Mystic Caravan 11 - Freaky Mage

by Amanda M. Lee

  “No, but I’m dying to know,” Luke said. “Was there a zombie in the truck?”

  “No, but my mom’s underwear was in the back seat.” Sami paused in theatrical fashion. “Don’t you get it? They weren’t really watching me. They were doing it. Like ... it! They did it right by my summer camp. They’re animals.”

  I choked on my drink as I tried to wrap my head around what she was saying. “Maybe they just got bored,” I said once I’d recovered.

  Aric’s smile was lazy. “That’s exactly what happened.”

  “And I wasn’t going to kill your friends,” Zoe added. “Don’t start telling tall tales. I was simply trying to hold them off until we got away. Last time I checked, I wasn’t a mass murderer for no good reason.”

  “That hardly matters,” Sami drawled. “The point of the story is that you guys are horny freaks and all the other mothers in town talk about it. I get teased mercilessly. Hannah Abbot’s mother says that Mom has a chemical imbalance.”

  “Yes, well, Hannah Abbot’s mother goes to the electrolysis place in town three times a month because her mustache is so thick,” Zoe replied. “She also doesn’t wear panties under her robe when she gets the mail because she likes to flash the old dude who lives next door to get his pacemaker buzzing. You might consider the source.”

  Sami rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

  “It sounds like you’ve had a wonderful childhood, Sami,” I said. “I grew up in Michigan too. You had a lot more fun than I did.”

  “You grew up in Michigan?” Zoe looked surprised. “Where?”

  “The Detroit area.” Suddenly, I felt distinctly uncomfortable. Sami might’ve had it rough at times, but she never had to contemplate a life on the street. “After my parents died, I lived in the parks for a few years.”

  Fury I wasn’t expecting kindled in the depths of Zoe’s expressive blue eyes. “You were homeless?”

  Sami, who had been all giggles and flirty looks until that point, straightened. “Were you still a kid?”

  I really shouldn’t have brought this up, I realized, too late. “After my parents died I had a rough time in the system. I could read minds, and I didn’t like being fearful all the time.”

  “I’m sorry.” Aric moved his hand to Zoe’s back and lightly rubbed. “That must’ve been difficult.”

  “I survived.”

  “How did you end up with the circus?” Sami asked.

  “I grifted when I was on the street. I used my magic to get people to give me money. I tried it on Max one day. Instead of slapping me back — which he could’ve done — he offered me a job.

  “He said I had to work for it, and I would die on the street if I didn’t make a choice. I knew he was right,” I continued. “It was difficult to leave the people I’d come to know as my family, but I was ready for a change. It turned out to be the best decision I ever made.”

  “That’s still terrifying,” Zoe said. “It’s great that you managed to turn things around.”

  “The circus saved me.”

  “And me,” Luke added. “I saved her.”

  I grinned. “You did. I wasn’t looking to make friends when I first joined the troupe. I figured it was best not to get attached because I didn’t want to lose another group of friends. Luke was having none of that. He followed me around demanding we get coffee and hit the bars at night. Before I realized what was happening, we were joined at the hip.”

  “And then I came around and made her life better,” Kade teased.

  “You definitely did that.”

  “I’m glad things worked out for you.” Zoe was sincere. “Still, that’s a rough start to life.”

  I shrugged. “Everybody has things to overcome.”

  Kade shifted his eyes to the clock on the wall. “I don’t want to be a downer, but we should probably get out of here.”

  “Can you drive?” I asked.

  He nodded. “I only had one drink and that was hours ago. I’m fine.” He glanced at Zoe and Aric. “I can drive you back to your hotel. We’ll have to cram in but we can make it work.”

  “We’re okay,” Aric replied. “Our hotel is two blocks away.”

  “And if those robe freaks try to attack, I’m looking forward to having a conversation with them,” Zoe said as she stood. “I think our best option right now is grabbing one of them and torturing them until they talk.”

