Bella Flores Urban Fantasy Collection

by R D Martin

  “How the company works. I got that. But why does he need you to be there? Hell, why’s he there? Shouldn’t he just send someone?”

  “Babe, I told you. He doesn’t trust people to handle things like this by themselves. That’s why. I know you’re disappointed, but I—”

  “Disappointed? Of course I’m disappointed. The weather’s just getting nice and—” She stopped, cutting herself off mid-sentence. Even she could hear the whining in her voice and felt the creep of embarrassment worming its way up her spine.

  “I know, and I’ll make it up to you. Promise.”

  His puppy dog eyes made her stomach flip, and she sighed. There was nothing she could do about it anyhow.

  “You’d better. Another three weeks and I’ll go mad. When you get back, we will go on vacation, somewhere no one will bother us for a week and I can have you to myself.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” he said, grin widening. “Speaking of vacation, how’s work coming?”

  Groaning, she fell back on the bed, hair fanning out around her. Grabbing a pillow, she pulled it over her face and screamed into it.

  “That good, huh?” Sitting up, holding the pillow in her lap, she stared at his image.

  “I just don’t get it. I mean, I’m strong, right? Didn’t we save the kids? Didn’t I kick Ladon’s multi-headed ass? So why are they treating me like a kid learning her first spell? I should be out there doing something. Anything. But am I? No. Instead of exploring new places and hunting for treasure, they’ve got me staring at a candle all day. And when they want me to do something, it’s always just a delivery job. Last week…” she trailed off, almost too embarrassed to continue.

  “Last week?”

  “No, never mind.”

  “No, go on. Tell me.”

  “It’s just, well…”

  “Yes?”

  “Well, they had me deliver a box to a Golem. It kind of, well, it broke open before I could deliver it. Just a little, though.”

  “So?”

  “So? They filled it with rocks.”

  “Yeah, and?”

  “Do you know what Stone Golems eat?”

  “I can guess.”

  “Rocks! They sent me to deliver rocks. I’m not a Witch anymore. I’m a pizza delivery girl.” She mimed holding an invisible pizza box above her head. “Here’s your order, sir. Thirty minutes or less, that’s our motto.” When William snorted, she stopped miming her delivery. “I’m serious. They’re supposed to teach me some awesome magic, make me into a kick-ass Finder. That was the deal, and so far, they’ve done nothing.”

  “Don’t you think you’re being a little hard on them? I mean, they’ve been trying to teach you, haven’t they?”

  “Only Gar. I haven’t seen the Finder since the day I started. Maybe if he taught me, I could learn something.”

  “So Gar isn’t doing anything?”

  “No. Well, I don’t know. Maybe. It’s just that he can do all these amazing things, and I can’t even put out a candle without blowing on it. Maybe his magic’s different from mine. Maybe I can’t do it because he just can’t teach it. A bird can’t teach fish to fly, right?”

  “You think that’s it?”

  “I, no. No, I don’t. But still.”

  “I know. It’s frustrating. I get it.”

  “Yeah, and you’re not here either, which makes it worse.”

  “I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise. Hey, I got a surprise for you.”

  “What?”

  “A surprise. I got one for you.”

  “What is it?”

  “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”

  “If you ever want to sleep in my bed again, you’ll talk,” she said, eyes narrowing as he laughed.

  “All right, hold on.” His image disappeared for a moment, leaving an empty glowing white and green circle floating in the air. When his face reappeared, it carried a mischievous twinkle, practically shouting his excitement. Her pulse quickened a bit.

  “So, I met this amazing craftsman out here. He uses river stones and crystals to make jewelry like nothing I’ve ever seen. He bonds the stones at a molecular level so it’s impossible to break them apart.”

  “What is it? Let me see?”

  “Well, I know how much you like jewelry.”

  “Let me see.” She felt the rush of blood to her cheeks.

  “I tell you, I’ve seen nothing like it before. And the best part, you’ll be the only one to have something even remotely like this.”

