by Joyce Lavene
She flew with purpose—fast and in a single direction—through the crows. Her face was twisted in the moonlight, her eyes forward facing, not even glancing at the birds she flew through. They held no interest for her.
“I’m going after her.” Sunshine flew up, following the harpy. Her blue dress billowed in the air as she disappeared into the darkness.
“Not alone.” Aine’s body blended with the air currents as she followed her partner. She couldn’t see Sunshine or the harpy at first. They had already traveled quickly across the city. Aine looked down at the lights and the ocean, white-capped, near them. Then she heard the cry of the harpy as it found its prey and dropped down to the streets and buildings below it.
She wished for a weapon, any weapon. She also wished that Sunshine had waited until they were ready to face the creature together. She had never met a woman as headstrong and impulsive as the witch who’d casually adopted her into her life. Even when Aine was a young warrior queen, she understood the need for strategy when trying to defeat an enemy. And yet here she was, more than a thousand years later, following Sunshine, who knew nothing of warfare or strategy.
She didn’t fear for herself—she was long dead and past fear of that kind. The fear that raced through her was for the witch. It surprised her because she had only experienced emotions for the O’Neills since she’d been doomed to serve them. Her newfound feelings for the talkative woman who loved purple were almost unsettling. Why would she bond with her?
“Down there!” Sunshine was beside Aine as they followed the harpy. The air currents rippled through her hair and caused her dress to wave like a flag on a windy day.
“I see her,” Aine replied. “There is no way to defeat her without preparation. We must not follow this path.”
“Go back then,” Sunshine replied coldly. “I made a vow to kill this thing. I’m not stopping now that I finally found her.”
Aine wouldn’t abandon her new friend. She plummeted with her until they reached the street. She could smell the harpy—and something more—blood.
“She’s gotta be here somewhere,” Sunshine said. “She doesn’t turn invisible, does she?”
“No. Not to my knowledge.”
“Then all we have to do is follow that stench.”
They followed their noses to a small park and searched for the harpy. Everything was so quiet. Not a bird called. No breeze fluttered through the dark trees.
Aine saw the creature first. She was bent over her prey, devouring what she could of it as she shredded the body. She knew from the scent that it was the werewolf they’d met at the bar.
“I command you to stop.” Sunshine had seen her too. She created a strong spell and threw it at the creature.
The harpy barely glanced up and growled at her. She returned to her feasting without care.
“Spells won’t work against her,” Aine whispered. “She was born of ancient magic. Nothing today can affect her.”
“We’ll see about that.” Sunshine closed her eyes and drew power to her like a lightning rod. It lit up her eyes and made her hair stand straight out from her head as though she’d grasped a high voltage wire. When she was ready, she targeted the creature with that energy. It burned across the space between them, lighting up the darkness.
The creature felt the blast of magic as well as the hatred and anguish behind it. She stopped eating. “Go away. If you seek death, it shall come for you later. Do not challenge me. You cannot defeat me with your pretty spells.”
Aine expected her partner to come up with a stronger incantation since the harpy didn’t move after its threat.
Instead Sunshine screamed and launched herself bodily at the creature. Her body had turned to silver, glowing brightly as her anger. Her emotions got the better of her. She went after the creature with her bare hands supported by magic.
The harpy barely lifted one claw and tossed her aside. Sunshine hit her head against a park bench and rolled through the scorched grass before she gathered her wits to attack again.
But found Aine blocking her way.
“You cannot win this battle,” Aine crooned. “Forgive me. I know your pain, but we are leaving this place.” She gently folded Sunshine into her arms and bore her away across the sea breezes that finally wafted them back to the detective agency.
Sunshine blinked. “Where are we? What are you doing?” She glared at Aine. “I can’t believe you brought me back here. I had her. Another attack would’ve been the end. We may never find her again. It might have been our only shot to destroy her.”
“For you,” Aine agreed. “The harpy is not a werewolf or any other kind of enchanted creature you have ever met. She cannot be killed so easily. And she has already marked you forever.”
Sunshine glanced into the mirror near Jane’s desk. A large red scratch marred her smooth pink complexion. She put a hand to it, closing her eyes to summon a healing spell, and turned again to Aine.
“You don’t get to make decisions like that for me. You don’t know if my magic would have killed her. You barely gave me a chance, and now we’ve lost her.”
“My apologies if my actions spared your life. I didn’t realize you went there to die.”
In anger, Sunshine threw a fire ball at Aine. The beane sidhe ignored it, stepping to the side.
“You’re not a harpy,” Sunshine said. “You can’t avoid my magic forever.”
Mr. Bad bellowed from his office. “In here now, if you please.”
Sunshine gave Aine a scornful glance and then went toward the dark office.
“What happened?” Jane asked.
“It is a tale best told at another time,” Aine replied before she joined Sunshine.
Neither woman took a seat before the massive desk. They kept their eyes on the shadowy figure behind it. Only the curtain at the window rippled as he faced them.
“You found the harpy,” he said.
“Yes. Why didn’t you tell me that’s what killed John?” Sunshine demanded.
