by J. P. Rice
The inquisitive boy didn’t need to be asked twice. He grabbed the torch out of my hand and burrowed right into the cave.
In the dark, I asked, “Is there any other information that might help?”
“Only what I’ve told you. Anyone familiar with Native American mythology, especially the Shawnee, know of her power. It could be a wolf, or a wolf wrapped in sheep’s clothing. There is only one other conclusion I can think of.” He let the last words linger.
“What is that?” I needed to know.
Black Hoof explained, “That she fell in love with someone and left with this person. That is what I want to believe. I want to believe that she is safe and not in harm’s way. But common sense tells me the chance of that is slim.”
Dante popped out of the cave and passed the torch back to Black Hoof. Dusting his pants off, the kid said, “I found this in there.”
He handed me a small scrap of paper. It appeared to have been torn from a Manila folder and had foreign writing on it. I held it closer to the torch Black Hoof was holding and tried to decipher the language. It was definitely Asian, but nothing I was familiar with.
I showed it to Black Hoof and he shrugged his shoulders. Shaking his head, the man said, “I am not familiar with those symbols.”
“Neither am I. That doesn’t look like anything Cyclone Woman would make, right?”
Black Hoof confirmed, “No. It does not.”
I stuffed the clue into my back pocket and planned to ask Felix about it. Considering he was half-Japanese, he was the only connection that came to mind who could help with this. “Good job, buddy.” I patted Dante on top of his head.
He squirmed away. “Stop it.” The little demon was transitioning into an embarrassed human kid, not wanting his father to touch him.
We walked back to Black Hoof’s house and he convinced us to stay for a meal and meet his family. He made us feel so welcome that I felt like I’d known them for years. His wife and two daughters prepared a delicious meal for us featuring a hearty soup made with charred venison offal. That was the mystery meat roasting on the spit earlier. The side of spicy jalapeño cornbread was my favorite though.
A few hours later, feeling like part of the family and not wanting to leave, I dragged Dante and Colossus back to my apartment. I’d talked to Felix on the ride home and planned to meet up with him in a few hours to decipher the writing on the clue.
Chapter 3
Felix and I trekked through a thick forest en route to an old wizard’s dwelling. We were well outside Pittsburgh. My friend had been somewhat secretive and if I didn’t know better, I’d say he was taking me out to the woods to kill me. We plunged further into the olivaceous abyss hoping that Felix’s friend could translate the writing on the clue Dante had found in Cyclone Woman’s cave.
Speaking of my little man, Alayna had been at my house earlier and I’d convinced her to watch him while I worked on the clue.
Felix and I had come to an understanding on the drive over. I had promised not to talk about his leg injury that had forced him to leave our last mission. In reciprocation, the mage agreed not to tell anyone that I wasn’t actually related to Merlin. Out of embarrassment, Felix was the only person I’d told about my not so magical bloodline.
Despite our vast differences, we’d become good friends. He was short, I was considered tall at six-three. The Japanese-American had a dark look with brown eyes, black hair and rich skin. I was pale with blond hair and blue eyes. I cared little about my appearance.
In contrast, I could smell the mango gel in Felix’s hair, but was surprised he was dressed down for this trip. Normally he was the type of guy to have his t-shirts ironed, refresh his cologne ever few hours, make sure his eyebrows were straight. The flamboyant mage also used the selfie camera on his cell phone as a mirror to check himself out. The mage thought that nobody had noticed it, but I’d caught him in the act a couple of times.
Felix also loved the media and used them to promote himself around Pittsburgh. I was actually glad he did because I didn’t want to talk to the reporters.
We approached the trunk of the most enormous tree I’d ever seen. I stretched my arms out and it was wider than my wingspan. The trunk was shaped more like a square than a circle. The branches of the trees above were so thick that they cast the forest into a dusky darkness. Wondering why we had stopped, I looked around for something obvious. Nothing.
