Distantly Karl could hear the whispered command to go, but now it lacked the power to drive him.
Of course, she was pretty damn weird. Magical. Being chased by dream wolves probably was nothing new to her and her crazy family.
He scowled as the memories returned. The gym. The sudden compulsion to run, drive. Get the hell out of there. That rat bastard Running Weasel had done something to him. Well, fine. All that meant was that Karl now knew that Running Idiot was involved. And he now had an additional crime to hold against Albert when the time to settle up finally arrived. Karl walked back to his car, cursing at the burning pain in his hands and knees, his face settling into a grim smile. If Karl had anything to say about it, the final accounting wouldn’t be decided in any law court. After all these years, he wanted blood, real blood from somewhere deep under the skin of whoever was responsible.
With luck, gentle Amber wouldn’t be around when the settlement took place. He didn’t want to upset her delicate sensibilities.
Ha!
Amber was rock solid. He didn’t want her there because she might try to stop him for his own good. Isn’t that what women did in those noir films? Take the gun away? Tell the hero he shouldn’t sink to their level?
To hell with that.
Any level was okay as long as he had his hands around the bastard witch responsible for this.
* * * * *
The college had kept their records. It was on their private intranet and she’d had to talk fast to get access. Eventually Amber was set up with a temporary password and limited access to the information that had been removed from the internet.
It’d been surprisingly easy to find when Gloria had started college. She’d joined the student newspaper staff only a few days after the first semester had begun and by the second semester was the senior editor, both actions unprecedented in the university’s history. After she’d taken, command every issue contained photos of her and articles with her byline. As Amber scanned each item her frown deepened. As soon as Gloria had control she changed the simple college gossip sheet into her very own witch’s journal.
Amber scowled at, then printed out a well-written but wrong discussion on the ethics of witchcraft. Gloria had taken the Wiccan Rede “An it harm none, do as thou wilt,” left off the “An it harm none,” and used the Rede to instruct people to go after everything they wanted with both greedy hands. The university administration became increasingly distressed about the expense and the content. In vitriolic editorials Gloria criticized the administration for their penny pinching ways and suppression of freedom of religion and expression. Amber suspected that the excerpts of letters from the dean printed next to Gloria’s replies had been heavily edited or even fabricated. The woman seemed to thrive on the turmoil she created.
After a few semesters the front page articles became the venue for an attack on the university president who was trying to, as Gloria put it, “crush the spirit of the students.” The battle between the president and student editor had continued until Gloria was expelled. It had been that fight that had prompted the report in the city paper about Gloria. Amber’s lips twisted. Davie was a sneaky bastard. If he’d read this thing in the city paper he would have known about Gloria’s interest in the occult – it was all over the city paper, but he hadn’t mentioned it.
Why?
Probably because Davie was intentionally obscure as a form of recreation. She would worry about it later.
But the result of Gloria’s rule was that both the university coven and the university paper were put on probation for three years. The coven disbanded within weeks of her departure. There was no record of it reforming.
Amber gathered a pile of paper from the printer. It was time for her to think about finding somewhere to spend the night. She had some reading and a lot of thinking to do. In the morning, if she hadn’t heard from Karl, she would rent a car and decide what to do next.
Instead of leaving the library she grabbed her phone. Davie’s reply was immediate.
“Did you find anything interesting?” he sent.
Amber nodded at the little screen, then hesitated. How much could she tell Davie? Would he have enough cynicism to ignore the magic references? Would he, like Karl, consider magic an aberration, self-delusion, and laugh at it?
“You’re not kidding,” Amber replied, “I don’t know what this woman’s pathology is, but she has it bad. She’s overboard into magic, of all things.”
“She’s got some sort of power.” Davie replied. “I’ve accessed some information on that one you might enjoy. Would you believe that she doesn’t pay her own bills?”
“So?” Amber shrugged, forgetting he couldn’t see her. “She has an accountant. I wish I were organized enough to have one. Or she’s lazy.”
“No. No. Her apartment is paid for by members of her old coven, has been for years. Used to be that only one of them paid, but she has two places now. A bigger, more expensive place in Washington that takes three of them to pay for it. That guy, Running Wolf, pays her electricity bill at the Albany place. Someone else that I’m looking into – he’s not part of the college crowd – pays for her phone bills. You get the idea? She has huge, hidden bank accounts, credit cards, and hasn’t paid taxes or a penny of her own expenses for years.”
Amber got the impression from the speed of his typing that Davie was delighted.
“This lady even got someone to pay off her student loans and her outstanding credit card bills a few years ago.”
“Who?” Amber asked. She’d no precognitive ability, but her heart missed a beat.
“That senator that she works for. The one trying to get nominated for president. Thomas.”
Amber reread the text, then covered her eyes.
“Great steaming gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts,” she said with great feeling and sincerity. “Politics.”
Amber tossed her shopping bags onto the hotel bed and toed herself out of her trainers. Having to go shopping for clothing and basic hygiene items on top of everything else she’d done today had used her last atoms of strength.
Amber prowled the quiet room unable to settle down. Her thoughts chased each other. Where was Karl and what was he doing? How could she find him if he didn’t contact her? Maybe if they both got pulled into the energy drain she could ask him? Maybe … maybe lots of things.
