The Ehrich Weisz Chronicles: Demon Gate

by Marty Chan

“What? No. Not possible.”

  “Charlie, maybe Amina could have slipped past a sleepy guard in the Dimensional dormitories and jumped out a window, but Ba Tian was in Ninth Circle. You think he can just stroll out of the tunnel and climb on the lift without someone spotting him?”

  “Guess not.”

  “Someone higher up would have to make sure people weren’t going to sound the alarm. And Ba Tian said this tael was worth more than anything we had in this dimension. It’s supposed to be a symbol of alliance.”

  “Why would the commander let a demon go?” Charlie asked.

  Before Ehrich could answer, footsteps echoed outside the door. Farrier was back.

  Fleeing Devil’s Island

  Commander George Farrier’s day couldn’t end fast enough. The business with Amina the fugitive had everyone scrambling around the island and into New York. If word of this escape leaked out, he would have to answer to the mayor and he didn’t need any attention drawn to his operations.

  Behind him, a mousy clerk with blond hair and spectacles hounded him. “Sir, how should I report the incident to the mayor’s office?”

  “Tarnation! You don’t.”

  “But sir, the people need to be warned.”

  “There is one thing I need immediately and that is for you to be silent.”

  “Excuse me, sir?”

  “No. No. That’s not silence. Once more, I’m sure you will succeed this time.”

  “Commander?”

  “Disappointing. Not to worry, you’ll have plenty of time to practise on burial detail. I’d say three weeks should do. Off you toddle.”

  The stunned girl turned and scurried away, only now having learned to keep quiet. Farrier shook his head. Soldiers took orders. Bureaucrats took his patience. He hobbled to the door and grabbed the handle.

  j

  Inside Farrier’s office, Ehrich searched for a hiding place, but there was none. Charlie headed for the desk. Ehrich waved him back as the door handle turned. He rushed to the door and yanked it open, pulling an off-balance Farrier into the room. Ehrich shoved the man to the floor and Charlie leapt over him. Then they both bolted through the doorway and down the hallway before the dazed commander could find his bearings or identify the intruders.

  The boys sprinted toward the dock where Ehrich’s boat was waiting.

  “Farrier can’t be in on this,” Charlie panted as they rounded the corner approaching the pier. “We need to go back.”

  “I can’t take the chance. If he’s part of the corruption, what do you think he’ll do to us?”

  “Back so soon?” the lanky sentinel from the guardhouse called out to them. Then he noticed the commotion spilling out of the building. “What happened in there? Another escape?” The sentinel cocked his head to the side. “What did you do, Houdini?”

  Without losing any speed, the muscular Weisz slammed his fist into the boy’s midsection and kneed him in the chin, knocking him out.

  “Did you really need to do that?” Charlie asked.

  “Didn’t know what else to do.”

  “Next time, try a magic trick, Houdini.”

  Ehrich ignored the jab and climbed into the boat. “There’s got to be someone we can tell about this. Maybe the mayor? The newspapers?”

  “We have no evidence.”

  “Help me find proof.” He motioned Charlie to join him in the boat.

  Charlie shook his head. “I’m already in enough trouble as it is.”

  “If Farrier finds out you were helping me, he’s not just going to demote you. He’s going to kick you off the squad. That’s harder for him to do if you have Amina in your custody.”

  “You sure you know where to find her?”

  “No, but it’s a better shot than waiting for them.” Ehrich pointed to several guards now making their way toward the dock. “Make up your mind fast.”

  “Man alive, you’re nothing but trouble sometimes.”

  “You coming?”

  Charlie took one last look behind him then joined his friend. They pushed off from the shore and Ehrich fired up the steam engine as they motored away from the island.

  “Want to tell me where we’re headed?” Charlie said.

  “We’re going to pay the Museum of Curiosities a visit.”

  Stake Out

  Manhattan’s shoreline drew closer as the launch bounced across the waves of the East River. Ehrich revved the steam engine to full speed and the paddle wheel turned faster. The breeze felt good against his face. Ahead, the ships moored at the ports grew closer. Their skeleton masts were bare of sails, but they were still impressive. Beyond the shipyard, the buildings of New York rose up to the cloudy sky.

