Blood & Magic

by George Barlow

  Run away, great tactic. Who was Henry kidding? He’d used that technique for years, avoiding social occasions like the plague. His anxiety was worse than loneliness, so he chose to avoid the stresses that filled his life. He kept that a secret, of course, nothing worse than people feeling sorry for you.

  The bar maid came over to collect the glasses and Henry pulled a fake smile. The barmaid flashed an equally fake sign of gratitude in return, momentarily catching Henry’s eye. A splinter of cracked green and purple formed in her iris and she transformed. Her skin turned mottled and virescent, sagging around her limbs as her face transformed into something that closely represented a pug, bar the fact it was green and with pointed hairy ears. She broke eye contact and her form returned to normal. He had recognised her change, it was like the one from the bathroom the night before. What had Gabriel had called it? A Grol. The second time seeing one, although it was weird, wasn’t quite as panic inducing as he had imagined. Henry’s heart was beating fast, but he was pretty sure he wasn’t about to have a heart attack.

  Gabriel returned with more beer and a resigned look on his face.“Your father, my friend, was murdered. That much you know. Who by, we ain’t got a clue. There is a serial killer who has been murdering humans, but the police have got no idea how to catch him.”

  “And last night, he killed my father?” Henry said.

  “Maybe. We have lost a fair few Inquisitors recently, but we assumed that was Deliverance, their bodies were never recovered. Things seem to suggest that the person responsible is Grendal, who is probably just a rather powerful alternate with an agenda.”

  “As opposed to?”

  “Grendal is a creature from our history, he lived a long time ago and so, must have died a long time ago too. This guy is very good, hence why he has been given the name of a... well, a legend really.”

  “A creature?”

  “Let's not get hung up on that. I meant a very powerful alternate, far stronger than you or I, killed dozens of Inks back then.”

  “So do we go after him?”

  “You? I'll be happy if you don't die on your first assignment, let alone take down a killer who has bested eight fully trained Inquisitors. Anyway Henry, there has been a further development today that I don’t quite know how to tell you, so I’ll just come out with it. Mark’s body was abducted from the morgue.”

  “It was taken?”

  “Stolen, we don’t know who by yet. We’ve got lots of people looking into it, but so far — no luck.”

  “How can a body get stolen?”

  “Who knows.”

  “And there is no information on-”

  “There is nothing kid. Right, as you aren't going to be able to look into this, best we probably change topic.”

  “How was he killed?” Henry said.

  “Or not, I guess. It’s not nice, although you’ll need to get used to that. Lots of cuts, slit his throat and…” Gabriel stopped himself. He was holding something back.

  “And?”

  “And we need to get you trained up, at the moment you are easy pickings.”

  “But nobody knows I’m an Inquisitor. How can I have any enemies? I haven’t done anything yet and won’t be producing stuff for them to track me like they did last night.”

  “The government knows and the Inquisition knows. I can’t guarantee you can trust either of them, your father sure as hell didn’t. Not that it did him any good in the end.”

  Gabriel turned his attention to his pint, he had obviously cared for Mark, but this was the limit of his emotion on the topic. Henry appreciated that, he never quite knew what to do to comfort people when they cried. According to Elle, saying, ‘there, there’ and patting their shoulder didn’t constitute emotional support.

  “Do you have a picture of him?” Henry said.

  Gabriel searched through his phone, finally passing it to Henry.

  “The guy on the left is your father, the other man is-”

  “You.”

  Henry looked at the photograph. In it, a tall thin man, his features painfully familiar, stood in a long black coat outside what appeared to be a bar. His pale face was illuminated in shades of green, amber and red by the pulsating light of a neon sign. Standing beside him was Gabriel, his jacket torn and blood visible on his shirt, his arm wrapped over Mark's shoulder in a friendly embrace.

