by N M Thorn
“Are you out of your damn mind!” yelled Aidan. He wished he could get up and tear this woman apart limb from limb, but he could hardly move. He was surprised that he had enough strength in him to scream. “I can’t do it, Eve! I won’t do it! I would never do such a low and despicable thing!” He pinned her with his angry gaze, breathing heavily.
“Are you done shouting?” asked Eve coldly. She got up and stared down at him. “You can, and you will. You don’t think that I’m giving you a choice on this matter, do you?”
“What are you talking about? What did you do?” he hissed, his voice cracking and faltering, as everything inside him twisted with the expectation of something awful.
“I didn’t do anything, Aidan,” said Eve, folding her arms over her chest, her long red nails shining like tiny bloodied blades. “Not yet at least. But I have your Tessa. And if you don’t do what I want by midnight tonight, I will be forced to do something you are not going to appreciate.”
Aidan’s muscles bulged, as he pushed forward fighting against the restraints of Eve’s spell. Eve snickered, leering down at his fruitless struggles, and flicked her hand. The noose on Aidan’s neck tightened again and he fell back down on the bed. His every muscle tensed, his hands grasping at the rope as he strained to breathe. She held the noose on his neck tight for a few seconds, until his bloodshot eyes started to close, and his fingers unlocked.
As his vision got flooded with redness, he saw Eve waving her hand and the noose loosened up, allowing him to take in some air. Aidan inhaled sharply with his open mouth a few times, his hands pulling down on the rope that was still wrapped around his neck.
“Eve, please,” he whizzed, “not Tessa. She’s an innocent young girl.”
“She’s neither innocent, nor girl,” Eve pointed out dryly. “And you must know that. Do what I asked, and she’ll be just fine. I promise. But if you refuse to comply with my demands, what I will do to her would be a lot worse than death. Do I make myself clear, sonny?”
“Oh God,” moaned Aidan, his trembling hands squeezing his head, his fingers buried into his hair. “Eve, no, please… I can’t do what you’re asking of me… I can’t…”
He couldn’t think, his mind on fire. He realized that under no circumstances he should do what she demanded of him, but he couldn’t let anything bad happen to Tessa. He had to protect her, no matter what.
“Think hard, Aidan,” seethed Eve, her eyes burning with malignant fire. “A few hundred years of curse would be nothing compared to what I would do to your sweet little lover… Think, boy, because I don’t deal in empty threats. And you know that.”
“Eve, please…” whispered Aidan, all color drained from his face. “Please… ask me for anything else… kill me if you wish… not Tessa. If anything happens to her—”
“You’ll die?” asked Eve mockingly. “Are you pleading with me, Aidan? Begging me for the life of your lover?”
Aidan just stared at her, unable to say anything or make the tiniest move.
“If you are trying to beg for mercy, I shall teach you how to do it properly, son,” said Eve, her every move breathing with arrogance and cold contempt. “Get down on your knees and kiss my feet, boy. Then I’ll think if I shall grant you and your lover the mercy you are begging for.”
Like a bucket of freezing water thrown into his face, her words brought him back. In a heartbeat his mind got cleared and he made an instant decision.
“I do not beg, and I kneel before no one,” growled Aidan, his fingers grasping the sheet, tearing through the delicate silk. “I’ll die before you see me on my knees, bitch. Yes, I do love Tessa more than my own life. And you’re right – by holding her life in your filthy hands, you got me under your control. You own me. I will do what you asked me to do. But know that, once I see Tessa to safety, I will not rest until I see you dead. Do I make myself clear… Mother?”
Eve guffawed throwing her head back and got up. “My darling little son, I believe you already promised something like that to me a long time ago.” She spread her arms wide and twirled around, her long red dress wrapping around her elegant legs. “And would yah look at that? I’m still alive and kicking your muscled arse. So, stop with empty promises and deliver what I asked you for, no later than by midnight. Once I get what I need, Tessa is all yours, unharmed.”
