Witch Hunt

by L R Deney

  “So it seems,” Zenn remarked, face expressionless.

  Sarah shifted to her side and placed a hand gently on Zenn’s back to lead her. “Come; let’s go talk in my office. I think I can help make Azramoas’ strategies work….”

  ◆◆◆

  “With the disappearance of Councilor Drake Okar, we can only assume to add another crime to Staci Drenvauder and her accomplices,” Speaker Fromm said, his dark eyes becoming slits. “Ergo, more ermegency powers are required. Both Councilors and Vasiliev and Andersson have compiled a bill that will allow them to be enacted. The first power on the list is the ability to authorize enhanced interrogations. What this means….”

  Juliet Frandsen just listened to the powers with abject horror. Okar was right, and now he was gone. She just knew that the two situations, the current vote and Okar’s disappearance had to be connected. And she didn’t listen. Somehow, in some way, Fromm, Vasiliev, and Andersson were attempting a power grab over the Council and the entire city.

  And now, they weren’t able to hold elections, so the number of councilors was slowly dwindling. But how? Why? What was the end goal? To turn Azramoas into a dictatorship ruled by the Speaker as Okar had suggested? With or without her vote, this bill would still pass, so what was the point of fighting it? All of her options were gone and she realized now that she had been a fool.

  “I abstain,” she said after the vote was called for.

  Chapter 21

  Theo sat in the living room, working on their latest artifact, a remote control that could hopefully alter events or influence people in the physical world. It had been something they had been trying to make for years ever since they had become aware of their arcane abilities. Who didn’t want one of those remotes on cartoons and comedies that paused or rewound events, or even made people act silly? They certainly did!

  There were a few more adjustments with the screwdriver when the entire thing started to smoke. Theo’s eyes widened and they hurried the device over to the kitchen and then to the sink. They tossed it in and ran some water over it immediately. There were a few sparks for a moment, but at least the smoking stopped. They brushed at their brow in relief.

  “Well, that was a close one,” they said to themself. “It’s back to the drawing board for the umpteenth time after this one.”

  Just when they were about to return to the couch and unplug for an evening of Netflix, there was a knock at the door. They arched a brow, finding that a bit odd as both Staci and Melanie had keys. There shouldn’t have been a need for a knock.

  Curious, they wandered over to the door and worked up the nerve to answer it. There was a fifty-fifty percent chance that it was either Staci and Melanie and they had simply forgotten their keys, or it was a bounty hunter waiting on the other side for Theo to answer. There was, unfortunately, only one way to find out. So the handle was turned and the door cracked open.

  “Oh no.”

  “Shhhh….”

  ◆◆◆

  Melanie pulled up the gravel driveway to the trailer. Coming to a complete stop, both women climbed out of the vehicle and walked to Theo’s home. It was starting to get a lot colder outside, so both of them hurried to the door. Hastily, Staci fetched the keys from her purse and inserted the one to the sanctum to activate the anchor.

  The door was abruptly pushed open from the other side to reveal two grinning faces, and a third, almost terrified one. It was the two werewolf twins (in their human forms) and one of them firmly held Theo by the arm and neck. They snickered at the sight of Staci and Melanie standing there in utter shock. There was a deep dread hanging in the air at that moment.

  “Well, well, what have we here, Jack?” the one holding Theo asked. “I do believe two lost birds just returned to the nest.”

  “Yeah, I reckon you’re right, Jim,” said the other. “Tragic if something should happen to their little friend.”

  Jim tightened his grip on Theo’s arm. “Oh yes, I do agree. Heh heh heh….”

  Desperately, Theo tried to squirm free of the bounty hunter’s grip, but to no avail. There was no getting free from this situation.

  “Ah, ah, ah, none of that.”

  “Let them go,” Staci demanded, preparing a spell to strike.

  “And why should I? If I let this one go, there’s no incentive for you to cooperate.”

  “Cooperate? I have no interest in any sort of cooperation that you have to offer.”

