by Martha Carr
"You can even enlist her. You two make a dangerous team." Leira did her best to smile. "I believe we will be victorious in the end."
"How can you be so confident?"
"Because we have something Wolfstan doesn't and can't build with an artifact, a warm body and a mother board. We have each other and we are willing to put it all on the line as a team. That makes us stronger and we will prevail."
"But how many of us will live to see that day?"
"That is why we must work so hard now to cut him off at the knees before he gets an even bigger upper hand."
Lucius balanced his large frame on the small stool leaning over the genius bar. "I don't get it." He lifted the new iPhone higher in the air to smash it down, but the Apple Genius stopped him, gently taking the phone out of his hands.
"Okay, okay. We can walk through it again." The young man let out an exasperated breath and put a smile back on his face. "I know you can do this, Lucius. Sure, it's a lot. Every part of this world is new to you. Plus, it doesn't help that your fingers are so big." His smile was strained. "No offense."
"Careful, Jack." Lucius let out a low growl making the hair on the back of Jack's neck stand up.
"A little humor. Apparently, another more recent invention. Lucius, you said you wanted to be something that looked more like normal. I get it." He looked around, smiling at a coworker cruising past him with an iPad in a box. "Hey Phil," he said with a nod, leaning closer to Lucius and holding up the phone like he was showing him how to use the apps. "Okay, I don't have seven hundred years spent in goo, but I'm still a shifter in your pack. That makes me an outsider in this world and among magicals. But we can still blend in. Plus, these apps are pretty sweet." He tapped on a red app with a chili pepper sitting inside a yellow circle. "Look," he said, holding up the phone. "Recipes for days at your fingertips. Every variety. Even gives you a little history behind each one. Did you know that biscuits were invented in the eighteenth century? I would have thought they were older. Hey, we're not playing with the computers right now. Please focus, and don't bite me," Jack said sternly.
He swiped the screen to the left and tapped on a cartoon of piano keys. "Hey, what about Simply Piano? You can learn to play an instrument and get a hobby all at once. You need a hobby, dude. Warrior is way too old school. I appreciate that you stopped wearing the leather gear so much. Baby steps."
"Are you finished?"
"Just trying to help. Go ahead, try one for yourself."
Lucius grunted and tapped gently on the picture of a constellation.
"Sweet! Star Walk 2, good choice. Hey, I see that shifter in your eyes. No need." Jack pressed his lips together, waiting.
Lucius went back to looking at the app, his eyebrows going up as he moved the phone around and the stars on the screen shifted, keeping up with his movements. "I wonder if they show Oriceran."
"Not yet, buddy, but that's a good idea for a startup among a select crowd. Try tapping on a constellation and see what happens. Right?" Jack nodded his head, satisfied. "See? Not so bad being part of this world. How about we buy this bad boy for you and then I'll get you lunch at California Pizza. You'll love it."
"We have a meeting tonight. The Dark Families are still a problem."
"All business, all the time. I suppose that's a good trait for our alpha. I know there's a meeting and I'll be there. But can we be something else right now? Two dudes hanging out. One with brand new technology in the palm of his very big hand."
Lucius hesitated, looking down at the twinkling stars in his hand and out the front window.
"Trouble is still going to be there later, Lucius. But if we can't have some fun in between the battles, what's the point? You survived all those years. It had to be for more than revenge. Hell, even the revenge part is done. Rhazdon is dead."
"I do like this app."
"Yeah, you do."
"Pizza on you?"
Jack grinned, patting his chest. "I got you. Then tonight we talk about protecting what's ours."
Chapter Eleven
Louie whistled as he walked down the sidewalk, maneuvering past people hustling in and out of doors, dressed in their best suits and tennis shoes as they made their way out for lunch.
"It's gonna be a nice night, Sam." Louie smiled, nodding his head at the skinny merchant selling purses, wallets, sunglasses, and movies in blank white cases.