Felix pulled a knife from his pocket and opened the blade. His eyes widened into a crazy look as he approached me. “We’re here.”
He turned toward the trunk of the tree and jammed the knife into the bark. He dug the blade in and worked it back and forth. The mage twisted the blade.
A secret door that had been built into the tree trunk cracked open. The mage pulled it open. As he pulled, the door croaked like a frog and exposed the dark inside of a hollowed out tree trunk.
A ladder had been built into the wall on the far side of the opening, but that was all I could see in the dark. I asked, “Can you tell me what the fuck is going on here?”
“This is Fukutama’s house. It’s at the top of that ladder. I have to warn you about something first.” Felix messed up his hair, something I’d never seen him do before. He was dressed plainly, in black jeans and a gray hoodie. I assumed he didn’t want his mentor to know how flashy he was.
“What would that be?”
“Get climbing. We’ll talk along the way.” Felix pulled the door shut.
I started up the ladder in complete darkness. The rungs kept hitting my hands every time I reached up.
Felix said, “He doesn’t speak. His tongue was cut out many years ago, so we communicate differently.”
“Okay, so he writes everything down. That’s no big deal.”
“Not exactly. We speak using our thoughts,” Felix’s words echoed around the cavernous trunk. “It might look a little strange, even for someone like you who’s seen it all. You can still ask me questions that I will relay to him, but you won’t really be able to ask him directly.”
“That’s fine. You can be my translator. We just need to know what that scrap of paper says.” I kept climbing, unsure of how high we were because of the darkness.
“I’m pretty sure it’s Japanese writing.”
“Then why can’t you translate it?” I asked.
“Because I’ve been busy battling demons and evil spirits.” He spoke defensively. “That shit takes time, bro.”
Finally, someone who understood where I was coming from. “I totally get it. I wish I could research my past and my roots more than I get to, as well. These jobs don’t give us much free time.”
Felix agreed, “Tell me about it.”
I started to get dizzy and asked, “How far up am I going?”
Felix answered, “Just keep climbing. You’ll know when we get there.”
I got nauseated as we climbed further toward the heavens. My stomach churned like a cement mixer. Reaching up for the next rung, emptiness filled my hand. “There’s no more rungs above me.”
“Look to your right.”
Turning slowly while keeping a firm grip on the ladder rung, I found a door with a round knob made of wood. Felix said, “Turn that and push. Just walk inside after that.”
Taking his advice, I opened the door. I made the small jump onto firm ground and pushed the door open all the way. A hand grabbed my wrist near the door knob. Then I felt pressure in my armpit and before I knew it, I was flying head over heels. My back crashed into the wooden floor below and the wind rushed out of me.
Wheezing on my back, I saw an older Japanese man standing over me, cocking his fist back. His right fist burst into flames and he started to throw the punch. Oh great, a flamethrower. Still dazed, I wouldn’t be able to avoid his flying fist.
Felix yelled from the door. “He’s with me, Fukutama sensei.”
The old man peered at Felix with a look of disgust. The young mage responded, “Sorry. I forgot to mention I was bringing a guest.�
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I made it to my knees and said, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
Felix had trouble hiding his smile. “I just wanted you to understand the power of Fukutama.”
“You could have just told me.” I made it to my feet and faced the silent wizard. I bowed deeply, trying to make sure my head went lower than his. After nearly falling over due to the persisting dizziness, I righted myself and shook away all the cobwebs.
The short, squat man in front of me was nothing less than intimidating. I was about a foot taller than him and probably fifty years his junior, but it would be foolish to judge this man based on his size and age. Complex magic vines were slipping out of his silk robe.
He sported a long, black handlebar mustache that hung to the middle of his chest. It matched his long, pointed goatee. His long dark hair was formed into a unique man bun. The bun itself was dyed bright vermilion and a thick green silk tie held everything in place. It was the first badass and stylish man bun I’d ever seen. His blue robe with white trim and matching belt hid a powerful body.