  I’d been thinking the same thing. Well, minus the torture. “Maybe we’ll be able to figure out a way to do it tomorrow.”

  Aric left a huge tip on the table and then grabbed the back of Sami’s shirt when she tried to get closer to Cole. “You’ve bothered him enough for one night.”

  Sami made a face. “I’m not a bother.”

  “She’s not,” Cole agreed. “Everybody wants to be loved. Besides, she has great taste. I like being on top of her list.”

  “The list that Luke is fourth on,” Kade added with a grin.

  “Don’t push me,” Luke warned as he glanced between them. “I know what you’re doing. I’m way better than fourth.”

  “Sami just likes darker men,” Zoe offered as we moved toward the door. “They say girls always marry their fathers.”

  Sami looked horrified. “Who says that?”

  “Yeah, baby, I’m not comfortable with that comparison either,” Aric groused. “I’m way hotter than your father.”

  Zoe’s laugh was like a warm blanket buffering the chilly night air pouring in from the open door. She was barely through it when she raised her hands and fired a barrage of magic to her left.

  I pushed past Sami and Aric to join her.

  “What’s happening?” Sami asked, confused.

  “Stay here.” Aric shoved her into the corner of the lobby but Sami was having none of it.

  “No way.”

  “Sami, I have to help your mother.” Aric looked desperate.

  I wanted to reassure him that I had Zoe’s back, but it wasn’t necessary. Cole and I charged next to Zoe, shoulder to shoulder. He’d already engaged, shooting a huge burst of fire toward a group of robe-clad figures.

  Luke moved to join us but I shook my head.

  “No. We can’t explain it … and there are cameras.” I pointed.

  “And we can explain that?” He gestured toward a trio of screaming individuals, all of them trying to escape their flaming robes.

  “Easier than we can explain you turning into a wolf.” I scanned the parking lot, which was down to four vehicles, and found two people standing in front of Aric’s truck. I couldn’t see their faces but it hardly mattered. I still had Zoe’s voice echoing in my head. We needed to capture one of them.

  With that in mind, I started in their direction with more of a swagger than a furtive walk. I wasn’t afraid. It was anger fueling me more than anything else. One of the figures lifted its head, and thanks to the angle of the streetlight I could finally make out some features.

  It was a man, a full beard on display, and his eyes flashed a furious demonic red. He clearly recognized I was coming for him, and he wasn’t happy. Luke opted to stick with me as Cole and Kade backed up Zoe, who was shredding attackers left and right. When she finished, nothing was left but ash.

  Aric managed to make it outside, but he was still grappling with a furious Sami.

  “I want to see,” she demanded.

  I couldn’t worry about them. They’d fought more than their fair share of battles and never once lost a member of their family. Aric knew what he was doing. And, in a pinch, Sami could likely do what her mother could.

  “Don’t move,” I ordered the second figure when it began to edge behind the truck. “I won’t hurt you if you don’t run.”

  “Don’t make that promise,” Luke hissed. “They’ll think you’re soft.”

  I ignored him. “You don’t want to mess with us,” I warned the man with the glowing red eyes. “This is a battle you can’t win. You must realize that.” Even as I said the words, a female from somewhere behind me sta
rted screaming. I didn’t have to look to know that Cole had unleashed his fire yet again.

  “We have to go,” the second figure said. The voice had a low register but I was almost positive it belonged to a female. “We can’t stay.”

  “You’re outmatched,” I agreed. “But I won’t let you run.”

  The man sneered. “What makes you think you can stop us?”

  Did he want a demonstration? Before I could open my mouth, Zoe appeared. Her expression was grim, but she hadn’t even broken a sweat.

  “These are the last two,” she announced. “I think we should put our plan into action.”

  I looked between the red-eyed man and the woman. Who would likely have more information? I was about to suggest to Zoe that we take both of them to use them as leverage against one another when she pulsed a black cloud of magic toward the woman.

