West Coast Witch

by Justen Hunter

  “Yea, I can. Think you can draw off some of the weres with Miss Coolidge here?”

  Teresa nodded. “Yea, I think we can manage. Well, Sam, let’s go. We’ll make a three-legged were-vampire. Allons-y!”

  “Here, take the keys.” I tossed them the keys to the Jeep, and Sam caught them. I popped out of the room to cover them as Teresa started to carry Sam back towards the employee entrance. When they reached the corner, she said. “Good luck, Eric.” She and Sam charged ahead, moving with an odd sort of grace.

  I heard one of the guards yell. “They’re taking her!” Taking that as my cue, I started off in the other direction. The next few offices I checked were empty. I was starting to feel my edge rise. What if Amy wasn’t alive? What if she wasn’t safe? What if Lucien had taken her somewhere else after she got here?

  I shook any form of doubt from my mind. No, I couldn’t be fearful. I had to think positive, tell myself that, no matter the situation, I would find her. She had given me a purpose in life, she’d made me realize what it was that I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to save people.

  I had saved one person tonight, so far. Just one more to go.

  I had circled around half the warehouse. The guards, I supposed, were either dead, wounded, or following Teresa out to wherever she was leading them.

  The last door I came to was one of those large vertical doors for a loading dock. I found the controls, and hit the button to open it. It was my last hope. The door screeched to life as it slowly, almost painfully so, opened up.

  I ducked under the door as it rose, too eager to find out what was in it. I realized that, had I known, I would have preferred to wait.

  Amy was there, all right. But what had happened to her had left her hardly what I would call well. Lucien had suspended her from the ceiling on a long chain of black iron. She hovered about a foot off the ground, dangling there like someone’s puppet.

  Her body, at far as I could tell in the dim light, was in pretty bad shape. She wore only a sports bra and jeans. Her back was a whipped mess. Red marks, some of them streaked with still-fresh blood, covered her back in an intricate crisscross.

  “Amy?” I whispered. “Amy, it’s me.”

  “Eric.” She winced. “Oh, you stupid, stupid witch.” Ger gray eyes still had the same eerie light in them. “Run.”

  “I’m not running.” I said. “I’m here to rescue you. Would you rather I just leave you here to die?”

  “I would really rather not, but if it means protecting you? Lucien, Lucien is too strong.”

  “The goal is to get the hell out of Dodge before he gets here.” I leaned up on tiptoes to reach the fastenings for her shackles. I worked at them, finding the release on them. When I hit the release on the cuffs, they seemed to hiss with steam. It was only when I looked down at Amy that I realized it wasn’t from the cuffs.

  Amy’s wrists were severely burned. She whimpered, and when she touched them, she recoiled. “Bloody...” She hissed. “That bastard.”

  “What was on those chains?”

  “Something my being does not take well to.” She said. “Come on, we need to go. Fast.”

  “All right. Do you need me to carry you?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “I should be fine. Just give me a moment, and a weapon.”

  I nodded. “All right. You want the knife, or the gun?”

  “Give me the knife. If I am fighting, I do not want a gun. I want a blade in my hand.”

  “Sure thing, Quixote.” I gave her the knife. Amy stood, and said. “Let’s go then.”

  “Oh, but Amy.” Said a voice from behind me. “We were only just getting started. Can you imagine how rude it would be for you to just up and leave right now?”

  I turned around, and I found myself face to face with a man who could only be Lucien. I can’t think of many men who would wear eye patches and could look that evil.

  Well, maybe evil wasn’t the best descriptor of him. Cruel, definitely. Lucien did in fact wear an eye patch. A scar ran across where his bad eye was, that continued down into his jaw. He stood of an average height, but he was very gaunt and thinly styled. He wore a simple black shirt, and a pair of dark blue slacks.

  His hair was kept back in a slick, giving him the look of a businessman from the eighties. His uncovered gray eye twinkled with amusement. And when he took a step forward towards us, he moved with a quiet, subtle manner. He definitely moved, at least, like a vampire.