He walked across the big open room to a table in the corner. I stood in the most glorious tree house of all time and took a piney whiff of fresh wood. It had to be about fifty square feet, which doesn’t sound like much until you were this high above solid ground.
The room held low tables, a futon couch and a hammock. The walls had been crafted into shelves and were filled with old books. It appeared that a guy could get a lot of thinking done up here. My kind of place.
Fukutama threw a glowing green object into a bamboo mortar and picked up a jade pestle. Using the club-like pestle, he mashed the green object around and a fresh fabric softener smell danced in my nostrils. It smelled like the good weed I used to smoke.
Fukutama picked up a bamboo pipe almost as long as his arm and started to pack the bowl.
Felix explained, “This helps us get in the zone for our conversations. You’re welcome to hit it too, if you want.”
“Thanks for the offer, but those days are behind me.” I hadn’t smoked in years. The Celtic Gods had even given me a pill to force me to stop my drinking. They said that if I drank, the pill would cause me to lose my magical powers. So I was clean as a whistle now. I wondered if drugs would force me to lose my magic too. It wasn’t the time to find out.
Fukutama had Felix light the herb and he puffed away. Smoke floated around his head and shoulders, hiding his facial features. The wizard let out a loud exhale that engulfed the room in smoke. By the time they had each taken a few hits, I was getting a contact high and had to politely fan the smoke away.
Felix and Fukutama sat cross-legged on the floor across from each other. I popped a squat off to the side, ready to find out what that scrap of paper said. The two men stared at each other in silence. Neither man appeared to blink. Felix’s eyes suddenly rolled back into his head and I expected him to fall on his face.
However, the mage slowly nodded his head, apparently signaling that he was locked into the mental conversation with Fukutama. He did look quite freaky with all white eyes. Fukutama’s eyes remained unblinking.
“He asked me why we came here,” Felix relayed. “I’m here because we have something we need you to read for us.”
“I didn’t go to someone else because I’m not sure what it says,” Felix spoke like a cranky child. “If it says something that should be held secret, I don’t want a translator out there raising Cain.”
“I’ve got it right here.” Felix dug into his pocket and pulled out the paper. He slid it across the smooth wooden floor. Fukutama snatched up the scrap of paper and perused it.
Felix translated, “It says The Lost Underworld. Then below that it says, Naruto number 1.”
I asked, “What exactly does that mean? I’ve heard about a comic book store called The Lost Underworld.”
Felix said, “He doesn’t know what it means other than exactly what it says.”
Perhaps something in that issue related to our mystery. “I guess I have to go check out that comic book. I’ve heard of Naruto but I’m not familiar with the details of that issue. Are you?”
Felix answered for himself, “Nope. I don’t know why this one would be important or why it has a particular store name. I don’t think Naruto number one is super rare. Most decent comic stores would have a copy. I think most of them sell for less than a twenty.”
I avoided eye contact with Felix as he focused his attention back on Fukutama. He went back to talking like an angry child. “I’m being a good guy. I don’t know what you think you are seeing, but I’m trying my best.”
A few moments of silence ensued, until Felix spoke defensively, “Let’s talk about that another time. I can explain that. And I’ve been studying some Japanese lately. That’s how I knew what the writing was on that scrap of paper.”
Felix’s face turned bright red and his chest heaved in and out with his deep breaths. He said in an argumentative tone, “At least I could recognize the language. Don’t I at least get credit for that? You know how busy I am with all the supernatural protection.”
Another thirty seconds of silence passed and Felix said, “I’m not in it just for the money. You know better. I like to help people. We have to talk about this nonsense another time. I need to leave.” A few moments passed, and Felix yelled, “I’m not lying to you.”
The mage started shaking violently, and I wondered if his head was about to spin around. He blinked rapidly, tears streaming down his cheeks and his pupils and irises returned to their normal positions. “Let’s get out of here. He’s just trying to yell at me now.”
