Read Online Imperium (Caulborn) by Nicholas Olivo - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Nicholas Olivo
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said.
He gave her an indignant look. “I do me best work when I’m drunk, thank you very much.” He turned back to me and spread his hands. “Now, what brings you to me tonight?”
I told him about the people who had gone missing. “It’s only paranormals, Tim. I was wondering if you’d heard anything from the spirit world.”
Tim rubbed his chin and stared into his Guinness for a few moments before he shook his head. “Nothing springs to mind.” He drained the rest of his pint and I passed him a second glass. “But I’ll keep me ears open.” He looked at me and the joviality left his face. “But Vinnie, vampires, werewolves and gremlins are all strong and resourceful. They’re the predators, not the prey. Whatever’s taking them is going to be bad. It might be dangerous even for someone like you. So be careful, lad.” His eyes sparkled again. “After all, not many people come in here and buy me pints anymore.”
“Can I get you anything else?” Our server, a perky young woman of about twenty-three, had materialized next to our table in that way only a waitress can and smiled at us.
“Thank you, we’re all set,” Megan said. Our waitress smiled again and left the bill. When we turned back to the table Tim was gone. When you’re a ghost, entrances and exits are always dramatic. I imagined the director’s notations for Tim’s comings and goings as, “Exit - Stage Immediately In Front of You.” Megan looked at the spot where he’d been sitting and then at me. I just shrugged.
“Is he reliable?” she asked.
I nodded. “If any one of the missing people dies, Tim will hear about it, and he’ll pass it on to us.”
She sipped her Guinness, then leaned back from the table, closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. “Today I found a woman whose brain was stolen, met a gremlin, several vampires, and a ghost.” She tipped her head to one side and opened her eyes. “And my new partner is a god.” Her dimple appeared. I started to say something when a crash, followed by a shattering of glass and a yelp of pain from our left took our attention. One of our fellow patrons had decided to do a jig on the table and had fallen off and broken his leg. Our waitress hollered for the bartender to call for an ambulance, and hastily set about making the man comfortable until the EMTs arrived.
Megan looked at me. “Could you heal him?”
I shook my head. “I can only do stuff like that for my followers.” Even if that guy decided to worship me, I wouldn't be able to do anything for him. That was the catch of being a half-deity; there was some rule out there that said you couldn’t have members of your own species as followers. That was why even though Hercules, Perseus and Achilles were half-gods, they were never able to tap their followers' faith to do anything miraculous.
“So are the Urisk your only followers?” Megan asked.
“Yes, and keeping them safe is tricky enough.”
“What about other creatures? Other fae, vampires, aliens? Would you be able to have them as worshippers?”
I shrugged. “I’ve never sought out other followers, but yeah, I guess that would work.”
“So you’re a god who runs on inhuman faith. And that faith lets you do whatever your followers can, as much and as often as you want?”
“Something like that,” I said. “Gods are like machines that run on faith instead of electricity. Each day when I listen to my followers’ prayers, it’s like recharging my batteries. The more I tap my followers’ faith for power, the faster those batteries drain.”
We chatted for a few minutes more while we finished our drinks, then we left the Seanake and she gave me a lift back to my apartment. “See you tomorrow, partner,” she said with a smile. She drove off and I headed inside. My apartment was number 314, and the previous tenant put a “.” between the 3 and the 1. So when I got home, I always thought of pi, and then of pie, which made me hungry.
I grabbed a
He gave her an indignant look. “I do me best work when I’m drunk, thank you very much.” He turned back to me and spread his hands. “Now, what brings you to me tonight?”
I told him about the people who had gone missing. “It’s only paranormals, Tim. I was wondering if you’d heard anything from the spirit world.”
Tim rubbed his chin and stared into his Guinness for a few moments before he shook his head. “Nothing springs to mind.” He drained the rest of his pint and I passed him a second glass. “But I’ll keep me ears open.” He looked at me and the joviality left his face. “But Vinnie, vampires, werewolves and gremlins are all strong and resourceful. They’re the predators, not the prey. Whatever’s taking them is going to be bad. It might be dangerous even for someone like you. So be careful, lad.” His eyes sparkled again. “After all, not many people come in here and buy me pints anymore.”
“Can I get you anything else?” Our server, a perky young woman of about twenty-three, had materialized next to our table in that way only a waitress can and smiled at us.
“Thank you, we’re all set,” Megan said. Our waitress smiled again and left the bill. When we turned back to the table Tim was gone. When you’re a ghost, entrances and exits are always dramatic. I imagined the director’s notations for Tim’s comings and goings as, “Exit - Stage Immediately In Front of You.” Megan looked at the spot where he’d been sitting and then at me. I just shrugged.
“Is he reliable?” she asked.
I nodded. “If any one of the missing people dies, Tim will hear about it, and he’ll pass it on to us.”
She sipped her Guinness, then leaned back from the table, closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. “Today I found a woman whose brain was stolen, met a gremlin, several vampires, and a ghost.” She tipped her head to one side and opened her eyes. “And my new partner is a god.” Her dimple appeared. I started to say something when a crash, followed by a shattering of glass and a yelp of pain from our left took our attention. One of our fellow patrons had decided to do a jig on the table and had fallen off and broken his leg. Our waitress hollered for the bartender to call for an ambulance, and hastily set about making the man comfortable until the EMTs arrived.
Megan looked at me. “Could you heal him?”
I shook my head. “I can only do stuff like that for my followers.” Even if that guy decided to worship me, I wouldn't be able to do anything for him. That was the catch of being a half-deity; there was some rule out there that said you couldn’t have members of your own species as followers. That was why even though Hercules, Perseus and Achilles were half-gods, they were never able to tap their followers' faith to do anything miraculous.
“So are the Urisk your only followers?” Megan asked.
“Yes, and keeping them safe is tricky enough.”
“What about other creatures? Other fae, vampires, aliens? Would you be able to have them as worshippers?”
I shrugged. “I’ve never sought out other followers, but yeah, I guess that would work.”
“So you’re a god who runs on inhuman faith. And that faith lets you do whatever your followers can, as much and as often as you want?”
“Something like that,” I said. “Gods are like machines that run on faith instead of electricity. Each day when I listen to my followers’ prayers, it’s like recharging my batteries. The more I tap my followers’ faith for power, the faster those batteries drain.”
We chatted for a few minutes more while we finished our drinks, then we left the Seanake and she gave me a lift back to my apartment. “See you tomorrow, partner,” she said with a smile. She drove off and I headed inside. My apartment was number 314, and the previous tenant put a “.” between the 3 and the 1. So when I got home, I always thought of pi, and then of pie, which made me hungry.
I grabbed a
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