by Logan Byrne
“Hello, may I help you?” I heard, as a man walked out from behind the counter in front of me. He was old, looking older than ninety, with large bifocals that magnified his eyes and a hobbled limp that looked painful. He was wearing a green sweater vest with khaki pants and orthopedic shoes.
“Hello, I’m here to pick up a package,” I said, walking closer.
“Oh, you must be here for the amulet,” he said, before shuffling behind the counter. “Heta told me a young lady would be coming by to pick it up. She said she’d trust nobody else to come get it.”
“Well, that’s very kind of her. You don’t look like you get many visitors in here,” I said.
“Oh, a man like me revels more in the antiquities he collects and not so much in the money he earns. Besides, who needs a bunch of people dirtying up their store?” he asked.
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” I said, laughing nervously as I looked around at the dead spiders and inch-thick layer of dust coating everything. “Would hate for that to happen.”
“Here it is,” he said, pulling a wooden box from underneath the counter. He blew it off, a cloud of dust hitting me, as I shook my head and wondered why me. “This is a very powerful and important magical artifact.”
“What is it for?” I asked.
“Well, that depends on the person, I suppose. In the wrong hands it could be dangerous, but in the right hands it could be used for greatness,” he said.
“Like what, exactly?” I asked.
“Well, it has the power to influence those whom the wearer talks to or interacts with. The first magical instance we have of it is in Ancient Egypt with some of the pharaohs. Quite an interesting item,” he said.
“So it’s used for mind control?” I asked.
“Well, not exactly, dear. It’s more of an influencer, suggesting to people that they should do what you say, but not making them do it, which is a key difference. If I were to put it on and tell you to do a pushup, you might do it, but you might also be strong enough to reject my influence,” he said.
“Why does Pote want it, then?” I asked.
“Well, I would imagine to keep those at the top, you know who, from getting access to it. Used against lesser intelligence it would be trouble, especially if you had the reach to use it against many people at once, like he would. It would become a numbers game that you really wouldn’t want to play,” he said.
“Interesting. It’s a good thing he’s not getting it, then,” I said.
“Please do tell Heta I said hello and to visit me sometime soon. It’s been quite a long time since I’ve seen her,” he said.
“I will certainly do that for you, sir. How long has it been?” I asked, as I put the box in my backpack.
“Oh boy, I was I think three hundred and sixty-two the last time we met,” he said.
“Oh, wow, that is quite a long time ago,” I said, in pure shock.
“I was a young man then,” he said, chuckling a little, before coughing and pulling a tissue from inside his sweater sleeve. “Well, you be safe and good now. Thank you for your visit.”
“Thank you, sir. I’ll tell Pote what you said. Have a good day,” I said.
As I was walking out of the shop, the door opened, and a man with a black skull beanie and leather jacket was standing there. He glanced at me before looking forward, and I walked out of the shop and closed the door. After I walked up the stairs I stopped at the top, wondering if I’d seen that man before.
I heard a yell and spun around, seeing the shop light up green before the light quickly died down. I ran back down the stairs, pulling out my wand, before bursting in the door. The man was rummaging through the desk, and when I looked forward I saw the old man slung across the floor.
“Stop right there!” I yelled, as the man looked back up at me.
“Kid, you don’t want this,” he said, grunting, not even caring about me pointing my wand at him.
“You’re under arrest,” I said, before realizing I wasn’t an auditor any longer. Whatever, he didn’t know that.
“Wait a minute, you look familiar,” he said, walking back around the counter.
“I order you to surrender now before I have to use force,” I said, firming my stance and tightening my grip on my wand.
“You’re that prison girl. I’ve seen your face around. President Nightstorm has a bounty on your head that would pay me real good,” he said, pulling out his wand.
“Drop your wand,” I said.
“Make me,” he smirked, before shooting a bolt at me.
I swiped my wand from left to right, deflecting his bolt just in time before it ricocheted off and hit a distant part of the shop. I fired off my own bolt, my wand glowing slightly, though he deflected each shot, all the while grinning and laughing about it.
“I see you know your way around a wand. I guess I shouldn’t expect less from a former auditor. It’s just a shame I’ll have to kill you. It isn’t personal, I could care less about you, but the bounty is big enough for me to take notice,” he said.
“The only person having a problem today is going to be you,” I said. “Rigormorio!”
He dodged the spell, rolling out of the way, but he didn’t reappear. I moved to the opposite side of the shop, keeping my distance. The dimly lit shop provided perfect cover for him. I moved cautiously behind a stack of old newspapers. The shop was filled with hoarded items that made it nearly impossible to see.
My eyes focused as he shot out a bolt, the beam just missing the left side of my face, before I ducked down and fired some back. My heart rate picked up, wishing I had Charlie here to provide backup for me, before I looked over at the door. Taking this into the streets would be potentially disastrous for nearby mortals, and would expose us. That would be a big job for M.A.G.I.C. to clean up.
I could always try to escape, but what would that say about me? That I ran whenever things got tough? I was getting what I wanted, after all, to have a real mission and hunt down criminals. This just wasn’t quite what I’d had in mind.
