Doomed Cases Series Box Set

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  “What the fuck happened? Where are we?” Zach asked, brushing off ash from his jacket and trousers.

  “I used my magic to get us out of that circus,” I replied. “Emma, are you all right? We need to move, before those Warlocks decide to send the search party after us.”

  “I’m fine, it’s just my ears are popped,” Emma giggled, and I seriously needed to figure out later on if part of her brain got damaged during my spell.

  “Alexis is here. We need to move. Zach, take out your gun. You might need it,” I said and started jogging towards the empty street. Zach was complaining about the fact that he couldn’t see anything, but we didn’t have time to stop. The street lamps were off, and it was hard to get a sense of direction. I suspected that the time worked differently around here. Goose pimples appeared on my arms when I sensed the magical current all around us. Only several meters later we crossed another street, and on the corner we stopped abruptly. It seemed like we entered yet another dimension, in this part the streets were lit, cars were parked on the road, and we saw humans there.

  My heart began thumping loudly in my chest. I could only hope that my spell took me to the right place. The wind picked up and small dots of rain began falling from the sky.

  “What are they doing in here? I thought this territory was only inhabited by Warlocks?” Emma asked when I stopped, wondering what to do next.

  “I have no idea, but let’s keep going,” I muttered, aware that everyone was going about their business. The further we moved towards more inhabited territories, the stranger things became. Some of the houses disappeared, others seemed burned down and abandoned. Humans were walking up and down, chatting to each other like everything was perfectly normal. The streets were bright with lights that were suddenly everywhere.

  “Do you hear this, guys?” Emma asked. “The music seems familiar. What is going on?”

  Indeed, I heard the music coming from the other side of the road. It seemed that humans were heading there with their children.

  “I think we should follow them,” Zach suggested, pointing at the light that was beaming in the darkness on the south side of this mysterious place.

  “Daddy, let’s go quickly; otherwise the circus will disappear,” screamed a little boy that stepped out of the terrace house on our right. His ginger father glanced at us for a brief moment, then turned his attention to the boy.

  “Let’s hurry then, we don’t want to miss all the fun,” the father responded. I thought about my vision back when I was with the Warlocks. Summer was so happy back then. I had lost track of Alexis, so maybe it was wise to follow to the circus. Slowly I began suspecting that people that lived in this dimension couldn’t be fully human, but they weren’t demons either. I shook my head, reminding myself that this wasn’t important.

  “Zach is right. Alexis must be heading there,” I said. Matilda must have vanished once she realised Summer was in danger, but Alexis somehow found out about this place. Someone must have been helping her.

  “Oh my Lord, I love the circus. Suzi always tells me that she wants to go and see clowns,” Emma said, rushing behind me. Warlocks were supposed to be wiped out, demons ruled in hell and on earth, and I didn’t understand how this whole dimension even existed.

  We kept following the humans for about fifteen minutes until the road opened up to a large square. The colourful tent had been built right in the middle, attracting humans with their children. People were queuing to get inside.

  It was a typical fun fair event with rides, screaming children, food stands and other attractions. I was certain that we weren’t in London, and I was tempted to grab someone and ask for the name of this little town. A tiny voice in my head told me to stay back and just watch the crowd.

  “This whole thing is amazing,” Emma announced with her eyes wide. Then between a girl in the yellow dress and some older couple who were drinking lemonade, I thought I saw a glimpse of a green silky dress. The woman that wore it had her back to me, but I could have sworn that it was Alexis. She was moving through the crowd of people.

  “There. I see someone. Let’s keep moving!” I shouted, knowing that I couldn’t waste anymore time. Suddenly everyone was blocking my way, pushing me and screaming. My energy rose and I kept moving, passing people, keeping an eye on her back.

  Zach and Emma were shouting after me, but I couldn’t stop. Images of Summer and Matilda were vivid, rolling in front of my eyes. She was quick, circulating between people while I struggled. Kids, there were so many kids jumping in front of me. One of them nearly knocked me off my feet.

