Medusa's Dagger: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Aya Harris Collection Book 1)

by Lacy Andersen

  The bowl filled quickly. Blood was nearly spilling over the rim by the time Limax nodded, indicating he was satisfied. I tore a piece of cloth from the cleanest part of my shirt and rushed forward to help.

  Gideon’s face had turned a sickly white in the lamp light. A thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead and dripped down his temples. He stared at me as I wrapped his cut, doing my best to stop the bleeding. We’d have to change the bandage later for something cleaner – that was if Limax let us leave his sewers alive.

  I finished wrapping his arm and Gideon held the bowl out to Limax.

  The giant slug shook his head, nearly taking out the lantern hanging from the ceiling. “First, light the candles. Then drop the hair into the blood and feed it to me.”

  Angel rushed forward to light the three black candles. It was insane, lighting a fire beneath a sewer plant, especially with all the gasses floating around, but I held my tongue. Now was not the time to freak out. She dropped the hair into the bowl in Gideon’s hand and stepped back.

  I could see the hesitation on Gideon’s face. Limax’s huge mouth looked ready for a man-flesh flavored snack. He held the bowl out on his outstretched hands, keeping as much distance between him and the slimy residue of Limax’s skin. Tipping the bowl into his mouth, Gideon poured his life force until every last drop had fallen.

  A slurping noise came from the slug’s throat, followed by a gulp. Satisfied, Limax leaned back and smacked his lips together. “Hmm… Child of Moros blood. It’s like fine wine with the slight hint of dark despair. Delicious.”

  I felt my lip curl in disgust. Thank goodness harpies didn’t have to drink blood. I’d rather stick to my wine.

  Limax turned to the candles flickering on the table. A low growl began to vibrate the air. It took me a moment to realize it was coming from the slug. The growl morphed into chanting. It was unlike any language I’d ever heard.

  If I had to guess, it was an ancient demon language – words that were forged in hell and rarely spoken on Earth’s surface. I could feel the power in them. They beckoned to me like a mysterious light in the dark. But in my soul, I could also sense the timeless evil in them.

  Limax’s body began to undulate. The three of us pressed our backs against the walls of the pipe as he shook and swung around the cavern. Just one hit from his massive body would be enough to flatten one of us like a bug on a windshield.

  “We’ve got to get out of here,” I yelled.

  The thrashing was becoming worse. If Limax didn’t release the spell soon, he was going to explode. I didn’t want to be within a hundred yards of a giant exploding snail.

  Before we could run, Limax reared back and fell forward, vomiting out a mixture of black and green substance. It splattered the walls, oozing down the ribbed pipes into the water at our feet. I watched Limax for signs of life, but he didn’t move. The spell had taken everything from him. Even Gideon’s life force hadn’t been enough to sustain him.

  “Is he…?” I didn’t want to ask the question lingering in my mind. If Limax was dead, we’d lost our hope of finding Kit and Michelle alive.

  All of a sudden, Limax reared back up. Angel screeched and ran a few steps down the nearest tunnel to escape. The snail settled back down, twisting his body to look at us. Vomit still trailed down his open mouth. I tried not to look at it, and instead picked one of his five eyes to focus on.

  “The child is located at a half finished building in downtown Arcana.” Limax pressed his lips together before speaking again. “I believe it’s what you would call an apartment. It’s very high. At least fifteen stories.”

  Angel and I looked at each other. We were both thinking the same thing. There was a new high rise apartment building going up downtown near the new sports stadium. It was supposed to be finished this past May, but due to delays, wouldn’t be done for another year. That had to be the building Limax saw.

  “We know what he’s talking about.” I turned to Gideon, throwing him his jacket. “It’s that new high rise.”

  He caught the jacket in midair. “Good. I’m going there tonight. This ends here.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  By the time we got back home, nighttime had already shifted into the early morning hours. Gideon had rushed off to find Agent Silva, and coordinate their takedown of Theo. When Angel and I offered to help, Gideon turned us down flat. It wouldn’t help to bring in civilians, he’d said. We’d only be in danger. Besides, he had Medusa’s dagger tucked safely in his pocket.

