Magic After Dark: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels

by Margo Bond Collins

  She grabbed a bucket from the corner of the room and pulled the blanket over of it. Then she climbed up to the ventilation doorway and sat still. She could see the guard’s eyes peeking in through the cell’s tiny window. It was dark inside, and from his vantage point, she knew he wouldn’t notice the hole in the ceiling. When he closed the window, she started crawling through the narrow pipe.

  After a while, she saw a dim light. She crawled out to a dark, muddy field—and then she recognized the place. She was on the outskirts of her own village. She needed only to cross a thin wedge of forest, and she would be home with her parents.

  She squatted down and crawled along a low stone fence.

  Then she saw a dim light on the ground. It must be coming from another cell.

  Ignore it and go! her inner voice told her.

  She sighed inwardly and returned to the light. A quick dig revealed a shallow basement, shallower than hers had been. At the bottom of the hole sat Linx, a five-year-old girl who lived next to her in the village.

  “Fifi!” Linx called up to her, and the little girl’s tears started to fall.

  “No, no…don’t cry. Shss!”

  Linx nodded and kept silent.

  Fifi looked more carefully at the bottom of the hole. It wasn’t a room. More like a shallow well. There was no door out from the bottom. They had just dug a hole and imprisoned the girl there. Linx was too small to climb up and out, and it was quite a distance from the village, so nobody would hear her even if she cried out.

  “Cowards!” Fifi swore to herself. She didn’t even know who had captured Linx and her, or why.

  Fifi tugged at the tree branches and tough vines nearby and lowered them down into the well.

  “Can you grab on and hold tight?” she asked.

  Linx obeyed instantly, and Fifi pulled her up. The girl clung to her, holding tight, and wouldn’t let go. Linx’s body shook with fear, but she didn’t dare cry.

  “Don’t make a noise. I’ll take you home, okay?”

  Linx nodded.

  Fifi dashed through the forest in the dark with Linx in her arms, heading home. She went to Linx’s house first. The sooner the little girl was back with her family, the better. She put the girl down next to a small bush. “You wait here. Be a good girl, and don’t make a sound. I’ll go get your parents.”

  Linx nodded.

  Fifi looked at the sleeping village. She knew two families who wouldn’t be sleeping—hers and Linx’s. She followed the fence and rapped lightly on the door. It pushed open at her knock, and she let herself in. As soon as she set foot inside the living room, the stench of fresh blood engulfed her.

  She didn’t need a light to know it was the smell of death. Her eyes adjusted, and in the dim light that leaked into the house via a small window, she saw the bodies, lying in a pool of blood.

  She backed out and stepped on a small pile of fur—their dog.

  She scrambled back to the front yard and ran back to Linx. She picked up the girl and ran. Reaching her own home, she rushed through the back door, not bothering to turn on the light.

  There was no smell of blood here. She walked into the living room and then rushed toward her parents’ room.

  There weren’t there.

  Had they been captured at the same time as she? Were they still in the bush?

  She rushed around. Linx was dead quiet. She hadn’t even asked Fifi about her parents. Maybe somehow she knew what had happened.

  She rushed out of the back of the house.

  This was Xiilok—a residential area. It wasn’t the part where the multiversal outlaws resided, but still, there was no authority here. There was nobody for her to call. She could maybe run to the brotherhood in the village. They had guarded the village for a long time. But what if they were the ones who had captured her and killed Linx’s parents?

  She had been to places where they could have just asked for help and protection. But not here.

  Linx started to cry, but she still didn’t ask Fifi what had happened.

  Fifi ran until she was exhausted and then flopped down next to a large tree.

  Linx looked at her. “Are my parents dead?” she asked.

  Before she could come up with an answer for the girl, she saw some light flashing from the woods from where she had just come. They had started searching for her and Linx. She wasn’t sure she had the energy left to run.

  Chapter 5

  Lyla marched into the command center as if it was a normal day. Michael flanked her side, wrapping his arm around her waist.

