“You know if I kill Odin, I will bring upon Ragnarök. I will not be responsible for it.”
“Then we find a way to imprison him,” Verdandi suggested, and it wasn’t a bad idea. “A sub-world within Limbo. It can be created. I would just need some time.”
“Well, time is what we don’t have. We have less than two weeks.”
“Stall.” She shrugged.
My nostrils flared. “This is why I hated you when you were alive, and I hate you even more now. Stall is your grand plan? Odin isn’t going to fall for that bullshit.”
Verdandi might have had control over Lana’s body, but it was as if I could see her true self through her eyes. They were unmistakably old and bitter.
“You have until the full moon to figure out how to imprison Odin, or this has all been for nothing. Got it?” I pointed a finger at the old hag.
“I make no promises.” She tilted her chin in defiance.
I turned to leave. “Then we’re all fucked.”
10
My mind wasn’t at a hundred percent, and while I wanted to curl up in bed with a trash can—I couldn’t. While I waited for Charlie to get home from work, I chugged water and drank a whole bottle of some nasty pink medicine to settle my queasy stomach. The withdrawals were getting worse, but I had to figure out a way to overcome them.
I realized after our talk earlier in the day that Charlie was probably feeling a bit useless at the moment. I’d made so many promises and nothing was coming of them. Sure, we’d gotten some leads on the Castellano case, but they were slow. She wanted some action, so I’d get her some.
I’d just come out of an ice-cold shower and was feeling a bit better when she walked through the door.
“What are you doing?” She set her purse on the kitchen counter.
“Waiting for you.” I stood. “We’re going out.”
She kicked off her shoes and groaned. “Aw, Raven, not tonight. I’m tired.”
“So you don’t want to go after Castellano?” I raised a brow and sighed dramatically. “Okay, I guess I’ll just wait until Will follows up with his lead.”
“What? No!” She quickly put her shoes back on. “I’m ready!”
Our first trip to the Underground had been overshadowed by the attack of the ogres and finding out Ross Milton was the creator of Venom. Now, we were on a recon mission: find out who was selling Venom.
“We really should inform the Supernatural Investigative Unit that a human is using supernaturals. This is their territory,” Charlie said as we walked through the grimy alleyways of the Underground.
“You can contact the SIU. I’ve got my hands full with one set of police. I can’t with another,” I said, and I wasn’t lying. It was bad enough I was involved with the PPD. I was out of there the minute this Castellano case was solved.
“I’ll contact them once we have more concrete evidence,” she murmured as we swerved through the crowd. The Underground was packed tonight.
I had just grabbed a random person out of the crowd when I came face to face with a shaggy, orange-haired young man who couldn’t have been more than nineteen years old.
“Hey,” I said, taken aback. “You’re the kitsune. What’s your name again?”
“Ken,” he said as he pushed me away. “And you’re Raven. The chick that was supposed to get Venom off the streets.”
“Easy there, kid, I’m still working on that. Why do you think Castellano is on the run?”
“He might be on the run, but he’s still producing!” he yelled and turned around to look at the people around him. “All I’m saying is, you did nothing.”
Charlie cleared her throat, reminding me she was there. “Sorry,” I mumbled. “Charlie, this is Ken, the kid I was supposed to kill to free you from your kidnappers.” I glared at the kitsune.
Surprised, he looked at Charlie and shook her hand.
“What are you guys doing here?” he asked.
“We’re working with the PPD,” Charlie replied. “We’re trying to find who is selling Venom.”
Ken eyed us as if he wondered whether he could trust us or not. I’d look into his soul, but I didn’t have the strength with my withdrawals. I could pass out if I overexerted my mind.
“Are you really here to help?” he asked curiously.
I nodded.
“Fine.” He sighed. “Follow me.”
Ken turned around and disappeared into the crowd. I grabbed Charlie’s hand and followed, his orange hair hard to miss. He went straight ahead, making a left at Madame Kimmel’s Apothecary, then a right toward Witches Row, another hard right and down a set of staircases into a dark alley with a single lantern at the end. Ken rapped on the red metal door twice, and we waited. A square window slid open and a face appeared.
