Vengeance Served Hot

by Martha Carr

  “The truth is, we are a family,” Leira continued. “And we need to talk more about our new-found family business. Things have changed. We are no longer running off to tackle the monsters together. We have our own systems, our own contracts, and our own missions, but it’s starting to get a little extreme. We’ve been leaving each other to take whatever comes with no back-up and no call out, and the other person is left sitting impatiently at home, scared to death something has happened. Things have gotten a lot more serious, and we can’t continue this way or we will lose each other.”

  “I agree,” Yumfuck replied. “It’s better to work as a team than by yourself. Plus, you always told me to work smarter, not harder.”

  “That’s right.” Leira laughed. “And it’s not just you. Can you imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t taken you and Louie to that fight in LA with me? I would have been Yakuza fodder. Then there was the other night at the restaurant. I’ve never seen that many dark magic witches and wizards in one room before. It was terrifying. Luckily, we were together, or at least Correk and I were, so we were able to get out alive. Even then, Correk pulled out some magic I had never heard of before to save us. It is something I can’t do out there on my own.”

  Correk clapped his hands together. “What we need to do is come up with a better plan to work together and always have each other’s backs. I am a Fixer, but that doesn’t mean I don’t put my life on the line or that I can’t die. Turner was lucky, but I’ve seen the lifespans of Fixers before him, and they lived a fraction of the time Turner has survived. That was why Turner handing over the keys to the castle was such a big deal. Usually, they are handed over because the last one dies.”

  “You need some Yumfuck backup. I’ve been known to make heads roll...literally.”

  “That he does.” Leira laughed.

  “Exactly, and I need Leira too. She is extremely powerful and special. We have always had each other’s backs, or at least we did until we came here and Leira left Turner. Now we are all on separate pages, and it’s dangerous—and frankly, not worth it.”

  “The beauty is that we can literally make up the rules as we go. Sure, Correk has certain Fixer regulations he has to work with, but outside of that he is as much of a rogue bounty hunter you and I are, Yumfuck. We take orders, carry them out, and get our payday. We have a system going here, but the system of bounty hunters has to be tweaked. No more going out on your own unless you know for sure it’s minor.”

  “We can be like the Avengers.” Yumfuck jumped up, excited. “I’m Iron Man, you’re Black Widow, and Correk is Captain America.”

  “I like that, only I can’t do flips like she can. She is crazy.”

  Correk stood and put his hands on his hips. “I’m more like Captain Oriceran, come to save the Earthlings from destruction.”

  There was silence for a moment, and Leira and Yumfuck looked at each other before bursting into laughter. Correk faked a pout and Leira jumped up, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him on the nose. She smiled lovingly at him.

  “You can be Captain Crunch for all we care, as long as you are along for the ride.”

  “Oh, I’m here, and you won’t shake me easily.” Correk smirked and gave Leira a kiss.

  “Yuck, love,” Yumfuck chirped and hid his head under the pillow.

  Everyone laughed and Leira looked at her men, stretching her arms over her head. “Well, since we are all awake and on a roll, let’s figure out a system. I mean, things don’t just work themselves out, and I want to know we are all leaving here with back-up even if it’s not needed. I told them I do things my way, so they are just going to have to deal with the extra bodies I bring along. That battle the other day in the railway was brutal. I almost got hit by two different trains, and let’s not forget I had a strong dark wizard blowing dark-magical darts in my direction.”

  “And you, Yumfuck—you could have walked into a trap,” Correk cautioned. “It’s important that we go along, even if you are the one wrestling the bears and handing them over to the Gardener and his nice alter-ego.”

  “I’d kind of like to see this nice Gardener.” Leira giggled. “Yumfuck gets the good stuff all the time. I’m left with snarling wizards and trains trying to run me over.”

  “And I’m neck-deep in artifacts and Japanese mobsters trained like those men in the martial arts movies I was watching a few weeks ago. I have to give it to them—they are damn fast. I’d like to go through that physical training.”