  “Mark and I had just broken up an Alesh smuggling ring. Fought off a gang of them to get to their leaders, who we nabbed with some considerable difficulty. Took a fair few bullets that night, but your Dad was ace with healing spells. He was a good man Henry, he didn't deserve to die like this.”

  “Why was he targeted?”

  “He was hunting this killer, Grendal. Had been for a few years. Tracing the victims, trying to find and identify who he actually is. Maybe Mark got too close, I don't know.”

  “You think he found him?”

  “Yes.”

  “And this killer murdered him, before he could bring him in?”

  “Seems to make the most sense. Anyway, we should turn our attention to training.

  “I have another question. How long were you keeping an eye on me for?”

  “Mark asked me to go and protect you. He said you might be in danger from, well, it doesn't matter who. I didn't know that Mark was really the one in trouble.”

  “From who Gabriel? You can't keep hiding things from me.”

  “From Wade, he is the head of the Inquisition. You want a simple piece of advice kid? Don’t trust anyone.”

  “Guess I will have the pleasure of meeting him at some point. Right, as you said, to business. What does an Inquisitor do then?” Henry said.

  “Inquisitors are the law and the lore of the alternate world. Humans police humans, and alternates police alternates. The two do crossover, but that’s not part of the tradition. Integration with the government is new, but unavoidable in the information age. How do we keep our world a secret, when everyone has a mobile in their pocket that can expose us in an instant? Governments control the networks, control the internet and can erase events as they happen. Working alongside them was the logical decision to make,” Gabriel said.

  “What do they call… whatever you are?”

  “I’m just a regular first order alternate. I assist a chosen Inquisitor with their cases,” Gabriel gave another smug smile. “Somebody has to play the good cop in our partnership.”

  “Our partnership? You mean I’m stuck with you?” Henry said with a grin.

  They both laughed, the gesture enough to break the veil of tension.

  “God only knows how you’re gonna be able to play the bad cop,” Gabriel said.

  “Force me to do any more running and you’ll soon see him. I have a question, when we were running in the…”

  “Under-city.”

  “What happened to you when that guy stuck a gun to the back of my head and then fainted on the spot? That Sabrina woman said you had used your power.”

  “I altered the guys life energy which caused him to black out, couldn’t risk him firing at you. But, because I don’t have access to a lot of magus, it took a lot out of me.”

  So maybe magus was like a battery, Henry thought. When you used it, it needed to replenish. They were using chemicals to artificially drain Henry’s batteries, reduce the magus in his system, but then the power would recharge. That’s why they needed to do whatever thing they were going to do when he visited 'Rosy'.

  “I know I probably didn’t express it, but thank you for last night. I would have most probably died yesterday, but because of what you did, I can sit in this quaint pub, drinking this God awful ale,” Henry said.

  He meant it. Gabriel had saved his life, even if the world he had introduced Henry to was fraught with more danger than he had ever intended to experience.

  “My pleasure, but back to the plan. Your training is gonna happen pretty quick from now on. You’ll apprentice instructors who will teach you how to use your abilities and Rosy, w
ho you will meet tomorrow, will set you up with all your gear. I am your partner in crime, so to speak, and as soon as you are trained we will start picking up cases. Sound all right?” Gabriel said.

  “Sounds great. So, how much do we get paid for this?” Henry said.

  “You want a salary? Sorry mate, you take this on in addition to your nine ’til five. We aren’t made of money.”

  “In all seriousness, I'm not exactly the most... outdoorsy or practical of people. What if I'm no good at this?”

  “Then your life will be a short one.”

  Henry laughed, but Gabriel didn’t join him.

  “And what if I don't want to do this?”

  “Then you won't get your dysprosium injections and will die a painful death, meanwhile the government won't be there to protect you or your family. Right then. Finish up, you've got your first instructor to meet.”

