She focused on the bike to her right as it came back to hit her again. Amanda reached out with her Magic to pull on the attacker's brakes.
Essentia flared as Lucian reached out and blocked her Magic again. She caught him smiling to himself as he did it, and then the biker slammed into her again.
Damn it.
Amanda thought hard, going over her options. She could use all kinds of Magic, such as conjuring a stick in the spokes of a bike, making its petrol disappear, or shoving them off-balance with telekinesis. The list went on, but she knew that Lucian would be behind her on his bike, blocking her every move.
She needed to think of something.
“Get us out of here!” Liz bellowed, her voice muffled due to her face being buried in her back as another bike hit them again.
“I’m trying,” Amanda yelled in frustration. She furrowed her brow and glanced to either side. Time to get physical, she thought.
As the next rider swerved, Amanda raised her leg and kicked out, releasing some Essentia as she did so. The kick connected, breaking through the temporary Aegis Lucian had erected around that rider and hitting the biker. He swerved away from her, barely missing the back of a car as he fought to stay upright.
Amanda smirked.
“Ha! If all else fails, kick it,” she said to no one.
She looked to her left, and the biker there was hesitating after seeing what had just happened.
“Yeah, ye know what ye’ll get,” she growled. “My turn.”
Amanda swerved towards him and kicked out again.
The biker hit the oversized central kerb, pitched over onto the road beyond and slammed into the side of a semi. The sound of squealing brakes and horns blaring made her wince.
Her second sight saw Lucian’s eyes narrow and his jaw set in an angry grimace at the loss of one of his men.
Moments later, Lucian dodged round the same cars and accelerated towards her. She looked around, trying to find a way out of this. She wasn’t sure where to go, or what Lucian might do.
As Lucian closed on her, she saw Essentia flare around him. A wave of force rushed out from him, kicking up dust from the road and slamming into the back of Amanda’s bike, knocking it forward and causing her to wobble violently. With a Magical push in the right direction, she righted the bike and accelerated for all she was worth. Her concern for the innocent drivers on the road faded away as she realized she needed to end this now, before it got any worse.
She barely had a moment to think, though, before another wave of energy hit her. Amanda’s Aegis flared and she had to use her own Magic to keep from becoming a smear on the asphalt.
Accelerating, she passed two more cars on her right. As the last one fell away, it revealed that Lucian’s right-hand man, the other Magus, had drawn level with her. Leaning in, he glided towards her with nothing but hate in his eyes.
With only a moment to react, she turned away, pulling up her front wheel as she hit the central divider. She hit the kerbstone, and with a small Magical kick, launched herself into the air. Sailing over the stopped traffic on the other side, she landed on the far side of the road, hard.
The bike fishtailed beneath her as it bounced towards a gate of one of the abandoned piers. A Magical kick of force later and she swerved through the now open gates. Bringing the bike back under control she skidded to a stop halfway along the pier and looked behind her.
Lucian’s fellow Magus had also made the jump and skidded to a stop a short distance from her. The man’s dark eyes were glued to Amanda, his gaze not wavering as the other bikers joined him, having snaked their way through the stopped traffic.
Lucian arrived and pulled to a stop in front of his gang. Dismounting, he strode towards Amanda and Liz, his long coat flaring out behind him like a cape. He wore layers of dark clothing with baggy discoloured jeans, with little trinkets, like feathers, finger bones, bird skulls, and other items attached with twine or leather strips. They rattled as he walked.
Lucian’s men stayed on their bikes and watched as their leader approached.
“Get off,” Amanda hissed at Liz, who obediently climbed off the bike. Amanda followed suit and gathered what little confidence she had in her abilities, and faced the Nomad.
She refuelled her weakened Aegis as the Nomad came closer. Liz whimpered as Amanda stared down the approaching Nomad, the whole scene seeming to play out in slow motion.
Amanda’s mind swam with fear and indecision as questions filled her mind. What would he do now? It wasn’t like she had backup, only her and Liz’s Magical abilities. Would he attack her here, in the middle of the day, in full view of the city? Would she be as outclassed as she had been by Angel? Or would he stay his hand and warn her off again? She waited, fists clenched and Magic at the ready, to see what he would do.
“I told you, mon. This ain't never gonna be over for you,” he said, his voice angry, his arms gesticulating wildly as he spoke. “I will hound you. I will hunt you. You will never be safe. You know what me say to be true. Your life will be hell, mon. Guete mambo, bitch.”
She frowned, her vision flitting from him to the gang behind him. Where was the attack? Why was he just yelling at her and not trying to kill her? She stood there and took the abuse, waiting for him to lash out at her and noting the man's cannabis-scented breath as drips of spittle landed on her face and top.
When he finally stopped raving and just stood there in front of her like an oversized jackal, Amanda realized he wasn’t going to attack her.
Slowly, she wiped the spit from her face, the corner of her mouth twitching with a small smile. She needed to know what was going on, but a wave of bravado had swept over her.
“So kill me,” she said, her voice even and calm.
Liz’s grip on her arm tightened and she whispered Amanda’s name under her breath, frightened.