Eve waved her hand and vanished from the room. As soon as she was gone, his strength returned to him. He howled in rage and flung himself off the bed. For a moment, he stood in the middle of his bedroom, looking around wildly, breathing hard. His arms went up and wrapped around his head, as he dropped to his knees and doubled down.
“I can’t do it… I can’t do it,” he kept whispering frantically. “Oh God, how am I going to do something so awful? I can’t do it… My Tessa… Oh God…”
His whole body painfully shuddered like from sobs, but he didn’t cry. There were no tears in his eyes. It had been centuries since he was able to cry, and he forgot how to do it. His eyes were burning, and his throat was constricted so tight that he could hardly breathe. He lowered his hands to the floor, standing on all fours and cried out – a howl of a wounded man who had no escape, no tears to cry, and no freedom to choose his own path.
Slowly, Aidan got up to his feet and stood swaying slightly, as the room spun around him. He channeled his magic and muttered a few words, pointing down. A large circle, blazing with brilliant white light materialized on the floor in front of him. Aidan bent down and touched the circle, whispering the words of a summoning spell.
~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~
The knock on the door was loud and persistent. Gunz turned to his back and without opening his eyes, extended his Salamander senses, probing the area around the house for magical energy. Whoever was at the door was most likely human. He couldn’t sense any magic around this person.
Why me? When did my house become a drive through?
Gunz sat up on the bed and rubbed his face tiredly, feeling the roughness of the stubble under his fingers. His eyes fell on the clock and he pushed himself off the bed unenthusiastically. It was only eight in the morning. So much for him getting some rest after the meeting with the Scarlet Queen. He quickly changed, putting his jeans and a shirt on, and headed downstairs.
“One moment,” he yelled to whomever was trying to break his door with continuous banging. He turned the lock, pulling the door open and his jaw dropped. In the doorway, still with her hand up, was standing Missi, the cross-functional queen of Missi’s Kitchen.
“Mr. Burns, good morning,” she said casually, smiling at him like it wasn’t eight in the morning and she wasn’t standing on his doorsteps when no one wasn’t supposed to know his address.
“Good morning, Missi,” he replied, slowly getting over the shock.
“I’m sorry for the early visit,” she said urgently, “but it’s imperative that we talk right away.”
“Yes, please come in.” Gunz stepped aside, welcoming her inside. “How can I help you?”
Missi didn’t move, a guilty smile on her face. “I’m sorry, Mr. Burns, but I can’t just walk in. Your house is warded against a magical intrusion and it’s enough that I showed up here uninvited, I didn’t want to be so rude to try and break through your wards.”
“But you are—,” started to say Gunz, bewildered.
“Not human,” interjected Missi, interrupting him. “Your wards, please, Mr. Burns.”
Gunz muttered a quick spell, taking his wards down and gestured at Missi to come in. She walked inside the house and sat down on the couch, putting her small black purse on the coffee table.
“I’m sure you have questions, Mr. Burns,” she started. “So, let me start by introducing myself. My name is Melissa Amber Clark and I am a Guardian mage.”
“You are a witch?” asked Gunz incredulous. “Then you probably know what I am. But why can’t I sense any magical energy in you?”
Missi smiled. “How about now?”
Gunz sharpened his Salamand
er senses, carefully scanning her and exhaled. “Oh… you’re an extremely powerful witch.”
“I’m a Guardian mage, which is a lot more than a mere witch, Mr. Burns. And I’m here because I need your help,” continued Missi. “As a Guardian, I should never expose my true identity to anyone outside the Guardians or Wardens circles, but I have no choice and I hope I can trust you with my secret.”
Gunz nodded at her. Maybe he was too tired and sleepy, but his brain still had a hard time processing it. For a full year he was visiting Missi’s Kitchen at least a few times a week and he had no idea that Missi was a mage.
“You are a Guardian… Tessa’s Guardian,” said Gunz quietly as the realization dawned on him. “They sent you here after her mother died. All this time I was searching for you. You were right next to me and I had no idea.”
“It means I was doing my job well, shadowing my own magic and Tessa’s,” said Missi with a cold breeze in her words. “But were you doing your job, Mr. Fire Salamander?”
