by Jeff Hale
There was a similar set up to the front entrance with all of the sensors and alarms and wards to identify what type of creature was coming into the club, as well as whether we were armed, and if so, with what. I wasn’t armed, well, not in the traditional sense anyway. Luckily, Lucien was plenty dangerous on his own, and could easily eliminate any threat in his club.
He was the Phoenix after all.
The twin Cyclopes on the other end of the short tunnel nodded as I entered. The club on the inside had changed very little. Newer, more cutting edge tech for the DJ station maybe and newer lights on the dance floor. Nothing that’d be obvious at the exact moment when the club was technically closed.
I went immediately to Lucien’s office and knocked on the door. It opened and I went in, surprised that Lucien wasn’t inside, but not surprised to see that his office hadn’t changed. The jungle environment that his office existed in was actually a pocket dimension that bent to his will. Tropical birds of all sorts flitted to and fro as I sat in a chair across from his desk to wait. He would show up whenever he was ready to. One didn’t rush one of the oldest Primal Aspects of our world.
“Ah. I see you have arrived, old friend.” Lucien appeared behind his desk as though he had been sitting there the whole time, and for all I knew, maybe he had. He was dressed in a bright red suit with an orange tie and black dress shirt. His silver hair seemed to flow around him as if in a constant breeze.
“Good to see you again,” I said back by way of greeting.
“We must speak about a mutual acquaintance and your… rough handling of her emotions last night,” Lucien said simply, leaning forward on his desk with his hands clasped in front of him.
“Kat told you?” I asked, incredulous. Part of me was a little bit jealous that Lucien even bothered with her.
“She still comes to me when she needs advice. She genuinely cares for you. She doesn’t know how to approach you right now, even though she desperately wants to speak with you on a number of subjects. What you do with this new knowledge is your choice, of course, and I apologize that you had to hear it from me,” he informed me.
“No need to apologize. Thanks for telling me. Now, I need a favor of you,” I said.
“Ask, and it is yours. You know this.” He opened his hands in offering.
“I need you to speak with one Lochlan Shaughnessy. He leads—”
“A pack of rakshasas. Yes. Actually, he is the de facto leader of the entire species, at least on this continent. I can speak with him on behalf of the fae of this court. He owes me. After all, I let him enter and leave the city intact when I was not inclined to do so. What is it you need me to speak to him of?”
“Calling off the mark he has on my head.”
“He wishes you dead? Why shouldn’t I just eliminate the problem altogether?” Lucien waved a hand as though Lochlan Shaughnessy was an insignificant annoyance. “I realize how deeply his connections go, but he is merely a vampire in the end.”
“Yeah, well, he may be justified. It has something to do with Kat. He’s just protecting her I think.”
“Ah. Is this part of the dissension between the two of you? Or is it because…?” Lucien asked, tilting his head to one side.
“Yeah, I’m in love with her, you had to drag that out of me, didn’t you?” I asked irritably.
“I did not attempt to drag any such confession from you. You gave it of your own free will. I will do what I can about this situation.” Lucien leaned back and crossed his arms.
“Good. By the way I also need to talk to Merle.”
“Not possible, I am afraid. Perhaps it is something I could help you with?”
“Yeah, only if you can tell me how it is that Serena is alive?”
“I am unsure. Wait….” He trailed off and seemed to concentrate. “No. Nothing. I’m sorry. If someone had been reborn, I would know of it. Perhaps this girl just bears a striking resemblance? It happens at times.”
“Yeah, maybe.” I sighed.
“Just be careful out there. There are a lot of forces moving about these days,” he warned.
“Yeah. Like Baba Yaga’s henchmen,” I said with a hint of disdain.
“Indeed. And they are all aware of where you are most of the time,” he said.
“I’ll watch myself then.”
“See that you do. And do not hesitate to contact me again if you need advice, shelter, or help. You will always find a home here.”
“Thanks, Luce.”
