Chapter 7
AS WE DESCENDED into the belly of the market, it occurred to me there was a great deal about the city that I didn’t know. I had considered myself well versed in Seattle’s history, but apparently there were gaps in my studies and I was woefully lacking.
The shaft was massively tall, and the stairs seemed to run both all the way down to the bottom and all the way up to the top of the market. The market was five stories high from the ground level, and how far it extended below street level I had no clue.
“Who built this access passage? It seems extremely well hidden.” We had already descended past three doors leading onto other levels. The shaft itself was about six feet in diameter, just big enough for the staircase. It was dimly lit by amber-colored lights that seemed to spaced every ten feet or so along the walls of the shaft.
Vik gave a little shrug. “I don’t know, but it’s hidden for a reason. From what I was told, there are several other shafts like this, one in each wing. I believe they were built as a way to evacuate people to safety in case of a mass attack. You know, back in the day when it was considered hunky-dory for the average citizen to own an AK-47. I don’t know what use they have for these now, but when you think about it, it’s an uncongested way to get from level to level. For maintenance men and the like. We just passed the bottom level, at least as far as customers are concerned.”
Two more levels took us to the bottom of the shaft. Which meant we were two stories belowground. Vik nodded to the heavy metal door in front of us. A keypad was flush to the wall next to the door, and I realized it was a code lock.
“Do you have the code to get through here?”
“Yeah. Thing is, it’s not locked to keep people from exiting the market. It’s to prevent unwanted visitors from entering from the catacombs.” He paused, then added, “In case you need to get back through here in a hurry and something’s happened to me, the code is 45723. Repeat that, please.”
“457…23. I may not have a photographic memory, but when my life depends on it I tend to remember what I need to.” Until now, I hadn’t been nervous. However, the realization that the door was locked keep things out rather than in was unsettling.
Vik punched in the code and the door softly clicked, opening to his touch. I wasn’t sure what I had expected, but it hadn’t been a smooth hallway, lit with more of the amber lights. As we passed through and the door closed behind us, locking once more, he pointed to where the keypad was on the inner side.
“Give me the code again.”
I was grateful that he was concerned for my safety. “45723.”
“Good, you’ve got it. Have you ever encountered a vampire before? I know that may seem like a ridiculous question. Most everybody has, even if they don’t realize it, but I need to know if you’ve ever had any interaction with them. We’re down here in their territory. I don’t want any trouble if we can avoid it.”
I thought back, trying to remember whether I had ever had dealings with any vampires. I tended to steer clear of the undead. It was generally a good idea. After a moment, I shook my head.
“When I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever met one, not to recognize.” I blushed. “This is going to sound like a stupid question, but is there a way you can tell that someone is a vampire just from looking at them? I mean, the Fae have a certain look to them—I know, I’ve been outed before just by my looks. Shifters, not so easy. And I never would have pegged you as half-ogre. But I don’t know much about vampires.”
Vik paused, leaning against the wall. “When they’re angry, their eyes burn crimson. Then again, a number of the undead do, as well as demons. Of course, the fangs are a dead giveaway—no pun intended. But their fangs are recessive, so they aren’t always visible.”
“They descend when they’re…hungry?”
Vik nodded. “It’s kind of like an uncontrollable arousal. When a vampire’s hungry or in predatory mode—hunting mode, if you will—their fangs descend. A lot like a guy who gets an erection. It’s hard to hide. But when a vampire is well fed, and they aren’t on the prowl, their teeth look just like yours and mine. Otherwise, there isn’t much giveaway.”
“Wonderful. And they can move around during the day, right?”
“Only if they’re out of the light. Sunlight and fire will both kill them. Fire if they’re caught in it, sunlight will burn them on contact—if they can get out of it quick enough, they’ll suffer damage but survive. If they can’t get out of it, they’ll burn to ashes. Also, they’re extremely strong, far stronger than humans. They’re stronger than most shifters, and definitely stronger than the Fae. They’re also extremely fast, and some can shift shape into wolves, rats, or bats. That’s not a given, but down here? If you see one of those, there’s a good chance you’re facing a bloodsucker. By the way, they don’t appreciate that term. Never use it to their face.”
I took note of what he was saying, filing it away for future use. If someone had told me this morning that I would be creeping through the catacombs, facing down vampires, I would have laughed in their face.
Vik motioned for me to follow him. “If we do end up in a fight, you may need this.” He reached back, holding a silver stake in his hand. “I know the Fae can use silver, so you should be able to hold this.”
