Bella Flores Urban Fantasy Collection

by R D Martin

Looking around, she had to admit he had a point. Alligators looked like floating logs until their mouths opened.

  “Faeries are bright and colorful,” he continued. “They want you to follow them, and they’ll lead you in so deep you’ll never get out. Once they have you, they’ll knock you from your boat if they can’t sink it and wait for your corpse to float. More people disappear in the swamp because of them than because of gators.”

  She wanted to ask why the colorful creatures would drown people, but decided against it. Better to think them beautiful and ephemeral than learn the truth.

  Another fifteen minutes of silence punctuated only by the sounds of nature went by before the boat slid between two giant trees and a house came into view. Calling it a house was giving it credit it didn’t deserve. It reminded her more of a two-story version of Frank’s shack more than anything else. A platform sat a couple of feet above the water’s surface, built on the stump of trees cut to height. The builders had let nothing go to waste, however, and used the fallen timber to erect walls like a log cabin. Whoever built the original structure must have known what they were doing because, though decades of moss and lichen grew from the bottom half, it looked like it was the more stable of the two parts.

  The upper half of the structure had to be a new addition. The builders, rather than using entire logs, settled for roughhewn lumber. Gray-green mold ran in horizontal streaks across the wall’s flat surface, making the newer structure stand out from the older even more. The incongruous look was enough that, if the building were alive, she would swear it was on the verge of being sick.

  Ray poled their boat a little more to the side, trying to give them a better view of the house. From her position, she could see a short dock jutting out from the platform like a lolled tongue.

  Twisting in her seat, she looked up at Ray. Satisfied in his own survey, he nudged their boat into the cleared area around the structure and let it drift until its nose kissed the dock. Closing her eyes, she tried to see if the mists of magic showed anyone in the structure, but aside from some tiny, quick creatures scuttling about, there didn’t appear to be anyone home.

  A metallic click caught her attention, and she turned around to see Ray cocking back the hammer on an old revolver with a too long barrel. Even under the darkened canopy of the bayou, the metal gleamed as though freshly polished. The piece looked like it belonged in a museum dedicated to the Old West. As though hypnotized by the weapon, she watched him twist the cylinder and load bullets into it like a professional.

  She’d never liked guns. On some deep level, she understood magic was far more deadly than a gun could ever be, but unlike guns, it could heal and harm. Guns only had one purpose, and the fact he’d brought one made her shiver. She might be hypocritical, and she had a few bodies on her hands, but she’d never brought a weapon to a fight. Bringing a gun meant being ready to kill.

  Pushing the weapon into the back of his jeans, Ray made sure he secured the boat before reaching out a hand to help her up. Somehow she’d gotten used to the swaying of the boat in the water, and it took a moment to get her balance as she stepped on the platform. The rubber soles of her shoes gave a high-pitched squeak that bounced between trees and the house. The noise may as well have been a shot from Ray’s gun. Sounds of nature cut out as birds either stilled their songs or took to wing. Insects forsook their buzzing, and even those creatures hidden beyond the tree line froze in place. It was as if the entire swamp held its breath, waiting to see what happened next.

  When nobody charged out of the house, Bella tried to ignore the onrush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks, though Ray’s easy smile only added fuel to the fire.

  The two made their way across the short dock, up a few stairs and straight to the front door. Unlike the rest of the lower floor, the door was new enough to have avoided the coat of mold growing on the rest of the building. Stopping at the entrance, she tried to push down her thrumming heartbeat. Her vision of the house had shown no one inside, but she wasn’t sure how far she could trust it. She didn’t know if it was possible to hide in the magic mists, but if it was, the building could be full of people waiting for them to enter.

  Grasping a wooden knob she assumed to be a handle, she yanked open the door and stood aside for Ray to run in. After a second, she peeked around the corner and into the building’s interior. Thin shafts of light streamed in from cracks in the wall, outlining Ray as he crouched a few feet in. Both of them held steady, waiting for the first sign of anything untoward. When nothing came, tension drained from her shoulders like water from a sieve and she stepped in, pulling the door closed behind.

