by N. P. Martin
I stared hard at him for a moment and then looked away, so many conflicting feelings running through me now. "I’m beginning to."
"I can see you’re conflicted about everything," he said. "This is what happens when you begin to walk on a higher path, Corvin. Decisions become more difficult, and the stakes get higher and higher."
"And then what, you just crash and burn like you?"
He stared at me a moment and then looked away. "It’s better than living a mediocre life and then quietly slipping away unnoticed, instantly forgotten by the world."
In some ways he had a point. One of the reasons I started playing music was because I saw it as a way to escape a mundane existence. Having thought that, I was left wondering if that wasn’t exactly what I was doing now— fighting the world just to save myself from inanity. It sounded shallow when you put it like that, but then everything seemed shallow when looked at as part of the bigger picture. What are we at the end of the day anyway? Nothing but specks of dust in the vast universe we call home.
"Anyway," I said finally, breaking the long silence between us. "What happened after you killed Faelyn and Shaerra? You covered it up obviously."
He nodded. "Yes, I concocted the plane crash story. The two of them owned a private jet and were always flying around in it as they scoured the world to feed there addiction to darkness, so nobody questioned the story."
"So you got away with it."
"I did, though my soul felt differently."
"Is that why you took Amelia on? To redeem yourself?"
"Redeem myself?" He shook his head to dismiss the notion. "As far as I was concerned, I didn’t need redeeming. I did the right thing by everybody. Taking on Amelia was just the right thing to do."
"So why didn’t you treat her right?"
"Who says I didn’t?"
"Amelia does."
He shook his head dismissively as he looked away for a moment. "I may have been hard on her at times, but everything I did was for her own good. I made her strong, I gave her a purpose that she wouldn’t otherwise have had. She’ll see that someday, if she hasn’t already. I mean just look at her, who she is and what she’s doing. She’s formidable."
A smile crossed my face as I pictured Amelia’s fierce but beautiful face in my mind. "She is that."
"I take it you two are…" He trailed off as he waved his hand in front of him, as if he couldn’t say the rest.
I wanted to say "fucking’ just to annoy him, but I refrained. "We’re friends," I said. "Close friends."
"Yes, I’m sure," Iolas said. "I suppose there’s worse people she could be with."
"Is that your version of a compliment?"
"Despite everything, I do like you, Corvin. You are your own man and I can respect that. I just hope you don’t lead my niece down a dangerous path."
"Really?" I said. "You’re the one that her out enforcing for you."
"I knew she could handle it. I know what she’s capable of. The thing is, though, Corvin, is that you are soon to be pulled into something that will probably be more dangerous than anything you can imagine."
I frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"There’s a bigger picture that you aren’t seeing yet, a larger game at play. I was a part of that game, though I’m not anymore since being in here."
"Are you talking about the Order me ma was in?"
"Yes, and the one that opposes it."
"There’s another Order?"
Iolas nodded. "Yes, but we’ll talk about that some other time. For now, I think you have more pressing business."
"This is getting annoying."
"What is?"
"People dropping hints and giving cryptic clues as to this bigger picture they keep talking about, but never actually saying jack shit about it."
"They? Who’s they?"
"You’re not the only one to mention this to me. I talked with Adrina Ó Duinn about this recently."
"Excuse me? Adrina Ó Duinn did you say? I swear, they tell me nothing in here."
"Yes, she’s back, and she’s made things up with Constantine. Me and him…banged things out not so long ago."
Iolas smiled as he stared at me. "You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you, Corvin? I knew from that first time you walked into my study that you’d be one to watch. That’s why I was so disappointed when you betrayed me."
"I didn’t betray you, I got justice for me ma. But let’s not go there again. Tell me who the leader is of this cult of Apep and where I can find them. I’d like to get out of here now, this place is making me claustrophobic."
Iolas snorted and shook his head at me. "Try being stuck in here all the fucking time."
"No thanks."
Iolas got up once more and refilled his wine glass. "Stopping this cult isn’t going to be as easy as you think, you know."
"Why not?"
He lifted his now full wine glass and walked over to the screen. "You can take down the leader, but another will rise in their place. To kill the cult you have to kill the source of its power."
I shook my head, not understanding. "You mean Apep?"
"No, not Apep. Faelyn and Shaerra."
"Okay, you’ve lost me. How can they be the source of the cult’s power if they’re dead?"
"Because," Iolas said as I walked to the drawing table and leaned against it. "They aren’t dead, not truly anyway. They live on, but in a different form."
I stared at him a moment as it dawned on me what he was saying. "Wait a minute, it’s the house, isn’t it? That formless creature in the house is…Amelia’s parents?"
Iolas nodded. "I’m afraid so. That thing came about not long after I buried the two of them in the orchard by the house. I went to the house one day to do some final checks before selling it, and that malevolent reincarnation of the two of them attacked me. I managed to flee, and then I took the house off the market after that and had it condemned so no one would go near it. I take it you saw the thing while you were there?"
I nodded. "Yes, it practically chased me out, after consuming the ghost of a boy inside the house."
"That thing represents the darkest, most twisted parts of Faelyn and Shaerra," he said. "I think it was made possible by Apep himself."