  “Is this necessary?” she asked.

  “We agreed this is the best plan available, given the circumstance. So of course it’s necessary,” Michael said.

  She smiled at Peter, the computer hardware technician, who walked past the entrance. “I mean your hand,” she said through her clenched teeth and put on another smile for Suzana, the data entry clerk downstairs. She was one hundred percent sure Suzana was staring at Michael’s hand on her waist.

  “I’m playing the role, and you have to play your part, too. Otherwise, it will be a waste of time.”

  “Couples don’t have to be this explicit. Don’t you think you’re overplaying it a bit?”

  “This isn’t excessive at all, Lyla. It’s just the way a man shows care and affection to his girlfriend. It’s barely more than common etiquette. I’m trying to be a gentleman here.”

  “You must think I’m an idiot, Michael.”

  “I know you’re not. You think you’re expected to be smart because of your DNA, so you can’t afford to make a mistake and be seen as an idiot. Relax, Lyla. If you want to acknowledge a part of your human side, then let me tell you, humans are irrational. And guys like me, they’re mostly idiots. But that’s okay. We’re human. We make mistakes. We’re not perfect.”

  “My father never makes mistakes.”

  “I’m talking about normal human beings, Lyla. But for your information, your father does make mistakes. I saved his ass a couple of times.”

  “Really? So how old are you?”

  “Now you’re hurting my feelings. I came here from the past, remember? So age is irrelevant. At least it is in my case.” He grinned at her.

  A man walked out right in front of them and looked Michael up and down suspiciously. “What’s up?” he asked. “Can I see your Pass?”

  “Oh, here you are. I’ve been looking for you.” Lyla pushed Michael’s hand away and smiled at the man. “Marconi, meet Michael. Michael, Marconi, my deputy.”

  “Oh, this is the man in charge!” Michael reached his hand out for a handshake.

  “You have a Pass?” Marconi asked again.

  “Of course.”

  Lyla pulled Marconi aside. “I need a favor,” she said.

  Marconi frowned. “Michael doesn’t have a Pass?”

  “He does, but we’ve been dating for a while, and I haven’t told my family. I’m taking him to see them today. He’s from Iilos, and we’ll use his Pass for the Daimon Gate.”

  “I didn’t know your family lives in the Daimon Gate.”

  “You know now. Please…I haven’t applied for leave. It’s going to be a surprise…and…”

  “You need this off the record.”

  “Yes.”

  “Lyla, can you do this next week? We should apply for leave properly. What if something goes wrong when you’re away?”

  “That’s why I’m asking for your help.”

  “Doing it off the record is difficult. If something happens, I won’t be able to command without authority.”

  “You’re right, but I only need a day. I can put in an express authorization if it’s okay by you?”

  Marconi shifted back and forth on his feet.

  “Come on, I’ve never asked for a favor before.”

  He sighed. “All right. Is there anything major I should know?”

  “No. I’ll leave Zin here. And he’s trying to be a mermaid. Just so you know.”

  “Your robot is
crazy, Lyla.”

  “He’s a learning machine. He learns from me…so what are you saying?”

  “Nothing. Sorry.”

  She gave him an electronic authorization pad. “Here you are. Are we all good?”

  “One day only. Promise?”

  She smiled. “Yes.”

  Michael stepped in and kissed her on the cheek. Then he grinned at Marconi. “Thank you. This means the world to us.”

  He led her out of the control room. Outside the building, she hissed at him, “You kissed me.”

  “I sure did. That’s what a boyfriend does. Especially when you’re taking me home to meet the parents and all. You can’t handle a lame peck on the cheek? Are you twelve?”

  “I’m not twelve. I don’t just kiss any man—or let any man kiss me–for no reason.”

  “You didn’t need to give me an answer—it was a rhetorical question. Here you are.” He opened his palm, showing her an empty container.

  “Where’s the bug?”

  “I planted it at your workstation when everyone was busy watching me kiss you. Isn’t that what you wanted? Not the kiss, but planting the bug?”