  Muttering words too quiet to be heard, she raised her hand and a white ball of pulsing light popped into existence a few inches above her palm. As the light chased out the darkness, she started at the difference between the inside and the outside of the house.

  While the outside looked as if the owners had abandoned the place to the elements long ago, the inside was clean and showed definite signs of occupancy. The main floor appeared to be a single large room with an ancient cast iron fireplace set in its center. A set of brown rusted pipes ran from the potbellied stove up through the ceiling of the room and through the roof. Against the far wall, a dark green tarp lay draped over a tall pile of sharp-edged boxes. A recliner, old and worn, sat near the stove. The stuffing had long gone flat, and many rips and tears in the upholstery were repaired with the expedient of gray duct tape. It didn’t look comfortable. However, someone must have found it so. A tri-legged stool sat next to the chair with a ceramic bowl on its surface. The bowl tried and failed to contain a mountain of cigarette butts of all different colors and sizes.

  A rustle from across the room made her look up to see Ray lifting the edge of the green tarp. Beneath the covering peeked out boxes of all shapes and sizes, though each one appeared to contain some variant of electronic devices. Pulling the tarp off, she could see dozens of DVD players, flat screen televisions, stereos and more. Since there wasn’t any electricity out here she was aware of, it was an easy assumption all the boxes were stolen.

  “I’ll keep looking down here,” Ray said, shifting boxes out of his way. “You check upstairs. If we’re lucky, we’ll be out of here quick.”

  Nodding, she made for the stairs leading up. Rough logs split lengthwise acted as treads and had been attached to both a long pole heading up at an angle and the wall itself. The carpentry was basic, but the staircase seemed solid enough. Testing her weight on the step, it didn’t budge, so she made her way up.

  “The light,” Ray yelled before she could reach the top of the stairs.

  She’d forgotten her floating ball was the only light in the room. Smiling sheepishly, she tied off the flow of magic and let it go. The pulsing white orb bounced along the ceiling like a balloon at a child’s party before coming to a stop next to the brown rusted stovepipe.

  Conjuring another ball, she lifted it high to let its light penetrate the gloom above. As she stuck her head above the top step, it looked to Bella as if this floor was a single room as well. Unlike below, however, this room contained a couple beds, a wardrobe and a dresser. Neither bed looked as if it had ever been made and each was close enough to the stove pipe running floor to ceiling, she’d fear burning herself.

  An unexpected sound along with movement from the far corner of the room made her snap her head around, and, throwing out a hand, she summoned power to fill her, ready to spell anything before it could attack.

  Pushing magic at her light, she let it flare brightly, eliminating the ability of anything to hide in the dark. Her light glinted off the aluminum bars of several dozen cages piled on one another. Most of the cages were empty, though not all were. One cage had a raccoon-like animal, its fur dirty and mangled. It hissed at her and the light, shifting its gaze back and forth. Another cage held a turtle with large spiked knobs running in lines down the back of its shell. She wasn’t sure what kind of turtle it was, but it littered the bottom of the cage with pi
eces of smaller turtle shells.

  Releasing the stranglehold she had on the power standing by to feed her next spell, she let the magic unravel and dissipate back into the ether. Ready to resume her search, she paused at the sound of cooing coming from a rear cage. Walking around, she ignored the turtle as it opened its pointed beak and hissed at her. Hidden in the corner, huddling in a cage by itself, was a fairy.

  This close it looked almost human, though its eyes were much too large for its small head. Long iridescent wings wrapped around the creature as it huddled into itself, trying to keep as much space between them as it could. It pressed so hard against the bars of the cage the only thing keeping it in was the solid wall behind it.

  Bella marveled at the little creature. It looked like a frightened child, ready to bolt at the first opportunity. The look of abject terror on its face was enough to break her heart, and though Ray warned her not to mess with them, there was no way this tiny creature could be harmful.