I silently took the stake, tucking it through one of my belt loops. After a moment, I thought of a couple other questions.
“Is it true that you need to hit them through the heart with it? And will any sort of stake work? I mean, what if all you have is a broken chair leg or a dagger?”
“Silver works best. Vampires hate silver just like Fae hate iron. It hurts them and, if it touches them long enough, it can do permanent damage. Wooden stakes also work, although they’re more problematic. Bullets won’t faze them. Really, what you want is something that’s extremely pointy, and you need to plunge it directly through their heart. Any other questions?”
I felt like I was in school, learning about some new exotic creature. “The Fae, some more than others, have the ability to glamour. What about vampires?”
“Vampires have more of an ability to mesmerize. It’s not a glamour, although they do possess a sensuality that’s hard to ignore. Even the butt-ugly ones reek of sex. With the Fae, it’s more charm. Vampires force the issue more. Think of it as the difference between a gorgeous glamour girl trying to seduce you, and someone spiking your drink with a date rape drug. The former being the Fae. The latter being vampires.”
Vik had a way with words, I had to hand it to him. For an ogre, he was extremely articulate.
We had been walking for about ten minutes and I began to notice various side tunnels, leading both to the right and the left. Also, the surface of the walls was getting rougher, and the concrete tunnel was giving way to rock. I touched the side of the wall. Vik noticed what I was doing.
“We’re entering the catacombs proper now. Don’t worry too much about cave-ins. While it could happen, most of these have been around hundreds of years. They were here before Seattle was founded. That’s the thing, you see. There was a labyrinth of tunnels here long before the city was settled. The vampires just broke through to them from underground Seattle and incorporated the catacombs into their network. Unless we happened to be down here when there is a major earthquake, I don’t think these tunnels are going to come down anytime soon.”
That didn’t give me much comfort, considering we were on several major fault lines. I tried not to think about the thousands of tons of rock over our heads as we continued to head west.
At one point, I heard music off to the right as we passed a side passage. And a few moments later, laughter sounded from the left. Vik ignored both, keeping a quick pace as we navigated through the tunnel. Then he slowed, motioning for me to move to the right, close to the wall. Up ahead, two figures were headed our way. Even from this distance, I could feel something different about them.
The two men slowed as they approached us, giving us a long once-over. They were wearing business suits, and one of them had hair down to his shoulders while the other’s was short, almost a buzz cut. There was something about them that set off alarm bells in my stomach, yet I found it hard to look away. Even standing behind Vik, I felt exposed and vulnerable.
Vik puffed up, looming larger than he actually was, and I wondered if ogres had their own form of glamour. I realized that I could hear Vik breathing, and my own breathing, but the two men who were facing us were still as night.
“Looking for anything in particular?” one of them said, in a slow languorous voice. “Any help we can offer?” The question was suggestive, fraught with opportunity and danger.
Vik stared the men down. “Thanks, but we’re fine.”
“Are you sure? What about the pretty lady? She looks like she could use some…help.”
“I’m going to reach in my pocket now, for my identification.”
Vik held his hands out, as though he were facing the police, and then slowly reached for his pocket, easing his wallet out. The vampires watched him closely as he opened it and held out his agency identification. There was a pause, and the men suddenly became all business. Their hypnotic energy withdrew, leaving cold, ruthless expressions on their faces.
“We won’t detain you. Be careful, though, there have been a number of unexplained deaths around here.” The one with the buzz cut gave me another look. “She with you?”
Vik nodded. “She also works for the Wild Hunt.”
“You know, our community would be extremely grateful if you could find out who’s behind the murders. I assume that’s what you’re looking into.”
It sounded like a warning. Then, the longer-haired vamp turned away and, followed by his friend, they headed down the corridor in the direction from which we had come. Vik waited until they vanished from sight, motioning for me to stay quiet. When they had disappeared around the corner into a side passage, he let out a long breath.
“Well, we dodged a bullet there.” He leaned back against the wall. “You okay?”
“Yeah. But that was one of the most uncomfortable interactions I’ve had in a long time. If those are vampires, I could do without them.”
“As Herne said, all four factions of the United Coalition know about us. Well, about all the agencies like us. Word spreads, especially to those in higher positions. My guess is that our two vampires have some clout down here. Otherwise, they might not have recognized my identification. I took a gamble and it paid off. Come on. I want out of here as soon as possible.”