“Ignitus!” he yelled, as fire flew from his wand.
“Arma Maximus!” I screamed, the bubble shield absorbing the flames. The fire quickly spread, the dry items in the shop perfect kindling for the flames. Crackling and molten in temperature, the fire grew around my shield as the man backed up against his wall.
“Well, this is where I make my exit, darling. It’s a shame we couldn’t finish this battle, but I think I’ll choose living for myself. Best of luck,” he said, laughing maniacally. He teleported out of the shop as the flames grew. I panicked, knowing my shield would only last so much longer before dissipating.
“Think, Lexa, think,” I said out loud, running through spells I knew in my head. There were so many. I scanned through with lightning speed, before I thought of a freezing spell that Britta had taught me.
“Glacies,” I said, flicking my wand around. A small sputter of ice came out, but evaporated before it could do anything. It was too hot. “Glacies Maximus!” I yelled, my wand glowing a little, spurts of ice shooting out but only making the smallest dent in the fire.
It raged on, the old man lost in the smoke, as my shield started to falter and shrink around me. Stressed and panicked, my wand began to glow a little brighter through the flames, before I thought of something.
“Aqua Maximus!” I screamed, the entirety of my wand lighting up like a firework in a night sky. Water began to spray out of my wand, and I twirled it around, using it like a sprinkler on steroids as it filled the room. The fire began to die down, the burning piles turning to ash as they smoked. The last of the flames evaporated before my shield vanished and I was left in a smoke-filled shop.
I ran out, coughing, before I heard fire trucks in the distance. My hands dotted with soot, I ran to the side of the street, taking out my wand and deciding to get out of there. I teleported back to the camp, straight into Pote’s tent.
“Lexa, what happened?” she asked, jumping up from her desk.
> “I was attacked,” I said, coughing a little.
“By who? Did you get the package? I knew I shouldn’t have sent you, it was too dangerous. You’re too high-value now,” she said.
“It wasn’t somebody hunting me. I got the package before somebody else came looking for it, I think. He was a wizard, a warlock, and he recognized me. I think Kiren has my face out there, because he knew I was an auditor and everything,” I said.
“Yes, we knew that Kiren had put a bounty out on you,” she said.
“And you didn’t think to tell me?” I asked.
“We felt that if you knew, you might take it the wrong way,” she said.
“Is there a right way to take knowing somebody put money on your death?” I asked.
“We just didn’t want you to go through even more stress after what you’ve endured already. We still stand by the decision, but I’m sorry we kept it from you. In the end you should’ve known. It’s your life, and you should know what happens in it,” she said.
“Here’s your box. The old man said hi before he was murdered,” I said, pulling the box out of my backpack and tossing it onto the desk.
“He was a good man. He will be missed,” she said.
“Yeah, he will be,” I said, before storming out of her tent and retreating back to mine.
I was furious, but it wasn’t at her, or Mirian, or anybody else who had a hand to play in my future. I was mad at Kiren for what happened, and knowing that even though I got out of prison I was still essentially in one. There was no way Mirian would let me leave the camp now after what happened today, assuming Pote told him, and I knew she would. I almost thought she had a moral obligation to talk to him about it.
I couldn’t wait to get this all over with, to shut Kiren down and restore order to our worlds. I wanted to get out of this camp and go back to how things were, running around with Charlie and fighting crime. I wanted to help more people, to help the vampires, and to make a dent of a difference in this realm.
I just wanted change.
12
A week had passed and no action happened at all. I was going stir-crazy, filled to the brim with cabin fever. I could only walk around the camp and talk to everybody so many times. I liked doing that, don’t get me wrong—it was something I missed when I was in the precinct—but I needed more.
I was used to so much action and adventure during my time with M.A.G.I.C. I went out on beat patrol, did recon missions, and even traveled around with Charlie. There was so much going on that I didn’t have time for hobbies, but now that I was sitting here, and Pote wasn’t giving me any more missions, I’d taken up knitting.
Some of the older ladies in the camp gave me basic lessons, though I must say my fingers did fumble around a bit as I tried to mirror their techniques. My wand skills might be good, but definitely not my skills with knitting needles.
I was puttering around, kicking a rock, when I heard my name being called from behind me. “Lexa!”
“What’s up?” I asked, as Rosie walked up.
“I’ve been looking all over for you. Pote has been asking around trying to find you, where have you been?” she asked.
“Just walking around, really. Do you know what she wants?” I asked.
“No, but by how many times she’s asked, I’d say it’s important. Maybe she wants you to do another mission,” she said.
“I think you mean errand,” I said, laughing a little. “I’ll get over there, thanks.”
I couldn’t say I was too eager to get into her tent. Here I was, an auditor, at least in spirit, and she wasn’t utilizing me at all. I did get my lips wet with that little duel a week ago, but then crickets. I was one of the top witches here, especially with the mark and my new wand, but she’d rather I rot sitting in my muddy tent than help out at all. I knew I was a high-profile target, and Kiren had put out the bounty, but I could still do something.
“You rang?” I asked, walking in her tent.
“Where have you been? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all day,” she said.
