“Right. No way. I’m guessing that an evil magical assassin will not be very worried about heavy projectiles. Sure, they might slow it down a little, but that’s probably it,” Lydia answered.
Then she and Zack carefully exited the office out into the hallway in order to continue the exercise of figuring out what the crime scene was telling them. Lydia finished her crime scene train of thought. “When that doesn’t work, he or she comes out here into the hallway. To run. The person was probably screaming, and others came out of their offices to see what the hell was going on.”
“Yeah,” Zack said. “I think you’re right. And they weren’t nearly as concerned as they should have been. They probably assumed that somebody else had just cracked under the pressure. It happens, I read about it last week in the paper. Some high-powered accountant. Just up and freaked out. They had to have him committed.”
“It sucks that others might have been caught up in this,” Lydia said. “It’s possible that some of the victims were just curious or even concerned about their coworker.”
Lydia and Zack continued to follow the trail of bodies down the hallway. Even with the condition of the bodies, the general sex and facial features were still recognizable. Barely. The first body was an older looking female just outside the office where the monster got in. The second body looked younger, possibly a male in his twenties.
Further down the hallway, off to the left, there was one more body in the conference room. The conference room was a mess. Chairs were thrown around and there were bullet holes in the wall opposite from where the body lay. And the body here in the conference room had a gun still in his hand.
Lydia knelt down to examine the body. “So much for your theory about nobody packing,” she said. Then she got up to look at the hole in the window. It was much bigger than the bullet holes in the wall and more or less matched the entry hole in the office at the end of the hall. “Another hole in the glass. And this time, the glass was broken on the way out, not the way in.”
“Looks like you’re right,” Zack said. “And that’s not good. This guy emptied out an entire clip at it. He was armed. Maybe he knew it was coming for him after all.” He got up and looked around the room. “I don’t see any evidence he shot it or that it bled, do you?”
“It might have been injured,” Lydia said. “Maybe that’s why it exited here instead of the original entry point like at the first crime scene.”
“I think this guy was the target,” Zach said. “Didn’t you say these things were assassins? Let’s say this guy knew or at least suspected that something was after him. He brings a gun to work, just in case. The soul sucker breaks in and surprises him. He runs down the hall and hides in the conference room while this thing takes out everyone in its path. So far, it’s acting differently than before. And it could have just left when the situation changed, but instead, it looks like it followed him in here, killed him, and then left.”
“I think you’re right,” Lydia said. “If that’s true, then this guy was the target. Let’s go back to his office and find some identification. Maybe we can figure out some clues as to what he was involved in. So far, none of this is making any sense. Unless Luca and Kade are right about some evil mage showing up and causing trouble.”
“Good idea,” Zack said. “And if we compare photos from these offices, we can probably help ID these other victims too. That’ll speed up things so we can notify the families.”
The two of them went to work in silence for a little while, sifting through the piles of papers and folders on the floor of the victim’s office and also checking nearby offices for photos that might match the other two victims.
“Got it,” Lydia said, finding a nameplate in the office with the entry point. “If you’re right, then the intended target here is Michael Hoover. It looks like he was an accountant for a high-powered law firm. Everything in this office is super expensive.”
“Great,” Zack said. “Try to figure out what he’s been up to lately. See if you can find details on any specific cases he was working on before the coroner and the crime scene techs get here.”
“Wouldn’t it be faster if you joined me?” Lydia asked.
“In a minute,” he said. “I found a picture of the woman. The young male victim isn’t in any of the pictures in nearby offices. He could have been a temp or a new hire or just a guy in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said. Then he joined Lydia in Hoover’s office for a moment. “Okay, you keep looking through the papers, I’ll see if his computer still works.”
“Do you have an ETA of when the coroner and investigators get here?” Lydia asked.
“No, but that’s why the Chief wanted us to get here in a hurry, because it’s only a matter of time before they get here. And they will not understand the situation like we do. Plus, once they get here it’ll be a lot harder to get a hold of any evidence.” He turned on the computer, but he didn’t wait for it to boot up. “Oh yeah, I wanted to take my own pictures of the conference room crime scene before everybody else gets here. I’ll do that really quick while this computer boots up. Are you okay here?”
“I got it,” Lydia said.
Zack left to go take pictures. Lydia kept going through the documents and folders scattered around on the floor to see if anything jumped out at her. Then she picked up a document that looked interesting. She skimmed it. And the more she skimmed it, the more she figured it might mean something. She walked out into the hallway. “Hey Zack, I think I found something.”
“Hold on a minute, be right there,” Zack said. After a minute, he came out. “What is it?” he asked, coming out of the conference room and into the hallway.
“I’m not entirely sure.” Lydia was looking down at the paper in her hand, trying to make sense of it herself. When she looked up, Zack was staring at her. His face looked frozen in fear. That can’t be good, she thought.
Her hand went reflexively to the sword strapped to her back as she turned around to see what he was looking at, but it was too late.
A giant wasp hovered in the air. How could something that size not make any noise? It didn’t make any sense. It was the last thought that went through her mind before the monster stuck two giant fangs into her neck.