“Password,” the stranger grunted.
“Waldo Wagner,” the kitsune said, and the window slid shut. After three long seconds, the door creaked open.
I stopped the kid before we went inside. “Where the hell are we?”
“You wanted an in, didn’t you? Well, this is it. No one else in the Underground was going to give you the information you wanted.”
Ken went inside, and I looked at Charlie. “We don’t have to do this.”
Her eyes were wide behind her glasses. “Are you kidding?” She grinned. “This is exciting!”
She went ahead of me, and I had to jog behind her just to catch up. Inside was nothing I had expected and everything I had feared. It was a drug den. Dingy sofas and lounges were set up everywhere, and people were high as kites from pills, to coke, to needles still poking out of their arms. The lighting was dim, and clouds of smoke made our eyes water from the acridity. It seemed like the people around us hadn’t showered in days. They probably hadn’t left in days. Waitresses walked around with trays and offered menus, but I didn’t know of what. Ken was up at the bar, and I was worried for the kid. How the hell did he know about this place and how to get in?
“Raven …” Charlie whispered and grabbed my hand. “Are you okay?”
My eyes couldn’t look away and my mouth went dry.
“Raven!” Charlie said a little louder, shaking me.
I snapped out of my reverie and looked at her. “I’m fine.”
Charlie guided me toward Ken, who stood at the far end of the bar, which was no better than where we were. My skin felt itchy, and I fought the urge to claw at it.
“You feeling okay?” Ken asked, and I nodded. “Ladies, this is my buddy Shawn. He works here almost every night.” He pointed to an all-American-type kid behind the bar who looked to be in his mid-twenties. I didn’t understand why he needed to work at a place like this. From what he was wearing, it looked like he was well off.
“And what is here, exactly?” I leaned against the bar. I could barely hold myself up.
“This is the Magic Den,” Shawn said. “A safe space for supernaturals to enjoy their vices.”
“What they’re putting into their bodies isn’t very safe,” Charlie interjected. “It’s poison.”
“But at least they’re not doing it in some back alleyway with a dirty needle,” Shawn argued.
Charlie’s nostrils flared, and she fisted her hands. She was not a happy camper, and surprisingly enough, I agreed with her. I couldn’t let her know that, though, because we needed Shawn’s cooperation.
“So, Shawn, what kind of drugs do you facilitate here?” I asked.
“Why do I feel like I’m being interrogated?” He started to dry some glasses.
I shrugged. “Just wondering. I’m more of a pill popper. Needles can’t penetrate my skin, and I’ve never been a fan of snorting. It’s beneath me.”
Charlie tensed beside me, even Ken’s expression faltered, but Shawn only sized me up, his eyes narrowing. He threw the towel over his shoulder and pulled out a menu from under the bar.
“Check out our selection of pills. We have a wide range, and if you don’t see something you want, you can put in an order.”
&nbs
p; Charlie’s hand went to my wrist. I could almost hear her silent plea, but I just needed her to have a little faith.
“Now, Shawn, what about your liquid-based drugs?”
He smirked. “We do have a great selection of Kava. I highly recommend—”
“What about Venom?” I interrupted. I hadn’t seen it on the menu, and I would have assumed it’d be his first pitch since it was so popular.
Shawn’s gaze went from me to Ken, then back to me. “W-we don’t offer Venom at the Magic Den.”
I tilted my head. “Can you order it?”
He gulped. “We prefer not to.”
Charlie’s grip on me loosened.
“Aw … c’mon, Shawn.” I leaned forward on the bar, getting closer to him. “Do it for your buddy Ken.”
“Ken doesn’t do drugs,” Shawn muttered.
I smirked. “But I do, and I’m friends with Ken, so we’re all friends here. What do you say, friend?”
“I-I can’t.”