  “Hot dogs, burgers all for a pound,” someone yelled right in my ear. It seemed to me the people were purposely walking into me. My fingertips were sparkling, my excellent vision couldn’t have misled me. All I could think of was the green silky dress and the red hair. She was right there, a few meters ahead of me. Shortly after that she disappeared behind the large tent, away from the crowd.

  My heart stuttered in my chest, the energy pulsating deep in my bones. Finally when I was away from the crowd, I found myself at the back of the circus. Right in front of me there were hundreds of old gypsy caravans.

  A wave of strong magic wafted through the air, and Alexis’s energy hit me like a cold summer rain in the middle of the day. I couldn’t waste time waiting around for Zach and Emma. They were going to be fine.

  The caravan site seemed deserted, but most of the artists were inside, performing. I started moving around, trying to locate her. My muscles were tense, throat dry, as I walked passing colourful caravans. I could sense that bitch near me, she must have been a couple of meters ahead.

  I created a fireball and kept balancing it on the centre of my palm. I walked slowly, concentrating on all my power. The last spell weakened me slightly, but not enough to become a victim again.

  “Well, well, well, who do we have here?” asked the voice that I mildly recognised. I lost my balance and my fiery ball vanished, leaving burning marks on my hand.

  A split second later, I turned around facing a demon that I had met before. He was the stranger that stood by the fountain in the night market, connecting people to opportunities. We’d shared a kiss, a very intimate and erotic kiss that nearly cost me a life. I shook my head, trying to block his energy, focusing harder on my task, but I was losing my head again. I was here to kill Alexis.

  “Hey, listen, I would love to stay and chat, but I have to go,” I snapped, ready to sneak to the next corner, but the stranger grabbed me quickly and pulled me towards his body. Somehow he managed to tackle me, pinning me to the wall of an old blue caravan. His cologne was sexy as hell and his eyes were staring directly into my demonic soul. His magic began causing havoc inside my overheated body.

  No, no, no, I couldn’t let him in. That guy was using his demonic abilities to steal one more kiss from me, so he could keep me with him forever. Dark eyes, olive skin and that cologne. Suddenly I was melting, feeling like I was in the palace with Arthur.

  “No, you have been naughty. You will stay here with me,” he muttered, placing a small kiss on my neck. I had to close my eyes not knowing what was happening to me. Suddenly my pulse began speeding. The excitement rose and all I could think about was him making love to me. There was something that I had to do, something important.

  Then he kissed me and the fire burned through me, spreading quickly. Suddenly he was touching my thighs, running his fingers over my cleavage.

  “No, please, let go of me,” I begged, but my body responded to his touch, wanting and needing more. That hot demon in front of me was everything I ever desired.

  “Sweet mongrel girl, did you think that I wouldn’t see through that spell on the market? I had a feeling that we would meet again,” he said, wrapping his moist lips around mine. His kiss was mind-blowing, but the tiny voice in my head kept telling me that I had to get away from him before his spell enchanted me completely.

  When he kissed me again, I suddenly remembered. Alexis. I was after Alexis.
I used my electric magic to push him away from me. Then glancing back, I saw my enemy several meters away, hiding between two caravans. I screamed, but no sound came out of my mouth. Every part of my body seemed paralysed. I couldn’t move. The stranger’s energy embraced mine, locking me in the spot.

  “You’re mine to keep, Maxine Brodeur. You can’t escape now,” he was saying, running his finger down my arms.

  My head was turned and I was looking directly at Alexis. She couldn’t see me from there. The stranger demon had done something to my abilities. Alexis’s face was deformed, some parts of her skin were hanging off, but she hid it under the charm. The colour drained from my face when I saw Summer standing several meters away from her. The sudden shock punched the air out of my lungs. She couldn’t be there. She was supposed to be with Matilda.

  No, no, this wasn’t happening right now. It was a dream, a cruel part of my subconscious mind. Alexis wasn’t going to get my daughter.

