Magic Underground: The Complete Collection (Magic Underground Anthologies Book 4)

by Melinda Kucsera

  “You’re welcome,” the voice replied. “You finally said it out loud, what they are.”

  Felix didn’t reply. The pavement was bustling with people going about their mundane lives. He walked quickly past them, weaving through the gaps. He avoided the back street past the museum, even though it was the most direct route for him to take and went instead to a major road further along that took him almost right to the church. It was too early for the meeting, so he stopped at a sandwich shop for some lunch. He sat on a low wall outside the shop, next to a bare tree and watched the world go by as he ate. Every person that passed him could be one of those things, he thought. Every person that served him in a shop or pub. They could be everywhere.

  Was it them who had repaired the hole? Had they done it just to stop him getting back through it? They had to be looking for him, after he shot one of them. It suddenly occurred to him that he might be in danger. He swallowed a particularly tough lump of bread and cheese and looked anxiously up the street.

  “They aren’t everywhere,” the voice in his head said. “There aren’t that many of them. You’ll know them when you see them now, you’ll feel their presence. Most humans get uncomfortable around them, but now you’ll know why.”

  “What are they?” Felix asked through a mouth full of food.

  “I told you, shapeshifters. You chose the word werewolf. That’s close, but not all of them take wolf form, just the ones you saw. They are predators and they will hurt you if they find you. But don’t worry, I’m hiding you. They won’t find you as long as I’m with you.”

  “And what are you?” Felix patted his mouth with a napkin to hide his moving lips.

  “Ahh, now you’re asking the right questions. I’m your guardian angel.”

  Somehow, Felix thought, I doubt that.

  The church was one of those red brick buildings that you didn’t instantly recognise as a church. A big sign out in front gave it away. Felix walked up to the front door and paused, his nerves twisting around in his stomach. He could hear voices murmuring inside and he pulled open the door. Inside was a small reception area with a dark red carpet and that musty bible smell. Opposite was a set of glass doors into the main hall of the church. A small cluster of people was gathered around at the far end of the hall, near to the steps up to the altar. Felix went inside and several heads turned as he opened the door.

  The outer door opened behind him and a tall, thin man with a receding hairline walked in. He was dressed in jeans and a thick, red Parka. Felix held open the glass door for him and gave the man a polite nod. They walked down the aisle together and someone raised a hand to greet them. The thin man brushed past Felix and approached the woman who had raised her hand. They embraced and sat down together in the second row.

  It was quite a modern building and the seats were wooden benches with soft, red cushions on them, rather than the old-fashioned style of chunky wooden pew. There were high windows over the altar, spilling light down into the hall in which Felix could see specks of dust swirling.

  A few other people filed in after Felix and he scanned the room, doing a quick headcount. There were almost twenty people there. One woman standing at the front appeared to be the one who had organised this meeting. People seemed to gravitate towards her. She was about fifty, with slightly greying blonde hair. She was very thin with a serious, lined face. She looked like someone you wouldn’t want to cross. Felix liked her already. He moved into a pew behind everyone else and sat down, looking with discomfort at the neat row of New Testaments that were tucked into the back of the pew in front.

  People took their seats and the apparent leader cleared her throat from her position in front of them.

  “Thank you all for coming. I think we’ll get started. I assume that you all have missing friends and family and that’s why you’re here today.” There was a ripple of murmurs of agreement. Felix stayed silent. “My name is Mary and my husband, Roger, works nights at one of the docks. He never came home yesterday morning. He would normally travel through that place—” Her voice strained and she tensed her neck as she said the last two words, as if it hurt. “— to get home.”

  “St. Catherine’s,” Felix said, his voice echoing around the hall. Everyone turned to look at him.

  “I’m sorry?” Mary said.

  “That’s the name of the place that’s gone missing. St. Catherine’s. Did no one else remember it?” He looked at the blank and puzzled faces around him.