I sighed loudly. “I really didn’t want to have to do this.” I reached over the counter and snatched him by the collar of his shirt, bringing him over the bar top, his feet dangling over the edge. “Listen real good, Shawn, because I’m in no mood to repeat myself. You’re going to get in touch with your Venom contact and I’m gonna be by your side every step of the way until we get those vials of Venom in our hands. I want to know names and numbers, and I want to see the faces of the people who deliver this garbage. I want it all, comprende?” I squeezed his collar tighter, cutting off his air flow.
He nodded quickly, and I loosened my grip.
“Good.” I smiled. “Now, where is a quiet place you can make this call?”
He jerked his head to the side, motioning to a back area that could only be accessed from behind the bar.
“Ken,” I called out over my shoulder, “go over and block our friend’s path so he knows not to pull any funny business once I let him go.”
The kitsune did as he was told, and I released Shawn. He exhaled loudly and rubbed at his throat.
Charlie and I went around to the other side of the bar and met up with Ken and Shawn, who led us into a back office. Shawn sat behind the desk and grabbed a black address book. He flipped through the pages until he landed on the one he was looking for and dialed the number on the desk phone. After a few seconds, someone answered.
“Hey, it’s Shawn over at the Magic Den. I need to place an order for Venom … Yeah, I know we usually don’t, but we got an order … They were very persuasive … How many vials, you ask?” Shawn looked to me, and I mouthed twelve. “A dozen … When can we expect shipment? … You want me to pick it up? … But we never—I—fine … What time? … Okay.” Shawn scribbled all the information on a sticky note and hung up the phone.
I quirked a brow at him. “Why do you look like you’re about to piss yourself?”
“Because they’re suspicious!” he yelled. “We never pick up shipments. They always bring it to the Den. This is an enormous red flag. They know we don’t deal with Venom because of the effects on supernaturals, and now I have to put my life at risk for what?”
“For those same supernaturals,” Ken said. “We’re trying to get the drug off the street, Shawn. This shit is dangerous for all of us.”
They had no idea how dangerous it actually was. If only Ken knew they were abducting supernaturals to take their venom in order to manufacture the drug, he’d probably start a whole crusade.
“Nothing is going to happen to you Shawn,” I said as I looked at him. I could see the worry lines forming on his forehead. He didn’t want to voice it because it was selfish, but he was really worried about himself. “We’ll be there to make sure you’re safe.”
“And what the hell can you do?”
I grinned. “A lot.”
I had a plan. Was it foolproof? Probably not, but it would get us the manpower we needed if this exchange turned sideways. Shawn was right to be frightened. We had set off some alarms, but I wasn’t going to let the kid get hurt in the process. I also wanted a trail on this drug.
According to Shawn, they were supposed to meet downtown near the waterfront park. No specific area—they would approach him.
Charlie, Ken, and I trailed him separately at a distance so as to not raise suspicion. Charlie was more out in the open sitting on a bench, Ken was a jogger, and I was in the shadows, particularly because of the sword across my back. I’d dug up the Sword of Souls. Its sheath was cloaked in magic so it couldn’t be found, but once it was unsheathed, anyone tracking the sword would know our location. It was my insurance in case the fight was too much for us. I knew I could call on Fen. Was it naïve and stupid? Of course. I should have called Will and informed the PPD, but I didn’t. I wanted to keep the humans out of it.
Two men farther down the trail motioned for Shawn to come to them. I left my hiding spot and followed him as he made his way toward them. As planned, Charlie and Ken stayed where they were.
“Did you bring what I asked?” Shawn quickly got to the point of why they were meeting. It was obvious he was nervous.
The two guys reminded me of the ogres. They could crush him in seconds.
One of them tilted his head. “The Boss wants to know why the sudden interest.”
“Like I said on the phone, I got a client who’s extremely persuasive. What’s the problem?” Shawn chuckled awkwardly.
“The problem is, the owner of the Magic Den was adamant about keeping Venom out of his club, so we called him.”
Shawn tensed and swallowed a couple of times.
