by Al K. Line
"You want it? It's not to be sold? Nigel made me believe somebody was going to be very happy to get this. And I was to be paid," I added.
"That was a lie, I'm afraid. We pay you, Arthur. Can I call you Arthur?"
"Sure, be my guest."
"So, Arthur, this item, it was to be ours, to be locked away and kept from those who would use it to do harm. You must understand, this is a very important item, and it is not to be given to anyone but us. Do I make myself clear?"
Nathan had a hardness to him, a coldness the same as his brother. He was ruthless, I could see that behind his tight smile and his ramrod posture. He was a real player, cold-blooded, single-minded, and would do whatever it took to get what he wanted. What he believed was right no matter what anyone else thought. A zealot, and they're the worst kind of criminal. Why couldn't everyone just be straight up dishonest? It would make life easier.
"So, about the whole Nigel getting shot in the head thing?"
"We found something out this morning and put rather hurried plans in motion to ensure that what we discovered would never happen. It cannot happen. It absolutely cannot."
"Just get on with it. Enough with the crypto-bullshit, okay?" Damn, what was with these guys? Everything had to be so bloody dramatic.
"Nigel was going to deliver the item to those that had requested it from him, believing him to be merely a broker of the esoteric."
I chewed on that for a while, then thought I understood. "So, Nigel was a broker, like everyone believed. But if it was for something important he'd what, keep it for you guys, say he couldn't recover it?"
"Something like that, yes. There are certain items we feel must be kept with us. What better way to get the intelligence we need than from the underground criminal fraternity?"
"Okay, I've got all that. So, Nigel was a Hound? Got stuff for you guys, paid people like me to get said stuff, but changed his mind for this one and decided to actually sell it to those who requested it?"
"Why, my dear fellow, you have it exactly right. All that remains is for you to hand over the item and we are done, our business complete." Nathan smiled in a way that gave me the creeps. It was like a crocodile smiling before it snapped its jaws shut on your head and pulled you under. Cold, emotionless, utterly ruthless. Nathan was an A1 predator of the semi-magical variety and he wasn't asking, he was telling.
"Wait just a minute. So, just to be absolutely sure I know where I stand in all this and understand why my day's been so screwed. You got Nathan shot in the head because I was about to give him the item and he was going to sell it to the person or persons who requested said mystery item?"
"Yes. We've been playing catch-up all day, have had to act in a rather messy, dare I say it slightly unprofessional manner. But needs must and all that. This is important." Nathan turned to me, moving his bad leg with a hand so it crossed over his left. He had nice shoes, and I could tell his socks cost more than most earned in a day.
I let the new information percolate in my mind, snapping into place so I could make sense of things and chew on the crap I was now in, and apparently had been in for some time. No way was I gonna work for these guys, they were as bad as the rest. Worse. They thought they knew best, should control all the miracles in the world. All the rumors, and this new information, made me certain there was a seriously screwed up belief system at the heart of it. Maybe religion, maybe something else, but dudes like this were always zealots and you could never change their mind. Although, Nigel had clearly changed his. I guess money can talk if it screams loud enough.
I jumped to my feet, realization hitting.
"Motherfucker," I whispered, the truth forming in my mind. I was sure of it, it was the most logical, and easiest way to explain how so many people had been trying to ruin my day.
"You've been trying to kill me all day. You sent someone to my home. He threatened my daughter. You set Boris on me. All the other creeps coming out the woodwork, that's all your doing. You turned Pepper against me." The scale of their operation must be huge for them to put things into place so quickly. I'd assumed it was the underground gossip grapevine, individuals acting fast of their own accord, but no, it was the Hounds organizing hurriedly, and when it had failed they'd caught up with us at the cafe and decided to go all out to get what they wanted, no matter the cost to their own or civilians alike. Or me.
Goddamn!
I wasn't getting out of this alive if Nathan would shoot his own brother in the head to get what he wanted.
