Vendetta by James Somers
Dilemma
Cole had fortunately found Sadie sitting upon the couch in their home in Kingston before he found Brody’s note. In fact, Sadie was holding the note crumpled in her hand when he arrived. She looked a mess, like she had been in a fight and hadn’t bothered to clean up yet.
When she looked up at him, she was sobbing, tears still fresh on her cheeks. “He’s gone,” she said, sounding utterly bewildered.
“Gone? What do you mean?”
Sadie proffered the crumpled paper as he drew near. Cole took the page and read the words Brody had left. He didn’t know what to make of it. This didn’t make sense.
“He addressed it to you,” Sadie said. “Why weren’t you here with him?”
The words stung him. Cole looked up from the page at her, glaring. “Why wasn’t I here with him?”
Sadie relented. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know it wasn’t your place. I’m just frantic, Cole. He’s gone.”
“Now, wait a moment,” he said, trying not to panic. He didn’t even understand what the note meant yet. “Explain this to me. Why would he leave a note saying he’s gone to rescue you when you’re here at home, safe and sound?”
“But I wasn’t,” she said, starting to cry again. “I’m not sure what happened. I was chasing him and then, all of a sudden, I’m waking up here instead.”
Cole sat down beside her. “Calm down. I don’t know what’s happened,” he said soothingly. “Tell me everything you remember and maybe we can figure out what’s going on together.”
Sadie took several deep breaths, trying to rein in her emotions. She dried her tears on her sleeve. Cole waited patiently until she had calmed down enough to begin.
“Last we knew, you were in Japan hunting Southresh,” Cole said.
“That’s right,” Sadie replied. “I followed him a long way, all across the islands. Then I found him in Horyu-ji in Ikaruga. He lured me to a Buddhist temple there.”
“Lured you? A trap?”
“Don’t worry, I knew it was a trap from the beginning,” she said. “I wasn’t going to let that dissuade me.”
Cole held his tongue. Knowing that she had not been harmed allowed him to push back the fears he naturally felt from hearing that she had knowingly walked into Southresh’s hands. He nodded instead, allowing her to continue.
“I faced Southresh and defeated him,” she said.
Cole’s raised his brow in surprise.
“You didn’t think I could do it?” she asked, but the anger was gone from her tone. “I’m still surprised myself. But, yes, I killed his host. Southresh is back in Tartarus now.”
“You’re sure of that?” he asked.
Sadie nodded. “After I killed his host and departed, I stayed the night in Germany, preparing to go after Adolf again. That night Lucifer appeared in my room.”
The hairs on the back of Cole’s neck stood up. Again, he had to quell his fear for her. He kept reminding himself that she was here with him. She was safe.
“Did he say anything?” Cole asked.
“He said that he felt Southresh leave this world,” Sadie explained. “So, I think he must really be gone.”
“What else? Surely that wasn’t all he came for.”
“He threatened that we couldn’t stop his true plans, that Adolf’s time was drawing to a close anyway,” she said. “He didn’t seem to care that I was after him.”
“And that’s all?”
“He left me after that,” she continued. “But, when I woke the next morning and departed the inn, Adolf was standing across the street. He taunted me.”
Cole looked puzzled. “That seems odd. How would he have known where to find you? Especially when you had only come from Japan the night before.”
“Maybe Lucifer told him?”
“And Adolf would just show up?” Cole said, balking at the idea. “He knows that you have Malak-esh. All this time he’s been running from you, using decoys and such. Did he bring an army with him?”
“It was only Adolf,” Sadie replied. “When I tore after him, he did run. In fact, he led me on a chase through several portals.”
“Wait a minute,” Cole said, interrupting her. “Adolf can’t construct portals.”
“I wondered about that,” she said. “But I saw him do it.”
Cole was shaking his head. “Something’s not right. Why did you follow him?”
“I wasn’t thinking about that,” she explained, her tone growing angry. “I just wanted to get him finally.”
Cole studied her, considering her story. “It was a trap,” he said after a moment.
“Probably, but—”
“No,” he interrupted. “I don’t mean Adolf. I’ve known him most of my life. We were close back in our youth. Adolf did not have the ability to create portal constructs. He’s not a spell caster. Someone else must have—”
“Who else?” she asked.
“Lucifer was the only one, that you know of, who knew where you were,” he said. “He could have appeared to you as Adolf and he can generate portals all day long.”
Sadie’s anger began to slip. She considered what he was saying. “He was taunting me,” she said. “Like he wanted me to follow him.”
Cole was nodding in agreement. “Of course, but why?”
Sadie looked into his eyes. “That’s where I can’t remember,” she said. “I was chasing him, dogging his heels. He emerged several times and leaped back through different portals. I thought at the time that he was trying to slip away from me. Each time I thought I might lose him only made me try that much harder. The last one I barely got through.”
Cole gave her a questioning look.
“He was drawing the portals down after he went through,” she explained. “Like he was pulling away even the portal traces so that I wouldn’t be able to follow.”
“Making sure that you would rush ahead without thinking about whether it was really Adolf?”
Sadie nodded. “I was so angry. I didn’t care that it all seemed strange to me. I just wanted to catch him and end this mess once and for all.”
Cole smiled. “I understand,” he said.
“But you don’t really believe it was Adolf?”
“Do you?” he asked.
“I suppose not, now that I consider the evidence.”
“Where did he lead you?” Cole asked.
“I don’t know,” she answered. “I barely made it through the last and then…nothing. Pain, maybe. But I don’t remember anything else other than waking up here. I found this note also.”
Cole looked at the paper again. “Obviously, Brody knew that you were in trouble. But if you didn’t tell him then someone else must have. He would have gone without hesitation and without delay. Whomever told him must have known that also.”
“You think Lucifer used me as bait in order to trap my father?” Sadie asked, tears welling in her eyes again. She stood, beginning to pace. “Of course, he did. That’s just the sort of thing he would do, and I fell for it. Because of me!”
Cole stood also, trying again to calm her before she began to panic. “He left me a note,” he said. “He knew where he was headed. He knew where you were, even though he didn’t leave it written for me to follow.”
“Yes, and he went,” she said, becoming even more agitated than before. “I caused this!”
“But you’re here,” Cole said.
“What?”
“You’re here,” Cole repeated. “You were being held, possibly unconscious, since you can’t remember, and now you’ve awoke here. Brody must have been successful. Whomever did this surely wouldn’t let you go. Even if they wanted Brody, they wouldn’t just send you home once they got him. He had to be the one to save you and send you back here.”
Sadie had stopped pacing, trying to comprehend what he was saying. Then the obvious struck her. “Then why didn’t he return with me?”
Cole puzzled. “I don’t know.”
“And why can’t I sense him now
Cole considered this. “You’re right,” he said after a moment. “We shared a blood bond long ago, but I can’t feel him either.”
“And our blood bond is even stronger,” she continued. “It’s as though he’s vanished from the face of the Earth.”