  “Lucien, give it up.” I said. I brought my pistol up at him, aiming at his chest. “Sam’s already gone, and we outnumber you here. I’m here acting in the name of the Arcane peoples, as Knight of the Bay, to dispense justice.”

  “WHAT?” Amy asked, disbelief in her voice.

  “You, a Knight?” He sniffed at the air, as if trying to tell something from it. “Ah, Ishmael’s doing, I can tell. He always had such a fondness for your kind, witch.”

  “You know what I am, then?”

  Lucien nodded, a stiff motion. “I have encountered your kind. I am old enough to have known them before their race fell into decline. A pity, but considering what they were are, it left us with a better world.”

  “A better world?” I asked.

  “Well, yes. You witches are quite the troublesome folk. They always cause disaster wherever they go.”

  “Yea, well, this one is here with trouble in mind. You’re here to answer for your crimes.”

  “Well, yes.” He smiled. “And as the accused, I know my rights. I request trial by combat.”

  Amy answered before I even had a chance to think about it. Gone was the reason in the voice. Gone was any of the Amy I had seen mentor me, who taught me how to spell craft. “He accepts. I stand as the Knight's Champion. We fight now, with whatever weapons we have on hand.”

  “I was hoping for this.” He grinned. “I’ll drink your blood when I’ve killed you.”

  “Are you going to fight me, or just keep talking like a coward?”

  The two nodded, and they took several steps away from each other. Amy directed me towards the side of the room.

  Amy then explained, at least in part, what would happen. “We fight, to the death, or until one of us yields,” she said. “You will be here as a witness. If he wins, he is exonerated, and if he loses, he is, obviously, guilty and punished.”

  “Okay.” I nodded. “So, how do we start this?”

  “Say begin.” Lucien said, his voice as cool as could be.

  “All right, then.” I raised my hand, and then dropped it. “Begin.”

  The two almost immediately flew at each other. Amy had my knife, and Lucien seemed to be unarmed. However, as I saw it, Lucien was bigger, and he could outreach her. Added to her injuries, it looked like Amy was at a disadvantage.

  The two seemed to move into a quick pace of fighting. Amy was slower, but she blocked his blows with skill. The two seemed on something of an equal footing. Lucien moved and twisted with a dancer’s grace, but Amy seemed to block each punch, chop, and kick with a precise manner. She wasn’t stylish, but efficient and disciplined.

  However, Amy seemed to be playing the defensive. She only made a few thrusts compared to Lucien’s many. “Give in,” Lucien said. “Give up, and yield. I’ll make it quick, Amy.”

  Amy whirled on him, spurred by the taunt. She moved in for a thrust, but took a punch from Lucien before she could make the cut. She staggered back, and came through a flurry of blows. Each she was just a little slower on defending. I could see her struggling to keep up, panting as she labored to keep the defense.

  Lucien was freaking tireless. The man didn’t relent for a moment. He just kept attacking, and finally, he landed the second blow. It sent Amy sprawling on the ground, and I had to resist the urge to just rush to her side.

  Lucien circled her, chuckling as he spoke. “See? You’re weak. I’m strong, and I’m not even a fraction of your age. It’s just proof of what you are. A useless, old, failure.”

  Amy slowly stood. She f
ound her footing after a moment of steadying. “Yes, just keep at it, Lucien. Let us just see how tough you really are.”

  He lunged, again, and this time, Amy was ready. She side-stepped, and slashed his arm with the knife. Steam rose up from the wound, hissing from the silver. Amy then twirled again, and stabbed him in the shoulder. She pulled the knife, leaving another steaming cloud rising from him.

  “How is that for useless?” She spat down onto the floor, grinning savagely.

  “This has outlived its usefulness.” The vampire rose back to his feet. He moved, faster than he had before. His fist slammed into Amy, tossing her onto her back. “It’s been fun, really, but I must be going.”

  He moved his hands out wide, spreading them. He hissed a word in a language I didn’t recognize. My senses lit up, practically, with the power that flew from him. I staggered back, just watching. The air seemed to just rip open until a white hole was in front of Lucien.

  “Tata.” He waved, and stepped through it. And just like that, he was gone, with the white hole still there.

