Magician Rising (Divination in Darkness Book 1)

by Renée des Lauriers

  Why leave that out in the open? Are they testing me? Nikolai wondered as he scarfed down the banana.

  Standing on the foot pedal, Nikolai peered into the trash. Partially obscured by grease stained napkins, takeout containers, and apple cores was a receipt. Gingerly, he fished it out, replacing it with the peel.

  SAFEWAY FUEL STATION

  1140 Shattuck Ave

  Berkeley, CA 94709

  Date/Time 05/02/12 10:51:27

  *** FUEL ONLY RECEIPT ***

  Nozzle No: 4

  Product: Diesel

  Gallons . . . . 10

  Price/Gal . . . . $3.833

  Fuel Sale . . . . $38.33

  Thank you!

  Have a nice day!!

  They didn’t mention anything about a car. Fuckers made him take an Uber if he needed to get anywhere. But this was a receipt for Diesel. What did they need that for?

  Nikolai sighed. He needed to know. With gloves and a tension wrench, Nikolai unlocked Pistachio’s door and peered inside the room. It was spartan and organized. An open briefcase filled with syringes on a folding table. Next to it, a three-ring binder. A full closet with everything from button down shirts to full suits. The top shelf had a dozen bottles of what looked like hair product.

  Nikolai checked the pocket of one outfit that Pistachio might have been wearing last week. It didn’t even have lint. The bottles within the syringe were unmarked. Drug problem? Hypnotics? Neither told him anything.

  Nikolai flipped the binder open with one finger. In no particular order, he found receipts, including the rent on the apartment. An excel spreadsheet with lists of numbers that were unmarked. Useless.

  Auto insurance policy for $1,500, taken out two weeks ago. Nikolai scanned over the document until he found a license plate.

  Bingo.

  He snapped a picture and flipped the binder closed.

  Google provided a list of free parking spaces in the area. One thing Nikolai could count on was that his roommates were cheap. They weren’t likely to pay the four hundred-dollar semester permit, or even the daily ten-dollar parking fee. At any rate, the cost wasn’t anywhere on Pistachio’s neat excel spreadsheet. Nikolai jogged to the parking lot closest to the campus and inspected each license plate with no luck. He found nothing in the next two areas, either.

  Four hours and halfway down his googled list of free parking later, he found the truck. In all honesty, if he wasn’t so hungry, Nikolai might have overlooked it. What the fuck were they doing with an ice cream truck?

  He hadn’t done a car lock in a long time. The pick motion was different. It required more pressure, while his index finger held the wrench flat. Out of practice, it took nearly fifteen seconds before he heard the lock click.

  He had never been inside an ice cream truck before, but nothing struck him as out of place. All the surfaces were chrome and clean. The front seat was spotless, though there was a wrench on it. They might have needed that for automotive repair.

  Nikolai flipped the freezer open.

  He sighed when he saw the body surrounded by Chipwiches, ice cream sandwiches and push-up pops. The face was beaten past the point of recognition. Lividity had already set in the pale skin.

  Going through the dead man’s pockets, Nikolai was able to pull out one of those clip-on wallets. It didn’t have much. No credit cards, just thirteen dollars in cash. But it did still hold the student ID.

  Rick Abbot.

  A student in Jun’s class.

  Why? Nikolai returned the money clip as he snagged one of the ice cream sandwiches, pulling open the plastic and popping it into his mouth.

  Did they even have a plan? One dead and two injured kids from the same class. It was almost too much activity. Even with intervention from Order headquarters, the police might get involved. Unless they were gambling on finding the magician fast enough to add this body to the magician’s kill count.

  One dead. Two injured?

  A sinking feeling pooled in the pit of his stomach as he stared at the corpse. What was it that Pistachio told him? That Evan was drugged and packed off to Reno?

  Nikolai took out his phone and looked up Rehab facilities in Reno. A quick search showed there were over twenty. This was going to take a while.

  Two hours and three ice cream sandwiches later, there was a jangle of keys outside of the truck.

