by T. J. Hunter
Chapter 18
The cameras were working well. I could see the Porsche parked in front on one side of Alura’s cell phone screen and the basement in complete darkness on the other side. I waved my hand outside the window and saw it on the phone’s screen.
Now that’s the way I like to track monsters – far away where it’s safe.
Alura took off at her usual wheel screeching speed while I again held on to the door handle for dear life. I was about to ask her if she wanted to come over to my apartment for dinner, but before I had the chance, she answered.
“Sure, dinner sounds great. I’m famished.”
“Will you stop doing the mind reading thing for Pete’s sake? It’s a little nerve racking.”
Alura smiled and kept her eyes focused on the road. She had told me back on Keob that her skill wasn’t actually mind reading. As she puts it, ‘it’s a heightened sense of awareness predicting thoughts’. What’s the difference? This gift of prediction seemed to have skipped over my gene pool. I had enough difficulty predicting my own thoughts, never mind someone else’s thoughts.
When we got back to my apartment, Sally was sitting next to the door with her leash in her mouth as usual. Alura wasted no time hugging her and saying how much she was missed. I scratched my head wondering if Sally had some innate mind reading talent of her own.
“Looks like you’re not the only mind reader around here,” I said while taking the leash out of Sally’s mouth.
Alura laughed and Sally woofed.
“Alright, let’s go for a walk before dinner.”
The three of us started headed out to the Magical Herbs shoppe. It was 5:30 PM and I knew Melony would be closing up soon. I think Sally also knew this because she dragged me along faster than usual.
“Maybe Sally’s trying to tell you something brother.”
“Yea, like she wants an herbal snack.”
“Maybe something else too,” Alura said with a mischievous grin.
“What … oh come on, don’t be silly. Melony and I are only friends.”
Alura arched her eyebrow and cleared her throat, then muttered something under her breath.
“Give me break Alura. Melony and I are just friends.”
Alura laughed. “Sure you are. I didn’t say anything otherwise, did I?”
“No, but you were sure thinking it.”
“Nonsense. Who am I to interfere with the personal life of my big brother?”
“Exactly,” I said, then Alura laughed again, shaking her head as I smirked at her. “Fine, believe what you want, even though what you believe is nonsense.”
“’May be nonsense, may be true.” she said.
“Whatever,” I replied and said nothing more about it, but Alura grinned the entire way to Magical Herbs – annoying.
Melony was wiping down the counter top when we arrived. I tapped on the window and waved. She looked up and motioned with her hand to come in, which made Sally woof. Alura began browsing right away and held Sally’s leash so I could say hello to Melony.
“Hi Daniel. Back so soon? You must want another cup of my special tea.”
“Not right now, but thank you. I’m taking Sally for a walk and I think she believes Magical Herbs is her second home.”
Melony laughed and looked over to Alura and Sally. She didn’t say anything, but I could tell by her expression she was curious who Alura was.
“Oh, let me introduce you to someone,” I said, then waved at Alura to come over. “Melony, this is my sister Alura.”
Melony’s smiled and her eyes sparkled. “I didn’t know you had a sister Daniel,” she said and extended her hand to greet Alura. “It’s nice to meet you Alura.”
“Same here Melony,” Alura said, then she smiled at me like I did when finding her and Thyzil at her apartment dressed in togas. “Now I know why my brother keeps coming here and started dinking tea,” she said, causing Melony to laugh and blush while a customer called out for assistance.
“Don’t go away. I’ll be right back,” Melony said and went to help an elderly lady read some labels on products.
“You know she’s a witch, right?” Alura asked, grinning ear to ear.
My mouth dropped open. “A witch, are you kidding?”
“Nope, she’s a real witch. Don’t worry brother. She’s a white witch, a daughter of the Earth.”
I had no idea what Alura was talking about and she was amused at my reaction.
“She’s a good witch Azul. If she were a bad witch, her aura would be a dark grayish color. You know that.”
“A good witch doesn’t sound so bad,” I muttered. “Good is good, right?”
I narrowed my eyes to focus and took a hard look at Melony. Her aura was definitely white and swirling around in gentle motions.
“Don’t stare Azul. She doesn’t even know she’s a witch and is under our protection. We hired her to keep an eye on things so nothing could harm her.”
“We hired her?”
Alura grinned and winked at me.
“Did I forget to tell you ZWC owns the Magical Herbs Shoppe?” she asked while thumbing through pages of a book. “Oops, it must have slipped my mind.”