"Morning, Louie." Sam held up a pair of aviator sunglasses and said in a deep, low voice. "Need anything today? Weather tomorrow should be sunny and clear."
"No, I still have the three pairs I bought off you."
"If it starts raining, come back. I'll have umbrellas. Just five dollars."
"Have to appreciate the hustle." Louie smiled, turning onto seventh street and heading for the familiar Chinese Friendship Archway that stood in front of Chinatown in the center of DC. "Home at last."
He made his way down the street, weaving in and out of the shoppers peering in windows and the locals sweeping off front steps. At eighth street he turned and went to the middle of the block, pulling open the door to the Two Lions restaurant. "After you, ladies," he said, smiling at the two middle aged women laughing and comparing their fortune on a small slip of paper.
"Mr. Hou," Louie called as he entered the restaurant. "Mr. Hou?" He walked by the red leather banquettes, stopping suddenly when a round man abruptly pushed out his chair to stand, going around the other side and winding his way through the table.
Mr. Hou came out of the kitchen, pushing the swinging door and wiping his hands on a towel hanging from his red apron.
"Evening Mr. Hou. My order ready?"
"It's not evening yet and the hostess at the front could have told you about your order."
"Not the same. I like our brief meetings." Louie followed him back into the kitchen.
"Louie, rent is due in five days."
Louie picked up the brown paper bag waiting for him on the metal counter. "Thanks Herman," he said, waving to the line cook. He left a twenty on the counter and put a clay salt cellar on top of it. "Left you a tip."
"Rent, Louie. Five days. A one bedroom in this neighborhood is highly desirable."
"I know, Mr. Hou, and you will have it," said Louie, "same as last month." He picked up his pace, heading toward the staircase in the back.
"No more cooking upstairs."
Louie spun around, smiling. "It was an honest mistake. I had no idea plastic would burn like that."
"That smoke cost me my lunch crowd."
"Again, very sorry. Takeout only. Seems like we both win." He turned around and kept moving.
"You need to start using the stairs in front, Louie. There's regulations about people wandering through the kitchen," yelled Mr. Hou, but Louie was already gone.
Louie took the stairs two at a time holding the warm bag closely. He stopped in front of his door and took out his wand, balancing the bag against his chest. He addressed each of the four locks, whispering incantations to remove the separate protection spells.
The door swung open and let him pass, closing and locking behind him again. He put the bag down on the short wooden counter and dropped his satchel on the slouching leather couch that came with the place. He sauntered over to the fridge that made up most of the tiny kitchen and was shoved into a corner and looked inside, his arm on top of the door. Two bottles of soda, a lime, a box of baking soda and a container of leftover dumplings. "Sweet, two sodas." He grabbed a bottle of Coke and perched on a barstool that wobbled to the right, leaning down to slide a Two Lions matchbook back under one of the legs.
"It's definitely not my cottage back on Oriceran, but it will do for now."
He rested the Coke on a glass case leaving a watery ring. Inside was a dried-up piece of tentacle Louie had found wrapped around the end of his boot from Dead Man's Walk.
The rest of the room contained an old pleather recliner, two side tables and a pine desk with one drawer. What sold him on the place was the wide-open space Louie
used to practice with his sword.
Louie got up and set his perspiring Coke on the small end table next to the couch, grabbing the takeout and ripping open the bag, spreading it out over the counter. He pulled the lid off the hot and sour soup and breathed in the aroma. He dropped the lid and rubbed his hands together, picking up the plastic container and slurping in the soup. "Nectar of the gods," he muttered, licking his lips and slurping down more.
He pulled out an egg roll and bit off the end, wiping his greasy hands on a small white paper napkin and getting up to slide out a long wooden case from under the couch.
He sat back down and leaned back to grab his wand off the counter, tapping the lock and igniting sparks, still swallowing.
"Aperi mihi."
The lock glowed bright-blue and started to shake, clink, and clank, and with a shudder, fall open. Louie opened the case and stared at his sword. He rubbed his hands on his jeans and wrapped his hand around the hilt. A warm surge of energy coursed up his arm as he held the sword out in front, admiring the shimmering blade.