Gunz eyes widened and he held his hand up. “Okay, hold on a second… Surely, I don’t understand what you’re implying, Missi,” he retorted dryly. “My job is with the FBI and if you need my professional references, I can get you in touch with Agent Andrews.”
“Your FBI job is not my concern, Mr. Burns,” said Missi frostily. “All this time, you were next to Tessa. She trusted you. She was even a little infatuated with you—”
“And about four days ago, she told me to get lost,” cut Gunz sharply. He wasn’t sure why Missi’s words affected him so much, but he could hardly contain his aggravation. Maybe because all this time he was trying to get hold of Tessa and she stubbornly wasn’t answering her phone. Or maybe because he felt guilty for what happened that night.
“And you just went ahead and did what she said? What are you, a little boy?” exploded Missi. She got up and started pacing the living room. “I can’t believe it! You knew that she was new to the world of magic and you just left her on her own? When God knows what kind of evil is brewing in the city?”
“Excuse me,” said Gunz, seizing her arm and stopping her. “As far as I know, guarding Tessa is your job, not mine. I met her by pure accident.”
“As inexperienced as you are, I’m sure the Great Salamander told you that every move on the Board of Destiny happens for a reason. There is no such a thing as a ‘pure accident’.” Missi’s dark eyebrows gathered above her light eyes and she threw her long braids to her back with a gesture that betrayed the full measure of her frustration.
Gunz let go of her arm and took a deep breath. “Okay, Missi,” he said calmly, “I think we started on the wrong foot. I’m sure you didn’t come here to point fingers and search for someone to blame. We both know that placing a blame never helps to resolve the issue. So, let’s try it again… Tell me what happened and what I can do to help.”
Missi stared at him for a moment, her expression changing from cold resentment to something slightly warmer, even a little awkward.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Burns, you’re right,” she said and sat back down. “I came here because my charge is missing. I can’t find her, I can’t sense her anywhere. It’s been almost two days.”
“Tessa is missing,” mumbled Gunz, his chest tightened with worry. He thought of all the possible places where Tessa could be but couldn’t come up with anything. “Is there anything else you know?”
“I know that two days ago, she went to visit our local Wardens. The same day, the Wardens informed us of a demonic attack on their location. When I arrived there, I saw that the building – it’s an ancient church – suffered some damage and both Wardens were greatly injured. Father Collins was unconscious, but the younger Warden, Father Beaumont, said that Tessa was there when the attack happened, and Father Collins and he did everything they could to help her escape. But he couldn’t say if she did.”
Gunz shook his head, frowning. “I’m not going to ask you who the Wardens are. I have to assume it is some supernatural organization that works with your people. But did you check with Aidan McGrath? Tessa told him to buzz off too, but maybe she checked in with him.”
“Aidan McGrath?” Missi cringed. “He’s not an easy person to deal with. I didn’t talk to him, but I know that she’s not with him. Whoever took her is shielding her presence better than I can. And as powerful as Aidan McGrath is, I’m sure it’s not him. Aidan wouldn’t be hiding Tessa from her Guardian. He may come across as an arrogant asshole, but he’s one of the good guys. I hate to even think like this, but whoever attacked the Wardens, took Tessa.”
“Aidan is a good guy?” Gunz shivered like from a cold wind. “I have a hard time believing it.”
“Yes, he is,” replied Missi, her grey eyes dead serious. “He’s extremely powerful and he shadows his power so well that hardly anyone knows what he truly is. Sometimes he’s a bit of a jerk and can be a little… explosive, if you know what I mean. But him and his crew are playing on our side, helping us keep our area safe. So, yeah. He’s one of the good guys.”
“Do you know what he is?”
Missi shook her head. “No, and even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you. Not my secret to tell.”
“Fine,” said Gunz, feeling a little disappointed. “Going back to the Wardens. Do they know what kind of demon attacked their location?”
