by N M Thorn
No longer controlled by Aidan’s magic, Zane opened his eyes. His eyes were bloodshot, and his pupils were dilated. He glanced at Aidan but couldn’t say anything and closed his eyes again.
“Why do you need a Fire Salamander, Eve? This particular Salamander is in his infancy. He doesn’t even know everything about his abilities,” said Aidan and waved his hand around the room. “And eight Reapers. Why do you need all of them?”
“You are not seriously thinking that I’m going to reveal my plan to you, Aidan McGrath.” She laughed scornfully. “How thick do you think I am? And by the way, there used to be eight and a half Reapers here just a few minutes ago.”
“What do you mean, eight and a half?” asked Aidan, involuntarily stepping closer to her.
“Serious?” huffed Eve, her sinister smile getting more carnivorous by the moment. Her eyes measured him appraisingly and she clapped her hands a few times. “You really this stupid? I know that the Guardian was doing a great job shadowing her magical energy, but come on, Aidan. You’re some sort of itsy-bitsy god. You should have sensed it.”
“Sensed what, Eve?” growled Aidan through clenched teeth.
“Your little lover. She’s a part Reaper. She’s some kind of magical abomination. Part Reaper and part – even I don’t know what her second part is. Not human, that’s for sure. Both her parents were creatures of magic. Didn’t you know that, you dimwit?” She barked laughing, throwing her head back. “I know you spent nine hundred years as a bird, but I didn’t realize that you elected to keep the bird’s brain after the curse was broken.”
For a moment his mind went blank. Tessa was a part Reaper? Eve was right. How could he not feel it all this time? He sensed some kind of magical energy in her but could never recognize it. The magical energy of Reapers or any other beings associated with Death wasn’t strong, but it was easily recognizable. He didn’t think that Eve would lie to him about something like that. She was taking too much pleasure in his current state of bewilderment.
“Now, lad, go away. Go play with your wee friends. Mama is busy here,” she said cackling, waving her hand dismissively. “Shoo, shoo!”
Aidan cringed, but not from her insulting, patronizing way of addressing him. He was looking over Eve’s head at Zane’s desperate situation and his legs were filled with lead. He couldn’t bring himself to leave him like that. He walked around Eve toward the glass box, but before he could reach it, something struck him in the back and everything around him got blurry.
When the blurriness disappeared, he was standing outside of the main gate. He tried the gate, but it was locked. He tried to teleport inside but hit an invisible wall.
The entire territory of the property was surrounded with a giant circle of God’s Snare.
No one could get in.
No one could get out.
~ Aidan ~
Aidan teleported back to his office and searched around for Tessa and Tanya. He found them right away. Through the office window that was facing the dojang floor, he could see them both, sitting on the mats, talking. They looked relaxed and were even smiling, discussing something. He felt relieved that both girls were unharmed, but it wasn’t enough to make him to feel better about everything that happened.
He gripped the edge of the desk, his fingers leaving dents in the polished hardwood surface. A wave of anger and despair slowly rose within him, threatening to spill over. He roared, flipping the desk over. The computer monitor, pens and all the documents fell on the floor, scattering before his feet. He stared down at the mess he created, breathing heavily, his gaze hollow. As the seething rage slowly started abandoning his body, he fell down to his knees and sat back on his heels, his arms dropped powerlessly by his sides.
“Aidan!”
Aidan raised his head, slowly regaining his control and focused his mind on the present. Tessa was standing in the doorway. Her arms crossed over her chest, she was scolding him with a furious gaze. Tanya was standing behind her, staring at him over Tessa’s shoulder with curiosity.
“You owe me an explanation, Aidan McGrath,” demanded Tessa coldly. “And it better be a good one.”
“Tessa,” mumbled Aidan. “Yes, of course. We need to talk. But before we talk, I have to take Tanya to her father.”
“No,” objected Tessa. “You are going to explain everything, and you are going to do it right now. Starting with your performance at Zane’s house five days ago and finishing with you handing him over to that evil bitch.”
Aidan got up heavily, adjusting his shirt and for a moment silently stared at Tessa. He approached her and put his hand on her shoulder.