  I watched in horrified silence as she went ramrod straight, a silent scream frozen on her lips as her head snapped back. I couldn’t look away as her body turned to ash and then exploded, leaving only glittery remnants of what had once been a human being.

  “And then there was one,” Zoe said, folding her arms across her chest.

  “I was going to suggest we take both of them,” I said.

  “We only need one, and this guy fancies himself in charge of the group.” Zoe had a certain way about her that suggested she wasn’t to be trifled with. She’d mentioned over dinner that she and Aric made a decision early on, when people were trying to steal their magical baby, that they wouldn’t mess around. If enemy factions believed they could attack and survive, they would live under the threat of constant assault. With that in mind, Zoe had started ending every threat with bloody finality, allowing one individual to escape — and never unscathed — to spread the word about how terrifying she was.

  Here, in the limited light the streetlamp offered, I could see why the paranormal community was terrified of her.

  “Now, let’s have a conversation.” Zoe showed her teeth when she smiled at the man. “We’ll start with something simple. What’s your name?”

  “I’m not answering your questions,” the man growled. “You’re an abomination.”

  “I’ve been called way worse. Just last week, when I complained because there was avocado on a sandwich, I got called a Karen. I’m pretty far from a Karen and don’t normally sweat the small stuff. Well, except for bees. They’re evil little devils. Avocado doesn’t belong on a sandwich.”

  I was dumbfounded. “Is that really important now?” I asked.

  She kept her gaze on the man. “What is it that you think you’re doing? Where are the missing girls? What’s with the runes?”

  The man initial response to the barrage of questions was to narrow his eyes. “I won’t answer,” he gritted out.

  “You will,” Zoe countered. “Even if I have to torture it out of you.”

  “I’m not afraid of you. I have the light of the others to protect me.”

  I cocked my head. “Who are the others?”

  He turned to me. “Don’t you know? I was told you knew all about it.”

  “Well, maybe I know the others by a different name.”

  “Yeah,” Luke said. “Like ... are the others people who believe it’s okay to wear stripes and plaid at the same time? If so, we just call them poor dressers.”

  “You’re not who they think you are,” the man said. “You’re ... something else.”

  “I’ve heard that a few times,” I said. “It doesn’t matter.” I extended my hand. “You need to come with us.”

  “No.”

  “You don’t have a choice. You’re outnumbered and outgunned.”

  “And we will get our answers,” Zoe added. “There’s nothing you can do to stop us. In fact ... rip open his head, Poet.”

  The demand caught me off guard. “Excuse me?” My eyes went wide. “Why would I do that?”

  “Not literally. Do that mind thing where you peel open the layers and look inside. I’m fairly certain you’ll find nothing but memories of poor sexual experiences, but he won’t be able to hide their plans if you force your way in.”

  “I usually prefer a bit more finesse,” I hedged.

  “We just killed fifteen people,” she pointed out. “The time for finesse is over.”

  She had a point and still ... . I opened my mouth to give the man a final chance to surrender, but it was already too late. I recognized the exact moment he made up his mind. Even as I was raising my hand to force him to lower the dagger he’d pulled from the folds of his robe, it became apparent that there was nothing I could do to stop what was about to happen.

  His hand didn’t tremble as he raised the dagger to his own throat and sliced.

  “Oh, geez!” Luke took a step forward and then threw up his hands as the blood began to flow from the man’s throat.

  Zoe was more decisive, her hands already glowing blue as she reached for him. He fell to the ground and she leaned over to heal him. The frustration on her face was evident as she poured as much magic as she could muster into him. It was all for naught. He was already gone.

  “Is he dead?” Sami asked, jerking away from her father to stand by me. She looked mesmerized by the scene. “Did he do that to himself?” Her eyes were full of horror when she looked at her mother. “Why did he do that?”

  Zoe hesitated and then held out her hands, the blue light extinguishing. “Because he preferred dying to answering our questions.” She planted her hands on her hips and met my gaze. “That did not go the way I thought it would.”