  Pistachio didn’t notice Nikolai in the truck at first, as he was wrestling with a garbage bag that looked to be containing something misshapen and heavy. He dropped the bag, which landed with a hard squelch when he noticed Nikolai leaning against the freezer with a half-eaten Chipwich in hand.

  “Who was that?” Nikolai pointed to the bag.

  “Guy named Tom.”

  Another from Jun’s class?

  Tom Bates.

  Short guy with glasses and wiry hair. Ranked twentieth in the cohort, with an extensive list of extracurricular club affiliations. Most of them related to online gaming and cosplay.

  “So you guys found the magician, then?”

  “Yeah,” Pistachio said too quickly.

  Lies. The magician was just about to finish her shift delivering pizza.

  “Rick, here. He was a magician too, then?” Nikolai tapped the top of the freezer.

  “That’s collateral damage.” Pistachio brought the bag all the way into the van and shut the door.

  “Like Evan?”

  “Evan’s in a rehab facility.”

  “In Reno? Funny. I just got through with calling. Did you know that there are twenty-three rehab facilities in Reno? And here’s the fun thing. None of them have any records of an Evan.” Nikolai tossed the rest of the Chipwich in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully, as Pistachio went very still. “Did you even try any of that drug rehab stuff, or was it all a lie?”

  “Can’t have loose ends. Too risky.”

  Nikolai nodded. It made sense. At least it explained why neither Roman nor Pistachio were reported in all their years in the hunting business. He slipped the ice cream wrapper into his pocket. Didn’t want to leave any evidence that he was here. He unsheathed his blade, still hidden within his sleeve.

  Pistachio charged, syringe out and aimed for the chest.

  Nikolai dodged and slashed a line under Pistachio's chin like a second smile, snipping his carotid artery.

  Pistachio gasped for a moment and clutched his throat before his eyes slipped back behind his head. He fell to the ground.

  Once he went still, Nikolai wiped the blade off on Pistachio’s fine cotton shirt. He had a hunch that they’d turn on him. Had been expecting it from the moment he’d discovered the contents of their freezer. It was nice of Pistachio to confirm it.

  Nikolai picked up the garbage bag, jostling it to shift the contents around. It certainly felt like a body.

  But Tom Bates? Bailey Allen. Rick Abbot? What was the connection? Nikolai mentally turned the names around in his mind.

  Oh.

  Those damn bastards. There was no connection. It was just alphabetical.

  Rick Abbot.

  Bailey Allen.

  Tom Bates.

  Jun Bear.

  Fuck.

  If those fuckers really were just knocking students off in alphabetical order, Jun was next.

  Nikolai stepped over Pistachio and out of the truck, grabbing his phone as he went.

  Jun picked up on the second ring.

  Nikolai ran his fingers through his hair. Wondering how he hadn’t managed to see through their bullshit earlier. Why the hell had it taken him so long?

  “They’re after you. Now’s the time to run.”

  24

  Jun huddled under the soft Merino wool of her blanket, flashlight pointed at her chin. So far this seemed to be working, as long as the batteries didn’t run out. She’d just changed them, what, an hour ago?

  “What the fuck is up with the lights? Are you afraid of the dark or something?” Suzie snapped.

  Up on the ceiling the creature waited, just out
of reach of the light. Spider-like eyes bubbled in and out of focus on the shadows of its face.

  “Something like that.” Jun looked away.

  The more Jun looked into the darkness, the more the darkness looked back at her. It was getting harder to hold back.

  “I can’t sleep like this. Stop being ridiculous.” Suzie crossed the dorm, reaching for the night-light emitting a cheery yellow glow around the room.

  “Leave it,” Jun said.

  Suzie scowled, though her finger faltered for a moment. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

  “No! Wait!” Jun was too late. Suzie pulled the night light out of the wall.

  With the loss of the light, the room was plunged into a darkness deeper than what should have been possible. Jun clenched her flashlight tight.

  “Shit! Shit! Shit!” Jun scrambled back into the walls, keeping the light trained on her face as she reached out for the light switch.

  She fumbled around before flicking it on.

