by Martha Carr
He smiled, looking around at the room, and went to the window to take a look down at 6th Street. The streets were already blocked off from cars and were filled with people pouring in and out of the bars. Music could be heard from down below even on the third floor of the hotel.
“At fucking last. Wish I had time to check that out. But, not tonight ladies. On a rescue mission with a clock running.”
Harry turned around and faced the center of the room, taking in a deep breath and drawing in the magic through his feet. Symbols lit up on his arms and his eyes glowed as he did his best to sense where the weak spots were to the veil. “Right in front of the window. Okay, little tricky. Need to make sure the exit is this way and not in mid-air.” He scratched his scruffy beard, squinting at the problem.
“Nope, don’t know how to do that. Well, then fuck it. Taking a chance guys. Already up shit’s creek. What’s one more wrinkle?”
Harry went and stood near the window and opened his rucksack taking out a wooden jigsaw box, moving the hinged pieces around till a drawer opened in the center. He put it down on the floor and reached into his boot, removing a leather pouch and pulling it open, carefully taking out a three karat, round ruby stone.
Memories popped into his mind of a first kiss, his father going out for a hunt, a friend offering to help on a job… But the energy from the stone was making him feel everyone else’s point of view, flooding him with their view of him. A different kind of truth, not all of it flattering. “Goddamn Jewel of Deception. Someone knew what they were doing when they named this cursed thing.”
He clenched his teeth and fought against the same rise of panic he felt when he temporarily borrowed it from the giant Arachnids on Oriceran. He groaned as he gripped the stone in his hand, making it worse. A teacher watching him take a test, his first boss, an old Gnome who taught him how to scavenge. All the good and the bad without any kind of filter.
His hand shook as he lowered it down, sweat pouring off his forehead. He dropped the stone into the small open drawer, finally releasing it and felt a rush of relief in his chest. “Note to self. If I ever get three wishes, mind reading will not be one of them. Boning a young Helen Mirren is still on there. Get me some hot Elven woman.”
The ruby vibrated inside the box as the different drawers around it reassembled themselves, moving in and out and forming different shapes.
“This has to fucking work,” muttered Harry, chewing on his bottom lip as he looked from the box to the empty space above the window. “He has to be there. Come on Liam.”
The box began to spin and the ruby gave off a refracted red light that from the street looked like someone was throwing a disco party in their room. Energy pulsed outward from the box in rolling waves, slamming Harry against the far wall, leaving an impression of his head. He fell to his hands and knees, shaking his head as he scrambled back to his feet.
The box stopped spinning and the light shone toward the window as a hand emerged from the world in between, reaching into the room. Several more hands emerged as they clawed at the air, pulling and pushing an opening from the world in between.
Harry’s eyes widened and he pressed himself back up against the wall. “This may not be going as planned.”
He didn’t move, refusing to run. He had sworn he’d help get his friend out of that hell hole and he was staying till it was done. The Jewel was the only thing there was that was thought to be strong enough and an artifact that could hold it was hard to come by. It was now or never.
A tuft of red hair emerged as a teenage boy pushed his head out, finally spilling out onto the carpet.
“Who the hell are you?” Harry rushed forward and pulled at the arms, bathing himself in the red light as two more teenage boys stumbled into room 302. Harry felt a growing sense of panic wondering how long the opening would last as he took out his pocket knife, took a deep breath and plunged his head into the world in between. “No fucking half measures!” Liam was struggling through a mass of bodies all fighting each other to get to the opening. A dark mist wove itself in and out of the struggle.
Some of them clawed at Harry as he wielded his knife, slashing at them, pulling at Liam’s arm. A hand reached out and grabbed onto his dark, curly hair, trying to pull him in further as he bit their arm, getting them to let go.
He could feel the hopelessness of the place as he pulled backward, dragging Liam with him, still menacing the others with the blade.
Liam fell against him as Harry let gravity pull them backward, rolling onto the floor and knocking the box on to its side as it broke into pieces and turned to ash. Liam’s boot went through the window as glass shattered, spilling down onto the sidewalk below.
The Jewel of Deception spilled out onto the rug, burning a hole as the light immediately shrunk down to nothing with a loud hum, hurting their ears.
One of the boys reached for the stone as Harry yelled out. “Don’t touch that!” He scooped up the stone, clenching his teeth again as images of hanging out with his friends and learning to use a wand from his mentor flooded his brain. “Not making this easy.” He doubled over, opening the pouch and dropping in the stone as tears came to his eyes.
“You crying?” A teenager with a mohawk looked at Harry, his lip curled.
“You been in there since the ‘80’s dude?” Harry took a deep breath and waited for his stomach to stop lurching. “Fuck, that’s not a good time.” He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and straightened up, smiling broadly. “Liam! Dude! I broke you out!”
Liam looked dazed and smiled at his friend as Harry hugged him tightly, slapping his back.
“We need to roll on out of here. I have to get that stone back to some hairy, eight-legged dudes who don’t like to share. I know this is a lot to put on you after what happened the last time but we’re going through another portal.” Harry was already forming a light ball, letting it grow as a portal to Oriceran opened, revealing the edge of the forest.