He disappeared, leaving me alone in his office again, so I left and made my way out of the building. As I walked out I used the Aether to search for Celeste, hoping to pinpoint her location. I kept up the search as I took the bus to the office and by the time I got there, I had located Celeste at a house in Summerlin. I glanced at the bus stop and decided I didn’t want to wait again, so I teleported to the nearest street to the house and began to walk. It dawned on me that just showing up at her home might be considered a bit creepy, so I wrapped myself in Aetheric energy, pulling on the heat from the air and allowing the shimmer of it to mask my movements in an improvised type of stealth. I wasn’t exactly invisible; it was probably similar to the visual camouflage that the creatures in the Predator movie used. It wasn’t perfect, but it would keep me unseen to most casual observers. I let myself float upwards on the rising heat so that I could watch the backyard where I knew she was.
I am not stalking her, I swear. I am merely… observing.
She wasn’t alone. Her friends were with her, some of them swimming in a pool, and I doubted they would notice if I moved in closer. I settled carefully on the cinder block wall that ran along the back part of the yard and just watched. Celeste was lying on a lounge chair and taking in the sun, her body barely covered in a red bikini. She had put on some muscle, if she really was Serena, in the last four years or however long it had been. Not so much to be unattractive, just enough to accentuate the curves of her body quite nicely.
On a table near her was a boom box playing some happy upbeat music that I only vaguely recognized, until it dawned on me that it was Ace of Base, one of Serena’s favorite bands. On the other side of the table was another lounge chair occupied by one of her brunette friends from the mall. The other girl was wearing a shiny purple bikini that was so tiny she might as well have been naked for all it covered.
Splashing around in the pool were the two guys from the mall, and the other brunette girl. Both guys were shirtless, and both sported the sort of wiry muscle that runners tended to gain. The girl was wearing a blue bikini similar in design to the other brunette’s. Celeste’s was the only bikini that could be considered safe for public viewing.
“Come on, babe, when are you gonna join us?” the darker haired guy asked, looking Celeste’s way.
“When I feel like it,” Celeste responded. “Don’t worry, hun, I have plenty of time ta swim circles round ya.” She used her elbows to prop herself up and watch the friendly play in the water, smiling.
“Oh go on, Leste. I’ll be fine here by myself. I know you’d rather be in that pool. Only reason you were up here was to keep me company. Go. Swim. Splash. Have fun,” the brunette on the lounge chair said.
“Thanks, Tiff,” she said as she stood. She took a few quick steps, dove into the water, and came up laughing.
I watched as she surfaced, coming halfway out of the water before settling back into it. The play of water and light on her skin and hair mesmerized me and I leaned back a bit, enjoying the opportunity to see her at home in her element. I continued to watch as she played and chatted with her friends, quickly learning that the dark haired guy was her boyfriend, Travis. The other guy was named Kevin and the two brunettes were cousins, Tiffany and Erin. Kevin was Tiffany’s boyfriend, but I got the idea that he had permission to sleep with Erin whenever he felt like it.
I stayed for a while longer, but after a bit I began to feel left out, that I wasn’t a part of it. I knew I had to leave when at one point Celeste dove under the water and
Travis went down after her, and they came up kissing. I had to resist the urge to put a blade through the guy’s head. I should have been there with her, not this Travis guy.
I teleported to my office in a depressed mood, hopeful for something to take my mind off of it. Lisa should have stopped by to drop off Kent’s schedule by now. I checked the inbox on my desk and it was there. As I looked it over, I saw that he was taking primarily cryptozoology classes just like Lisa had said.
I sat at my desk and pondered how I was going to get into the classes that I needed to be in to perform my investigation. Then it clicked. Of course. Bianca. After the Barrier fell, Bianca decided to get a doctorate in cryptozoology and then tested out of the entire thing. One dissertation on supernatural creatures, doctorate, done. I had my suspicions that MAGE had pushed the university to allow her to just write the paper in lieu of taking the classes.
