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NOTE: These stories are
intended for a mature audience.

Concessions
A "Kendrick" Story
By
Jennifer Brozek
Start from the beginning of the Kendrick Series

"Are you all right?"

Karen nodded to Corelli. "Fine. Just a little bruised."

"I heard that some stuff had gone down in the Camden District but I didn't know you were involved. That's not a place you should go."

"Do you know about the Camden District and who's there?" Karen sipped her coffee and watched Corelli as the woman dug through her purse.

Coming up with some lip gloss, Corelli did not speak until after she had applied the gloss and checked it in the mirror. "Yes. I do. That area belongs to the Children of Anu."

"What can you tell me of them?"

"A lot, but Karen, it's not pretty and it will put you in danger."

She nodded. "I know. But, I need to know who they are and what they are doing in my city."

"I suppose that's a good enough reason for the asking." Corelli was silent for a moment. "I'm not going to make you owe me for this one. You should probably know about them anyway."

Karen knew that she would owe Corelli for this information, whether she officially tagged it as a trade of favors or not. "Ok."

"The Children of Anu worship an Assyrian god named Anu. It gives them magical power in exchange for worship and sacrifices. All of these sacrifices involve the bludgeoning to death of the victim - animal or human. In fact, most of their rituals that I've seen involve combat of some sort. The Test of Worth, the Test of Ascension, the Test of Atonement."

"Do they really sacrifice people?"

Corelli nodded. "I've never seen it but I've heard about it." She paused. "They've always been a secretive bunch but lately, they've been a lot more active. They were hanging around the museum for a while and now, I've heard that they have moved to the docks and locked it down tight. I think something big is going on."

"I think so, too."

"I think they attacked the museum that night we were talking with Susan at Sushi-Ya's. It wasn't the Order. It was them. They needed something from the museum."

Karen nodded. "I know. I believe you and not just because I know you aren't stupid. You wouldn't send your people to do something against the very people you were negotiating with that night."

"So, you'll talk to Susan about it all? Set up another meeting?"

"Yes." She tapped her fingers on the table. "I'll need the exact location of where the Children have gathered and any other information you have on them, their rituals and their goals first."

"There isn't that much but I can try."  She pulled out a notebook and started sketching out the industrial district docks just north of the Camden District.

"That's all I'm asking." Right now, Corelli was Karen's only viable lead. John was not talking and everyone else shied away from the mere mention of the Children. It made Karen wonder if they were more like the boogieman than not. However, one thing was clear: The Children were both violent and up to something.

***

Reggie helped Vicki into the dimly lit cave. The Children were still putting the finishing touches on the tunnel leading to the series of caves that lead to this much larger central cave. Roughly circular, there were niches in the walls for candles or lanterns. Between the niches were bright frescos of a bullheaded god vanquishing foes with death and rewarding the faithful with gold. The middle thirty feet of the cave were sunken and inlayed with colorful tiles leading up to the central stone obelisk. This obelisk was stained a deep brown red and everything within the cave seemed to focus itself on this altar.

"Wow." Vicki breathed. "This is just like I dreamt it."

Reggie, who had been grinning at all the work that had been done already and the Children still in the cave cleaning things up, gave her a sharp look. "You've been dreaming of this place?"

"Figure of speech, bro." The teal haired teen said as she walked towards the obelisk. "I meant, this room is just like I imagined it would be; only better."

"Ok." He said, following her. "But, you know, if you do have strange dreams, you should tell me. They might be a message from him. You might need help interpreting them."

She was no longer paying attention to her brother. She had reached the obelisk. "All those sacrifices. All that power raised." She reached out a hand and stroked the cold stone stained with the blood of countless sacrifices. "Can't you just feel the power here? Doesn't it feel delicious?"

"It does. I can feel it running through me."

Vicki turned and pressed her back to the obelisk, raising her hands above her head to grasp the iron chains embedded deep within. "If Anu demanded that you sacrifice me, would you?"

"He would never ask it."

"I know, but if he did, would you?"

Reggie scowled, "He would never ask that of me! Playtime is over, Vicki. Find out from Sam what still needs to be done and do it."  He turned and walked away, headed towards the tunnel.

Still posed against the obelisk, Vicki looked over at Sam.

"I would." Sam said, not stopping in his cleaning. It was clear that he had paid close attention to the conversation between the siblings.

"I know you would." She said. "I just wanted to know if he would."

Sam smiled a feral smile and gestured to the bucket of soapy water. "Come help me wash this wall."