“Time to go. I’m gonna need your help.”
“I don’t know about this, Harry.” Liam was ashen just looking at the opening but Harry got behind him and pushed, sending Liam onto the forest floor, rolling in the dirt.
“See? Easy, you’re already there.” Harry stepped through and looked back at the three teenagers in the room. “You guys are welcome. Glad I could get a few of you outta there. You’re on your own from here. Exit is that way.” He pointed at the hotel room door as the portal snapped shut, showering the room with gold sparks.
The red-headed teenager looked around confused and stumbled toward the door, opening it as the maid was coming back down the hall with her cart. She startled and looked past the young man at the destruction in the room and the other two teenagers still sitting on the floor.
The red-headed young man looked up and down the hall and back at the maid. “Is this Phoenix?”
The maid pushed her cart toward the elevator, practically running as a thin trail of dark mist swirled out of the broken window.
Chapter Thirty-One
Charlie Monaghan sat at the head of the table in the Axiom boardroom, barely containing his rage. The other board members were already gone. They had quickly made their exit once it was clear that Pearson Cowley had won the day. Charlie was difficult enough to take on the days when he won the deal.
Pearson Cowley had come in prepared and laid out the reasons for working with the federal government to capture the artifacts. Civic duty, still profitable, defense contracts. The tide quickly turned in his favor and the vote was almost unanimous.
Charlie was the only dissenting vote. His hold over them was weakening and he knew it.
You’re about the deal and winning…
Isn’t it annoying when the good guys win. All those principles getting in the way of the win.
It’s not the person who wins the battle, Charlie. It’s the one who wins the war.
Right now, it looks like you’re losing the war.
Charlie’s eyes glazed over and for a mome
nt the irises of his eyes turned completely black. The dark mist was making house calls, growing stronger. The collective was finding a voice.
“Something needs to be done,” whispered Charlie.
Pearson made his way toward his car as his driver held open the door. Pearson climbed into the back, settling his rotund form into the leather seat. He pulled out his phone and quickly dialed General Anderson. “It’s done. You have our full cooperation. I’ll let Lacey Trader know we’ve made a successful alliance.”
The driver started up the car and looked at the rearview mirror at Pearson. “Good day at the office, Boss?”
“Progress was made but it may come at a cost.”
“Don’t it always.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Louie agreed to meet at the Tiny Lounge on North Leavitt Street in Chicago, reluctantly. Very reluctantly. He was in the backyard of the Order of the Silver Griffins headquarters and he knew it. But the buyer wouldn’t budge and the offer was too good to pass up.
Louie opened a portal by the Western Avenue El stop near the back of the Dunkin Donuts. The noise from the train rattling past hid the sounds of his entrance. The sparks were written off by passersby as something falling from the tracks overhead.
“Somebody ought to fix that,” said a woman, rolling her eyes as she looked up.
Louie flipped up the collar on his coat as he came out from behind the building and cut down the alley toward Lincoln Avenue. “Meeting in early spring in Chicago right under the Silver Griffins nose. Sure, what could go wrong,” he muttered, as he jammed his hands in his pockets, trying to keep warm.
He’d been roughed up before by agents from the Silver Griffins and lost more than one relic to their vault. It bruised his ego too. The small artifact, a Victorian postcard, was tucked carefully inside his vest lining with a piece of cardboard. That’s where it would stay until he saw some money.
He opened the portal early so he could get there ahead of the buyer and scope out the place. Fewer surprises the better. Sooner he could get back to his world and thaw out his entire body. Work with the sword some more. He had been practicing with it every chance he got and he could swear the sword was teaching him.
He crossed over Lincoln at Montrose just by the park and looked up at the next block. The Tiny Lounge was a small, narrow bar that could hold no more than twenty people tucked between two larger buildings. If someone didn’t know it was there, they would walk right by it. It was one of the reasons Louie picked it for the meeting place. Fewer prying eyes.
He stepped up onto the curb on the other side and got to the corner of the building when he saw a minivan pull up and two women get out. Witches… This is a trap. The Silver Griffins were there even earlier, piling into the place. Louie could spot them from a distance. He didn’t hate any of them but they were bad for his business.
He kept walking past the Tiny Lounge and took a quick look inside the window, noticing his buyer sitting alone as the two Witches settled in at the bar. Pearson Cowley took a sip of his bourbon and looked up, locking eyes with Louie. The Silver Griffins assigned him the daunting task of tracking Louie.
What the hell? Louie smiled and gave him a wave as he picked up the pace, heading down the block and turning into the Bad Apple, quickly making his way to the back and out the door, already forming a ball of light.
“Going somewhere?” Leira was waiting out back, leaning against the green Mustang. “You’re kinda predictable, Louie. I saw this move coming. What does that say about your mad scavenger skills.”
“That I keep beating you to the prize?”
“He’s over here.” Leira smiled a crooked smile and stood up straight. Correk came from around the building and stood to one side, his arms crossed. Hagan came out of the back of the Tiny Lounge and down the alley from the other side.