Of course she passed due to her mass amounts of experience as a MAGE agent. She had contacted me to tell me what she was doing and to get permission to talk about Sentinels if she ever got a class of her own. I said it was fine. My belief was that if someone is educated about a thing that it is no longer an unknown and therefore not something to be feared. I checked my phonebook and called her number.
“Bianca Haid’s office,” a masculine voice answered.
“I need to speak to Bianca. Tell her it’s an old friend,” I said.
“One moment.”
There was a click, then I got to listen to muzak while I waited for her to pick up. A few minutes later there was another click.
“This is Ms. Haid. How can I help you?” she said in a formal tone of voice.
“Bianca. It’s Aerick,” I said.
“Aerick! I haven’t heard from you in a while, how are you doing these days? What have you been up to?” she asked enthusiastically.
“I’m not doing too bad. I did a year of magical study and training with Merlin. I don’t think many people can say that.”
“No, I suppose not. One of these days we need to go out for coffee so you can tell me what he’s like,” she suggested, her voice wistful now.
“Maybe. He’s stuffy, I can tell you that now.” I laughed and so did she.
“So, what are you doing with yourself?” she asked.
“Well, that’s why I’m calling actually. Remember Raven? Well, I’m working with her and we’re private investigators, bodyguards, that sort of thing. Anyway, did you have a Kent Dyson in your class at all this year?” I asked.
“Uh… hold on.” I could hear the sound of a drawer being opened then the flipping of papers. ‘Uh, yes, right here. I thought so. Smart guy. Too bad about what happened to him,” she said.
“What did happen to him?” I asked suspiciously. I didn’t want to suspect her but….
“I have no idea. He just… I don’t know, disappeared a few days ago. A lot of the faculty figure that he went on his snipe hunt and found it and got turned into lunch,” she said sadly.
“By ‘it’, you mean the manticore, right?” I asked.
“Yeah. He was hunting a manticore that he thought was in the region. I personally confirmed his findings, but I tried to warn him away from trying to observe such a dangerous creature. If there really was one here, it’d be very territorial,” she told me.
“Well, he never went after it. He disappeared and whoever kidnapped him or killed him didn’t do a good job of covering their tracks to make it look like he went on his trip. His stuff was packed, but left on his bed,” I stated, looking over my notes.
“Oh, no. That’s horrible. So you’re investigating his…” she began and trailed off.
“Disappearance. I’m labeling it as a disappearance right now,” I finished for her.
“Okay, good. If anyone can find him, it would be you. So what did you need from me, outside of that information?” she asked.
“Well, I need to enroll,” I said bluntly.
“Now that’s something I never thought I’d hear from Aerick Kerensky.” She laughed. “Okay I can get you in. Summer has already started, and we’re right in the middle of a short session. I can get you into Cryptozoology 105 and Cryptobiology 105. That sound good?” she asked.
“Are those the same classes that Kent was taking? With most of the same students?” I asked looking at Kent’s schedule again and seeing both of those classes on it.
“Yes,” she confirmed.
“Good. I’ll need to be able to talk with them so I can question them discreetly,” I said.
“You? Discreet? Oh dear, I do believe that the world might be ending.” She laughed again and I could hear her typing away on a keyboard.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence. I’ve learned a lot in my time away,” I muttered.
“Oh, I’m sure you have. Anyway, welcome to UNLV, Aerick Kerensky, you’re officially enrolled as of right now. I’ll expect to see you in class tomorrow,” she said.
“That quick? Doesn’t it have to go through admissions or something?”
“Well, yes. Which I just happen to have access to, but that’s our little secret.”
“Good. Thanks Bianca. It means a lot,” I told her.
“Anytime, and anything for you, Aerick. See you tomorrow,” she said before hanging up.
The next morning I teleported myself to the UNLV campus. It took a bit of searching, but eventually I found the office where I picked up my student ID, new student packet, and schedule. The lady behind the counter commented on how quickly admissions had pushed me through, but I just smiled and ignored it. Checking the map that came with the packet, I quickly found the newest building that was recently added thanks to fae construction; the Aetheric Education Building. I had to shake my head as I entered the building and saw the bronze plaque with the building name and dedication: the Lucien Hall, so christened due to the money and manpower donated by Lucien for its creation. I had realized that Lucien was generous, but I had no idea that he was a philanthropist.
