by Logan Byrne
All I could control was my own actions tonight. I didn’t know anything about Benko or what he was capable of, and as long as I went into it with extreme caution and the determination to take him down, it would all work out. We had numbers and the element of surprise. That was all we needed to make this happen.
“You look stressed,” Rosie said, catching me off-guard as I walked out of my tent to get dinner. I knew I needed to be well-fed and energized before the battle tonight.
“Oh, hey, I didn’t know you were there,” I said.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, concerned.
“Yeah, it’s just, you know, that time of the month,” I whispered.
“Oh, got it. I know what that’s like,” she said.
I didn’t like lying to her, not one bit. It was hard, looking into the eyes of somebody I cared about and knowing my words weren’t truthful. To know that Rosie, who trusted me, was being fed lies as I snuck around behind her back. I wanted to tell myself it was for the greater good, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
“Getting some dinner?” she asked, walking with me.
“Yeah, I’m getting a little hungry,” I said, shrugging and putting my hands in my pockets.
“Yeah, I was going to get some food as well. Mind if I join you?” she asked.
“Not at all, I’d love that,” I said, as we entered the mess tent.
“Raul and I were thinking of going for a walk later or watching a movie or something. You want to join us? It’d be fun to have you there as well,” she asked.
“Oh,” I said, scratching the back of my head and trying to think of an appropriate lie to get myself out of it. “You know, I just think with my period and all that I’m going to check myself in early and just sleep. I always get really tired this time of the month, and I’m never that much fun.”
“Damn, okay, I guess it didn’t hurt to try. Maybe I’ll swing by and bring you some tea later. My mom makes the best brew that’s amazing for cramps,” she said.
“No!” I shouted, startling her. “I mean, you don’t have to do that! Just enjoy your time with Raul and I’ll get through it.” I tried smiling, though awkwardly, as I wanted to keep her from having any interest in stopping by. I didn’t need her coming to check on an empty tent.
“Oh, okay, are you sure? I just want to be a good friend,” she said.
“You are, trust me, you’re amazing and the absolute best, but I’ll be okay, really I will. I just want you two to have a fun time together,” I said.
“If you say so. Anyway, did you hear the Chancellor Pote is going to have me start trying to hack some government systems?” she asked, as we sat down with our trays.
“That’s quite the opportunity. I’m so happy that you’re getting a chance to really show your skills and what you’re capable of. Too bad Faus isn’t here to help you out,” I said.
“He’s that shorter guy, isn’t he? Your friend from back at the precinct,” she asked.
“Yeah, that’s him. He’s a really great guy,” I said.
“So what’s his deal then?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Is he, you know, single?” she asked, smiling a little.
“You like Faus?” I asked, in astonishment. Faus was a great guy, don’t get me wrong, and I loved him to death, but he wasn’t exactly swimming in dates or women interested in him. He was more of a loner who would rather be surrounded with beakers and wires than beautiful women, but who could blame him? With a brain that full of information, it must be hard to focus on anything else.
“Well, I mean, I don’t know if I like him, I don’t even know him, but I’d like to get to know him,” she said.
“As far as I know yes, he’s single, but he never dates. I’m not even sure he’s ever had a girlfriend,” I said.
“I just figure we’re both small, we’re both coders, and we both love science. We could be the perfect match,” she said. “But I do have one question about him.”
“Shoot,” I said, before swallowing a huge bite of my mashed potatoes.
“What’s up with him? There was something when we met him about him having some sort of powers?” she asked hesitantly, like she wasn’t sure if she should bring it up.
“Ah, I know what you mean. He doesn’t like talking about it much, mainly because he’s embarrassed, I think. He’s a sort of shifter, I guess you could say,” I said.
“What do you mean? What kind of shifter? That doesn't make any sense,” she said.
“Well, it’s because he can’t control it. It’s something that comes with anger, and it’s a form that isn’t exactly friendly. He never lets it come out, unless it’s life or death, you know?” I asked, trying to avoid answering her question.
“You should beat Kiren so you can become a politician, because you sure sound like one right now. Just tell me, I won’t tell anybody else,” she said, leaning in.
“Well, you see, he does shift, or he can, rather, but it’s into a Minotaur,” I explained, whispering the last part.
Her eyes opened wide. She was totally taken off-guard by my comment, as most people would be. Most people had a certain sense of trepidation when it came to Minotaurs, and their track records of violence didn’t exactly help, but Rosie shouldn’t judge Faus based on that.
“Like I said, it never comes out, and it’s not something he’s proud of or likes. He has a flaw, some might say a major one, but he’s the sweetest guy you’ll ever meet in your life,” I said.
“It does scare me, I won’t lie about that. What if he shifted and killed me or something?” she asked.
“He wouldn’t, I promise he wouldn’t. If you like him, or think you might, I’d just go for it. Not everybody is perfect, and you won’t ever find a partner without flaws in one way or another. But you should look at his heart as he is most of the time, and not what he would look like a tiny bit of the time,” I said, really working on his behalf.