I seconded his sentiment, and we began to jog down the corridor at a faster pace. Another twenty minutes brought us past a number of other side corridors, and to a shaft with a ladder leading upward. Vik began to ascend. I still had my gloves on and swung onto it without hesitation. About fifty feet up, Vik reached up to the ceiling and slid a panel back. A moment later, a shaft of light broke through. He scrambled out of the opening, then reached down to help me out. As soon as I was standing on the sidewalk, he shut the panel again.
I looked around, blinking in the relatively bright light. We were in a parking lot, right next to the docks. Another hundred yards and we would have ended up in the water.
“Why couldn’t we just drive down here in the first place?”
He gave me a sour look. “Two reasons. Herne told us to take the long way, for all the good it did. As to the second reason, look around and answer your own question.”
I glanced in the direction he had indicated. The streets were all blocked off, with heavy road work being done. In fact, I couldn’t see the end of the detour.
“Where we parked at the market is about as close as you can get to this area without walking all the way. And if you look at the pavement here? At the panel we came through?”
I glanced down and realized that I could no longer see it. “Illusion?”
“I don’t know if it’s magic or whether it’s just damn good engineering, but it’s almost impossible to find the entrance from the outside unless you know exactly where it is. The vampires have managed to make it almost impossible to enter the catacombs unless you know their secret handshake, so to speak.”
I folded my arms across my chest, turning away from the blowing rain. In Western Washington, it rained about nine months out of the year. Not every day, of course, but we had enough drizzle and sputter interspersed with the driving rain that our reputation for cloudy weather was well-deserved.
Puget Sound extended deep into Western Washington, coming in off the Straits from the Pacific Ocean. The waves were choppy today, whipped by the wind into a frothy mix of water and foam. I noted that the dock we were standing on was on Pier 67C. There were no boats currently at the dock, though a reader board said that a barge from China was due in later in the evening. Dockworkers were scrambling, getting ready for the impending offload.
“So where were the bodies found?”
Vik nodded over his shoulder. “Follow me.” He led me to a place about three yards away, behind a series of dumpsters. “They were found here, sprawled on the ground.”
I looked down. Although the rain had washed a great deal of the chalk away, I could still see the outlines of where the bodies had been. Apparently the police had started an investigation, even though the medical examiner had nixed the idea of homicide. There were dried stains on the pavement, and I knelt, placing my hand in a puddle next to one of the splatters. I tuned in to the water as it caressed my fingertips.
Tell me, I thought, reaching out to touch the essence of the rain. Tell me what you taste.
The wind picked up, gusting around me, as a large wave crashed over the side of the dock, spraying both Vik and me. I could feel the nature of the elemental behind it as it responded to my call. The ocean was a goddess, and Puget Sound a part of her. She surrounded the world, massive and huge, older than the land, older than humanity, older than most anything on the face of the planet. I slid into her cadence, feeling the way it rocked back and forth within me, within my veins, my tears, my soul.
A moment later, the image of blood spread through my mind, and I caught a visual of the mangled bodies as they were dropped onto the pavement, the rain washing over them and onto the ground below. I tried to see what was holding them, but the rain hadn’t noticed their attacker, only the bodies as they fell into the puddles.
“I think they were dead when they were dropped here. They weren’t killed here.” I glanced up at Vik, wishing I could have seen more.
“How do you know?” He cocked his head, watching me.
“I’m one of the Water Fae by blood—half, anyway. My mother was Water Fae. She was pledged to Morgana.”
“So you’re a siren? One of the undines?”
“No, the sirens and undines, along with the naiads, are actually elementals. The Water Fae are connected with the element of water, but we aren’t actually part of it. I can tune into rain and lakes and rivers and oceans—and I can use some of their inherent magic, but I’m not actually a part of them, like an elemental is. But if there are any water elementals nearby, I can usually contact them as well.”
“Good to know,” he said. “So you think the bodies were just dumped here?”
“I know so. They were dead when they hit the ground. If there had been a struggle, I would have sensed it through the moisture that’s still on the ground here. I’m not sure where they were killed, but it wasn’t right here.”
“The dockworkers are leery. You can tell by the way they’re moving.” Vik pointed to a couple of the nearby men, who were working quickly, glancing over their shoulders at us. “They’re nervous.”
“If I knew three bodies were found, mutilated, near where I worked, I’d be nervous too. Has the garbage been emptied since the bodies were found?” I was thinking we might find something in the dumpster.
“Yeah. In fact, my notes say that the garbage men made a special run the next morning. Which tells me that there may have been something in there they were trying to cover up.”