  Amy pulled herself to her feet. “Eric, I am sorry.” She said. “I did not expect him to do this.”

  “Well, what is it?” I asked, gesturing to the hole. I walked around it. It looked, strangely, like a door, or the opening to a cave. It was flat, but either side shone with a bright white light.

  “It is a portal, Eric. To the Other Side.”

  “The Other Side. That’s mentioned in my mother’s notes. What is it?” I could feel something from the portal. It was Arcane, but what else was there? Where did it lead?

  “It is a parallel reality to our own, a separate world. Over there, magic is still strong, but…things lie there. Things that humanity should not see.”

  “What happens if I step through here?” I asked.

  “You will be on the Other Side, where Lucien opened the portal to. With those wounds, I do not think he could have gone too far. But you cannot do that. You would have to bargain with the Fae or something else to get back.”

  “I can’t let him go, Amy.” I looked to her, and said. “I’m going, and whether you want to follow is up to you.”

  “Eric, do not do this!” She grabbed my arm.

  “I can’t let him hunt Sam again, or you.” I grabbed her wrist with my free hand. “Are you coming?”

  “Stupid, stupid witch.”

  We stepped through together.

  Chapter 26

  The first thing that hit me was the cold. As soon as we stepped through, there was a moment of agonizing cold that swept through me, sending shivers throughout my entire body.

  We came out on a cobblestone road in the middle of a city. The buildings surrounding us were like a medieval metropolis. Large stone buildings stretched into the sky, with towers and small forts interspersed between them. We stood in a road stretching for as far as we could see, with a dense fog limiting our view further than about a hundred yards.

  “Well, this is…odd.” I murmured. “Not exactly what I expected.”

  There was a hissing behind us, as the portal disappeared. “It is a world, at least in some way similar to our own.”

  “Should we get looking for Lucien?”

  “We should move quickly. The less time we spend here, the better.” She said.

  I looked around. The forest was quiet, but I didn’t like that. “Yea, let’s go.” We moved as quickly as Amy’s injuries would allow. I kept watch around the forest, pistol held up and at the ready.

  “He could be in these buildings.” I suggested.

  “No, he would not. You stray too far from the road here, and certain things may not appreciate it.”

  “Certain things?”

  “You think all the monsters are just fairy tales? The Other Side is home to all things inhuman, ready to cross over into our world. The only safe places are the roads and the castles of the Fae.”

  “And by Fae, I’m guessing we’re not talking about Cinderella’s fairy godmother, are we?”

  She shook her head. “Shakespeare, the Celts. They had the right ideas. The Fae are inhuman, even if they do look like us. They used to spend equal times in our realm and theirs, and while they often keep out of affairs on Earth, they are not exactly friendly folk.”

  “Great.” I murmured. “Let’s keep at it then. I want to get home. However we figure out how to do it.”

  It was dusk here, with the twilight sun making the city look even more foreboding. The tall gray buildings seemed alien in how well they were constructed. This wasn't earth, but perhaps something influenced by it. It almost looked like how a large bustling city would have looked if it had been built using medieval technology.

  “Who lives here in this city? Is this the entirety of the Other Side?” I asked Amy.

  “Another time. This is not really the best time to give you a lesson in dimensional mythology.”

  “Do tell him, you only have so little time left.”

  Lucien’s voice sent both of us turning behind us. He was behind us. How did that happen?

  “Give it up.” I said, drawing the sights of my forty-five at his chest. “No trial by combat this time. It’s over.”

  “And here it begins.” He snarled, and then he moved.

  I started to lay on the trigger, trying to hit him. However, the vampire moved faster than the weres had. I couldn’t follow him, and before I knew it, he was right in front of me.

  His hand hit at my trigger hand, and I yelped as I dropped the gun. It clattered to the cobblestones, and Lucien shoved me across the path. I fell down, and I grunted as the pain spread through me.

  Amy lunged at Lucien, roaring as she rushed. This time, it was Lucien who side-stepped her. He maneuvered away from her, and kicked at her back. Amy broke into a tumble, sent sprawling onto her stomach.