Lucian lowered his chin, looking at her from behind his shades, his face framed by dreadlocks.
Lucian moved closer, his face mere inches from Amanda’s.
“Me and ma’ boys will make your life a living hell. Trust me little, mambo. If you don’t leave, I will have to get… inventive. Understand? It’s been a while since the boys have had a plaything.”
Amanda felt a mixture of confidence and invulnerability straighten her spine as he said this, further cementing the idea that he either couldn’t or wouldn’t kill her. As she watched him, he very deliberately shifted his focus to Liz and then back to her. Then, he smiled.
It was such a cold, calculating smile, fear shot through her. His smile seemed to say that maybe he couldn’t kill her, but her friends weren’t off-limits.
Amanda stood tall, but fear for her friends nipped at her confidence. But just like when you’re dealing with an aggressive dog, she knew she daren’t let it show.
“Really? That’s your threat?” she said, her words dripping with disdain. “How original, a man using rape to threaten a woman. Surely, you can do better.”
Lucian, still inches from her face, didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. Rage distorted his features and reddened his skin for all to see.
“I’ll be waiting,” Amanda whispered to him then, trying to sound as confident and as threatening as she could.
Lucian stood tall and looked down on her. His face filled with anger, he spat at her. It landed on her cheek with a wet splat and started to run down the side of her face. She flinched as he did it and wiped it away. The thought of his spit on her face made her stomach tighten with nausea.
He smiled to himself and stepped back. His hands shot up and he clapped them in front of her face. Amanda jumped. He laughed before turning away and walking off.
As she watched him walk away and mount his bike, she forced her breathing to slow.
She stood there and watched them leave, facing their mad-dog stares, unwilling to show any weakness.
Once they were gone, Amanda turned to her bike. Putting her hands on the seat, she bent over and took several deep breaths.
&nb
sp; Lucian scared her, there was no point in denying that, but she also felt confident that at least for the moment, he wouldn’t try killing her. Something, or someone, seemed to be stopping him.
Liz dropped to the ground and sat there with tears running down her cheeks.
Amanda crouched down next to her.
“You okay?” she asked as she put her arm across Liz’s back.
Liz caught her breath and sniffed. “I’m good. Don’t worry.”
“God love ye, little one,” Amanda said and pulled Liz closer.
“Why didn’t he kill us? Isn’t that what Nomads do?”
“I suppose it is. I don’t know why. I’ve not worked that out yet.”
“Well, I’m grateful something’s stopping him, that’s for sure.”
Letting go of Liz, Amanda stood and looked back towards the southern tip of Manhattan Island and the direction they’d come from. She could see the flashing lights of the emergency service vehicles as they arrived at the crashes their chase had caused.
“Yeah,” she said, her voice non-committal. She wasn’t sure why Lucian seemed to be holding back, but she felt certain about it now. Lucian had his chance—two actually—and he’d walked away. For whatever reason, he wouldn’t kill her.
Looking back at Liz, she decided that they needed to leave.
“Come on. We need to get back and tell the others what just happened.” Amanda said, helping Liz to her feet.
- Tokyo, Japan.
The shadow moved silently along the corridor. She could see the men up ahead, their guns out and raised to fight off the invisible attacker. She wasn’t genuinely invisible, but she knew they wouldn’t see her until she wanted them to.
The men, panicked and scared, had even called the authorities. These thugs probably had a few key personnel within the police on their books.
Deciding she’d played with them long enough, she stepped out of the shadows, drawing her katana as she did. It glinted in the meagre light.
The men wasted no time and opened fire on her. She moved the sword like lightning, anticipating the bullets and knocking them out of the air in front of her in a few, smooth movements.
The look of shock on their faces, priceless. She moved and suddenly she stood amongst them, cutting them down with her sword. Bits of them covered the floor all around her as she turned to the older gentleman who had stayed well back.
“W… why are you here?” he asked, his voice quivering as his body shook.
“I’m here to deliver a message,” she said.
“M…message? What message?”
She swung her blade, cutting his head clean off. It hit the floor with a dull thud and bounced before coming to a rest on the carpet before the man’s body dropped beside it.
“That message.” Her earpiece beeped and she tapped it. “This is Black Lotus,” she said.
“Mission status?” the familiar voice of her handler asked.
“Mission complete. I’m withdrawing now,” she said.
“Report back to base at once. Your father wants to see you.”
A New Player
Bronx, New York
Lucian lounged in a reclining chair in a dark, dusty office that perched in the rafters of a warehouse. The room felt dead. Disused for a long time, Lucian used it now to stay hidden but close to the proceedings below. He didn’t need to be here for these meetings, but he liked to attend a few of them to keep a close eye on his empire and make sure his employees knew he was around.
Apart from the chair he sat in, everything in the room had a thin covering of dust on it. He’d magically cleaned it before parking himself in it.
He looked down through the dirty glass window that he sat next to. Below him, several men sat in conversation around a table.
He didn’t concern himself with the details, though, that wasn’t his domain, he left that to others. The important thing was that the client wanted to buy more drugs from him. More cocaine. That was the important thing.
