The Wizards of Central Park West_Ultimate Urban Fantasy

by Arjay Lewis

  The demon only raised one hand and snapped his fingers. The flames ceased, to reveal a huge evil grin on the monster’s face.

  “Oh boy,” Luis gasped.

  “I have toyed with you, lured you here!” it bellowed. “I am too powerful to be stopped by a Newling!”

  He lunged forward, grabbed Eddie by the shoulders with his huge hands, and picked him up.

  Eddie yelled in shock and pain, as he felt the demon’s talons dig into his skin.

  A blur of motion slashed past Eddie as a figure leapt on top of the creature’s outstretched arms and onto its shoulders.

  It was a man, but no human could leap so high or move so fast. It jumped to the creature’s back, as if to seek a hellish piggyback ride, and sank oversized fangs into the creature’s neck.

  “It’s Daniel!” Eddie cried out.

  “Madre de Dios!” Luis fell back a step.

  The demon howled in outrage and pain, but with his hands on Eddie he couldn’t knock Daniel off. Abraxas threw his head right and left in an attempt to dislodge the sharp teeth.

  Eddie twisted his head and yelled, “Luis, get out of here.”

  Luis took a few more steps out of the tunnel.

  Eddie still held his staff, and with a glance to it, he gazed at the demon.

  I want to stop him, I need to stop him, he thought, and put as much emotion as he could behind the thought.

  He extended his staff and yelled, ”Get thee behind me!”

  Fiery light slammed from his staff with a recoil that made both of Eddie’s arms quake. There was a scarlet burst of light, like a bomb going off.

  The demon’s arms sprang open and Eddie fell the few feet to the ground. Daniel was struck free from the monster’s flesh, and also fell off. Eddie noticed that Daniel’s teeth had grown overlarge and extended almost to his chin.

  The demon fell down to one knee and shook his huge head. Then, with a roar, it rose up toward Eddie again.

  A brilliant white light came from behind Abraxas and encircled him.

  At the other end of the tunnel stood Marlowe, his staff crackling with energy. Next to him were Ahbay and Eugenia. Without even a gesture, their staffs shot forth their green and yellow lights to engulf the demon, who grunted with pain as each new beam struck him.

  Eddie lifted his staff and added his own scarlet energy to the magick glow.

  “You may attack one lone wizard!” Marlowe shouted. “But four of the Five shall cast thee out!”

  “No,” the demon croaked. “You are all weak, while I am more powerful than you have e’er known.”

  Abraxas glanced from person to person, his large eyes reflecting the energy that surrounded him.

  “The End Time is nigh! Soon, all will be in alignment. When the time is right I shall possess the power of the fifth talisman. Then, I shall conquer this world and you will pay for this indignity!” He turned to Eddie, eyes clouded. “You most of all!”

  And the monster was gone.

  There was no puff of smoke, or fading away like mist. The huge demon was there one moment, empty air the next. The enchanted circle merely dissipated.

  Eddie was so stunned he couldn’t move. Daniel Kraft came out of the shadows next to him.

  “Look to the ground, all of you!” Marlowe yelled. “He could be anything, a snake or even a bug. Eyes sharp!”

  Eddie, Marlowe, and Daniel bent forward and looked through the gravel for anything that moved or jumped. However, Ahbay and Eugenia stood like statues.

  “Our power was not enough to bind him,” Eugenia’s voice sounded far away.

  Eddie saw a quick movement near his feet.

  “Here!” Daniel pointed and dove to the ground. Eddie shifted his ball of light and illuminated where Daniel was pointing.

  “He’s gone,” Daniel said, keeping his eyes on the ground. There was a metal grate dug into the earth, with openings too small for a man, but a perfect fit for a snake.

  Eddie leaned heavily on his staff. He was suddenly exhausted.

  Marlowe went down on his knees and stared at the drainage cover. “An escape route. He planned this attack, and even his egress if he should fail!”

  Eugenia spoke again, still with that ethereal tone. “Our power should have locked him in place and form.”

  “Okay, who’s gonna tell me what’s goin’ on?”

  All five of them turned to see Luis Vasquez as he loomed over them, his hands folded across his chest in a posture of defiance.

