by brett hicks
“Walk with me chérie, let’s get some fresh air, maybe get you some physical food on that stomach of yours.”
I shrugged and said, “I could eat, but it is on your dime detective, rookie salary is not all it is cracked up to be.”
He gave me a mock-hurt look and said, “Chérie, since when have I ever allowed you to pay?”
Ok… he had a point and I was not his girlfriend, so why the hell did I let him buy me food all the time? My brain hurt from looking at the young witch, so I just followed Jon to his car and switched my brain to auto-pilot for now.
****
Jon took me to the local Waffle House and I ordered a stack of pancakes and some bacon. Jon really did know some good food joints around the quarter, even chain restaurants like this had differences depending on location. This Waffle House happened to have thick and very fluffy pancakes, not just the typical kind you will find at any of the other locations in the country. Southern food joints always had their own spin on everything, that’s what us southerners did for fun.
“Kayla, tell me the first thing you notice about the body of our dead witch.”
I thought about it for about a split second and said, “The peaceful and unresisting look to her, there was no struggle. I am pretty sure death was instantaneous for her.”
Jon nodded and said, “What does that tell you about the killer?”
I shrugged and it hit me, “She knew her killer and trusted them.”
Jon nodded and said, “I might not be your mother, but even a human like myself can see the signs of a murder pointing to someone the victim trusts.”
“She was one of the messenger witches to the police, from the coven.”
Jon nodded and said, “Yes, she had just delivered the latest reports on the findings at the first murder.”
“So, she was in the open and a perfectly vulnerable young witch for her killer to get to. She was killed by a sorcerer, my mother and my grandmother are sure of it.”
“What does that mean Kayla?”
I sucked in a deep breath and it hit me now…
“Jon, the reason why the killer had access to the first victim is the same reason why the second looked so peaceful and unafraid.”
“Don’t leave me hanging Kayla, what are you on to?”
“This killer is a witch, or at least was a witch at some point. The reason they have access to the community is because they are a part of the community.”
Jon’s mouth hung unhinged for a long moment, but he nodded and said, “That makes perfect sense to me, but how in God’s name are you going to get your witches to listen to such a theory? How are we going to catch the witch or sorcerer?”
I have him a pointed, slightly pouty look and said, “I don’t know all of that, but I was hoping my grandma might have some ideas on how to shake this particular tree.”
We both knew that I had to be careful about how I presented this theory, because the witches were not very happy with us right now.
Chapter: 9
My phone was buzzing and I almost did not reach it in time. I hit the green talk button and swung myself fully into my Civic now. Jon had just dropped me back at the station and I was on my way to talk to my grandmother.
“Kayla McQueen,”
“Oh, little dyamphyr, I was beginning to think you would not answer.”
The chipper and crisp English accent cut through the phone in a bright mid-tone, female voice—a voice I remembered.
“Bella of London, right?”
“Charmed and delighted that you remember me, little one.”
“Pray tell, what in the name of God is a vampire doing, calling me in the middle of the day?”
Bella laughed, a light and roaring laugh of amusement and glee.
At least one of us is happy…
“Well I was calling to arrange a face to face, since you are the McQueen unofficially at the head of the city now after all.”
I scowled and said, “My grandmother runs the coven, not me.”
“I was not talking about the coven silly girl. You are the one at the very heart of all things involving all sects my dear.”
“You left town, as per our agreement.”
“Why, yes I did and I have kept my word too darling. I do believe you will find what I am offering, well worth the time it takes you to meet with me. Feel free to bring that handsome detective lover of yours.”
I grit my teeth and said, “He is not my lover!”
“Well, whatever he is, or is not, that is not why I wish for him to be present. I have things to say, which might be beneficial to your police.”
“Or, you could just tell me right now and I can relay the message, I am the police now.”
“Kayla, you have some very disturbing troubles with a certain vampire heir and the lack of restraint on the king’s part. You might wish to think long and hard about this, before you turn me down.”
I hated to agree with a vampire, but she did have a very logical case.
“Fine, but no servants or minions, I will kill them if I see any.”
Bella chuckled, as if this was the funniest thing she had ever heard before.
“Sweet child, you might be one of the strongest young beings alive, but I could kill you as you are now—not that I care to demonstrate such a waste of a beautiful dyamphyr that is. You have my word, no other vampires and no human servants, so meet me at the shipyards where you defeated the apex of the wolves last fall.”
“Ok, I am guessing you mean after sundown?”
Bella chuckled again and said, “Yes, as much as I do miss sunbathing, I fear I might not like the tan I receive.”
“Ok, I will bring Detective Divichi, but I will not hold back if this is a trick.”
“It will not hurt for you to be cautious Kayla, so do whatever makes you feel safe. Good luck with your investigation in the meantime little dyamphyr.”
