They entered the complex, and Leah once again found herself perplexed. The ornate walls had been stripped bare, with all the Aztec statues and gilded chandeliers removed, and the bright paint of the walls washed away. Leah had only the vaguest memory of what this place used to look like before Santiago and the others had transformed it into their own design, but it seemed that they had gone to lengths to restore it to its original appearance. Frescoes of nuns and priests clung stubbornly to the walls, an homage to this place’s old world roots. Just about every corner of the parish had a cross hanging up, wooden and plain like the rest of the city was proving to be.
It was the fucking quiet that really threw her off though. No music over the speakers, no fiesta in the yard, no one laughing or partying or having the slightest bit of fun. Nothing but the sound of their feet echoing off the stone floors.
Even Santiago’s office had been stripped down to the bare minimum. Only a single wooden desk sat by the window, with another of those crosses hanging above. Gone were the elegant paintings and posters. Just how much had things changed down here? It was almost like some of them had picked up this Beholder shit themselves…
Couldn’t be, Leah reminded herself with a shake of her head.
This would have to be delicate. Leah was about to dump a lot onto her host’s plate, and the best way to keep Santiago compliant would be to maintain some iota of respect for his position.
“I think we’ve got it from here,” Leah said, waving the others off. “You too, Luciá. I’ll knock if I need you.”
She bowed down and made for the door, followed by her guards and the rest of El Dorado officials, leaving them alone.
Save for that one guy with the sallow cheeks. He just stood and watched, still meeting her in the eyes with that fearless gaze.
Leah tilted her head. “You deaf? I said everyone else leaves.”
He did not move.
Santiago grinned wide. “Ah, this is Hermano Mateo. You do not need to worry about him. He is new but has been doing much for us.”
“Don’t care. What we have to talk about is between me and you and no one else right now.”
“It is fine, I promise. Hermano Mateo has been a special friend to me and has brought peace and prosperity to El Dorado. Anything you say to me can be said to him.”
She stared dully. “Let me ask you this: is ‘Hermano Mateo’ in charge, or you?”
Santiago stumbled over his words a moment before swallowing them and trying again. “Me, my Lady.”
“Cool. Then you’ll have no problem ordering your underling so I don’t have to. Now tell your friend to kindly fuck off, or I will reconsider my no-cutting-off-limbs policy of today.”
There it was again. A flicker of something deeper forming beneath Santiago’s eyes. It disappeared before she could place it, but it was definitely there. That same sense of wrongness she’d felt at first.
But he quickly buried it below another wide smile and uttered some more orders in Spanish. Mateo spoke back, and from the tone of voice, he didn’t seem all too deterred by whatever he had to say, but Santiago kept going for another few sentences before he finally complied, slowly walking for the door while keeping his eyes locked with hers. Leah really didn’t like the way this guy was looking at her.
You’ve left these people alone too long, she realized. It was time to bring this up a notch and put on her Hades hat again. As Santiago moved for his desk, Leah stepped in between, dragged the chair out an extra foot, and sat down herself. Her host watched powerlessly as she fished into her jacket, pulled out her bottle of blood, and leaned back, letting her black combat boots rest on his desk without care.
She held the bottle up. “You going to get me something to pour this in, or what?”
He rifled through the desk in silence, made more awkward because he had to reach around Leah while she sat and waited without lifting a finger herself. In the end, Santiago was forced to sit on the guest side of his own office.
That would do for now. A lesser display of supremacy never hurt anyone.
Leah swirled her glass of blood and quickly dribbled it beneath her scarf. “Want some?”
He held up a hand. “No, thank you.”
“Come on, Santiago. Just a taste. Trust me, it’s good.”
He licked his lips in anticipation, but still, he shook his head. “Save it for yourself, senora.”
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She sighed. “If you insist. Gotta say though, this is much better than I was expecting. You see, I got this bottle as a gift from a guy in Asphodel after I helped his shop out. It’s just goat’s blood mixed with vodka and some spices thrown in to bring out the umami, but the real kicker is that he insisted that I wouldn’t need to refrigerate it. Something about a vacuum sealer supposedly keeps it from going bad until the cork is popped. I’ve had this bottle sitting around for about a week now, and it still tastes like it got ripped straight from the veins. Not too shabby.”
She took another sip. “See, that’s how it’s been since I took control. We’re all one big happy family now. If someone has a problem, I help them out. If I have a problem, they help me out. Seems like a fair system, right?”