  He recalled standing on the deck of the Frisia, the ship that had brought him to America. His America. He and Dash marvelled at the New York skyline as the liner sailed into harbour. His young brother grabbed his hand and pointed at the giant spire of the Trinity Church, the tallest structure on Manhattan at the time. This was before the Brooklyn Bridge, before the Statue of Liberty—before dimension portals.

  The sea spray hit his face, pulling him from his reverie. Charlie hunched over the bow and retched. He’d never make a good sailor. Once they reached Manhattan, Ehrich knew he’d have to move quickly. It would only be a matter of time before the guard came to and Farrier sent hunters after them. He hoped Charlie’s seasickness wouldn’t slow them too much. He piloted the launch toward the nearest open berth and tied off the boat while Charlie climbed on to the dock.

  “You okay to run?”

  Charlie waved him off. “Feeling better already. Hold on a minute.” He puked again and wiped his mouth. “Now I’m ready.”

  “Let’s go.”

  Rather than run all the way down to the Bowery, Ehrich headed to the elevated train station. The ride cost them a nickel each, but they would put some distance between them and the hunters. They were in luck. When they arrived at the platform, a train was about to pull out. Billowing smoke from the engine’s stack choked the air. The boys jumped through the open doors and found a seat near a pair of uptown ladies.

  The women dusted dirt from their patterned paletots and eyed Ehrich’s grimy duster and Charlie’s soiled trousers. Charlie tugged his bowler over his eyes and gazed out the window. The ladies shifted in their seats, creating a separation between them and the unkempt sweaty young men.

  As the train clacked along the elevated rail, Ehrich surveyed the sooty buildings along the line. People teemed on the streets. A sour-faced woman hung clothes on a line outside her third-story window. He thought of his mother hanging clothes and wondered what she would be doing now. He longed to see her, but he knew he couldn’t go back. Not yet.

  Charlie leaned over. “I’ve been thinking. Farrier’s taking a big chance letting the prisoner go.”

  “Everyone has a price.”

  “Maybe.” The blond boy fell silent for a moment, then: “You saw what Ole Lukoje did. How could Farrier be sure this Ba Tian wasn’t as dangerous? What did the demon pay to get out?”

  Charlie’s question sat uneasily on Ehrich’s mind as the train pulled into the next station. The haughty women stepped off, casting one final glance at the dirty boys. Ehrich tipped his bowler and flashed them a devil-may-care grin. The older woman frowned, but the younger woman smiled at Ehrich’s showman gesture.

  The next stop was theirs. Ehrich hopped off the train with Charlie close behind. The boys climbed down the platform stairs and navigated the crowds of vendors and onlookers until they reached their destination. A closed sign hung in the window beside the door. Odd to have an establishment closed in the afternoon. Ehrich suspected Mr. Serenity was waiting for Amina to show up and wanted no other unwelcome visitors.

  “Now what?” Charlie asked.

  “We wait for Amina.”

  “Man alive, that’s your plan? How do you know she’ll even come here?”

  “The Demon Gate clerk. Remember cotton nose?”

  Charlie nodded.
>
  “He asked her who her sponsor was. She mentioned the Museum.”

  “Don’t you think the other hunters are going to make it down here, then?”

  Ehrich shook his head. “By the time someone figures out to talk to the processing clerk, we’ll have nabbed her.”

  His friend watched the pedestrians moving along the street. “As long as the hunters don’t collar us first. The Bowery is probably the first place they’ll look once they figure out we were the ones snooping around Farrier’s office.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “Because it’s where they’d go if they were on the run. You always go back to your roots,” Charlie said, referring to the fact that every member of Demon Watch had once been an orphan who spent time on the Bowery’s streets. “When all else fails, go back to what’s familiar—and for all of us, this place was home.”

  Ehrich nodded. “We’d better find her fast. Maybe someone saw something. We should canvas the shop owners.”