  “I had intended to put it in Zin. But what you did was better. Thank you. I misunderstood you.”

  “Come on, do you always have to be so formal?”

  She shrugged.

  Ryan scurried toward them from the corner of the building. “Cayson’s missing.”

  “He went to find Fifi,” Michael said.

  “How do you know?” Lyla asked.

  “That’s what guys do. They’re idiots. We should have tied him up.”

  “I’m sorry, Lyla. I explained to him that you would check his application status and discuss things with the people at the Daimon Gate. He said he understands. But I don’t know why he took off in the middle of the night.”

  “Do you know where Fifi’s family is exactly?” Lyla asked.

  “I have the location, but I’ve never been to their place. Cayson wouldn’t be stupid enough to go there again, would he?” Ryan paced the floor. “Is there anything we can do to stop the brotherhood in that village from hurting him? I tried calling. Nothing works.”

  “Let me have a word with them.”

  “Lyla, I can’t let you go to Xiilok without being escorted by a galactic army,” Michael said.

  “He’s right, Lyla. You can’t go. But I can. I’ll go.”

  “And do what, Ryan?”

  “Have a word with the in-laws.”

  “Are you sure that the message actually came from the in-laws? Why didn’t they talk to Cayson in person?” Michael asked.

  “I don’t know. I should have beaten the information out of him,” Ryan said and continued to pace.

  “I have a friend in Xiilok. He can help,” Michael said.

  “Do you trust him?” Lyla asked.

  “I don’t trust anyone. I learned that from Ciaran. Come on, let’s go,” Michael said and strode ahead.

  “May I please go with you?” Ryan asked.

  Lyla turned to look at him. It seemed like he had aged ten years since last night. She hadn’t realized before now that he had spent more time taking care of her than her father had. “Yes, Ryan. Of course, you can come with us.”

  As they walked to the teleport, she glanced back at her control station in the distance and saw semi-transparent shadows covering the building like a net. They lifted up then, flying into the sky, and dissolved into thin air, leaving nothing behind. She shook her head. She must be tired. She felt that tingling sensation on her fingertips again and looked down at her shaky hands.

  “What’s up, Lyla?” Michael asked.

  She looked up and saw concern flash across his face. For a brief moment, he looked serious, but then he smiled again.

  “Nothing,” she said and walked toward the teleport.

  Chapter 6

  Lyla didn’t know how long the Daimon Gate had been here. She had read somewhere that it was as old as time. But then, time was only a dimension. There were countless dimensions in the multiverse, and it would take her a lifetime to learn all of them.

  The Daimon Gate was a universe, famous for its elusive properties. It operated on the principle of righteousness. Cheating in the Daimon Gate was a grave offense. If an individual committed a crime there, no authority in the multiverse would be able to save him. That was because the Daimon Gate was the neutral ground of all things. It had no wars and no enemies. It was unbreakable. Well, in theory, it was.

  Lyla sighed. She visited it now because she had predicted a slim chance that the system may be weakened. And on top of that was the matter with Cayson.

  The Daimon Gate was the connected gateway to and from all member universes. All citizens of the member universes traveled inter-universe via the Daimon Gate. Citizens from non-member universes had no way to enter and exit alive, let alone trespass into another universe.

  Because of the strict connection between members, member universes didn’t invade one another. There was no crime. There was no smuggling. No grievances. Just happiness. Her mother had always referred to the connected network of member universes as a perfect world of happiness. But her mother was an idealist. She chuckled inside. She had always taken her father’s side regarding this. Nothing was perfect.

  “Can you tell me the plan now? I’m a bit uneasy dealing with the Daimon Gate without a plan,” Michael said as they walked down the dock from their transport ship to the giant iron door of the Daimon Gate. Eudaiz connected directly with the Daimon Gate, and they could land right in the central area. Lyla’s contact, however, was based in a station closer to the border of the transitional zone, so they had landed here, right at the border of the Daimon Gate.

