Yesterday I went home to Sacramento to retrieve an item vital to this case. More specifically, I went home to get my cat, Nox.
Once I knew (or at least had a good guess) why the nomads and the creature are in Monterey it was relatively easy to find the child. Most of the data was already there buried in the omens and anomalies surrounding both Felix Fauoni and the Man of the Crowd, and between those signs indicative of a budding magus and my new equipment I was able to find her in less than a day. The camera wasn't much use until I had a relatively small pool of candidates, but I also made a sort of compass/thermometer (I know, I'll call it an arcanometer!) using tiny samples from plants, artifacts, and sites heavily saturated with different kinds of magical energy. Once I knew where the child lived (not to mention the fact that she existed at all) I had to figure out how to keep an eye on her. I have no idea if the Felix Fauoni should be trusted with her, but I do know that the Man of the Crowd is a danger to her. Of course, a guy sitting around guarding a child looks a lot like a guy stalking a child.
Good thing cats are traditional guardians against supernatural threats. It's also a good thing people in general and small children in particular tend to like cats. Not that I think Nox could actually fight off the thing, but he can at least raise the alarm. That way I don't have to be parked in front of her house to keep watch. I've found a few places I can stand guard without too much danger of being bothered.
Anyway, the day has begun and so has my watch. I'll continue to update this entry as events unfold.
* * * * *
It's been five hours and I still haven't the slightest idea of how to kill or even bind the ugly little fiend. What little lord there is doesn't say anything about it being afraid of or vulnerable to any metals, herbs, flowers, animals, or sacred texts. There's also nothing to indicate that it's related to any other particular creatures. Dragging it out into the wilderness fifty miles from any real city would probably work pretty well, but I don't think that's an option for now. I suppose the best I can do is make an educated guess and pick four or five exorcisms and rites of banishment/purification.
* * * * *
I did a little digging on the girl just now. I couldn't get much without leaving my post, but...I think Helen (that's her name) could be a victim of abuse. That would explain why she was calling out.
* * * * *
It started around six in the afternoon. I don't know exactly what happened, but my arcanometer (okay, now it's starting to look dumb) went nuts and then a second later I heard Nox. I got on the scene just in time to see Helen's father, his face and arms shredded with clawmarks, backing away from Nox.
And then I processed the fact that Helen had just sprinted past me. And she was headed downtown.
As it turns out, little girls are fast. I must have gone at least three blocks before I caught up. That was when the air got thick and everything was cast in shades of gray and the stale yellow of artificial light. It didn't take long to see the child huddled in a bright ball of color as the Man of the Crowd loomed over her.
I began the first exorcism, and he turned to stare those horrid yellow eyes at me. He advanced, and I'm sure he would have killed me if the man I believe to be the Father of the nomads hadn't intervened. Like the girl, he still had color, and he was wreathed in a faint red light. He struck the creature in jaw and followed up with a blow to the gut, but the triumph was only momentary. The creature moved like a man trained violence both thuggish and sleek. As it fought the Father I felt the air grow even thicker, and the shadows of the gray men and women around us, each one totally oblivious to the struggle, stretched and rose from the surfaces upon which they crawled. I finished the incantation, and nothing happened. Then the shadows began to move.
Other members of the Felix Fauoni showed up quickly after that. Uncle was throwing playing cards around like shuriken and they were having a similar effect on the shadows. Mother held what looked like a perfume bottle and she chanted melodically as a pink mist rose up from it. A few of the musicians (including Cynthia, not that it matters, I just wanted to be specific) also showed up. Their music seemed to hurt the shadows, but none of it did more than stall the situation. Finally, pastel birds, nightingales to be precise, flew across walls, streets, and sidewalks. They pecked and clawed at the shadows, but we still weren't winning. The thing was drawing on the spiritual pollution of the entire city, shaping it into these shadows to fight for it, drawing it into a fog to smother us. The only limit to its strength was how much of that power it could control at once, and it didn't seem to have reached its limit yet.
It was after I finished the second incantation that I had a sudden insight. I realized that the Felix Fauoni had been contending with the creature ever since they arrived. The way in which they interrupt the normal way of things were specifically aimed at the kinds of corruptive emotional, social, and psychological forces and activities which the Man of the Crowds feeds upon. I also realized what it might be vulnerable against.
I then did something unbelievably stupid. I advanced on the creature, raised a small can of anti-vamp spray (I carry sprays for all the major nasties), and reminded myself that it was a standard weapon issued to anyone who worked at or with the agency.
"My name is Jack Murray Underhill," I said. "And as a consultant to a special division of the FBI I command you to cease."
The Man of the Crowd hurled Father against a light pole, and turned to look at me with hatred and fear in his eyes. It hurtled toward me and I let it get a taste of the spray. Then the thing that had so far seemed immune to everything I and the Felix Fauoni had thrown at it shrieked as its flesh boiled. I turned to where it had crashed into a garbage can.
"I have been registered as a chaplain by the State of California," I said as I sprayed him again. "In the name of the Church and the Triune God Whom it serves, I rebuke you." I sprayed him again. "By my own professional integrity and in the name of the Reynolds family and all my clients, I rebuke you!"
The horrid little man screamed again before his skin tore open like rotted paper and out came an explosion of dust and gnats.
"No," said Jocelyn. "There will be no more 'next times.'"
The pink perfume turned to fire and with a gesture she sent it hurtling up to catch each of the little insects. I swear they all had little screams of their own as she burned them. Then the color started to return to the area, although no one seemed to question the enormous blot of ash or the gathering of oddly dressed, heavily panting people. Jocelyn went to Helen, who was still curled up in a ball, and after a few minutes she was able to coax the girl to her feet.
That was the end of the trouble, but there are still some things to sort out. I'll finish this entry tomorrow.
* * * * *
I just got off the phone with my client. According to that friend I contacted a few days ago, the artifact (a carving of an odd, elephantine creature that looks like it came out of Africa) is actually the work of an artist from Maine. In fact, the town he lived in is one which the Felix Fauoni is confirmed to have visited, and they did just before his career took off. When I told him my suspicions, my client confirmed that he had in fact met Jocelyn once upon a time, and that he had in fact become enamored with her just as I had become with Cynthia. He had sent me to steal something that was rightfully hers in the hopes that she would come see him in order to reclaim it. It's almost sweet except for how he tried to make me party his crime. He apologized for the deception and agreed to pay me for my time anyway.
In other news, the girl agreed to go with Jocelyn and I agreed not to tell anyone. If the Agency finds out about this they won't be happy, but I suspect they won't put too much effort into getting her back. It's possible her father will be blamed for her disappearance, which is something that I am not particularly upset about. According to Cynthia he's one uniquely unpleasant fellow.
I'll be sure to send as much data as I can to the Agency about the Man of the Crowd. As far as I can tell, his silver bullet seems to be civilized authority. What I mean by that is that you have to invoke powers residing in that same system from which he draws strength. He feeds upon the corruption and vice unique to highly civilized, urban life, so I drew upon the authority of law, the Church, and the family.
Oh, yeah. I might be seeing some more of Cynthia. Most members of Felix Fauoni go off on their own when they get old enough, which is why most of the members are so young. She's not quite leaving yet, but she is taking time off every few months, starting next week. She's agreed to help me with a grimoire containing summonings and other spells incorporating music. I'm only including this fact because I can add her to that list of friends I sometimes call for favors or expertise. That's totally it.
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