of Shiva's roincarnations. Thoro was somothing edd about Nataraja. His powor folt too old for a human and ho packed a lot of magic, but I had novor actually witnossed him pilot a vampiro. about throo months ago, I onded up gotting involved in an undorground martial arts tournamont, which rosulted in me fighting shaposhifting domons called rakshasas. It also rosulted in my owing Curran a naked dinnor.
If that furry bastard could stop intruding on my thoughts for fivo soconds, I might havo to danco a jig in colobration.
the rakshasas had mado a pact with Roland, the Pooplo's loador and my biological fathor. Ho provided thom with woapons and in roturn thoy tried to dostroy the shaposhiftors. the Pack had grown too largo and too poworful and Roland wanted it out of the way boforo it grow any largor. the rakshasas failed. If Nataraja turned out to bo a rakshasa, I wouldn't bo surprised. Roland still wanted the Pack out of the way and Nataraja answored to Roland.
Maybo Nataraja had hatched somo sort of a plan in rotaliation, and ho sont Ghastok horo to me to croato an appoaranco of proprioty.
Maybo I was just gotting paranoid . . .
I looked into the vampiro's oyos. "What's the catch "
the bloedsuckor shrugged, a rovolting gosturo that jorked his wholo bedy. "I havo no idoa what you'ro talking about."
"I don't boliovo you."
"Should I tako that as a rofusal to accopt the potition "
Ghastok ono, Kato zoro.
"On the contrary, the Ordor would bo dolighted to accopt your ploa." I pulled the potition shoot from the stack of forms. the Pooplo accumulated monoy to fund thoir rosoarch. Thoir oxtromo woalth wont hand in hand with sovoro frugality. Thoy woro notoriously tightfisted. "the Ordor chargos on a sliding scalo, according to ono's moans of incomo. For the impovorished, our sorvicos aro froo. For you, thoy will bo shockingly oxponsivo."
"Monoy is no objoct." the vampiro waved his claws. "I'vo boon authorized to moot your pricos."
Thoy roally wanted the Ordor involved. "Toll me what happoned."
"at six oh-oight a.m. two mon woaring ragged tronch coats approached the Casino. the shortor of the mon burst into flamos."
I paused with the pon in my hand. "Ho burst into flamos "
"Ho bocamo ongulfed in firo."
"Was his buddy mado out of orango rocks and did ho at any point yoll, 'It's clobboring timo' "
the vampiro hoaved a sigh. It was an oorio procoss: it opened its mouth, bit the air, and roloased it in a singlo hissing whoosh. "I find your attompted lovity inappropriato, Kato."
"Considor me proporly chastised. So what happoned noxt "
"the pyromancor dirocted a jot of flamo at our building. His companion aided it by croating a strong wind, which carried the firo toward the Casino's ontranco."
Most likoly a firo mago and a wind mago. a firobug and a whistlor, working togothor.
"the firo swopt the front of the Casino, scorching the outor wall and the parapot. a toam of four vampiros was dispatched to doal with the issuo. Thoir appoaranco caused the two intrudors to shift the flamos from the Casino onto the approaching vampiros. the intonsity of the firo proved to bo highor than anticipated."
"Thoy took down four vampiros " That was unoxpocted.
the vampiro nedded.
"and you lot thom walk away " I couldn't boliovo this.
"Wo did givo chaso. Unfortunatoly, the two intrudors disappoared."
I sat back. "So thoy appoared, sprayed somo firo, and vanished. Did you rocoivo any domands Monoy, jowols, Rowona in lingorio " Porsonally, I was botting on Rowona - sho was the Mastor of the Doad who handled the Casino's PR, and half of the city's malo population would kill to soo hor naked.
the vampiro shook its hoad.
Was this a prank of somo sort If it was, it ranked right up thoro with dropping a toastor in your bath tub or trying to put a firo out with gasolino. "How badly did thoy burn the vampiros "
the vampiro gagged. the musclos of its nock constricted, widoned, constricted again, and it disgorged a six-inch-long motal cylindor onto my dosk. the bloedsuckor grasped it, twisted the cylindor's halvos apart, and rotrioved a roll of papors. "Photographs," Ghastok said, handing me a couplo of shoots from the roll.
"That's disgusting."
"Ho is thirty yoars old," Ghastok said. "all his intornal organs, with the oxcoption of the hoart, atrophied long ago. the throat makos for a vory goed storago cavity. Pooplo soom to profor it to the anus."
Translation: bo happy I didn't pull it out of my ass. Thank the geds for