Twelve
Lydia buckled and she fell to her knees. She could feel a searing pain running from her neck all the way down her body.
She turned her head slightly, back toward Zack. “Zack, run!” She tried to yell at him to get out of there, but it came out as a gurgle. She saw him draw his weapon and fire at the creature. Judging by his aim, it must have been above her, but the gunshots sounded distant and muted. And as far as she could tell, the gunshots didn’t seem to bother the creature at all.
Even though Lydia wasn’t technically human, she still felt her life being sucked out of her through the holes in her neck. And there was something else too, something inside of her, reacting to the attack. Something she had never felt before. What was this thing doing to her? Wasn’t killing her enough? Zack emptied another clip into the soul sucker, but it still didn’t stop the creature. She mouthed the word run again to Zack. What was wrong with him? At least one of them should survive. It was too late for her anyway.
She heard him scream. And then he ran, right at her and the creature. His face was a snarl. He leaped into the air and crashed into both Lydia and the soul sucker. The three of them tumbled to the ground. The giant wasp dislodged from Lydia’s neck, then it bounced off of the ground toward the wall. It looked stunned.
Lydia tried to get up. She reached for the sword strapped to her back, but her legs buckled again. She watched as it flew down the hallway and into the office where there was a soul sucker sized hole in the window. It was going to get away.
Zack knelt down and grabbed her. “C’mon, we gotta go. The techs will be here soon. They can’t see you like this. And either way, I don’t want to be here in case that thing comes back.” He hooked one of Lydia’s arms over his shoulder and they mad
e their way to the elevator.
Lydia could support some of her weight, but she wasn’t able to turn her head at all without nearly passing out from the pain. Blood was pouring down her neck. Zack noticed the blood running down her clothes. He set her down gently, went rummaging around in nearby offices and came back with a towel. He held it to her neck and applied pressure. “Stay with me, okay? I’m going to get you help.”
They were moving quickly now, and it was all a blur to Lydia as the two of them made their way back out through the lobby, which was still mostly empty. There were questions from the cops guarding the elevator. They were offering to call an ambulance. Lydia and Zack said no to the ambulance. They knew it wouldn’t do any good. They kept moving until they were out of the building, past the blockade, and finally back to her car.
Zack stuffed her into the passenger seat and made sure that the now blood-soaked towel was in place. Then he ran around to the driver’s seat. “I need the keys,” he said. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
With great effort, Lydia dug the keys out of her jeans pocket, then she collapsed back into her seat. The next thing she knew they were speeding through the city streets. She didn’t even think to ask where they were going. The motion made Lydia feel queasy. She could feel her heartbeat slow down and her vision blurred. She worried if she would even make it. She had never been injured this bad before. All she could do was hope that her partial fae healing power would kick in soon, but she was having doubts. It was entirely possible that her healing power had limits that didn’t include magical assassins. “Hey, where are we going?” she asked.
Zack took the next turn like he was channeling Lydia’s iffy driving skills. “I’m taking you to that mage place we went to before,” he said. “Kade said that this thing was summoned by magic. I’ll bet magic can help you.” He glanced at her. “I don’t have any better ideas right now and I’m not going to lie to you. You don’t look so good.”
She could see the worry on his face. “I look better than the bodies in those crime scene photos on your phone. Thanks to you,” she said weakly.
“That’s true,” he said. “I’ll give you that.”
“Hey, Zack?”
“What?”
“That was brave what you did back there. And stupid. I told you to run.”
“Well, you meant to, but it came out all weird,” he said. “You were all ‘Zajjrjk. Ruoooaann.’” He said it in super slow motion.
Lydia laughed. It hurt. “You drew your weapon and emptied an entire clip into it and didn’t even phase it. Then you decided that you were going to do what, tackle it?”
“Hey, it worked, didn’t it? I figured if it had to crash through a window to get in, then it was physical enough to get tackled. I didn’t want you to get any more shriveled up than you already were.”
“You could have been killed,” Lydia said softly.
“You would have died if I didn’t do anything.” He countered.
“Fair point.” She let him finish driving her to the mage headquarters in peace. She must have nodded off because a screech of brakes announced their arrival at the familiar gated mansion. The late afternoon light was fading fast. Soon it would be dark.
Zack went around to the passenger’s seat, opened the door, and helped Lydia get out of the car. They slowly made their way up the steps, through the gate, and to the front door. Lydia could feel the familiar hum of magic as they approached, only this time it was different. She couldn’t put her finger on it, though.
The next thing she knew, Zack was pounding on the door. Lydia hoped that they were catching the mages at a good time. Unlike last time when there was zapping and secrets. Lurch answered the door. That was usually a good sign.
Once Lurch got a good look at them, he sprang into action, grabbing Lydia’s other arm and helping her inside. They were nearly to a couch in the living room before Kade saw them.
“What happened?” Kade asked, running over. “Lydia, why is that human in here again?”