  Charlie agreed and they split up to ask around. Ehrich popped into the lunch shop across the street. The cramped quarters offered little room for the impatient patrons waiting for meat pies. Tattered red drapes adorned the dining area walls, barely hiding a cockroach skittering up the wall. Ehrich pushed past the diners.

  “Out of the way.”

  “Brat,” a gruff man spat out.

  “Wait your turn,” a common woman in a dusty checkered dress yelled.

  “I’ll be fast.” Ehrich then asked the owner, “I need some information.”

  The balding man wiped his hands on his dirty apron. “You want pies, I got ’em. You want to talk, go to the rum hole next door.”

  “This is official Demon Watch business.”

  “Bully for you, kid. I have a real business with real hungry customers.”

  The impatient crowd grumbled. The woman in the checkered dress left the shop.

  “I’ve got time to stand here all day, mister,” Ehrich said. “Not sure if your customers do. Now are you going to give me some answers?”

  Another customer left.

  “Fine, fine,” the owner said. “What do you want to know? Quick.”

  “Has anyone been in or out of the Museum of Curiosities today?”

  “How should I know? I’m up to my ears in orders.”

  “Know why they’re closed now?”

  “Who cares? They’re demons and freaks over there. They can close permanently for all I care. You got any other questions?”

  “No,” Ehrich said. He shoved through the crowd and received a few anonymous elbow jabs along the way.

  Every shop owner had the same answer. Even the street vendors took no notice of the comings and goings of the Museum. When Charlie returned, he had the same news to report. No one had seen anything.

  Charlie sighed. “Well, it looks like we’re in for a long day. You know what would make the time go by faster? Some grub.”

  Ehrich agreed.

  They walked over to an oyster vendor who tried to entice them to buy his smelly wares. “Here’s oysters, here’s oysters. All the way from Rockaway. They’re good to eat. They’re good to fry. They’re good for an oyster pot pie.”

  “You got money, Ehrich? I’m starving.”

  He fished out the few coins he had in his pocket and paid for his friend’s meal. They lingered on the street, sucking the juicy morsels out of the shell. The slimy oyster slid down Ehrich’s throat and silenced the grumbling in his stomach. Through the rest of the afternoon, people passed by. Some slowed to haggle with vendors, but New Yorkers were a busy lot, and none lingered for long. Ehrich leaned against the iron pillar of the elevated railroad and kept an eye out for hunters. None had shown up yet. Most likely, they’d start north and work their way downtown.

  Charlie nudged him and nodded at the corner, where a newsie was hawking papers.

  “Extra, extra. Get your World here. Two cents,” the hawk-nosed boy in a cap and tattered jacket yelled as he waved a paper around in his hands. He anchored his foot on a stack of papers to keep them from flying away or being stolen.

  “Am I glad those days are behind us,” Charlie said.

  “I didn’t mind. It was fun to see how much I could make in a day.”

  “You got corn for brains? All the nights we had to sleep under the papers we didn’t sell? No, thank you.”

  “Charlie, you remember the day your papers blew away? I’ve never seen you scramble like that. You looked like a crab.”

  “How could I forget? Split my pants. Banged my knee. Couple of newsies thought I was horning in on their turf. They gave me a damn good shiner.”

  “Hey, I got there before they really roughed you up.”

  “Learned to stand on my papers after that. This newsie probably picked up the trick from me.”

  Ehrich laughed. “Yeah, they’re probably telling each other, ‘Don’t pull a Charlie Campbell’.”

  “You’re hurting my feelings, Ehrich.”

  “Aw. Sorry.”

  “Feed me and I’ll think about forgiving you.”

  Ehrich cracked a grin and gave his friend the last of his money so he could order another oyster. As Charlie bickered with the vendor for the largest oyster, Ehrich glanced around. He had the distinct feeling someone was watching him. He looked up at the track overhead. He scanned the street. A trio of guttersnipes ducked away from an angry shop owner. Peddlers tried to snare the attention of passers-by. A woman shooed away a dog. Nothing suspicious. Ehrich shook off the feeling and found a place to watch the Museum.