  “Just a few more steps, darling, and it’s going to be all right,” Alexis was saying, spreading her arms wide.

  The child looked so vulnerable and hesitant. The stranger demon was talking to me, but I wasn’t paying attention to him.

  Then we both heard a scream.

  “Summer, get away from her!”

  Matilda was running towards her, paled and hurt. She was bleeding, slowing down, then running again. I fought with myself, fought with my magic to get it working again.

  Summer smiled—it was stunning joyful smile—and then she grasped Alexis’s hand. I screamed silently, breaking apart. Then Matilda screamed, “Nooo.”

  But it was too late. There was a loud bang and all of them vanished in front of my eyes. I was left behind. It was over. My daughter was gone.

  Chapter 10

  “What we hold here by faith, shall there be seen, not demonstrated but directly known, even as the first truth that man believes.” ―Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

  As soon as Alexis was gone, my power exploded. Emotional pain radiated through my body, injecting my heart with venom. The stranger had me pinned down to the wooden door of a caravan, but that didn’t matter. Seeing my daughter gone shattered my energy. I was broken, screaming at the top of my lungs, and kicking the demon that prevented me from rescuing her as hard as I could. His charm was broken and his body went flying upwards. A moment later he slammed through the wooden walls of another caravan, landing on his back. Somewhere at the back of my head, I realised that Alexis had won. She got to Summer before me.

  “You son of a bitch, I’m going to kill you right now!” I roared and with every strength I had I launched myself on him. I started throwing punches when he tried to get up, losing complete control of my energy. His magic stung me a couple of times, but I turned into a grieving monster. If it weren’t for him I probably would have killed that bitch.

  His attempts at blocking me were pathetic. Soon my fists were bloody and he stopped fighting me. I couldn’t stop hitting him, the anger was riddling through me like a wildfire. All I wanted was to kill him.

  I had no idea how long I kept punching him, but eventually someone must have pulled me away. Then the same person slapped me hard, shaking my arms until I could pull myself together.

  “Max, you have to calm down!” Zach shouted. I looked at his dark eyes and felt drained, exhausted all of a sudden. My knees couldn’t hold my body any longer and I went down on the ground. There was blood everywhere. I could smell it on me, feel its metallic taste on my tongue. I glanced at Emma. She was staring at me in shock, standing behind Zach.

  “Alexis took Summer. She was here when that arsehole locked my abilities. I couldn’t do anything. I was paralysed. I have no idea how she found her. We arrived here too late,” I said, not able to hold my tears any longer.

  A few of the artists came back. They were staring at me and the beaten-up demon that lay motionless in the broken caravan’s doors. Emma exhaled sharply and I started screaming hard, louder than I ever had. Minutes or maybe hours passed, and then it poured down with rain. I kept screaming in agony, feeling like Mother Nature was crying over me. She knew too that Summer was gone, and I didn’t save her.

  At some point Zach told me to get up and get myself together. The circus artists dragged the injured demon out. He was still alive, barely, but they told me that he was going to make it. Zachary dragged me back on my feet and told me that we needed to go. He seemed scared, and the performance inside the circus was coming to the end.

  I was numb when we started walking back. No one was saying anything. I kept telling myself that Matilda was with Summer and she wouldn’t allow anything to happen to her. It was time to find the way out from the Forgotten Street. I also had to speak to Morpheus again. He lied to me.

  “Matilda was hiding in here, amongst her kind. She realised very early on that Summer was in danger.” I kept saying the same sentence over and over. Somehow Zachary had managed to lead us back to the street where we’d fallen through the magical portal on the London Bridge. Emma was anxious; we didn’t want to bump into the same bunch of Warlocks again. We needed to get back to our world. I had to figure out a new plan.

  No one wanted to believe me when I said that it’s easier to find the way out than in. Drained and exhausted I led my friends through the narrow back streets of this mysterious world. I still had a bit of jinx powder left on me. Zachary yet again questioned my sanity when I took out the small bag and spread the shiny powder all over the brick wall.

