Evil Waking (Magic Trackers Book 3)

by Michael La Ronn

  The protective barrier around Balthus disappeared.

  A shrieking whistle fell toward the car, louder, and louder, and—

  A falcon flew into the car, ripping the gun from Balthus’s hand. It tore at his face and slashed him.

  Balthus screamed as blood sprayed across the window.

  Darius startled awake.

  The door opened and Balthus fell out of the car, fighting away the falcon.

  Hattie materialized behind Balthus and tapped him on the shoulder.

  Wham!

  She uppercut him, knocking him down.

  More screeching tires.

  Another black car zoomed down the parkway. Gunshots erupted from it.

  “Get out of here,” Hattie said.

  Niecy climbed into the car and Terrance peeled away.

  In the rearview mirror, I watched as Balthus climbed into his getaway car. The car reversed rocketed the opposite direction down the parkway.

  Hattie appeared on Terrance’s lap, her arms around his neck.

  “Ooooh baby,” he said, grinning.

  “I’ll see you at the pavilion,” she said, kissing him on the cheek.

  She disappeared.

  Outside, Destiny soared high into the sky, escorting us as we drove.

  I rested my head against the seat and closed my eyes, grateful for the intervention.

  18

  “I owe you, cuz,” I said to Niecy.

  “Y’all got lucky,” Niecy said. “If Hattie hadn’t warned us, we wouldn’t have been able to get here on time.”

  Darius wiped his eyes.

  “What’d I miss?” he asked. “Where’s that car?”

  “Welcome back to reality,” I said. “Thanks to your act of idiocy, I had to save your life.”

  “Really?” he asked. “What’d I do?”

  “You rolled down the window like I told you not to,” Terrance said.

  “Aw, shit,” Darius said. He rubbed his cornrows. “Sorry, guys.”

  “It’s fine now,” Niecy said. “Since your cousin Niecy swooped in and saved your life, you can’t crack any jokes about me for a week, at LEAST.”

  Darius yawned.

  “Well, I just woke up, and I didn’t actually see you save anybody, so…”

  Niecy punched him on the shoulder.

  “‘Thanks, cousin’ is all you need to say,” she said.

  “Thanks, cousin,” Darius said. “But I’m still gonna crack jokes whenever they pop into my mind. Comedy is too good to be wasted.”

  “Balthus wasn’t playing around,” Terrance said. “He was serious. Never seen him that serious.”

  “I’m serious too,” I said.

  “We’ll take care of him, Aisha,” Terrance said. “There’s only one way to deal with the Jim Balthuses of the world. Your Nana knew how.”

  I turned to him.

  “You knew my grandmother?” I asked.

  “Marletta? Of course I knew her,” Terrance said, smiling.

  When he saw me staring at him intently, his smile faded.

  “Harriet didn’t tell you, did she?” he asked.

  “Tell me what?” I asked.

  Terrance scratched his head.

  “Oh boy,” he said. “It ain’t my place to tell you, Aisha. Well, would you look at that? We made it.”

  Terrance turned off the parkway onto a long boulevard of lights. Ahead was an amphitheater recessed into the ground with a clamshell pavilion. The concrete seats were covered with snow and the pavilion was dark.

  Terrance turned into a parking garage overlooking the pavilion, wound down a long tunnel, and eased into a parking space in an almost empty garage.

  “You can’t start an explanation and then stop,” I said to Terrance as we stepped out of the car.

  “Yes, I can,” Terrance said. “And I just did.”

  He glanced at the backseat at Gordon’s dead body. He shook his head.

  “There’s going to be some reckoning tonight,” he said.

  “Seriously, Terrance, are you going to give me answers or am I going to have to keep asking you?” I asked.

  Terrance shrugged and looked away. “Let’s go on up. You’ll get your answers upstairs, Aisha.”