  We begrudgingly agreed to stay out of it. Gideon and Agent Silva would burst in, guns blazing, and save Kit and Michelle. We didn’t need to get in the way.

  I was too pumped up on adrenaline to go to bed. After a steaming hot shower and a pot of coffee, there was no way I’d get to sleep. Instead, I headed to the museum early.

  My cellphone was in my hands at all times, ringer on loud, waiting for Gideon’s call. I waited to hear from him at any moment. But the minutes ticked by as I cleaned the lobby. It wasn’t a secret that ancient trinkets required a lot of dusting to keep them looking their best.

  I was unlocking the front door when my tracker phone buzzed in my purse. Dropping the keys on the counter, I rushed to dig it out. The main screen said I had a text message. I opened it up and saw Nicky’s name.

  I’m sorry about the rooftop, it said. I found out where Theo’s staying. I’ll find him and end this with or without that dagger.

  Closing my eyes, I held the phone to my chest. If my brother had just been a simple criminal, it would’ve been easier to swallow. But Nicky was still convinced he was doing the right thing. Who knew how many innocent lives Nicky had destroyed in his obsession to rid the world of evil?

  At that moment, a couple with a small child came in to visit the museum. All three of them were wearing t-shirts with the American flag printed on the front like it was the fourth of July or something. They spoke with a slight Irish accent and mentioned being on holiday.

  I stashed my cell phone and sold them tickets, returning to my cleaning efforts while they browsed. It was the only thing that could distract me from my silent cell phone. I was starting to get worried – Gideon still hadn’t contacted me.

  I was cleaning out all the tiny grooves of a fourteenth century death mask, said to bring death to anyone who put it on, when I heard the couple’s little girl playing behind me. She was cooing and chattering away, giggling at her own jokes. The noise was endearing to me, even though I didn’t plan on having children of my own. It was too easy to screw a kid up. I didn’t want to take a chance with my own rug rats.

  “And when we get home, I’ll show you my puppy,” the little girl trilled. “His name is Ardan. He’s so cute, you’ll die.”

  I turned around to smile at the little girl, but stopped when I saw her sitting on the ground. Her legs were splayed on the waxed tile surface, striped tube socks showing beneath her blue corduroy pants. In her arms was a china doll, its shiny ringlets bouncing up and down. Roni’s brown lifeless eyes stared at me from above the little girl’s shoulders.

  Throwing the mask aside, I dove for the doll and tore her out of the little girl’s grip. “Trust me, kid. You don’t want to play with this. It bites.” I smiled sweetly at the little girl.

  If Roni had escaped in her arms, there would’ve been hell to pay, especially with this demon’s previous behavior with children. The little girl would’ve found out quickly that her playmate wasn’t so fun after all.

  After a five second intake of breath, the little girl’s mouth opened wide in a scream. I waved my hands, begging her to reconsider, but it came out anyway.

  “Moooooommmmmmmmy!”

  I resisted the urge to cover my ears. It was surprising the glass display next to her didn’t shatter into a million pieces.

  “I’m sorry little girl, but you can’t play with this,” I tried to yell over her shrieks, but it did no good.

  Her mother came running over, snatching the little girl into her arms and burying
her head in her shoulder.

  “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but this doll shouldn’t be played with.”

  The girl’s screaming had been muffled by her mother’s patriotic t-shirt.

  “I had to take it away.”

  “Well, if it isn’t for playing with, you shouldn’t have left it lying around.” She patted her daughter’s head and shushed in her ear.

  “I didn’t leave it lying around. She got out of her display.”

  The woman raised her eyebrows at me, clearly assessing my mental capacity as incredibly low. The little girl amped up her crying, letting loose a new round of screams.

  “I’d like to speak to your manager,” she said, rocking the girl violently back and forth. “No one makes my Sarah cry.”

  I sighed. This wasn’t how I wanted to start my day.

  “I’m afraid I am the manager, ma’am. I’m sorry for making your daughter cry, but this doll is very dangerous. She can’t play with it.”

