Shadow of a Doubt

by Hunter Blain

  “Oh, right,” I said as I lowered my hands from my face and stepped back, allowing him to view me better. Doctor Jim Hunt’s eyes went wide behind his glasses as he rushed to unlock the door. He opened it and I walked into the lobby as he stepped back, looking me up and down.

  “You haven’t changed at all,” Doc Jim said.

  “Long story short: I was out of town for a few hours and came back to a world where I’m missing ten years.” Patting my pockets, I said, “And I don’t know where I put them.”

  “It’s good to see you. Things have been…”

  “Bad?” I finished for him.

  “Awful,” he corrected. “Not to boost your ego, but things started going awry with you gone. Jonathan and his pack tried their best to keep the peace, and for a while they did well. Word spread about merciless wolves prowling Houston with egregious sinners as their targets.”

  “That’s what did them in,” I said somberly. “They brought too much attention.”

  “Being a preternatural vigilante does seem to have its risks.”

  “Pimp’n ain’t easy,” I said with a half-hearted smile.

  “What brings you here, John?” Doc Jim asked, cutting to the chase.

  “A few things. First, checking up on my allies to determine the consequences of my absence. Second, to see what information you might have on Ludvig Mansson.”

  “The Hunter?”

  “Well, the werewolf hunter at least,” I corrected.

  “I’m afraid his talents go beyond just werewolves. He is known across the world as the Hunter. Unfortunately, not much more is known about him besides his affinity for hunting all supernatural creatures, regardless of their moral compass.”

  “To be fair, there really are only a few of us that even have a moral compass. But why isn’t there more known about him? It doesn’t make sense that the entire world has heard of him, but that’s it.”

  “There have only been a handful of beings that have escaped him. A very small handful, mind you. It is more than likely that your friends are…”

  “Dead,” I exhaled as my head became too heavy to hold up. It felt as if my chin resting on my chest was the only thing keeping my head from rolling off in my despair.

  “I really need to work on my bedside manner.”

  “No,” I said, forcing my gaze to lift and meet his. “I appreciate your honesty. Being told what you want to hear does no one any good. Never be afraid of the truth with me. Though I can admit I can be emotional at times.”

  Doc Jim chuckled at that while nodding in agreement. I looked at him in silence for a moment, edging on uncomfortable, which prompted him to ask, “What is it?”

  “The third thing I wanted to ask is, do you have access to anything that will prolong a mortal’s life? Maybe even reverse the signs of aging, or at least heal things like arthritis?”

  “I-I don’t think I have anything like what you are looking for,” he said, hesitating and dropping his eyes away from mine.

  He’s lying, Baleius said impatiently. Look at him. He has barely aged with a decade added to his life. Compare that to your priest friend who appropriately aged.

  “Doc, we just talked about honesty. I meant what I said,” I told him calmly, but with an edge of coldness. If he was going to bet where my loyalties were strongest between my mortal allies, he was not going to like the answer.

  “I am being honest. I don’t have what you want for the priest.”

  We can make him give it to us, Baleius suggested aggressively. I can show you.

  No. He is still a friend, and I don’t want to cross that line.

  Even if it means Father Thomes dies?

  I answered with hesitant silence.

  I can show you how easy it is to extract information.

  I know how to do it, I scolded Baleius.

  You know how to find some information, yes. But I can show you how to force a mortal to give up even the most precious of secrets, those that would be impossible to find without their consent.

  He is not a bad guy, Baleius. I refuse to treat him as such.

  Then why is he hiding the information you need to save your friend?

  Baleius, I started, on the precipice of losing my patience. I’m sure he has his fucking reasons. Now cut the shit.

  Just looking out for you, my friend, Baleius said in placation.

  “Help me understand, Doc.”

  “He’s close to death, isn’t he? That’s why you are pressing the issue.”

  “Yes, and I need him to live a little longer to help prevent the fucking end of days. Understand?” My voice was flat, devoid of emotion, but came across more sternly than I meant it to.

  Doctor James Hunt looked at the ground and slowly began nodding his head, as if coming to a conclusion he didn’t like.

  “Follow me,” he said, walking past me and pushing through the double metal swinging doors that led to the back. The familiar sanitized smell of the OR permeated the air. Something tugged at my attention; silence. No dogs barking, cats meowing, or birds chirping.

  “How’s business?” I asked, looking around.

  Doc Jim had made his way to a stainless steel cabinet that he unlocked with a key. Sliding it open to search inside, he said, “The day job is fine. A little slow right now, but not as slow as the night job. It would seem the supernatural community is thinning quite noticeably.”

  “Why do you think that is?” I asked, already knowing the answer but curious as to his thoughts.

  “If you take what’s happening paired with the prophecy that you appear to be the center of…well, it’s not good.”

  “Someone is clearing out those with the abilities to fight. Mortals stand no chance against demons by themselves.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of. I can’t help but feel you being here, now, was also deliberately planned.”

  “Lily,” I breathed.

  “Come again?”

  “She showed up right when the shadow assassin did to conveniently save me. Hmm,” I put my hand on my chin in thought as I looked up at the tiled ceiling.

