“He asked that the Blade Mage be his executioner. He wanted you to do it. Did you know that?”
“I didn’t,” I said, thinking over the implications. Axel had wanted me to be his executioner? “It makes sense, I guess.”
“And how does Shain Stone play into this?” the Archmage asked, getting back to business. “Is he also investigating Kyle’s murder?”
“He is,” I replied. “And you’ll be happy to know we’re going to work together to resolve this complicated matter.”
There was a long pause, then he finally said, “You’re right. I would advise you against your present course, yet, I don’t think you’ll listen, will you?”
“No,” I admitted, sighing. This guy could read me like a book. It was no wonder the Arch-staff had chosen him. “Does that mean you won’t try to stop me from continuing my investigation?”
“On the contrary,” he replied with a sigh of his own. “Before this, I just had the Shamuses out looking for you. Now, I’m afraid I’ll have to put out an order to the whole Cabal. If either you or Shain Stone are spotted, you’ll be taken into custody. I really wanted to avoid that.”
“Well, you’re welcome to continue avoiding it.”
“Well, you’re welcome to return to the compound and share what you’ve found so we can continue this investigation via appropriate means.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to give that order. Do you know the embarrassment it will cost the Cabal if word gets around we’re hunting our own Blade Mage?”
“I do.”
“Good, then also keep in mind that you’re on a schedule. We’ll move forward with Axel’s execution unless you find conclusive evidence of his innocence by tomorrow at dusk.”
“I understand.”
“And Wyatt,” he said in a serious tone, “don’t blow up too much of Branson. I won’t be pleased.”
The communication ended and I sat back in the chair, closing my eyes.
A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and Stone’s voice said, “It’s me.”
With a groan, I eased myself from the chair and hobbled over to the door to let him in. He gave me a hard look, then glanced around the room, his eyes scanning the place like a predator.
“Your friend is in the shower,” he said, stepping past me.
“She is,” I replied.
He nodded. “We should talk about her.”
“Yeah,” I replied. “What was Axel’s message?”
He reached into this pocket and pulled out his phone. We shared a few moments of silence while he pulled the recording up. Finally, he pressed play, but at first all I could hear was static.
Finally, Axel’s voice said, “Hey, Shain, it’s me, Axel. I hope you’re doing well. I’m not. I could really use your help. I think I stumbled onto something big…” Axel’s voice cut out to static, and from that point on every few words were lost. “If they come after us, we’re dead… finding her little sister… goes by Faith, you’ll know her if you see her, she’s gorgeous and she has blue hair… Hottest emo ever… did some digging… I think the part about the witch is legit… the Cabal… Catnip… Kyle Allen… Donkey Punch… Anyway… A local gang of mages… The Marauders… Panda ass-hats… I think they’re involved…You have to come. We need your help… If something happens to us… Squirrel nuts… Rolling on the ground… You have to find the little girl… Faith… Kyle… Don’t trust her… Isn’t what she seems… Don’t trust the Cabal… Little girl and take her to Wyatt. He’ll know what to do… Also, have you seen the new Star Wars? What did you think? Bye.”
“Well, that was definitely Axel,” I said after he shut off the message.
“I came straight away,” Stone said, sitting down on the cheap desk chair the motel provided. “But by the time I got here, Kyle was already dead and Axel was locked up. Took me a minute to find out where the Marauders were hiding and what they were all about. They have their hands in the local meth trade and some other foul shit.” He shrugged. “Figured I’d step in and do the Cabal’s job for them.”
I nodded. “Sounds like they were riding the line of only breaking human laws, so the Cabal wouldn’t have intervened.”
“Yeah, well, I did,” Stone said. “Now, the question I have is about your lady friend.”
“Let’s keep that between us for the moment,” I said. “From the message, it sounded like Axel didn’t fully trust her, but with everything cutting out, it’s hard to be sure. I say we play it cool for now.”
“Sure,” he replied. Leaning forward he tapped one finger on the desk in front of him, while his leg bounced restlessly against the carpet. To someone that didn’t know him, they might’ve thought he was nervous. I knew better. In the quiet moments, Stone was bottled up rage itching to break loose.
I moved over to the wall and leaned my weight against it. My feet were dead tired, but my tailbone still hurt. I nodded at Stone and asked, “So, how did Axel get your number?”
“I gave it to him,” he said, as though it should’ve been obvious. “I keep tabs on him, you know? Check in on him from time to time.”
“On Axel?” I asked, more than a little surprised. Having worked for my father, he’d known both of us fairly well, but he’d never struck me as one to build many personal relationships, especially with someone as nutty as Axel.
He tilted his head to the side, watching me with a hint of amusement on his face. Finally, he spread his hands and said, “I figured your old man would want me to keep an eye on him.”
“But not me?”
“Who says I don’t?”
“I haven’t seen you since my father’s funeral.”
“Doesn’t mean I haven’t seen you,” he said, shrugging again. “You can see a long way through a high-powered scope.”
“That’s…unsettling,” I replied, not sure if I was more creeped out by the idea that he might be secretly watching me, or the fact he might’ve been doing it through a rifle scope. “Are you serious?”