  Leira snapped her head around to respond, opening her mouth but closed it quickly seeing Correk’s eyes go blank and his stare drift to the edge of the room. He stayed that way for several moments before shaking his head and looking at Leira.

  “I have a call, and someone is in some real danger this time.”

  “Then we are all going,” Leira decided. “Not only did we just discuss backup, but I’m tired of everyone running off in different directions when we’re in the middle of something. Yumfuck, you coming?”

  “Damn right,” he agreed, jumping to his feet. “Two good deeds in one day and all before nine in the morning. I’ll go get my cape and mask.”

  Correk and Leira chuckled as Yumfuck ran up the stairs. Leira went into the bedroom and pulled out some clothes, changing quickly and sitting on the edge of the bed to lace her boots up. Correk changed into something he could move easier in and that weren’t his new frog pajama pants and matching top.

  “I don’t know what we will walk into, so you need to be ready as soon as we walk through the portal. Coordinates can sometimes drop me right in the middle of something bad. They are magically sent to me, not put together by Turner anymore.”

  “I got it. When we dropped in on the Yakuza, we literally dropped in on them. They were standing right beside the portal as we moved through. I learned right then and there to always be prepared for an instant battle when going on missions.”

  Correk nodded and pulled his long blonde hair into a low ponytail. He breathed deeply and rolled his shoulders, feeling the buzz of magic blowing through him. He could tell that whatever it was, they needed to get going. Someone was pounding him with the 911 call.

  “It feels good to be doing this together again.” Leira smiled.

  “It does.”

  “Da da ta daaaaa,” Yumfuck called as he leapt around the corner, dressed in his cowboy boots, cape, and mask. “I’m ready to kick some serious ass. Let’s get a move on, people. Criminals wait for no one.”

  Correk smirked and looked at Leira. “I think we created a monster.”

  “Hey, at least he tries to fix problems instead of creating them.”

  “I can be a mini-Fixer,” Yumfuck exclaimed. “I can be your sidekick. Everyone knows sidekicks are usually the ones who save the day, not the heroes themselves.”

  “You got it, Yumfuck the sidekick.”

  “Nah. Batfuck to the rescue!”

  In the living room, Leira and Yumfuck waited while Correk whispered the coordinates, opening a portal. Leira pulled a small fireball into her hands and Yumfuck puffed out his chest, ready for anything.

  “All right, family, let’s do this.”

  27

  They stepped through into the warm early morning hours of Los Angeles and heard the cars honking and roaring past on the highway behind them. Correk scanned the patio they were on, sensing dark magic but not seeing anyone. The sliding glass door opened and the three crouched in defensive positions, Leira still holding her fireball.

  “Whoa, man, back up. This isn’t that type of emergency.”

  “Brittany, I told you no calls unless it’s an emergency.”

  “It is an emergency, just not one that calls for fighting. Who are these lovely magical creatures?”

  “This is my woman friend, Leira, who’s an elf, and her troll Yumfuck.”

  “Yumfuck?” Brittany exclaimed.

  “I named myself,” Yumfuck told her.

  “And it’s a great name,” Brittany said slowly as
if Yumfuck wouldn’t be able to understand her.

  Yumfuck looked at Correk, who shrugged and stepped toward Brittany. As they talked Leira stared straight at her, feeling almost like she was looking into a mirror. The woman had long dark hair like hers, green eyes, and a crooked smile that was all too familiar. Even the way she stood—her shoulders back, her hands in her pockets—was just like Leira. She was finally seeing all the things that Correk had noticed, and it felt kind of strange. Maybe she had a doppelganger and had found her in the streets of LA?

  “So what’s the emergency, then?” Correk asked.

  “We have a situation that is going to take a Fixer. I tried to take care of it on my own, but I just don’t know enough about what’s going on to do the right spells. And I don’t want to mess up and end up hurting the Professor even more.”