  Looking around, she spotted the small lock latching the cage closed. It looked like one of those TSA locks the government keeps insisting are safe, but can be picked with a lead pencil. She was surprised the fairy hadn’t escaped on its own if this was the only thing between it and freedom. Reaching down, ready to yank the lock off, she jerked back as a spark of electricity jumped from it to her thumb, stinging her like an angry brass wasp.

  Sucking the tip of her thumb, she glared at the lock. She should have realized anyone capturing a fairy would use more than just a small lock to keep it in. Summoning her power, she drew a complicated series of runes in the air, her finger trailing a white tail as it moved. Three concentric rings, like a target at an archery range, floated in front of her. Each ring was connected by runes drawn over one another so as to make them look almost solid. The only empty section was the center of the glowing mass. Looking through it, she peered at the small lock and frowned. She’d been expecting something small and weak, just enough to keep the fairy from escaping. What she saw instead was a Gordian knot so interwoven and slapdash, it looked like the caster had a field day and applied as many layers of magic as possible.

  Bella plucked at a purple thread of magic and watched it melt into the ether like smoke blown by a stiff breeze as it came loose. The next five did the same thing, and she wondered how the structure stayed intact. There was no rhyme or reason for the layering other than to pile magic on magic.

  The sixth thread gave her more anxiety than the others. Pulling it seemed to tighten the entire knot, and, sure it wouldn’t cause any backlash, she snapped the thread. As she suspected, nothing happened. Aggravated by the lack of finesse in the spell, she tore through it as fast as possible.

  When the last thread of magic surrounding the lock faded from existence, it was a simple matter to wrap her own magic around it and tear it from the cage. The squeal and snap of metal sent the occupants of the other cages into a terrified frenzy of growls and hisses.

  The fairy seemed to understand its escape was close at hand. The creature’s spindly legs shook and wings flapped, sounding for all the world like a hummingbird hovering at a feeder. As the door swung open, it shot out of the cage so fast its movement became a blur.

  Another sharp sting lanced across the back of her hand. Jerking it back, she saw a long, shallow gouge running from the large knuckle of her thumb to just beyond her wrist. It was as if she’d reached into a bramble and gotten scratched by a thorn. Pearls of ruby blood welled and spotted the surface of the cut. A buzzing by her ear, and this time she felt a stinging on her cheek. Swatting at the noise, she looked around for the insect attacking her. In the bright light of her glowing orb, the only thing she saw was the fairy darting back and forth as it tried to escape the room.

  The creature blurred again, disappearing from its spot near a crack in the wall, and Bella felt a sharp tug at her hair and her head snapped back. Losing her balance, she tumbled to the floor, crashing into the pile of cages. The animals inside hissed and growled again while an empty cage teetered and fell, bouncing across the floor with a loud metallic clang.

  The buzzing returned and sharp stings raked her face near her eyes. Throwing her arm across her face, she waved her other hand in the air, hoping to knock the attacking insect away. Waving wildly, she felt the back of her hand contact something solid and heard a twang as it bounced off the rusted stove pipe and fell to the floor with a thud.

  Peeking beneath her arm, she just had time to see the fairy push itself off the floor and disappear again in a blur.

  A mix of confusion and anger welled from her core as she pushed herself up. This couldn’t be right. It was a fairy for God’s sake. Why would a fairy attack her? She’d just freed the creature. Maybe, she thought, ducking from the sound of buzzing and covering her head, maybe it thought she was going to attack it? Maybe it was just looking for a way out?

  Another buzzing sound and a prick of pain appeared across the bridge of her nose. Another blossom of pain from her ear and, slapping her hand against the side of her head, she realized she didn’t care why the creature was attacking her. The important thing was to get it to stop.

  Raising her hands, palms up, she began chanting in a singsong voice. She didn’t know if a spell to tame animals would do anything for a fairy, but she’d try it. Unseen pressure built up in the room that even the caged animals could feel. Their various hisses and growls calmed, replaced with a quiet that spoke of acceptance rather than fear. Glancing around, she saw the spell affected the fairy as well. The diminutive creature stopped blurring from spot to spot and, hovering in the air, stared at her with its large unblinking eyes.