  “William, you’re killing me here.”

  “All right, close your eyes.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Close ’em.”

  “Okay, closing them.” A warm tingling rippled across her skin, coursing down her arms to the tips of her fingers. With her eyes closed, the thrumming of her heartbeat was loud in her ears.

  “Okay, you can look.”

  Blinking away the light blindness, she focused on the floating image and screamed, throwing the pillow through it to thud against the wall while she scooted back as fast as she could. Floating in the circle, dangling by a small piece of twine, was an iridescent stone spider the size of her fist.

  “See, I told you it was nice, right? I mean, just look at the detail. You can even see where the artist used his pincers to grind tiny hair into the legs.”

  “William?”

  “And the thorax. How he got—"

  “William,” she said again, this time with more force.

  “Hmm? You like it, right?”

  “William?”

  “Yes?”

  “Good night.” Waving her hand, she sent a blast of static at the image in the spell. The green and white light hissed and popped for a moment before bursting into a shower of sparks falling to the table.

  “That was rude, you know,” said a voice from the doorway.

  Bella turned to see Cat staring up at her while his tail swished behind him.

  “All he wanted to do was give you a gift. And a rather nice one if you ask me.” His pleasure at his own wit cut short as he hopped up, barely missing the electric spark she sent flying at him. Turning in midair, the familiar landed on its paws and darted from the doorway, leaving nothing but the fading echo of his laughter.

  Falling back against the bed, she stared at the ceiling for a minute, replaying her recent life in her mind. It’s time, she thought. Tomorrow I’ll demand they give me something more than a delivery job to do. There’s got to be more to life than this. As resolved as she felt, she still had trouble strangling that still, small voice in the back of her head as it whispered to her, telling her maybe they were right. Maybe she wasn’t meant to be a Finder. Maybe it was time to look for something else to do.

  The sound of the television blaring the theme to a soap opera from the living room distracted her. Levering herself up, she stared at the open doorway. Maybe they knew she wasn’t ready, but that was only for now, right? She could get stronger. She could learn the advanced magics. As long as Gar was willing to teach, she was willing to learn. He wouldn’t waste his time for nothing, would he?

  Questions running through her mind, she stepped out of the room and strode down the hall. She could do this, couldn’t she?

  3

  It hadn’t taken as much begging as she’d thought. Gar had been resistant at first, telling her she wasn’t ready to go on a retrieval, but her determination won.

  “There’s one job…” Gar conceded, though with what appeared to be some reluctance.

  “Yes?” Her heart thrummed and every nerve ending buzzed as if she held a live wire.

  “It’s not that big of a deal. We’ve got a new client who wants us to retrieve a bit of property.”

  “So, what is it?”

  “No. No, I shouldn’t have said anything. You need more time.”

  The electric feeling turned to ice as the bottom dropped from her stomach.

&n
bsp; “Come on, Gar. You said it wasn’t a big deal. What is it?”

  The hairy creature shook its head, causing its long coat to ripple like waves on a pond.

  “No, forget I said anything. Let’s just get back to—"

  “Please, Gar. Tell me. I’m going crazy here and need something to do.”

  “You’ve got plenty to do.”

  “You know what I mean. I need to get out. To go do something. Being here is great and all, but it feels like I’m a prisoner.”

  “Really?”

  “I mean it,” she said, ignoring his wry remark. “I’m supposed to be out there, hunting down lost magic. That’s what you said I’d be doing.” Taking a breath, she tried to make her voice as deep as possible. “Retrieving ancient artifacts, discovering the eldritch past, and learning secrets kept hidden by the gods themselves.”

  “Was that supposed to be me?”

  “Come on, Gar. I’m so bored. Please, let me do this. Please?”

  Though she couldn’t see his face through the thick mat of hair, she’d known him long enough to realize he was wavering. Seconds seemed to stretch into hours as the pause in conversation ticked on.

  “All right,” he said with a great sigh. “All right. One job. You’re in and out, then right back here to study. And I expect you to work at it this time.”

