“Like, it was an accident?”
“Ohh,” I said. She was talking about the wound. Not the bandage. Of course. “Forget about it. Doesn’t matter. Listen, Paulie’s ok. He’s still in Faerie, but he’s safe.”
Amber stopped moving. Her head lowered, face hidden by her bangs. Tears ran down her cheeks. Suri wrapped her in a big hug from where she was sitting. Amber came into her arms, started bawling. All the emotions she had been holding inside came out all at once. “What about the others?” She asked, sniffling.
Suri reached over and grabbed her a tissue. “With Paulie. Not many made it.” Images of the burning buildings flashed through her mind. The fae, watching and celebrating from the rooftops. Chasing her down the street. A mob trying to kill her, and all the other humans. Suri wondered how many of the shopkeepers had died that way. Or to the prowling goblins.
The kettle started whistling. Amber poured camomile tea with a spoonful of honey. They sat on the couch and watched Orange Is the New Black. Suri had been awake for over 24 hours. She started nodding off to sleep.
“So, what guy were you talking about?”
“Tell you in the morning,” Suri said. A happy little smile pulled at the corners of her lips.
Amber shifted her bum, moving to sit right next to Suri. Locked her arm in Suri’s, under the wool blanket. “Nope. You have to tell me now. And everything else. I want all of it.”
Suri rested her head on Amber’s shoulder. “R-a-j-a.” She said his name carefully. Precisely. Tasting each syllable.
Amber gasped. “Is he a fae?! No way! What did you do?” She could barely contain her excitement. “Tell me, tell me. Please.”
“Only if we get Chinese food tomorrow,” Suri said.
“Deal.”
Suri needed to contact the magi council. Rescue the humans trapped in Lodum. Figure out how the heck they were going to pay the rent. For now, she forgot about all that and let herself slip towards sleep. Remembering Raja’s lips, voice, hands…Wishing he was there with her. “He saved us in the catacombs. He’s hot. Really hot. And a powerful mage. I think he might be a prince, or something.”
“Ok, wow,” said Amber. She tickled Suri to get her to continue. “And?”
“We kissed.”
“Was it good?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh my god,” Amber said, reading her face. “You’re in love.”
“Am not.”
“You totally are. With a fae. You’re in love with a fae.”
Suri pulled up the blanket to hide her mouth.
It was too much for Amber. She squealed, squeezed Suri’s arm even tighter. “I’m coming. I have to meet him.”
“It’s too dangerous.”
“That’s what you always say.”
“I mean it. This is serious, Amber.”
“So serious you found a fae boyfriend,” she muttered, and puffed her cheeks like an angry child.
“He might forget about me. He probably will.”
“Don’t say that!”
“It’s true. He’s way out of my league.”
“No, he’s not. Stop sabotaging yourself. You’re going to ruin this for me.”
“For you?”
“Yes! My BFF has a fae boyfriend. Totally awesome. Raja. Raja, raja, raja.”
Suri rolled her eyes. She had gone from zero boyfriends for years to a mysterious fae lover. Well, maybe. If she ever saw him again. And if he was actually interested in a relationship.
Suri fell asleep thinking of Raja’s smile. But Vestrix’ words kept interrupting, echoing in her mind.
Tell them what Lord Korka has done.
* * *
Next morning. Suri was in the bath. Soaking. Washing her hair. Playing with rubber ducky.
Two knocks on the door. Amber was gone, getting chinese food. Suri sighed, got out of the bath. “Coming!” she shouted.
More knocks. Louder.
“One minute!”
She quickly dried herself off. Wrapped her hair in a towel. Pulled on clean jeans and a tank top. Looked through the eyehole.
Two magi enforcers stood in the hallway. The white eye symbol of the magi council easily visible on the stiff collars of their cloaks. Magic batons in hand, ready to use them if necessary.
Suri opened the door. “Thank god,” she said. “I was about to call you guys.”
The one on the left had a shaved head and black goatee. He looked like one of those guys who goes to the gym just to hit on girls. “Sure you were,” he said with an arrogant sneer. He grabbed Suri by the arm, pulling her out into the hallway. Suri almost threw a spell in his face.