  “I don’t have a plan.”

  “What?”

  Ryan approached and said, “I’ll wait here.”

  “Lyla, in what capacity am I going in there with you?” Michael asked.

  “As a friend.”

  Lyla looked Michael in the eye and hoped he would understand. No one lied in the Daimon Gate unless they had a burning desire to die. At the moment, being a friend was the only way she could tell the truth with confidence.

  Confident in her reasoning, she proceeded to a steel gate and allowed the computer to scan her as she walked through.

  “Valid Pass required,” the computer spat out in a monotone voice and pinged at Michael.

  “Damn it. I have a Pass.”

  “Your Pass isn’t valid here, Michael,” she said and pressed her palm to a control panel. “Request a guest Pass. I need to speak to Gale.”

  On the screen at the door, the face of a young man with dark hair and striking green eyes appeared. He grinned at her.

  “Lyla, long time no see. You look awesome.”

  “Gale, this is Michael, citizen of Iilos—”

  “Commander in Chief of Border Security,” Michael cut in. “I can get a Pass myself, but we’re in a hurry here, Gale.”

  Gale smiled. “Being Commander in Chief of the Iilos border security wouldn’t make a difference here. But I’ll take Lyla’s word that you’re trustworthy. A Pass has been granted.” He winked at Lyla.

  “Dickhead,” Michael muttered.

  “That’s on the record, Michael Fraser.”

  “As well as this.” Michael stuck his middle finger up at the screen.

  “That’s Iilos etiquette for you,” Gale muttered.

  The door slid open. Lyla walked in, and Michael followed.

  “I won’t be long, Ryan,” Lyla said, glancing up at the giant polished steel staircase leading to a landing fifty feet above them.

  “Take your time, Lyla,” Ryan said as the door closed.

  The ground floor buzzed with activity. People and computers were everywhere. Michael almost walked into a floating screen. The screen yelped and leaped out of the way. As Michael jumped, mumbling profanity, Lyla smiled.

  A smaller floating screen floated down with Gale’s smiling face in the center. />
  “I know you have a lot of resources, but you don’t have to show off, Gale,” Lyla said.

  Gale chuckled and said nothing. The screen floated in front of them, leading the way.

  “Don’t tell me he owns this stuff,” Michael said.

  “No, this is a Central-funded project. But Gale has made the most of the machines here.”

  Michael shrugged.

  The screen with Gale’s face led them into a conference room, where Gale himself sat at a round table. Lights and screens floated and came alive as they walked in. The door closed behind them.

  “What brings you here?” Gale asked as he stood and greeted Lyla with an embrace. Then he nodded at Michael.

  Lyla noticed the smile had vanished from Gale’s face. “Should I ask what’s going on here first?”

  Gale shrugged. “You know the deal. No, you can’t ask what’s happening in the Daimon Gate. Normally, the conversation here is recorded, but this conference room is having some issues with the hardware, so the recording mechanism has temporarily stopped working.”

  Lyla nodded, acknowledging they weren’t on the record. “I suspect my system is compromised,” she said. “I don’t know how, and I don’t know how widespread the problem is.”

  Gale leaned back deeply into his chair. His green eyes gazed into the distance for a long moment. “You saw a shadow.”

  “Then you know. So the problem has spread already,” Michael said.

  “It’s unconfirmed. I have no proof,” Lyla said.

  Gale nodded. “Neither do I. But I’m tracking what I’ve got.”

  “Does Central know?” Lyla asked.

  Gale shook his head.

  “But you do have help from high places? In case things go wrong?” Michael asked.

  Gale nodded. “But it might be bigger than what we can handle at our level,” Gale said. “We might have to call in the bosses.”

  “And what if the bosses are involved?” Michael asked.

  Gale shook his head. “They might be elsewhere, but not in the Daimon Gate.”

  “Not in Eudaiz, either,” Lyla said.

  “Is it just you two, or are people in Eudaiz and the Daimon Gate naive by default?” Michael asked.