She hung up on me after that and I was still grinding my teeth, which had started to grow into fangs now. My kind is so very rare, but I do know that it is typical of us to get aggravated, just by the sight, sound or scent of the undead. Our genes seem hardwired to hate the vampire side of ourselves.
This meeting was necessary, or else I might never get another chance at a vampire source. The only vampires, I ever get to question are on the bad end of my blades, so they don’t talk very much. If there was even a remote chance that Bella of London was willing to share anything useful, then I could not afford to ignore it.
It troubled me that she asked for me to bring Jon with me, or that she even knew to ask. She said she had not been back to New Orleans since our deal in the fall and I believe her, yet she knows about Jon.
I dialed Jon, he would need to know what we were going to be walking into tonight.
“Kayla, I thought you would be up to your eyeballs in Witchy politics by now, what’s wrong?”
“Hey, nothing has to be wrong, just because I called you,” The whine in my voice did nothing to help plead my case with Jon.
“Chérie, out with it, what happened?”
“You remember that vampire you caught me hunting last Fall?”
“Yes, I remember her, you told me she called herself, Bella right?”
“Yeah, she just called me and asked to meet us tonight at the neutral site.”
He was silent for a long fifteen seconds or so, probably shocked senseless, or someone was trying to tell him something on his end.
“Are you planning to meet her?”
“What do you think Jon?”
He snorted and said, “That you will.”
“Any idea why she knows about you Jon?”
“What do you mean, she saw me with you last fall.”
“Well, she has not been back to New Orleans since the fall, so how the hell does she know about our close working relationship?”
“Perhaps she has friends in the local blood court?”
I nodded and released a breath and then said, “Yeah, that makes sense
. Sorry, just taken aback by the random phone call from a very British vampire.”
He chuckled a little very un-Jon-like and said, “Kayla, I just had to stop being shocked constantly since I met you.”
“Geez detective, you sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself,” I sounded bitchy, even to me now.
“So, when are we meeting her?”
“Sunset, apparently, she is close enough to get here quickly.”
“Chérie, go talk to your grandmother and then we shall meet up for an early dinner.”
I smiled to myself, Jon practically spoiled me. I bit my lip and said, “I’ll get dinner, you might be out of a mortgage payment, if you keep buying me food all the time.”
Jon made some sort of male grunting sound, probably something to do with the fact that the tiny blonde was demanding to pay for food. Southern men—Cajun men even more so—do not like to let women pay for their meals, if they are any kind of gentleman.
“It’s not up for debate Jon, see you in a while. I just have to go to the damn witch community and hope, peace sticks for one night.”
“Just call me if you need anything chérie.”
“Bye to you too Jon,” I sounded a little too girly, but I was not going to kick myself for it this time. I like having Jon around, even if I did not understand what the hell an immortal and a mortal could be on the long term.
I would never admit that the blasted she-wolf was right, but Sally did have a good point. I had an itch that did not seem to want to scratch itself. I was getting lonely and a certain tall, dark and broody Cajun detective was the cure. I felt a feverish blush rising in my cheeks, because I was thinking like my horny best-friend now.
Chapter: 10
The vibrations of elemental magic charged the air this afternoon in the gated witch community. I felt hostile eyes burning holes into my skin every step I took to my grandmother’s large keeps looking estate house. Somehow, she still managed to pull off a sheik mid-evil design for her house.
The blood red haired beauty at the door, which was swinging open before I managed to knock, Jaden, she stood in her hot-blooded fury before me now.
“Did you get lost on your way to the blood court leech,” her tone was razor sharp, with a slight rasp in her otherwise high, feminine voice. My anger turned to ice at the sound of her voice, but I reigned it in, because they were about to bury one of their dead today—one of my distant kin.
“Jaden, I am here, to have a private word with my grandmother, not to fight with grieving witches,” Despite my personal feelings towards her, I extended the olive branch, for the sake of the coven. Jaden clearly did not register my words as the peace offering they were.
“You think you can just waltz up here any time you like and demand to see Joan McQueen, leech?”
My jaw twitched and I let my icy aura unfold like wings around me and my aura caused Jaden to stagger into the door and I casually strode past her. I felt her magic rising like violent riptides in the afternoon and I froze the air around me—fully encasing myself in an icy shield. I slowly turned and locked my grey eyes on her green ones and I spoke lowly and evenly.
“I grew up around the pack and I have long since learned that some matters cannot be resolved, unless you resolve them with a challenge. Jaden, I am the granddaughter of Joan McQueen, Kayla McQueen and I am many fold the witch any of you could ever dream of being. Tell me again, what is my right as it pertains to my grandmother? Have you not read the peace accords which bind all sects and the human world together?”
“You withdrew your present right to be heir, so you have no leg to stand on any longer!”