  Whatever else he’d been about to say cut off as Bella squealed in excitement. Throwing her arms around her giant companion, she squeezed for all she was worth.

  “Thank you, thank you. You won’t regret it, I promise.”

  “Hugs. What did I say about hugs?”

  Bella stepped back, the smile still plastered on her face.

  “So what am I going after? A giant slaying sword? A mystic spear that flies around the world? A painting that eats the souls of anyone looking at it? What is it?” She hopped in place, excitement so palpable it almost made the air around her shiver.

  “Oh, it’s special, all right. One of a kind.”

  Her grin widened.

  “Formed by the elements and passed from hand to hand for ages. Its secrets known only to those that possess it.” His hands wove an intricate pattern and a white mist poured fourth, spilling to the marble floor of the Finder’s lobby like an effervescent waterfall. “The source of fortune, infamy and murder. It spared the ignominious and brought down kings.” Lights flared deep inside the mist as it rose, curling in on itself, forming a knot in the air. Fingers of the white mist flowed around each other in intricate patterns, mimicking the movements of Gar’s hands.

  Bella stared, frozen in place as she watched the mist dance and sway, undulating to a rhythm only it heard. The center of the mass shifted, turning and spinning, causing the white cloud to pull even tighter.

  “What… What is it?” she asked, gripped with a combination of wonder and fear. An image formed in the center of the smoke, something round and pointed that tickled the edge of her memories.

  “It’s a source of wonder. A construct of pure magical and mathematical perfection.”

  The smoky image snapped into clarity and Bella, leaning in for a close look, blinked in surprise.

  “It’s a shell.”

  “What? No. It’s an artifact of great renown. It has brought down the most high and—"

  “It’s a shell. A conch shell. There’s the opening and the spiral crown. It even has little spikes on the outside.”

  “It’s— Oh, all right. It’s a shell.” As he dropped his hands, the spell evaporated and the mist disappeared. “You know, you can suck all the fun out of things.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, hiding her own disappointment behind a halfhearted smile. She’d been expecting something more exciting than a seashell. “Tell me about your shell.”

  “Conch.”

  “Conch. Tell me about your conch.”

  “Nope. You’ve ruined it, now,” he said, shaking his head.

  “Please. I want to know. Please.”

  He huffed for a moment before speaking. “You remember the story of Daedalus?”

  “The guy with the wax wings? Yeah.”

  “Well, after escaping King Minos, he made his way to Sicily. Minos set a trap for him.”

  “Yeah, the ant and the shell, right?” Bella preened a bit. “He threaded the shell by tying a string to an ant. But that was just a regular shell. Nothing special about it.”

  “Don’t jump ahead. Anyway, after murdering Minos, Daedalus did a lot of things for Sicily, including designing several public buildings. While digging the foundation for a new building, the entire crew went mad, gouging out their own eyes and screaming of curses. It affected even King Cocalus. His wife begged Daedalus for help. Daedalus learned it wasn’t a curse on the area, but spirits tormenting the people for disturbing their graves.”

  Bella nodded. Though she’d never heard the story before, it made some sense. Most spirits move on after death, but those that don’t would stay close to their remains. When the workers disturbed the remains, the spirits would be upset. And since they were incorporeal, there wasn’t a spell to use against them.

  “But Daedalus was a genius. He came up with a plan, and though he was against using magic, he visited a Witch. I believe you’ve met her. Goes by the name Ceto.”

  The blood in her veins turned to ice at the name. Clasping her hands together, she rubbed the back of one where, though she couldn’t see it, she knew the mark still existed.

  “Anyway, he convinced her that his son’s drowning was a sacrifice to her and she owed him. Taking the conch, she spelled it so anything, living or dead, that entered the conch would forever be lost in its spirals, unable to escape until their bones turned to dust. He took the shell, and one by one, captured each of the spirits tormenting the city. Since then, the shell has been a prison of sorts, trapping spirits that refused to move on.”

