by Logan Byrne
Just as I felt my pulse slowing down, a roar erupted and Charlie pounced on the naga, slamming him into the ground, which caused his grip on me to loosen.
“Lexa!” Blake yelled, running in after Charlie and coming to my aid, before Britta and Faus followed.
I coughed, gasping for air, my ribs feeling either cracked or totally broken. Blake, seeing Charlie struggling to contain the naga and then looking back at me, a broken mess on the floor, started to shift. I could hear him grunting as his eyes turned and his already fit body became much more muscular. “You picked the wrong people to fight,” he yelled, his eyes turning red, before he belted out a roar that sent vibrations down my spine.
He jumped on the naga, both him and Charlie taking turns hitting him and wearing him down, as I struggled to keep my vision clear. “This is going to hurt,” Britta said, and I saw three of her taking out their wands.
“Costa Instaurabo,” she said, flicking her wand. A surge of pain shot through my body. I screamed as my ribs were soldered back together with magic. I felt every little movement inside me. It felt like the magic was tearing me up all over again, but within a few seconds it was over and I wasn’t gasping for air any longer.
“Where did you learn that one?” I asked, grabbing my wand and standing up.
“A book,” she said, smiling.
“Man, am I glad you’re addicted to those,” I said, pointing my wand at the naga. “Rigormorio,” I incanted. The bolt from the tip of my wand struck him and froze his body.
“Where did you learn that?” she asked.
“Mirian, of course,” I said, smiling.
“Of course,” she said, nodding.
Charlie and Blake shifted back into their human forms, the two of them panting and covered in sweat, as the naga slowly shifted back into his human form, but his body stayed as stiff as a statue in Trafalgar Square. “What happened to the other guy? The owner?” Charlie asked.
“Before he attacked me, the owner used some kind of magical item that allowed him to either teleport or vanish and disorient me,” I said.
“Interesting. A smart object to use if one needs to slip away quickly and prevent one’s enemies from tracking or following them,” Faus said.
“Yeah, and also a great way for a slimy naga to attack me,” I said, walking towards him.
His eyes still moved, watching me, before I reached into his jacket and saw a neatly arranged array of vialed poisons. “What do we have here? It looks like solid evidence of your crimes, including possession, manufacturing, and intent to sell and distribute a Class I piece of contraband.”
“Let’s read him his rights,” Britta said.
“Not so fast. We need some other answers first,” I said.
“You know that’s against protocol,” Faus said.
“I heard you talking about your master. Who were you talking about? If you give us a name, we can give you leniency and maybe you’ll be out before you know it,” I asked.
“I find it unwise to give up the name of my master. It would result in my permanent departure,” the naga said.
“And what if we provide that for you instead?” I asked, leaning closer.
“Then go ahead and do it, but I think if you wanted to kill me you would’ve had your shifter pals do it already, especially when they were on top of me,” he said, smirking.
I knew he had answers about Kiren, and all I needed was for him to admit to helping him. If he did, we would have a material witness against Kiren that would help topple his administration and rid the magical realm of his impending takeover.
“I know you’re working for Kiren Nightstorm, and when I find out that you have been, I’m going to take both of you down!” I said, causing him to chuckle.
“Lexa, come on,” Blake said, grabbing me and pulling me out into the hallway as the others began to read him his rights.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“What am I doing? What are you doing? You’re going to get us all killed,” he said.
“You said you wanted to take down Kiren just like I did,” I said.
“Yeah, but this isn’t the right way. Besides, you can’t give up our interest in Kiren. It will jeopardize the resistance and everything they’re doing. You know Mirian would be furious right now if he knew,” Blake said.
I didn’t reply, taking a few deep breaths and trying to calm down instead. “Don’t you know that?” he asked, pressing again.
“Fine, yes, he wouldn’t be happy, but I just want to end this. Charlie and I had been searching for so long, and now that we finally caught him I just wanted to get the answers I’ve been searching for. I was out of line, though. I’m sorry,” I said.
“It’s okay, but I think you should erase his memory, at least of that part. It might benefit you quite a bit down the line,” Blake said.
“Thank you,” I said, leaning up and kissing him.
“Do you understand your rights as I have explained them to you?” Britta asked as Blake and I entered the room.
“Wait,” I said, unsheathing my wand and walking towards the perp.
“Lexa,” Charlie said.
“Cranius Expellus,” I said, the tip of my wand glowing as I erased the prior five minutes from his memory. “You’re going to have to arrest him again—sorry.”
“Fine,” Britta said, looking obviously annoyed.
I stood there and watched as the shifter was read his rights. I felt a certain sense of accomplishment even though the owner had gotten away, but I was sure we would find him—although I knew he would come up with some excuse as to why he was helping the naga. That man couldn’t be trusted.
5
“I heard you caught your naga suspect,” Mirian said, stepping beside me as we hid behind two-way mirrored glass. The shifter was in an interrogation room, one of many at headquarters, his hands and feet locked to the solid steel table and his magic dampened with crystals hidden in the cuffs.