I looked at Sally and shook my head.
“I suppose you knew this too, didn’t you?”
Sally wagged her tail, which was in effect an admission of guilt. It figures.
Alura placed a couple small boxes of herbs on the counter. Melony, still wearing a beautiful smile inspected Alura’s selection and tapped on top of one box with her finger.
“I see you have good taste and are familiar with special herbs,” Melony said. “My customers can’t get enough of these. You must be very much in love with someone.”
Alura smiled and nodded her head. I picked up the box that Melony tapped and read Anise and Balm on the labels. Never heard of them. I lifted the box to my nose and took a whiff, then sneezed. Alura and Melony laughed and gave each other one of those looks that girls give when saying something about guys without using words.
“Smells like trees,” I said.
“Don’t worry Daniel,” Melony said. “The herb I gave to you and Sally was just Anise. No love herbs were included.”
“Brother, I like this girl,” Alura said, then butted her fists with Melony.
Great, now I have two wise gals in my life, three if counting Sally. Things appear to have gotten more complicated.
It was 6:00 PM and Melony prepared to close the shop. Alura looked at me with a coy expression so I knew she was up to something. At first I thought she was just teasing me, but then she spoke.
“Hey Melony, would you like to have dinner with us?” Alura asked.
“Why yes, dinner sounds wonderful. Give me a moment to lock up.”
Alura moved her head side to side while pretending to bite the tip of her tongue. I expected her to stick her tongue out at me in retaliation for finding her and Thyzil wrapped in sheets, but she continued smiling like a cat holding a mouse by its tail. Sally then led Alura and me outside where we waited for Melony.
“Well, are you going to thank me Azul, I mean Daniel?” Alura asked, still smiling like a cat.
“Ha ha ha, thank you very much.”
“You’re welcome,” Alura said, happy that she had the chance to play matchmaker.
“Why is Melony under Zeshtune protection? Is that like some sort of new identity program?”
“You have been watching too much television brother, but we do keep a close eye on her. She needs our protection because many dark creatures would cause her harm if they knew what she was.”
“How does someone become a witch?”
“All witches are born human and most are black witches that practice dark magic. Every now and then a white witch is born, but they are very rare. White witches are pure in heart and commune with the Earth. They exist in harmony with nature and many of them learn to use magic for healing and protecting living things.”
“How many white witches are there?�
�
“Melony is actually the first of her kind that we know of for many years, and when discovered, she was put under Zeshtunian protection. She lives in an apartment above the shoppe making it easy to guard her using magical wards.”
“That’s good. I’m happy that she’s under our protection.”
“Azul, Melony is a precious treasure and dear to all natural living things that are good. You especially must watch over and protect her. Otherwise, I’ll have to kick your butt back to Las Vegas where I found you. Got it mister?”
“Yea, I think so.”
I started to frown a little and the amazing mind reading Alura chuckled while pushing into my side.
“You can still date her silly. She won’t break or turn you into a toad.”
“A Toad? Can she turn someone into a toad?’
Alura let out an exhausted breath and shook her head.
“Really Azul, for being such a great wizard who has survived for eons, you know nothing about women. It’s like you’ve been living under a rock.”
“More like inside a rock, my amulet to be precise,” I said.
It’s true that I knew very little about women. I knew even less about witches, which I decided to remedy the next chance I get when visiting the library on Keob. Until then, I was going to enjoy a nice dinner with my sister and the good witch Melony.
Melony locked the shoppe’s door. I could tell she was excited and nervous at the same time because she fumbled with her keys. A moment later, the three of us with Sally began walking to my apartment while engaging in conversation, mostly about how Melony’s day went. I kept a eye open for anything unusual, such as watchers or Hunter Demons, and was thankful these pests seemed to be taking a break.
Alura was grinning at me. I narrowed my eyes, not knowing what she was thinking, and her grin widened into a smile – then the hammer dropped.
“Oh my goodness, I just remembered I have a business appointment,” Alura said. “Sorry guys, you’ll have to have dinner without me tonight.”
Right … a business appointment. I should have seen this one coming. I smirked at Alura and she pretended not to see, but I knew she did.
“Oh no, that’s too bad,” Melony said. “Don’t worry Alura. We’ll make sure to save you some dinner and you can join us later.”
Alura continued smiling and was on the verge of laughing. She was quite pleased with herself at the moment.