The eyes of a few of the thugs that the buyers had brought with them kept drifting to the workers nearby as they stood at their tables, cutting the drugs, and preparing them for distribution in a variety of strengths. Their hungry glares gave away their own desire for the product.
Amounts and costs were agreed upon, delivery dates set, and the deal was done.
Another successful day for Lucian’s business. Lucian’s representative, Jalen Toney, shook the hands of the buyers before they were shown to the door with smiles on their faces.
Lucian walked from the office and down the metal stairs to the ground floor.
Jalen walked over to him in that cocky, almost limping manner that many gang members and cool teenagers did these days. Lucian thought it looked ludicrous, but Jalen, despite his occasional personal foible, had always been a capable worker, which Lucian appreciated more than anything else.
The man wore a black suit with a white shirt that he only buttoned up halfway, showing off his toned chest and the large amount of bling around his neck. He wore so much gold that Lucian sometimes wondered how he managed to stand up at all. Maybe the chains were the reason for his lopsided walk.
“They’re happy then, mon?” Lucian asked.
“Yeah, they happy. Buying more from us this time than ever before. They doin’ well!”
“Great. You did good tonight, mon. How’s the latest shipment coming along?” Lucian asked.
“We’re on schedule, everything should be ready for the buyers in good time. We’ll be left with some spare to shift later, I’m sure of that.”
“Excellent.”
“Thanks for coming tonight, Lucian. It was unexpected.”
“I know, mon. I have other business here tonight.”
“Anything I can help with?” Jalen asked.
“Fuck no. Just do your job.”
Jalen nodded and stepped back, understanding that he’d been too familiar with his boss.
Lucian didn’t care much, but he liked to keep his employees on their toes. Especially the ones who’d attained stature within his empire. They had access to Lucian that others did not, but Lucian didn’t want them to think he cared about them. They were all expendable, and there were always more who wanted to take their place and reap the rewards.
Coming here tonight and watching the meeting had been vaguely interesting, but it had not been the main reason for his visit. He had other plans, a meeting of his own to attend shortly. As far as he was aware, this building remained one that Ekua didn’t know about, so it made sense to use it.
It also made sense to get here early and see how this branch of his empire had grown.
“As you wish, Baal Lucian,” Jalen said, his eyes downcast.
Lucian turned to the four rows of rectangular tables arrayed end to end across the large, open-plan room with workers on either side, cutting the white powder with other white powders, diluting the drug, and increasing the weight of the final product. He didn’t care what white powders were used, all he wanted was to keep the profits rolling in and his influence over the city to grow. He left the boring details to his employees.
Satisfied that everything seemed to be going fine, he turned away and marched past the meeting table and into the darkness on the other side of the vast room. Lucian’s operation only took up half of this warehouse, but its location, hidden away from casual onlookers, made it a perfect fit for his business. It had been Jalen’s choice, and he’d done well.
Despite the darkness, Lucian’s Aetheric Sight meant he could easily make out the stairs that sat in the far corner leading up to the upper catwalks in this part of the building.
As he approached the stairs, a side door opened just next to them. Shaun stepped into view just as Lucian had requested.
Shaun waited at the bottom of the stairway, dressed in black from the neck down. Only the pale waxy skin of his deformed head remained on display.
He inclined his head in greeting. Lucian glanced at him, but otherwise made no gesture
of acknowledgement. The Vampire fell into step behind Lucian as they climbed the stairs in silence.
A catwalk and another set of stairs later, and they found themselves on the roof.
Most of the other buildings in this area were of a similar size, mainly warehouses and tenement blocks. Nothing really overlooked this building, which was another reason for its choice as a meeting place. In the distance, the lights of Manhattan glowed in the night like a city of the future. Here in the Bronx, the lights were not quite as bright. Neon signs and lit-up billboards dotted the landscape around them, but the warehouse district they were in was very dark with the various business closed for the night.
Lucian’s own business being an exception to the rule.
Looking around, Lucian didn’t seen anyone else on the roof, meaning, his contact had yet to arrive.
Suspecting that they were being cautious and probably watching him and Shaun right now, Lucian waited and used his Magical sight to try and spot them.
After a few minutes, as Shaun started shifting about in boredom, a sudden dull thud sounded behind him.
Lucian turned. So did Shaun. Several meters away, a figure stood in the shadows. They stepped forward, and her gender became apparent as the light from a nearby sign reflected off the strikingly-designed stealth suit in a way that Lucian appreciated.
This would be Black Lotus. Someone that Lucian had heard of, but had no need for, until now. There was also a nice, juicy side-benefit to having the Lotus come to New York.
Yoh had become something of an obsession for Lucian over the years. He had kept to himself for the most part and didn’t do much to disrupt Lucian’s plans, but it had become a matter of professional pride that his city not have any Arcadians living in it.
After years of research, he’d finally found out where the Magus had come from, and he also found out about Black Lotus and her hatred for Yoh.
Until now, that had been nothing more than a curiosity. Lucian wanted to kill Yoh himself, not set some assassin on him. But Amanda had changed all that.
Magi Legend Page 28