  “That is too bad, because as you see here, I have your friend. A curious one this one, smells neither male nor female, but like something somewhere in-between. In any case, your friend dies if you don’t surrender.” To emphasize his point, he turned Theo’s head a little to show what he intended to do.

  “Just be a nice bitch and do what my brother says. Or your friend is going bye-bye,” Jack added with a chuckle, repeating “bye-bye” several times.

  “If you kill them, I promise that your coffins will be nailed shut soon after,” Staci growled.

  “You threatening us?” Jim asked with a laugh. “Last I checked you two did a lot of running away, little girl.”

  “I’m hardly little…” the witch retorted, her eyes glowing sickly green.

  “Oh, oh, seems like she does have some fight in her, after all. Rich that.”

  “I’m warning you two.”

  “Okay, maybe you need a reminder,” Jim muttered with an exasperated sigh. Then he twisted at Theo’s arm in a direction it shouldn’t have gone, creating an audible crack. Theo cried out in pain at the broken arm.

  “You bastard!” Staci screamed and twin bolts of dark energy flew into the man’s eyes.

  The man roared, releasing Theo has he reached for his eyes, stumbling back into his twin brother. Theo held their arm as they hurried to Staci’s side, looking back at the two bounty hunters in their sanctum. With not much prompting needed from Staci, the three of them ran for the car. Staci helped Theo get in as Melanie started the engine.

  They sped away in the vehicle recklessly down the gravel trail, nearly sliding a few times. Eventually it reached the road and moved swiftly down the winding road. Theo whimpered in the back seat while Staci looked over their arm. It was swollen pretty badly; a broken bone evident in the way Theo couldn’t feel or move anything.

  “Damnit, that’s definitely busted, I think,” Staci said with a frustrated sigh. “Thankfully it wasn’t your neck, though.”

  Theo nodded rapidly, unable to say anything through their pain and tears.

  “What do we do now?” asked Melanie.

  “Now we have to take them somewhere to get their arm fixed,” Staci said, holding Theo close.

  “So you mean like a hospital?”

  “A hospital is too conspicuous at this point. There’s a healer I know in the outskirts of Olympia.”

  “Olympia?” Melanie asked in disbelief. “Good grief, that’s like half an hour away! They need attention now.” She almost yelped as she drew briefly a little too close to a tree. “Fuck, need to slow down some….”

  “Yeah, I know, which is why I’m willing to risk travel.”

  “With the car?”

  “Yes.”

  “You can do that?”

  “I most certainly can. Unfortunately, anyone tracking us will know where we are right aw—”

  Staci wasn’t allowed to finish that thought as something heavy landed on the car roof, causing it to nearly buckle. Both Theo and Staci instinctively looked up. Suddenly massive fists began to slam down on the roof, causing indentations to form. This was followed by a set of claws cutting in through the roof like butter. The scraping noise it made was both unpleasant and maddening.

  “Why do they always punch first?” Staci asked, keeping Theo close.

  “Shouldn’t we be more worried that they’re getting in?” Theo asked, looking up worried as another set of claws sliced in through the roof.

  “Yeah.... Hey, Melanie, can you try to shake our friend off?”

  “I can certainly tr
y,” she replied, swerving the vehicle back and forth erratically.

  Claws revealed themselves as they gripped at where the windshield met with the roof, sinking deeply into the glass. Melanie tried to drive as fast as she could through the Spanaway suburban roads without losing control and crashing into something, which was difficult as all hell. She had to wonder if each moment passing would be her last, but if the werewolf got in, it was a guarantee.

  “Aw fuck, Melanie…” Staci’s voice came from the rear seat.

  “What?” She tried had to spin the wheel to avoid a telephone pole.

  “The other brother. Looks like he’s running after us and he’s got a good stride.” The witch grimaced as she saw the dark shape loping along the road after them.

  “Well shit, I’m sorry but I can’t go any faster without killing ourselves!”

  “Yeah, no doubt.” She looked around at the suburban houses and markets in the dark, visibly puzzled. “Any idea where we are? Oh fuck, Theo, no no no, don’t fall asleep.”

