by J. P. Rice
I objected, “What are you doing?”
“Handling business. This child was raised by someone who isn’t coming back. He was raised by a traitor who obviously instilled the same beliefs in this one.”
“You can’t kill the kid for something like that. He didn’t have a choice in the matter, did he?”
“The soft heart of a human soul. Pathetic. You sound like you want to raise him yourself.”
“I would do that in an instant, rather than watch the poor kid die.”
The demon carrying the kid said, “Hey boss. The kid’s got that tracking device you could test. It’s one with a self-destruct mechanism.”
“Great idea. We send two agents out into the field and we can improve our technology. Although, I’d rather enjoy seeing him get his brains bashed in. I’d normally fight against this tooth and nail, but this provides an opportunity. Considering I could kill either of you with just a press of a button makes this a viable option.”
All of my ideas to get rid of the implant were just flushed. And, apparently, I’d just adopted a demon. What the hell had happened in there?
The demon and I walked to my Maxima. I asked him to tell me his name or age several times, but he wouldn’t answer.
The boy looked like a little goblin with a big head and long, skinny twigs for arms. His dirty brown shirt had the sleeves torn off and his pants had been unevenly cut into shorts. The uncomfortable material appeared to be rough hemp.
His head was more circular than oval with a wide pink nose in the center. His thick black eyebrows seemed to be the only body hair on the demon. His sunken icy blue eyes and triangular ears that stuck out on his head made for a grotesque creature.
At least most humans would consider him grotesque. I’d learned that looks and being a demon meant nothing anymore. This kid could grow up and cure cancer, thus helping all of mankind. I planned to raise and love this kid like he was my own flesh and blood. Myopic Mike was in the rearview mirror now.
As we drove on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, heading east, I asked him again, “What’s your name?”
“Just worry about yourself, asshole,” he said in a snarky manner.
I laughed and asked him again. Shaking his head, the demon remained silent.
I decided to try something else. “How old are you?”
He shook his head again.
“I’m trying to drive here, kid. I can’t keep looking over at you. Why won’t you tell me who you are?” I understood he was probably shell shocked from almost dying at the hands of the beings he had trusted. “Are you hungry?”
He nodded quickly, still not speaking. I stopped at a Dairy Queen near the Donegal exit, and found that he had an appetite the size of Burn’s. Luckily, the DQ had a drive-up window. This was a rural town and my little demon wouldn’t be accepted around here. In fact, he wouldn’t be accepted in the city.
We continued toward Pittsburgh and I wondered how I was going to raise a child while performing my job duties.
As we drove in silence, I reassessed my situation. I had the enchanted knife to give back to the Celtic Gods and save my life. I had a young demon under my protection now. I still had an infestation of the sidhe and dragons to worry about.
And the one thing I needed was some dragons to take back my city. I had none of those.
The kid finally spoke again, “How come you saved a demon?”
I didn’t really know what to say. “You heard Montidore. Humans have soft hearts.”
“I like soft hearts,” he said, shoving some French fries dripping in ketchup. He seemed to love Heinz Ketchup, a Pittsburgh staple food.
“Me too, buddy. Do you want to tell me your name now?”
“Dante,” he said, and took a big bite from his footlong with cheese sauce and ketchup.
“That’s it? Just Dante?”
He nodded again and wiped his mouth with his right forearm. Dante Alighieri was one of my favorite writers and I liked the name. “You can share my last name if you want. It’s Merlino so it fits perfectly with Dante.”
He spoke as he chewed on some food, “I don’t want your name. It’s for you.”
I asked him many more questions, but we reverted to the silent treatment, so I let him eat in peace. He wasn’t acting any stranger than a bewildered child. I explained to him that I’d been through the same thing when I bounced from house to house growing up.
I’d gone silent a few times too and didn’t blame the kid one bit for not trusting me instantly. We pulled up to my house. As we walked up to my porch, some people on the sidewalk pointed and gasped.
“Get over it,” I yelled at them as I broke the defense wards on my door. The neighbors wouldn’t stop staring and I quickly became agitated. No way was I going to let people make my kid uncomfortable. I looked down at the little goblin, a term I used endearingly. “Stay here for a second.” Rolling down the steps of my porch, I walked toward the gawkers. “Do we have a fucking problem?”
Shit. I meant shoot. I needed to watch my mouth in front of the kid even though he had called me an asshole earlier. My neighbors immediately lowered their heads, turned around and hurried away. “That’s what I thought.” Oh shit. I’d forgotten the enchanted knife was in my hand. Ah well, that should give the neighbors extra incentive not to stare at Dante.
I wondered if this was how a protective parent felt. I’d only known the boy for a few hours, but I felt a constant tugging in my chest, encouraging me to protect him at any cost. New territory for me.
If the worst had happened to Burn, I had an opportunity to raise this little guy in her honor. Proving that demons could be equal to humans. The lesson she’d taught me that I could never forget.
I went back to my porch, got down on one knee and looked Dante in the eyes. “Listen, buddy. There are going to be some people that aren’t going to accept you. Just so you know, there are a lot of people who don’t accept me either. Just remember that they are stupid, not you. You are a special little guy and I am going to protect you from everything. You got out of the Red Cavern and came here with me for a reason. Because you’re special. Understand?”