I shook my head again, vowing to myself to talk to Lucien about it, then found my first class, Cryptozoology 105. I was a couple of minutes late, but I knew Bianca would forgive me. I walked into the hushed classroom as inconspicuously as I could, then looked around and noticed a seat right next to the door, in the back row, in the corner. Alone. Perfect. As I moved towards the seat I heard Bianca lecturing.
The class was typical of a college class room, amphitheater style, with rows of seats and counter like desktops marching upwards towards the back. There were aisles in between every set of five seats, with short steps as they descended. Bianca was still lecturing as my gaze swept past her. She was looking pretty damned good in a knee-length black skirt that hugged her figure, a white blouse with a dipping neckline and a black vest. She had always been striking, but she looked natural up there teaching.
That was when I noticed her. The girl, Celeste, was here. I hadn’t been expecting that. I took a breath and steadied myself. And then... next to Celeste…. I groaned inwardly. Kat and Kris.
Great. That’s all I need. Wait. Does Kat know Celeste? How could she not tell me?!
I would have to find out just how long Kat had been coming to UNLV. For all I knew this was the first class they had had together and Kat didn’t know Celeste. But how could she not know sitting right there next to her?
Can’t she see?!
“So, you should have all read Chapter Fifteen last night and I expect you all to be prepared… well, Mr. Kerensky. Glad you could join us. I realize you are new to the class, but I hope you don’t plan to make a habit of being late,” Bianca said, looking straight at me. A couple of people giggled and chuckled. I shot her an unpleasant look as the entire class swiveled in their seats to look at me. Including Celeste, Kat, and Kris.
Fucking great.
If it had been anyone but Bianca I would have incinerated the woman on the spot. Luckily for Bianca, we were friends and she had let me get away with a lot of shit while I worked for her at MAGE, so I sort of owed her. I ju
st nodded and sank into my seat. She gave me a quick smile and went back to lecturing.
“Anyway, as I was saying, you should all be prepared to discuss what makes unicorns different, and therefore more dangerous, than…” I tuned her out as I glanced around the classroom and the students. No one looked or seemed like the type to kidnap or kill someone. They all seemed like pretty normal college students to me, but I would still have to find a way to surreptitiously ask some questions. Any one of them could have information that could prove vital.
Bianca was describing the deadly utility of a unicorn’s horn when I started watching Celeste. At one point I noticed that Celeste, Kat and Kris all looked back at me, thinking I wasn’t looking, and when they noticed me staring in their direction, they hurriedly looked away and started intensely whispering amongst themselves for a few minutes before Bianca caught them.
“Excuse me, ladies. What’s so important that you must whisper to each other during my lecture? And what is so fascinating about Mr. Kerensky back there? I know he’s new, but you will have plenty of time to ogle him after class. Now I want answers, girls. To both my questions,” she said imperiously. I knew that tone of voice. That was the voice she used when your performance wasn’t up to snuff, or when you handed in a half-assed case file. It meant she wasn’t happy.
Kat, Kris, and Celeste were looking at each other in a half panic. It was Celeste that finally spoke up. “I was jus’ curious about ‘im is all. He looks like the frat type, but I’ve nevah seen ‘im on campus before,” she said.
“And, what? You’re supposed to know every frat boy just because you’re in one of the most popular sororities?” Celeste quickly shook her head, looking slightly embarrassed as Bianca continued her berating. “I’m sure there are plenty of frats that have slipped under your high and mighty notice, Ms. Lynn. So why did Ms. Shaughnessy have to be included in your curiosity?”
“Kat kinda knows ’im, so she was tellin me about ‘im,” she said meekly, and her accent was really thick now. Probably from being nervous.
“And just what did Ms. Shaughnessy tell you about him?” Bianca asked.