  19

  Harriet Shadow’s high-rise open concept penthouse overlooked the Ronson Street Pavilion. Unlike the Lovelaces’, the place was spare. Sure, there was furniture, and it was nice—expensive, tasteful—but there wasn’t much of it.

  The place smelled nice too, like lemons or limes. It had a breathtaking view of the city skyline, but I got the feeling that she wasn’t here very much.

  There was full wall of books—mostly by black authors. James Baldwin, Frederick Douglass, bell hooks. The kind of books that I didn't have the mental energy or time to read but were apparently important.

  Several black people were gathered in the living room, chatting quietly. They stopped talking to look at me, studying me up and down and sizing me up. They must not have seen a threat, because they went back to talking.

  Harriet drank black tea on a chaise, propped up by pillows.

  “Good to see you alive,” she said. “Looks like you’ve been through hell.”

  “To say the least,” I said. “You’re looking a little better.”

  “This wound will heal up quickly,” she said. “I'll be able to warp again in a few hours. Thanks for letting me rest in your shop.”

  “Maybe you can make it up to me by telling me about my grandmother and her role in the Shadow Walkers.”

  “Perhaps,” Harriet. “But that would only begin to repay the debt I owe her.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “It’s safe here,” Harriet said, shifting on a pillow. “No one will bother us here. Balthus would have to be pretty stupid to try.”

  Niecy, Darius, Destiny, Terrance, and Hattie entered the penthouse.

  Destiny hugged me.

  “Why is it that I always have to save you two from mortal danger?” she asked.

  “Uh huh,” I said. “It's good to see you too.”

  “I for one am grateful for ya, sis,” Darius said, putting an arm around her. “But it would have been waaaaaay more impressive if you had been an African boar and put a tusk in Balthus’s ass.”

  “I'll remember that the next time I have to make a split-second decision about saving you,” Destiny said.

  “We’re in for a hell of a fight,” Terrance said. “Balthus is sending every goon he’s got.”

  Hattie and Terrance waved to the other black people in the room.

  They were quiet and well-dressed. They watched us cautiously.

  “Which one of you is Aisha?” a woman with dreadlocks asked. She had an African accent.

  I raised my hand.

  “So you are the one in the center of all this,” the woman said.

  “Is that a compliment or a complaint?” I asked.

  “Haven't figured that out yet,” the woman said.

  “This is Femi Manu,” Harriet said. “City Council. What term are you on?”

  Femi flashed a mouth full of fangs. Vampire.

  “Term nineteen,” she said.

  “There's a certain advantage to having an interest on our City Council,” Harriet said. “We can get initiatives pushed through much faster than dealing with state and federal governments.”

  “That's an insult,” a man in a suit said. He was bald with a boyish grin. His red and green pinstripe tie was the most colorful thing in the room.

  “Allen Garner,” Harriet said. “Chief of Staff to the Governor. He has considerable pull there.”

  Garner’s eyes glowed green.

  A mind-controller.

  Harriet pointed to the others.

  Terrance Lovelace, Dean and Professor of Wizard Tech at Lakeway University.

  Hattie Lovelace, inventor and philanthropist with ties to the non-profit sector.

  Morgan Davis-Davies, producer with Kemiston Channel 9.

  Tyrone Harris-Brigg
s, FBI Magical Crimes Director.

  As Harriet introduced everyone, I couldn't help but think that I was among people more connected than I would ever be.

  In other words, there was a lot of money and influence in the room.

  “As I said,” Harriet stated, “we are the Shadow Walkers. We protect the city from sinister threats that the population does not immediately see.”

  “You guys don't exactly look like superheroes,” Darius said. “No offense.”

  “The days of kickass vampires and demon hunters with half an IQ point are over,” Harriet said. “We exercise influence through grass roots efforts. We have connections in virtually every aspect of everyday life. All of our members have sworn to protect the city and put it first in everything we do. When violence is necessary, we act swiftly. But usually, we can resolve issues before that ever becomes an issue.”