“I guess you’re right. It’s something he was born with, and not something he can help, I guess. I shouldn’t discount him for something he didn’t choose to be. I’ll go out with him, assuming he’ll agree to go out with me, and we can see if there are any sparks. If there are, then we’ll just work around it, especially if it never comes out like you said,” she said.
“That’s awesome, I’ll make sure to try to set something up. I think you two would be really cute together,” I said, smiling.
“Well, I bet Raul is out trying to find me, so I better get going,” she said, standing up with her tray. “I hope you feel better, and if you change your mind and want to come out with us, you’re more than welcome,” she said.
“Thank you, I’ll definitely keep that in mind,” I said, before she tossed her garbage and left the tent.
I looked at the time, the minutes and hours quickly counting down, much faster than I’d expected. I shoved the rest of my food into my stomach and drank a glass of water.
With my leg nervously shaking two hours later, I put on my jacket and zipped myself up to make sure I would be safe. I’d taken some extra black garlic from the tent after Britta took mine, making sure to keep it with me in case Benko got out of hand. I wasn’t even sure it would work on him, since his age and cleverness might be too great for the black garlic to work, but you could never be too safe when dealing with somebody like him. We needed all the weapons and resources we could get.
I gripped my wand, taking in a deep breath, before leaving the sanctity of my tent and teleporting back onto that rooftop, where Blake was standing in front of me, his arms crossed and a smile on his face.
“Good evening, my love,” he said, hugging me. I kissed him, feeling a burst of fluttering butterflies tickle my stomach, before leaning back and looking into his eyes.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I said, squeezing him tighter and putting my head against his chest.
16
“You need to keep yourself hidden,” Blake said before we left the
rooftop.
“I hate having to do this,” I complained, before taking one of the pills to disguise my face.
“I know you do, but it’s the only way we can be sure you won’t be recognized. If this Benko guy knows it’s you, he’ll try to capture you,” he said. “I just want you to stay safe.”
My face warped and bubbled around, and when I looked at my hands I saw a few freckles appear, my hair turning ginger and growing another inch or two. “Still think I’m cute?” I asked.
“As long as I know you’re in there, you’ll always be cute,” he said.
“Where are the others?” I asked, as we descended the rooftop and exited onto the street.
“They’re in wait near Grand Central in the mortal realm. They wanted me to get you and bring you to the location. I guess they didn’t want Pote to track the location in case they knew where you were headed,” he said.
“I can’t believe this case is finally going to come to a close. It’s so bizarre to think about how long we’ve been working on this. We’ve tried so hard, and I’ve put so much of myself into it, and now it’s going to be over,” I said, before we walked through a portal into the mortal realm.
“I know, it seems like just yesterday we were doing our first raid on that club, and now look at us. This isn’t going to be like that, though. This will be a bit more serious, especially with what we know about this guy,” he said, as we walked down Forty-Second Street towards the terminal.
“What did you find out?” I asked, since Faus and Mirian failed to clue me in on anything they’d discovered.
“Well, like you said before, he’s been around a while. He’s from Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, at least originally. There are accounts of him all over Europe, before he came to America in the early 1900s. He’s been running a crime syndicate, featuring vampires at the forefront, since he originally became a vampire, or at least soon after. He hasn’t always stayed in the same businesses, either dumping off for new ideas or just constantly recycling ones from a long time ago to avoid raising suspicion. He’s witty and intelligent, and you finding out his location is really the godsend we needed,” he said.
“I think I did get lucky with that one. I can’t believe Mirian didn’t ream me out for reading that ogre’s mind,” I said, realizing that I never got yelled at for it. I had a feeling that if I hadn’t found out what I did about Mirian, he would’ve punished me for using that spell, especially outside the precinct.
“I think he was too worried about what you’d found out to be mad. He knows that getting flushed out of M.A.G.I.C. is too costly a gamble to take,” he said.
“Do you know the plan for tonight?” I asked, alluding to the plan Mirian and I had discussed before.
“I do, yes. Mirian was very frank with all of us regarding that aspect of the mission,” Blake said.
“And?” I asked.
“Listen, I might not be the right person to ask about that one, babe. It’s not like vampire and werewolf relations have ever been that great, so that’s one thing. Another is that I know what this man does and how many people he’s violated and murdered on his quest for riches and glory. Even if he didn’t have connections with Kiren, and we could toss him away without him getting broken out, it’s too risky. We need to get rid of him, as far as I’m concerned,” he said.
When we were only blocks from Grand Central Terminal, Blake pointed to an alleyway with a small column of steam billowing up from a sewer grate. “This is it,” he said.
We slipped down into the sewers, the stench of feces and trash pungent enough to singe my nose hairs, as I tried to breathe through my mouth. “How far away?” I asked.
“Not too far, we’re getting close. There will be a way into the track from here,” he said.
We walked for another few minutes before slipping through a hole in the brick wall, and I was immediately tackled and squeezed tightly. “Lexa,” Charlie said, hugging me. I giggled as Britta came over and wrapped herself around me, before Blake joined in and made it a family moment.
“You guys,” I said, my cheeks starting to hurt from smiling so much. “I’m so happy you’re here. Another mission together.”
“We wouldn’t dream of letting you go into this alone. We’re all here to help,” Britta said, pointing at the rest of the people standing around in the tunnel.