"So you’re saying this malignant spirit or whatever it is, it somehow keeps the cult going?"
"Yes, even now Faelyn and Shaerra take energy from the victims at the masses. It is what makes them powerful."
"How do they communicate with the cult members?"
"Through the masses, of course. The spirit is a servant of Apep as the cult members are servants to the spirit. This is how they keep the cult and themselves in existence. It is the spirit that choses a leader for the cult when required. The current leader is Jared O’Hare, though I suspect you already know that."
"If this has been going on for all these years, why haven’t you done anything to stop it?"
Iolas shook his head slightly and shrugged. "I don’t know. I suppose I didn’t care enough to do anything about it. The cult or the spirit wasn’t hurting me, so…" He shrugged once more. "I suppose I also felt slightly obligated to Faelyn and Shaerra, for killing them in the first place."
I sighed deeply and shook my head at the madness of it all, then I stood up and stretched slightly. "So how does one go about eradicating this dark spirit?" I asked him.
"I’m not too sure about that," he said. "Ghosts aren’t really my forte. Although I’m sure if you check my library at my former home you might find something useful. I suppose burning the whole damn house down might be an option."
"Maybe, but would that kill the spirit?"
"That would depend on how much their existence is tied to the house itself. As I said, do your research. I’m sure there’s a way."
I nodded. "Okay, I will." I stared at him a moment. "Thanks for your help, Iolas."
He nodded back. "I’ve actually enjoyed speaking with you. I don’t get much conversation from the buffoons in here."
He said it loudly knowing the men in the hall outside were listening.
"I’ll be back soon to talk about that other thing."
"I’m sure you will. Don’t forget to pass my message along to Amelia."
I nodded. "I will," I said as I banged on the door to signal to the men outside that I was done.
"And Corvin?"
I turned around. "Yeah?"
"Try not to get my niece killed. If that were to happen, these walls couldn’t hold me."
Nodding once more, I turned and left him to his cage.
Chapter 17
I was driven back to the bookshop in the same van by the same two men, neither of whom said anything when they dropped me off, driving away again as if I was just some package that they had to deliver.
Once I opened the bookshop and went inside, I closed the door behind me again, vaguely thinking that I would have to find someone else to work in the shop soon, but that could wait. For now, more pressing matters were afoot. As I sat behind the desk in the shop, I took out my phone and called Amelia.
"Hey," I said. "Guess who I’ve just been speaking to?"
"Who?" she asked.
"Iolas."
She went silent for a moment. "You went to see him? Where is he?"
"Still here in Dublin believe it or not, though I don’t know exactly where because I wasn’t allowed to know."
"Why would you go and see him? More to the point, why would he even speak with you after what you did to him?"
"I went to see him because we needed his help, Amelia. There’s more to this cult than you realize."
"What do you mean?"
"They tried to kill me for a start. Drugged me and tossed me in a river."
"God, are you all right?"
"Yes, I’m fine. I’ll explain everything when I see you. I’m driving over to you now. Get yourself ready."
"What for?"
"We’re going ghost hunting."
"I have no idea what you mean by that, but we’re going to be doing a bit more than hunting ghosts."
"What?"
"The cult has been in contact with our friend Fox," she said. "They want a package delivered soon."
"Tonight? Where exactly, Kilkenny?"
"Nope."
"Where then?"
"Near an old industrial estate just outside the city."
"Here in Dublin?"
"Yes, the meeting is soon. Are you at home? I’ll come and pick you up."
"I’m at home, yeah. Listen, are you sure we need to go through with this meeting? I already know who the cult leader is and where to find him."
She went silent for a second. "Who is it?"
"A man named Jared O’Hare, but there’s more than just him."
"What do you mean?"
"I’ll explain when I see you. There’s a lot you don’t know."
"Clearly," she said. "Well, regardless, the cult must be meeting tonight and I want to be there to take them all down."
"Are you sure you still you want to do that? If we know who the leader is—"
"I want them all."
I nodded, queasy at the thought of more violence. "Of course you do."
"What’s that supposed to mean? I thought we agreed we’d take them all out, not just the leader."
"All right, fine. Pick me up when you’re ready."
About an hour later, just as it was beginning to get dark, Amelia pulled up outside the bookshop in her black Dodge. As I locked the door of the shop behind me, I noticed Simoa sitting in the front seat and I shook my head slightly at her presence as I got into the back of the car. I’d hardy had a chance to close the door when Amelia pulled off and gunned it down the street.
"Are we in a hurry or something?" I asked.
"The meeting time has been moved up," Amelia said.
"Hello, Corvin," Simoa said as she smiled at me from the front passenger seat.
"Simoa," I said. "I didn’t know you were involved in this."
"I’m involved in everything that affects the business."
"I don’t see how this…" I trailed off as I shook my head and looked out the window. "Forget it."
"Everything all right?" Amelia asked, her blue eyes looking at me in the rearview mirror.
"Fine," I said. "Just a little tetchy after recent events."
"What events? With Iolas, you mean?"
"And more besides." I looked at Simoa, then back to Amelia. "I’ll fill you in later."