“Hey! What’s going on?”
“You’re under arrest for violation of law #362,” he drawled.
“Disturbing the peace. Revealing magic to ungifted. Gross negligence,” said his partner, a short man with a scar across his nose and half-lidded eyes. He closed the door. “Your motorcycle has been confiscated.”
“Boss wants a word,” said goatee, flashing a cruel grin.
Suri decided it was useless to tell them about Lodum. Went without a word to their black Honda Civic. Got out at the enforcer HQ and followed them inside. They left her at the door to McNaulty’s office. Suri had been there many times over the years, and hated it just as much every time.
McNaulty was the enforcer chief. He was waiting for her, beefy fingers tapping impatiently on his messy desk. Tie already sporting a coffee stain. He had a close-cropped military haircut, thick neck, and the puffy face of a regular steroids user. Like most of the other enforcers, he had years ago failed the Demon Hunter’s entrance test. Apparently none of the other guilds had wanted him.
“You’re the cause of a lot of goddamned paperwork around here,” he said. Suri took a seat in the armless chair opposite his desk. He took a big slurp from an oversized coffee cup. “I was going to throw the book at you this time, but you got lucky. A councillor is missing. We need you to find him.”
Suri pinched the bridge of her nose between her eyes. Everything had just gotten a heck more complicated.
“Listen, I’ve got to tell you something,” she started.
“Yea, yea,” said McNaulty, waving away her words. “You’ll be more careful next time. You should have thought of that before you went into the bloody Orpheum! And that’s after a police chase.” He smacked a tall pile of papers. “It took five enforcers all day to fix your little mess. You’re reckless. Keep this up and…” He pointed his thumb downward. At the underground magi prison, beneath the enforcer station. Where they locked up necromancers and rogue mages.
It was all bullshit. Suri wasn’t even close to ending up there, and McNaulty knew it. He was trying to scare her into going along with his demands.
“We’ll shut down your business if this keeps up,” he said sternly.
Suri’s hair was still wet, towel in the backseat of the Honda Civic. She hadn’t even had time to put on socks before jamming her feet into the nearest pair of sneakers.
She’d had enough.
“There are fifty humans trapped in Faerie,” she said, standing and putting her hand on his desk. “Over a thousand dead or missing. The fae attacked and murdered us. I was about to go to the magi council when your thugs dragged me in. And now you’re laying into me about demerit points? Fucking public disturbance?”
She sat back down, fuming. One of the good things about rarely swearing is that, when you do, people take notice. McNaulty knew she was pissed.
“In Lodum? You’d better not be lying.”
Suri glared at him. Ready to just explode.
“Stay here,” he grumbled. Got up, his metal office chair squeaking and swiveling as he hoisted himself to his feet. He left his office, slamming the door behind him, to confirm Suri’s report.
McNaulty was gone half an hour. Suri slipped out of his office, grabbed a cup of coffee in the HQ’s kitchen. Took a look at the Most Wanted board. Returned to the office. She was thinking about Vestrix and her feathers
when she heard McNaulty stomping back down the hallway.
“Goddamn sons of bitches. You were right. Holy shit magic, you were right.” He ran a hand over his face. “I can’t believe it.”
“You talked to the council?”
“They confirmed it. But don’t think that gets you out of this,” he added, pointing a thick finger at Suri. “You’re partnering up with Logan Drexler. Know him?”
Suri scowled. Shook her head. She wanted to be back in Faerie. Doing something to help the people she’d left behind. Not some chump task.
McNaulty chuckled. Checked his Rolex watch. “Good. He’ll be at Club Noir,” he said.
“He’s a shifter?”
“Ooh,” said McNaulty, raising his eyebrows. “She’s a smart one.” He dropped his tone. “Yea. He’s a shifter. You got a problem with that?”
Some of the Academy’s elite mages don’t like working with shifters. It’s nonsense, but what can you do.
Suri did have a problem, but not the one he was thinking of. “Not at all,” she said, through gritted teeth.
“He’s got a big beard, bald head. Find him. Sober him up. You’re his partner on this. Know what that means?”
