I nodded my understanding and motioned for her to continue.
“That night, when I was lying in bed, I heard a commotion and went out to see what was going on. I tiptoed toward the front door and saw it was open, despite the fact I knew I’d locked it. Then I heard Hope scream and I ran outside. The woman from the park was dragging her away. Hope reached for me and cried. I screamed and ran at her, but then the woman raised her hand and all of a sudden I couldn’t move. I was frozen. Then…I got hit with a wave of fear… Like, I couldn’t move. I was petrified. I couldn’t do anything. When it finally passed, I found myself lying on the lawn, crying like a baby, and they were gone.”
“And what led you to Branson?”
“The old bag of bones mentioned it when she was talking to us at the park. She said she was on a trip to Branson. Asked if we’d ever been.”
“But that could’ve been a lie.”
“It was all I had.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “And I guess you went to the police.”
“They thought I was nuts. They treated me like a suspect. Like I’d done something to her. They told me not to leave town, but…”
“But you had to try to find her. Fair enough. Why would you tell the police she was a witch? Why wouldn’t you just say a crazy old woman kidnapped your sister?”
Her cheeks flushed and she looked away. “It was stupid. I was too freaked out at the time to think rationally. They must’ve thought I was on drugs or something.”
The waitress made it back around and Faith placed an order for food. I sipped my coffee and thought through everything I’d learned since diving into the middle of this shit show. Despite them hunting me, I needed to reach out to someone in the Cabal to report the thugs I’d dispatched, and see if I could squeeze anything out about a gang called the Marauders. Parker was my best bet. I couldn’t think of anyone else who might help. Not that I really thought he would.
And then there was Faith. What the hell was I going to do about her? If anything she said was true, then there was a child-stealing witch running around with a gang of nomad mages at her disposal. If Faith managed to track them down on her own, she’d just get killed for her trouble. Not good.
On the other hand, if she was lying and partnered with the demon thing, then she’d kill me first chance she got. Then again, she could’ve just driven her old beater into a brick wall to do that.
I continued drinking my coffee and watched her in silence. When the food came, she tore into like she hadn’t eaten in days. My guess was she hadn’t.
“Where are you staying?” I asked.
“In my car,” she said, shrugging. “I’m all but out of money.”
“When was the last time you slept?”
She paused, again not meeting my gaze. “It’s been a few days.”
I sighed, letting my decency get the better of me. “Then I guess you should come back to the motel with me.”
Her fork was halfway to her mouth when she paused, looked up at me, and said, “Uh, what?”
I felt my face flush with heat as it hit me. “No, sorry, I’m just tired. I have a room. You can have the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor. I’d offer to get you your own, but I’m low on cash myself.”
“Seriously?” she asked, eyeing my skeptically.
“Look,” I said, leaning forward. “I don’t trust you, but as long as you promise not to stab me in my sleep, I’m offering you a warm bed, and no, I won’t mess with you or anything like that.”
Her gaze didn’t look any less skeptical, but I could see the tiredness in her eyes.
“You can’t sleep in your car,” I said. “It’s dangerous. This whole mess got Kyle killed, and if you’ve been asking around, or if my idiot friend was, then there might be dangerous people looking for you. My first thought was to hand you over to the Cabal until this is over, but we aren’t on the best terms at the moment. So, my only other option is to keep you with me for now.”
“So, you’re going to let me help?” she asked, the faintest glimmer of hope in her eyes.
“As long as you don’t get in the way,” I said, crossing my arms. “This is my arena. I know about the supernatural, so if I tell you to do something, you’ve got to do it. We have to be smart.”
She stared at me for a few moments, then said, “Deal.”
Somehow, I had a feeling I was going to regret this.
Chapter 11
When we were back at the motel, Faith hauled in an old duffle bag and headed straight for the shower, which worked out for me because I needed a few minutes alone.
Using a salt shaker I stole from the diner, I made a small magic circle on the floor and sat down beside it. I summoned energy through my staff and channeled it into the circle, then reached out for my personal connection with Parker Grimm. We weren’t friends by any stretch of the imagination, but I’d known him since I was kid.
When I knew it was as good as it was going to get, I reached out with my mind and said, “Parker.”
A moment later, he replied, “Wyatt. Where are you?”
“Doesn’t matter. Listen…”
“The hell it doesn’t,” he replied. Much to my surprise, it didn’t seem like he was all that happy to speak to me. Couldn’t imagine why. “Do you know how much trouble I’m in for letting you get away?”
“That’s ridiculous,” I said with mock sincerity. “You didn’t let me get away. I snuck away. You can’t be blamed for that.”
“Yeah, well, leadership doesn’t see it that way.”
“I’m sorry I got you in trouble,” I said, but this time I used real sincerity, or something close to it. “But I need your help.”
“And why the hell should I help you?”
“Because along with your duty, you believe in doing the right thing. You know something weird is going on, and I’m the only one looking into it.”
There was a long pause, then finally, Parker sighed and asked, “What do you want?”
“I need to know if there’s a gang of nomads in the area called the Marauders.”