  “So what kind of threats are you dealing with?” Darius asked.

  “Your little demon train adventure last time,” Harriet said. “That was a supernatural problem that would have fallen within our expertise.”

  I thought about our last adventure and stroked my chin.

  “It was a simple exorcism,” Harriet said. “We could have had the subway terminals in the city shut down immediately instead of the long way you went about it. We also could have contained the news story and passed city ordinances after the fact that would have prevented this from happening again, as well as public service announcements advising people to be on alert for ghosts.”

  Terrance elbowed me. “We cover the city end-to-end. We keep it running.”

  Darius folded his arms and said, “Wait a minute. So you're telling me that this city is run by black people? I don't believe that for a second.”

  “Okay,” Harriet said. “The door is that way. Get out and let us handle this Balthus issue we’re having.”

  “You don't gotta be so harsh,” Darius said.

  “We aren't the only organization of our kind,” Harriet said. “But we’re the most effective. If we weren't, we wouldn't be the most well-paid individuals in the city.”

  I was intrigued.

  I wanted to hear more.

  But I also wanted to stop Balthus.

  “I appreciate the background,” I said. “But what are we going to do about Balthus?”

  I walked to the living room window and looked out over the city.

  “I can't stand by and let him hassle me and the ones I love,” I said.

  I scowled. I wanted to wish death on Balthus and all of his people. But I stopped. I couldn't go that far. I didn't stand for that, as easy as it would have been to do so.

  “We discussed a plan,” Harriet said. “Consider it a formal job shadow as well.”

  “I'm intrigued,” I said.

  “In order to stop Balthus, we have to think like him,” Harriet said. “And we have to think ahead. He is extremely connected—that is why he surprised you so many times tonight. As a result, we must also use our network of connections. Welcome to our exclusive club. You're going to learn a lot tonight.”

  Femi stood up and jangled her keys.

  “You're coming with me first,” she said. “I will show you what the City Council has done about Balthus in the past year.”

  “You’re in good hands,” Harriet said. “If we’ve done our calculations right, Balthus shouldn’t bother you for a while.”

  “Let’s go before I suddenly decide to go home,” Femi said.

  “We’ll meet up with you after your job shadow is done,” Harriet said. “I will be curious to hear your impressions of us. But rest assured—our plan against Balthus will work.”

  Destiny, Darius, and I exchanged a glance before following her out of the penthouse.

  20

  “I’ve never had this many people in my car,” Femi said. “Don’t mess up the seats.”

  Darius, Destiny, and I sat in the backseat of Femi’s Audi coupe as she pulled out of the parking garage.

  The other Shadow Walkers followed us, a caravan of cars moving down the street.

  I felt safe.

  With this many people with us, there was no way Balthus would attack us.

  “Is this the associate you two had to seek out?” I whispered to Destiny.

  “Yeah,” Destiny said. “She don’t talk a whole lot.”

  Femi drove quickly—at least twenty miles per hour over the speed limit, and the other Shadow Walkers kept up with her.

  As grateful as I was for her help, I didn’t feel like talking to her, and I could tell the feeling was mutual.

  Niecy twisted her wrists, generating a fashion magazine to read.

  “We didn’t have as much adventure as y’all,” she said. “It was pretty boring.”

  “Boring sounds great for a change,” I said.

  “Boring is good,” Femi said. And then she focused on the road, speeding through a yellow light.

  “Y’all want something to eat?” Niecy said, creating a can of soda.

  Darius whistled, and she tossed him the can of soda and a ham sandwich. She created another can of soda for herself and read her magazine.

  “What do you think about these Shadow Walkers?” I asked.

  “It’s some crazy shit,” Darius said. “Hard to believe Nana was wrapped up with these guys.”

  “Not what I expected,” Destiny said. “I was totally not expecting Harriet to talk about the city council or the news or whatever.”

  “Me either,” I said. “I’m confident that we can stop Balthus. I’m more nervous about what Harriet hasn’t told me about Nana.”

