Finding Real Magic

by Shawn Keys

  Angelica eyes were dancing with the desire to claim the magical trophy. “We could share it?”

  Zahn shook his head firmly. “Relics can only have one owner. Changing hands too quickly causes their magic to dilute. They wouldn’t be as effective. You need to bond with it and develop its power.”

  She finally relented, allowing Zahn to drape the necklace around her neck. Drawing the jewelry close, her bright eyes examined every detail. “How do I know what to do?”

  “Wearing it helps. You’ll feel the connection building. But it clearly forges some sort of connection with animals. Now that I know it exists, I’ll help you investigate its history. Knowing stories about it will help you learn the full extent of what it can do.” Zahn quirked an eyebrow. “We’ll discover it together.”

  Her smile shone forth a hundred times stronger than before. “Always my hero.” She let the falcon-shape fall from her fingers and dangle into the swells of her cleavage visible past her shirt.

  For a long moment, they just cuddled close, sharing in the blessing of that moment.

  Then, Zahn shook himself out of the stupor. “We need to go. This is no place for us to stay.”

  “Should we take anything else?”

  Zahn glanced up at the crystal wedged into the chamber ceiling. “That’s clearly a relic as well. Not all relics are earth-shattering. Some are simple tools that survived from that older age. They are a little more common, but still special in their own way. Endless light being cast forever can be useful. If I steady you, can you climb on the marble fountain and work it free?”

  Happy to be involved in something more physical and useful, Angelica hopped up on the edge of the fountain. Zahn balanced her with a light grasp of on her legs, doing his best to ignore the sensual way her calves rippled under his touch. Sliding his hands up her jeans probably wouldn’t be the most professional thing to do.

  Reading his mind, Angelica glanced down with a teasing smirk. “Getting ideas?”

  “Storing them up for later.”

  She laughed, and then stretched out her whole body. On her tip-toes, she managed to get enough traction to jiggle the crystal against its mounting. The age of the rock helped, and soon she had it loose enough to pull out. With a small cry of victory, she dropped back down and clutched the glowing crystal in hand. “Got it!”

  Zahn produced two small blankets from the slim pack he was porting tucked up against the small of his back. Up until then, it had been empty – little more than another layer of padding to his clothing. He wrapped the Fountain-vial in one, not totally sure how fragile the structure was. He knew first-hand that not all relics were indestructible. He offered the other blanket to Angelica. “Wrap that up in there so the light doesn’t draw attention. We’ll figure out how to use it later.” Soon, the two pieces of crystal were stashed away and they were ready to go.

  Angelica glanced back at the now-dormant fountain. Klein’s body was reduced to ashes lying on the stone. “Strange to leave him.”

  “I’d call it a fitting tomb. Where else would he rest peacefully? He came here to die. I’d say we’re doing him a favor by not disturbing him.”

  Angelica grew a quiet smile with that thought. “Charming thought.” She glanced at him. “You’re good at finding the right words.”

  Zahn laughed. “Maybe I’ve had too much time alone to think up excuses on how this isn’t grave robbing.”

  She smacked him and let out a mild cry of outrage. “Now you ruined it!”

  A quick hug and brief kiss, and the two turned toward the exit. Fortunately, the defenses had yet to reset. They emerged back into the music chamber. There, Angelica hummed the bars to the entire theme song. Instantly, the lights dimmed and the traps grinded back into place.

  She nodded in satisfaction. “No no-one will mess with his tomb. Not for a long time.”

  Zahn admired the effect she was trying to achieve. He helped by closing the secret door, then took a few extra minutes to locate some quick drying cement from the utility shed. Smearing it along the joints and hinges of the hidden entrance, he made it as much a permanent part of the wall as he could.

  Angelica graced him with one last kiss for helping give Klein some peace. Then, she motioned to the door. “Come on. I have to get back to the apartment and to play with this necklace. Maybe I should buy a goldfish or something to see if I can make him swim in circles!”

