Play with fire and you get burned...

Ceremony

Lyris music
Nell necklace
George sorts necklace

Death of Carmen

"Mierda, how did I not see that this bunch of pinche gueys would try and stab me in the back" crossed her mind as she grabbed her dagger and summoned the sword-demon. The dagger pulsed briefly but no more as the purple weave crackled over them, things were not getting better when Carmen realised that Angelica was blocked. 

"Still not enough" she whispered as the dagger slashed Dyal's throat and killed the most dangerous of the 5 inner circle. A slight frown crossed her face as she realised that he was not just slow but completely paralysed. A sting at the back of her neck made it all clear as she quickly flicked out the dart and wondered what posion it contained. 

She ducked quickly to avoid Dashwood's swinging blade and noticed the old warlock crumple to the floor. Perhaps the angels were with her tonight she thought as she dodged Cawthorne's blade and plunged the dagger to his heart. The dagger was humming gently, a few seconds more and she could activate her armour. Across the room one of the Hellfire members shouted "Dashwood" and the miserable betrayer, eyes wide in surprise, died as 2 bullets hit him in the chest. 

Before Carmen could react, another bullet hit her in the arm and threw her against the wall. She grimaced but called her demon armour forth. As the smoke cleared, the last cultist stepped forward, his hood back and eyes blazing. "Marco" she gasped, armour forming over her body but too late as he raised the gun. She cursed her luck and smiled as the bullet entered her brain.

Koniev's escape

Sensing that everything was going per-shaped, Petyr Koniev joined the neopytes streaming out of the caves. However, they didn't know about the side passage leading to the house but he winced slightly when he found the door stuck closed. He slipped back into the crowd but as they exited the caves ducked round the corner to miss the shining figures outside. Petyr was considering drawing a couple of spirits to him to help when he felt a blast of spiritual energy wash over him and he knew that Dashwood's Lich had just met his maker. "Chyort voz'mi! there must be a major shaman nearby. Make that 2." he chuckled as he let his ghosts slip away. "Time to get out of here."

3 hours later, Petyr stumbled into the Anarchists' lair, safe at last. His heart stopped as the welcoming faces instead reached for knives, clubs and guns. At that moment he hated Marco and Jones with a passion. Then luck swung his way as the young Anarchist, Alexei, barrelled into the romm shouting "Koniev's coming here!". Koniev dived through the open door and jumped down the stairs as a fussilade of bullets rang out. One creased his shoulder but he slipped through the backstreets and alleys of London to the Russian embassy. A week later he was safe in the Okrana headquarters in St Petersburg.

Journey to Mexico

First phase of the journey involved the overnight LNER sleeper train from St Pancras to Glasgow. After quick stop for breakfast with Douglas (and a quick discussion of business between Marco and Douglas), a much happier man, they boarded the RMS Tuscania for New York on the morning of September 11th. The stark reality of the war was evident as they picked up a Royal Navy destroyer escort as they left the Clyde. The journey lasted 8 days and was peaceful (and still luxuriant) until the 19th as they entered American waters. The RMS Athinai which left New York a few days earlier with 438 passengers and crew of 70 and a cargo of coffee, rice, cotton and newspaper had a fire in her sealed lower hold and a general SOS was issued on the ship's wireless set. A number of ships including the Tuscania answered the dsiress call and passengers and crew were rescued with just 1 death.

After a few days in New York, they set off from Grand Central Station. They travelled by rail down through Washington and Atlanta to New Orleans, over 100 miles by rail but surprisingly quickly and in great comfort. Marco insisted that a few days stay was needed (for no good purposes according to Nell) and he was ceratinly late returning and looking rather haggard.

Next stage involved a quick trip to BAton Rouge and then rather less luxurious trains across the deserts of Texas and New Mexico, throught the towns of Houston and San Antonio to the frontier town of Las Cruces. There they collceted horses aand a motorised lorry for the overland trek to Jaurez, across the Mexican border, and then to Jaurez and finally on to Estacion San Pedro near Casa Grandes (locals informed them that the region was known for the ancient Paquimé civilisation). The horse trek was over 100 miles and took nearly 4 days.