“Sure, that sounds great. I’ll see you two later. Have fun.”
“Bye now, see you soon,” I said with some anxiety in my voice.
Normally I’m not the shy type, but there is something about Melony that makes me nervous. I don’t know why I get flustered and wobbly at my knees, but I do. Having Alura dine with us would have been a comforting first date security blanket. It’s easier to hold a conversation with three people, but now, I was on my own. In addition, I had to cook something tasty and not poison Melony with my unhealthy diet. If all this wasn’t enough, my knees began shaking as I pondered all the ways the night might turn into a disaster.
“Well Daniel, I guess we are on our own.”
“Looks that way,” I said, my voice crackling a little.
A few minutes later we were in my apartment and I started up the fireplace. Melony sat on the couch and Sally situated herself next to the fire. I was shuffling around in the kitchen trying to quiet my nerves and acted like I actually knew what I was doing.
“I’m sorry Melony, but I only can offer you water or beer for a beverage.”
“A beer would be great. No glass.”
My kind of girl: beautiful, charming, and she likes beer – without a glass. What more could a man want?
Melony politely watched me fumble around trying to be a good host. It was painfully obvious that I never really cooked a real meal before. After dropping a pan, some utensils, and spilling vegetable oil all over the kitchen counter, Melony came to the rescue.
“Daniel, let me help you cook dinner.”
“Only if you insist,” I said, realizing that I was saved in the nick of time.
I cleaned up the mess I made while Melony went into action demonstrating her experience in culinary art. She could easily become a chef if the witch thing doesn’t work out. In what seemed like no time at all, Melony had prepared a nice salad and veggie burgers.
Veggie burgers? Hmm … I suppose that goes with the territory of being a white witch and herb guru.
I didn’t mind healthy food for a change and it actually tasted good. The two of us enjoyed our dinner and shared stories about living in Manhattan. My stories were of course censored quite a bit because fighting werewolves wasn’t a great first date conversation, or on any date for that matter. No need to scare her away. Besides, having a conversation with Melony was easy because she had an energetic personality that was contagious. Even Sally was interested and wagged her tail when one of us looked at her or laughed.
Time passed by quickly, and before we knew, it was nearly midnight. Melony had to open the store early in the morning, so I walked her back to the Magical Herbs Shoppe. Her apartment has a rear entrance, but she told me it was scary at night and she’d prefer using the stairs inside the shoppe. We then stood in the shoppe doorway smiling without saying anything for what seemed like an eternity – those awkward moments of first dates.
Should I kiss her, should I shake her hand, should I run home and take a cold shower?
“I had a wonderful night Daniel. Don’t forget about the Broadway show tomorrow.”
“I had a great time too Melony. Goodnight, see you tomorrow.”
Melony knew I was nervous and she smiled while kissing me on my cheek. She then unlocked the shoppe door and went inside while blowing another kiss from her hand to me.
Wow, what a great date. I was smiling all the way back to my apartment until I saw something standing in the shadows across the street. I narrowed my eyes to focus and saw a Hunter Demon. It was standing there watching me. No problem. Alura said these demons were harmless unless in a group.
“You’re still a creepy date buster,” I muttered.
I continued walking to my apartment and watched the demon keep his gaze on me. I couldn’t see its eyes, only the dark space under a garment hood. As I got further down the street, the demon stepped out of the shadow and my neck hairs stood up. I put my hand into my pocket cuffing the staff coin in my hand. When I looked again, the demon was gone and my neck hairs relaxed. I checked behind me several times to be sure nothing was following, and nothing was.
Okay then, back to thinking about my great date with Melony.
Good things never last for long, not even recaps of great dates. As my apartment came into sight, I saw the demon standing a few feet in front of my door and it was making a hissing sound. I then heard more hissing sounds and saw two more Hunter Demons, which officially constitutes a group, and now potentially dangerous.
“Look guys, I don’t want any trouble. Why don’t you three mosey on back into your shadow world like good demons, okay?”
The demons hissed louder. I took my staff coin out of my pocket and said, “Unclass staff,” causing it to change instantly with blue-white lights swirling in and out of its amulet. The demons seemed to be unconcerned and even attracted to the light. Each demon lifted their hooded head higher and pointed their boney fingers forward as they moved slowly toward me, hissing louder with each step.
“You know, I had a really great night up to now. How about we do a rain check and sort out our differences at another time?”
