Page 75 of Tin God

A face gusted by, then disappeared like smoke into the night sky. There was too much. Too many eyes and scents and dark nights to account for in her mind.

She took to the air after making sure the vampire wasn’t following her.

Charles and Emil could wait for their clock.

“We’re flying you to Juneau.”Oleg lounged in a large easy chair in front of the fire burning in the massive stone hearth at his fishing lodge. “Lev will go with you. And I’ll send Olaf if you want. He can fly.”

Someone grumbled in a deep voice from another room. It sounded like Olaf wasn’t thrilled with his assignment. Tenzin didn’t blame him. She didn’t like carrying earthbound vampires around like cargo either.

“Juneau?” Brigid looked at Mika, who was watching them from the corner. “That’s all the way on the other side of the state.”

“Ketchikan,” Tenzin whispered. Ketchikan was near Juneau. Maybe. She was still confused by Alaskan geography, and from the sky, too much of the state looked the same.

Trees.

Ocean.

Large rivers of ice.

More trees.

Oleg glanced at Tenzin, then back to Brigid. “That is where you need to be. Zasha is not here.”

Brigid persisted. “Did you find them?”

“According to some information that has come to us, there is a house that Zasha used as a vacation rental near Sitka. That is closer to where we think they are hiding now.”

“But you don’t know.” Brigid kept looking at Mika for some reason. “I kinda feel like you’re tryin’ to get rid of us, Oleg.”

Tenzin had been thinking the same thing.

Oleg spread his arms and opened his palms to the sky. “I do not know what else you would have me do, Brigid Connor. It is highly unlikely that Zasha is in this area anymore. Perhaps they have gone back to Katya’s home territory after trying to rile the vampire residents in Kenai and Seward against me.”

“Oh, pull the other one, Oleg,” Brigid countered. “You know she’s not involved in this.”

“No? Three raids in the course of a few months? All coming from the sea? And all against vampires who are loyal to me?”

Tenzin felt prompted to speak. “Katya has had attacks in her territory too.”

“A ruse. Perhaps a smoke screen. Or perhaps she is eliminating those she might see as loyal to me when the time comes.”

“The time?” Tenzin smiled. “The time for what?”

Oleg smiled back but said nothing.

The vampire was full of shit; he was speaking for an audience, and Brigid and Tenzin were not it. This was a performance for the men and women listening with big ears and waiting tongues.

Brigid was trying to reason with Oleg even though this was all bullshit.

“We’re not under Katya’s aegis, Oleg. We’re not workin’ for her or for you. We’re just trying to take care of a problem that both you and Katya share.”

“Good,” he said. “Then you should be happy I am flying you to Juneau.”

“There are whispers,” Mika finally said. “Whispers that Katya’s people are now finding raids in their own territory.”

“Which means she can’t be involved in any of this,” Brigid said.

“Which means” —Oleg took command of the room again, his eyes landing right on Tenzin— “that unlesstworogue vampires have suddenly decided to start attacking human and vampire compounds in Alaska, Zasha has moved on and you two have no reason to be here.”

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