I didn’t like being stuck in the middle of this and tried to be a moderator. “Maybe he is just giving you advice.”
“I’ve known him since I was a kid.” He gestured toward Fukutama with his thumb. “He’s acting like an a-hole.”
I thanked Fukutama and bowed again. Despite his apparent argument with Felix, he smiled widely and kept nodding to me.
That had ended strangely.
With Alayna watching Dante, I decided to stop at the comic book store on the way home.
Chapter 4
The Lost Underworld had obtained its name because it was located in the basement of an old post office building. The top floor was an insurance company, but the back entrance took you directly to the haven for nerds.
I’d never been there, but Gary, the owner, had a wide selection with some extremely rare comics to boot. I’d never met him before, but he had contacted me a few times about doing appearances at the store. Thinking about it, they would probably be more up Felix’s alley.
I pulled into the gravel parking lot around back of the brick and mortar building. No cars. Surprising for a popular shop. I got out and surveyed the area. Behind the parking lot, a ten-foot high metal fence ran along the tree line of the woods. I scanned back and forth to make sure no one was lurking. All clear. I wondered where the owner or employees were parked as I headed for the shop.
As I walked down the metal steps, I hesitated for a moment. I hadn’t taken into consideration the possibility of a setup inside the store. What if the clean parking lot was just to draw in the person who found that paper? What if it had been left behind on purpose?
My hands started to sweat, but I figured it was too late now and descended the steps. Turning back would be even shadier than going inside now. As I opened the door, it triggered the Darth Vader theme song, aka The Imperial March. Cool. I entered the store and my heart rate jumped.
What an awesome place. Immediately to my right stood a seven-foot-tall lifelike replica of Iron Man. Signed and framed Marvel movie posters decorated the walls. My recent financial windfall made me want to buy everything in the entire place.
Calming down my inner nerd, I focused on the mission at hand. Three people were shopping in the store and a clerk who could also be the owner sat near a cash register reading a comic. Where had all these people parked? Nobody came across as suspicious in the traditional sense, b
ut in my world, everyone was suspicious.
I worked my way around the maze of shelves. It seemed like they carried every comic that had ever been printed. My head buzzed with excitement, proving that I didn’t need to drink to catch a buzz. The comics were organized by universe and I had trouble locating a Japanese or Asian section.
I didn’t want to ask anyone about it in case the other customers were in on the setup. The college-aged trio smelled like weed and cologne. In that order. Not likely that they were magic practitioners, but I wasn’t going to clear them yet.
As I continued to scour, I kept an eye on the man behind the counter. Still engrossed in his comic book. Check.
I came to the end of one aisle. Bingo. Naruto comic books. I casually leafed through the disorganized placement. Checking the series on either side of Naruto, I noticed that they were in perfect order. Why was this series mixed up?
Issue number nine sat in front, but there were previous issues behind it. Seemed strange for an organized comic store. I plucked out issue number one and skimmed through the pages. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and I began to think. Was the clue embedded somewhere in the issue as a secret word or phrase? A code?
Nothing jumped out at me so I put it back and kept looking. Flipping through the series, another first issue showed up and I pulled it off the shelf. I looked through that and found nothing. There were only about ten more Naruto comics to go through and I wondered if this clue had anything to do with the kidnapping. It could be a shopping list for all I knew.
With only three comics to go, another first issue appeared. I slid the perfect copy out and this one felt a bit heavier than the others. Noticing a lump in the middle of the book, I peered around the store. The stoners were near the door poking Iron Man and laughing. The clerk shot a leery eye in their direction, seemingly preparing to yell at them if they persisted.
With everyone distracted, I opened the comic to the middle. A folded map had been taped to page 32. Now we were talking. I slammed the book shut and headed for the counter. I slid the book onto the counter, but the clerk didn’t budge a millimeter and continued reading his book.