by ToCauson
finding them to be fearsome?”
Patience narrowed her eyes. “They’re not all as small as Kensuke.”
“True, but the bigger they are, the harder they-” A fist rammed into the side of his face, smashing his head against the front of his beloved bonnet. She thought she heard a crack as his nose broke.
She stood up, or rather she was pulled up by a tall, slender man wearing a tight shirt. He didn’t seem so bad. Oh God. His mouth was full of needle-like teeth, too many to possibly fit in one mouth. They opened wide as though the darkness inside was going to consume her, the teeth about to cut into her like daggers on her neck. Her leg kicked upwards knocking him off of her. She regretted not wearing high heels, that would have left a mark. However, once she broke free and began to run, she realised that to wear heels would be to damn her. No way could she walk in those, let alone run or fight.
“Don’t let her get away,” barked Kensuke, but she had already escaped into the darkness. She couldn’t see her hand in front of her face, let alone her pursuers from behind. There were footsteps, a hand reached out to grab her. She punched the darkness, it grunted in pain before retreating back.
The idea had only just occurred to her. She dropped her hands into her pocket and pulled out a lighter. It had been her dad’s, until she stole it to help him quit smoking.
She lit it and held it up high. Now she could at least see a little bit, but she was also creating a beacon for them all to follow.
She climbed over a metal barrier, stumbled down a hill, and made it back to her feet. Somewhere around her, leaves crackled.
Large arms took her off her feet from behind, holding her tight as she kicked out and struggled. Another figure stepped out in front of her, drawing back his arm for a punch. It made contact, feeling like her lungs were cracked as her breathing became wheezy. Her foot flailed outwards and caught him round the face.
With that threat neutralized, she focused her efforts on getting free. Instinctively, she pressed the lighters flame against the back of his hand. He cried out, dropped her and she ran. She found herself in amongst trees. Trees were safe. She crouched behind one, trying to gain her breath back.
She sat hunched up for a few minutes until she thought it was safe. Then she stepped out slowly, breaking into a sprint back towards Bessy. There were footsteps behind her but she chose to ignore it, the fear spurring her on. She saw Bessy. But where was Grim.
There was a cry of pain and Grim fell backwards out the darkness. He tumbled around on the floor with the slim man, trading punches. Patience doubled back, kicked away a man before pulling Grim apart from the slim man. They backed up to the car, surrounded. They didn't stand a chance.
“Get in the car,” said Grim.
Patience did as he said. “Bessy is gone, we're not going anywhere.”
“Come on girl.”
Kensuke pressed his face against what was left of the glass, his hands slipped in reaching for her throat.
Bessy came back alive. “YES!”
The wheels spun and they rattled back down the road. Patience took a deep breath, finally feeling the extent of her injuries as pain overtook her.
A little into the journey, Patience got bored and reached for her phone. More birds needed to die. Hold on, where was it?
“Grim, they have my phone.”
“I'm sure you'll cope.”
She glared at him. “You don't understand. Everything is on that phone, my address, my friends, family.
My whole life is on that tiny device and now they have it.”
Grim twisted the wheel and braked outside her house. “Well they would have to crack the password first, right?”
“I don't have one.”
“Who doesn't have a password.”
“I don't.”
“Didn't you ever get taught stranger danger?”
She shifted uncomfortably. “Whatever, we'll have to deal with whatever happens from this later.”
“Be careful. Don't open the door to any small, angry men.”
“Grim.... I learned stranger danger. Okay, I'm leaving now.” Before he could make another joke, she stepped out and went home. She wondered what they would do with the information. She smiled at her parents as she went passed, hoping she hadn't put them in any danger.
6
THE IMPERIUM
Patience felt more nervous than she had felt in the last few years combined. Grim had told her that they were visiting a place called the Imperium, essentially the headquarters for the English Magical Government, run by a man called the Luminary.