  Zahn laughed, watching her delve into magic experimentation as boldly as she every other challenge the movie industry had thrown at her. She had never backed down from anything new, and she wasn’t going to start now. That was a large reason why he found her so utterly irresistible.

  Chapter 5

  They left the studio, and Francois was waiting. He noticed the difference in them immediately. “What happened?”

  Zahn answered, “Exactly what I hoped would happen.”

  Angelica noticed how evasive the answer was. A flicker of regret passed over her, obviously not liking the idea of keeping her some-times protector in the dark. But she had promised. Zahn trusted in how she wasn’t naïve; she would understand how fast a secret could be exposed if you spread it around. She proved him right; placing a fond hand on Francois’s shoulder, she said gently, “All I can say is we found what we needed. Trust me?”

  He glowered at Zahn, seeing him as the problem here. “Yes.”

  She smiled thankfully. “Can you take us back the apartment?”

  Grumbling, he held the door for them before getting behind the wheel. Soon, they were pulling out through the gate and onto the street.

  Angelica was running a finger along the outline of her falcon pendant. Reluctantly, she asked, “So what happens next?” It sounded like the last question she wanted to ask. She was enjoying the present, and thinking about the future threatened to end the adventure.

  Zahn felt the same. He tried to get a sense for her intentions. “How do you mean?”

  Her teasing smile hovered on her lips. “Well, I am still yours, remember?” The humor faded into something more serious. “You’ve found what you wanted in the studio. Something tells me you aren’t going to be satisfied with that. Are you? You said you wanted the Fountain since your earliest adventure. But is it your last?”

  She was right, and Zahn wasn’t going to start lying now. “This one took me a few years. I might be due for a little rest and relaxation. But, no. Eventually, the hunt will call me back. I’ve heard too many stories. The wonders of what I have seen are too amazing. I will always want to see what others are lying around out there. To see what stories are real and which ones are actual myths.”

  Angelica nodded as her hand clenched to the falcon pendant. “I can see why. I want to know what this little guy can do so badly. And I’ve only known this sort of thing is possible for a few minutes. To have been tempted with this for so long… I can’t imagine.”

  Zahn placed a hand on hers. “But honestly, what amazes me is how much you are tempting me to wait a while. For the first time, the next quest isn’t calling me away without question. I want you too much to leave.” He felt the truth of that more keenly as he admitted it. She was there, glorious and willing and filled with beautiful life. He felt her too on a visceral level. With previous relics, he had celebrated by diving into the next adventure so he could use them in action. Now, he wanted nothing more than the leap across the back of the limo and tear her clothes off.

  He was just about to do precisely that.

  A hissing pop! sizzled through the air past them. Cracks spidered along the back window. The near-silent cabin was breeched. The road noise of the city and growl of rushing air filled the space.

  Zahn’s mouth ticked open a little. What the hell?

  A second later, another prang of metallic impact reverberated through the car. This time, it sounded like it had come from the trunk. Something high velocity had just punctured the back of the car and thankfully been stopped by smashing against the thick rim of the spare tire.

  C
omprehension dawned on him. Zahn growled, “Fuck! Someone’s shooting at us!”

  Angelica’s eyes flickered back and forth between the pierced window and him. “You’re serious ?”

  Zahn reached over and punched the intercom button. “Francois, we’re being shot at! Can you see anything?”

  The limousine suddenly swerved to the left, then darted back right as the French bodyguard went into a few quick evasive maneuvers. His accented voice barked back through the speaker, “There’s a black van back there, and I just saw another two muzzle flashes!”

  Zahn’s face set in a grim mask. The roar of the gunshots had been masked out by the insulated car, but they were back there. “Damn it! They were watching me this whole time.”

  “Who?” Angelica demanded.

  “I have no idea. Mercenaries. Relic-poachers. Hard to say. ”

  Angelica braced herself as the limo slammed to the left again. “Can you lose them Francois?”

