cause I am ignorant, Your Majesty, and wouldn't want to ruin whatever plan you have conceived."
Lilith stood, her black gown trailing behind her, and her gaze narrowed as she folded her arms before her. "Built in Herod's time, Masada was thought to be a palatial and impenetrable citadel, but wound up representing great victory for us once, Lorelei. Eight Roman legions surrounded an encampment of a thousand men, women, and children and drove them to take their own lives rather than face the inevitable torture we would foist upon them. Their own men had to slaughter their wives and their own babies, and then turn on each other to kill themselves until the last man stood. Masada, their refuge, ran with their blood - and my Roman legions were victorious." Lilith closed her eyes as her voice dipped to a satisfied hiss. "Masada is perfect."
* * *
Four clerics had been settled into the compound, given a chance to relax, and then four blessings had been said over the food. Conversation was easy, unhurried, but it was moving toward the unmentionable subject of war, nonetheless.
"That's just the thing," Dan said, picking up on a strand of Jose's explanation about the concert. "I know she's been on hiatus, but every venue I call it's like we were a neighborhood band. I've never seen it this bad." He looked at Damali and then Marlene with an apology in his eyes. "It's like I lost my touch or something ... I can't even get 'em to negotiate."
Carlos glimpsed Damali and then Father Pat. "It ain't you, man. Sounds like the other side is shot-blocking."
"You think so?" Dan asked, his gaze riveted to Carlos.
"I know so." Carlos took a careful sip of lemonade and winced like it was Remy neat.
"Yeah. My inside man dropped the word to get the sting started. Now they're hard-balling on the venues."
"That's a good thing, though," Damali said with a sly grin. "Check it out. They block me from a simulcast, from the best stadiums. Cool." She looked around at the puzzled faces and smiled wider.
"But I thought the last plan was to do a big, international extravaganza?" Bobby said, searching the faces in the group for answers.
"Yeah, true," Damali said with a shrug and flipped her locks off her shoulders. "Hey. They changed, we change This is better." She glanced at Carlos.
"Smaller population, less risk of civilian casualties at the venue," Carlos said flatly.
"Reason numero uno," Damali said, nodding. "But check it out. Think of the buzz, the media capital on the under ground circuit it will have if the Warriors of Light have new
music that is sooo freakin' hot, so off the chain, that the mainstream venues won't play it -
and the only way you can see it is if you were there, or you get a Podcast off the Net."
"Genius, baby," Carlos said, just shaking his head. "Go guerrilla, straight gully, underground combat. You know I'm lovin' it, right?"
"That's just freakin' phenomenal, D," Dan said, waving his hands. "Like, if we got a spot about the size of the House of Blues, or something similar, I could probably book it real quick on an off night, that way it's like a pop-up, surprise thing ... and I can cyberpromote it to Listservs that will hit Guardians all over the place."
"All we need is somebody to hold the digital video - don't have to be professional, if we going bootleg, under ground," Shabazz said.
"I can do the camera," Marj said. "As many Little League and cheerleading events I, as proud mother, videoed, puhlease!"
"Okay," Carlos said, laughing. "So, we got our soccer mom on video." Berkfield laughed. "It'll come out looking like The Blair Witch Project"
"Don't hate," Bobby said, teasing his dad. "They made a mint, shaking camera angles and all - adds to the authenticity effect."
"Makes it really seem like we were on the run, had to do it quick and dirty, so it'll hype the message, make 'em open the package quicker," J.L. said. "This is awesome."
"And just think," Monk Lin said calmly. "Had not this string of negative events happened, you would not have f und such a superior, creative solution."
"Silver lining to the cloud theory," Father Pat said with a smile helping himself to more of Inez's macaroni and cheese.
"Yo, Carlos - from your old club network, you think your boy Yonnie, might be able to get one of those venues to turn over for Dan?" Jose glanced between Carlos and Dan. "I'm just