He nodded, and I continued, “If I’m not around for any reason and anyone gives you trouble, you let me know and I will take care of it. I know this is crazy for both of us, but we are a team now and I’m never going to turn my back on you, no matter what. A lot of people turned their backs on me and I need you to know that I won’t do that to you.”
“Okay,” the kid uttered.
I rested my hand on his shoulder and maintained eye contact. “Just because you are different doesn’t mean that you aren’t as good or better than a human. I’m going to give you every opportunity I can. I know this is a new world for you, but you can become anything you want. And I’ll be right there supporting you the whole time, right by your side. All right, let’s go inside.”
I threw the door open and held the screen door so Dante could get inside. Alayna was sitting on my couch and her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when she saw the demon.
I stepped inside, forced a smile, and said, “Honey, we’re home.”
Chapter 37
Alayna jumped off the couch, nearly falling down before she grabbed the coffee table for balance. The faerie straightened herself out and smiled at the child. “Who is this?”
I waited to see if he would answer, but the silence continued. “This is Dante. We met at the Red Cavern.” I waved my enchanted knife around. “Looky what else I got, too.”
“I’m relieved that you got back that knife, but how did this all come about?” Alayna asked as she tried to nonchalantly check out the demon.
I whispered even though the kid could still hear me, “They were going to—they were going to kill him.”
Alayna whispered back, “But what are you going to do? How are you going to raise a child by yourself?”
“I don’t know. I just know I wasn’t going to let that happen.” I smiled. “Maybe you could help me out.
I did just go to Sleepy Willow to avenge your honor.”
She pursed her lips and closed her eyes in thought. Apparently, I’d thrown down the right card. “What would you like me to do?”
I spoke in a suggestive tone, “I was wondering if you could take this knife back to the Gods. And maybe while you are passing through the Deep Burrow, you might find someone who wants to help out.”
She took a few deep breaths and looked at the innocent child. “I will take Dante and the knife with me. It will only be a temporary solution, mind you. Ultimately, he will be your responsibility.”
I put my hands up. “I totally understand. Maybe you can get him to talk more than I could.”
Alayna peered at the boy who stood only inches shorter than her. “I’ll certainly try.”
I said goodbye to the demon child I barely knew, yet we were now inextricably linked. For better or worse.
“I’m going to raise you just like you were my son. It’s just right now is a little crazy is all. You’re going to go to a wonderful land that will be closer to what you saw in your home. I just want to make sure you know that I’m never going to abandon you. I’ll see you real soon, okay?”
The stoic demon didn’t move a muscle or even blink as he stared blankly at me. I wished he would nod or say something, but again, I understood his fragile mind in this moment. Who the hell was I? Just a stranger making a bunch of promises?
The faerie and demon walked out my front door and guilt instantly attacked me for abandoning the kid. I wondered if my father had ever felt this way. Probably not. I had always been the one being abandoned, but this side of the equation hurt just as much, if not more.
Images of Burn kept sneaking back into my head. I had to be sure she wasn’t alive. Going through my contacts on my phone, I found Jonathan. He didn’t answer so I left a message telling him that I needed to get back in to Sleepy Willow.
I was about to leave to pick up Colossus at Doggyland when my phone rang. Satoku’s special tone raised my heartbeat as I stared at the screen to make sure it was correct. Confirmed.
I wondered what she wanted to talk about and swiped the Accept Call button. “Hello.”
“Mike, hey, you’re back already. That’s great.” She sounded nervous and a bit sheepish. Not normal for my overbearing ex-girlfriend.
How did she know I had gone somewhere?
She continued, “Felix told me that you guys had to go to some crazy land and I’m just glad that you are back and safe. He said to tell you that he’s all right and you should call him.”
Of course, Felix had told her. “Thanks for the concern. I’ll call Felix. So, how’ve you been?”
She took a deep breath and paused. “Not great.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
She paused for several moments, and finally said, “I miss you. I know it’s only been a little more than a week, but—I miss you. I really do.”
“I miss you too.” I didn’t have much else to say. My life had been so busy, I hadn’t had much time to really think about her lately.
“Maybe I was too hasty about this whole grad school thing. I’ve been thinking about you a lot this week and maybe I made a mistake.”
Major reversal there for someone who had hardly ever admitted fault during our relationship. I waited for her to continue.
“I’m thinking maybe we should stay together. I mean, what do you think?”
“What do I think?” Now she wanted to know what I thought. The entire time we were together she’d rarely cared about how I felt. I finally saw it clearly now. Alayna was right. I had been blinded by the shiny object I had envisioned as Satoku.
I said, “I think it’s time to move on. You made your feelings clear when you came by here last week.”
“I wasn’t thinking right.” She sniffled, although I wasn’t certain it was genuine. “I’d just gotten into grad school and all my friends were telling me that I needed to do this. They convinced me that it was the right thing to do. I still love you.”
“I still love you too. I’ll always love you and be there for you whenever you need it. But from here on out, it’s going to be as a friend.”
