by Ben Zackheim
Merlin grumbled something and strode up to Skyler. “What happened to the original plan, you imbecile?”
“The 60s happened.”
“What does that mean?”
“Sex, drugs and rock and roll, old wizard! Many brain cells were left splattered on my cranium back on Haight Street.
“So you’re telling me that you forgot the plan, then?”
“Bingo.”
“And now we are going to follow this man’s new plan, my dear? Now you want to keep this cursed weapon in our walls?”
“He’s forced our hand, Merlin. You know it is best for us to take it and keep it safe.”
“Fine,” Merlin said. “But we reserve the right to use it as we see fit. If that does not include pulling your backends out of the fire, then so be it. If you remember anything of the original plan, Skyler, you will know that this is bad news for you.”
“Got it,” Skyler said. “I have no idea what you’re talking about but it’s all good.”
“As for you,” the wizard said, looking right at me. “You waste your talent on doing his chores. You need to find your own path, Kane. Do not waste your short life on a mad man’s whim.”
“Stay out of his head,” Sklyer barked.
“He’s casting a spell, Kane,” Fox added. “Be careful you don’t let his words in. You’ll regret it.”
“Bah! Give me the damned thing and begone with all of you!” His wife placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him. Good thing it worked because his face was getting a dangerous color red.
“Rebel. You’re up,” I said. I kept an eye on her as she took a few awkward steps toward Merlin. She lifted the sword out of her belt, took a deep breath and threw it at the wizard. He caught it without missing a beat.
Merlin uttered some words under his breath and the sword appeared to fold into the cloth of his robe as if it were fabric itself. Cool trick.
I hoped we’d made the right decision.
“I would have liked to extend the courtesy of inviting you into our home but my husband bartered with me before we all met. He said he’d consider taking the sword if the Naga would abandon their tradition of welcoming all humans. It is hard for me to turn you away but such is the compromise of marriage.”
“We thank you for your hospitality,” I said with a bow. “I hope we have another chance to see you and your people again.”
Merlin took a step forward and pointed his words at me like a weapon. “No, you don’t. Because that would mean the end of the world.”
He waved his arm which suddenly carried a staff he hadn’t held before and my whole party, together again, opened our eyes from a blink.
We were at the base of the mountain.
A moment passed.
Cassidy and Rose threw up. It was a little weird to be thrown through time and space. Merlin’s spell had transported us out of there at record speed. He really didn’t want us soiling his heaven under earth any longer. I didn’t blame him. If I found a home and a wife like that I’d probably kick mere mortals the hell out faster than he did.
“Five people, two vampires, a demon and three motorcycles,” Skyler muttered. He clapped his hands together and shouted, “Time to get up close and personal! I go with Rebel and Scarlett!”
Chapter 50
If Atlantis was still around, my renovated house would have fit right in.
We’d fixed it up over three months. It became a bonding experience for the team. A team that was larger than it had ever been before. All the damage was fixed. I’d even made some improvements to the library, including a safe where we could store whatever treasure we secured next. This safe was protected by 500 feet of Terra Firma and a lot of magic.
And not just any magic.
Vampire magic.
Fox assured us that anything in the safe would be out of reach to any Vampire. Even him. The combination to the safe required blood from two people, Rebel and me. If we wanted in we’d have to cut ourselves and drop the blood on the dial, then enter the combination which was seven numbers long.
Now we just needed to find something to put in there. Something non-legendary maybe. It wouldn’t be the final solution for every treasure, but I was sure it would come in handy in a pinch. We excelled at pinches.
It was a good feeling to finally succeed in securing one of the Vampire’s treasures. We’d suffered through so many failures before that I wondered if we’d ever have a hand in saving the world from those bloodsuckers.
Merlin’s words did get into my head, all warnings from Fox and Skyler aside. It wasn’t just that he was complimentary, though that was just the oil he used to slip into my thoughts. It was also the underlying tone of need that I heard. I sensed he was desperate for me to understand something. Something specific.
Merlin had cast a spell with his words so if I showed any sign that they had affected me then I’d be under the microscope.
So I kept it to myself.
Once we all got back to the states we doubled down on our efforts to find another stash of Vampire treasure. Word on the street was that they were ahead of us in finding some big payloads so we had some catching up to do.
There was also word that Cannon had survived the attack. I wasn’t surprised, but I regretted that we didn’t finish the job. He wanted Excalibur because he wants to build an army. One even more impressive than the one he already had. I was sure of it. The sooner we took him out and kneecapped his plans the better humanity’s chances of survival.