Decisions
Anger boiled over. "You played me. You and all your ridiculous games. You and your brother. Don't cross me, Nathan, if that is your name. I don't know if your tale about Cerberus is true or not, and at this point I don't care, but I'm not on your side, I'm not on anyone's side. Do you hear me? If I see you again I'll wipe you out. I mean it."
Okay, a little rant, but I felt better. And besides, he'd been trying to kill me.
"Don't take it so personally, Arthur. You must understand, this is an important item and it absolutely must not fall into the wrong hands."
"Oh, and I suppose your hands are the right ones, are they? Who made you judge and jury? You people make me sick. Sanctimonious pieces of shit, all of you. You don't even seem concerned that your brother's dead. But then, if you killed him I guess you wouldn't be too bothered."
Nathan pushed with his cane and got up, almost looking angry. But it faded and he was as cool as Nigel had always been. There was definitely something up with these guys—way too unemotional. Maybe that's what made them so good at what they did. This was beyond government conspiracies but I didn't doubt for a moment Nathan was involved in spy stuff for the government as well. What better cover for pulling all this shit? Same as Nigel. His people were spooks, they had it written all over their faces.
"I won't apologize for trying to stop you giving this to Nigel. I had to act fast and use the contacts available. Yes, we wanted you dead so we could recover the item, and to be honest we had no way of knowing if you had looked, if you knew what it was. We didn't know if Nigel had told you what you were acquiring for him. Did you? Did you look? Do you know what it is?"
No way was I going to give this guy any information. The less he knew the better. "What if I have?"
"Then that would be bad. Very bad. For you and all who you may have told. We can't take that risk."
I knew exactly what he meant by that and it proved me right. The Hounds were nothing but scum. Murderers who would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. "You dare threaten me and my daughter? I've already dealt with one guy today, sent by you, I might add, who made a similar threat."
"Not a threat. Just need to be sure there are no loose ends to tie up. I don't think you know what you have and I don't believe you told anyone, so you may live. If," he warned, lifting a finger and pointing it at me, invading my personal space, "you hand it over. Right now."
His final words echoed in my mind with power. He was using Voice and before I knew it my wards around us dropped and those safeguarding the bag from anyone's hands but my own were also fading. I caught myself, drew the power back tight and wrapped it around me like a blanket on a chilly night.
"Go fuck yourself, Nathan."
I stepped away, keeping my eyes firmly on him.
Nathan shifted forward with a wince, favoring his good leg, leaning on his cane. He studied me for a moment, as if considering what to do with me, like I had no say in the matter, then said, "Very well. I didn't want it to come to this, but you leave me no choice. I will not risk this going any further, it's too important. You will give it to me right this minute or I will be the last person you ever see in this life. I will bring death to you and yours. Obliterate your life."
"Screw you," I said, which I thought summed up the whole mess perfectly.
Nathan turned to the side, nodded at the trees, and then he flung himself aside as the bench erupted into kindling and a thousand stakes and bullets tried to hurt me. Hurt me real bad.
/> He was surprisingly nimble for a guy with a dodgy leg.
I wasn't quite as fast.
A Welcome Appearance
The bench was little but a pile of matchsticks in less than a second after the barrage of gunfire raked my body and blasted lumps of sod and gravel in all directions.
I held the bullets at bay with my wand in one hand and the bag still clutched tight in the other, the wards that surrounded me in a nifty spirit-shield holding strong enough, for now. But the assault was weakening the protection and me along with it. Hardly brimming with the good stuff to begin with, this was draining me faster than a wizard can sit after being offered a free haircut, and as Nathan clambered to his feet well away from the now erratic gunfire I could tell he knew how I was faring.
"This isn't over. I'll kill every last one of you fuckers for threatening my family."
"Needs must, Arthur. Just hand it over and this will be the end of it. I give you my word as a gentleman."