“Is there anything else we can learn? Should we question the workers over there?”
Vik shook his head, staring at the men. “If they know anything, they aren’t going to tell us. Come on, I think we’ll have better luck at the park.”
“Do we have to go back through the tunnels? I’d almost rather walk in the rain than do that.”
“From your mouth to my legs. Let’s go. We’ve got a bit of a hike given the slope of the streets. But I’d rather walk too.”
As we headed back to the car, hiking up the steep city streets, I thought about the catacombs. I had never known they were so extensive; it was simply a fact that had never crossed my radar. But now it made me nervous to think about the vampires roaming beneath the city streets. And if there was one entrance secreted out of sight, how many more were there, and how far did the network of catacombs run?
RATHER THAN BOTHER with the freeway, we took Holgate Street over to Beacon Avenue, which we followed until we could turn left onto Orcas Street. From there it was a straight shot all the way to Lake Washington Boulevard, which led into Seward Park.
Adjacent to Lake Washington, like a mini peninsula, the park housed three hundred acres of forest. Sheltering wildlife and waterfowl, it offered easy access to the shoreline. Directly across from the park, attached to the Eastside by a bridge, Mercer Island loomed in the middle of the lake. An exclusive neighborhood, the population was mostly human—nouveau rich. The I-90 freeway ran through Seattle, over a floating bridge to Mercer Island, and then over another bridge to the Eastside.
I had been to Seward Park a number of times. It was soothing to walk among the trees, out of the city grit.
“How many bodies were found here?” I asked, hating to think that violence had spread into a place that I loved.
“Six. Half of the victims. According to Herne’s notes, they were found after the other six, which tells me that whoever killed them decided he needed a safer dumping ground.”
“Yeah, because by then, the other dump site was being watched.”
“All the bodies here were found down near Seward Park Road, on the Cutlass Trail. It’s one of the lesser-used hiking trails—”
“I know it. I’ve walked it many times. I come here a lot, Vik. I can think here.”
We took Seward Park Road, parking in the lot near the center of the park. The rain had eased off by the time we arrived and I was grateful that we wouldn’t be bombarded by the weather.
“We’ll have to walk a little bit. I hope you don’t mind.” Vik locked the car and motioned for me to follow.
“I’m used to it.” I jammed my hands in my pockets, following him across the trail into the forest. We passed the Broken Tree Trail, finally coming to the Cutlass Trail. It was steeper than the others, and it wasn’t kept up. Well, compared to the rest of the park.
Once we were on the trail, I realized that my size was a definite benefit. While Vik was strong and muscled, he was definitely not light on his feet. I scrambled up the steep trail well ahead of him, not realizing I had left him behind till I got near the top. I turned around, and saw him struggling up between the trees. By the time he reached me, he was panting.
“Ogres don’t make good climbers,” he said.
“I thought ogres mainly lived in the mountains and that’s what they do—climb with the goats.”
“You’re thinking about giants. Ogres are not the same. People mix us up all the time and it annoys the fuck out of me.”
“All right, you’re not a giant. But don’t ogres live in the mountains?”
“Ogres tend to live underground. Or in caves. My father’s family happens to live near Mount Rainier, but not way up the mountain. There’s a trail up to the cave system they live in.”
He seemed rather touchy about the subject, so I decided to leave it alone. I wasn’t sure what the difference between ogres and giants were, but it might be a good idea to find out so I didn’t make the same mistake twice.
I looked around. We were near the trailhead, and like most of the woods around Western Washington, the ground was a mass of forest detritus: fallen leaves, fir and cedar needles, old pinecones, mushrooms, sodden bark, as well as the burgeoning plants of the spring. All in all, our forests were a tangle to get through and it was easy to sprain an ankle if you weren’t watching where you are going.
“So, you said there’s an entrance to the catacombs near here?” I was doing my best to look for anything that could be construed as an entrance, but I had no clue what to look for.
“This way.”
Vik led me across the trail to where a small stream burbled along through the forest, curving to flow parallel to the trail and down to the lake. Before the stream turned, it was buttressed by a narrow walkway that led to an outcropping of boulders.
Vik scrambled across them, doing his best to avoid falling in the water.
I followed. Just beyond the boulders, I saw what looked to be a lightning-scarred tree trunk. It was a good five feet wide.
Vik stopped beside it. He reached into one knothole that was as big as his fist, and I heard a small click. The front of the tree trunk split open as a small door on hinges slowly swung back. He nodded for me to look inside. Hesitantly, I crept forward and peeked down into the tree trunk. A ladder led down, on a slant, in a narrow metal shaft.
