by CT Knight
“Look, I don’t know if this is you playing hard ball,” I said, annoyed at his dramatic act. “But if you’re not gonna help—”
“I’d be careful with your next words, Arthur,” he said. “Cuz unless you’re willing to let the other guy out, you’ve got little chance of backing up those words with me or the Chaos Bringer.”
“You understand that if the Acolytes succeed in summoning that thing, you’re going down, too, right?”
“That’s debatable.” He was right. I knew Maury was powerful. And whether or not he could stand up to a Deity of Destruction really was up for debate. He might not even have to fight with it. He could easily cloak himself and live out the rest of his life while everything else fell around him. I had to play things from a different angle.
“You make a good point.” I stood from the desk. “And maybe you would survive but what about your internet or your—” I pointed at the newspaper. “Scarlet Strike.”
Maury’s eyes darted around the room. For a guy with so much power, he sure did covet his stuff.
“You make a good point. OK. Arthur Pendragon is gonna save the world.”
“Right now, I just want to save the sister.”
Sasha smiled at the sentiment.
“Alright,” Maury said. “Alright. So, I’m going to assume you have a plan for things to go your way. That means I’m going to need something in return.”
“And what might that be?” I asked.
Maury motioned for Sasha to lean down. He whispered in her ear and although I couldn’t hear any of it, the look on her face told me it was something far less than chivalrous.
I laughed at the slap across his face. Whatever he said was well past bold and she’d let him know about it. What I didn’t laugh at was the sudden change back to Mr. Ten Feet Tall.
“How dare you!” Maury said, rising into the air, making sure not to disrupt any of his stuff. “You think because of how fine you are that you can lay hands upon me in such a way! I will grind you into dust!”
CHAPTER 9
Fire wasn’t practically shooting from Maury’s eyes. It was literally shooting from Maury’s eyes. I thought for sure he was going to make good on his words and half-expected Sasha to be no more than a pile of dust. His true form may have been an overconfident teenage punk but when he was ready to go all out, it was a frightening sight.
My hand went straight for my gun. In all certainty, I didn’t actually know if shooting him would work. I figured, warlock or not, a bullet to the head had to be just as effective on him as it would be on a normal human. Even if it didn’t kill him, it might give us time to escape. Either way, in Maury’s case, I was certainly ready to fire one off. Kid or no. The guy was dangerous.
Of all the sights I’d seen and all the trouble I’ve gone through, what happened next was probably the most unexpected.
The suddenness of the warlock’s transformation scared Sasha to shifting into a cat. That wasn’t entirely abnormal. I’d have probably done the same in her shoes. What made me burst into a fit of laughter was Maury’s reaction.
In an instant, the ten-foot warlock was gone. The fire from his eyes was gone. Even my feeling of dread from knowing how quickly he could end or torture us was gone. Once the cat showed up, Maury changed back into the sixteen-year-old fanboy he really was and stumbled backward, his hand over his mouth.
“Oh no! My allergies!” he said, falling to the floor. His nose was already sniffling.
My hand dropped away from my gun and went straight to my stomach at my uncontainable laughter.
“Stop laughing at me, Pendragon,” Maury said. “If you don’t, I’ll…I’ll—” The intruding sneeze only made me laugh harder.
“All that…All that…” I couldn’t get the words out. The whole situation was too hysterical. Here was this kid with enough magical ability to stare down high-ranking demons and laugh in their faces, reduced to a sneezing, snotty mess in the presence of a single cat. I was done. And so was Maury if word of this ever got out.
The kid rushed to a drawer and pulled out an epi-pen. My laughter died down as I watched him plunge the needle into his leg. His allergies must have been pretty serious if he needed to resort to anything other than over the counter allergy pills. That didn’t mean I’d stopped smiling.
“Wipe that smile off your face or I’ll do it for you,” he told me in as threatening a manner as he could muster under the circumstances. But it was well past too late. The damage had been done. “You’d better not tell anyone about this, Pendragon. Just forget you even saw it.”
“Oh, no,” I said. “That one is staying with me for the rest of my life.”
“And a short life it will be if—”
“Whether I’m a ghost or not, I can still let people know. Keep that in mind.” I knew I had him. It was just the ace I needed. Leverage to keep him from killing me or worse. Some might say it wasn’t a proud moment. Me? I was beaming with pride. After all, it wasn’t everyone who could say they had a warlock up their sleeve. Definitely not one as powerful as Maury.
Behind me, Sasha changed back into her human form. She was apparently still fearful of what Maury could do. I could tell she was watching my amused expression, unsure if it was OK to join in on the merriment. I didn’t blame her. It was her slap that caused the fear in the first place. Of course, in her defense whatever he’d whispered had clearly justified it so I took her side in the matter.
“OK. If you’re feeling better,” I told the kid. “How about we get back to business?”
“Why should I help you after all of that?” He was trying his best to be defiant. But from his true self it only came across as bratty.
“Because if you don’t, I’ll have my friend here shift again. Then she’ll stay that way and hide in your little fortress just waiting to pounce when you least expect it.”