"Gentleman!" I shouted above the staccato bursts of machine gun fire. "Do me a favor. You just told me you're more than happy to kill little girls, you think I'll let that lie?"
"Some things are way more important than any individual lives, and this is one of those things," he said, shrugging.
You know what? I hated it with an unholy fury when people shrugged their shoulders. It drove me nuts. It's so disrespectful, so downright rude. Nathan may have been many things but he was no gentleman.
The gunfire stopped and I smiled. Nathan turned his head in the direction of the large trees that had given his backup shelter while they tried to kill me, and I took the opportunity to get up close to him.
"Here, you want it then fucking take it."
Distracted by the lack of his goon, and thinking maybe I'd caved because of the pressure—he didn't know me very well if he thought that—he reached out and grabbed the handle of the bag without giving his actions due consideration.
"Sweet dreams, Nathan," I spat, as the wards sprang to life, the magic wrapped tight around the bag doing its job, curled up in a tight ball just waiting to pounce. Sometimes I think these spells, wards, thoughts imbued with the matter of the universe, were almost sentient. They acted so eager to carry out their mission, and once spent they curled back up tight, hibernating like a ferocious animal waiting for the next unsuspecting victim.
Nathan's fingers gripped the handle and I never once let go as the wards coalesced around what they knew was an intruder. A thief. I know, talk about poetic justice, right?
Except this was no quiet, internal process, this was rather sparkly and very, very screamy.
Nathan's mouth stretched taut and for a second his scream was silent, the pain and utter destruction caused by my protective wards so deep and strong and fast it took his vocal chords and brain a moment to catch up with what his body was already experiencing.
His tweed jacket was incinerated up to the shoulder and his shirt along with it. I watched as an expensive Rolex melted off his wrist along with his skin. It was engulfed in an otherworldly flame of darkest umber unlike anything you've ever seen. It brightened once it took hold, burning fiery orange like an angry sun setting as a stormy sky gathered momentum above. Deep, rich, utterly destructive.
His skin seared off, black and crispy flesh revealed beneath the spectral fire. Then his nails blackened and dropped and the remaining skin popped and hissed, tendons twanged and muscles frayed under the extreme magical heat.
Nathan continued screaming even as he raised his cane in his good hand, face a rictus of horror. But there was also a determination there, a focus beneath the wails and the magic that attacked him, creeping up his arm trying to consume him whole for his transgression.
He muttered something unintelligible and his short cane burst into a white light at the tip, a whole helluva lot of sigils springing to life along its length. Cold and uncaring but full of magic, of his will, his spirit. He swiped it once along the arm and with a crunch of bone breaking his fingers snapped open, his hold on the handle released.
It dropped a little but I maintained my grip and stepped away from the horror show.
I knew he was a magic user, but guess it wasn't his main thing. Dudes with guns and thinly veiled threats of spooks and conspiracies was definitely more up his alley.
With his grip released, the wards snapped back into their tight circle of protection and I took another few steps away.
"Oh, well, don't say I didn't offer."
"You'll pay for this. Nobody disobeys Cerberus. You don't know what you're doing, what you have," he hissed.
"No, but I do," said somebody behind me.
I knew it wouldn't be a friend.
Um, Oops!
"I don't suppose you'll hand this over nicely and we can all go about the rest of our day?" asked the man who very calmly, and with a confidence I knew in my bones wasn't for show, came into sight and stood between Nathan and I. He was unremarkable, bland in every way. Dressed smartly in a suit you'd be hard pushed to recall, and his features were the same. Just a bloke you saw every day, nothing special about him apart from the fact he was so unremarkable you couldn't describe him however hard you tried.
I ignored the question and asked one of my own. "Guess you're who stopped the goon shooting at me?" I wondered if it was a good time to run or not.
"No, it isn't," said the man.
This was bad, and I may go so far as to say it was utterly, totally, incredibly not good, and I'm not just being dramatic. He could hear my thoughts.