  The woman lifted her chin and peered down her nose at me. “Well, then, we’ll just have to get Sarah her own doll. Good day.” She marched away, finding her husband and exiting immediately.

  If my luck held true that day, she’d be the kind of customer who would stalk the museum online and write nasty reviews about us, warning other customers to stay away from the crazy manager who abused kids and thought that dolls could move. It would bring the tourists flocking, that was for sure.

  At least I’d learned something – I really wasn’t meant to have kids. All they did was scream when I was around. I wasn’t sure if they could sense my true nature or my lack of experience, but children hated me. They could tell I was terrified of them.

  I threw Roni in the old safe in the administration hall. She glared at me as I closed the heavy door, the murderous intent clear in her eyes. I stuck my middle finger out at her and locked the door, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves.

  She’d be safe there until Angel could try something new. Maybe this time she’d call in one of her witch buddies. There had to be something they could do.

  The door to my office was slightly ajar. I peered inside and found a purple sticky note on my computer monitor, the curved handwriting clearly from Angel. She was always leaving inspirational quotes around for me. Sometimes they’d be in my office. Sometimes I would find them in my apartment. This week’s quote was from Diane Mariechild, whoever she was. It read: a woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform. Typical Angel. Always trying to boost me up.

  I sat down at my desk. Beside my computer monitor was a copy of the photo we had at home on the bookshelf. Johnny, Steven, Angel, and I had just come back home from a night at the club. My hair had fallen out of its ponytail and was clinging to my sweaty face. Angel had a radiant glow that started with her smile and lit up her entire face. Johnny and Steven clutched each other tight, the love between them almost visible to the eye.

  A heavy weight pulled at my insides, twisting them until it was hard to breathe. If things didn’t change or if Nicky wasn’t caught, I’d have to leave my friends, the museum, and everything I’d built here. It wasn’t fair to put them in harm’s way.

  Johnny had already felt the terrible brunt of my secrets. And Angel was getting far too involved in the investigation. I couldn’t see any other way out of this mess but to leave. It wasn’t exactly brave, but there was no other way to keep my friends safe. I couldn’t risk the HQ’s wrath on them, or expose them to Nicky’s twisted sense of justice. I’d rather die first.

  The sensor beeped next to my desk. It was an alarm that went off whenever someone came through the front doors. On days that I worked alone and needed to get office work done, it was especially handy.

  I left my desk and rushed into the lobby to greet the new guest. A man stood at the front counter, his back to me. He wore a black wind jacket with light wash jeans and tan hiking boots. I rounded the counter to greet him and automatically, my creeper alarm went off in my head.

  “Hello. One ticket?” I asked.

  It wasn’t uncommon to get creepers in the museum. The occult tended to attract some weird people. I just wished Angel was here to help stave him off.

  “Yes.” He held up his index finger. “Just one.”

  I watched him from the corner of my eyes as I rang him up and took his cash. Thick wavy blond hair fell into startlingly blue eyes. He had well defined cheekbones, and a thick jaw with a cleft chin. By all accounts, he was probably very handsome. But something about him rubbed me the wrong way.

  He smirked at the little plastic crosses for sale near the register. “What are those supposed to do?”

  I gave him a closed mouth smile. “They’re to ward off vampires. Very popular with the little kids. Some are filled with bubbles.”

  “Oh, okay,” he said sarcastically.

  I handed him his ticket and waited for him to wander away, but instead, he leaned on the counter and grinned at me. The creeper alarm was still buzzing at the back of my head, and only got louder as we made eye contact.

  “I’m curious about a certain piece I heard you might have.” He examined his nails before looking back at me. “It’s an old piece of weaponry. Very ornate.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. We had a lot of weapons at the museum. A replica of the Sword of Excalibur hung on the east wall. Knives that belonged to ancient mystics sat in a case near the back. There was even a case of shields that were said to be cursed – whoever wielded them would inevitably lose in battle. He’d have to be more specific.