  Ehrich and Charlie took turns staking out the place. Charlie had found a stoop to sleep on when he wasn’t on duty. Through the night, Ehrich watched the Museum entrance, but no one showed up, and no one left. He started to feel his eyelids grow heavy as the arc lamps sparked to life. He nudged Charlie awake.

  “Your turn,” Ehrich said.

  Charlie let out a yawn. “Nothing to report?”

  “No movement.”

  His friend stretched and stood up. “I sure hope this leads to something because I don’t think I’ve got a job to go back to.”

  Ehrich shook his head. “Our squad’s scored the highest capture rate. There’s no way Farrier is going to lose one of his best squad leaders.”

  “Yeah, but I can’t seem to keep my hunters in check.”

  “Now you can. I’m no longer on your squad.”

  “Oh, right. You found yourself a little promotion.” He smiled.

  “Yes. I’m the caretaker of guinea pigs.”

  “Don’t get too big for your britches,” Charlie warned. “Happened to me the first time I became squad leader. I was in love with the idea of being in charge. Then I realized that I could lose it all if I didn’t have the hunters’ respect.”

  “You had our respect?” Ehrich joked. “That’s news to me.”

  Charlie chuckled.

  “You ever think what you’d do if you didn’t have the squad, Charlie?”

  “This is the only life I know. I couldn’t go back on the streets. And getting a regular job, well, who’s going to hire me? I’ve got no skills other than shooting demons. Besides, without the high stakes of a bug hunt, I’d go mad. What about you? What would you do?”

  “I’d like to try my hand at show business.”

  “Oh, right. Houdini.”

  Ehrich smiled. “That name’s kind of growing on me.”

  “Ehrich Houdini?”

  “No. That would look terrible on a poster. No one would know how to pronounce my first name. I’d need something flashier.”

  “The Mysterious Houdini,” Charlie offered.

  “Maybe some alliteration,” Ehrich suggested.

  “Horace Houdini.”

  “No.”

  “Howard Houdini.”

  “Ugh.” Ehrich turned his nose at the name.

  “Henry?”

  “The king of magicians. Not bad.”

  “Harry Houdini?”

  “I like the
sound of that.”

  Charlie sat up. “So, Harry Houdini, show me a trick.”

  “I wasn’t planning on entertaining anyone. I left everything back at the dormitory.”

  Charlie chuckled. “I’m sure Wilhelm is rifling through it now to see what else he can break.”

  “Okay, I’ve got a simple trick. Watch this.” Ehrich grabbed his right thumb with his left hand and grunted as he pulled. His right thumb separated from the knuckle. Then he reassembled the thumb.

  Charlie’s eyes were big and wide as he leaned forward. “That is so amazing. I can’t believe you actually think you have a career in magic with that lame trick. Come on, now. Why are you even interested in magic anyway?”

  Ehrich stretched out on the stoop and yawned. “I don’t know. When I was a kid, my dad used to take me to those travelling entertainment shows. Nothing spectacular, but one of the acts featured a magician. He did card tricks. He made a coin disappear. Then he made a rabbit disappear in a box. Everyone in the audience was amazed. They had no idea how he did the tricks and they were buzzing for the rest of the show. I begged my father to take me backstage so that I could ask the magician how he made the rabbit disappear. So he did. When I asked the magician how he made the rabbit disappear, he refused to tell me. I begged him to tell me, but he said the secret to being a good magician was to let the audience see what he wants them to see and not what they want to see.” Ehrich paused, thinking how much the magician’s comment reminded him of Tesla’s advice about selling his inventions.

  “So you never found out how the rabbit trick worked?” Charlie asked.

  “I didn’t say that. My father and the magician started talking about something else and, while they were looking the other way, I peeked in the box.”

  “How does the rabbit trick work?”

  Ehrich put his fingers to his lips and shushed his friend with a knowing smile.

  “You have to tell me,” Charlie begged.

  The dark-haired teen shook his head. “I loved how the mystery of the disappearing rabbit made me want to learn more. After my father and I left, I overheard people raving about the magician. Right then, I decided I wanted to have that kind of life.”

  “I wish I’d known my father. What happened to yours? How did he die?”