***

"I have a theory with some strong circumstantial evidence." Karen told Susan as they sat in her small, cluttered office at the back of the Kendrick Museum of Art and History. "I'm pretty certain that it was the Children of Anu who attacked this place and stole the Assyrian artifacts."

"Babylonian, actually." Susan said. "Why the Children?" She frowned, not liking the implication of it.

"I had a talk with Corelli about things and she gave me some information about the Children, including that they had been seen around the museum before the break-in. She had no idea that Sebastian had found the token from them in my apartment nor that I had gone looking for them. Also, she doesn't know what was stolen from here. However, her information about the Children's movements and their favorite aggressive mode of beating things to death fits everything that happened the night of the break in."

Susan sniffed. "How do we know that the Order isn't still in league with the Children? How do we know they aren't working together on this?"

"We don't, really. But she is trying to help me. She gave me a lot of information about the Children that other people would not. I'd like for you to talk with her again. I'd like for you two to work things out between your respective groups."

"I don't want to."

"I know." Susan and Karen sat in silence, drinking tea and watching each other. Karen knew better than to push Susan too hard on things. She knew that her friend had to come to her own conclusion.

Finally, Susan sighed. "All right. I will. She'd just better bring more to the table than 'we're good now.' I want to know what reparations the Order is going to make to the City and the groups they hurt."

Karen smiled. "Yes. Agreed. I'll mention that when I set up the next meeting at Sushi-Ya."

"I wonder what the Children are doing."

"Me, too."

"I honestly don't know that much about them. All I know is that I don't go to the Camden District and even the gargoyles tread carefully in that area. December was the first time I ever saw them out in force. Most of what they do, as far as 99% of the public is concerned, is keep to themselves."

"So, this change is noteworthy."

"Yes." Susan nodded.

"Which means they are probably planning something big and are no longer as concerned about being secretive."

"Yes."

"Which means we need to find a way to find out what the hell they are doing."

"I totally agree."

Karen nodded. "You think Lamiel or anyone at Bacchanalia would know?"

"I don't know but I think I'll find out. They have no love for the Children. Lamiel especially. I'm pretty sure I can convince the Bacchanalia Coven to pull a high ritual together to find out what's up. I may have to do some fast talking but I think it's worth it."

***

Elsewhere...

"At that point she caused all of the locked doors between her and where she wanted to go to open. Then, she walked out of the station. She did not speak to anyone. She made no threatening moves and, per my order, no one tried to stop her." David said to his superior.

The older man steepled his fingers together. "Is Karen Wilson a danger?"

David chose his words carefully. "She could be a danger, yes. Is she the danger or a danger now? I don't believe so. She belongs to the Master of the City. That much is certain. She has manifested powers that either she did not have when I knew her or she hid from me. That alone gives her the potential of being a danger. However, her concerns seem to coincide with ours right now."

"The Children of Anu."

"Yes, sir."

The man nodded. "Keep an eye on Miss Wilson, if that is possible. I would much rather cultivate her as an ally than make an enemy of her. Focus on the Children of Anu. Now that we have a name and some information, do a search on them and those who run the group. Let's find out what we can about them."

"Yes, sir." He paused. "May I ask how you knew Miss Wilson was going to be in the Camden District to need extracting?"

"Someone close to her called because they were concerned at her actions. I've noticed from the reports on her that she seems to be impulsive."

"Yes, sir. She is." He gave a slight smile.

"Is that all, Detective?"

David looked like he wanted to say more but shook his head. "That's all."

"Thank you for your report. You are doing a good job. I will see you next week."

Dismissed, David left the office and closed the door behind him.

The older man paused as he listened to David's retreating step, then called out. "Did you get all that Abbot Peter?"

A much older man with white hair and a monk's robe stepped from the back room into the office. "Yes, Mr. Mayor. I did."

"Your thoughts?" He asked as Peter sat in the chair recently vacated by David.

"I think, Mason, that you should remember that that young man once betrayed the woman he loved and worked with her enemy in an effort to protect her from those things that go bump in the night." His voice was calm and light, like a grandfather telling a bedtime story.

"Do you believe David will betray me and the Special Unit?"

"I believe that love makes people do many foolish things and David is still a man in love. No matter what he's reported. Strong in his devotion to duty but still in love."

"Maybe yes. Maybe no. The lovelorn detective is not the real concern here."

"No." Peter wiped his face with a slightly trembling hand. "It is not. The Children of Anu are as I have foreseen and I think we have a serious problem on our hands this time."

Story by Jennifer Brozek, Copyright 2007
Image by Rory Clark, Stopped Motion Photography, Copyright 2007