He didn’t reply.
Faith came out of the bathroom in her pajamas then. She looked like she was about to speak, but then noticed Stone and took a step closer to me.
I met her gaze and said, “Stone played Axel’s message for me. He mentioned the Marauders as well. Nothing else of great use, though.”
“What did he say about me?”
“Not much,” I lied. “The message had a lot of static. When I listened to it, I think Stone confused a part about not trusting the Cabal for not trusting you.”
“Oh,” she said, nodding slowly. “I see.”
“I may have jumped to conclusions,” Stone said, trying his best at amiable. “It doesn’t mean I trust you, but I might’ve rushed to judgment.”
“I guess it’s good you didn’t kill me, then,” she said, giving him a stern look.
“I guess so,” he replied, without any indication he noticed her frustration.
“Anyway,” I said, trying to steer the conversation. “We have a lead. We need to visit the Pattersons.”
“All right,” Faith replied. “Are we going now?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Unless something has changed, the Pattersons don’t see uninvited guests.”
“It didn’t seem like the Marauders were big on them, either,” she replied. “That didn’t stop you.”
Stone chuckled. “The Marauders didn’t live inside a military grade compound in the middle of nowhere.”
“Are they like a cult or something?” Faith asked.
“Something like that,” I replied. “The Pattersons are a tight knit family who don’t care much for strangers. No one seems to know for sure exactly what their deal is, but they’re very backwoods and they don’t like uninvited guests. From what I’ve heard, we’ll need four-wheel drive just to get to their place, and if they don’t want to let us in, we won’t get in.”
“We need an invitation,” Stone said, nodding slowly. “I
used to know Old Man Patterson and his boy Jeb. I might be able to swing an invite, but Wyatt’s right. It won’t be tonight. And it won’t be at all if the old man ain’t still alive. Some of his children are…not as pleasant as others. If one of them has taken over as the head of the family…”
“How many kids did this guy have?” Faith asked.
“A lot,” I replied. “No one really knows for sure because they mostly stick to their own business. I’m not even sure what their tie to the supernatural world is.”
Stone shrugged. “If they are involved in this, then there’s a good chance it was one of his dipshit sons. I don’t see the old man agreeing to kidnapping.”
“I never met them,” I replied. “From what little I heard, though, I think you’re right. Still, it’s worth a shot.”
“Sure,” Stone said. “But if they refuse to invite us, then they’ll know we’re coming. That’ll just make it even harder.”
“We can’t go in swinging, anyway,” I replied. “We don’t know if they’ve done anything wrong.”
“True,” Stone agreed. “I’ll reach out and see if I can get us an audience.”
“You’re coming with us?” Faith asked.
Stone nodded. “I’m with you until this is done. That all right with you?”
Something told me her answer had little impact on whether or not he tagged along. I doubted mine would either, but given recent events, I was kind of relieved he was around. If I had to go up against demons and crazed mages, there weren’t many people I’d rather have in my corner. I wondered if my dad had felt the same way.
Faith seemed to come to the same realization and forced a smile. “No, of course not. If you’re going to help us find my sister, then I’m glad you’re on board.”
“Good to know,” Stone replied.
“Stone,” I said, ensuring I had his attention. “Do you think there’s any chance the Pattersons will agree to have us tonight?”
“Doubtful,” he said. “It can’t wait until tomorrow?”
“There’s another problem,” I replied, glancing between the two of them. “Before Stone arrived, the Archmage reached out to me.”
“Shit,” Stone replied. “I’m guessing he ain’t happy.”
“No, he’s not. But more importantly, there’s a timetable around Axel’s execution.”
“When?” he asked.
“We have until tomorrow at sunset. Then they’re moving forward with the execution, with or without me.”
“Oh, no,” Faith said covering her mouth with her hands.
“Fuck,” Stone said, slapping his hand on the table. “Goddamned Cabal.”
“If it comes down to time, I’ll tell them what we know and see if it can be delayed,” I said, not feeling the enthusiasm I tried to convey. “But we need that audience with the Pattersons as soon as possible.”
“Understood,” Stone said. “But you know they won’t see us tonight. At best, we’ll get an invitation for in the morning.”
“Just do what you can,” I said, shrugging. “In other news, the Archmage was able to identify the second monster. I don’t know if either of you saw them, or were aware, but there were two very friendly demon creatures in the warehouse with us. Parker Grimm told me the first one is an Abasy, a type of demon. The Archmage referred to the second as a manananggal, maybe a demon, maybe a vampire. I don’t know much about either, but they’re both supposed to be rare, and it’s unlikely they’d work together, so someone with some power must be pulling their strings.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Faith said, her eyes meeting mine. “When you say demons, do you mean, like, actual biblical demons? Like, from hell?”
“Not quite,” I replied, shaking my head. “It’s tricky to explain. According to the old legends, there are other realms, or worlds, than our own. Some of the beings from these other realms are powerful, capable of destroying humans with ease. That was part of the reason the druids gave the mages these weapons, but the other realms were closed off from our world somehow. But not all of the creatures made it back. Some folks believe that’s where our idea of demons came from. Just really nasty creatures from other worlds or realms. That’s one theory, anyway. They could also be actual demons from one hell or another. Who knows?”