“There’s something about him, Mirian. Something I need to talk to you about. The others don’t understand, I don’t think,” I said, glancing at him.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
I looked around, making sure nobody else was near. The door was shut and the closest clamor was at least ten feet away down the hall. “I think he works for Kiren,” I whispered close to his ear.
Mirian nodded, humming deep within his throat. “What makes you believe that?” he asked, speaking softly so his voice wouldn’t travel.
“He kept talking about his master, the same as the shopkeeper. He was trafficking illegal contraband that fits the motive of you know who, and I have a strong inkling that he’s one of his minions,” I said. I kept quiet about the interrogation for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I had erased his memory so the shifter, who I later learned was named Tulson, wouldn’t remember what had happened. Secondly, it was technically against protocol, and I could be heavily reprimanded for doing what I did, especially without reading his full rights first.
“He might be, we won’t know until we look further into his ties. Are you ready to step inside the box with him and question him? You must keep yourself calm, and let go of what you just told me. For now, he’s under arrest for poison distribution and nothing else,” Mirian said.
“I promise I can separate my personal feelings from my professional duty,” I said confidently.
“I’ll keep watch here and knock if I want you to stop and come back out,” Mirian replied.
Tulson kept his head hung low as I opened the door and walked inside. I couldn’t tell if he was playing opossum or if he were actually tired or drained, but I hoped for the latter. A shifter could draw a lot of power from their other side, as if two spirits of the same person came together as a whole between the human and more animal side. Having his shifting and magic dampened this much might be causing his human side, his default form, to become weakened and faint.
“Do you know where you are currently?” I asked, walking towards the f
ront of the table.
“A M.A.G.I.C. stronghold, I’d like to think,” he replied, his voice soft.
“You’re right, you’re currently in an interrogation room in the magical realm outside New York City in the United States of America where you’re being questioned for crimes against the magical world. Do you know what you’re being charged with?” I asked.
He didn’t reply, instead smiling, though still looking down, his eyelids twitching. I heard the soles of his shoes grind against the sandy floor. “You’re being charged with possession, manufacture, distribution, and conspiracy to sell a Class I contraband: venoms.”
“How can I be charged with a crime for giving away something that freely comes from my own body?” he asked, looking up at me. His eyes were cold and unforgiving, like a winter storm that aims to swallow up any life that dares cross its path.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s from your body or not, the distribution and sale of naga venoms is strictly prohibited. Besides, we’ve tested the venoms that were taken off your person and we know they aren’t all from you, Tulson,” I said.
“I don’t agree with your assessment, officer. But alas, it doesn’t matter. I’m sure I’ll be out of here soon enough and on my merry way to use my body and its venoms as I see fit,” he said, laughing a little.
I looked back at the mirror where Mirian was on the other side, but there was no knock. This was proof, wasn’t it? Proof that Kiren was going to somehow bail him out of here under some guise about wrongful imprisonment or arrest. I just knew he would find a way to weasel his power in here.
“And why do you think that? You’re facing serious crimes, you know. Crimes that result in a steep penalty in prison,” I said.
“I have friends that can get me out—legally, of course. I don’t want you to think that I’m going to slither my way out of here and attempt escape. I’d rather not have you guys chasing me down again. That was annoying,” he said.
There was a knock at the window, Mirian’s cue, and I had to bite my tongue and leave the room knowing Tulson was in there having the time of his life. For my own sake I didn’t want him to even think that he had the upper hand.
There were two other people standing outside next to Mirian. The look on my face exuded pure confusion. “What’s going on?” I asked.
“These men are here to transfer the prisoner to another location,” Mirian said, holding up a letter. “They have the right signatures.”
“But he’s my arrest, and I’m not done interrogating him,” I said.
“It doesn’t matter, officer, we have the orders and authority to transport this prisoner. We’re only doing our job,” one of the men said.
“And I’m trying to do mine, but you’re the ones obstructing me from doing so,” I said.
“Lexa, let them pass,” Mirian said.
“No, I won’t, I won’t let them until I have the chance to get the information I need. I tracked this suspect for close to two weeks and I deserve the chance to talk to him,” I argued passionately, raising my voice.
The two men came forward, obviously annoyed with my passionate show, and pushed me aside to get into the interrogation room. “Lexa, give it up. This goes beyond you and me, and stopping them from doing their jobs could result in disciplinary action against you. They’re cops, just like us, and they’re just acting out orders that they got the same way you would in their situation. Calm down,” Mirian said, pulling me off to the side.
I watched as they escorted Tulson out, the smug look on his face burning into my memory. I wished I could’ve slapped it off him. I wouldn’t stop until I got to the bottom of this.
“Are you ready to do this?” Charlie asked as he stepped up next to me.
“We have to go see if we can find him, Charlie. He was trading with that naga, and he fled from me when he was under arrest. We need to bring him in,” I said, pulling out my wand.
We stretched and slid our way back into the magical district in London as the sound of raindrops tapped on the cobblestone road. There was still a shopkeeper at large who did break the law, and I wanted to get to the bottom of it. Mirian didn’t want me to press, he wanted to keep everything secret, but I couldn’t let it go. I knew I needed to trust my instincts, and I was going to do just that.