  Theo muttered softly and looked around then up at the ceiling. “Oh fuck, how’re we going to get out of this?”

  “If it comes to that, I’ll do my best to defend us, even if it means I have to go all out.”

  “Oh!” Melanie exclaimed. “You mean…?”

  “Yeah….”

  “What? What?” Theo asked with some confusion, clearly out of it.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Staci said, stroking their shoulders in comfort.

  The car swerved again, then twice, narrowly avoiding another vehicle. Still, the thing on top would not allow itself to be torn free. In fact they could hear its growls of frustration as it simply tried to hold on. It was likely being tossed back and forth on the roof like some kind of demented rag doll as it hung on for dear life.

  “Goddamn motherfucker won’t let go,” grumbled Melanie, clicking her tongue ring irritably.

  “Wait, why don’t you stop?” offered Staci, suddenly having the thought.

  “Stop?”

  “Yeah, brakes, and then….”

  “Ohhhh!!”

  Keeping her speed a while longer, Melanie suddenly slammed down on the breaks and what followed was an example of physics taking place. The werewolf found that while the car’s momentum stopped, his didn’t and he was hurled several yards down the road, tumbling and growling the entire way. The other werewolf, on the other hand began catching up. Behind him were flickering lights.

  “Oh, looks like we have more company than the werewolves,” Staci said, grimacing while she rocked Theo a bit to keep them awake.

  “Don’t have to tell me twice,” Melanie replied, hitting the gas again and speeding up down the road.

  “Okay, here we go!”

  “Go where? Huh?”

  “Done.”

  “I’m confused.” Melanie looked around and saw that the flickering lights were gone, so she slowed down the car.

  “We just traveled.”

  “Ohhhh.”

  “Yeah, so we’re now in Olympia. Allow me to tell you this fellow’s address.”

  Melanie listened carefully then nodded, pulling out her phone to find the place on Google Maps. In less than half an hour, they were on the outskirts of Olympia, Washington. The house in question was a decent size, but it was really difficult to tell what it looked like in the dead of night.

  Staci knocked firmly on the door, using the knocker that was provided. They waited for a few moments; Theo’s groans the only sound that truly filled the night. The rest seemed like pure silence. Eventually after waiting long enough, Staci used the knocker again, slamming it outright against the door.

  “Answer the fucking door,” she said through her frustration.

  Eventually the door was answered by an age-worn face with a pair of spectacles. The man was reed thin and he was wearing a men’s striped sleeping gown and cap. He looked very unpleased, ready to chew out whoever it was who dared wake him up at this godforsaken hour. But then he saw who was standing there.

  “Staci Drenvauder, is that you?” he asked, adjusting his glasses to see more clearly.

  “Yes, Paul, it’s me, and these are my friends, Theo and Melanie. Theo’s arm has been broken and we’re trying to keep a low profile.”

  Paul blinked. “How low of a profile?”

  An unearthly howl, very near, suddenly cut through the dark, causing all the hairs on each of their bodies to stand on end. That was never a pleasant sound, no matter how close or distant it was. A werewolf’s howl could set anyone’s teeth on edge. Somehow one of the twins had followed them through the portal to Olympia.

  “A very low profile,” Staci explained.

  Paul nodded and stepped aside to allow all three of them in before slamming the door shut behind them. He let out a breath of relief, having apparently fully recognized just what had made the howl and then led them off down a hall in a hurried stride. As typical of a magician’s sanctum, the interior was clearly larger inside than the exterior building it was anchored to.

  It didn’t take long until they arrived within an examination room. Staci helped Theo to the table and Paul adjusted his glasses before examining their arm. Staci held Melanie close while the man went about his work in stoic silence.

  Finally he looked back at the two women. “When was the arm broken?”

  “Barely fifteen minutes ago?” Staci said, shrugging, not really sure of the time.

  “Okay, so there’s a little bit of internal bleeding, that’s why Theo’s tired. Whatever happened to the arm shattered it pretty badly. It’ll take me some effort to heal it.”