“Because you would have done exactly what you did tonight. You are impulsive, Miss Merryweather. You don’t think before you act.”
“Impulsive? You call killing the monster that killed John impulsive? Aine doesn’t get to judge me—and neither do you. I’m going back out to find that thing and kill it. Neither one of you can stop me. If you want to sit here in your chair and let things happen to the people around you, that’s your business. Stay out of mine.”
In a flash of blinding silver light, Sunshine was gone.
“Surely you expected this, my lord.” Aine wished she’d stopped the witch from leaving.
“I did indeed. I hoped her response would be tempered by your own. I expected too much in this emotionally charged situation.”
“I shall confine her until something can be done about the harpy.”
“No. She must be allowed to mature. Her heart will not be whole again until the creature is dead.”
“Her heart will not be whole if the creature catches her,” Aine reminded him. “Tell me, are there weapons here that could kill the harpy—part magic and part manmade? In my time, I know they existed, but in this day, I would not know where to begin looking for them.”
“Alas. I fear the weapons needed are gone. If they have been hidden, I do not know where to find them.”
“And you will not kill it?”
“No. I dare not. There is a reason I am here, Aine. I cannot reveal myself as yet.”
She nodded. “You sentence more to die, perhaps the witch as well.”
“What I do here is more important than the harpy. Sunshine won’t die. Not yet.”
“Then I shall take my leave of you.”
“Beware that you do not forget why you have come.”
Chapter Eighteen
It was getting light by the time Aine reached the Chinese pagoda park where they’d found the harpy. All that remained was her prey. She went quickly to alert O’Neill once she discerned that all danger was past. The scent
of the creature was gone.
O’Neill and Malto met at the beautiful crime scene with a large force of uniformed officers behind them. They searched the shadowed paths but found no clue of where the killer had gone. The park around them was well lit with the large red pagoda in the center of it. Lovely pools of water and plentiful koi leapt when they heard voices.
“The press is gonna eat this up,” Malto told her partner as she stared at the assorted body parts that remained. “They’re already calling this guy the Phantom Killer.”
“Maybe someone will help us out by spotting him.” O’Neill saw Aine waiting for him near a large oak tree and excused himself.
“Can’t we go anywhere without her following?” Malto demanded. “Is she some kind of police groupie? Really, O’Neill? Maybe she’s even the killer, the way she turns up everywhere.”
He ignored her. He hadn’t seen Aine when she’d awakened him in Elena’s bed. But there was no going back to sleep after she’d made sure he’d seen the crime scene in his dreams.
“Thanks for the heads up, I think.” He grimaced. “Next time, how about just telling me there’s been a murder? I don’t know if I’ll ever get that image out of my mind. That’s why they made cell phones, you know.”
“I pray you don’t see the creature feasting then, O’Neill,” she retorted. “It is a terrible sight to behold, even for one such as I.”
“Why didn’t you stop her if you caught her at it?” He glanced around uneasily. “Where’s Sunshine now?”
“Even now she hunts the creature. I alone cannot stop the harpy. Even with the witch’s magic, we are not strong enough. The enchantment that created the harpy is older than I and from a time when gods walked the earth. I do not know how or if she will be killed.”
“Good to know.” He shook his head. “What about modern weapons—grenades, guns, missiles—any of that do anything to her?”
Aine thought about Mr. Bad’s words regarding the harpy. “It may be possible. But I must find Sunshine before she is able to find the creature. Goodbye, O’Neill.”
“Let me come with you. You and Sunshine might need help.” He touched her hand as he spoke.
She immediately became the beautiful, young queen who had only been real in dreams since her death. Her tender gaze softened on his amazed features as he beheld her.
“Aine? Is that you?”
“Aye, O’Neill. It is me—at least part of me.” She smiled, and with no thought for the consequences of her actions, she slowly put her pink lips to his and tasted the sweet wine of his mouth.
They kissed and clung, O’Neill’s arms going around her pliable curves, no thought for the park full of police or the bloodthirsty harpy that might be nearby. She swayed, young and soft, smelling of flowers and spring air. He pulled her closer and drew in more of her sweetness, intoxicated by her.
“I must go.”
He opened his eyes, and she was gone. He gulped hard as he heard Malto calling for him, wondering if he was losing his mind.
* * *
Aine found Sunshine on a rooftop just after daylight. There was no sign of the harpy. She was glad to see that the witch was unharmed but for the ugly gash on her face.
Sunshine was facing the Atlantic Ocean as she watched the sky lighten across the city. “This is a beautiful place, you know? I was born here. I’ve never thought of living anywhere else, even though I’ve traveled around the world.”
“I never thought to go elsewhere myself.” Aine sat beside her. “The hills of home are so green. Every day is like a miracle of color.”
“We all have our weak spots. Yours is O’Neill. Mine is this thing with John, I guess.” She shook her head. “It’s not like I think I’ll never love again. I know there will always be someone new—I’m elderly according to human standards. I’m going to live a long life. Most lovers age quickly. I won’t be able to hold on to any one person.”
Aine lifted her eyes to the sky above them. “Tis true. Yet how glorious are those moments of love and passion in our lives. I have lived so long without feeling. Sometimes I almost forget what it was.”
