by Logan Byrne
“Hey, get your grubby mitts off my stuff unless you plan on buying!” Pokeshi said, slapping his hand away.
“Charlie, I think that’s assault on a police officer. It would be a shame if we had to take our old friend Pokeshi in, wouldn’t it?” Blake asked.
“No, I was just playing around, see,” Pokeshi said, giving Charlie some friendly harmless slaps on the arm and shoulder. “Besides, we’re not even in the States. You can’t arrest me,” he said confidently.
“We have full jurisdiction in the magical realm, elf, no matter the host country,” Britta said.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” he said, rolling up his goods.
“What are you doing there, friend?” I asked, my arms crossed.
“Well, you told me I can’t sell, so I just thought I’d be nice and—”
Within an instant, Pokeshi bolted, screaming and running as his legs flew out in every direction.
“Catch him,” I yelled to Charlie, who smiled before shifting and running after Pokeshi. Within seconds, Charlie’s strong jaguar body was holding down a crying and screaming Pokeshi who tried everything he could to wiggle free and get away.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to run, I promise. It’s just habit!” he said, as a crowd started to gather.
“Into the alley,” I said, and Blake picked him up as Charlie shifted back.
“Oh god, you’re going to kill me, aren’t you? Pokeshi can’t die, I’ve got too much to live for, baby! I’ve changed, I swear! I even have a goldfish now. Who’s going to take care of Milton if I’m gone?”
“Relax, we aren’t going to kill you. We’re police officers, not psychopaths,” I said.
“Well, I mean—” he started to say.
“Shut up, Pokeshi,” Blake said, nodding.
“We need to know if you’ve seen or heard of a guy selling venoms,” I said.
“Oh, so you want me to rat on more people who could cut my head off, is that what you’re asking?” he asked.
“I could cut your head off right now if you don’t answer her,” Blake roared, shifting instantly as his eyes glowed and reflected off of Pokeshi’s.
“Easy there, we don’t need any violence. This is a single man, not affiliated with any crime syndicates. You’ll be safe. We just need to know if you’ve seen him around,” I said.
“What’s his name?” he asked.
“We don’t know,” I replied.
“Well, that really narrows it down, doesn’t it?” he asked.
“He sells black market venoms,” I said.
“Oh, that guy,” Pokeshi said, a look of fear on his face.
“So you know him?” Britta asked.
“I know of him, big difference there. I’ve seen him go into that shop many times, the one across the street from where I sell,” he said.
“The owner said he keeps turning down offers to sell the venoms or something like that,” Faus said.
“Definitely not, kid,” Pokeshi replied, laughing a little.
“Wait, explain yourself,” I said.
“The man goes in there, and I’ve seen the owner inside buying from him and taking him into the back. They’re definitely in collusion and that rat isn’t rejecting his advances,” Pokeshi said.
“What would be his motivation, then? He’s going to throw his supplier under the bus and lose out on that money?” Faus asked.
“He wants to tie up loose ends,” I said. “I used to see it all the time in my, you know, other life. He doesn’t want this shifter going to us or killing him over money or whatever so he’s going to get us to take him out instead. That way there’s no tie and he gets to keep the money and stay out of prison.”
“So Pokeshi is free?” he asked, bright-eyed.
“Let him go, we got what we needed. You better be telling us the truth, and get off this corner and stop selling your wares before I arrest you,” I said.
“Trust me, I don’t want to be around here if that guy finds out I helped you five. See ya!” he said, giggling and bolting off.
“Time to make an arrest?” Blake asked.
“No, we don’t have anything but the word of a criminal witness to go on. We need to get definitive proof if we’re going to mount this case. Not only that, but we need the naga there at the same time so we can catch him. The owner will go down for trafficking and illegal goods distribution, but the shifter is the main prize,” I said.
4
“How do we know we can trust him?” Blake asked.
The five of us were sitting around the living area of our safe house, a fire crackling in the stone fireplace. The boards creaked when I stood up. “Why would he lie?” I asked.
“Maybe he’s working with them somehow?” Blake asked.
“Then why would the guy in the shop send us outside to take care of him? Besides, the owner said he wasn’t buying from him,” I asked.
“Maybe he thought he would trick us, and I’m not sure I fully trust that he isn’t buying. A guy like that with a shady business and demeanor isn’t turning away easy money, no matter the source,” Britta said.
“Not you too,” I said.
“I’m not saying it’s for sure, but if that clerk was using Pokeshi, maybe he would realize that we would go talk to him and he would give it up,” she said.
“I don’t know, I’m standing with Lexa on this one,” Charlie said, scratching his chin. “I don’t think Pokeshi would lie to us like that; he knows we’d arrest him. Besides, his information was good with the casino before.”
“I say we go forward thinking and acting like the information we got from Pokeshi is valid. We need to come up with a plan, though. We’re going to need to start staking out the shop,” I said.
“I researched some old city blueprints and scoped out the area while we were down there. There are a few rooftops we can access, but the whole area isn’t too open for obvious reasons, being in the middle of London and all,” Faus said.