Maury’s eyes flickered to Sasha with some trepidation but, being a sixteen-year-old boy, also some interest. I’m sure he liked the idea of having her around all the time—but in human form. On that note, I ‘d have to take his side. Who wouldn’t wan’t a looker like that in their home around the clock? But she was my client and right now my leverage against a warlock. A warlock that, regardless of our banter, did want me dead. It was all a bluff, of course. I just hoped Maury couldn’t see through it.
“Fine,” he said, walking back to the computer. “Move.”
I stepped away from his desk, giving him plenty of room.
His fingers flew across the keyboard of his computer. His hand went back and forth, mouse to keyboard. Mouse to keyboard. He must have had an internet connection as fast and powerful as his own magic because I couldn’t tell what he was doing. I’m not unfamiliar with computers and I’m not one of those analog only types. But I was way out of this kids league when it came to technical know-how. Windows were popping up across all three screens and he was navigating them with ease, like he knew the web as well as he knew the back of his hand.
“You hacking a police station or something?” I asked.
“Hacking?” he asked as if I’d just insulted him.
“I don’t need to hack anything to find missing persons, Pendragon. You just gotta know the right websites and links to get down the right…” He stopped and turned to Sasha. “Back alleys.”
Her upper lip curled back, revealing her disgust at his pun. He may have started as the suave type but he dropped well into the gutter very fast. If he had any shot with a woman like her— which he didn’t— that shot was long gone. And what was she going to do? Slap him again? He’d be ready for that. Probably already set up a little magic barrier around himself.
“Here we go,” he said. “Dark web. Just like the dark arts. It can get you everything you could ever need. Not for the squeamish. When was your sister taken?”
“This morning. Her house was wrecked.”
“Well, unless she’s got cameras in her house that won’t help. I need to look for…” He peered at the screens. “There.” H
e clicked on a video, pulling it up on the middle screen.
We all watched as a hooded figure rushed away from a security camera. He looked like he was struggling with something but it was hard to tell if anyone else was with him.
“Any sign of her, there?” I asked Sasha.
“I can’t tell,” she said. There was a strange uncertainty in her voice. I couldn’t place what it meant but I didn’t think it had anything to do with the figure in the video. “It might be.” She went on. This time with more conviction.
“I’m going to play the odds here,” I said. “Any way to follow whoever that is?”
“Sure, but we could be here for a while. I have a better idea.” Maury went back to his typing, bringing up another website. “This is a forum for all the weirdos and unmentionables. If you ever come across this thing, I wouldn’t suggest opening any of the links. Not unless you want to see some really twisted—”
“Like we don’t see enough of that in our line of work?” I asked sarcastically.
“That’s a good point,” Maury went on. “And if it was all monsters and demons, I’d say knock yourselves out. But this stuff is the worst of humanity. You and I both know how bad that can get.”
Maury had hinted, during a few of our encounters, at a bad home life. I never asked for details and he never offered. Whoever the kid’s parents were, though, they seemed like real pieces of work. Enough to lead their kid down the path of dark arts.
“OK,” Maury said. “Someone saw a large group of hooded dudes messing around at the docks.” He read a little more. “Looks like that’s it.”
“The docks?” I couldn’t believe it. “That’s impossible. Demons won’t cross water.”
“I Guess you don’t know that much about the Chaos Bringer,” Maury said. “First of all, it’s not technically a demon. I mean, sure it looks like one. At least, here in the human,” He made air quotes around the word human as if separating himself from the word. “realm. But really, it’s a Deity. And second, water is one of the most chaotic elements around. Anything that can take any form in the gentlest or most violent manner possible is the definition of chaos. The docks are perfect for summoning it.”
“But how do we even know it’s them?” Sasha asked. She made a good point.
“In our world, a bunch of hooded dudes could be anyone from any cult. Or even just kids looking for a warehouse to party in,” I said.
“Is it the only lead we have?” Sasha asked.
Maury nodded as he typed away, opening and closing more windows. There was nothing else. I sighed. I didn’t like such a broad lead. It could have been nothing and I hated dead ends. But we’d already been attacked by an Acolyte. And with Sasha’s sister having been kidnapped by them, it was a safe bet that whoever was at the docks was connected.
“I guess we’re going to the docks,” I said. “Any clues on which warehouse?”
“My advice?” Maury asked. “Follow the chanting.”
“Right.” I was already making my way out of Maury’s man-cave. I glanced over my shoulder as a signal for Sasha that we were leaving.
“And by the way,” Maury said. “If you ever slap me again…”
I stopped and tensed, unsure of where he was going with his next words to Sasha.
“Do it harder,” he said as lewdly as possible.
“The kid’s a masochist,” I whispered.
Sasha rolled her eyes and scoffed as she followed after me.
“Later, losers!” Maury called out before he started mumbling something about a military campaign.
“Could he be lying?” Sasha asked me as we passed through the gallery.
“Maury’s a lot of things but he’s no liar,” I told her. “As much power as he has, he doesn’t need to be. He may be crude and even a little cruel sometimes but he’s honest.”
“Seems like an oxymoron.”
I smiled. “Yeah, I guess it does.”