Nathan was soaked in a sickly sweat, close to passing out, but somehow, and I couldn't help admiring his fortitude whilst at the same time hating his guts, he managed to remain upright and focused. But shock was a bitch and it wouldn't be long before he was unconscious, and dead, unless someone happened to call for an ambulance. I was about as inclined to do that as the dude standing between us.
"You... can't... have it," croaked Nathan, the words coming out almost garbled between gritted teeth. He began to drool, a long string of saliva that hung from the corner of his mouth like he was a dog tied up just out of reach of a meaty bone.
"Oh, Nathan, must we really do this again? So many times you have tried to take the things we want, and even succeeded on occasion, but I believe this time you're well and truly beaten. The wizard has defeated you, and I understand he had an agreement with your deceased brother. Very cold and cruel of you, to go to such lengths. You have my congratulations for trying so hard."
Okay, this was getting creepy now. How was Nathan still standing? Magic, that was why, but not enough to save him. And who was this guy and what history was there between them?
"Please, one moment," said the man, and he stepped over to Nathan and kicked the cane out from under him.
Nathan fell and the man stared down at him then bent and picked up the cane. He turned to me, inspected the faint markings, and said, "Another item that belongs to us and was taken by these fools." He tilted it expertly between his fingers, then, keeping his eyes on me, he slammed it down hard onto Nathan's ruined arm.
Nathan screamed and the pigeons that had just alighted after the trouble took to the air once more. If they knew what was good for them they wouldn't be back any time soon. The shock of it must have been too much for poor old Nathan and his eyes turned up in his head. He was out cold, soon to be dead.
"Us?" I said. "Who's us?" It always helps to get confirmation under such circumstances.
"Haha, The Hat playing games with me. What a delightful day this has been so far, and it will only get better."
"Is that so?" I asked, knowing mine would go the opposite way.
"Yes, and we have your payment waiting for you back at the residence."
"Let me guess, and you've come to take me there?"
"Unless you have any objections?" he asked, head titled to one side as if the idea was quite unheard of.
"I get the feeling I have little choice in the matter. By the way," I said, "who are you?"
"Oh, I'm just a, what do you like to call it? A goon? Haha, I'm just a goon."
"If you say so, buddy. I meant your name. What's your name?" This was definitely no goon, but he seemed to think I knew who he was, or who he worked for, so I didn't let him think otherwise.
"You don't need my name, we won't become friends," he said. "I'm here to ensure the deal struck with Nigel is fulfilled, and to see to it you are brought to the others so we get what we asked for and you get what you requested as payment."
"Lead the way, oh man of mystery," I said, giving Nathan a kick as I headed in the direction the mystery man pointed to with his newly retrieved cane.
I heard another grunt behind me and turned to see the man bending and waving the staff over Nathan. Then he dropped it and stood, seemingly satisfied.
"You not going to kill him?" I asked, surprised.
"Do you think us monsters? I am ensuring he doesn't die from his wounds. You hurt him badly."
"That was the intention. And, um, yeah, I do. Maybe. It's complicated."
He frowned in puzzlement for a moment then smiled. "Ah, a joke. They said The Hat was funny. Monsters, haha." Then the smile faded and he was no longer by Nathan's side but inches from my face, staring at me hard and without an inkling of emotion.
He revealed a little of himself, just a taste. He was a monster, and apparently I'd struck a deal with him and his buddies.
I'd met only a few like him in my life, for his kind didn't often mix with mine, but after staring into his eyes I knew exactly who, or what, I was dealing with.
Vampires.
I know. Double "Eek!" right?
All of a sudden everything Nathan said made a little more sense. Not a lot, but a little. Nathan and his fellow Hounds had believed the death of children and their own family was worth it to stop the vampires getting the item.
With magic almost gone, and no way for me to deal with this guy and survive, mainly because there were another five that looked just like him already waiting by the trees, I gripped the bag and walked up to the limousine waiting for me with the door already open.