“I can shift and hide up on one of those rooftops. My vision becomes very clear when I’m shifted, so I’m sure I’ll be able to spot this shifter based on the information we received,” Charlie said.
“What about the rest of us?” Blake asked.
“I can use some of my tech to sit across the street. Besides, I’m not sure the guy will remember me. I’m pretty forgettable,” Faus said.
“Trust me, man, you’re not. Nobody forgets a guy who shifts into a Minotaur,” Charlie said, laughing.
“Talking about shifting, did you hack up a hairball in the bathroom earlier?” Britta asked, focusing her attention on Charlie.
“Okay, I shift into a giant cat who has to groom himself, so don’t start with me,” Charlie retorted, smiling as he pointed his finger at Britta.
“You’re so gross,” she said, rolling her eyes, a small laugh escaping as Charlie giggled.
Blake and Faus chimed in, defending Charlie and his gross habits, as I sat there, taking a sip of my black tea that was steaming with a wisp of heat, smiling and taking in the moment. These were the moments I lived for. Ever since we started our jobs we hadn’t gotten any chance to just be together. Every day was work, living in the precinct and leaving behind any real social life, besides my dates with Blake. We were on a mission, sure, and we were working, but nothing about it felt like work. Being able to sit around a crackling fire and hear the laughs of my closest friends felt more like a dream than any nightmare work could be.
I knew I was lucky, going from living a solitary life, stealing what I could to make enough to feed myself and keep some type of roof above my head, to discovering I was a witch, working a stable job, finding out I had the mark, and doing missions in London and Morocco to hunt down a dangerous criminal I believed to have ties to Kiren. I guess it showed that dreams could come true, no matter the circumstances.
“You know how to reach us, right?” Britta asked, as she and Blake loaded their backpacks with gear and supplies. This trip’s goal was two-fold: to catch the naga shift
er, but also for Britta and Blake to get intelligence on ivory trading, as well as the trade in rhinoceros and unicorn horns that had been popping up in London.
“Yeah, we’ll contact you if anything happens,” I said.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” Blake asked. He put his hand on my forearm, and we walked over to the side of the room. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? I’ll have Charlie and Faus with me,” I said.
“I just worry about you, especially if this guy shows up. I know how you are, and I’m afraid you’re going to run in and try to catch him after hunting him down for so long. I just want to make sure you’ll contact us and let us get there before trying to apprehend him,” he said.
“Blake, I’m not stupid,” I said, a little offended he would even bring it up.
“Lexa, you know I never called you that. I never would. I just don’t want anything to happen to you,” he said.
“I will, I promise. I know this one is going to be harder to take in, and he won’t go without a fight. I’ll make sure you and Britta are there before I go in,” I said.
“If you two are done having your moment over there, we need to go,” Charlie called.
“I promise I will,” I said, before kissing Blake on the cheek and running off with Charlie and Faus.
“Okay, we need Charlie to go up there,” Faus said when we arrived at the corner by the shop, pointing at a building about three stories tall directly across the street.
“How do I get up there?” Charlie asked.
“There’s a fire escape to the right of the building in the same alleyway we caught Pokeshi in. Take this, too,” Faus said, handing Charlie a radio to slip into his ear. “This will stay with you when you shift and will let us three stay in constant contact in case anything happens.”
“Where am I going?” I asked.
“There’s a bench nearby on the same side of the street as Charlie and me. That’s the best I have for you,” Faus said.
“And you?” Charlie asked.
“I’ll be in that café with my listening equipment,” Faus said.
“Oh, so you get to sit in a warm café and drink cappuccinos while we’re outside,” Charlie said, putting his hands on his hips indignantly.
“Hey, my equipment would easily give me away. The last thing we want is this guy getting suspicious of us,” Faus said.
“That’s enough, boys. Let’s get going,” I said, before taking a radio from Faus and sticking it in my ear. “Keep your wits about you. We’ll get him, I’m sure of it.”
We didn’t all walk out at once, keeping a mystique about us so nobody spotted us together just in case it was obvious who we were. The man in the shop seemed to know we were M.A.G.I.C. right off the bat, so who knows if we gave off a vibe of young police officers, but I wasn’t risking it.
I sat down on my bench, where a much smaller older woman of goblin origin was sitting on the other end. Charlie walked past me a couple minutes later, not looking at me, and I saw him disappear into the alleyway in my peripheral vision. Faus came soon after, his smaller frame lugging a backpack into the café. I put my gloves on, the sweet yet bitter chill of the English air starting to waft through the translucent barrier above and brush my cheek.
The store was busy, a crowd of people obscuring my vision as I tried to keep watch for our suspect. “I’m in position,” Charlie said through our radio.
“See anything yet?” I asked softly. The older woman looked over at me, seeing me talking to myself. “The voices, they get to me sometimes,” I said, whirling my finger around, and she got up and scurried away.
“I’m not seeing much of anything, at least in terms of our guy. There are a lot of people in there moving around, and I have to say this place doesn’t exactly smell all that great. Doesn’t anybody bathe around here?” Charlie asked.
“Tell me about it. Even these coffee beans can’t mask the odor of a troll close to me,” Faus said.
“Faus,” I said politely.
