Stronger Together chapter 131 (Patreon)

Our first instinct was to rush back to the room the maids were in and  bust down the door, but after thinking for even a second we realized  that would be pointless. We had no clue which maid was the creature, and  assuming our suspicions were correct, the creature didn't even know it  was the creature except from brief moments of lucidity when it killed.  If we busted in there we would just be agitating all the maids for no  reason because what the fuck were we supposed to do then?

Still  we had to go back, but knowing we had it cornered and Sergei was dead  we could gather everyone together again. Dalton activated a stone he had  in a ring he was wearing and spoke into it and I heard his voice echo  through the house. Some kind of magical intercom system boomed through  the hallways. "We found Sergei, please meet us in the front parlor." He  very carefully didn't mention the maid or that Sergei was dead. Then we  went and picked the maids up and took everyone down to the parlor with  us.

Everyone  made good time meeting in the large well furnished room. We didn't bring  Sergei's body because we didn't want to panic the civilians among the  staff but chances were good Nadia would want to go get him at some  point. Still for now we had everyone gathered together again. Nadia  arrived last with Han and Sera, eyes frantic as she spotted us.  "Sergei!" She looked around helplessly "Sergei?" She fixed her pleading  gaze on Dalton "Where is he? You said you found him!" Her tone was full  of that pleading denial people experience when they realize the worst.

Sadly  Dalton had to confirm those fears. His eyes dropped to the ground in  sympathy, unable to meet her gaze. "We found Sergei's body upstairs in  the library. Judging by the state of the blood on the carpet he'd been  there for several hours. The Sergei at dinner and in the game with us  was almost certainly the creature masquerading as him." Nadia looked  sick at the idea that she'd spent hours with her husbands killer and not  even known it and I could hardly blame her. Dalton also didn't mention  the maid, presumably so the killer wouldn't have a badly timed flash of  lucidity.

Everyone  looked disturbed that we'd been laughing and drinking with a serial  killer and hadn't known it. Even powerful supernatural entities aren't  immune to fear of the unknown and this monster was kicking us right in  the metaphorical dick in terms of information. I however had a new  concern. I turned to Barb. "Well since everyone still alive is together  and we can't do anything about the creature, we can address the elephant  in the room. Barb, you're a genius detective, care to help us figure  out who the person who triggered the wards was?"

Everyone  looked at my girlfriend, who preened under all the attention a bit.  This was her element and she was going to use it to it's fullest. I saw  her eyes scan the people present, taking in every detail, every stray  hair or piece of clothing out of place. I was happy to trust her with  this, she was so much better suited for it than me. I stepped back to  let my girl do her sweet funky. She started small, with the maids. She  asked them each about their nights. One after the other she quizzed and  questioned them finding overlaps between the stories to weave a  narrative. Several times she stopped, asking one made or another about a  specific moment bringing their attention to a detail they didn't even  know they knew.

She  switched between maids a few times, going back to previous girls to ask  them about something another one had seen or heard, teasing out  accidental details and clues. Then she switched to the guests, asking  them about their nights the same way, going over their stories with a  fine toothed comb just like her father would have done. This wasn't  Batman, this was all her. Barbara Gordon had grown up the daughter of  the only honest cop in Gotham City, and she had learned well. This was  pure interrogation and it was so thorough and invasive I felt like a  voyeur just watching it. But as she spoke I caught some of the narrative  myself and things started to click.

I  never could have done it myself mind you, but when she laid things out  my super powered synapses were able to see the threads she was pulling  and follow them like she no doubt was. One by one she went through every  person present to find out who had been the one to trap us in  here and  finally as she closed in on the truth I got it. When she got to the  guilty party she didn't change tactic or show any sign of her  suspicions, she started asking questions the same as before. Her eyes  were calm and friendly as she smiled at him, like she was sorry she had  to put him through the trouble but she just wanted to get it out of the  way.

Her  voice had that wry sympathetic tone people get when commiserating about  terrible bosses as she asked "So Han, tell me about your how your night  went. What were you up to before the dinner? Did you see anything  strange or out of place? Notice any odd smells or noises or even just a  feeling?" She asked the same questions she had asked everyone else, and  her phrasing barely shifted, just an imperceptible change in the order  of her words to guide his story, like a slight slide down a guitar  string as a musician strummed a note to change the pitch.