  “Your Nana was a good woman,” Femi said.

  “Not you too,” I said. “Are you going to actually tell me anything about her or are you going to be cryptic like the rest of the Shadow Walkers?”

  Femi said nothing.

  “Exactly,” I said. “Anyway, I know we can stop Balthus.”

  “What’s his problem?” Destiny asked.

  “He’s just a type A personality,” I said. “He’s trying to protect his power and influence. There’s nothing else to him.”

  “All of this for power and influence?” Destiny asked.

  “Dude is crazy,” Darius said. “But yeah, I think we can beat him.”

  “To beat him, we must think like him,” Femi said.

  “So what exactly do you plan on showing us?” I asked.

  Femi careened into the parking lot of city hall, a long white historical building surrounded by oak trees.

  “We need to look at council records to determine his intent,” she said.

  “Intent?” I asked.

  “We receive complaints of unusual demon activity,” Femi said. “It’s a recurring problem, actually.”

  “Demon activity?” Destiny asked. “You mean Somnients?”

  We got out of the car and walked up the steep steps to city hall.

  “Balthus exploits the Somnient population,” Femi said. “He uses the demons for extortion.”

  “All of that is public record?” Darius asked.

  “All things are public record,” Femi said. “But if you don’t know what you’re looking for, then it means nothing to you, even if it is in front of your face.”

  The city council records room was in the basement. A hot, dry room, it had stacks up stacks of books and documents.

  Femi rotated some of the stacks around. She pulled a thick book off the shelf and slammed it down on a table.

  I ran my hand along the book’s dusty spine and read the title: City Council Minutes, Volume One Hundred and Twenty-Nine.

  “Gripping stuff,” I said.

  A large flat screen TV was mounted on the wall. Femi walked over to it and entered a password. Then she spoke to it.

  “Access Somnient heat maps for the past month,” she said.

  The screen went blank and then produced a map of the city with orange circles in varying shadows laid over parts of the city. Some of the circles were bigger and darker than ot
hers.

  “We have an assessor survey the city once per quarter,” Femi said. “We then cross-reference his findings with complaints made to the council. That determines which nests we destroy.”

  “Why don’t you destroy all of them?” I asked.

  “Because you don’t pay enough taxes,” Femi said. “Besides, that’s why demon hunters exist. They fill in the gaps we can’t. Generally, this has been how we have tackled the demon population. However, Balthus has exploited this.”

  Femi pointed to a very small pocket on the southern end of the city.

  “One would naturally think to find the biggest demon nests possible,” Femi said. “Balthus does the opposite. He finds the smallest nests and draws the demons out, relocating them. Then he unleashes them on his opponents.”

  “That’s pretty messed up,” Darius said.

  “It’s messed up, but predictable,” Femi said. She told the computer to zoom in, and it did.

  I recognized our subdivision. There were demon nests all around our area, within just a few blocks of the shop.

  “Those nests are relatively new,” Femi said. “This is within the last couple of days.”

  “The shop should be safe,” Destiny said. “We have magic suppressant charms, so the demons won’t find us.”

  “You missed the point,” Femi said. “He doesn’t care about your shop. Does a magic suppressant charm protect you when you’re not at home?”

  Destiny’s eyes widened.

  “That means all of our neighbors are in danger,” she said.

  “Maybe you ought to call Kathy,” Darius said. “As much as it pains me to even think about hearing her voice, she ought to know.”

  I cringed as I thought of Kathy too. But I didn’t want anything to happen to her. I remembered how she kept telling me about her dreams. She dreamt every night, and she was prime food for any Somnients in the area.

  I pulled out my phone and dialed.

  Kathy’s voicemail responded.

  I left a message. “Hey, Kathy, it’s me, Aisha. Call me back when you get a chance.”

  As I hung up, Femi opened the city council minutes book.

  “This was last year,” she said. “There’s something I would like you to read.”