“Yeah, there is. Low level shits. They’ve got a few minor mages, mostly human, though. No major infractions, but they like to ride the line. They’ve broken plenty of human laws, but not ours. We’ve been keeping an eye on them just the same.”
“Do you know where I can find them?”
“Yeah, I know. Doesn’t mean I’m going to tell you.”
“Come on, Shamus. I’m the Blade Mage. You can tell me.”
He grunted in reply. “Why are you looking for them?”
“I’ve got a lead,” I said. “You know what a lead is? It’s like a clue. Real detective type stuff. I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept.”
“Be an ass, Wyatt,” he said. “That’s a good way to get my help.”
“I’ve got a reason to believe they could somehow be involved with Kyle’s murder.”
Parker laughed. “That doesn’t seem likely. They’re just low-rent assholes. Petty thugs, at best.”
“Well, maybe they have grandiose aspirations. Just tell me where to find them.”
There was a pause and Parker said, “Wyatt, I don’t think that’s a good idea. We can’t have you going around harassing every local thug. We don’t need an incident.”
“Oh, right, that reminds me. I killed four people tonight.”
“I’m aware,” he replied, sighing. “Someone reported the bodies.”
“They attacked me,” I replied.
“I don’t doubt it, but you’ve been in town one night unsupervised and we’ve already got four corpses.”
“In fairness, they weren’t very nice bodies while they were alive.”
“That’s not the point, is it?” he said and waited as though I might actually reply. After a moment, he continued, “I got a call that four stiffs were found in the Broken Guitar. Imagine how surprised I was when folks said you’d been spotted at Bacon’s a short time earlier. Easiest mystery I ever had to solve. And that was
a funny trick you pulled on those thugs at Bacon’s, too. Nice touch.”
“Thank you,” I said. “But you make it sound like I’m a psycho killer. Come on, Parker. I don’t make that much of a mess. What if I promise not to kill anyone who doesn’t try to kill me?”
“What if you just came back to compound so I didn’t have to waste all my time trying to find your stubborn ass?”
“Come on, we both know that’s not going to happen.”
He ended the connection.
I sighed and stood up as Faith came out of the bathroom in a t-shirt and sweatpants. My jaw hit the cheap carpet. She was cute before, but now she was truly stunning. Hair wet and without makeup, she was downright gorgeous.
“What?” she asked, noticing my gaze.
“Nothing,” I said, snatching one of the four pillows off the bed. I curled up on the floor as far from the bed as I could get. Without a word, Faith crawled into the bed and switched off the light.
“Faith,” I said in a quiet voice.
“Yes?”
“Please don’t summon a demon to eat my face while I’m sleeping.”
She was silent for a moment, but finally said, “No promises.”
In minutes she was snoring softly. I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep myself, hopeful I’d make it through the night without becoming a demon snack.
Chapter 12
I awoke to daylight, and for a few moments, I wasn’t sure where I was. Then it all came back to me like a punch to the throat.
Faith wasn’t in the room. Had she gone in the night? No, her duffel bag was still on the floor. She hadn’t left. At least, not of her own volition.
I crawled out of bed and headed for the shower, wondering over the possible ways someone might’ve kidnapped her from under my nose. The more likely scenario was she’d just gone somewhere, and would return with an ugly ass demon creature who’d kill me while I was in the shower and leave my naked gruesome corpse splattered across the cheap tile. Yeah, sometimes I’m a cynic.
When I came out of the bathroom, I was surprised to find this wasn’t the case. Instead of a demon, she’d returned with two cups of coffee and half a dozen doughnuts. I was starting to like her.
“I thought you were broke,” I said, raising an eyebrow.
“I am,” she replied, offering me a coffee. “You always this suspicious when people bring you breakfast?”
“Yes,” I replied, reluctantly taking the cup from her. “People don’t bring me breakfast.”
“Well, I did. I wanted to pay you back for dinner, and for, well, agreeing to help me.”
“I just want answers,” I said, perhaps a little too quickly. Realizing what a dick I sounded like, I forced a smile and said, “But thank you. I appreciate it.”
As I took my first sip from the cup, she said, “Wait! I’m not sure if that’s the one I poisoned.”
I glared at her. “Funny.”
“Hey, you’re the one taking baby sips.”
“There’s nothing in this world I hate more than searing my tongue on coffee.”
“That’s adorable,” she said with a chuckle.
“I’m also not big on morning people,” I replied sourly. “And you’re awfully chipper.”
She sat down on the bed and started in on the box of doughnuts. “That was the most sleep I’ve had in a while.”
I watched her face for a moment, and didn’t miss what went unsaid. Agreeing to help her was the closest thing to hope she’d experienced since Kyle was murdered. My stomach tightened, realizing this woman believed I’d find her kid sister. That was a lot of pressure.
I took a doughnut from the box and sat down on the chair in the corner.
“So, what’s the plan?” she asked.
Between mouthfuls I said, “We’ll cruise town and see if any of the old haunts I know are still around. It’s been a few years since I was in Branson, but someone must know about the Marauders.”
“Should we go back to the Broken Guitar?”
“Can’t,” I replied, taking a sip of coffee. “The Cabal will have people waiting if I go back.”
“I thought you were, like, an important member of the Cabal?”