  - Chapter 20 -

  Apprentice

  Ruth still wasn’t back, not that she had said she planned to return that night, Meyer had just assumed she would. He tried calling her flat, but no luck there. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know exactly what Ruth got up to in her free time, they had always led separate lives, that just happened to intertwine more than was usual. Now, however, a chance meeting would not do, there was so much to discuss.

  The incident at the Department that morning was still taking its effect. Three ports later, Meyer was feeling no better. It had taken everything from him, running the two parallel realities in his mind and, at the same time, trying to mask one from Helena. It had probably been for no good, that infernal contraption had read all of his thoughts and was now merrily decoding them. From what he could tell, his message to Nigel Elmore, the informant with the department, had been successful. Problem was, he had been unable to track him down. Meyer needed to know what proof he had, so his escape from the department was paramount. With him gone, Helena’s suspicions for the tip off would fall straight to Meyer and, if she found out the full extent of what Martese had told him… well, he didn’t want to think about that.

  There was a knock at the front door. It was nine o’clock at night, who the hell would be calling at this time? Ruth had a key and, besides, she always came in via the back gate so she could check on the greenhouse.

  Meyer rose from his chair and, a little unsteady from sitting for so long, made his way to the front door. He was met by Gabriel and a boy who had a more than familiar look.

  Mark’s boy.

  The pair were soaked through, Meyer certain he could see the gel that normally kept Gabriel’s hair permanently swept back trickling down his face, causing his eyelashes to clump together. The boy was skinny, with a face that was full of angles, but he had the eyes of his father.

  “Meyer,” Gabriel said in a jovial tone.

  “Good evening Gabriel, what can I do for you?” Meyer said.

  “This is Henry, Mark’s son. I texted you that we were coming over, did you not get it?”

  Meyer did own a mobile phone, it was some horrible little black thing with lots of tiny keys that his fingers couldn’t cope with. He had tried to use it once, but his fingers had pressed so many numbers at the same time he had ended up dialling a completely different number to the one he had intended to. He had given up on the damn contraption, it currently residing in a drawer somewhere.

  “I don’t do mobiles, you know that Gabriel. You better come in,” Meyer said.

  The two entered the hallway and the smell of drenched clothes, not unlike wet dog, filled the air.

  “Get out of those jackets and shoes, I don’t want you tramping wet through my house,” Meyer said, heading through to the kitchen.

  A few moments later they joined him, the slap of wet feet announcing their entry across the oak floors.

  “Henry,” Meyer said.

  He looked at the boy and deliberated whether or not to enter his mind. It was intrusive and he looked to Meyer as if he had enough excitement from the night before.

  “You look a lot like your father.”

  The boy didn’t answer, just looked down at his feet. Of course, Henry wouldn’t know what his father looked like. Until the night before, he didn’t even know of the existence of the man.

  “He is to go to the Bars tomorrow and should have some idea of our ways before then,” Gabriel said.

  “The bars?” Henry said.

  “It is the headquarters for the Inquisition,” Gabriel said.

  “Oh, I suppose so. Although I have had a trying day. They have a new contraption at the Department that Helena claims is able to translate thoughts into words. I’m not sure how one could go about blocking that, I fear I may have failed today. My contract with them has been terminated.”

  “Replaced by a machine? How is that possible?”

  “Gabriel, they will still use alternates for the interrogation, but only as a tool to question, now they can read the results for themselves. It was only a matter of time before they got rid of me, you know my relation with Helena isn’t exactly… warm,” Meyer said.

  “You have certainly got that right. I heard about the coalition, what the hell is happening? The world appears to be falling apart around us.”

  “Coalition?” Henry said.

  “You know I said the Inquisition has partnered with the government? Well, we fear it may be more involved than meets the eye. They are supposedly going to play a more active role in the peacekeeping efforts and so have been given access to all Inquisition records, the question is what are they going to use that information for?” Gabriel said.

  “Wade’s intentions are more than questionable,” Meyer said.

  “Like I said Henry, best not to completely trust either of them at the minute,” Gabriel said.