  For a moment, darkness remained. Stubborn and defiant. Then, with an audible sigh, the darkness retreated. First from the corners, then drifting away from the middle of the room. The shadows clung to a form—Suzie’s form, hugging her body. The darkness seemed to melt off of her, sliding back into cracks, under beds and behind all things, where it belonged.

  Suzie stood still. Too still.

  The shadows were still sliding down her body, like black paint dripping.

  “Suzie?” Jun asked. Shit. Shit. Shit. Please don’t have something like what happened to Dawson happen to her, too.

  Suzie turned. Her eyes were a solid black, across cornea and pupil both.

  Jun’s cell phone rang. “Bad Boys,” the Cops theme song, cut through the air.

  “Nikolai?” Jun answered.

  “They’re after you. Now’s the time to run,” Nikolai said.

  Suzie took a step toward Jun. The movement was jerky, uncontrolled. Like she was a zombie.

  “This is a really bad time. Could you, like, hold them off?” Jun backed away from Suzie, holding her flashlight out like it was a weapon.

  “Are you serious? Jun, they want to kill you.”

  “Oh, no. I totally got that. Small problem. They aren’t the only ones that want to kill me right now.” The phone rattled as her hands trembled.

  “What’s happening?”

  “That thing is after me. The creature thing. It just went into my roommate.” Jun grabbed her bear bag without breaking eye contact from Suzie. Maybe if she moved slow, she could get away without Suzie noticing?

  “What!”

  “It’s been following me around for the past few days. I didn’t mention it before because I was hoping that it would go away.” Jun was against the door to her dorm room, her hand behind her back, fumbling to unlock it.

  Jun opened the door, and Suzie snapped her head toward the direction of the sound. With an inhuman shriek, she charged in fast, twitchy motions. Jun bolted out the door and slammed it shut.

  Behind her, the door rattled at the hinges as Suzie shrieked and pounded at it.

  “Where are you? We gotta get you out of here.”

  “No. I can’t just leave.” Jun braced against the door, pushing back against the body slams.

  “Do you have no survival instincts whatsoever? Why not?”

  “My dad.” She couldn’t leave without him.

  “I’ll try to hold them off. Get your dad and run.”

  “Okay.” Jun hung up.

  Suzie slammed into the door so hard that Jun’s head jolted forward and smacked back against it. Rummaging through her bag, Jun grabbed her thickest copper knitting needle and wedged it under the door.

  She dashed down the hallway, and she didn’t stop to see if Suzie followed.

  Out of the dorms, to the curb, Jun didn’t stop until she was right under the glare of a lamppost.

  “Come on, come on.” Jun clicked on the Uber app, waiting for it to load up. If only her car wasn’t still impounded after she’d reported it stolen.

  Around her in the dim light, the shadows stirred. Jun leaned into the metal of the lamppost and clutched at her flashlight as the darkness pressed closer in interest.

  Jun punched in her dad’s address and watched the little car icons move around on the map. She could feel the weight of the eyes of the creature on her back. Jun would not look up. She would not.

  She jumped into the back of the Uber when it finally came and flicked the light on inside of the car.

  “Are you okay?” The driver frowned at her.

  “Yes.” In her peripheral vision, Jun could see eyes emerge in the night air, crowding against the windows of the car. The muscles in her legs tightened as Jun gripped her flashlight until her knuckles turned white. “I’m just having a really bad day.”

  On the road, Jun fiddled with her phone as she plotted out a reason that sounded plausible for the two of them to leave town. In short, there wasn’t a good reason. They were halfway to her house. She had to say something. Nothing to say but the truth. She could try telling him the truth.

  Jun went to the lone number in her phone’s favorites and pressed call.

  “Hello, Jun,” the voice on the other line replied. It was not her father.

  She clasped a hand over her mouth, holding in her gasp, as her heart began racing.

  “Who is this?” Jun asked when she trusted herself to speak. But she didn’t need to ask. She recognized the modulated voice who shouted Nikolai’s name in his apartment. Her heart sank.

  “If you want to see your father again…”

  “Got it,” Jun cut him off. “I’m on my way.” Jun promptly hung up on him.