She considered just reaching out and drawing in strength from Air or Earth, but discarded the idea when she lifted her hands and studied the faint trembling.
Food. She would follow her own best advice and eat. Karl … Where was Karl? That was her number one worry. Close behind was the thought that she still had no idea of the purpose of the spells she was peeling off his psyche. What if she’d stopped at a dangerous spot? Some spells worked in synergy with others, requiring both charms for balance. What if she’d stopped too soon, left half a spell dangling dangerously? Amber flipped through the room service menu and put it down again without making a decision.
Her stomach growled its opinion of her action and Amber checked her watch. She hadn’t eaten for hours. Fatigue dragged on her body and spirit and still she could not rest. If Karl was wandering lost and confused while the spells she’d mangled attracted all the negative beings of the spirit world it was her fault. Karl’s sanity and safety were her responsibility.
Her first real magical problem and she’d lost him. Actually, he’d lost himself, but that wasn’t the point.
Her cell phone rang and she dove across the room to grab it.
“Hey, Amber,” came Smoke’s familiar voice. “What the heck is happening? How did Karl end up in Canada?”
“Canada?”
Smoke laughed. “Yeah. Maybe. As near as we can tell. The road number he gave me doesn’t make sense unless he’s in either California or Canada. Thing is, he doesn’t remember driving through any border checkpoints, so he isn’t sure. There are no police on his tail so it’s unlikely he ran one. He’s looking for another road sign.”
&nbs
p; “What are you talking about?”
“Karl. He just called us to ask for directions. He doesn’t have GPS in that classic of his.”
“Oh, good. Great. Wonderful. But why did he call you?”
“He doesn’t have your cell number, just the house one.”
Amber rested her head against the chair and closed her eyes.
“He can’t be that far away,” she said. “He left just a few hours ago.”
“You can travel a fair distance if you’ve a mind to,” said Smoke, “and from what Karl said he was doing a good speed.”
“What did he say happened?”
There was a pause at the other end before Smoke continued slowly.
“It’s hard to get a straight answer out of our friend Karl. He’s being very defensive. Not that I blame him at all. He said that someone called ‘Running Nose’ gave him a magical push and the next thing he knew he was driving in the dark with his lights off and he has no idea where he is.”
Amber chuckled. Running Nose, indeed.
“So what is he going to do? Does he remember anything about the magical push?”
“Just that he was told to ‘go,’ but he doesn’t remember where. I didn’t want to give him your cell number until I checked in with you, little girl. Just in case you had a reason not to give it to him.”
“Call him back, Smoke. Give him the number. I’m staying at the Buffalo Hilton and I’ll phone down to the main desk to let them know he can have a room key.”
“I’ll tell him. But he has one real worry. He’s not sure if he will get back to you in time for the morning energy drain.”
Amber covered the phone with her hand while she explored the outer edges of her profane vocabulary. When she returned the phone to her ear she could hear Smoke’s choked laughter.
“You don’t tell anyone about my language,” warned Amber, “and I won’t tell anyone about the mead you’re brewing in the barn.”
“Deal,” said her cousin briskly. “What do we do about Karl?”
“Dammit, Smoke. I’m not sure what to do.” Amber rubbed her face wearily. “It won’t help for me to try to get a car and meet up with him. For all I know we’d just keep missing each other, driving back and forth all night. It would be easier to just ask Karl to drive back to Buffalo. If it gets too close to five and he isn’t here, get him to pull off the road. Go to some safe place and phone you to let you know where. As soon as I can rent a car in the morning, I’ll drive up and meet him. Give him a recharge. Okay?”
“You got it.”
Amber dropped the phone on the table and crawled onto the nearest bed. Arms limp, fingers curled she let out a slow breath and willed her body to relax. She glanced at the time and calculated the hours remaining before the next energy drain. Spending her time worrying about Karl wouldn’t help either of them. Smoke would man the phones tonight, generating maps and guiding Karl back. In the morning it would be her turn to act. But this was a lesson for her. She wouldn’t let Karl out of her sight or reach until this whole problem was resolved.
One side of her mouth curled. It would be great to have his hands working on the knots in her shoulders. She closed her eyes for a moment recalling Karl’s features. Tired, narrow, but if he got back the flesh that years of drains had taken from him, he’d be … well, she wouldn’t kick him out of bed. Unless he chewed crackers after lights out and hogged the remote. His face carried the residual marks of the handsome youth he’d been. Laugh lines bracketed his mouth and despite his years of worry there were only light frown lines.
After a few moments she rolled over and picked up the hotel phone. It was past time to refuel. She ignored the menu. If she was going to get her strength pulled from her against her will, she was going to stock up her body with some good quality calories beforehand.
Grinning, she ordered one of every dessert, with ice cream and whipped cream on the side.
After a few minutes Amber opened her eyes again and starting pulling the printed sheets out of her computer bag. She’d only skimmed the articles Gloria had written about magic, but now she knew she had to study them. Maybe Gloria put some hint, some clue about the Ethereal Planes web in her writings.