  “Indeed! Anyway, can I offer you both a drink?” Meyer said.

  “A coffee would be great,” Gabriel said and Henry agreed.

  “Brilliant. Boy, you make the coffees and bring them through to the library. You’ll need to search around for cups and things, but I am sure you will cope,” Meyer said.

  Meyer and Gabriel left the kitchen and nested in the over plumped arm chairs of the library. It brought a sudden flashback to Meyer of the interrogation that morning, a vivid reminder of things he needed to discuss.

  “What do we know about how Mark died?” Meyer said.

  “Very little, the Inquisition has next to no information apparently, they had the DAS get rid of any evidence to try and keep Henry’s identity a secret. I don't know if anyone told you, but Mark’s body has been taken,” Gabriel said.

  “What?” Meyer sat up in his chair.

  “We don’t know by who.”

  “Then we need to find out quickly.”

  “Mark was dead before they abducted him, I can’t see why they did it. Taking him before would have made sense, I mean, if he knew anything-”

  “Hmm. I wonder…”

  “What?” Gabriel said, shuffling back into the seat.

  “When he gave the boy up, Mark asked me to put up wards against certain memories the boy would receive when he became an Inquisitor.”

  “What memories?”

  “I hid the time spans Mark asked me to. Unfortunately one of those was the entirety of Mark's life, which means the boy won't recall the murder. Question is my old friend, what was Mark hiding?”

  “Can you reverse it?”

  “No, once a ward is put in place, it's permanent. On the night of Mark's murder, Wade destroyed a message Mark left, a clue to his murder no doubt or something relating to the boy.”

  “Did you see what it was?”

  “No.”

  Meyer found himself absently intertwining his fingers in his lap. He should have been faster when the message was discussed, if he could have seen it then they wouldn’t be in this stupid mess now.

  “Is there any way to find out?” Gabriel said.

  “I very much doubt it, Wade will not speak or be forced to reveal it. My concern is that Wade, and others
of course, will come for the boy if he does know something. We need to find out what he is after.”

  “Well, good luck with that. I don’t like any of this Meyer: the fact nobody has taken credit for Mark’s assassination, the fact Wade is covering up what happened, and then this deal with the department. Who is on our side?”

  “There is something more I’m afraid. At the department, I learned of a Deliverance plot to expose government experimentation on alternates,” Meyer said.

  “Experimentation?”

  “Trying to weaponise powers somehow, I don't know any more. The informant, who actually had evidence, is on the run from the Department now. I have Rosy looking for him, although I take it that if we find him, you can pick him up? Stash him somewhere safe?”

  “Of course, tell me where and I'll be there. How do you know all this?”

  “Long story, but it ended with yet another twist. I know the name for the leader of Deliverance.”

  “But the Inquisition have been trying to determine their leader for years.”

  “The name I was given was Adrianna.”

  “Who is Adrianna?” Henry said.

  Henry entered the library with three cups of coffee, precariously balanced in his hands. He put them down on the table and took a seat in the chair next to Gabriel.

  “A legend,” Gabriel said.

  “And a story for another time, we have much theory to cover before it would make much sense to you,” Meyer said.

  The boy’s expression looked concerned, which was about right given the vast amount of knowledge he needed to take in over the coming weeks.

  “You mean a legend like Grendal?” Henry said.

  How did the boy know about him? Surely Gabriel hadn't told him? But by the expression on his face, a mixture of guilt and embarrassment, he had. Idiot.

  “Yes and equally impossible to be roaming around now,” Meyer said.

  “But-” Henry said.

  “So boy, how are your dreams?”

  “My dreams? Well, they aren’t mine for starters, if that makes sense,” Henry said.

  “Perfect sense,” Meyer said.

  Gabriel reached over and took his cup of coffee, nestling even deeper into the chair with a gratifying sigh, the very real chance he might be completely enveloped by it at any moment.