“Shut up for once or pretend to be civil,” Lydia said to Kade. “I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for him. Then who would do all of your dirty work for you?”
They settled her onto the couch. Kade knelt down to get a better look. “What the hell happened to you?” he asked.
That’s when Lydia knew she was in trouble. By the concerned look on Kade’s face. That had never, ever happened before no matter how much danger she was in.
“That soul sucker thing we talked about earlier. It ambushed us at a crime scene,” Zack said.
Kade placed his hand on Lydia’s chest.
“Hey!” Zack objected.
“It’s okay,” Lurch said. “It’s the procedure for using healing magic. He has to use his own magic to figure out what exactly is causing the damage. Otherwise, it’s impossible to help her.”
“Um, Kade? Do you have any idea why my healing power hasn’t kicked in?” she asked. “Or does this soul sucker’s dark magic simply trump my fae heritage?”
Kade jumped up, taking his hand off of her chest. “Lydia! You have no magic,” he screamed.
“Yeah, yeah,” Lydia said. “I’m the dud fae who doesn’t have magic. Words hurt, you know. Every single time you say it, it makes me feel bad.”
“Hey, what’s your problem?” Zack asked Kade. Zack was big enough to pummel Kade into oblivion if he wanted to. But only on physical merits, not if magic gets into the equation. It didn’t keep Zack from posturing.
“Get him out of here,” Kade said.
Lurch gestured for Zack to follow. Zack stood his ground.
“It’s okay, Zack,” Lydia said. “He’s a dick, but he’s trying to help right now. You did the right thing bringing me here. If you wait outside, I’ll meet you there soon. I promise.” Lydia knew Kade. Something was wrong, he looked scared. And it wasn’t just for her health. She knew him well enough to know that he wanted to tell her something and he would not do it with other people around. Lurch seemed to know it too.
Zack knelt down next to Lydia, keeping an eye on Kade. “I’ll be right outside if you need me, okay?”
Then he got up and followed Lurch to the door.
Kade paced. “This is bad. You didn’t have magic. You’ve never had magic.”
“Again. Hurtful,” Lydia answered. “And what does that have to do with me healing me? Could you get a move on before I die right here on your couch? Or is there a problem I should know about?”
“I said you didn’t,” he hissed, “but for some reason, you do now.”
Lydia just lay there and let it sink in for a minute. Then she rejected it and chalked it up to a possible fever-filled dream. “Hey, am I hallucinating here, or did you just say that I have magic now?”
“You have magic now,” Kade said. The words were nice, but the tone of voice, deep frown, and furrowed brow didn’t bode well. Why couldn’t anything ever be simple with Kade?
“Yay,” she deadpanned. “You have magic now, Lydia. I’m so happy for you. Welcome aboard. That’s what you’re supposed to say, Kade. Right? Why do you look so worried?”
“The attack,” Kade answered. “An attack from a supernatural being must have awakened magic in you somehow.”
“That’s incredible. What’s the problem, Kade?” She was starting to feel a little better now. Maybe that’s why Kade was going on and on about magic instead of helping her. Although she was probably giving him too much credit.
“This particular magical being, the one that attacked you, was summoned by dark magic,” he said.
“Oh, dark magic.” She sighed. “I get it. Now that I finally have magic, you found another way to exclude me from your club. Fine. Don’t worry, I don’t want to be trained by you idiots anyway. That’s why I have the freaking internet. Just fix me so I can go after whoever summoned that thing and save the city from your incompetence.”
“No need,” Kade said. “Your new magic has kicked in. You’re going to be fine.”
Ly
dia sat up. She moved her head from side to side. There was no more pain or nausea. She felt her neck where the soul sucker bit her. There were still two wounds, but they weren’t bleeding anymore. In fact, the skin felt like the holes in her neck had closed and were healing. “How do you like that?” she asked. “I didn’t need your help after all.” She stood up, testing herself, but she was stable and feeling better and better. “Good thing too.” She studied him for a minute. “Son of a bitch. You knew all along, didn’t you? That I had dark magic?”
His face dropped. “I knew it was a possibility. Look, it doesn’t matter. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t have trained you. I’m not allowed to train dark magic. It’s a capital offense, Lydia.”
Lydia thought about her flaming sword and the image in Luca’s book. “I’m a fae with dark magic and a flaming sword. I’m that Shadow Slayer monster from Luca’s book, aren’t I?”
Kade shook his head. “You don’t have to go down that road, Lydia. You can resist. Once you start to use dark magic, it changes you. If you do choose that path, then there’s no going back.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Lydia asked him. “Stay a loser the rest of my life? Taking orders from a jerk like you? If you are what good magic turns people into, maybe dark magic is a good way to go. Besides,” she said, getting up and putting a finger in his chest. “I asked you point blank, about the dark magic, about everything. And you lied to me. As usual.”
“I’m sorry,” Kade said.
Lydia just shook her head and headed for the door. “I don’t believe that you are.” Now that she was feeling better, she needed some air.
She barely knew Zack and he had risked his life for her. She had known Kade for years and he was still the same self-serving asshole.
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