“No,” said Missi. “That was the first thing I asked. They had never seen such powerful evil before and they’re not sure that it was a pure demon. Too much destructive power for a run-of-the-mill demon. And that’s what bothers me the most – Father Collins and Father Beaumont are the initiated Wardens of Knowledge, the keepers of secret words. If anyone would know what this demonic entity was, it would be them. But they have no idea.”
Gunz took his laptop from the shelf next to his TV and put it on the coffee table. He opened the laptop and clicked on a photo of the “wall of fame”, turning the screen to Missi.
“It’s just a guess,” he said, pointing at the picture of Eve. “This woman could be the one who attacked the Wardens’ Church. I hope I’m wrong, but if she’s the one who has Tessa, it’s a big problem.” He told Missi everything he knew about Eve.
For a moment Missi stared at the screen, furrowing her brow. “Can you walk me through all that?” she asked, waving her hand at the photo.
Gunz explained to her every card and every photo on the wall, their connections and when the event took place. He told her about the involvement of the Russian mobster and his daughter’s disappearance. Missi listened to him carefully and when he finished, she remained silent for a few minutes.
“I believe you’re in danger, Mr. Burns,” she said finally. “Whoever this Eve is, she’s after you. I have no idea why she would need a Fire Salamander, you’re by far not the most powerful player in this city, but there is a chance that Tessa and this Russian girl are nothing more than bait in her trap for you.”
“For me?” asked Gunz, incredulous. “Are you sure Tessa is bait for me and not for Aidan McGrath? Aidan is a lot more powerful than I am and he’s in love with Tessa. It would make more sense that by abducting Tessa, she was setting a trap for Aidan McGrath.”
“Possibly,” said Missi, but there was no assurance in her voice. “Here is what we’re going to do. You’re going to go and talk to Aidan. Whether we’re right or wrong about Eve setting a trap for him, he must know about it.” She pulled her phone out of her purse and snapped a quick picture of Eve. “I’m going to get back to the Wardens and see if they can give me any lore on this woman. Give me your phone number. I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.”
Gunz took her phone and entered his number into her contact list. As Missi took the phone from his hand, the room slowly started to spin around him. For a moment everything became a continuous blur. He grunted and grabbed Missi’s arm to stop himself from falling. He bent forward, trying to catch his breath. The dizziness got replaced by a nagging, pulling headache and he let go off Missi, pressing his hands to his temples.
>
“Zane, are you okay?” asked Missi, true concern shadowing her features.
“Yes,” replied Gunz, his voice strained, “but I need to go. Now.”
“Go where?”
“Aidan McGrath is summoning me, and his summoning call is more demanding than any summoning spell I have ever experienced,” explained Gunz.
“Zane, he may already know about Tessa’s disappearance,” said Missi urgently. “If you learn anything new, find me at Missi’s Kitchen.”
Gunz nodded to her and unfolded the fiery curtain of his portal.
~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~
Gunz walked out of his portal and found himself in the middle of a spacious bedroom. The king-size bed was in disarray and Aidan McGrath was sitting on it hiding his face in his hands, his shoulders slumped. The nagging pull of Aidan’s summoning spell dissipated leaving just a light headache behind and Gunz finally was able to breathe freely.
“Master McGrath, you called?” asked Gunz.
Aidan slowly raised his face, meeting Gunz’s gaze and Gunz shuddered from the haunted expression in his blue eyes. His face was bloodless and a deep wrinkle that wasn’t there before was etched between his eyebrows.
“Aidan, are you okay?” asked Gunz, taking a step forward.
“Do not move,” said Aidan, rising. He walked heavily and halted a step away from Gunz. For a moment, his eyes darted to the window and a torturously-wistful smile changed his face.
“What’s going on, Aidan?”
Gunz took a step forward and ran into an invisible wall. A blazing white circle of light surrounded him, and a powerful shock ripped through his body, throwing him away from the wall. He hit the floor hard and his body arched as the secondary shock made his every muscle spasm. For a moment he blanked out. When he surfaced back, he saw Aidan standing over him, just outside the white circle.
“I told you not to move.” He sighed, shaking his head, staring somewhere over Gunz’s shoulder.