Begin. The sword was talking to him again, and he had learned it was in his best interests to listen. He took a wide stance and slowly swung the broadsword in loops to warm up. It was perfectly balanced in his hands, as if the ancient artifact was made for him.
Swing right, step with your left foot, jab, turn, swing low.
Louie followed the instructions, sliding back and forth in front of the three windows that faced the street, ducking and pivoting, swinging the sword at a low height.
With every move, the sword instructed him further until he was able to repeat the pattern without a reminder.
Louie spun, raising the sword high, and sliced downward, stopping just inches from the worn rug under his feet. He was breathing heavily and wiped his forehead on the edge of his t-shirt.
His phone buzzed in his bag, drawing his attention from his practice. He straightened up, kissing the hilt of the sword and slid it into an old umbrella bucket by the couch.
He rifled through his bag and finally pulled out the burner phone Leira had given him, flipping it open to see a message from her.
Come to the house tomorrow morning. We need to talk.
"Okay." Louie wiggled his fingers to ready them to text back.
He pressed a few buttons to say, no problem, but autocorrect took over. "Fuck!" He jabbed at a button, a heart emoji popping up, and accidentally hit send. "That's going to be awkward. Shit... Will be there," he muttered, bent over the phone, typing carefully. "And send."
He turned the phone over in his hand and smiled, looking at the lights sparkling outside his window. "It's been a while since I've seen some action." He stretched his back, feeling an old familiar urge. "Time for an adventure to begin."
The smell of fried rice wafted up through the vents, making his stomach growl. "Maybe eat first." He stretched for the rest of the egg roll, eating the rest in one bite, his cheeks full. "Cooking for yourself is overrated."
Leira sat in the dark house in the red velvet chair, her feet propped up on the coffee table and the blue glow of the television barely illuminating the space. It was after midnight, but she couldn't relax. Yumfuck was curled up next to her, occasionally letting out gas from one end and then the other.
The television was prattling on, showing images of kitchens being redone and the owners shocked faces. Leira picked up the remote and muted it, leaning her head back against the couch.
"I wish Mom was here," she whispered.
Leira jumped as her phone rang and she sat up quickly. "Please let it be an informant."
The troll stirred, opening his eyes and smacking his lips, stretching out his arms and legs. "You get bored too easily."
"Go back to sleep," she said, answering the phone, looking at the screen.
"Mom..." she exclaimed.
"I felt your energy winding around me. You seemed lonely."
Leira sighed. "I couldn't sleep so I'm drowning my brain in infomercials."
"Did you know they make an all-in-one craft machine?"
Leira laughed, glancing at her screen. Great minds... "How is Don?"
"Oh, he's good. Sound asleep upstairs. But how are you? Why the distress signal?"
"I'm in that part of a case where waiting is the best answer."
"Ah, not your strong suit," said Eireka. "You get that from your grandmother. Where's Correk?"
"Out in some exotic land...or Wyoming...doing his Fixer duties," Leira replied. "I'm okay. Safe and sound, waiting to see how we attack Fleeker."
"How are Harkin and Correk getting along?"
"Better than I expected at this point."
"So, no one is trying to light up someone else anymore?"
"Nope, just that once. They actually can sit at a table. I think Correk really missed him. He's just not sure how to trust him yet. And without that it's hard for him to tell his dad."
"Let me say hello." Yumfuck's tiny paws were pulling at the phone.
"Mom... mom... okay fine but stop pulling." She picked up the troll and let him stand on her arm.
"Helloooooo Eireka." He pressed his face against the phone.
"It's not a cave," said Leira. She could hear her mother's laughter on the other end.
"Hello Yumfuck, I've missed you. Come and visit me soon."
"Make it FaceTime," he said to Leira.
"Go call her on your phone."
"I made some new friends, all magicals. You’d like them." His face was still pressed against the phone.