“What’s up?” he replied.
“Shut up,” I said.
The minutes started to rack up and pass by, a slew of people coming and going from the shop, as the tip of my nose started to go numb. I wanted to give up, call it a day, and go back to the sanctity and warmth of our little city cottage. “Maybe a few more minutes before we wrap it up?” I asked.
“Sounds good to me,” Charlie said, before I heard him yawn.
Not soon after, as the cold was starting to get to me and my eyes were feeling strained and burning, I thought I saw someone who looked like our guy. He was inside the shop, and I only got a quick glimpse of him passing by, but I was sure I’d seen him. Why didn’t we see him go inside? Neither Charlie nor I saw anybody who looked remotely like him walking in the front door, and we were keeping full track of everybody who came and went.
“Did you guys see that?” I asked, perking up in my seat.
“What? I don’t have eyes on him, do you?” Charlie asked.
“I…don’t know. I thought I saw him, but I never saw him or anybody like him walk inside. Maybe it’s just my mind playing tricks on me,” I said.
“We can’t go for it unless we know for sure it was him,” Faus said.
“I think I need to get a little closer at least. If I can get a better shot of him, maybe I can catch him,” I said.
“Lexa, you know that’s not protocol with a guy like this,” Faus said.
“And what if it is him and this is our chance to grab him? We haven’t even seen this guy or gotten much on his tail all this time we’ve been searching for him. We need to take the risk and hope that it’s him, Faus. I know it might not be protocol, but sometimes in the field when you’re in the thick of things you need to create your own protocol,” I said, standing up and crossing the street.
“I’ll keep watch from up here,” Charlie said.
“Lexa! Don’t!” Faus screeched in my ear.
I walked up to the storefront, my hood up as I peered just enough to see inside without giving away my face. The workers had seen me before, as well as that owner, who I wasn’t all that sure I trusted.
“Anything?” Charlie asked.
“No, not from here. I think he went down the hallway, though. I’m going inside,” I said, before opening the door and hearing the little bell chime above.
“Why me?” Faus moaned.
The shop was busy, the chatter of accents from everywhere, not only England, filling the store as the few workers inside scurried around and didn’t seem to give me any regard, which was exactly how I wanted it. I slipped over towards the side, making sure not to move too quickly or draw attention to myself, before the darkness of the shop’s hallway obscured me from view.
I heard male voices down the hall but I couldn’t quite make out what was being said. I walked slowly, the old wooden floor creaking under my weight as I tried to lessen the noise exuded from each step. There was a door at the end of the hallway, a sliver of light slipping out from the small crack between the door and the frame. As I grew closer I noticed a voice—it was the owner who had talked to us before.
“You know you’re a wanted man,” he said.
“I will not be arrested, it isn’t part of the plan. You know our master will not be happy if we give up this trade,” the other man said with a thick Nigerian accent.
“He’ll never let us rot in a magical prison, so don’t worry about that. He needs us, probably more than we need him,” the owner said.
“Lexa, what’s going on? Are you okay?” Charlie asked. I didn’t respond, instead moving closer to the door.
“Do you have a buyer for my wares or not?” the naga hissed.
“You know, M.A.G.I.C. is hard on my case. They were in here asking for you, if I knew you, and how to find you,” the owner said.
“And?” the naga asked. “I’m not afraid of some lowly auditors who think they can take me down.”
“That’s pretty brazen, even for y
ou. I know that two of them were witches, the other two shifters. There was one small one, maybe you could snatch him,” the owner said, obviously talking about Faus.
“Did you give me up?” he asked.
“I sang like a canary,” he said, laughing.
“That doesn’t sound like something a smart man would do,” the naga said, and a hissing sound started to fill the room.
“I’m going in,” I whispered to Charlie and Faus.
“Lexa!” Charlie yelled.
“You’re under arrest under the authority of M.A.G.I.C.! I suggest both of you get down on the ground with your hands behind your heads and make this easier,” I said after barging into the room with my wand at the ready. They looked at me, neither of them seeming too concerned.
“Where are your friends? Or wait, are you all alone?” the owner of the shop asked, laughing, before walking over towards his bookshelves.
“I said get down!” I yelled as the man grabbed something from his shelf.
“No,” he said defiantly. As he threw the object to the ground, a spark pierced the room and my eyes with my light before he vanished. I was slightly disoriented, the room split into two, and I felt a weight hit me as my back slammed against the centuries-old wooden floor.
“It’s a shame I have to do this, you seem like you have a lot of potential,” the shifter said, his weight pressing down on top of me.
I tried to fight him, but his human body shifted and contorted as he transformed his lower body into a large metallic blue snake. He kept his arms in place, his bottom half slithering around me as his eyes turned yellow and his once-human pupils turned into slits of fiery rage. I looked over, my wand just out of reach, as I struggled to grab it and push him off me.
“Oh, I don’t think you’ll be doing any magic tonight, sweetheart,” he said, and as he squeezed harder I felt the air being sucked out of my lungs.
I choked, wheezing and gasping for air as I felt the light starting to leave my body. It was a surreal experience, dying. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before, yet it felt as instant as being born.