  Before she could finish the spell, a spring of pain erupted in both her hands, causing her to falter and lose the magic. Looking at her palms, Bella saw deep furrows tore across each one, larger by far than the one on the back of her hand. Looking up, she saw the fairy hovering in the air just out of arm’s reach. Clutched in its little hands was a sliver of wood. Even as she watched, the creature’s face split into a smile revealing sharp pointed teeth.

  No longer under the spell, the creatures behind her shook their minds clear and resumed their threatening sounds. This seemed to spur the fairy on because it blurred in the air again. If Bella hadn’t been quick enough cover her face with the crook of her arm, she might have lost an eye. As it was, she felt the sliver of wood slide in with the same ease as a needle at the doctor’s office.

  “To hell with this,” she mumbled, peeking above her arm again.

  The fairy darted back and forth near the open stairs, scratching at the wall with its free hand and feet. The creature looked over its shoulder, and with a massive push launched itself off the wall at her, blurring in its movement.

  Ducking back behind her arm, she didn’t think at all before tossing up a shield, chiding herself for not doing so before the damn thing attacked the first time. When no new pain bloomed, she dropped her arm and looked up. The fairy, fingers still wrapped around the short sliver of wood, hovered just on the other side of the barrier. Its wings gave off an iridescent light as they buzzed behind it, giving the creature the beautiful glow she’d always associated with them. Its huge sad eyes stared at her and its shoulders hitched as though it was holding back tears.

  Even with multiple stinging scratches over her face and arms, she couldn’t stop herself feeling sorry for the little creature. It had been trapped in a cage, possibly tortured by the monsters who’d stolen its freedom, how could it know she would not hurt it? It couldn’t be held responsible for protecting itself while trying to escape, could it?

  “Go on,” she said, trying to reassure the thing she meant no harm. “You’re free. Go on.”

  The creature’s face split into another wide grin, exposing sharp teeth that seemed so incongruous with its delicate features. With the ease of a child jumping through a wall of sprinklers on a summer day, the fairy flowed across the boundary of the spell and shot straight at her.

  Gasping in shock, she turned and dro
pped to the floor. The damn thing was playing with her. Throwing her arms over her head, she winced as a jab of pain caught her behind the ear and another stabbed near the center of her back. The buzzing of the fairy’s wings was louder in her ears than the pounding of her heart in her chest.

  Desperation fueling her, she reached out and snatched at the wire framework of an empty cage. Twisting, she brought it down on the blur in front of her and felt a satisfying thump as it made contact. Bearing the cage to the floor, she heard a sharp squeak from the creature as it slammed into the wood. Lifting the cage, she brought it down again, smashing it into the small form. Lying on the floor, arms akimbo, the creature didn’t move as the cage hit it a third time.

  Dropping the warped cage on the floor, she scuttled back from the unmoving creature, gulping for air and trying to get her heartbeat under control. She couldn't believe something so small and beautiful could be so evil, and she could see the allure of keeping the creatures in cages.

  “Bella,” Ray said, sticking his head above the stairwell. “You okay?”

  “I’m, I’m good. One of these things just got loose, and I had to deal with it.” As concerned as he looked, there was no way she would admit having had her butt kicked by a fairy.

  “Must have been a hell of a fight. You look horrible. Do we need to take you to a doctor?”

  She shook her head. “No.” The stinging in her face and arms could be taken care of with a simple spell, and she’d be as good as new. “No. Let’s just keep looking.”

  “Actually,” he said, raising a red leather box above his head. “I think I found it.”

  This time her heart thumped with excitement and an electric tingle raced from top to bottom. She recognized the box as well. Gar had given it to her to hold the artifact.

  “Is…” She hesitated. This was her goal. This was why she’d come to not only the city but the swamp. “Is it still in there?”

  With the flourish of a magician at a children’s party, he lifted the lid to show the artifact nestled inside. It didn’t gleam under the light of her glowing orbs, but it was as beautiful at that moment as the Hope diamond.