  Marlowe took one step forward, waved his stick in a small semicircle, and Luis froze in place, a blank look in his eyes.

  “What are you doing?” Eddie demanded.

  “He witnessed the battle. We must make him forget,” Marlowe explained.

  Daniel, Ahbay, and Eugenia murmured in agreement.

  “No you don’t,” Eddie slapped Marlowe’s staff away. “This is my partner. You don’t do hocus-pocus on my partner.”

  “Eddie,” Marlowe said calmly, “we cannot allow one who does not walk the path to know that demons truly exist.”

  “He is right,” Ahbay moved closer, free of his own temporary paralysis. “It is too great a burden.”

  “They’re wight, Eddie,” Daniel lisped. “He’ll be much happier if he never knowth the entire epithode happened.” He had trouble enunciating, because his teeth were still well beyond his lower lip. As Eddie watched, they grew smaller, but it was a slow process.

  “Eddie,” Marlowe cautioned, “only an apprentice may know a wizard’s true nature.”

  Eddie looked at Luis, still frozen in place. Would he truly be better off not knowing?

  Suddenly a figure was next to Eddie, and he whirled around with his staff raised.

  Drusilicus, wearing a cloak with the hood down jumped back, his hands raised. “Easy.”

  “What are you doing here?” Eddie asked.

  “I was following my apprentice, Caleb,” Drusilicus said, almost as an apology.

  “Where is Caleb?” Eddie asked.

  “I seem to have lost him,” Drusilicus said, not happy to admit he’d made a mistake. “I was distracted by the commotion and all those witnesses.”

  “Witnesses?” Marlowe fretted. “There are others here?”

  “Jeez,” Eddie slapped his head. “The FBI and a half-dozen Mafia goons. I left Cuccolo to tell them all about it!”

  “People, people,” a voice shouted from behind Marlowe, Eugenia and Ahbay. “We have a situation.”

  It was Bankrock, who rubbed his cat’s eye ring and transformed it into his staff as he drew closer.

  “C’mon man,” Eddie exhaled. “Did we call a convention?”

  “I thought you should know,” Bankrock clarified. “There are many men with guns at the Ballpark Cafe and they are on their way here.”

  Eddie turned to Marlowe. “You guys gotta split.”

  “Split what?” Ahbay asked.

  “Leave, go to Marlowe’s,” Eddie insisted. “Last thing I need is you being interviewed. With what the FBI saw tonight—”

  “They saw little,” Bankrock admitted.

  “What’re you talkin’ about?” Eddie burst out. “Abraxas was a ten-foot-tall Indian! You think they missed that?”

  “Mister Berman, I assure you, they probably didn’t see it,” Bankrock explained.

  “He’s right, Eddie,” Marlowe commented. “Mortals do not possess the Seeing.”

  “The what?”

  “They simply cannot see supernatural beings.”

  “He was a giant Indian in loincloth and headdress!” Eddie blurted. “Cuccolo saw that, and my partner saw the demon.”

  “Abraxas can reveal himself,” Marlowe expounded.

  Bankrock cleared his throat and raised a finger. “That is why mortals do occasionally experience supernatural events. However, the others watching, they did not see Abraxas at all.”

  “But they did see you,” Ahbay pointed out. “They will have many questions.”

  “Fine,” Eddie shook his h
ead. “All of you go back to the townhouse. I’ll deal with the Feds,”

  “If you think that’s best, Eddie,” Marlowe turned to go. “Come, my friends.”

  Eugenia had stood as stock-still as Luis, and Ahbay gently took her arm and guided her toward Central Park West.

  “Wait!” Eddie ventured after them. “What made you guys change your minds?”

  “Actually, it was Quiptail,” Marlowe answered.

  “Quip—what?”

  “Quiptail. He came and told us you were in grave danger,”

  “Is that the squirrel you were talking about?” Eddie frowned.

  “Exactly,” Marlowe agreed. “He made a most passionate plea for you.”

  “You mean you could understand him?” Eddie said. “He just made a bunch of clicking noises to me.”

  “I am fluent in Squirrel,” Marlowe went on. “Also Lion, Bat, Canary—”

  “Great, I ask and you say no, but a damn squirrel can talk you into it,” Eddie gave a look to his petrified partner. “How do I unfreeze Luis?”