  “I’m not sure. Do you know anything else about it? Is it a sword?”

  He shook his head. “No. It’s a dagger. It’s not very long.” He held his hands about a foot apart. “Probably only this long. It has a fancy sheath and hilt. I’ve been looking for this piece for a very long time, but I’m afraid your boss beat me to it. I’d love to get a look.”

  I took an involuntary step back from the counter. He was talking about Medusa’s dagger. No other piece of weaponry in the museum matched that description.

  “What did you say your name was?”

  He gave me another grin, but this one didn’t reach his eyes. The air around him began to shimmer. Without the enchantment, the man’s body swelled to giant size. His arms were thicker than my waist and he stood almost twice my height. The handsome face morphed into something grotesque and misshapen, like a clay figure that the sculptor had forgotten to finish. A grin was still plastered to his face, but now it showed off two rows of broken and mismatched teeth.

  The monster that stood before me was a Gorgon. I’d never met one before, but I recognized it right away.

  “Theo… You’re him. You’re Theo.”

  I wasn’t sure why I said it aloud. Here I was, in a museum all by myself, facing a monster who could snap me in half. But the words came tumbling out anyway. The smile melted from his face and he made a quick turn for the exit.

  If Theo was here, that meant Gideon hadn’t caught him last night. And if Gideon hadn’t caught him, Michelle and Kit were probably still missing.

  I felt my legs move before I could comprehend what I was doing. Running to the exit, I saw him turn a hard right and sprint down the sidewalk. My feet followed, although in my mind I was begging them to stop.

  What was I doing, running after the bad guy? It wasn’t like I was carrying heat. I couldn’t exactly tackle him and perform a citizen’s arrest. It was insanity.

  “Stop! Wait!” I yelled between gasping breaths, but all that did was make him run faster.

  My cell phone rubbed against my side as I ran. I pulled it out and dialed Gideon’s number. While it rang, I chased Theo down Philips Street and into an alleyway. He didn’t turn to look at me, but scaled a chain linked fence and ran into the back door of an old business. My wings unfurled from my shoulders, flapping in the wind. With a great big swipe, they carried me over the fence, and I landed in a crouched position on the other side.

  Gideon’s number wen
t to voice mail. Holding my phone to my face, I followed Theo into the building. Gideon’s short message played and then came the beep.

  “Listen, Gideon, Theo came to the museum. He ran and now I’m chasing him. We’re in one of those old brick buildings south of the museum. Come quick. I don’t want to lose him.”

  I shoved the phone back into my pocket and leaned into my sprint. All those squats and leg presses with my weight set had really paid off. The thick muscles in my legs stretched and constricted with the movement, explosive energy released with every stride.

  Theo had entered the storage facility of what looked like an old grocery store. On my right was a walk-in freezer. Wooden crates and cardboard boxes lay scattered across the floor. The swish of Theo’s wind jacket ahead told me I was still hot on the trail. If I could follow him long enough, maybe Gideon could get some backup for me.

  Theo flew through a side door and into another alleyway. A pile of broken boards tripped him, but he stayed on his feet. The momentary distraction gave me just enough time to catch up.

  Throwing all my weight and the power of my wings into a jump, I rammed my body into his side. My talons sunk into his flesh, tearing and ripping as he screamed and tried to shake me off. For all the good my tackle did, I could’ve been a ragdoll.

  “Enough of this.” He pulled me off him like a tick and threw me against the nearest brick wall, his hand squeezing my throat. “No more running.”

  Little black dots popped up in front of my eyes. The sudden lack of oxygen after such a long sprint hit me hard. I kicked my heels, catching Theo in the thigh. It only made him laugh, a throaty and sick chuckle that made my blood turn cold.

  Even with the blackness closing in, I could see the delight shining from those blue eyes. He had a taste for the kill. It was an addiction. He was going to kill me, there and then, with nothing but his bare hands.

  In a last ditch effort to save myself, I drove my talons into the fleshy part of his arm, sinking them deep enough to feel bone. An inhuman screech bellowed from Theo’s mouth and he dropped me.