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t understand something. I figured out how to get to Faerie, not her. It was my idea that I talked her into.”

  “Are you entirely sure?”

  My heart, which had barely healed from its trust issues with my Fae lover, cracked again as I sighed and said, “No. No, I’m not. She knows me completely and is fully capable of manipulating me if she wants to.” The pain must have been evident on my face because Doctor Jim walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. His other hand held a clear glass vial with a stopper.

  Handing the vial to me, he said, “This will prolong the priest’s life for a while, but not indefinitely. I assume that’s why you didn’t gift him with immortality.”

  “He is a man of God and is ready to go to Heaven. I convinced him that I need him here to save all of existence. I think he also realizes that if Hell is released, he isn’t safe in Heaven. No soul is safe.”

  Doctor Jim nodded with unfocused eyes, feeling the gravity of what I had just said.

  “Say, Doc, what’s in this?”

  “Tell him it’s a concentration of resveratrol that’ll help prevent his chromosomes from being cleaved, resulting in an extended life.”

  “How does that extend life?”

  “After about the age of twenty-five, humans’ internal clocks switch on and slowly begin the death process. Chromosomes are attacked by something called telomeres, and basically the ends of them are cut with every replication. Eventually, the cells cannot divide anymore and the person dies. Of course, this takes several decades to occur. Vision loss, hair growing white, taking longer to heal, all symptoms of aging. The contents of that vial will alleviate certain ailments related to aging while preserving the DNA, for a time.”

  “Neat,” I responded, pleased. “I’ll pass along the information.” Looking up from the vial, I said, “Thanks, Doc. You might have just sav
ed all of eternity.”

  “Glad to do my part. I won’t charge you this time.”

  “Good, because my phone isn’t working anymore, so I don’t have access to my cryptocurrencies.” A thought struck. “How are they doing, by the way?”

  “Bitcoin went up to over a hundred thousand each a few years ago, leaving me with a very comfortable retirement when I decide to take it.”

  “Awesome! I probably have billions now!”

  “Well, there were some new regulations that came out as a result, and bitcoin was outlawed in most countries. Last I checked, it was now only worth a few pennies each.”

  “FUCK!”

  “Indeed. But surely you have more baskets to put your eggs.”

  “Yeah, I did. Da set that up for me…an-and he’s missing. He went to Faerie in search of me, not knowing the Shadow Court had taken over.”

  “Faerie is gone? How’s Taylor?”

  “He’s in Vegas with what remains of the Seelie Court.”

  Doc Jim nodded his head before he said, “I am sorry about your friend.”

  Does that not strike you as odd? Baleius threw in. He asked about Taylor first after you mentioned your faerie friend is missing.

  I wanted to lash out at the demon in my head, but he had a point I couldn’t refute.

  Let’s play this one close to the vest, for now.

  “Thank you for your help, Doc. I need to get this to Father Thomes,” I said, holding up the vial, regarding it in the sterile light of the OR.

  “I’m glad to see you back, John. I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t realize how much the world needed you.”

  “Flattery will get you everywhere, cutie-pie,” I replied with a wink. “But seriously, I think it’s me who has caused all of this. Funny, isn’t it?”

  “What’s that?”

  “That the world needs me because of me.”

  “Well, I’m here to help, if I am able. I kind of enjoy having existence right where it is.”

  With a tight-lipped smile that I forced, I turned and made my way out of the clinic and into the parking lot.

  What is he hiding? Baleius whispered in my brain.

  Not now, dude. First, we save Thomes.

  And after that?

  I’m going to save Depweg and the twins before going back to Faerie to find Da.

  Speaking purely from a position of self-preservation, I don’t fancy that last part.

  Then you better help me figure out a way to kill those fuckers, ’cause we’re going.

  10

  Father Thomes was snoring by the time I made my way back to the church. The crucifix necklace he had given me allowed me to pass unscathed through the wards. I placed the vial on the nightstand, careful not to wake my friend. He would know what it was when he woke up.

  I listened to his shallow breathing for a moment before realizing how weird it was to watch a grown man sleep. As quietly as I had entered, I left the church with a feeling of accomplishment; Father Thomes would live, even if only for a little bit longer.

  I closed the giant wooden door behind me as gently as I could before stepping out into the yard. I walked around the building, stopping to stare at the divot the angel statue had created when it had tried to kill me. Fool hadn’t known whom it was messing with. With ease, I had defeated it in battle with nary a scratch. His catlike gargoyle buddy hadn’t faired any better. The might of John the Vampire was the stuff of legend, and no stone guardians were going to stop me.

  It’s embarrassing that I know what you are thinking right now.

  You can read my freaking mind?!

  I don’t have to. You are unconsciously smiling, nodding, and clenching your fists, all while lifting your chin in a show of confidence. Don’t lie to yourself; they nearly tore you completely apart like a stuffed toy given to a Pit Bull.

  Damn. That was a good analogy. Or was it a metaphor? I was too lazy to dig through my brain city to find out.

  Shall we continue? Or are you not done self-aggrandizing? Baleius scolded.