  Correk let out a deep breath and motioned for Yumfuck and Leira to follow them into the bungalow. As they meandered through the doors Leira’s jaw dropped, staring at the marble floors, perfect furniture, and huge paintings on the walls. It was a beautiful place, decorated in a way she could never imagine coming up with herself. Her ideas for the house were compilations of different magazine clippings glued to a piece of cardboard. She had never used that much glue stick in one sitting before. It was nothing as elegant as this, and even though she liked it, she knew she wanted something a bit more comfortable and homey.

  “The Professor, he’s always careful with the artifacts—sometimes so careful it can take him hours just to move one from one box to another. He knows the dangers behind these things if they are not handled with care, which makes this mistake so much more ironic. He not only made a mistake, but it affected him on a personal level—probably the worst I’ve seen from an artifact in a very long time. He is a different person, and judging by the history of the artifact, not one we really want roaming around the streets at night.”

  “Tell me about the artifact,” Leira requested.

  “Sure. The Professor came back the other day, talking about how he had bought an artifact from someone.”

  Correk nodded and crossed his arms in front of him. “Do you know who?”

  “He didn’t say, no. It was a set of antique glass prescription bottles that had once belonged to the famous Chicago serial killer, Dr. H. H. Holmes. He was believed to have killed at least two hundred people in the late 1800s before they finally caught him and lynched him in the town square. Most of his killings were during the Great World Fair in Chicago. He owned a hotel about three miles away, which was later affectionally called ‘The Murder Hotel.’ This man was so charming that he was capable of talking just about anyone into anything. That was how he lured his victims—giving them jobs, promising them things, and being the smooth talker he was. During the investigations, he was able to explain away any suspicions by police. It wasn’t until he murdered his best friend that he got caught.”

  “That sounds like someone I used to date,” Leira commented, and she and Brittany both snorted.

  Correk looked between the two of them and shook his head. “Okay, so what happened that switched the purchase of an artifact into an emergency?”

  “Well, the Professor was readying the artifact for inspection. He was going to look at the printing on the bottom, but the container shifted on the edge of the counter and a bottle dropped out. The Professor lunged for it and caught it without even thinking—one of those automatic reactions. Anyway, when he touched it something happened, and now his personality seems to be warping. He’s talking about that time period and looking at me like I’m fresh meat. Altogether, he’s creepy as fuck, I won’t lie.”

  “I need to see him,” Correk replied.

  “Of course. Follow me.”

  Correk, Leira, and Yumfuck followed Brittany down the stairs into a basement laboratory. The Professor was in the corner, chained to a metal pipe. He was trying to reach the artifact, but it was just out of range. He looked at Correk and the others and gave a menacing smile that set Leira’s hair on end. She had never seen anyone like that before, even after all her years as a police officer.

  “I handcuffed him over there because I was afraid he was going to kill me.”

  “Probably a good choice,” Correk replied, walking over and closing his eyes. He pulled energy up, his eyes glowing and the symbols rotating slowly on his arms. He looked for answers and knowledge from the magic. He nodded, turning back to Brittany with a sigh. This one was one of the hardest calls he’d ever had, but he knew he could help the Professor.

  “Usually you have to summon the magic in an artifact to get it to work for you,” Correk explained. “You have to speak a spell or something along those lines. Some artifacts you can’t pick up because the energy is so strong it will burn you, but I’ve never seen it transfer like that. From the dark circles on his palms it looks like the artifact’s dark magic seeped into his body, changing the light and dark inside him. Because that dark magic came from a serial killer, the Professor is feeling those same vibrations. It’s almost a fight between the old him and the new him.”

  “Can you help him?”

  “Well, yes and no. I can’t stop the magic since it’s already too far inside him. Trying to pull it out would probably kill him. But what I can do is tweak it, giving the Professor an alter ego of sorts.”

  “And who would his alter ego be?”

  “The name that comes to me is ‘Father O’Bannon.’ And he will come out more when he drinks.”