“Wow. They really go out of their way to make these things invisible. So this shaft leads… Where?”
“It leads to a tunnel that goes beneath the stream, and that tunnel leads to a passageway that goes all the way back to the catacombs. It stretches under South Seattle, with a number of offshoots leading into other areas that the vampires have mined out over the years.”
“Just how many vampires are in Seattle?” The amount of work gone into creating the catacombs seemed monumental.
“Probably not more than five or six hundred. However, you have to remember that vampires are extremely strong, their stamina is amazing, they don’t need to breathe so they don’t have to come up for air, and they have a lot of time on their hands when they’re underground. Think about it. They have the entire day to work belowground. Just because they can only come out at night doesn’t mean that they sit around playing poker all day.”
“I can’t imagine that the city officials approve.”
“The city officials don’t have much to say about it. I’m sure the vampires use their financial connections as leverage. The mayor’s not going to argue with the people who pay for his campaign.”
I was beginning to realize just how little control humans had in this world. It seemed like everybody had their fingers in the pie. Pull on one end and you’d find another.
“So where were the bodies found?”
“Just below the trailhead, over beneath that cedar.” He pointed over to a large cedar near the stream. “They were found over a period of twelve days, one every two days. Before that, the other six bodies were found one every three days.”
“So whatever it is, it’s escalating. When was the last body found?”
“Last night. That’s when the informant talked to Herne and we got called in. Didn’t you read the dossier?” Vik gave me a look like I had farted or something.
“I looked it over, but I was kind of busy figuring out what the hell I’m supposed to be doing.” I glanced around. “Why haven’t they closed off the trailhead? If the last six bodies were found here, you’d think they would steer people away from the area.” I paused, suddenly aware of a faint scent that seemed out of place. “Hold on, I smell something.”
I closed my eyes, raising my nose to the wind. There was a scent of something boggy, almost fetid, like vegetables left too long in the refrigerator. It made me nervous, and I realized that I had goose bumps all over my arms, even though I had my jacket on.
“There is something here that makes me uneasy. I’m not sure what it is, but alarm bells are going off really loud right now.”
“Is it near here now? Are we in danger?” Vik glanced around, his hand on his dagger.
I tried to tune in as best as I could. The scent was cloying, but it was fading rather than growing stronger. I realize that the wind had blown a gust past me from the south, beyond the stream. I shut the door on the trunk and scrambled over the top of the blasted tree.
Once on the other side, going was more difficult. My footing was precarious, the rocks covered in slippery moss. I was holding on to the side of the embankment as I jumped from stone to stone, trying to keep from falling into the stream. The slope was getting steeper, and the rocks fewer and farther between. I would either have to follow from the cliff above, or jump down into the water and wade upstream. I glanced back at Vik, who was watching me carefully.
Turning back to the water, I tuned in, listened to it as it cascaded along.
It whispered to me, asking me if I would follow it upstream a ways. There was a sadness to it, a melancholy feeling that made me want to cry.
Finally, I eased my way down into the water and, knee-deep, pushed against the current, slogging over the slippery rocks in the streambed. I had only gone a few feet when I noticed something ahead, lodged against the side of the embankment. Whatever it was, it sparkled in a sudden spate of sunlight that burst through the forest, slicing through the clouds.
Taking a good look around to make certain nothing was waiting to pounce on me, I followed the water over to the sparkling item. I found myself staring at a necklace, the chain of which had been broken. I slowly reached for the pendant, and as my hand met the water to scoop up the necklace, a shriek ran through me as sure as if I had heard it aloud. I let out a shout and stumbled back, surprised by the sudden pain that accompanied the cry.
“Are you all right?” Vik called.
I glanced up. He had followed me along the top of the embankment, and was leaning over to look down. About eight feet above me, he looked ready to jump over the edge if I needed help.
“I’m okay. I found something and I think it belonged to one of the victims.” I pocketed the necklace, then looked around to see if I could see anything else. There was nothing in sight, and the odor I had smelled earlier had vanished.
I looked upstream, wondering how far the creek actually went. Twenty yards ahead, it seemed to disappear into the side of the slope. I closed my eyes picturing where we were in the park and figured that the stream must feed into the park from one end of Lake Washington and then trickle down back into another part of the lake. Wondering what we were getting involved with, I turned around and headed back toward the trail, motioning for Vik to meet me there.