"Okay, show and tell is over. Let me talk too." Leira scooped up the troll and set him in her lap. He picked up the remote and changed the channel till he found an old rerun of Cheers and unmuted it, cackling.
"I'm glad you have him," said Eireka, still laughing. There was an empty pause and her mother said, "Be careful out there. Wolfstan Humphrey is dangerous and has a lot to lose. Don't take anything about him for granted."
"Understood."
"Stay in touch and I'll call to check on you. Well, I am going to shut it down and get some sleep. I just wanted to check and make sure you were okay."
"Yes, go. Don't worry about me. You are a newlywed, after all. There must be more exciting things for you to do."
"Nothing more important than my daughter," her mom replied. "Love you more."
"Love you most," Leira replied, hanging up.
She tossed the phone onto the couch and put the troll back down, standing up and walking over to the window. She shoved her hands in her pockets and felt the magical key to Turner’s hidden sanctum. She put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin. "Time for a late night run and see the neighborhood from a different perspective."
"You say something?" Yumfuck didn't wait for an answer and rolled backward with laughter, still holding the remote.
"Never mind and leave Correk's stash alone while I'm gone."
The troll hiccupped and let out a cackle.
Leira changed her clothes and grabbed a water bottle, heading out the door and stopped at the bottom of her stairs, taking in a deep breath and bending over to touch her toes. The streets were quiet except for music filtering over from the bars on Nineteenth Street.
The door of the townhouse next to hers opened and a young woman stepped out, dragging a large white plastic bag of trash. "Damn, I thought these things weren't supposed to tear." She tilted the bag, so the tear was on top, holding it away from her cropped jeans and blue Keds and started down the front steps.
"Oh hey!" The woman's face brightened when she saw Leira standing under the streetlight. "You're the new neighbor." She left the bag flopped over at the bottom of her stairs and rushed over, wiping her hand on her jeans. "I'm Angel, Angel Moss. I live right next door to you with my husband, Matt."
Leira shifted the water bottle and shook her hand, glancing down the sidewalk. She was itching to run. "I'm Leira Berens and I live there with my... my boyfriend, Correk." She felt her face warming and stepped out of the light.
"
We saw you moving in and I've been meaning to bake something and come over to say hello. Of course, first I'd have to learn how to bake. Oh, wait right here." She held up her hands, walking backward, smiling until she got to the steps and turned, running up them.
Leira looked down the block again, and back up at the neighbor's house debating the degree of rude if she just took off running. She opted for stretching her hamstring, pressing her foot against the step, instead. "Time to make some new friends, I guess."
Angel came out her door, still talking and carrying a six pack of beer with the logo, Three Stars Brewing and a skull and roses on the side. "I don't know my way around most of the kitchen, but I know my beer. A housewarming present from the Moss' to you and..."
"Correk and thank you," said Leira putting the beer under her arm.
"It's local and some of the best. Have you found your way around the town yet? I can help you out with a few restaurant suggestions and who delivers here. Ordering out is another one of my strong points."
"Yeah, yeah that would be great." The beer felt cold against her skin and she found herself smiling, watching Angel chatter away, pointing down the street in one direction. "The duckpin bowling at the Eleanor is the best but maybe that's because of the Rueben and bloody Mary I got there. Matt loves to bowl but he has to bring his own bowling shoes. He's weird about wearing communal shoes." And then pointing over Leira’s head. "The Eastern Market over by the Capitol is where you want to get your produce when the weather is warm, and they'll have a flea market too. I furnished a lot of this place digging through flea markets."
She's a wall of sound. An entire bar of regulars in one small body. Leira put the beer on her front stoop behind a potted plant, still listening to Angel.
"Of course, we'll have to take you and Correk to Blues Alley for music. You actually have to go down the alley to get to it. And that's not far from the Exorcist steps. If we all drink enough at Blues Alley we can try running up and down the stairs. I slipped once and slid down the whole thing on my ass. Never felt it till the next day."
Fuck, I actually like her. She hasn't grilled me about anything. Not once.