  “Great.” Brittany rolled her eyes. “He drinks all the time. I mean, in moderation, but he still drinks.”

  “Then he will have to think long and hard about his beers before he decides to down a pint. That, or I can leave him like this, but I will have to turn him over to the authorities.”

  “No,” Brittany snapped with Leira’s signature dead fish look. “I won’t have him made into some lab rat for the government or locked up in Trevilsom because of the Griffins. Do it, but you will have to explain to him why we did it.”

  “All right,” Correk replied, rubbing his hands together. He slowly approached the Professor, who watched him with a menacing look on his face.

  “Well, hello there,” the Professor said. “And who might you be?”

  “I’m Correk, sir, and I’m here to help you.”

  “Interesting.” He pulled on the cuffs. “I was thinking of opening up a hotel out here. Maybe you and your lovely wife can come to stay for an...extended vacation.”

  “In hell,” Yumfuck mumbled.

  Correk smiled kindly. “Thank you, sir, but I don’t think the hospitality business is for you.”

  Correk inhaled deeply and slowly blew the breath out. He closed his eyes and called to the energy around him, tugging it from the ground beneath him, feeling the warmth of the magic moving through him. The light circled up around his legs and into his chest, lighting up his eyes. Symbols began to appear on his neck and arms, slowly turning since there weren’t many possible outcomes.

  He put his arms out in front of him and spread rays of white light over the Professor, and the man went into a trance-like state while Correk went to work. He stepped closer and moved his fingers over him, moving them up and down like he was typing on a keyboard. He worked slowly, making sure to get every single crevice of the Professor’s body. First he had to suppress the dark magic, stopping it from expanding before he could push it into his new alter ego. This was the first time he’d ever done the spell, but he performed the motions like it was nothing special at all.

  Leira watched Correk work, fascinated by his new magic. His skill as a Fixer had grown.

  Correk looked at Leira and Brittany, startled at the same tilt of the head and determined stare from the two women as they stood side by side.

  He looked back at the Professor, not wanting to get distracted by Leira and her new twin. He shinnied his fingers up the professor’s chest and neck and hovered at the top of his head, pushing as much of the dark magic downward as possible. With that part comp
leted he cracked his knuckles, standing up straight as he started to whisper a spell under his breath. “Ego Changed, Please Sup—”

  Out of nowhere, there was a loud bang and the walls of the house shook, sending dust floating down. Instinctively the two women rushed up the stairs and out the sliding glass doors. Correk noticed the similarities—both taking the same long strides, both focused on the problem, both silent as they raced toward the danger. Yumfuck looked at Correk and shook his head, letting his lips flap with the movement.

  “That is just creepy,” Correk stated. “They are like weird clones of each other.”

  “Two Leiras?” Yumfuck gasped. “It’s a party all the time!”

  “A party? More like a crime novel.”

  Correk looked at the Professor, pushing the thoughts from his mind. He couldn’t focus on that when he needed to tend to the Professor. The loud boom upstairs could very well mean that company was there, which put Correk in a race against the clock. If they stopped halfway through the process, he could make the Professor either permanently catatonic or even more vicious than he was now. Neither of those would do anyone any good, and he didn’t want to cart the Professor off to the Silver Griffins—not if he could save him.

  Yumfuck nodded at Correk. “You got this. I’m gonna go help them upstairs.”

  “Sounds good.” Correk grunted as he moved his hands over the Professor, sending pea-sized balls of light into his skin. “Be safe.”

  28

  Leira and Brittany ran out onto the porch, stopping and staring out at the street. The Yakuza were gathered in front of the Professor’s house. Yumfuck ran up behind the women and looked at all the people staring at them. The masked leader stepped forward.

  “Leira, we have come for you.”

  “Oh, fuck me.”

  “Friends of yours?” Brittany asked, getting into position.

  “It depends on your definition of friends. If you mean, ‘he wants to slaughter me on your friend’s front porch while my family watches in shock,’ then yes, friends.”