  “I’m sorry, but he witnessed Abraxas in demon form,” Bankrock retorted. “Under decree fifteen-oh-four, he must be made to forget any and all—”

  “I’m askin’ him if he wants to remember or not,” Eddie said. “Maybe it’s better if he doesn’t, like Fangs said—”

  “Fangs?” Daniel huffed. “I have a name.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Eddie dismissed. “I’ll ask my partner if he can handle knowing the truth. If he can’t, I’ll bring him to you for a little forget-me-now spell.”

  “Marlowe,” Bankrock protested, “did you inform him that only an apprentice may know our true nature—”

  “Fine!” Eddie stormed. “He’s my apprentice.”

  “Oh good,” Drusilicus interjected, “just what we need, another untrained practitioner!”

  “Well your apprentice is trained enough to fool your flabby ass,” Eddie pointed at Drusilicus. “I want to talk to Caleb again, and sooner rather than later.”

  “You can’t just make him your apprentice,” Bankrock’s voice raised as if he were about to have a tiff.

  “I’ve picked. Now, go!”

  “To wake him, you only need to rotate your staff in front of him one half-turn clockwise, Eddie,” Marlowe instructed. “And want him to come out of it.”

  Eddie nodded. He now understood that intention and desire really did make the magick work. When his life was in danger, he activated the staff’s true power through his want and need.

  “You guys put your heads together. Come up with a guaranteed plan to get rid of this demon. Go!”

  Daniel spun around quickly, and with a blur of motion, a bat flew off. Marlowe, Ahbay, Bankrock, and Drusilicus started to leave. Marlowe carefully turned Eugenia and guided her away.

  The overhead light in the tunnel blinked back on.

  Eddie looked at Luis. He was so still he could’ve been a statue. Eddie held up his staff and moved it a half-circle to the right as he said, “Come on, partner, wake up."

  Luis blinked his eyes and his hand went to his face as Eddie returned his staff to its card form. Luis raised his head and looked around, alarmed as memory returned.

  “Where is the demon?’ he looked left to right.

  “Gone, it’s gone,” Eddie said in a soothing tone, his hands open and extended.

  “Those other people?” Luis asked. “The guy with the teeth?”

  “Gone as well. Look, Luis, we have to talk. Things probably look pretty strange to you.”

  “Strange? You wanna talk strange? How did Cuccolo float in the air?”

  “Float in the—” Eddie’s mouth fell open.

  “Yeah, you run up there with your gun drawn and he lifts off the ground and floats off into the woods.”

  “You didn’t see the Indian?”

  “What Indian?” Luis frowned.

  “But you saw the demon?”

  “You’re damn straight I saw the demon,” Luis said, “and I wanna know what's going on!”

  “And I’m goin’ to tell you. As best as I can.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Anything I tell you, you have to keep a secret.”

  Luis looked hurt. “Man, I took a bullet for you, and you don’t trust me?”

  “This isn’t about trust…it’s all crazy…but it will explain things. But I have one question, and you have to answer me honestly.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Do you want to know the truth? Because, if not, I have a friend that can make you forget everything you just saw.”

  “I thought we were partners.” Luis once again folded his arms over his massive chest.

  “We are, but it means—”

  “I don’t care what it means. If it’s happening to you, I go through it, too.”

  Eddie grabbed Luis’ arm. “I’m lucky to have you for a friend, Luis.”

  “‘Bout time you knew it.”

  “Freeze!” a voice shouted. “Hands in the air!.”

  Luis and Eddie raised their hands.

  “We’re NYPD,” Luis said, almost calmly. “I got my badge in my—”

  “I know who the hell you are,” the man said, as he strode out of the darkness. He carried an automatic rifle, and his free hand pulled off a black hood.

  Wilcox.

  Eddie lowered his hands. “Jesus, Wilcox, you scared the shit out of us.”

  Wilcox gestured toward Eddie with the rifle. “Keep ‘em up, Berman.”

  Eddie raised his hands as Wilcox pulled out his walkie-talkie.

  “I’ve got them, near the 65th Street arch. Send backup.”

  “What are you doing, Wilcox?” Luis complained.