“Tessa, please wait for me here,” he said calmly. “I need to take Tanya home and there is something I need to do for Zane. It’s important that I do it right away. I promise to explain everything as soon as I come back.”
Tessa’s eyes filled with tears as she silently stared at him. “Don’t you dare mention his name,” she said, tears now running down her flushed face. “You betrayed him. I still can’t believe you were capable of doing something so… low!” She pulled her hand back and slapped Aidan across his face with all her strength.
A blinding white light exploded in Aidan’s head and he pressed his hand to his prickling cheek. He looked down at Tessa, his eyes still watering from the slap and sighed.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Please do not go anywhere,” he said quietly and walked around her to Tanya. “Tanya, I’m going to take you to your father. You already know that magic is real, so I hope you won’t mind if instead of driving, we teleport to your father’s house.”
“Thank you, sir,” Tanya mumbled, hardly raising her eyes at him. “What do you need me to do?”
“Do you mind if I pick you up? It will be easier this way for both of us,” he said, feeling tired and resigned.
Tanya shook her head no and he easily lifted her. Holding her in his arms, he vanished out of the office without looking back at Tessa.
Aidan knew exactly where Anatoly Karpenko’s mansion was located. He had been monitoring Anatoly’s illegal activities for years. However, lately Anatoly started to venture into a dangerous new territory – the world of magic. Mundane himself, he hired a few wizards for protection and didn’t mind getting his hands dirty, dealing with vampires, werewolves, shifters and even an occasional demon who was not controlled by the supernatural rulers. Aidan still didn’t figure out the nature of Anatoly’s dealings with the supernatural crowd, but whatever it was, it couldn’t be anything good.
They manifested on the steps of the house. Anatoly’s guards rushed toward him, pulling their guns out. Aidan ignored them completely. He glanced at Tanya who was holding to him for dear life.
“Are you still a little dizzy?” he asked her.
She nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck tighter. Aidan shifted her weight to his left arm and waved his right hand, disarming the guards. The guards shouted something, trying to get in his way and stop him from entering. Maybe some other day, he would try to talk to the guards and ask them to call Anatoly, but today he had no patience for them. He waved his hand again, knocking the guards off their feet and walked through the door inside the mansion.
The main lobby was dark and empty. Aidan stopped and gently put Tanya down, still holding his hand on her shoulder for support. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his side.
“Anatoly Karpenko!” shouted Aidan, magically magnifying his voice. “This is Aidan McGrath. I’m here with your daughter.”
Anatoly showed up a few minutes later accompanied by four armed bodyguards. They surrounded their boss in a protective circle, holding their guns pointed at Aidan. Anatoly’s eyes fell on his daughter and for a split-second happiness lit up his face. However, he stopped a few feet away from Aidan, carefully observing him.
“Good evening, Mr. McGrath,” he said cautiously. “It’s not only my daughter you brought back to me tonight. You gave me back the joy of my life. Thank you.”
He waved his hand at Tanya to approach him, but she didn’t move. “Daughter, come here, sweetheart, let me finally hug you.”
“No, Papa,” said Tanya, stepping in front of Aidan, attempting to shield him with her tiny body, “not until you promise that you’re not going to harm Mr. McGrath. He saved my life, papa. Tell your bodyguards to lower their guns.”
Aidan bent down a little and whispered into Tanya’s ear, “You know that regular guns can’t hurt me, right?” He smiled at her encouragingly. “Magic and all. Go to your father, Tanya. I’ll be all right.”
Anatoly gestured to his bodyguards to lower their weapons. Tanya gave Aidan another tight hug and ran into her father’s embrace. Anatoly kissed his daughter and sent her upstairs, followed by one of his bodyguards.
“Mr. McGrath, I don’t know how to thank you for saving my daughter and returning her to me,” said Anatoly, taking a step forward and extending his hand to Aidan.
Aidan looked down at his hand but didn’t shake it. “It’s not me who you need to thank, Mr. Karpenko,” he said icily. “It was Zane Burns who exchanged his life and safety for that of your daughter. And I am here to see you holding up your promise to him. I want to see his friends released, alive and well.”