“No.”
“Means you got his back, and he’s got yours. Got it?”
“Yeah, I got it.”
“Now get the hell out of my office.”
Suri turned to leave.
“Shit, wait.” McNaulty fumbled with a drawer. Gave it a heavy kick, and it sprung open. He pulled out a crumbled document. “Fill this out. Sign it. Give it to the receptionist on the way out. You’re working for us as a consultant.”
“What’s the pay?”
“Read the damned document,” said McNaulty. His focus was already back on the papers strewn about his desk.
Suri gave him a ‘thanks for nothing’ nod. Was half out the door when he called again. “Catch.” McNaulty threw the keys to Blackbird. “She’s in the garage. Do was Logan says or I’m putting you behind bars.”
Suri shut the door. Gave the paper a glance over and walked to the receptionist.
The pay was $2,000 per month. Not enough to even cover rent. But it was something. Food, utilities, internet. Not for the first time, she wondered why she lived in one of the most expensive cities in the world. She had always wanted to live in the country. A couple of dogs. A couple of kids. 100 acres, near a lake. Maybe she would get there. One day.
Sally gave Suri a puzzled frown when she handed her the document. Suri had that big, stupid grin on her face again.
Maybe, just maybe, this will all work out.
* * *
Suri took Blackbird, and Billy, on a leisurely ride through San Francisco. It had only been two days, but she missed being on her bike. She usually rode it every day. Plus, she felt guilty about letting Billy be locked away.
Billy was upset with her. Suri could tell by the way the engine sputtered at times. Didn’t boost when she asked it to. A couple minor details, too small for anyone to notice but a regular driver.
They went down Lombard Street, down past the water, up to the park on the top of the hill. As time went on, Billy became more cooperative. Demon spirits are a bit like cats that way. Both are fickle, prone to bouts of extreme enthusiasm, and extreme anger.
Suri wound around to Club Noir two hours after she left enforcer HQ. Blackbird was back in total coordination with Billy. Her hair looked terrible, but it was dry. And she found that she didn’t really care so much about her hair without Raja around. Besides, Club Noir was about the last place a gifted needs to worry about dressing up.
It was one of those ‘No shirt? No shoes? No problem!’ places. Suri parked out front next to a row of Harley Davidsons. Two bouncers burst out the front door, hauling an intoxicated young man with tattooed arms. They threw him onto street. He staggered to his feet, yelling all kinds of profanities at the bouncers, but they had already gone back inside.
“Got a light?” he asked Suri.
“Sorry,” Suri said, shaking her head. She stepped around him and gripped the bronze door handle. The door barely moved when she put all of her strength into it. It was heavy, made for shifters. Mainly to keep ungifted from accidentally wandering inside.
Suri temporary boosted her strength with a spell, pulled the door open a crack and slipped inside.
It was completely dark but for a naked light bulb flickering at the bottom of a sketchy looking set of stairs. The deep bass of rave music vibrated from underground. Suri checked her watch. It was 3PM.
What kind of enforcer would be in a place like this?
14
The same two bouncers who threw the guy on the street were waiting around the corner at the bottom of the stairs. Mountains of muscle, standing a solid seven feet tall. Outside, they hid their shifter features. Now they let their manes show. One was a lion shifter, the other a wolf. Both wore the tight black tee-shirts of Club Noir staff. Biceps and pecs bulging ridiculously against the thin fabric. The logo of a roaring silverback gorilla over their hearts. “Noir” embroidered in silver thread beneath.
They fixed Suri with two pairs of shifter eyes. Green, with a vertical black slit for a pupil. Cat’s eyes, same as fae have, when the shifters choose to show it.
“Password,” one growled. His voice sounded like two rocks grinding together.
Behind them was a curtain. Satin black, with a red fringe on the bottom. It parted in the middle, but was closed. Suri couldn’t see anything past it.
“Uh,” she said, sounding really smart. “McNaulty sent me.”
The bouncers looked completely bored with her presence. “That’s not the password,” the lion shifter drawled. He reached out surprisingly fast to grab Suri. Frowned when she dodged, and took a menacing step forward.