Silence ensued, and I thought she had hung up until her squeaky voice said, “You found someone else already, didn’t you, you snake? It better not be that hussy Felix told me about. Some slut with red hair.”
After almost dying a few hours ago, I was still on edge and screamed, “Enough. Stop with the jealousy. It’s over. You wanted it to be over. I’m sorry that you’ve since changed your mind, but we are never getting back together. Sorry.”
Satoku’s tone shifted to firm, if not angry, “I hope you know you’re breaking my heart. Wait till I tell my mom to have you arrested.”
“You are being extremely melodramatic. Your mother is a professional. She would never mix the two and I’m offended that you would even say something like that.”
Her tone shifted to vindictive, “She’s my mom, and she’s a cop. Do the math. You’re going to jail, asshole.” She hung up the phone.
Whoa, enough with all the fireworks. Could anything be boring in my life? I did not expect my ex-girlfriend to threaten to have me imprisoned. That was a new one for the memoir.
I’d been so blind to her shortcomings, but it was all crystal clear now. She was right about one thing. I had found another woman. A better woman for me.
I ran to the store, hoping a mundane trip would help to clear my head.
IN THE GENERAL CONFUSION, I almost forgot to pick up my dog on the way home. I sat down on the couch and thought about Burn. Colossus jumped up on my lap, rubbing his head against my chest. My phone rang in my pocket and I ripped it out of my pants.
Call from Gretchen. I guessed she was going to yell at me for not getting back together with her daughter.
“Hello?”
“Merlino, don’t accept this asshole’s offer.” I heard a slap and then a cry of pain from Gretchen.
“You can see that she is still alive,” said someone with a booming voice. “This will give you incentive to finish our duel.” It was the Warden of the East.
“Sure. Let’s meet in a different location, outside the city.”
He laughed. “No. No. No. We will meet where I am standing right now. It will be a fair fight betwixt you and me.”
“Fair fight?” I questioned. “How can it be a fair fight when we will be surrounded by your underlings who will kill me in a second for you?”
“I am a man of my word. It will be a fair duel. If you win, you will walk away without issue. However, we both know you won’t be winning. You were extremely lucky in our previous encounter where I didn’t have my wits about me.”
Knowing my negotiating leverage, or lack thereof, I tried to play to his so-called honor. “That’s what they all say. If I remember that fight correctly, you weren’t surrounded by a bunch of warriors loyal to me. Let’s meet on neutral ground.”
“This is where you have a choice.” He chuckled. “Be a coward and we will let you listen to your police friend as we kill her. I hope you have time because it will last for days.”
“That sound like some serious honor there. Using a woman as leverage. That’s cowardice at its finest.” I hoped to put a few chinks in his honor.
“We have different systems, different codes. A woman is nothing better than a piece of trash to me. They have no rights to live. Therefore, my honor remains untouched.”
He seemed to have lifted his moral code from Carlo Gambino’s crime family. I could debate the meaning of the word honor for another hour, but it seemed useless.
“Give me the address and I’ll be there shortly.”
Someone else got on the phone and gave me the location. The sidhe hung up the phone abruptly with no closing word from the Warden. I went up to my room to get suited up for the brawl. Unfortunately, I couldn’t come up with any tricks to protect myself if the Warden’s friends decided to attack me.
Was I falling for the biggest
set up of all time? Possibly. Did I have any other choices? That was a big fat no. Besides, I was done being pushed around.
As I pulled my protection suit over my body, I came to peace with the outcome of events. I’d already expected to die in the Red Cavern, so this was like my life after death. I was living on borrowed time.
I got dressed and texted Alayna to let her know what was going on. I shut off the power to my phone after I sent the message because I didn’t want to see her reply. The message would probably tell me not to leave my house. It didn’t matter anyway as I couldn’t go back now.
I thought about the stupid Dragon Horn and what a waste the trip to Sleepy Willow had been. Apparently, only Alayna had the power to summon the dragons. All that the trip had done was possibly get a beautiful person killed. I could avenge her likely death by killing the Warden, but it wouldn’t bring her back.
I felt hollow as I ran down my steps and grabbed my car keys. Who was Micheal Merlino? Was I the honorable wizard warrior or a stupid drunk like Alayna had alluded to? I tried to shake all those feelings aside and concentrate on the one thing I excelled at. Action.
I bent down, patted my dog, let him lick my face a few times and kissed him on the forehead. Staring at the little cocker spaniel, I realized I’d never set up any contingency plans for the little guy if something were to happen to me. Alayna would make sure Colossus was taken care of. At least I convinced myself of that as I left the house.
I jumped in my car and headed toward the city. I went over the life-or-death brawl with the Warden of the East in my head.
Chapter 38
I parked on Forbes Avenue and jumped out of my car. As soon as I turned right onto Grant Street, I saw what appeared to be a set up. Sidhe warriors were lined up along the sides of the road. The Warden of the East stood on the double yellow lines in the center of the road.
An evil smirk crossed his lips as he noticed me and marched in my direction. As I moved forward to meet the Warden, I saw Gretchen on the side of the road. Bound and gagged, she still gave me a fierce look of defiance. It was more like a ‘get me the hell out of here’ look.