  The barricade between the front and the back scrolled down, letting them speak without the intercom. Francois called out, “Not sure, Mademoiselle . The streets are awfully empty this late at night, and we aren’t in a coupe or anything. Then again, they’re in a van. I’ll try.”

  Zahn clambered up to the partition. “You have anything so I can take a shot back?”

  Francois glared at him, trying to decide if he should trust the stranger who had taken so bizarrely central a role in Angelica’s life.

  Zahn flashed him a fierce smile. “Or we could swap and I could drive?”

  The idea of them trying to change seats mid-chase broke through the guard’s stoic mood. Grunting a deep laugh, he pried a pistol from under the dash. “Won’t have much range with that, but at least you can make them think!”

  Zahn snatched up the small weapon, cleared the breach and then rammed home the magazine in one swift motion. He didn’t often carry one, but he wasn’t a stranger to them either. Maybe I should focus on finding a relic with a little range to it , he decided.

  Angelica asked as he crawled back past her, “Do you have any idea who it might be?”

  Zahn shrugged. “There’s a whole range of relic divers out there. Most focus on finding the ones that are lost. A few specialize on stealing from people like me. Damned poachers” He scrolled down the left window, waited, then fired twice in quick succession at the windshield of the swerving van behind them. He knew the chances of hitting anything with the pistol was next to zero. But if he could ping one off their glass, maybe they’d back off enough to let Francois lose them. “Ash Collins. Jerod Tasker. Lars Mueller. Katya Aritrinov. One of them killed a diver named Suzy Elsworth a while back just to get a precognition-relic she was using to rip off casinos in Atlantic City. They’ll kill to get what they want.” He fired off a couple more shots, trying not to blow through all his ammo in a rush. He growled. “Most of them are mercenaries who don’t even care about the relics. They turn around and sell them to the highest bidder. Make millions that way. ”

  Angelica cringed as they heard another bullet rip through the car, but no holes were visible in their area. “We’re sitting ducks in here!”

  Francois lurched them toward the right, then called back, “Something isn’t right! If they were trying to kill us, they’d be hitting us with a lot more! Feels like they are trying to run me off the road.”

  Zahn snarled in fury. He hissed a furious whisper that only Angelica could hear, “They’ve been sitting on that site watching. Maybe they want to poach without having the killing on their conscience. How sweet.”

  Angelica clutched her new, treasured falcon necklace. “They won’t get it so easily!”

  Zhan grinned. “Damned right.”

  She suddenly got excited. “Ohh! I have an idea!” She raced to the partition and pointed through the front window. “Left! That way, Francois!”

  He lurched the limo into the turn, even while making a choked sound. “This is going to take us right past the recycling depot.”

  “I know. Plug your nose. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.” She pointed. “Go right into the parking lot!”

  Francois obeyed, but hated the idea the whole way. “We’ve getting boxed in!”

  “Spin us around and be ready to go. Trust me!”

  Zahn wasn’t sure what she was trying to do, but he took the same advice. He had to trust her. He shifted to the other window and leveled his pistol at the corner of the building.

  A second later, the van peeled into a view and slammed on the brakes. They hadn’t expected to see the limo’s lights pointed at them as if ready for a game of chicken. A man dressed in black combat fatigues was leaning out the window with an assault rifle in his hand.

  Angelica’s eyes were closed, trying to focus.

  Suddenly, a droning hum filled the air. First one black speck appeared in the street lights between them. Then two. The man with the rifle swatted at something, then lost his composure and swatted again. He let out a yell of fury and pulled back inside the van, yelling, “Close the windows!” It was too late. Hundreds of flies were streaming in, turning the van interior into a creepy little tornado.

  Zahn crowed in delight, and called out, “Step on it! ”

  Francois hit the accelerator and ripped out of the lot, scraping the side of the limo against the van’s hood. As they passed, Zahn kept his composure through the impact, firing his pistol down into their tires in a burst of shots. He was sure he got both of the right ones before they screeched away into the night.