“I hope he’s wrong,” she said.
“That’s a strange thing to hope for.”
“I just mean, I hope she’s not at the docks because she got away.”
It was a sloppy cover for whatever she really meant but I played along. “I hear you. Because the end of the world is not something I really feel like dealing with tonight.” That last part I meant.
CHAPTER 10
The docks were pretty silent. Not uncommon at that time of night. Just because people said New York was the city that never sleeps, that never meant that dockside union workers never did. The sound of waves licking at the metal siding of the harbor docks was usually calming. But after Maury’s explanation of why the Chaos Bringer would come from the water, I felt a little more cautious at the sound. There were many things that lived in the deep of the oceans. And they didn’t all have gills or end up on menus at restaurants. I was starting to wish we’d stayed in the car. But I had to get out and walk the area. I had to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Assuming there was anything to miss.
“Now, if I was a Deity of Destruction worshipper, where would I do my sacrifices?”
“Mr. Pendragon?” Sasha said. Her expression embarrassed me. I usually tried to work my cases with some levity. You had take some things lightly to do what I did. But I also worked alone, ordinarily. I could see why my vocal wanderings would be a problem for her. It was her sister’s life on the line. Not to mention the rest of the world, so my false cavalier attitude was probably unwelcome.
“Sorry. Nervous habit,” I told her.
My apology must have been sufficient because she changed the subject pretty quickly.
“I don’t hear any chanting,” she whispered.
“Me, neither. And I don’t see any signs or runes anywhere. Normally these follower types like to leave burns in the environment or some kind of clue to their presence. In case anyone is late to the meeting.”
We both scanned the area, walking quietly. Honestly, the two of us probably looked more suspicious than any hooded characters. I wasn’t going to say it out loud but me in my khaki’s and leather jacket and her with her short skirt didn’t exactly paint a picture of legal activity. I guess, if a cop showed up, I could always tell him we were looking for a warehouse party or that she was paying me. But either of those would probably just get me a funny look and a ride in the back seat of a cruiser. I’d seen the back of a cruiser enough times.
New York had been hit by some pretty bad things through her history. Some man-made, others from realms unknown. The latter few people knew about so I had my doubts as to whether or not one of NYC’s finest would be amused or believe me if I said we were in danger from an eighty-story tall destroyer of worlds. And I’d, so far, managed to keep myself out of the insane asylum. It was a flawless record I planned on keeping.
“Do you feel that?” Sasha asked. It was a welcome way to get me focused.
“What is—” She put one finger to her lips, indicating silence.
We both stood still, letting only the sound of the far off traffic and the waves be heard.
“It feels like we’re being watched,” she whispered.
I turned around, searching this way and that for any persons or things following us. I saw no movement from anywhere. The docks were well lit and there were very few shadows on the brick and metal buildings. It wasn’t the best place to sneak up on someone. As far as I could tell, we were the only two there.
Her eyes continued to scan the docks as though she was highly alert of a presence. I still couldn’t tell but shifters had this way of reading the environment. I always reasoned it was one of those animal instinct kinds of things. It was a skill most normal humans probably had but never practiced. Shifters came by it naturally.
I continued to keep an eye out, hoping that if we were being watched, we’d see an attack before it was too late.
“Arthur,” she whispered in a deadpan tone.
I turned to her and watched her eyes move upward, signaling for me to look in the same direction. I turned slowly and casu
ally, not wanting to tip off the watcher.
The shape on the roof three warehouses down was dark and formless from our vantage. I slowly pulled my gun and brought it to my mouth. “Elfir repins.”
There was a faint glow around it as I lowered the gun back down and held it behind my back. If the form on that roof was anything other than a trash bag that got snagged on a rusty nail, I didn’t want him-or-it seeing what was happening. I could tell by the jerks and clicking sounds what was going on behind my back but Sasha’s expression really gave it away.
The gun was already getting heavier as it elongated. Metal pieces morphed and switched places. Some grew smaller while others grew larger. The handle had gone from a wood grip to a rubber tactical one. I had heard the sound of the ammo magazine change shape enough times to know when it had done so. I could even tell when the bullets had morphed from solid forty-five caliber rounds to long point three-oh-eights. The sniper rifle form wasn’t one I got a lot of use out of. I used it mostly for recon work. In this case it was the perfect tool for the job. Or rather, the scope on top was. Speaking of scopes, the final clicking sound was my clue that the gun site was set up and adjusted.
I pulled the gun back to my front and winked at Sasha who still stared at the weapon in some disbelief. Like I said, just because they were of the night, didn’t mean they knew everything about it.
The scope had a one-hundred times magnification, more than enough for what I needed to see. I raised the whole gun and peered through the site. I didn’t get as many details as I would have liked but the ambient light of the docks was just enough to see the yellow circles on the hood just before the Acolyte wearing it leaped over the side.
“This is the place,” I said. I didn’t know if the Acolyte had noticed me staring back at it but at that point, it didn’t matter. We were soon to enter a place with many of them. If they didn’t know we were there yet, they would.
“You should probably go back to the car,” I told Sasha.
“She’s my sister. I’m coming with you.”