  “I should’ve figured you’d be close by, Vasquez,” Wilcox glanced over as other black-clothed figures came toward them. “Too bad you didn’t know better.”

  “What is this about?” Eddie asked.

  “Edward Berman and Luis Vasquez, by the authority of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I am placing both of you under arrest.” Wilcox pulled a pair of handcuffs out of a leather case on his belt.

  “For what?” Luis demanded.

  “For the murder of Alfonso Cuccolo.” Wilcox turned Eddie around to slap the cuffs on his wrists. “We just found him hanged from a tree, with his hand cut off.”

  Thirty-Eight

  Downtown at Federal Plaza, Eddie sat in an interrogation room, alone. He’d been left there after the third round of questions, this one lasting an hour-and-a-half. At least the third time he was cross-examined by someone other than Wilcox.

  The story was mostly truthful from Eddie’s point of view.

  Yes, he’d received a call from Cuccolo, and they could check his cellphone records.

  Yes, he’d been in the park at the crime boss’s request.

  Yes, he gone out and yelled “NYPD” because he believed Cuccolo to be in danger.

  Yes, Cuccolo appeared to rise into the air, but Eddie was sure it was a trick of the light, and that he was actually standing on one of the black iron mesh tables that littered the area. One could make that mistake in the darkness. Cuccolo ran into the woods. Eddie followed, still concerned for his safety, but soon lost him.

  Yes, he ran into his partner nearby.

  No, he didn’t strangle Cuccolo, or cut off his hand. Until Agent Wilcox arrested him, he didn’t even know Cuccolo was dead.

  No, he didn’t have Cuccolo’s missing hand or know where it was.

  And on and on. He told the story as clearly as he could, with the assumption the FBI agents didn’t see the giant dressed like a display from the world’s largest cigar store.

  Eddie claimed to be astounded by the act of levitation as much as anyone else. But, at least he offered a plausible explanation.

  It was now five AM Saturday morning and Eddie had not been allowed to make a phone call.

  The Feds didn’t have to let him.

  His personal belongings, including his shield and gun, were taken fr
om him, and he sat in his rumpled suit, without even a cup of coffee since his arrival.

  He assumed that Luis would tell the same story, and not divulge the demon attack in the tunnel. They didn’t get a chance to get their stories straight, but he trusted his partner.

  Hell, he didn’t even know what Luis was doing there.

  The door opened and Wilcox walked in, followed by Agent Phil Conners. Both seemed not to be tired, despite the hour.

  “Captain Jacobs is here, and so is your lawyer from the PBA,” Conners announced, a stern expression on his face.

  Wilcox put his fists on the table and leaned toward Eddie, his manner almost friendly. “Now, lieutenant, before I let your guests in, I want to know if you are withholding any information—”

  “I told you all I know,” Eddie said.

  “I understand.” Wilcox’s eyes never left Eddie’s. “But you see my problem. Cuccolo went into that grove of trees and so did you. The next thing I know, he’s dead.”

  “Perhaps one of his own men killed him. I understand he had bodyguards nearby—”

  “They were all under surveillance. You must have seen something, Berman,” Wilcox demanded.

  “I want to call my wife,” Eddie stated. “She’ll be worried.”

  “She’ll be more worried when your ass is sitting in federal lockup, Berman,” Wilcox answered calmly. “You’ve just blown a three-year federal investigation this office was conducting on Cuccolo.”

  “As I’ve stated before,” Eddie pointed out. “What possible motive do I have for offing Cuccolo?”

  “Uh, sir?” Conners said. “The captain and lawyer are waiting.”

  Wilcox stood up straight and backed away from Eddie. “Good point, Conners. We’ll let his captain see how his mighty lieutenant has fallen.” He headed for the door, but looked over his shoulder at Eddie. “You get booted out of the Central Park Precinct, Berman, and they’ll have no place left to put you.”

  The agents withdrew, and Captain Jacobs entered followed by a heavy-lidded young man with an unruly shock of brown hair and a briefcase.

  Eddie rose.

  “Sit, lieutenant. I’ve brought Mr. Antés, your PBA attorney.”

  “Sir, can I please call my wife?” Eddie pleaded. “I’ve been here all night.”