"You can talk now."
"Don’t let me stop you, Corvin," Simoa said, and for the first time since entering the car I noticed she had got her hair cut so that she now had the exact same style as Amelia.
"It can wait."
I felt Amelia staring at me as I looked out the window at the passing streets. "Are you sure you’re all right?" she asked.
"I’m fine. What’s the plans for this meeting?"
Amelia stared at me a moment longer before answering. "I have orcs already standing by in the area. Once the cult representative shows up for the meet, we’ll move in."
"Then what?"
"We interrogate the person or persons," Simoa butted in.
I wanted to say that I didn’t ask her, but I ignored her instead as I kept my eyes on Amelia. "What about the kid that Fox is bringing? I feel sick knowing we allowed that asshole to snatch a kid."
"There was no other way around this," Amelia said. "Not if we want to get these assholes."
"The child will be taken care of," Simoa said.
"Taken care of?"
"They will be returned to wherever they came from. I’ll see to it."
"I hope so."
About half an hour later, we drove through the gates of the mostly disused industrial estate just on the outskirts of the city. Most of the buildings inside were derelict and the land seemed to be in line for development so the place was empty. A good spot for a meeting like this, I thought, considering it was unlit and offered good cover from prying eyes.
Amelia drove us into the heart of the estate, eventually pulling up next to a black van that was parked outside one of the empty units. Declan Fox sat in the driver’s seat. He appeared to be alone. His face said he wasn’t happy with the current arrangement, but thanks to whatever leverage Amelia had over him, he didn’t have a choice but to go along with things.
"You shouldn’t be here," he said, glaring at me for a second before looking back at Amelia. "The client will be here shortly."
"I’ll be out of sight, don’t worry," Amelia said. "I’m just checking that everything is still all right."
Fox smiled almost mockingly. "Oh yeah, everything is grand, Boss Lady."
Amelia shook her head at him. "Glad to hear it. Just remember, no funny business. This better go smoothly."
"I’m doing my part. The package is in the back. You do yours."
The package, I thought, shaking my head in disgust. What a scumbag.
When Amelia began to drive off, Fox smiled down at me as we passed, his shit-eating grin making me want to strangle him to death.
"Disgusting man," Simoa muttered from the front.
"That’s one thing we can agree on," I said. "I don’t think the world needs a man like that."
Amelia said nothing as she drove around the back of one of the buildings and stopped the car, keeping the engine running as she held her phone up to her ear. "Status report," she said looking straight ahead as she nodded. "Okay, wait until the car gets to Fox and then move in."
"They’ve arrived?" Simoa asked.
"Yes," Amelia said as she put her phone in her pocket, and then reached inside her jacket and pulled out a huge silver gun, one that I recognized immediately as the Desert Eagle she had taken from the orc she beat up on our first date together.
"What’s that for?" I asked her.
Amelia released the clip, checked it and then slid it back in. "Insurance."
I was about to say insurance against what when her phone suddenly rang and she answered it, saying o
nly, "Good," before hanging up and looking at Simoa. "They’ve surrounded the car. Time to move."
She put the car in gear and sped around the building again, coming to a screeching halt behind Fox’s transit van. In front of the van was a red Jaguar with darkened windows, and behind the Jag was a black SUV. Three orcs were surrounding the Jag as they pointed automatic weapons at it, as if they even needed guns to be intimidating. Amelia immediately exited the car, as did Simoa. As I exited myself, I hung back slightly, uncomfortable with all the guns on site.
Amelia strode over to the Jag, and for the first time I realized she was wearing a long, black leather coat and leather trousers that clung enticingly to her perfectly shaped legs, which under other circumstances I might’ve found sexy. Right now, she was just intimidating with that Desert Eagle in her hand, which she pointed at the windshield of the Jag. "Get out!" she ordered whoever was inside.
A second later, the driver’s side door was pulled open by one of the armed orcs and a balding man in a suit got out with his hands held up, a look of fear on his face. "What is this?" he asked, just before the orc pushed him over the hood of the car and began to search him.
"He’s clean," the orc said after a moment.
"You’re making a mistake here," the man said, who looked to be somewhere in his late forties. His accent was also southern.
"I don’t think so," Amelia said.
"Whatever you’re doing, you won’t get away with it," he said, surprisingly bold considering all the firepower pointed at him.
Amelia looked at Simoa then. "Get the kid from the van."
Simoa nodded. She also wore leather trousers and a short leather jacket. Jesus, I thought. Is she trying to look like Amelia?
She slid open the van door to reveal a small bundle lying on the carpeted floor, which I could see was a boy seemingly wrapped up in a blanket. As Simoa got into the van to pick the boy up, he hardly moved, his eyes half closed as if he had been drugged into submission, which filled me with anger and caused me to shake my head in disgust at the world I lived in.
"Put the boy in the SUV," Amelia said to Simoa. "Take care of him."
Simoa nodded as she carried the boy to the SUV, sliding his prone form onto the back seat. On Amelia’s say so, the three orcs also got into the SUV, and they drove away, leaving just Amelia, Declan Fox, the dude from the Jag, and of course me.