I counted around the smiling faces, counting fifteen people including myself. Our numbers were large and strong, with mages, shifters, and even Xelia, who stood there with her arms crossed. “Are you sure you’re up for this?” I asked, looking at her.
“I might be a vampire, but even I have to draw a line in the sand somewhere. What this man has done in his lifetime is disgusting, and I for one will be happy once this entire case is over and those affected can have justice,” she said, causing me to well up a little.
“Then let’s get it done,” I said.
Mirian put the tip of his wand to his head, and I noticed little bursts of magic coming out. They were almost naked to the human eye, and maybe I could only see them because I myself was a witch, but they were definitely there. “There’s only one guard, a man, standing outside the entrance to the hidden room. It’s a large room, and there are ten people inside,” he said, before pulling down his wand.
“What? How do you know that?” Britta asked.
“It’s an advanced magic, sort of like using a radar system to see nearby threats. We should be able to take control of this room fairly easily, but we need to take out the guard before he can alert them to our presence,” Mirian said.
“Leave it to me,” Xelia said, cracking her knuckles.
“How far away are we?” I asked.
“Probably three minutes walking, so be on high alert and try not to make any noise. There are a lot of things you could accidentally kick down here, and getting them by surprise is key to this working,” Mirian said.
We stuck to the side of the curved wall in a single-file line, the mages with their wands out, as the shifters kept on high alert, ready to transform at a moment’s notice. Xelia led the pack, creeping up on the poor guard who was looking at his phone, before using her vampire speed to run in and grab him.
She pulled him back towards us, her hand over his mouth, before Mirian immobilized him and dropped him to the ground. “He should be out for fifteen minutes, and I have a feeling he’s going to be angry once he awakens. Let’s move,” he said, and we huddled outside the doorway.
The number sixty-one was written above where the guard was standing, just like in Theodore’s memory. My wand glowed faintly blue, my stomach in knots, as Mirian pointed his wand at the brick wall in front of him.
“Ready?” he asked quietly, looking back at us. We all nodded, giving him the sign to move, as the shifters began their transformations. Charlie twisted in mid-air, turning into his jaguar form, Blake got angry and transformed into a werewolf, and the others all flipped around, turning the tunnel into a zoo. “Eruptico Maximus,” Mirian said, a bolt of red magic balling up at the end of his wand before erupting and smashing into the wall.
It shattered, an explosion rocking the tunnel, before all fifteen of us piled in, taking all sides, as the vampires inside tried to stop us. “Under the authority of M.A.G.I.C., you all are under arrest. Give up now while you have a chance to keep your lives,” Mirian said, his wand pointed at them.
“And here I was, enjoying dinner, when you had to rudely barge in,” Benko said, sitting in his dining chair just like I’d seen him in the vision.
“Just give up now peacefully, Benko,” Mirian said, as the others started to swarm around the hissing vampires, whose fangs were growing and eyes were turning red.
“You must be Mirian. I’ve heard so much about you, but I’m afraid I cannot go anywhere with you, at least not today. My schedule is just so full these days and what will my associates think if I don’t show up to meetings with them?” Benko asked snidely.
You could tell he treated this as a joke, as if we weren
’t serious and couldn’t take him down. I couldn’t say that I blamed him. He’d been around for centuries, running criminal empires and making people do his bidding without so much as lifting a finger. Why would he be scared of us? In his mind he was untouchable, and a bunch of M.A.G.I.C. agents weren’t going to be able to do what countless others had likely tried and failed. His ego would be his downfall, though.
“Men,” Benko said, smiling. “Attack.”
The vampires rushed in, the air around them blurring as they ran so quickly my eyes could barely keep up. All hell broke out around us, the vampires attacking our agents, as spells flew from wands and the shifters tried to use brute force.
I stood there, shocked, as Blake and Charlie rushed a vampire, pinning him to the ground, but he overpowered them both. Some of them weren’t normal vampires at all—they were something else. They couldn’t be pure vampires, could they? How were they this grown already? What if Benko had been incubating others before the ones we found? What if these ones were decades old already, and we were just now catching onto his operation?
Charlie was thrown against the wall, squealing like a hurt kitten, before slinking down and trying to stand up. Blake used all his might, his eyes turning beet red as his fur grew thicker and thicker. He was going primal, turning into the thing that maybe would stand a chance.
“Get down!” Britta yelled, pushing me back, before shooting a stunning spell at a vampire who was flying through the air at us. She’d used Rigormorio, but it didn’t take him down. It slowed him a little, his limbs seeming like they were moving through water, but it should have frozen him in place.
As he came at us, the two of us stood there stunned and panicked. His mouth was open as he hissed violently at us. His teeth looked sharper than a rattlesnake’s, his mouth almost unhinged as he vied for our blood, wanting to make us like him.
I reached into my pocket and took out the black garlic, pulling off a clove, and threw it straight at him. It hit his tooth, rebounding into his mouth, and he choked a little, swallowing it and looking at me with wide, panicked eyes. He fell to his knees, shaking his head, trying to wear off the effects of the black garlic I’d just force-fed him.