The shopkeeper was a bit frazzled when we walked in the door, looking nervous as he started to sidle towards his counter. “Stop,” I said, pointing my wand at him and signaling him to come back over. He nodded and walked back, the other customers in the shop confused as to what was going on.
“It’s okay, everybody, this is a M.A.G.I.C. investigation. Apparently this guy has been selling some bad goods,” I said loudly.
The people shook their heads, most of them fleeing, the shopkeeper moaning and obviously not happy about the loss of potential sales. “You didn’t need to do that,” he said.
“And you didn’t need to run when I ordered you to freeze, did you?” I asked.
“Listen, I don’t know what more you want from me, really. You caught Tulson, so what else do you need from me?” he asked.
“Well, you evaded arrest and a direct order from a M.A.G.I.C. officer. I need to take you in and book you,” I said, before he started to fidget and look concerned.
“Well, wait, surely we can make an arrangement or something,” he said.
“Bribes are against policy, you know. Would hate to tack that onto your list.”
“No, no, not a bribe, but maybe I can help you somehow. I know a lot of information about a lot of bad creatures all over the world. Surely I could give you a lead that would be much more promising for both of your careers than wasting your time with me,” he said.
Charlie and I looked at one another and he raised his left eyebrow, looking intrigued. We nonverbally agreed it was a good proposition. “How do we know you’d be telling the truth?” I asked.
“Well, you know where my shop is, and it’s not like I’m not going to be here. Besides, getting some of these guys off the street is good for my business. There are a lot of creatures who sell counterfeit and illegal goods without a license, and for less than I do. Like that damned elf I told you about before,” he said, getting agitated towards the end.
“Yeah, you won’t have to worry about him bothering you again. For us to forget about you and take on something else, you’d have to bring us something good. Something far more valuable than your crimes,” Charlie said.
“I can take you one level up from Tulson,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked, leaning closer.
“Well, he wasn’t working alone, or rather, he wasn’t a lone wolf. He was taking orders just like you guys are, but his bosses are a bit more, well, unsavory, if you will,” he said.
This was the break I was hoping for. I knew that things went further up than Tulson, much further up, and the next people in line might take me all the way up to Kiren. It was worth a shot to take him out, and besides, I knew where this guy was if his tips didn’t pan out. “How high up are we talking?” I asked.
“All the way up,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.
“Like, Kiren Nightstorm?” I asked.
“Lexa,” Charlie said, putting his hand on my shoulder and pushing me back gently.
“Ya girl is smart, shifter. I’m not stupid, though, and I’m not saying any names and risking my life and prosperity. I’d suggest you don’t punch too much higher, though, or you’ll find out those people punch back, and they do it much harder than you,” he said.
“Just give us our lead and we’ll get out of here,” Charlie said.
“The guy who was Tulson’s main boss is running a club in the mortal realm in New York City. They’re kidnapping mortals, both men and women, and either giving them to vampires as food, as slave labor, or a lot of other bad things. It would be very hard to infiltrate and expose, but if you could, man, I bet you’d get a big promotion,” he said.
That was a good lead, and one I knew I could co
unt on. The casino bust made me an auditor, and a bust like this would ensure Charlie and I got commendations and some of the best cases out there. It would be easier for sure. “We’ll come back if we need anything else. By the way, where’s this club?” I asked.
“It’s in the Meatpacking District, Club Dynamo,” he said, smiling.
6
I smelled an underlying scent of incense as I knocked on Xelia’s office door. It had been a while since I’d seen her, let alone worked with her; vampires were known to be somewhat reclusive. Besides, graduating to an auditor and working this never-ending case with Charlie was proving to be very cumbersome and long.
“Enter,” she said, and I opened her door. Candles were lit as Xelia meditated in her chair, wearing a black robe.
“Channeling somebody?” I asked. Vampires weren’t known for channeling spirits per se, but Xelia was a bit of a wildcard when it came to the occult and supernatural.
“Just relaxing. I had to put away a goblin accused of smuggling purple rubies into the country. Never a fun task. What’s up with you? It’s been a while,” she said, getting up from her chair and hugging me.
“I actually need your expertise on something, if you wouldn’t mind,” I said.
“And what might that be?” she asked.
“We’re following a new lead on our never-ending case. First we took down a naga shifter—” I said.
“I heard about that from Mirian. Great job, by the way. I’m glad my perfect training is helping,” she said, smiling.
“We took him down, but then we went back to arrest the shop owner he was in cahoots with, and he offered us a chance to go up the ladder and take down their boss in exchange for not arresting him,” I said.
“Always a good tactic. Usually it’s worthwhile to take down somebody further up the chain, and besides, those people won’t realize you’re coming if their men were let go. Their guard lowers,” she said. “But what do you need me for?”
“Well, he’s telling us there’s a club in the Meatpacking District here in New York that’s doing a few illegal things, including with vampires. One of the things they’re doing is kidnapping mortals who come to the club, maybe a few every so often, and either using them for food or transforming them and using them for slave labor. I’m not sure which of those they’re doing, or if they’re doing all of it, but it needs to be stopped,” I said.