“A triple team. I like it. Shows respect. Can’t take me down with just one.” Louie kept smiling, trying not to think about Trevilsom Prison or facing the Silver Griffins. He had been warned to stop doing business in magic on Earth. Charm don’t fail me now. The light ball still pulsed between his hands.
“Not going quietly.” He pulled at the ball of light, creating a small portal between his hands. Risky. That’s how tears happen to the world in between. He kept smiling, deepening the creases around his eyes as he looked at Leira.
“Don’t make this into a bad movie. We’re not here to take you down. Now, the Silver Griffins down the street. They may feel differently. We can ask them if you like.” Leira put a hand on her hip. She saw the light between his hands and could feel her own energy responding, wanting to surge forward. Not right now.
“What is it you want? You need to buy something?” Louie felt himself relax just a little. A buyer.
“In a way. We need to buy your services. We need your help. The bad guys are winning too many skirmishes and we need someone with your particular skill set. The word is you’re one of the best scavengers around.”
“One of… Don’t want to start off negotiations with an insult, do you?” Louie shivered in the cold. The portal wavered and flickered. He was glad he had put the card in the lining of his coat. There was still a chance he’d get to leave with it. Of course, there was the small problem of getting hit in the ribs and bending the card.
Leira gazed at him, no expression on her face. She had time. It was on her side. Louie couldn’t afford to be seen by the Silver Griffins anywhere near the buy. They’d realize it was him.
“Kind of cold out here. You want to make your offer?” Louie’s lips were turning blue. He hated the cold.
“We want you to work with us. Help us find artifacts.”
“I work alone. Better profit margin.”
“Not from Trevilsom Prison.” Correk pulled in just enough magic to send a small fireball at Louie’s hands, exploding the ball of light and closing the portal.
“Thanks for warming my hands, dude.” Louie was doing his best to sound casual, like things were going his way.
“Join our team. We’re the good guys. There’s steady pay, plenty of snacks and lots of adventure. You can even use magic on Earth without getting hunted down. Everybody wins. Do it because there’s very bad shit going down and we need some more allies.” Leira pulled out the show stopper, using her energy to display images of the altered animals the Gardener had found.
Louie’s smile became strained as he looked at the rhinoceros and he winced at the image of the horses. “That is some very bad shit indeed,” he whispered. “Those artifacts?”
Leira nodded her head, still looking at him with no expression. Hagan came and stood by her side. Louie wasn’t going to try and go anywhere. They could all see it on his face. He was in. All he needed was to ask a few more questions.
“You know who’s doing that? What they’re gonna do with the animals?”
“No to both of those. But if we can cut off their supply of artifacts we may flush them out enough that we find out.”
Leira saw the Witches from the Silver Griffins exiting the back of the Tiny Lounge. She opened the door of the Mustang and beckoned to Louie. No need for a magical battle in the alley if it could be avoided. “Time to make a choice. You coming?”
Chapter Thirty-Three
The long folding table fit neatly in the center of the Paranormal Defense Fund’s warehouse in Austin. Once it was covered with a tablecloth it started to look a little better. Dishes and silverware helped. Leira stepped back and looked at it. “Not too shabby.”
Correk put votive candles on the table, smelling the vanilla scent. The troll went behind him, picking one up and smelling it. “Yum.” He gave it a lick and stuck out his tongue, wiping it off with his paw as he put the candle back down.
“Don’t let him sit on any of the plates. No one needs tiny green hairs in their pizza.” Leira gave the troll a look, arching her eyebrow. He let out a cackle and rolled on the table.
Correk pulled out a baggie of grapes and plucked the troll off the table,
putting Yumfuck on his shoulder and handing him a grape. “Your Sunday dinners are getting crowded. You’re going to have to find a bigger place to live just to have dinners.”
“Yeah, not sure the general will let this happen all the time. He was feeling good after a couple wins. Hit him up at the right moment.”
“Do you even remember what it was like when you ate alone most of the time?”
“There were seconds. Nana texted me and said she’s bringing a plus one. My grandmother dating. There’s a concept.”
“Have you noticed that your mother and grandmother are doing better at dating than you are?”
“I don’t see you holding hands in a movie theater. Big talk, Cousin.”
“Maybe Alan Cohen should be your plus one. I’m feeling confident he’d accept.”
Leira threw a spoon at Correk’s head as he ducked.
“This is a lot of silverware for pizza from Home Slice. We could have met there.”
“I wanted Yumfuck to be able to actually eat with us. Even Hagan is stopping by for a slice before he takes off on a vacation with Rose. I hear they’re going on a cruise. About time he took some time off.”
There was a buzz from the door and Leira looked up at the virtual screen to see her mother and Don, holding the boxes of pizza. She pulled in energy, lighting up her arms and sent a stream of energy at the door, opening it. “What?”
Correk pressed his lips together, frowning. “It’s not a party trick. You need to be cautious.”
“Lighten up just a little. I won’t pull a Flying Nun on you. I have a handle on it.”
“Leira! We found the place. It’s so nice to see where you work. It was nice of the general to give us all temporary clearance. I suppose there’s not much to really see in here.” Eireka looked around at the simple structure. “We can add some plants.”