  “So, wait,” Bella said, holding up a hand. “You mean this shell—"

  “Conch.”

  “This conch is a prison for spirits? Just the restless dead though, right?”

  Gar shook his head, understanding how she felt. “Any spirit. Stick your fingers in the shell and it’ll suck out your soul.”

  “So how did he get the spirits to enter the conch?”

  “Different stories have different versions. In some, he drops in a piece of bone or something precious, causing the spirit to reach for it. In others, he waves the shell through them. There are even versions where he shoves the hand of a possessed worker into the shell, letting it suck out the worker’s soul and the spirit at the same time.”

  “What does our client want with something like that?” she asked.

  “Not our business to ask. We just locate and retrieve,” he said, shrugging.

  “So, where is it?”

  “The Finder located it in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. You sure you’re ready? It could be… dangerous.”

  “I’m ready. Trust me. Besides, all I have to do is not stick my fingers in. I think I can manage that.”

  4

  Tracing a pitchfork shaped rune into the steel lock, Bella fed magic into it and watched as centuries of rust overtook the dull metal. When the spell finished, it was a simple matter of tugging on the lock to pop it open. Letting it fall to the ground, wiping her hand on the back of her pants, she pushed open the gate blocking her entrance to the old farm. Smiling, she started up the road to the farmhouse. She took fewer than a dozen steps before she felt the tingle of the farm’s barrier spell press against her. She smiled as she came to a halt.

  Opening herself to magic, she closed her eyes and looked at the ward with her inner sight. Red and orange waves rippled across the surface of a dome covering the entire farmhouse and at least twenty yards of property. The dome appeared to be made of multiple layers she’d have to get through to make it to the farmhouse.

  Reaching out, she let the ripples of the dome pass through her hands, tasting the intent of the magic, though she suspected she already knew. As the m
agic washed through her, it confirmed her suspicions. The outer layer of the dome was a warning for anyone with the ability to see magic trying to pass through, the magical equivalent of a no trespassing sign.

  Taking a breath, she stepped through. Electric tingles raced through her body, tickling her skin and leaving a coppery taste in her mouth. This level of the barrier wasn’t harmful, but the spell caster wanted to make sure any Witch walking through wouldn’t ignore it either.

  “One down,” she said, more to bolster her courage than anything else. The tingling sensation lasted a moment longer before disappearing. Taking a breath, she closed her eyes and opened herself up again, repeating the process.

  The bright colors of the second layer of the dome surprised her. She’d been expecting something ominous, like a spell to paralyze or kill. Instead, she faced a wall of bright pastels of pink and yellow. The magic felt light and warm, like snuggling in a favorite blanket in front of a fire.

  Reaching out, she tested the barrier. Just like the colors, the structure was soft and ephemeral. It was like waving her hand through a curtain of silk strings. Pulling her hand back, she leaned in closer. Touching the ward should have activated it. Seconds turned to minutes, accompanied only by the drone of crickets and buzz of insects.

  Hoping she was doing the right thing, Bella stepped through the ward and felt as though she’d been caught in an unexpected downpour as hundreds of thoughts and questions flooded through her mind, filling even the furthest reaches of her thoughts. What am I doing for dinner? Did I leave the stove on? How’s Cat getting on with Samantha? Love that kid. I should have a kid. Lot of kids. Where’s William? He’d love lots of kids. I hope he isn’t mad at me for ending our call the way I did. I should call him now. Oh, I haven’t talked to Karina for a couple of days. She’s probably worried about me. I should call her. Where’s my phone? Ah, the car. I need to go to the car. Why am I here again? Never mind. I’ll come back later. The phone. Where’s the phone? At the car. I’m hungry. What’s for lunch? Maybe I should go back to the hotel? Am I tired? I do feel a little run down.

  The roar of the car’s engine brought her out of the trance. Shaking her head, clearing it of stray cobwebs of thought, she stared at the driver’s wheel for a moment. Why had she…? A flush crept up her neck and turned her cheeks a rosy red.