  I responded with silence as I made my way to the back of the property. There, near the fence line, were the remains of the church’s stone protectors.

  You would think he would have found better guardians after I defeated them so easily last time.

  What should concern you is, if your priest friend had the ability to resurrect the stone guardians after they ripped you apart, why didn’t he do it again?

  If I remember correctly, you were there with me getting de-legged like a Thanksgiving turkey, buddy, I chided. But you’re right. May-maybe he’s too weak now? I asked with growing concern.

  I kneeled down around one of the burnt holes in the ground, examining the damage for clues. Looking up from where I was crouching, my gaze wound a path to the back door of the church. I stood and made my way there, searching for signs of attack.

  I looked above the door and saw a ward that mirrored the one at the front entrance. I turned my head to regard the yard and came to a conclusion.

  Multiple attackers, I stated to Baleius.

  I agree, actually.

  Gargoyles are destroyed, which means they made it this far, but no bodies. I’m willing to bet one of them was turned into an all-organic, gluten-free lightning rod, and his buddies had to cart away the corpse.

  That adds up, Baleius concurred.

  “Who would want to attack a priest?” I asked aloud, looking around for answers.

  Come now, John, Baleius sighed in annoyance. You can’t be surprised that, in your absence, he was attacked. How many scores of cultists, demons, and aggressive supernaturals have you killed?

  I don’t know. At least five.

  But you see my point, yes?

  Yes, I see your stupid fucking point, I barked with all the words coming out strung together like cursive. You’re saying it’s my Lilith-damned fault he was attacked.

  All I’m saying, Baleius continued calmly, is that you had to have anticipated retaliations at some point. With you gone, what better chance would they have?

  Suckers didn’t realize how powerful Father Thomes is.

  Was, Baleius corrected. That stung. My friend did seem barely able to even sit upright in bed, much less defend his church. He doesn’t even seem strong enough to conjure his stone defenders back to life.

  Well, I’m back and won’t let anything happen to him. We need to see Val to make sure he spreads the word that Father Thomes Philseep is off-fucking-limits.

  11

  I walked to Valenta’s Saloon, my mind racing with my new reality. Ten years had never seemed like a long time to me before until they had been taken away in an instant. How the hell had Ulric slept so long? Maybe I had never noticed the passage of time because I hadn’t had mortal friends to gauge against. What I did know was that some major moves had been played on the chessboard of eternity while I’d been looking away for only a relative moment.

  “Fucking cheaters.”

  What was that? Baleius asked, confused.

  Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just lost in thought.

  Baleius accepted my answer, but I could feel his eyes on me. I couldn’t blame him.

  I approached the saloon and walked through the double swinging doors. The inside was empty. Completely…empty. Valenta stood behind the counter reading an ancient book with a red leather cover. The title was unreadable, the ink having deteriorated long ago.

  “Serving clam chowder again?” I asked in greeting.

  Val’s eyes shot up from the book in instant recognition. “Boy, where’n tha Hell ya been?” he drawled, making his way to the other side of the bar. Val then did something I wasn’t expecting from him. He hugged me. It was a tight, strong, pat-on-the-back kind of hug, reserved for the manliest of men.

  Separating, I said, “Took a brief vacation to Faerie. I wouldn’t recommend it.”

  “Fer a decade?” Val asked, putting strong emphasis on the last word.

  “It turns out Einstein was right: time is relative.” Val a
waited a more thorough explanation, so I told him what had happened.

  “Sounds ta me that tha time delay was intentional. Don’t it?”

  Lily flashed through my mind before I said, “Unfortunately, I’ve been arriving at the same conclusion.”

  “Well, it’s damn good ta have ya back, boy,” Val said, slapping my shoulder lightly. He made his way back to the other side of his bar and said, “I got somethen fer ya,” before disappearing into his back room. I sat at the bar and waited. I looked around at the empty, dust-free tables, impressed that he took so much pride in his bar, even without the business.

  After a few minutes, he emerged again holding a familiar sight. My mouth salivated as he set the bottle of Jack and Blood on the bar. A clean, empty glass was set down next to it. Val popped the cork and poured me three fingers worth of the delicious enchanted liquid.

  “Oh, man, I would kill for a drink right now,” I proclaimed, grabbing the glass and bringing it up to my nose. The aroma was intoxicating. Goose bumps sprang along my arms and neck as I took my first tentative sip. I wanted to savor every last drop.

  “What’s yer plan now, John?” Val inquired.

  “I need to save Depweg and the were-twins from the Hunter. Then I need to go back to Faerie and find Da.”

  Val’s eyes shifted in thought before settling back on me. “What’s yer plan ta get back?”

  “Welp, sure as shit not going to ask Lily, that’s for damn sure. I’m confident Taylor might be able to help me, if I can find him in Vegas.” Val didn’t respond, which was not uncommon for him; but something was off. “Why? Do you know of another way?”

  Val thought for a moment before coming to a conclusion, “I do.”

  “…fucking and?” I said, slamming my drink on the counter in my frustration. Some of its contents sloshed over the side and onto my hand. Without thinking, I brought my hand up to my mouth and licked the precious liquid off.