by Martha Carr
The men were all looking across at Hagan and didn’t see the troll.
“We have another player in the game, ladies!”
“You look a little long in the tooth, Grandpa. You sure you want to pay to play?”
The three goons were smiling, jostling each other and knocking against the old man at the bar who was doing his best to ignore them, his hands shaking around his beer. The bartender was backed against the far wall and eyeing the old phone near his head. The man with the bat spotted where he was looking and took a bat to the phone, sending the parts flying. Hagan kept moving forward, the troll right in front of him, cracking his knuckles letting out a tiny belch.
“Let’s kick some ass…” His voice came out in a low rumble. He pulled out the weighted billy club he kept in his pocket for emergencies.
The three men laughed and snorted as one of them punched his fist hard into his hand, leering at Hagan. One of them squinted at the back of Hagan’s jacket. “What does that say? PDA? Public display of affection?”
Hagan got close enough to the bar to protect the bartender and the old man and yelled, “Now!”
The troll let out a roar, shaking the tin roofing on the wall as he grew tall enough to brush his head against the ceiling, his claws extended, his teeth bared. Hagan stepped forward and put himself between the men and the old man at the bar and took a swing at the meathead in the flannel shirt, landing a punch squarely on the man’s nose, knocking him back as a trail of blood splattered in the air.
The troll took a menacing step forward, dragging his claws along the front of the bar, leaving deep ruts as the wood paneling made long curls that fell to the floor. He let out another roar, hot steamy air blowing into the men’s faces as spit hung from his fangs. “Come on, motherfuckers,” roared the troll.
“See, now that’s a proper use of the word.” Hagan smiled at the men, shaking his hand. “Still got it. Didn’t even need the billy club.”
The smiles dropped from the two other men as they picked up their friend and dragged him, stumbling toward the exit. Hagan noticed one of them had peed, a wet stain down one leg.
“Don’t ever come back!” The bartender shook his fist in the air.
The troll shrunk down to his regular size, his fur still standing up on his neck. Hagan reached down and held out his hand as Yumfuck climbed on board, depositing the troll on the bar.
“You did good. I owe you doughnuts from Voodoo.”
The troll ran to his boots and jacket, gathering his things. “Pissed me off when they messed with my boots.”
The bartender’s mouth hung open as he looked at the little troll talking. “Gotta cut out the weed too,” he muttered. He put out his hand to Hagan. “Tonight’s on me. Let me get you more fries and you and your little freaky pal are welcome in here anytime. Happy hour prices whenever you show up. That was legendary and will keep those hairless apes out of here for good. They’ve been causing trouble for weeks!” The bartender was still talking up a storm as he walked back to the kitchen.
“Hope the talking doesn’t become a habit.” Hagan looked at the troll and shrugged. “I kind of liked the quiet. You okay, sir? Let me buy you another beer.” Hagan leaned forward to get a better look at the man and his eyes widened. He was holding a wand.
“I was about to send them flying when the troll saved me from breaking the rules on magic. Was just thinking it’d be worth it to shut those assholes up. Can’t an old Wizard just get a quiet beer anymore?”
“I hear you, man. Let me buy your next one.” Hagan was pulling out his wallet when he noticed the two girls by the pool tables. “They must have come in when we were playing Galaga.” The girls were nervously laughing and looking down at their phones as Hagan’s face grew ashen. “Fuck me and the damn millennials with their phones. Berens is not going to take this well. I don’t suppose you’d delete that?” He waved at the girls who looked embarrassed even as they rolled their eyes.
“So, that’s a no then.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
It had been a while since General Anderson was out in the field. The call had come in and there was no time to reach Agent Berens and get her to Washington. At least that’s what he told himself. I can handle human beings running amok, even if they’ve got magical artifacts on them. This has all gone far enough. “Not my first damn rodeo,” he muttered.
“What’s that sir?” Alan Cohen leaned forward to try and hear what the general was saying.
“Nothing.” The general shook his head, holding up his hand. He held on to the strap just inside the helicopter as they flew over the Smithsonian Zoo in restricted air space. It was the shortest route to Rock Creek Park and time was of the essence. The helicopter touched down near the Riley Spring Bridge, flood lights turning the night into day illuminating a popular running trail.
The park was closed since dusk but the general had gotten qualified information that there was a worthwhile artifact in the park, left there during the time of the Civil War when the park was full of grist mills and Lincoln was known to walk through there on a shortcut to his son’s grave. Corporate goons were seen moving into the area to retrieve the item. That just chaps me five ways to Sundays to think of an American relic getting tossed around for profit. Throw these asshats under the courthouse.
He unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the helicopter, instinctively ducking as the rotors slowed. “Span out around the perimeter. Make sure none of the ground has been disturbed anywhere.”
“Alright, let’s go.” Alan took the lead and directed the search parties into different directions. He had an uneasy feeling about the entire operation as soon as they landed and there was no sign of anyone. Either the artifact was already gone or their information was bad. Both options would be bad news.