  She leaned back against the leather seat, clenching her eyes shut. Forcing herself not to cry. No. She had to deal with this.

  Jun tapped out a quick text message to Nikolai. They have my dad.

  Out of the Uber, Jun walked the path to her childhood home. Shadows followed close on her heels. Acting on impulse, she turned off the flashlight and tossed it on the lawn. She had bigger things to worry about.

  The front door was ajar. Jun tightened her first before pushing it open.

  “Well, that was quick,” said a red-haired man with hard eyes and an oily smile. He stood at her kitchen table behind Jun’s father, hands wrapped around Bobbie Bear’s throat.

  Her dad was trying to shake his head at her. He mouthed, “No” and “Get out.”

  Jun’s eyes flicked to the upper corner of the hallway where the creature swelled, eyes narrowed in anticipation. Hovering over all of them like a fog.

  “It’s me you want.” Jun swallowed. “Please, he had nothing to do with this.”

  The shadows slithered down, reaching toward Jun.

  “Where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Roman Walker.” Roman pressed harder on her father’s throat. Veins bulged on her dad’s forehead as his face turned red.

  “No! Stop!”

  “I’ve been tasked with apprehending the criminal responsible for the recent earthquakes, and all the evidence points to you.”

  “Please, stop! You’re hurting him.” Jun stepped closer, stopping when Roman tightened his grip in reply.

  “So you won’t admit it?”

  “Yes! I’ll admit it. Please, just let him go!” Jun saw spots. Her head felt blurry.

  She heard his neck crack. It was as if she was outside of herself. Her father stopped struggling and went limp.

  “What? Finished so soon?” Roman let go, and her father fell to the ground.

  Jun stared. Oddly, her mind flicked to when she was seven and fell off a bicycle, and her father kissed her scraped knee and told her it was all right.

  Please get up. It’s all right. He didn’t move.

  Her father was dead.

  She didn’t feel panicked anymore.

  Jun turned and faced Roman.

  She didn’t feel anything anymore.

  Jun looked to the shadows. But there was no mon
ster there. In its place was a little black rabbit that stared up at Jun with inquisitive eyes. Like it had always been. For her entire life, the darkness had always been there. It had always been waiting for her.

  “Go to the shadows,” Jun whispered as she took a step back into the darkened hallway. She reached back and brushed the soft downy fur of the black rabbit.

  Electricity flicked up her hands, flickering into the numbness. Filling up all the raw and empty spaces in her heart where her father used to be. An electric pulse rose up within her, and the feeling was bliss.

  Roman nudged her father with the toe of his boot. “Guess I was a little too hasty there.” He shook his head. “What, are you finished, too? Scared little girl?”

  Roman didn’t matter anymore.

  Jun cocked her head at this strange, squawking creature that took away the one thing in her life that mattered.

  He stepped closer to her, knife out and aimed at her stomach.

  Jun pressed her palms to the ground.

  The earth pulsed, shuddering beneath her as if it were liquid, as all of her rage leaked out of her fingertips. The floorboards cracked and splintered open as earth burst through.

  There was a glint of steel as Roman threw a knife blade. A clod of earth rose and blocked it.

  Rock and soil twisted around Roman Walker, pressing into him from all around. His face turned bright red. Jun listened to the snap of bones and the pop of eyeballs as they burst like ripe berries. His screams cut off under the pressure. He fell limp and the earth rose over him like a tide, dragging him beneath.

  It wasn’t enough.

  Jun crossed the hall and placed her hands on her dad’s still and wrinkled face.

  “Wake up.”

  He wouldn’t move. He didn’t open his eyes with a smile. The hands made for cooking waffles and reeling in trout lay still.

  Jun pressed her hand over his chest and released a surge of electricity through him.

  “Wake up.” Her hands were shaking. Electricity flickered from her fingertips. “Please.” Spots flickered in and out of her vision, and her head spun. But she could see the black rabbit in the shadows. The rabbit met her gaze and shook its head.

  Jun leaned over her dad and kissed his forehead, same as he had done for her every night before bed when she was little. She brushed her fingers along his eyelids, gently closing them. Her father always worked so hard. He could rest now.