  “That rings a bell, I think.” Mary frowned. “Yes. It does.”

  A few people started to nod and whisper words of agreement.

  “I grew up there,” Felix said. “With my sister, Julie. She still lives there but I live just up the road from here. She was meant to meet me yesterday but didn’t show up. I got worried and have been trying to get to her ever since. I managed to force myself to remember things, even though it hurt and made me sick yesterday.”

  “Yes! I had that too!” someone called out from the front row.

  “Me too,” several people said at once.

  “Has anyone contacted the police?” Felix asked.

  “I tried,” Mary replied. “They told me I had to wait twenty-four hours. So I did and I called them again and they laughed at me. They didn’t know what I was talking about.”

  “Awful.”

  “Shocking.”

  “Terrible.”

  “Have any of you tried to get into the place that’s missing?” Mary asked.

  There was another round of nodding and muttered remarks about getting turned around and sick. Felix shifted his weight and stretched his bum knee, which clicked loudly. It hadn’t been bothering him so much lately, but this was the longest he’d sat still for two days. A few eyes turned his way. He glanced awkwardly around, unsure how much he wanted to share with a room full of strangers.

  “I got turned around too.” Something made him hold back the full story. Maybe it was his hitchhiker. He knew he didn’t want to mention the hole in the world, or the shooting; but he even felt uncomfortable talking about the eerie blank space in place of the street when you got too close. No one else was volunteering that information either.

  The meeting went on with no new revelations or innovations. Felix was beginning to feel like he had wasted his time. There was a great deal of arguing about what was causing it and what they should do, but there were no real action steps agreed upon.

  The tall, thin man who had come in with Felix stood up with his lady friend and filed out of the row in front of Felix. The two men caught each other’s eye for a moment and there was something in that look that made Felix get up and follow them out. He couldn’t have explained it on pain of death, it was a gut instinct. He followed them into the reception area, where they stopped and were whispering hurriedly to each other. Felix came to a halt beside them and they fell silent. The man looked Felix up and down.

  “What did you make of all that?” Felix asked.

  “A lot of hot air.” The man had a coarse voice. The woman beside him avoided Felix’s gaze and wrapped her arms around herself.

  “They did all seem a bit clueless. Do you know anything that wasn’t mentioned in there? Any insights you didn’t want to share with everyone?” Felix asked.

  The woman looked surprised and looked up at her companion with wide eyes. She was short and mousy and wore a wool poncho over a tie-dye top and black skinny jeans. The man frowned and took a deep breath.

  “Let’s talk outside.” He was looking past Felix into the church. Felix glanced over his shoulder and saw everyone else moving up the aisle.

  “Sure.” He brushed past the couple and opened the door. They followed him and the three of them moved around the side of the church, away from the busy main road with trucks rumbling past. There was a pretty garden path leading to a car park and Felix led them all the way to the end, where there were no parked cars. He came to a halt and turned to face them. “What do you know?”

  “You first,” the tall man sa
id.

  “All right. I got past the dizziness and up to the edge of what’s missing. There’s just this sort of blankness. Like a painted wall, but without substance. It’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  The two of them exchanged raised eyebrows.

  “We saw that too. We crossed the river further north and made ourselves push past the barrier, or whatever it is,” the woman explained. “It’s our dad. He’s in a home there. He has no one else. We have to find him.”

  “I’m George, by the way,” the man said, extending a hand. Felix shook it. “This is Helen.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Felix.”

  “You’re ex-military, right?” George said, looking Felix up and down again. Felix nodded. He didn’t really want to get into his past with these people. “Thought so. It’s the way you carry yourself. I don’t suppose your training ever prepared you for anything like this?”

  “Not exactly.” Felix said with a snorted. “Have you ever encountered other odd things?”

  The brother and sister exchanged glances again and Felix watched with interest to see if they would share what was obviously on both of their minds.