“I am by title,” I replied, shrugging. “In practice, however, I’m kind of like a dog who gets out of the house at night and destroys the neighborhood. They’d really like to get me home before I cause too much damage.”
“So, avoid the Cabal?”
“Exactly,” I replied. “Which means I can’t visit Axel again, and I can’t go back to the Broken Guitar.”
“How was he?” she asked. “When you saw him?”
“He asked me to make lightsaber noises when I cut off his head.” I shrugged. “Axel knows how to make the best of a shit situation. He’s all right for the moment.”
“For the moment,” she repeated.
I didn’t bother to reply. Nor did I make a point of mentioning there was a timeline associated with Axel’s demise.
We finished our breakfast in silence and headed out the door.
Chapter 13
By early afternoon, we’d traveled all over town and not learned a damned thing. We’d visited an old nomad wizard I knew who ran a magician’s shop. He said he was too long out of the game to know anything about upstart gangs.
I used to know a dwarf who worked at Silver Dollar City, but he had moved on apparently. Same story with a vampire who’d worked at the Titanic museum. He’d always claimed to have been a survivor from the actual Titanic.
I did track down a were-rat who we’d popped once for breaking into people’s houses. Had himself a nice little pawn shop close to the wax museum. He’d heard of the Marauders but didn’t know where to find them.
As the day wore on, the look of hope on Faith’s face diminished with each new encounter. In the late afternoon I had her pull into a small burger joint so I could think through things and get some proper food. The doughnuts had either long worn off or turned to fat.
As we waited on our order, I contemplated our next move. I was running out of options. The only thing I could think of would be to send Faith back into the Broken Guitar alone to speak to Bacon. It was a dangerous place for her to be, but the old barbecue man would likely know something about the gang.
As I weighed the pros and cons, Faith asked, “So, what is a Blade Mage exactly?”
I looked up at her, meeting her gaze. “I thought you said Axel explained.”
She raised one eyebrow at me.
“Right,” I said, nodding. “Axel explained.”
“The way he talked about you, it was like you were some kind of, I don’t know, legend or something.”
I nodded slowly, considering my reply.
“That didn’t come out right,” she said, shaking her head. “I didn’t mean any offense. It’s just the way he talked about you, it was as if he thought if you were here, then everything would be resolved immediately. Like you were Superman or something.”
“And instead I just seem like a pretty average guy?”
“I mean… Yeah,” she said. “Sorry, that didn’t sound right either.”
“No, it’s fine,” I said, chuckling. “I am just a regular guy. I’m not sure why I was chosen to be Blade Mage. Nor does anyone else. My father was the real Blade Mage.”
“What does that mean?” she asked. “Who chose you?”
“I’m probably not supposed to tell you this stuff, but I guess since you’ve been thrust into our world it’s probably okay. It’s a lot to try to explain, though.”
“Try me?”
“Okay,” I said, shrugging. “Well, there are groups of mages all over the world. Some refer to their group as a coven, or circle, or chantry, or whatever. Ours happens to be called a cabal. The Ozark Mountain Cabal, to be specific. The story goes that a long time ago the ancient druids, who are super powerful mystic enigmas, went around to each of the different mage groups and among them, they chose the worthiest to stand as protectors of our world. Basi
cally, each of the groups they chose are supposed to protect people from supernatural bad guys. With me so far?”
She nodded.
“To each of the orders they deemed worthy, the druids gifted eight mystical artifacts, enchanted with magic beyond what us feeble human mages can comprehend. Each of these artifacts represents a different role within the order, and those who are burdened, or blessed, with carrying them are called the Arcane Guardians. Four of the roles are meant to represent leadership, wisdom, strength, and compassion. These are called the Arcane Seers. The other four roles are meant for battle, weapons against the never-ending tide of darkness. These are called the Arcane Paladins.”
I paused as the waitress appeared and dropped a burger and fry basket in front of both of us. As she stepped away, Faith asked, “And what are the roles?”
“Well,” I said as I popped a fry in my mouth. “Starting with the Arcane Seers, The Arch-staff is held by the Archmage, or the leader of the order. He’s supposed to be the wisest among his people and the best suited to lead. The one who’s supposed to keep the guild on the right path.
“Then there’s the Arcane Wand. This is held by the Curator, who’s the keeper of the order’s knowledge. Some believe the Curator is granted a photographic memory when chosen for the role. I don’t know if that’s true or not.
“Next is the Scepter, which is held by the Grand Enchanter, who is supposed to be the best among the order at performing complex enchantments, bindings, and such.
“And the Ankh is carried by the Shaman, or Healer, and is perhaps one of the more complicated roles. Not only are they supposed to be the expert in physical healing magic, but they also bear the burden of ensuring the mental health of the order’s members and deal in matters of the spirit, whatever that means.”
Gulping down a bite of her burger, Faith said, “So, those are the four Arcane Seers. What about the Paladins?”
“Well,” I said, pausing to wipe ketchup off my mouth. “There’s the Hunter, who wields the Spear and represents the order’s promise to hunt down dark mages, evil witches, or any mage who breaks the Solemn Covenant.
The Blade Mage Page 10