The tapping of my boot clad feet on the stone floor rung out through the large halls. My eyes stayed fixed on Jaden and I let my power come fully to the surface now and I let the oppressive might of my aura fully press upon her, as if it was the gravity of Jupiter pressing down on a frail human body.
Jaden had no choice, but to fall on her knees now and I pressed the matter just a little farther, so that my point would be made. I extended my hand and I felt the flames leap from my red magic glowing in my right palm and Jaden knelt in the center of a circle of fire.
“I have no more patience for your childish antics Jaden. I agreed that I would not pursue leadership of the coven, but there are loopholes by which I could, if I so desired. Say, if my grandmother were ever to die without a clear heir. This coven is the McQueen coven, I am Kayla McQueen. Here you kneel, because you do not have the power to withstand me and I have every right to end you—I could have the first time you attacked me. There will not be a third-time Jaden, I am trying to solve these murders, stay out of my path.”
Slowly, I turned and began to walk towards the stairs and I stopped and looked back at Jaden one last time and said, “Oh, I nearly forgot, coven rankings are based on power, so, I am still the second highest ranking witch here, first highest in raw power. Do not pretend that you can pull the wool over my eyes. I made sure to memorize my rights by coven law when I joined the NOPD. This will be the last time you speak to me on sect grounds in such disrespect.”
Joan’s smirk was casual, but her eyes were lit like two blue Christmas lights. She was clearly amused by this little display and only I noticed that her leg tremored just a bit under my power. I quickly pulled all my power back and let Jaden put out the fire with her own magic.
“Kayla, I was beginning to wonder what was keeping you, but it looks like it was nothing of consequence.”
Jaden looked like she had been whipped with a cat-of-nine-tails, her mentor had just dismissed her as if she was nothing at all. Joan and I did not often agree, but I was beginning to see how deep her loyalty to blood—McQueen blood—truly was.
Smiling, I trotted over to her and nodded politely, she was the top bitch around here, so I did try to treat her as such in front of her coven.
“Grandma, I was just on my way up, so that we might discuss this latest murder in private.”
I saw the sadness cascade through her eyes, but it vanished a second later.
“Oui, let us go to my study room, after we discuss business, perhaps a lesson in our ancestral magic from an old hag?”
I rolled my eyes and said, “You and I could pass for twins, what is your obsession with age?”
She chuckled a little and turned on her heels with lightning reflexes and spoke as she began to ascend the staircase.
“Oh, you live as long as I have and you will feel the weight of your age too.”
Nodding weakly, I followed her into the second-floor study room I had been in only once before. Once the doors shut and locked behind us, blue wards flared to life, sealing us from the outside world. Joan McQueen may be one of the most powerful and long lived sups on the continent, but she was still cautious. No sound, magic, nor physical attack could penetrate her blue aqua wards. Living water, which endlessly circled the room and deadened all sound in the room to the outside.
“Kayla, you have grown quite strong in less than a year, I could feel your aura and your icy magics from inside my barrier. Even your mother could only be felt like a slight tickle through my wards, but let us keep this as our little secret, we both know how competitive Jenny is.”
I chuckled and said, “Mom would probably come and shatter your wards and barriers, just to prove she could.”
Joan gave a half-smile and her gaze was distant now, “Oui, and this is no time for my silly girl’s whimsical behavior.”
“Grandma, I came here with disturbing possibilities to disclose to you.”
“That the sorcerer is likely posing as a witch and living here?”
“Huh,” My mouth was on the floor. Well, figuratively speaking, and my shock was palpable in my own aura. Joan gave a half smile, but it looked very sad this time.
“I have a lot of good people who work with your department Kayla and one of them happened to hear you talking to your handsome detective friend.”
“Oh, and here I thought you had somehow pulled th
e information out of your hat like a magician.”
“Kayla, I am aware of rogue factions within the sect community, who would prefer if our bloodline was gone. Their names are not known to me, but this is hardly surprising, considering all the events in the local sects over the last year.”
The matter-of-fact tone in her voice was disconcerting, she was talking about a coup like it was nothing. My worry must have shown through my face, because she said, “My darling granddaughter, this is not even close to the first time the sect has tried to bury me. I was once like you Kayla, unrivaled in my raw powers.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Joan sighed and looked very sad, lost in the ghosts of her past now.
“You know about the other half-breeds that came before you, no?”
I nodded in confirmation and she gave a very weak smile and continued, “Escaping them cost a heavy price, not all our magic can be wielded without backlash. My body and my magics were damaged in my battle for freedom.”
“Grandma, what exactly happened to you?”
“I was taken when I was not much older than you are now. The twin Dyamphyr half-breed witches were drawn to me, because I was the most powerful in all of Europe. The McQueen name was as old as our magic itself. Water and ice element has run in our blood unbroken, since the beginning of time.”