But  I wasn't looking at Han, not listening to his responses, I was looking  at Sera. Sera who had been so unobtrusive tonight and was so easy to  overlook. She and her brother could be in two places and were powerful  wizards. Looking back on it, just from a technical perspective, Sera and  Han were the perfect candidates for cracking Dalton's wards. They could  have cased the place before dinner and triggering the lock down from  inside would be so much easier than breaking them. Sera's face was stone  cold, nothing showing as Han answered Barb, but I saw a small slip with  my enhanced perception. Just a flash of fear that told me all I needed  to know.

What  I didn't understand though was why? What did they have to gain from any  of this? What was the point? As Barb's questions slowly changed in tone  and rapidity it became obvious to everyone what was happening, everyone  except for Han that is. He didn't notice the trap closing until it was  too late. Barb's smile became sharp as she caught a single detail out of  place "So before dinner you were in the study looking through Dalton's  private book collection right?" Han nodded "Then how did you hear the  lamp that Caroline knocked over in the drawing room? The only way you  would have been there is if you were heading into the basement. Where  the wardstone is."

Han  froze for a second before he lashed out at Barb with a spell. Sadly for  him that second was more than enough time for me to activate my  lightning aspect and stroll casually into the way of the blast, erecting  a shield faster than his mortal mind could track or his mouth could  spit out a spell. The chord of liquid fire splashed harmlessly off my  angled shield. Before he could recast I had dissolved the power and was  in front of him hand around his throat as the other flickered with  lightning I was very obviously aiming right at his face. He froze in  terror at the demonstration of power. In the background Raven had  subdued Sera.

I  glared into the spot between Han's eyes. I didn't have time for weird  soulgaze bullshit right now. My voice was harsh as I growled out "Why?  What was the fucking point? Of any of this? I'm going to let your throat  go slightly to answer but I can see your magic and I will kill you if  it even twitches in a way that looks like a spell." True to my word I  activated my magic eye spell watching for any signs he was casting, but I  guessed I'd put the fear of me in him because he definitely wasn't  trying to cast.

Dalton  stepped up next to me his face hard and his eyes full of cold anger  "That's what I'd like to know too. I invited you into my home as  friends, I trusted you. You came in and violated both that trust and my  hospitality. You put both my business and reputation in danger and got  at least one of my guests killed with treachery. What could be worth  this? What do I have that you want so very badly?" He was spitting with  rage by the time he finished, but Han didn't look afraid, just sad. He  shook his head, flicking his eyes from Dalton to me to show he needed to  speak, and I eased up a bit. The hand I had around his neck was  godsteel so I could close it faster than he could think anyway.

The  croaking voice that came out would have made me sympathetic in any  other circumstances, but now it just reminded me how badly I wanted to  kill this asshole for almost getting us all killed. I knew that wasn't  fair exactly because he didn't know about the creature but that didn't  change the fact that he was partly at fault. "It was nothing personal  Dalton. Just business. The council has been making inroads in Seoul,  swaying our wizards to their cause. They're bigger, older, and better  funded. We needed to level the playing field."

Despite  the croak of pain his voice was fanatical and energetic. "When we heard  the rumors we ignored them, but we got confirmation a few days ago.  There's a child in Chicago, born of a Loup-Garou and a natural born wolf  who learned to shift into a woman. A boy who can possibly commune with  his wolf spirit in a way no one has ever seen before. A Loup-Garou would  be the perfect enforcer. No wizard could kill one with human wisdom. We  would be safe from the council, hell we could begin to expand." His  eyes locked on Dalton "We knew you wouldn't give up a client without  leverage, it goes against your code. But we also knew you helped smuggle  the boy and his mother somewhere into the city."

I  was in shock. This was about Conner? That sweet little kid? They wanted  to kidnap him and what? Turn him into a slave enforcer? An attack dog?  Dalton looked as disgusted as I felt "The kid is five Han. Jesus you  weren't wrong, I'd never tell you where I took them. Wouldn't matter how  long you kept me in here or how much you tortured me. But your family  is going to have bigger problems. I have lots of friends Han. Not all of  them live around here. All sorts of people owe me favors and I have no  problem bringing those favors to bear against my enemies. If your family  wants a fight they're fucking got one."

His  voice was flat and deadly and I was right there with him. Everyone  looked like they were actually. Raven in particular was so angry she was  actually showing her rage on her face which was rare. The whole half  human child being hunted for what their father was thing must have rung a  bell. Han must have heard enough because his hand flashed out of his  pocket and at my face. A black bottle was heading my way and I slapped  it out of the air with my metal hand to be safe, but I'd been distracted  enough by Raven to let go by accident. I could have caught him again  easily, but of course, that was when the lights went out again.