“I’m a man of my word, Mr. McGrath,” said Anatoly dryly, squaring his shoulders. “Rest assured, Mr. Burns’ friends will be released immediately, unharmed.”
Aidan chuckled and shook his head. “No offence, Mr. Karpenko, but I can’t rest assured until I talk to them and see them freed with my own eyes. What is it you Russians say? ‘Doveryaj, no proveryaj’ – trust, but verify. And I’m determined to do just that – trust, but verify.”
Anatoly grunted, displeasure reflected on his face, and threw his hands in the air.
“Fine,” he muttered grumpily and pivoted on his heel. “Follow me, Mr. McGrath. Let’s conclude this business.”
Aidan followed the mobster upstairs to his private office. Anatoly opened the door for him, gesturing to come in, and once inside, offered him a chair to sit down. He was polite but reserved and Aidan could sense the stench of fear lingering around this man like a Chernobyl radioactive cloud. Aidan sat down and relaxed in the chair, staring at Anatoly with narrowed eyes.
Anatoly turned around the monitor of his computer and opened a security cameras’ video feed on the screen. The screen was divided into four sections. Three of them were showing semi-dark rooms that looked like jailcells. There was a person in each of the rooms. Due to the late hour, the prisoners appeared to be asleep. The last video feed was showing the street outside. The street was empty and dark, lit up by a single streetlight. Anatoly picked up the phone and dialed a number.
“Pavel,” he said to the man who answered his call, “please give your phone to Mr. Shevchenko. And while I’m talking to him, please bring the other two to his accommodations.”
On the screen, an armed guard opened one of the cells and walked up to the man inside. The man was asleep, but as soon as the guard shook his shoulder, he got up sharply, his body language suggesting that he was ready to fight at the first sight of danger. The guard gave him his phone, saying something, but the video feed didn’t provide the sound and Aidan couldn’t hear him.
“Mr. Shevchenko,” said Anatoly, “your friend, Zane Burns or as you call him – Gunz, kept his word. In a minute, you’ll be reunited with your friends and all three of you will be free to go on with your lives. But in the meantime, I have someone here who wishes to have a word with you.”
Anatoly gave the phone to Aidan. “Go ahead.”
Aidan took the phone from Anatoly and pressed it to his ear. “Hello,” he said, his fingers mindlessly fidgeting with the cord. “My name is Aidan McGrath. I’m Zane’s —” He couldn’t bring himself to say word friend after what he had done to Zane and didn’t know how to introduce himself. “Zane asked me to make sure that you were okay.”
“Thank you, Aidan,” replied Sasha, throwing a glance at the security camera. “Is Gunz okay? I’m a little surprised he’s not there himself.”
“I’m sorry, he couldn’t be here,” said Aidan, his throat dry. “This is why he sent me here. Do not hang up, stay on the phone with me so I can make sure that all of you are far away from this place and safe.”
Aidan switched his attention to Anatoly.
“Mr. Karpenko, Mr. Shevchenko will keep this phone for as long as he needs it,” he ordered in a no-nonsense voice. “Also, I want you to provide them with a vehicle. I will reimburse the cost of the car and the phone, of course.”
Anatoly leaned forward slightly, pressing both fists into the desk, his eyes burning with scorn. He ground his teeth but nodded to Aidan.
“The reimbursement won’t be necessary, Mr. McGrath,” muttered Anatoly. He pulled out his personal cell phone and dialed another number, quickly giving all the instructions to the man in charge.
Aidan watched Sasha reunited with his friends and escorted out of his cell. A moment later, he saw them standing outside the building.
“Aidan, we are out,” said Sasha. “We’re fine. They are letting us leave and giving us a car.”
“Stay on the phone with me until you’re at least a few miles away from that place,” said Aidan.
“Yes, sir,” replied Sasha.