  “You really didn’t play that one smart, witch. If she’d taught you anything, she’d know that if I had the power to open up a portal here, I could defeat you still.”

  “Do shut up.” Amy hissed. She tried pushing herself up to her hands and knees, but Lucien was on her in a second. His foot planted into her back, and Amy gasped as she found the ground again.

  I tried bringing myself up, but my body protested with exquisite pain. “Shit.” I moaned as I felt my arms give out.

  “He’s not even a real witch, is he?” Lucien taunted Amy. “He hasn’t shown any real skill. Maybe it’s a fluke. Maybe he’s just got a tiny bit of talent. He’s useless, a weakling. The last thing he’ll get to remember is watching me kill you.”

  Rage burned in me. I wanted to punch his stupid face in. I wanted to give the asshole a second eye he couldn’t use. I pushed myself up to my feet, slowly. “You’re not going to kill her.” I grunted in pain as I slumped slightly forward. I was sure something was broken, but I could dwell on that later.

  “And what are you going to do, human?”

  “I'm going to take you down.” I said. I couldn’t let him hurt Amy any more. I reached out with my senses, and found this place to be entirely different in its magic.

  Magic was everywhere here. It wasn’t the same magic that I’d felt before. Here, it was like I was in the middle of a river, and I could only bring some to my mouth to drink from a little at a time. The place practically hummed with magic. My mind formed the idea of it, thinking back on what Amy had told me about conjuring.

  I shoved my right hand forward, and shouted. “FEU!” The French word was what I focused on, like I was an artillery sergeant ordering a battery.

  But nothing happened. The magic was still pounding through my body, burning my blood. I felt my entire body break out in a sweat, and I started to tremble. “Shit,” I grunted. It hadn't worked. I thought fire would be the solution. Amy had said fire was the thing that all things were equal under. Maybe it wasn't the answer.

  “Like I said,” Lucien said. “Talentless. Witches are extinct, a relic of the past. He'll be consumed by the energy, burned alive.”

  I could feel my b
rain heating up, my vision blurring. Was this really what happened? The pain was filling me, and I cursed myself, for being so cocky. I thought about how I was failing Amy, failing my heritage.

  And then it hit me. My mother's book. Witches had the potential energy of a nuke. Maybe it had to come within. I imagined, in my head, just the energy coming from me, pure force.

  I shoved my hand again, and just thought on the energy, and forcing it forward. It hurt like a bitch, and I screamed in pain as I thought of saving Amy, of getting payback for what he did to Sam.

  “Take it, asshole.” A white ball of energy shot from my hand, streaking across the street. He flew back when the spell hit his chest, like a toy scooped up by a child and tossed away. The pale energy ate at his clothes and skin, turning it black with burns. When the spell died down, every bone in my body was screaming at me to stop. But I was too into it now. Adrenaline had won the day, and I wasn’t going to stop now.

  I picked up my pistol, ignoring every protesting ache and pain, and walked towards Lucien. My vision started to clear, the magic now gone from me, expended now. The metal of the gun felt cool in my hand as I walked towards him, my hand still hot from the fire it had just unleashed. I didn’t even think about the fact that I had just blasted a man with magic. All I cared about was ending this.

  I put my foot on his burnt chest. “Any last words?” I asked him.

  “Please, mercy,” He croaked. But when he smiled at me for mercy, I saw his fangs. I thought about how Damian had bit me, just so they could try to find out how much I knew about Raymond Francis. I thought about how Sam had been tortured at this man’s orders. I thought about what he had done to Amy. I thought about Raymond Francis in the dumpster, dead.

  “This isn’t mercy. It's justice, Lucien. By the power given to me as Knight of the Bay, I pass sentence on you.” I aimed the barrel of the gun at his forehead, and fired.

  The silver in the round sent steam pouring from his head, as his lifeless, shocked eyes, stared up at me.

  I don’t know how long I stood there, just looking down at him. Eventually, I heard Amy whisper. “It is over, Eric. You will be okay.” She had gotten up, slowly, and was standing behind me.