“You have done great work not just for Pandemonium, but El Dorado too,” Santiago pointed out. “We have all prospered under your rule, and I would like to think I have done my part.”
“Oh, you most certainly have, Santiago. Even going back to the Hades days, we’ve always had such a great relationship. Whenever our Hunters find a Spanish-speaking rezzer, we ship them down south so you have another worker to help with your needs, and all we’ve ever asked in return is a small tithe of the food and supplies you gain. You have always hit your goals, every single month, like clockwork. Let’s be real. I haven’t come down here in so long because there’s been no need. You’re doing such a great job.”
“Thank you.”
She leaned forward. “Luckily, we’re still one big happy family, in spite of the time or distance, right? Just like my friend in Asphodel, I’ve got your back, and you’ll have mine, won’t you?”
He winked. “Whatever you need, my Lady, I will do what I can to comply.”
“I’m sure you’ve heard about what’s been happening up north.”
“This… Enclave that has shown up on your borders?”
Leah nodded. “The Beholders. Just like that, I’ve got thousands of nutjobs pressing against the Styx.”
He shrugged. “We have all been suffering with labor lately. These Beholders are perhaps a gift for us all? Sinclair seems to believe so when last we speak.”
She stroked her chin. “Mmmm… Some, perhaps. But not all. That’s the problem with Enclaves. They aren’t part of our family. They can be, but only if everyone agrees with how things work. I’m sure that plenty of them are willing to join the club, but there are a few that are holding the rest of them back. That’s a problem. Not just for me either. For all of us, really.”
One of his bushy eyebrows raised. “What is it that you are asking me for, exactly?”
She watched him. “Your Hunters. Every last one of them. They’re coming back to Pandemonium with me while I go through their camp and clear all the troublemakers out.”
“We would not be able to scavenge without Hunters.”
“No, you won’t. You’ll need to hunker down your walls and coast while I handle the operation, but I’ll be sure to return the favor. Once this thing is wrapped up, I’ll send a couple of MRAPs your way, along with the appropriate tools to keep them operational. Sound like a fair deal?”
Santiago said nothing. His eyes widened as he stared at the floor. One moment went into the next, but he still did not respond.
Leah sighed. “Look, I know this is a lot, but I expect this to be resolved in less than a week. Don’t act like you’ve never gone that long without a Hunt.”
He shook his head. “I do not think this is a good idea, senora. You must try to reach a peaceful solution with these Beholders.”
Must I? “Wouldn’t have come down here if I hadn’t already made the decision.”
“Have you even talked to them!?” he suddenly snapped. “Have you listened to what they have to say? You wish to murder them without considering the possibilities… Do you even know where you are right now!?”
Leah blinked. “Huh?”
Again, he looked into her eyes, and again, Leah was taken aback. There it was. That wrongness. That fervor. No longer was he trying to hide it.
“El Dorado is built upon the city of a Tepoztlán,” Santiago explained. “They raised a monument in the hills above to a false Aztec God, and the people murdered their children to appease its bloodlust. Were it not for the conquistadores, we would have never seen the light. This holy parish is a testament to that truth. Now, you wish to bring us back to their barbarism? No, I will not allow it!”
Leah remained speechless. It had been a real long time since anyone challenged her directly, especially with so little to prompt this kind of outburst. She’d dealt with Santiago for years, and he’d always demonstrated a shrewdness regarding big-picture problems. But this demeanor was alien. Like a switch had activated in his mind the moment she’d mentioned her plan. Like he’d become someone else altogether.
“Santiago, what the fuck is wrong with you?” she said at last. “I know that you’ve been given space to play king down here, but you seem to have forgotten how this all works. We’re not having a conversation. I tell you what to do, and you fucking beg me for the privilege!”
But his eyes burned like two open flames. “You have no power here, you Whore. This is a house of the Lord! God will punish you for your heresy!” He screamed out commands in Spanish.
Shouts spilled out from the hall, followed by Luciá shrieking. Thuds followed. Leah lurched to her feet as the door thrust open.
Her guards lay downed on the other side, and Hermano Mateo stood above, with four more people behind. He had changed out of his dress shirt, as had his entourage, and now all wore the same outfit, with him in brown and the rest in those long, black cloaks.
Beholder cloaks.
They charged. Instinct took over, and Leah reached for her 1911, but she drew too late. Before she could land a clear shot, before she could even pull the trigger. They were attacking her. Yanking the gun away. Smashing the radio so she couldn’t call for help. Cracking the bones in her limbs.
And she couldn’t fight back…