She wondered how they would react to her being brought into this world: a part of her suspected they disliked mortals, and hated it even more when these mortals were exposed to the world of magic. All that aside, she knew that it was necessary to visit them. Grim had to return so that he could discuss further action with the Luminary, since he was his boss. Then they had to talk to someone about following a clue about Bernard, although Grim was being particularly secretive about that.
“This Luminary sounds like a fun guy,” she said, “I bet him and I are gonna be great friends.”
Grim chuckled. “I doubt it, he’s over a gazillion years old, he won’t understand your lingo.”
“Firstly, that’s not even a number. Secondly, lingo? What are you, like ninety? No one says that.”
“More specifically, I am one-hundred and fifty-seven, not that you would know. Sorcerers age well, which means I have much longer to look this dashing.” She shook her head and suppressed a smile, it might have been impossible if nerves weren’t catching up with her.
They stopped outside a petrol station, cruising Bessy into a section which had a sign saying out of order. She pointed this out to Grim and he just laughed, lowering his window. His eyes darted from side to side, and she wondered what he was waiting for. Then, once he was sure the petrol station was completely empty, he pulled the pump down like a lever, causing the ground to vibrate like an earthquake.
They were lowered into the ground on a giant lift, metal bars coming up from the sides around them.
“This is amazing,” she cried.
“This is the vehicle entrance,” he explained, “there is also an on-foot entrance located inside the petrol station building, but I didn’t think you would want to go into the bathroom.”
“Let me guess,” she said, “you get sucked into the toilet.”
He laughed. “Nope, sorry. It’s actually eaten by a hand dryer.” She did wonder if she watched too many films sometimes – well all the time.
“Couldn’t anyone just wander in?” she asked, “mortals don’t always read signs.”
“That happens from time to time. Which is why the Admin at the entrance is a clairvoyant, if someone wanders in by accident, she just wipes their minds and sends them on their way.”
Patience lowered her window and put her hands on the edge, looking over. They were just coming out of the darkness and arriving in the Imperium itself. Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped onto the seat below her. It was extraordinary.
The room they arrived in, the atrium Grim called it, was huge. It reached hundreds of metres in each direction, with people filling it almost to its capacity. Stalls were set up, flogging magical goods. People rushed through crowds for appointments and children ran around playing games with one another. It seemed a lot friendlier that she had first imagined.
When they landed on the floor, they were greeted by a woman in a tight red dress, completely covered apart from a bare patch just below her neck. Her dark hair was tied neatly up in a bun and her lashes were caped in a stunning black.
“Hello Grim, and visitor,” said the Admin with a warm smile.
Patience stepped off the lift first, hesitantly. “I’m Patience.”
“Welcome, Patience, it’s always nice to see new faces.” Patience returned the smile. “The Luminary is expecting you.”
Grim joined Patience at her side. �
��Oh right, okay. Can we go right in?” She tapped away on her keyboard as lights flashed up against the smooth skin of her face.
“Sure, it looks like he has just come out of a meeting. Just head straight in.” Grim nodded his thanks and led Patience through the crowd. She was stopped a few times by salesman trying to sell her things, such as something called a glamour, and also an ailment which was supposed to increase magical durability. She shied away from them, trying to avoid any eye contact that might cause them to approach her. She always did have a hard time saying no to people.
“I don’t see any security,” she said.
“Of course you don’t, which is the point. They are blatta.”
“What are blatta?” As though he was answering her question, Grim walked to the side until they were close to the side wall. He muttered something which caused a disruption in the air, within moments a figure appeared in the space. They had no skin showing, only tight armour that gripped to their body, a helmet with a visor that completely blocked all humanity from them, and a massive great sword which was flung in a strap on their back.
“That’s a blatta,” he said, “they can make themselves unseen, invisible. The Imperium takes them from a young age and strips all emotion and independent thought from them, simply training them as the most deadly warriors on the planet.”
“That’s horrible,” she said, trying to look for any recognition that the blatta could see or hear her. But it didn’t move an inch, it may as well have been a statue.
It once again became invisible before her very eyes, and