  I’d thought that I had time, I’d thought that I could protect her.

  I whispered the formula and told everyone that they needed to get themselves ready. Emma looked uncertain and Zach wasn’t sure if this was safe. The earth underneath our feet began to shake and Emma’s fear radiated through my pores. In any other circumstance I would have tried to comfort her, but that old Maxine was gone. The new one was lost and was grieving.

  Moments later a door appeared in the wall. It was time to go back. My friends had so many questions, and I couldn’t give them answers. Ricky was dying, Zara was lost in her own world. They wanted to know what was going to happen to them.

  The door led us through a narrow tunnel that spread for at least a mile. As we walked back into the real world, I realised that some part of my journey was over. I did give up on Summer when she was born, stupidly thinking that I could keep her away from the ordinary world, from Arthur.

  In the end we found ourselves in one of the underground tube stations, underneath the Oxford Circus. I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t reassure my friends that everything was going to be all right, because my head was messed up. Dead or not, I had to have a drink. It took us another hour to get back to Brixton and walk through familiar streets around my own neighbourhood.

  “Maxine, I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do for you?” Emma asked, taking my hands and thinking about her own daughter. I didn’t want to break apart in front of them, but the pain was slowly tearing me apart. Alexis would use my daughter in order to heal her soul, and she would need her blood for it, a lot of it. I hoped that Matilda was willing to fight to keep Summer alive.

  “There is nothing that you can do. Go home to Suzi. You shouldn’t have gotten involved in this mess. I have made my choice, but that doesn’t mean that you have to make yours too,” I said, knowing that this wasn’t fair. Emma wanted to help me all along.

  She hugged me and reminded me that she was a friend, after all, not just my co-worker. I couldn’t ask her for more. She was already taking care of the clients in the agency. She had her own problems too.

  When I was left alone with Zachary I was ready to head straight to the pub, knowing that magical tequila wouldn’t solve anything anyway. I promised myself that I would be responsible for my daughter’s sake.

  “We will get that bitch, even if I have to enter hell,” Zach said, obviously trying to lift my doomed spirit. I couldn’t deal with the emotional baggage that hung on my shoulders. I had to track Alexis, help Ricky, and my only
other hope was Morpheus. He had to do more than give me empty instructions.

  “Save your speech. I screwed up my life to the full and there is nothing anyone can do to fix it,” I said, wiping the rainwater from my forehead. Zach grabbed my hand and kissed my knuckles and I glanced at him, astonished. Last time I checked he was ready to toss me into the cell and forget about me. I’d never suspected that he would team up with Arthur.

  “There is something about you, Maxine Brodeur, a spark that doesn’t want to leave your side,” he said. I wanted to laugh, knowing that he was trying to make me feel better.

  “I’m useless. I don’t regret giving birth to her, but I regret everything else.”

  “We regret many things. I wish my mother had been less strict with Zara. Maybe she never would have run away,” he sighed.

  Our past several hours were intense and my energy was almost nonexistent. Part of me wished that I had planned ahead. I took a few potions with me, thinking that this would be enough.

  “I’m sorry about Zara. I should have killed Alexis when I had a chance,” I said, bitterly disappointed with myself. I blamed royals for my misfortune. I should have never accepted that job in the palace, but deep down my own voice of reason reminded me that my life had always centred around work.

  In the dim night light Zach looked tired, possibly exhausted by everything that happened today. I looked at my damp clothes, dreaming about Ricky’s luxurious bath. In moments like this I wished I were human. A woman that finished a hard day of work and was going to home to her man.

  “Come on, let me buy you a drink,” he suggested, then glanced at his watch looking slightly shocked. “It’s still only nine o’clock here. Is it possible that the time works a different way out there, well, whatever place we travelled to?”

  I had to double-check that myself, and yes, indeed, it seemed like I was just meeting them in the Broken Shoe.