  Staci nodded, figuring as much. She knew the break had to be bad to affect Theo in such a way, that’s why she didn’t want them to succumb to their tiredness. She led Melanie to a pair of chairs where they sat. Both of them were tired, it had been a long day.

  Paul was focusing his magical energies into the broken arm. “First we need to stop the bleeding. There we go. Now, to reset the bones…. This is going to hurt…quite a bit.”

  Theo screamed.

  ◆◆◆

  The werewolf had followed their scent to the house where it stopped suddenly at the front porch. It didn’t go inside the house, it just… stopped. This meant only one thing, a spellcaster’s sanctum. They were annoying as fuck, because aside from knocking and getting the mage to answer, there was no way in. You literally had to wait for the damn wizards to come out.

  Out of frustration, he slashed at the door, leaving behind a deep gash. Then, reverting to his human form, he looked around the immediate area. It was a standard, suburban neighborhood, probably filled with a bunch of rich wankers who knew nothing of the world that they actually lived in. The night bumped tonight.

  He pulled out his cell phone and dialed up his brother. “Hey, Jack.”

  “‘Sup, Jim?”

  “So, I’ve found myself in a neighborhood filled with yuppies. I have no fucking clue where I am.”

  “Right, right… we’ll figure that out later. Where are the little birds?”

  “Inside a wizard’s hidey hole.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yeah, I know. It fucking pisses me off. I wanna bite their heads off for this!”

  “Well prepare to be even more pissed off,” said another voice.

  Jim looked up from his phone, anger spreading through his features. “Hey, motherfucker, mind your own motherfucking business. Can’t you see I’m trying to have a conversation with my brother?”

  Russell laughed, pulling out his knives from his coat. “Ohhh, what are you going to do about that, James Lupus?”

  Jim’s form began to shift and twist, mass adding to his scrawny body, hair sprouting. “Oh, first I’m gonna rip your throat open, then with my twelve inch werewolf dick, I’m gonna use your corpse as a fleshlight, and then—”

  “Whoa, I’m going to stop you there. Here’s what I’m going to do, I’m going to kick your ass, right here, and right now.”

  The wer
ewolf laughed. “And how do you think you’re going to do that, little man?”

  “Oh, by simply kicking your ass.”

  “You’re pathetic.” Then the werewolf came charging at him, swinging wide with one set of claws.

  Russell simply leapt overhead and slashed the werewolf in the back as he looped above. Landing on his feet behind the beast, he simply shot the huge creature a large grin. The werewolf turned and growled in rage.

  “You really think your little, metal toothpicks can hurt me?” the werewolf hissed.

  “No, but I expect you to get mad.”

  The werewolf howled in his darkest challenge, charging at the spellcaster again. Claws slashed at a perpetually moving target, with an occasional sting from the daggers. The two combatants were locked in the dance of battle thus, briefly distracted from their true purpose here. Staci Drenvauder and her girlfriend were mere afterthoughts, only the desire to be the one to collect the bounty ingrained in their minds.

  Eventualy Russell made a backflip and the werewolf found the western-styled wizard standing on top of his shoulders. Jim was furious now and tried to shake him off, but Russell was quicker, and he twisted his legs around the werewolf’s neck, cutting off his airflow. The beast gasped and clawed at the legs, but failed to do any injury, the boots too thick a hide for the claws to tear through fast enough and find flesh.

  Jim passed out and fell over onto the ground while Russell leapt off. The werewolf reverted to his human shape, breathing shallowly as his body was allowed to breathe again. Russell simply strolled over and kicked the man in the head, making sure he was out for quite a while. Then he turned toward the door.

  It was an ordinary house door, attached to an ordinary house in an ordinary suburban neighborhood in an ordinary city. It was, however, also attached to a not so ordinary wizard’s sanctum on another plane of existence. That was where he wanted to get to, that was where he knew his bounty was. And more than likely, she knew about this hairy brute.