Suri couldn’t be sure if he was trying to be threatening, or normal. All he had to do to give someone the shakes was stand close with a neutral expression. If he looked slightly annoyed, Suri would be worrying about broken bones.
She had to do something, fast. Before they got bored of her buzzing around them like a fly. “How about this?” She cast one of fanciest, most impressive looking spells.
Miniature lightning bolts crackled up and down Suri’s arm. She let them circuit for a second, then held out her hand. The bolts gathered in the open palm, a ball of lightning. It brightened the little space at the bottom of the stairs. Way brighter than the flickering light bulb.
The bouncers narrowed their eyes as they adjusted to the new source of light. They still weren’t talking, so Suri made the ball hover a bit in her palm. Then bob up and down to the beat of the club music. Stuff like this is impressive to gifted. And it should be. Powerful spells, like the ball of lightning, are dense with magic. The more dense, the more difficult it is to manipulate the spell. Transform it, make it hover, dance. Whatever. Basically, anything making it behave in a controlled manner. It would be easy to send it flying straight as an arrow. Having it dance a jig is something else entirely.
Suri was doing the same thing Raja had done with the buckets and platters, but on a much smaller scale
“Not the right password,” the bouncer grumbled again.
Suri sighed. “Really, dude? Come on. I’m here to see Logan Drexter.”
“Show us your tits,” said the wolf shifter, flashing a grin.
The lion shifter smiled at that. Seemed to also think it was a good idea. “Yeah,” he said. “Show us your tits.”
Suri flashed them a flirty smile and flicked her red hair. The lightning ball continued to bob up and down. “Will you let me in? After I show you?” Using her free hand, she started pulling up the bottom of her tank top.
“Sure,” said the wolf. His eyes were locked on Suri’s chest.
What the heck is it with men and boobs, anyways? Suri’s aren’t even that big. Anyone could tell you that just by looking at them. But still, these meat heads just had to see them. Didn’t make a darn lick of sense.
Not that Suri was abo
ut to oblige them.
Nothing about this day is going to be easy, is it? she thought. Then she threw the ball of lightning at the bouncers’ feet.
She lowered the power of the spell before throwing it. It didn’t cause any damage, other than make the bulb go out, rip off some of the crappy wallpaper, and temporarily blind the bouncers.
The wolf shifter raised his arms to shield his eyes. The lion ran forward, eyes shut, arms outstretched to catch Suri.
Suri crawled between his legs, parted the curtain, and was met by a huge room full of gifted. There must have been a couple hundred of them. Most danced to the beat on the main floor. Lights flashed around the room from where the DJ played his track up on stage. “DJ Krishna” was written in huge letters of light in front of her station. She had dreadlocks and the fluffy ears of a bobcat shifter.
A pass of the lights showed higher levels, where the bar, bathrooms, tables and chairs were. From up there it would be easy to see the entire main floor. There were about half as many people in that area as there were below. A steady stream of gifted went up and down the spiral staircase between the two areas. Two gifted were making out right in the middle, making the others turn to get around them.
Suri headed straight for the dance floor. The bouncers would be through the curtain any second, angry at being tricked. She didn’t plan to be around for them to latch onto her with those titan hands.
She took off her leather jacket, folded the bottom part and tied it around her waist. She didn’t look like the other ravers, but it helped to blend in a bit better. Suri tried to put herself into a party mood, bobbing her head to the music as she worked her way deeper into the crowd.
DJ Krishna started a new track, started thrashing her head. Dreadlocks flying all around. The place went crazy. Shifters jostled and bumped all around Suri. Some were half-shifted, showing both human and animal parts. Most had a couple features. Fangs, ears, mane and eyes the most common. All were half-naked, hot and sweaty, drunk on the music and whatever they were selling upstairs.
A shifter grinded his body up against Suri’s. Started kissing her neck. Suri squirmed and pushed him off. Kept pushing her way through, hoping that an orgy wasn’t going to break out around her. Shifters are an ‘open’ kind of people.
Faerie Mage: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Vampire's Bane Book 1) Page 9