Faith stared at me for several seconds, not speaking. Finally she said, “I don’t know if that’s better or worse.”
“Either way,” I replied, glancing over toward Stone. “We have two extremely nasty monsters interested in keeping us from finding what we’re looking for.”
Stone nodded, his face showing no concern over the news I’d just given him. It was just another day at work for him. “You think they know how to find you?”
“If they did, then I imagine I’d already be dead,” I replied. “The Archmage said he couldn’t pinpoint my location, either. Something to do with the sword.”
“Right,” Stone said. “I don’t know that he can find me, either. No one from the Cabal has ever been able to so far. Otherwise I’d probably be in a cell right next to Axel.”
“That’d be awful,” I said.
“I’d bash my head against the cell and try to knock myself out,” he replied. “It’d have to be better than listening to the stream of bullshit that spews from his mouth.”
“I wonder why that is,” I said. “Not the Axel part. Why they can’t find you, I mean. Do you think it has something to do with…?”
I let the question hang in the air, not wanting to say the words.
He shrugged. “Or your old man cursed me somehow. How the hell should I know?”
“Either way, it means they can’t track us down. That’s good. Hopefully it also means the demons can’t find us, either.”
Stone rose to his feet and pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. “This is a burner phone. Think you can manage a night without burning it out?”
“Probably,” I said, taking the phone from him.
“I’ll call you on it as soon as I have something. If you don’t answer, I’ll call the room number, but that way you aren’t stuck here.”
“Thanks,” I said.
As he started for the door he glanced over at Faith and said, “I’ll be close by in case you run into any kind of trouble, Wyatt. Demon or otherwise.”
Faith didn’t reply, understanding the threat was directed at her.
After Stone left, I bolted the door behind him and turned to Faith.
“He’s intense,” she replied. “I hope he knows I don’t trust him, either.”
“I don’t think he cares,” I replied. “I wouldn’t read too much into it. That’s just how he is.”
“But do you trust me, Wyatt?” she asked, meeting my gaze.
“I don’t know, Faith,” I replied, shrugging. I didn’t want to lie to her. “I want to, but we’ve really only just met.”
“I understand,” she said, moving toward the bed. She tried to hide the disappointment on her face, but I didn’t miss it.
I allowed myself an internal sigh and headed for my spot on the floor.
Chapter 19
The next morning, I woke up to the motel phone ringing. It was Stone. He informed me that getting an audience with the Pattersons looked promising, but he needed another couple of hours. I hung up and went back to sleep.
It had been a rough night. My mind racing with unanswered questions and stress, I hadn’t dozed off until the wee hours of the morning. When I’d finally slept, my dreams were of Axel. More specifically, of his severed head, looking up at me and asking why I’d failed him. Over and over. Sometimes the abasy or the manananggal made an appearance. Sometimes a faceless little girl made an appearance. She was dead, and asking me why I didn’t save her.
I woke up for real around nine. I was sore, stiff, and my ass felt like someone had hit it with a sledge hammer. Faith, sleepy eyed and just waking up as well, came out of the bathroom, which was convenient because that was where I was headed. She stifled a giggle as I sauntered toward the
bathroom like an old man.
“And you made it sound like the Blade Mage was supposed to be tough,” she said, giving me a sly grin.
“You done in the bathroom?” I asked. “I need a shower.”
“All yours,” she replied.
I growled a response and moved into the bathroom. A few minutes later I was sitting in the tub, letting the hot water pour over me from the shower head and wondering what diseases I might pick up from sitting in a cheap motel bathtub.
As the shower worked on my soreness, I thought about everything that had happened so far. Despite the static in Axel’s message, it certainly sounded like he was warning Stone not to trust Faith, but why? So far, she’d not given any indication she was on the wrong side of this. She’d had plenty of opportunities to stab me in the back, but she hadn’t. If she was up to something, what was her game?
Or had that part had something to do with Kyle? He’d said his name around that point too, but the static was such that I just couldn’t make it out.
Goddamnit, Axel. I’d bet money he’d just used magic before he placed the call, and that was what had jacked up his reception. It sounded like he’d left the message in a hurry. The asshole probably hadn’t even realized it wasn’t coming through clean.
And what about the demon and his vampire friend? Who the hell were they working for? I didn’t believe for a second they were actually working for Axel. That was just ridiculous. Whoever had sent them sure wanted me to believe it, though. Yet clearly it was someone who didn’t know him as well as I did. Even Parker had come around to thinking it was bullshit.
I sighed. So far, all I’d managed to find was another lead, and it was entirely possible the Pattersons might not know anything. Under duress, that Marauder may have just thrown a name out. There was no way to know now, since he and all his pals were dead.
And today was the day.
The day of my oldest friend’s execution. Fuck.
If my father had been on this case, it would’ve already been solved. He would’ve known exactly what to do. He always did. Now, though, he was gone, and I was left to try to figure this thing out. I knew I’d never be the Blade Mage he was, and I wasn’t about to even try. My father was a legend for a reason. People named barbecue sandwiches after him.
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