A black Nissan Pathfinder pulled over, shredding the darkness with bright headlights. A tall man walked out of the car, leaving the driver’s door opened and threw the car key into Sasha’s hands. Aidan watched Sasha getting into the driver’s seat and Sergei and Lena climbing in the back. The SUV slowly took off and disappeared from the camera view.
“Aidan, I think it’s finally over,” said Sasha. “I’m driving fast, and it doesn’t look like anyone is following us.”
“I don’t think they will, but stay vigilant,” said Aidan with a sigh of relief. “It was nice talking to you, Sasha. Take care of yourself and your friends.”
“Hold on, Aidan,” Sasha said quickly before Aidan could hang up. “I know that something is wrong. I’m sorry, but Gunz would never trust anyone with our lives. If you can’t tell me what’s going on, I understand. But tell me if there is anything we can do to help you.”
Aidan thought for a moment. He didn’t think that Zane’s friend could help, but he appreciated the ties of friendship these men had.
“Sasha, do you have magic?” he asked finally.
“No,” replied Sasha. “Unlike Gunz, Sergei and I are not magic freaks.” He chuckled softly. “No offence to present company. But it doesn’t matter. Magic or not, we stand by his side if he needs us.”
“The best thing you can do for now is disappear,” said Aidan. “When it’s all over, Gunz will find you. He’ll find a way to get in touch.”
“Understood,” said Sasha, his voice deep with worry. “Thank you again. And tell Gunz that we’re always just a phone call away if he needs us.”
Sasha hung up and Aidan gave the phone receiver back to Anatoly. He got up slowly, towering over the mobster, anger percolating inside him, and his eyes lit up with a bright white light. His heavy gaze captured Anatoly’s eyes. The mobster gasped and clasped his chest with his hands like he was having shortness of breath.
“Mr. Karpenko, you would do well to stay away from me and my friends, Zane Burns included,” said Aidan quietly. “Next time you do something unseemly, I may not be as nice and polite as I was today.”
Aidan scanned Anatoly with his magic, and his skin crawled with disgust. He registered the swirling muddy darkness inside this man and suppressed the desire to recoil from him. After a moment, he released him. Anatoly sagged in his chair, his face glistening with perspiration.
Aidan smirked and snapped his fingers, vanishing from the room.
~ Aidan ~
When Aidan finally made it back to his office, he found everything more or less back to normal. The desk was placed upright, and the computer monitor was sitting on top of it, amazingly still in working condition. All documents were neatly stacked in
one pile. Tessa was enthroned in his chair, her feet crossed on top of the desk.
He met her eyes and his hope for a peaceful conversation disintegrated. He felt tired and dejected, but mostly he was still angry with himself. He sighed and sat down in a chair across from her.
“Start talking,” ordered Tessa. She took her feet off the table and folded her arms on top of the desk, slightly leaning forward. Despite the fact that she was a full foot shorter than Aidan, somehow she managed to stare down at him.
“What do you want me to tell you?” asked Aidan, getting ready for a long and painful conversation.
“Let’s start with a simple question. What are you?” asked Tessa. “And please, Aidan, for once in the last six years, tell me the truth.”
“I never lied to you, Tessa,” he objected quietly, feeling hollow inside. “I just didn’t think that it was important for you to know that I had magic and what kind of—”
“What are you?” Tessa repeated the question louder, interrupting him.
“I’m a god,” said Aidan, bracing himself for her reaction. And the reaction followed like a category five hurricane.
“What the hell, Aidan!” she yelled. “I’m done with your lies, you asshole. And I’m done with you!”
Rising, she grabbed the computer mouse from the table and threw it forcefully at his head. Aidan didn’t flinch. He raised his hand up, freezing the mouse in midair, a few inches away from his face. Carefully, he grabbed the mouse and put it back on the desk. Tessa stilled, staring at him flabbergasted.
“Like I said,” he noted with a sigh, “I am a god, Tessa. I didn’t lie to you. I’m more than two thousand years old and I’m a god of the Otherworld.” He channeled his power and his body lit up with the bright white light. “Look at me, Tessa, do I look like I’m lying to you now? I swear on my power that every word I’m saying to you right now is the truth. Sit down, let’s talk.”