Lois and Patsy spilled out of a black SUV, their wands at the ready. “I don’t know what the general hopes we can find. These aren’t divining rods. We don’t point them at things and take readings.” Patsy looked flustered, brushing back her hair and finally giving up, using her wand to pull it back into a bun.
Lois looked around and spotted the general at the edge of the bright lights peering into the darkness. She grabbed Patsy’s hand, pushing up her glasses with the other, still holding onto her wand. “Come on, let’s go get our marching orders. General, we’re here!”
The general turned around, a tense smile coming to his face. “Good! You can trace magic being used, correct?” He didn’t wait for an answer even as Patsy and Lois both nodded their heads. “Scan the area to see if you can pick up on anything. We need all hands-on deck to stop these corporate raids. I’ve had enough and in my own goddamned backyard!”
Patsy and Lois stole a look at each other. They had never seen the general so worked up. “The boss needs us. Let’s get to work,” whispered Lois. “You take the right side and I’ll go left. Send up a small flare if you find anything and I’ll come running.”
“If it’s a bunch of human beings digging around in the dirt for something magical there may not be a trail to find.”
“I know that as well as you do but we have to try. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
The Witches spread out, scanning the area for a sparkling trail of residue but found nothing. The search parties walked only arm length apart, slowly scanning with flashlight and covering every square inch of ground but there was no sign of overturned earth. Digs in the area based on the intel had specified they only found the remains of someone’s beloved pet.
“Nothing,” hissed the general, angrily taking off his hat and slapping it against his leg. “We’ve been had, but good.”
“General, there’s a call coming in for you over the secure line.” Alan Cohen handed him the phone, a grim look on his face. The general already knew what they were going to tell him.
“Where was it?”
The aide on the other end of the phone gave the data as efficiently as possible, ignoring the angry muttering. It was a loss. “Harlem in upper Manhattan.
The bad intel was close.”
“Any good lie needs to be,” spit out the general.
“It was full of our history but wrong era. It was from the American Revolution, and the Battle of Harlem Heights where General Washington had his first win against the British. The victors are already crowing about it on the dark web but we haven’t been able to figure out who they are just yet. We picked up a few but turns out they were posers wanting to get in on the celebration.”
“They will have moved it several times by now. Dammit! Do we at least know what the good goddamn it was?”
“The chatter is saying it was a map of the area from thousands of years ago made from the hide of an animal and very powerful. It was in someone’s basement hidden in a wall. Historical building and protected from demolition. Bricks finally needed repointing and they found it preserved in its case. He put it up on eBay. Dumb motherfucker. A Wizard who lives nearby paid him a few hundred dollars and started an auction of his own. That’s why they needed the cover to distract us. The auction was tonight. They were worried we’d say national security and take it from them.”
“They were right.”
“The winning bid came from a corporate source. A grouping. That’s all we know so far, sir.”
“One big FUBAR. Get me the source who fed us this bullshit so expertly.”
“He’s in the wind, sir. Can’t tell if he’s dead or alive, or if he knew what he was doing or not but he’s gone.”
The general hung up without saying goodbye, handing the phone back to Alan.
“There needs to be some changes. We’re not winning enough of these races. Get Agent Berens on the phone. I’ve had enough of playing this one by the rules, even if we’re the dumb fuckers who made up the rules.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Room 302 in the Driskill Hotel was repaired to look the same as it was before the world in between opened up spilling out some of its contents. The window frame was restored and the furniture that was singed in strange burn patterns with long, thin black lines was sanded down and repaired. The carpet was too far gone, covered in a strange slime no one could explain and nothing would remove. It was stripped out of the room and replaced with the same color, same texture as if nothing out of the ordinary ever occurred there.
But, things happen that are a little trickier to repair. The veil between the world of the living and the world in between was stretched thin in places and didn’t snap back. The word was spreading throughout the world in between and dark creatures slinked around the site, checking in, hoping for another tear to set them loose.
The world in between wasn’t letting go that easily. Magical creatures trapped inside found their way to the room, pressing up against the veil and gesturing wildly to the guests who naively slept there. More than one quickly packed all their belongings, marching up to the front desk, demanding a different room. Others just complained about a constant chill in the air no matter what they set the thermostat to. The maids whispered to each other that there was something just not quite right about the room and would shudder, arguing about whose turn it was to clean.
The room was left without a guest most of the time, it was easier. A maid pushing her cart down the hall heard sizzling and popping through the door, and she carefully placed her ear closer as the sound grew louder. She looked around to see if anyone else was nearby and heard it too. No one. She got out the key card and held it close to the door, hesitating as the sound died away. She leaned in to listen again. Nothing.
She pushed the cart away quickly, letting it go, not wanting to be there if something else happened that she couldn’t ignore.
A portal from Oriceran opened wide and Harry stepped through, sinking his boots into the carpet. He was a young half Wizard, half Light Elf who made his living as a scavenger and prided himself on going to any lengths to get what he wanted. “Never taking a half measure. That gets you nowhere.” It was his mantra.
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.