“I’m sorry, I was out and about just hanging around. There isn’t a whole lot to do around here, you know,” I said.
“I wanted to talk to you about a case you were spearheading when you were in the precinct. Mirian told me about it briefly when it happened, but I don’t think I ever understood the severity of it. Could you tell me more about the vampires?” she asked.
“That was the case I was working with Charlie and Xelia when I got pulled out. We’d learned that a gang of vampires, a syndicate really, were kidnapping mortals and transforming them. They impregnated the women and sedated them, producing vampire babies. We weren’t certain how many they made. They also took men, using them more as labor and guards than anything else,” I said.
“That’s what I feared. Transforming humans is bad enough, but the babies, that’s what concerns me,” she said.
“They were very secretive about that, too, always making sure they got them out of their hiding spots before we could get near. I think Kiren is having the vampires amass him an army,” I said.
“That would be a bold move on his part, especially if that could be linked to him,” she said.
“I think the reward is worth the risk for him. An army of pure vampires would be almost impossible to stop. One of them would be hard enough, but dozens, or even hundreds? If he had control over them, then the resistance would never be able to touch him. We would be overrun and killed,” I said.
“How would you like to get back into that case?” she asked, her arms crossed.
“I don’t have a badge,” I said.
“You don’t need one, not to do what needs to be done now,” she said.
“What would that entail?” I asked.
“Continuing your reconnaissance work, and maybe taking some of them out, or taking them prisoner if you can,” she said.
“I don’t know, I hate the idea of killing them, no matter what they can do,” I said, scratching the back of my head.
“Would you rather we all die instead? This isn’t murder, Lexa. They’re already dead. Even Xelia, a vampire who has been around for quite a while, has said they need to be eradicated before it’s too late,” she said.
“Then why isn’t she doing this?” I asked.
“We may be able to arrange some help from her and Charlie, or rather you helping them with their open case, if you wish,” she said.
“I’m happy to get back into my case, but I can’t guarantee what will happen. I am a bit scared of going in alone, though,” I said.
“Take your new friends with you. I’m sure they’d love the fresh air, but be sure to mask your appearance before going into the magical realm. Your picture is everywhere, and the bounty Kiren is offering would set somebody up for life,” she said.
“When should I start?” I asked.
“Tonight. I’ll have somebody deliver the details to your tent. Thank you for helping us,” she said.
“So what did she want?” Rosie asked, startling me, as she ran up to me after I left Pote’s tent.
“Where were you hiding?” I asked, laughing, after whipping my head around to see her.
“I couldn’t help myself, there isn’t all that much to do right now,” she said.
“Well, it’s good you did, because you’re coming out with me tonight. Raul too,” I said.
“Where are we going? We can’t leave the camp, can we?” she asked.
“We’re going to do a mission of sorts. We’ll have disguises, so don’t worry about your face being seen,” I said.
“A mission? Am I an auditor now?” she asked, her smile brimming and cutting through the overcast air.
“An honorary one, sure. We’re going to spy on a certain group of people. I was doing this before I got arrested,” I said.
“Like who?” she asked, hopping over a puddle.
“Vampires,” I said casually, looking over at her. She grabbed my arm, stopping me, and I turned to fa
ce her, my lips pursed. I knew she was going to act this way. I could see it in her face, the look of pure terror, and I was about to ask if she needed to change her pants when she stopped me.
“Lexa, come on, that’s not funny. You can’t just mess around with vampires,” she said.
“They aren’t all bad, but these ones are. They’re going to be unaware of us, so don’t worry. We aren’t going to fight them or try to take one in or anything like that. Besides, I won’t let anything happen to you,” I said.
“But—” she said, panicked.
“Pote already asked you to do it. She specifically asked that I take you,” I said.
“She said my name? She asked for Rosie to help?” she asked.
“More or less,” I said, nodding. “Come on, you’ll be fine.”
“I should’ve stayed in prison,” she moaned as we walked off.
“Okay, what you both need to know is that vampires are very dangerous and insanely quick. Neither of you is brimming in the magic department, so you need to keep your wits about you. We aren’t engaging them, but sometimes in the field things just happen,” I said later that night, as Raul and Rosie stood in front of me outside my tent.
“I’m not sure why I’m being roped into this. I’m perfectly happy hanging out here,” Raul said.
“Because Pote thinks you two will be a huge help to me. Here, take this,” I said, handing them each a pill.
“What does this do?” Rosie asked.
“It’s a pill to change your appearance. Our faces are out there, mine’s on full marquee, so we need to make sure nobody spots us,” I said.
“Where are we going?” Raul asked, before swallowing the pill.
“The magical realm, on the outskirts of it at least. Pote gave me an address for a restaurant they’re operating. She said it’s a front for drugs and we need to try to get some evidence,” I said.
“Well, that doesn’t sound too bad,” Rosie said.
“How do I look?” I asked. I could feel my facial features shifting before looking at Raul’s face and seeing his skin bubble and move around. It looked weird, like the surface of water being slapped around. His nose even got a little bigger and the tiniest bit crooked, which actually suited him.