* * * * *
Karl pulled into the same coffee shop parking lot he and Amber had visited the previous day and glanced at his watch. Five fourteen and a few seconds. He reached for his cell phone to call Smoke and give his location as they’d arranged earlier. With a shrug Karl dropped the phone back on the passenger seat. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t survived the drain for years before this witch and her family had wandered into his life. He wasn’t helpless and he had no intention of becoming dependent upon Amber’s help. It was bad enough he’d needed Smoke to find his location and give him directions. Getting back to Buffalo had taken all night. Karl felt like he’d broken land speed records for most of the trip. He rubbed his tired eyes, pressing the heels of his hands against his forehead. He’d test whether he had to be asleep for the drain to happen then he’d buy some coffee and head for the Hilton where Amber was probably sleeping peacefully, curled up, warm and soft under the blankets. He relaxed in the familiar support of the leather seat.
* * * * *
The sky above him was a vivid burning orange, the rocky ground a dirty blue. Karl lifted his head and scanned the horizon for the wolves. A brief moment of panic was followed by the memory of safely parking the car. He must have fallen asleep in the car.
Damn it. Damn it.
He’d fallen asleep. He knew he shouldn’t and he’d just passed out cold as soon as he’d stopped concentrating on driving.
Well, he’d been awake for a whole twenty-four hours. Exhausted.
The familiar howl of the hunters rang over the dreamscape and Karl shifted uncomfortably to face the approaching wolves. He knew, now, that these were not real wolves. Nor was this a simple dream. It was an attack. An act of violence, an invasion, a crime, pure and simple.
The pain teeth and claws inflicted was real, but running from them served no purpose. Karl remained on the ground watching the wolves approach wondering idly which one was Albert. There were some small differences in pelts that he hadn’t noticed before in his wild panic. One or two were pale grey and brown. There seemed to be as many females as males.
“Hello, bitch,” he said to the queen as the wolves came closer and began pacing around him.
The bright yellow eyes of the wolf locked onto his and she stepped delicately toward him. Karl dodged as she tried to lick his face. Only the tip of her tongue brushed against his hair and she snapped her jaws at him, as if in complaint.
Karl grinned up at her. “I’m going to get you, bitch. You’re going to regret everything you did to me.”
The queen wolf shook her head at him, her tongue hanging in a doggie laugh then raised her muzzle and howled. Her pack joined her in song. Karl’s muscles cramped and tightened. His body shuddered and he collapsed onto the rocky ground. He could feel the tug of the threads thrust through his body. Power pounded into him. Pressure built behind his eyes. Heat burned through his nerves and muscles. His back arched as pain built, overwhelming his mind, his strength. Spasm after spasm passed through his body as power crashed into and through him. The rushing river overwhelmed his body and mind. When he thought his body could contain the flood no longer, it fled from him. The wolves cried out as the power leapt from Karl and dived into them.
Karl’s breath dragged raw and burning down his throat. The muscles that had been rigid only seconds ago now felt as if they were dissolving, melting into the stone. He lay helpless and empty on the rock and still the drain continued.
* * * * *
Gloria spread her fingers, thrusting her arms into the air. The power flooded through her, pure and glowing. The words of the spells tumbled from her lips, long learned, requiring no thought. The power rushed to their intended homes, flowing into the tokens representing her various endeavors. A little extra for donations. A little push to increase her candidat
e’s attractiveness to news reporters. One or two little dribbles for the man himself, but not too much. The stuttering and verbal gaffs tended to be worse when he was over energized. So many projects, so little magic.
But this morning much more than before.
The taste, the feel of the power had improved the last few days. Maybe there was a little edge to the power when the donor was taken closer to the edge of life. She would have to be careful. Not do it too often. But it was good. It was all good.
Individual pamphlets fluttered as she poured strength into their contagion spells. Now each and every one of that print run would be irresistible to whoever was unlucky enough to read it.
Gloria rode the power, drowning in it, bathing in it until it started to diminish, fade.
“Oh, blast,” she rolled across her bed and reached for the glass of wine she’d poured before the harvest had begun. She punched her pillows into a comfortable position and lay back to contemplate her work.
Another perfect morning. Yes, the energy was a little sharper today. Lots of things had changed in the last couple of days. She twisted the wine stem back and forth in her fingers.
Mike was dead. Karl was moving around when he’d been nice and quiet for so long. Could be grieving. Maybe that was why he wasn’t filtering the energy as well as usual. Maybe he was tired. He’d looked pretty washed out at the funeral.
She pushed the books scattered across her pillows onto the floor and sprawled more comfortably across the bed. Years of study, research, practice, and hard work and she still couldn’t hold the power in her spells for more than a day.
It was frustrating, having to wake up every morning to guide the energy. There had to be a way to keep the power she harvested. And to add to her problems she needed to move finding a replacement for Karl to the top of her list. He wasn’t working as well as before and he was causing trouble. She needed to find someone amenable, obedient, and a solid magical focus.
Damn but they were rare. She’d known from the beginning that they were, but she’d hoped to find another before Karl was useless.
First Destroy All Giant Monsters (The World Wide Witches Research Association) Page 25