There was no response, unless you consider louder hissing a response. I thought maybe they can’t hear or don’t understand. Who cares, they’re still coming.
“Really, you’re going to make me do this tonight?”
I focused on my magic and said, “Aknor firster,” which ignited my staff amulet with a large fire torch. I waved the staff side to side warning the demons not to advance, but they kept coming. I increased my concentration and made the blu
e-white fire roar out ten feet like a blow torch, and then something unexpected happened. The demons pointed their hands at each other and became angrier, no longer interested in me.
One demon lunged forward attacking the other while the third stood still hissing. The two demons tore each other apart with their long razor sharp fingers. Their hoods fell back and I saw deformed faces as though burned by fire or acid. After clawing each other and ripping large pieces of their bodies apart, one demon fell to street and stopped moving.
The third demon that was watching the other two rip each other apart lunged forward, and in a single swing of its long fingers, cut the other demon’s head off sending it tumbling across the street. A few moments later the dead demons melted from their inside out into a deep purple goo color, then disappeared as vapor into the night air.
Only one left now … much better odds.
“Hey, why don’t we just call it a day and move on?”
The demon turned toward me and placed its hands together under his garment sleeves, then lowered his head. It stopped moving and didn’t appear to be a threat, but I kept my staff pointed at it just in case. The demon turned slowly to keep its gaze on me as I unlocked my apartment door. The creepy thing was only 20 feet away and my heebie-geebies meter was all the way into the red.
“How about finding a new neighborhood far away from here to hang out?”
The Demon Hunter made no responses to anything I said and only stared at me.
“The farther the better you creep,” I muttered.
I extinguished the fire on my staff and locked the door behind me arming my wards. When I looked out from my window, the demon had disappeared.
There was a time when I didn’t think anything was more annoying than mosquitoes, but then lycanthropes came along, and now Hunter Demons are stalking me. Seems to me that since magic is in my life, I should be able to use a demon repellent spell to get rid of these things, or at a minimum, hide the field of magic emitting from my apartment. I summoned Kyiel to learn if he had a solution.
“Good evening Azul.”
“Glad to see you buddy. What can you tell me about watchers and Hunter Demons, and more importantly, how to get rid off them?”
“Watchers are harmless and come and go as the spell caster pleases. You also can cast spells to create your own watchers. Hunter Demons, on the other hand, are the result of Darkzon gene manipulations. Basically, they are discarded laboratory mistakes. They barely are aware of their existence and operate instinctively like a honey bee constantly seeking nourishment from flowers. The magic in your amulets and apartment wards are nourishment for these demons, and they will constantly seek it out.”
“Okay, so how do I get rid of them?”
“You can not be rid of Hunter Demons or watchers unless you abandon all magic. If one is destroyed, another will take its place.”
They’re like cockroaches. “Well, I don’t plan of squashing one every time they cross my path, so what other options do I have?”
“You can also accept a Hunter Demon and use them to your advantage.”
I arched my eyebrow. “Oh … do tell Kyiel.”
“If you make a light crystal having the same magical signature as your amulets and offer it to a Hunter Demon, and if it accepts your gift, the demon will be binded to you. The crystal has no power and only produces a harmless light that satisfies the demons hunger for magic.”
I frowned. “Binding doesn’t sound like a good option.”
“It can be Azul. While the Hunter Demon is bound to you, it will guard the area where the crystal was given to him. If it senses any danger may fall upon you, the demon will fight to its death to protect you.”
“How long does this binding last?”
“Bindings will end given any of three conditions: the crystal no longer emits a magical signature; the demon returns a similar gift of equal or greater value; or the demon is dismissed by the spell caster.”
I smiled. “My own demon pit bull could come in handy guarding the back alley, provided it doesn’t bring along any buddies. What about watchers? Can I shield the magic emitting from my apartment so neither watchers or Hunter Demons show up in the first place?”
“Yes, a shield will work. However, they will not prevent them from following you home, and unlike inanimate objects, such spells placed on yourself will last only for a few minutes. Even a shield placed on your wards is temporary and requires maintenance every few months.”
“I should have asked you about this earlier Kyiel. Better late than never, right?”
“It would appear so great wizard.”
“Why Kyiel, I do believe you’re developing a sense humor. Saying good evening and making a sarcastic response is, how should I put it … almost human.”
“Perhaps you are correct Azul.”
Hmm … Kyiel is continuing to learn.