Sunshine stood beside her. “I’m sorry about those things I said to you. I thought if we could just find her, we could kill her, and I could move on. I realize now that it won’t be that easy.”
“And I am sorry I took you against your will. I did not want you to die.” Aine faced her. “The creature can die. Mr. Bad and I have spoken of it. I believe he has the right notion of how it can be done, but the time must be precise. We shall have to attack her with magic, strength, and modern weapons. Only then can she be vanquished.”
“I get that.” Sunshine lightly touched the wound on her face. “I can’t heal it—at least not yet.”
“There is poison in her talons. Only your magic saved you from death. I have never known a harpy cut to heal. They fester where they slash and remain open wounds which—”
“Yeah. Please don’t say anymore. I get the idea.” Sunshine sighed. “I’m not giving up. There are stronger healing spells. Or I might have go to Wilmington and get some help from my family.”
Aine nodded. “Perhaps your Aunt Molly’s amulet. MacLir was known to heal in his time, as well as destroy.”
The two women gazed over the rooftops around them. In the distance, huge ships were coming into harbor for repair and replenishing of their supplies. Birds cried as the lights of the city went dark in preparation for the coming day. Early risers were making their way to work and nightshift workers yawned as they started home.
“Looks like a whole new day. We survived the night. If you and Mr. Bad think we can kill this thing, I promise not to go off half-assed again. But now we have to find her and we know she’s still hunting for those other shifters.”
“Perhaps we should do some hunting ourselves,” Aine said. “If we cannot search out the creature, let us find those she hunts and give them shelter from her rage.”
Sunshine considered it. “Great idea! Thanks, Aine. Let’s get off this roof. I need a shower and a change of clothes. Are you sure you can’t change yours, except for the three forms you do by magic? The green dress and crown are kickass, but the black cloak and the rags—not so much. I have a little black dress that would really show off your legs. And we could go shopping for others.”
“Why do you travel in the purple car when you can fly invisibly anywhere?” Aine asked.
“Because I like my convertible. And I like celebrating my humanity.” Sunshine rose slowly into the air like the sun coming over the ocean. “I’m not just a good-looking witch with extraordinary magic, you know. I’m a gorgeous woman who enjoys being seen.”
Sunshine became invisible for the trip back to the detective agency. Aine was never visible when she rode the air currents. They arrived at the same time in the outer office giving Jane such a fright that she dropped her cup of tea and scurried away in her mouse form.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Sunshine said. “I’ll feel better after I’ve had something to eat and drink. I think you’d feel better if you had something too.”
Aine began to search for the mouse. “I appreciate the thought, but it is not necessary. The form you see me in as the tattered crone is my true form as my body falls to dust in my tomb.”
“Really?” Sunshine kicked off her purple heels. “We’ll have to visit sometime. Is it a national monument or something?”
“No. It is part of my penance that I lie alone within a mountain where people have forgotten me. Very few, if any, still know my name.”
“Except on Wikipedia,” Jane squeaked before she resumed her human form.
“Wi-ki-ped-ia?” Aine asked. “They know me in that land?”
“Going to shower now.” Sunshine called the elevator. “Keep that page open when you find it, Jane. I want to see it too.”
Leaving the two women to search for Aine’s history, Sunshine went up to her room and showered. She felt better until she glanced into the steamy mirror. Aine was
right. No healing spell she’d tried had eased the wound on her face. It wasn’t painful, which was a blessing, but it was ugly and raw.
She tried a stronger spell on the scratch before she went to find a dress for the day. Only purple would do for the mood she was in. The dress had a shirt waist and full skirt with embroidered violets along the bodice and hem. Her purple pumps were filthy from running through the park and other endeavors of the night. She reached for a black pair but longed for the purple. A small spell made them look good as new. She put them on and went back to the bathroom mirror.
Her hair was full of nervous energy tinged with fear, which made it a shade darker, almost red. She studied her face again before ignoring the cut and adding lipstick. She wasn’t going to let some bare-breasted harpy with poison claws ruin her day.
“And you just watch out,” she warned the creature. “I’m going to find you again, and this time I’m going to kill you.”
Was it her imagination, or had the cut on her face begun to burn?
Sunshine went back downstairs to look at the Wikipedia page and find something for breakfast. A painting of Aine, and a wonderful old tapestry that depicted her life, were on the computer screen.
“You were a warrior!” Sunshine clapped her on the back in her excitement at seeing Aine in silver armor on a white horse.
It was embarrassing for Aine to see her life spread out in this fashion. She’d always bemoaned her fate to be forgotten by the world, and yet this was far worse.
“Is there some way to remove it?” she asked Jane.
“No. It’s part of Irish history—you’re part of ancient history.” Jane frowned at the dates listed on the page. “Were you really alive back then? And why isn’t there a date of death listed?”
Aine turned away from the computer and walked into Sunshine’s office.
“I think she might be a little more sensitive about being dead than she realized.” Sunshine hugged Jane and followed Aine. She closed the door behind her. “Sorry about that. Sometimes the internet is wonderful but sometimes not. Would you like to talk about it?”