  “We think this is connected to other things, yeah,” Helen said after a moment’s pause. “There are a few of us in Caerton who get together sometimes at this pub in the city centre, The Cross Keys. We talk about some of the stuff we’ve seen.”

  “What kind of stuff?” Felix asked, lifting an eyebrow.

  “Stuff like this,” George replied. “Stuff like animals that appear out of nowhere, people that disappear when they turn a corner, weird birds coming and going at odd times, buildings that have a funny atmosphere. All sorts. We came here today to see if there was anyone who might have something real to bring to the group. We found you.”

  Felix drew the inside of his cheek between his teeth. Nothing they had said surprised him. These people might be able to help. He must have been hard to read because the two of them glanced at each other again before looking at him with expectant eyes.

  “I saw— I experienced something I can’t explain, I didn’t expect to find anyone who would believe me.” He glanced down the car park. Some of the people from inside the church were getting into their cars and saying goodbye to one another. The traffic rushed past on the road beyond and birds chirruped in the trees that lined the car park. It was surreal to be stood in this ordinary place with relatively ordinary people, talking about such spectacular things. “I saw two men turn into wolves and walk through a hole in the world into some other place.”

  Helen gasped and George stared at Felix with his mouth wide open. Had Felix made a terrible mistake? He felt foolish.

  “You have to come and tell the others,” George said at last.

  Felix breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I don’t want to wait around. I have to feel like I’m doing something to find my sister.”

  “We’ll get everyone there tonight. Please say you’ll come.”

  “Will anyone be able to help me? I don’t want to just exchange stories. I need to take action.”

  “We can understand that,” Helen said, smiling softly.

  “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised,” George said, giving Felix a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

  Chapter Three

  It was almost dark and the sky above was deep purple. The North Star was just peeking out from behind a cloud. The Watch formed a circle around a blazing fire. They stood in the centre of a small park that was lined with trees and a tall, wrought iron fence. It looked the same here in Hepethia as it did in the human world on the other side of the veil. Except that in the human world the park was surrounded by neat, terraced houses. Here there was nothing but clear quartz outside this little patch of green grass. It was a quirk of their territory that previous generations of shifters had designed. This was the very centre of their territory.

  Warden-of-Stones was dressed differently. Rather than in her neat work suit, she was wearing black leggings, a heavy cloak adorned with black feathers and had a broadsword strapped to her back. Ragged Edge wore his usual long coat and carried his staff. The others; Mjolnir, Black Rat, Mercury, and Two-Doors-Down were all dressed in practical clothes. But every one of them also wore a black pendant around their necks, bearing the symbol of their pack and of Caerton: the raven.

  “In this place of power, we reach out to the darkness, the shadows and the new moon. Artemis hear our call and bless our circle.” Ragged Edge’s voice carried on the still, evening air and echoed back to him. The flames leaped higher and a golden dome formed over their heads, giving off tiny sparks where it touched the ground. There was no moon visible in the sky as the new moon held court. “Now is a time for new beginnings and change. A time for things to be hidden. As the moon waxes, we welcome the returning to the light and the emergence of hidden things back into our field of vision. We beseech Artemis to hear us and return to Caerton that which has been hidden.” He looked around, hoping for some sign that they had been heard. The night was still, and the sky was invisible beyond the golden light that shimmered overhead.

  The fire crackled and little sparks drifted up out of the flames to dance on the air. Ragged Edge wished that Warden had allowed him to enlist the help of one of his friends for this ritual. He was an accomplished ritualist, to be sure, but for something this monumental he would have preferred to work with others. Warden would never agree to working with Theodore Harris, but perhaps Red Scythe or Crimson could have helped. They were Alphas of other packs, ones that Ragged Edge trusted with his life. But Warden wanted this kept within The Watch. Ragged Edge disagreed. This was a city-wide problem and would require a city-wide solution. But cooperation had never been a strong trait among their kind.