  * * *

  Ash kicked open the van door and staggered out, spitting flies the whole way. Brushing her hair in a frenzy, she tried to get rid of the pests crawling all over her. “That was totally revolting!”

  Her team lurched out of the vehicle behind her. They propped the doors open to help the bugs clear.

  Mike danced around, trying to bat the flies out of his shirt. “You never said Zahn could unleash plagues! He’s sunk to a new low on this one!”

  Gord grunted in respect. “To be fair, they probably thought we were trying to kill them. I might have done the same.”

  Ash huffed. “Those were just warning shots. Letting them know we meant business.” She spat out a wing caught in her teeth. “Yuck.” Shivering in disgust, she added, “I just needed to get close enough to activate my magic suppressor. Then we’d have had him dead to rights. Could have given him our terms. If they have the relic we want, this whole problem could have been over tonight.”

  Jake busied himself chasing the last few bugs out of the van interior. “Not so sure that Zahn will believe we’d leave him alive. Remember how the Suzy Elsworth thing went down?”

  Ash protested, “We only stole her little toy!”

  “Yeah. Then she turned up dead. Tortured to death, I might add.”

  “That was Lars, that sick fucker. Had nothing to do with us!”

  Jake argued, “Except the part where he tortured her because we stole her relic first and she couldn’t cough up any information about it.”

  Ash glared at him. “We do what we do. Lars can answer for his own twisted games.”

  Mike shrugged back. “Just saying, not everyone probably knows what happened. You know how these relic divers are. They paint us all with one wide brush.”

  Ash growled. “Yeah, well, if he swarms us with flies or locusts or whatever again, I might just make an exception and kill him myself.”

  Gord asked, “What now?”

  “Now? Now we track him down before he vanishes into the world again. It’ll be a year or two before he surfaces on the trail of another relic. Get into his head. And get into the bank accounts of his new friend. She’s got resources, and she’s decided to help him for some reason. Find her, and maybe we’ll find him again before he goes off the grid.”

  * * *

  Francois called back through the partition, “Everyone alright back there?”

  Angelica replied, “We’re alive, anyway.” She slumped into the seat. “What did
I tell you about how these last few days have been trending? Thursday has nothing on Friday!”

  Zahn allowed himself a quick grin, then whispered, “How’d you manage that?”

  She muttered back, half-breathless at the idea of having performed real magic, “You said it would take time. I realized that I was sensing all these little bits of life energy as we drove. Figured it was too early to try and get a bird to attack them, but the flies were so simple. They answered with barely any push at all. Just gave them the impression that van was positively swimming with sewage and they were all over it.”

  “Not far from the truth. Human sewage. That’s what those mercenaries are.” He cupped her cheek. “Quick thinking, Angie. You really pulled our bacon out of the fire.” He looked at the holes in the car. “We’re not exactly subtle driving around in this car, though. How many other bullet-ridden, purple stretch limos are out on the streets at this time of night?”

  Francois called back, “We’ll be at the apartment in a few minutes.”

  Zahn quickly objected, “We can’t go there. Not right away, anyway. I have no idea where or when they picked up my trail. But I am sure they didn’t just so happen to show up tonight. If they were on my tail for even a few nights, that means they saw me go to your place. If they aren’t watching it now, you can be sure they’ll check there.”

  Francois asked, “The house, then?”

  Zahn looked to Angelica. “How well known is that address to the public?”

  It was Angelica who answered, “Everyone knows it. It’s actually on some of those star tours they take people on. We have to bulldoze through paparazzi every time I leave home. It’s the biggest reason I didn’t take you there after the party to get your gift.”

  Zahn couldn’t help a softer smile, remembering how that had turned out. “I have no idea if they’ve found my hotel room, yet. That isn’t safe, either.”