many years ago, but kept in touch and are close friends. As we progress, talk turns to the present and tactics. Shark has seen the plans of the building and knows the layout of the laboratory, its weak points, where the greatest obstacles will be.
I fall asleep as Shark and Sharmila are discussing the plans, exhaustion catching up with me. I don't dream.
When I wake, we're in the middle of nowhere. Dry, arid land stretches out in all directions. A huge metal and glass building stands ahead of us, ringed by a security fence, dotted with armed guards, sporting a massive antenna on the roof. It reminds me of something. I think I've seen it before, but I can't have. I've never been here.
The feeling that something's wrong sneaks up on me again, but I ignore it and focus on the conversation.
"-electrified, but that won't bother us," Shark is saying. "Once inside the perimeter, we head left. There's a small, disguised door that opens on to a corridor that cuts past a lot of the building- an emergency exit."
"What about the guards?" Juni asks.
"We'll fight them with magic," Shark says. "I would have brought a few weapons along-fight fire with fire-but Dervish vetoed the idea."
"I don't want to harm anyone," Dervish says quietly. "Most of the staff here are just ordinary people doing their job. They won't know about the kidnapping or that we only want to rescue Billy. We mustn't kill them. A person shouldn't be killed just because they're ignorant of the truth."
"You're too soft," Shark grunts, then throws his door open and smacks his right fist hard into his left palm. "Let's do it!"
We stand outside the electrified fence, in plain sight, watching as more guards gather. They cock their weapons, eyeing us critically.
"We're here for Billy Spleen," Dervish shouts. "Tell Prae Athim we know she took him. We'll settle for his safe return. If she gives him back to us, or tells us where he is, we'll leave without a fuss. We don't have to go to war."