  “Oh, you think?” I couldn’t stop my agitation from bubbling up. “You shouldn’t have said what you said. If he didn’t realize I could get into his head, he would’ve let us take him.”

  Zoe clearly felt otherwise. “I was trying to shake his tongue loose. No guy wants a female in his head. He doesn’t want to be exposed as a deviant. Do you have any idea how many times a day a dude thinks about sex? It’s freaky.”

  “Thank you, baby,” Aric drawled as he grabbed Sami around the waist. He seemed intent on keeping her from getting too close to the body. “I love you too.”

  “I don’t understand.” Sami stopped fighting her father’s efforts and turned a set of tearful eyes to him. “Why would he do that?”

  Aric looked helpless as he dragged a hand through his dark hair. “There are zealots out there,” he said. “There are people willing to die for a cause. Obviously this guy was one of them.”

  “Like you and Mom are willing to die for me?”

  I didn’t envy Aric his position. Explaining why this happened to a teenager was difficult, and he was struggling.

  “It’s different. We’ll talk about it at the hotel.”

  “I want to understand now.”

  “We don’t have time for that.” Aric rested his hand on Sami’s shoulder and focused on Zoe. “We can’t leave that body here.”

  “No,” Zoe agreed, holding out her hand. “Give me your handkerchief.”

  Aric wordlessly did as he was told and watched as Zoe wrapped the dagger in it before shoving it in her purse. Then she searched through the pockets of the robe before moving to the jeans hidden beneath.

  “He doesn’t have a wallet,” Zoe said. “No chance for ascertaining his identity that way.”

  “So what do we do?” Cole asked. “I can set the body on fire. It should burn fast.”

  Zoe pressed her lips together and shook her head before resting her hand on the body. Within seconds, it turned to ash. “We don’t need the fire.” She was grim as she stood. “We can’t stay here. Someone will have alerted the cops.”

  I was flummoxed. “That’s it? Shouldn’t we talk about this?”

  “Not tonight. We need to scatter. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  I knew she was right but I was still frustrated at the turn the battle had taken. “We need to come up with a better plan next time.”

  “That’s also for tomorrow.”

  15

>   Fifteen

  I was still angry when we tumbled into bed, but my agitation had dissipated by the time the sun drifted through the bedroom curtains the next morning. Kade, likely sensing I was awake, cuddled me close.

  “I don’t think she realized what was going to happen,” he said by way of morning greeting.

  I frowned. “You’re making excuses because you’re hot for her.”

  I could feel his lips dip into a frown against my ear. “I wish you wouldn’t say things like that. I’m not hot for her. I just ... she’s very powerful, and she’s like me.”

  I wanted to be angry — mostly because I was so disappointed about losing out on a source of information — but I couldn’t pull it off. “I’m just surly.”

  He chuckled. “I never would’ve noticed.”

  “I like her.” I meant it. “I just wish she hadn’t run her mouth.”

  “I think we all wish that. I’ll wager she does too. Only a true zealot would do what that guy did. Nobody was expecting it.”

  “I know.”

  “Luke could’ve just as easily been the one to run his mouth.”

  “I can’t help feeling we missed out.”

  “We did, but we’ll know better next time.”

  “You’re assuming there will be a next time.”

  “Aren’t you?”

  There would definitely be a next time. “I wish I knew why they were fixated on me ... and who are the others? What are they talking about with this ‘others’ nonsense?”

  “All I can think about is that television show. Lost.”

  I smirked. “Luke and I binged that about three months before you joined the circus. He’s a big fan.”

  “Kate was smoking hot.”

  I elbowed him in the stomach. “I’m smoking hot. Focus on me.”

  “You’re definitely smoking hot,” he agreed. “That’s the first thing I noticed about you.”

  “I thought the first thing you noticed was my bad attitude. That’s what you told me.”