Skyler had gone off to organize some of Spirit’s teams but I was getting worried. We hadn’t seen or heard from him for weeks.
The day he returned I was watching our new pool get filled up. It was a gorgeous thing. The one luxury I allowed myself after the hell I’d just been through. Plus, Rebel and the twins begged me for it. The pool was one of those outside/inside things but it had some extra surprises thrown in. At the spot where the water went under the house’s foundation there was a 150 foot drop. If you dared to take that challenge and hit the bottom, you would find a one pound block of gold.
There were other tunnels that shot off from the main pool. Each room in the main house, except the bedrooms and most bathrooms had a big pod of water on one wall and a door to a chute that allowed you to travel around the house by swimming from room to room. Like I said, a luxury. I also gave the equivalent amount of money to charity. Opulence without paying it forward sucks.
Rebel and I watched the water truck fill up the pool. We were pretty relaxed, after resting and recovering but Skyler was on our mind.
“It’s just not like him,” I said.
“He loves to talk our ears off, so yeah, it’s not like him,” Rebel said. “Fox doesn’t know where he is either.” She sipped some lemonade. With whiskey. “I don’t trust him.”
“Who, Fox? Oh, come on. You’re still angry about the Lancelot thing. Who cares? Why should he go around talking about that?”
“Because we would have known what we were dealing with! Maybe that would have given us a chance to skip over some of the more dangerous parts.”
“Then you haven’t been paying attention, Rebel. This shit is going to be dangerous 100% of the time. If you get into the tiny details of who told who what when then you’re just making drama. Stick with the task at hand.”
“Maybe you’re right,” she said.
That’s when we saw the black limo driving up the long driveway to my house.
“Did you invite anyone?” I asked.
“No. Maybe the twins did.”
“Cassidy! Rose! You invite anyone to the house? I told you to clear it with me first!”
No answer. We watched the car pull into the roundabout. The chauffeur ran to the trunk and pulled out a long black velvet sheet. He pulled it all the way to the front door of the house and then attached it over the back door of the car. With a loud POP the black cloth puffed up and someone, a Vampire no doubt, stepped out of the car and into the makeshift tunnel to my door.
“Spea
k of the devil,” I said.
“You think it’s Skyler?”
I actually hoped it was Fox. I hadn’t forgotten that he’d mentioned my dad on the yacht. He’d done a masterful job of avoiding me since then, but I planned on working him over next time he was in my sights.
“Cassidy,” I called into the mic in my watch.
“Yes, master.”
I sighed. “Get the place ready for a Vampire.”
“Roger.” Within seconds we heard metal falling on metal as every window in the place was covered. By the time we reached the library, Skyler was standing there, smiling. He was dressed sharper than I’d ever seen him. His black suit was coupled with a black top hat. He looked like a monster from the 1920s movies. The red handkerchief poking out of his breast pocket was the finishing touch. Skyler was clearly enjoying being a Vampire.
“Guys!”
“Don’t call me a guy,” Rebel said.
“Girls!” he said and he ran up to hug us.
“Where the hell have you been?” I asked.
“Around. Here and there. Scoping and snooping. The usual.”
“Why didn’t you call?” Rebel asked. “We didn’t know if we should be looking for you.”
“Aw, isn’t that sweet? I didn’t know you cared.”
“We don’t,” I said. “Not about you. But we both kind of enjoy the planet we live on and we’d like to get on with saving it.”
“How that burns me. Right here,” he said pounding the place where his heart used to be. “Hey kids!” Cassidy and Rose waved at him from the balcony they were leaning over.
“Beautiful job getting this place back in order, Kane,” he said. “Very nice.”
“Thanks. The Vampire mode is for you and Fox.”
“You are too kind.” He bowed to me.
“Fuck you.” I bowed back.
“Still. There’s something missing.” He started to pace around the room with his hands behind his back. “Something… something…”
He twisted on his heels and pointed to wall. “AH-HA! You know what would look good on that wall?”
“I’m sure you’re going to tell us,” I said.
“Mjolnir!” he said. A gleeful smile crossed his face.
“Thor’s hammer?” I asked.
“THE HAMMER OF THOR!” he yelled, arms outstretched.
Are you ready for the next installment of Kane Arkwright’s Relic series?
Relic: Hammer
January, 2018
Kane and Rebel return for an adventure that whips them around the world. Iceland! New York City! And places no human should go, ever!
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