  “Artemis, Goddess of the hunt, the moon and of wild animals. Our creator. We are your Chosen and we call upon you to grant us this.” Ragged Edge called up towards the sky, his palms raised over his head. He dropped his hands to his sides and shook his head. He drew his pocket knife and swiftly cut into his palm. Blood oozed from the cut and glistened in the firelight. He made his way over to Warden and she held out her hand. He cut it and she didn’t even wince. He made his way around the circle, cutting each of his pack mates’ hands. He returned to his place and grasped hold of his raven pendant. His pack followed his lead, and each took hold of their raven in their bleeding palms.

  He closed his eyes and began to stomp his foot on the ground. It thudded dully on the damp grass. His pack picked up the rhythm so that they were all stomping in unison. Thump, thump, thump. Ragged Edge felt energy surging through him and when he opened his eyes the fire before him had doubled in size. It roared and crackled fiercely and amongst the flames he could see a figure dancing to the beat of their feet.

  Above the dome, the beating of a hundred wings caught the air and a chorus of squawks grew out of the quiet beyond their circle. The ravens rushed over them and the wind was whipped up even through the protective dome. Ragged Edge grinned and gazed up at the dark shapes shooting past. He returned his gaze to the fire and the figure stepped out of it. The fire fae moved towards him, flickering and undulating. When it spoke, its voice was the crackling of firewood and Ragged Edge had to strain to hear its words.

  “No one can do what you ask, friend.”

  “Not even Artemis?”

  “This dark magic is outside of her sphere of influence. Shadow and flame are one. Always shadow where there is flame. So, I understand a little of what is at work here. But I cannot illuminate that which is hidden. It has gone from this realm and naught but moonlight will bring it back.” The fae flickered and stepped back into the fire. Ragged Edge rolled his eyes. He loved his role, but sometimes the fae he dealt with were painfully unhelpful. The ravens were still circling outside the dome, beating their wings against the darkening sky and crying out with their harsh voices. Ragged Edge looked up at the dome and raised his blood-covered hand towards it. The cut had already healed and would barely leav
e a scar, but the drying blood on his skin remained. He raised his other hand and very carefully lined up his index fingers side by side. He slowly drew them apart, opening up a small hole in the dome.

  “Ragged Edge?” Warden said through clenched teeth. “What are you doing?”

  “Letting one in.” A raven darted through the small gap and flew down to Ragged Edge. He snapped the hole closed, shutting out the rest. The raven landed heavily on his shoulder and shook its feathers. He smiled at it.

  “Odin sees.” The bird croaked, bobbing its head.

  “He sees what’s happening?”

  “Sees everything.”

  “Well, yes, he is the Allfather,” Ragged Edge said with a small smile. “Artemis can’t help here, but can Odin?”

  “Why is Odin sending you messages when you tried to invoke Artemis?” Two-Doors-Down whispered from his place next to Ragged Edge in the circle.

  “Because we go way back, Odin and I,” Ragged Edge replied, smiling serenely at the large bird on his shoulder. “Tell me, friend, is there anything we can do to bring back the hidden part of Caerton?”

  “You need to see.” The raven took flight, circling the shifters. Ragged Edge sighed, his shoulders hunching momentarily before dropping again. He understood what he needed to do. He sat down awkwardly on the damp ground, straightening his long coat under him in order to get comfortable. His old knees clicked as he crossed his legs and he grumbled softly to himself. Warden was watching him with a deep frown knitting together her dark eyebrows. The others kept a look out for the dome holding. The ravens were allies and meant no harm, but the dome was there to protect them from anything else that might be drawn to the ritual.

  Ragged Edge placed his lined hands on his knees and closed his eyes. He focused on the flickering of the firelight beyond his eyelids, orange and red lights dancing in a blur. He slowed his breathing and connected his thoughts to the earth below and night sky above. Artemis was watching from the shadows tonight, hidden from view, just like St. Catherine’s. But she was there, the moon was there, even though they couldn’t see it.