“As you’ve probably guessed, your boss had no idea and doesn’t approve of this purchase.” The two guys got closer to Shawn and hovered over him. “Who is this client of yours?”
“I-I-I’m the client,” Shawn stammered. “They’re for me.”
I released a breath. For a split second, I thought he was going to crack.
They looked at one another and smiled. “We thought as much. Which is why your boss gave us permission to take care of you.” They began to crack their knuckles and step forward. Shawn stumbled back, trying to get away from them.
“Wait! Wait!” He raised his hands in defense, but they didn’t stop their approach.
“Now, now, let’s not be so hasty.” I walked out of the brush. “I can’t let you hurt my friend here.”
“Ah,” one of the guys snapped his fingers. “so you’re the client.”
I frowned. “I’m offended. I—”
“You look like an addict,” he said nonchalantly. “Get out of here. We don’t have any Venom with us tonight.”
I pushed Shawn behind me and laughed quietly. “All right, let’s try this again. I’m not here to buy that shit from you. I wanna know where Castellano is hiding.”
The two of them grinned widely. “You really should have stayed out of this.” At least two dozen ogres appeared around us, encircling us.
“All this for one guy?” I raised a brow.
The ogre shook his head and motioned for someone to come forward. Suddenly, Ken and Charlie landed beside me. How they caught Ken was beyond me.
“The Boss has eyes and ears everywhere,” the ogre said. Shawn stepped forward and stood beside the ogre. “He’s been our man on the inside.”
We’d been played.
“Shawn, how can you side with them?” Ken said as if someone had punched him in the gut. No wonder they’d caught him. They knew how, thanks to Shawn.
The rat wouldn’t look his friend in the eye. “It’s nothing personal. Just business.”
“This whole show was for what then? Do you or do you not sell Venom at the Magic Den?” I asked irritated.
Shawn snorted. “Of course we do, but only to VIP clientele who can be trusted. Not just any Joe Blow who walks through the door.”
“What now?” I spread my arms. “You take us back to your boss?”
The ogre chuckled. “We kill you.”
There were too many of them. I wouldn�
�t be able to take them on while making sure Charlie and Ken were safe. A time long ago, I might have not cared about them, but times were different. I was no longer the calloused valkyrie who only looked out for herself. I looked over to Charlie and her eyes were so wide and innocent.
“You better wail like there’s no tomorrow,” I whispered to her.
She nodded and took off her glasses. Ken crouched, ready to run circles around these guys, but was he prepared to kill them? I wasn’t too sure.
I unsheathed my sword and prayed to the gods Fen was tracking it. We needed all the help we could get.
The three of us stood in a small circle with our backs to one another, ready for the onslaught of an attack. Shawn stepped away from the fray, having done his part, but I eyed him very carefully. He was my first target. He disappeared behind the mob of ogres, and I tightened my grip on my sword. I could no longer see the waterfront, all I saw were these beasts and they were ready to tear us limb from limb.
I guess they got too close to Charlie because she shrieked, and the fighting commenced. I swung my sword with the fluidity of a dancer and a precision and hunger that only the Sword of Souls had. It soaked in the blood with greed, wanting more, and I complied. I was consumed by the bloodlust, I lost track of Charlie and Ken and hadn’t noticed the quiet of the night.
I zoned in on Shawn across the way and charged for him. He saw me coming and tried to make a run for it, but he was no match for me. With one swift swing of the sword, I sliced across his neck. His body dropped with his head rolling toward the waterfront.
That’s for betraying Ken.
I hurried back to the others and saw we were being overpowered so I struck the sword into the ground, making the ground beneath us shake, sending out a wave that knocked down all the ogres in our surroundings. It was the few seconds I needed to check on Charlie. I spun around and found her on the ground in the arms of an ogre. I rushed over to her to stab him in the heart and helped her up.
“Are you okay?” Out of breath, I blinked away the blood in my eyes.
She shook her head. “There’s too many of them. I lost Ken.”
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