Hellhound Blues

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  I turned to see that Frank, Rags, and Cece had dealt with most of the Shadowhounds. The ones who remained were running off. I noticed Frank gave chase and almost felt sorry for the remaining Shadowhounds.

  “You’ve accomplished nothing, but prolonging the inevitable,” Murk said as I padded over to what was left of him. “We will succeed, and you will be instrumental in the coming destruction.”

  “IT IS CLEAR YOU UNDERESTIMATED ME AND THIS SITUATION,” I said, looking down at him. “WHERE IS SIMON?”

  “By the time you find him, it will be too late,” Murk said with a short laugh. “The bond will be broken, and you will be trapped here.”

  “WHO IS WE?” I said, looking down at him. “WHO SENT YOU?”

  “There are more of us,” Murk said. “The one we serve will not relent. We will remove you, hellhound.”

  “WHO DO YOU SERVE?”

  “Die,” Murk snarled, forming a black orb in one hand.

  I raised a paw and brought it down, crushing him and the orb.

  “NOT TODAY,” I said as I lifted my paw and saw the rest of Murk dissolve into nothing.

  “Shadowhounds are done,” Frank said as he stepped close to me. “Can you still feel Simon?”

  “THE BOND EXISTS, BUT IT IS ALMOST GONE. I FEAR YOU WILL ALL BE IN DANGER.”

  “Then stop wasting time,” Frank said, climbing up my shoulder and motioning to Rags and Cece. “Let’s go restore the bond before Professor Peaches becomes Monster Peaches.”

  Rags looked at me and hesitated. Cece ran past her climbing on my back, forcing Rags to follow.

  “I am not climbing on your back,” Rags said, indignantly. “My legs are in perfect working order.”

  “SURFACE CONNECTION SHOULD SUFFICE, GUARDIAN. PLEASE PLACE YOUR BODY NEXT TO MINE.”

  “Surface connection my tail,” Frank said into my ear. “You are one sly hellhound, Professor.”

  I shook my head and closed my eyes, feeling for the energy signature of the bond I shared with Simon. For a moment I thought it was gone, but then I felt it—a strand of energy fading fast.

  “HOLD ON. I FOUND HIM.”

  TEN

  WE ARRIVED IN front of a large, one-story building. The exterior of the building was covered in black runes that faded in and out of sight. The building itself was small and plain, with no distinguishing features. Four bare sides of dark brick and one large metal door. I let my senses expand. It was mostly an empty space except for one energy signature—Simon.

  “HE IS IN THERE.”

  “Then let’s go,” Frank said, running ahead. “We got this!”

  “WAIT, I SENSE A—”

  A barrier formed as Frank reached the door. The impact bounced Frank overhead, sending him flying. He landed across the street and slid into a wall with an electrical burst.

  “A barrier,” Rags said, and I nodded. “This is no simple defense.”

  “No kidding,” yelled Frank from across the street. “That thing packs a punch.”

  “It’s a stasis field,” Rags said, stepping carefully to the barrier. “I cannot alter this.”

  “Let me try,” Frank said. “Stand back.”

  We moved across the street, and Frank released a large electrical bolt at the door. The bolt bounced off the barrier, blasting into the wall of a nearby building creating a large crater.

  I stepped forward and focused energy in my eyes.

  “PLEASE FIND A SAFE LOCATION.”

  Frank, Rags, and Cece moved around the corner and out of the direct line of fire.

  I fired my baleful glare. The barrier deflected them into the sky. I lowered my gaze to the base of the building. I hoped the barrier only covered the exterior, only to discover that it extended underground as the beams deflected into my body, slamming me back.

  I shook off the dust, debris, and bricks.

  “Can you teleport inside?” Frank asked. “Bypass the barrier entirely?”

  I closed my eyes and felt for the building. It felt slippery in my brain. I couldn’t hold it long enough to go inside.

  “THE BARRIER INTERFERES WITH MY ABILITY TO TELEPORT.”

  “Can I try?” Cece asked.

  “Miss, no.” Rags blocked her path. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “Someone has to get Mr. Simon out, or he’s going to be hurt,” Cece said. “At least let me try. I can keep us safe.”

  After several seconds, Rags sighed and stepped aside. Cece stepped close to the barrier and extended her arms. Frost flowed from her fingers and enveloped the barrier.

  “Freezing the barrier will not alter it,” Rags said, shaking her head. “The energy of the barrier is in constant motion which is why—?”

  White energy flowed from Cece’s fingers and intertwined with the ice. In seconds, the barrier energy slowed and then stopped. Cece walked over to where I stood.

  “Your laser beam eyes should work now,” she said and hugged one of my legs. “Try it.”

  “MAYBE YOU SHOULD STAND ELSEWHERE.”

  “Nope,” Cece answered. “I’m staying right here. I’ll count, you shoot”—she pointed at the barrier—“blast it, Peaches!”

  I looked at the barrier, focused the energy to my eyes, and fired my baleful glare. I heard her small voice count to ten before I stopped.

  I looked at the barrier and…nothing. We started walking back across the street.

  “IT APPEARS TO BE INEFFECTIVE. PLEASE RETREAT TO A SAFE DISTANCE BEFORE MY BOND DISSOLVES COMPLETELY.”

  “Look,” Cece said, pointing at the building. “It worked.”

  I turned around and looked. Nothing seemed changed until I heard the first crack. A spiderweb of cracks raced across the surface of the frozen barrier, followed by a tremor.

  We were still in the middle of the street. I wrapped my body around the cold girl, making sure she was safe when the barrier exploded.

  ELEVEN

  WHEN I LOOKED again, a wall of ice stood between the building and us.

  “Told you I could keep us safe,” Cece said, jumping out of my embrace and heading to the building. “Let’s find Simon.”

  She ran to the building. Rags raced ahead of her and blocked her path.

  “No, Miss,” Rags said firmly. “You will not open that door.”

  “I WILL OPEN THE DOOR.”

  I raised a paw and tapped the door, causing the wall to collapse. Inside, I saw Simon strapped to a large rune-covered column that ran floor-to-ceiling. The black runes were similar to the ones that covered the exterior of the building. I fired my baleful glare and destroyed the top-half of the column.

  Simon fell forward with a groan. Immediately, I felt the bond re-establish between us. “Hey, boy,” he said as he stood unsteadily and looked around. “This is not the Moscow.”

  “Indeed,” Rags said, “We are in a Darkfiend pocket dimension.”

  Simon rubbed his temple and looked at Rags.

  “Did I just hear you?” he asked. “The last thing I remember was trying to speak to Karma about—wait a second, a Darkfiend what?”

  I felt my body leave battlemode and return to normal size.

  “Seems like your human isn’t overly broken, Professor,” Frank said. “Think you can get us back to the bear’s house?”

  “I am not a bear,” Rags snapped with a growl. “I am a garmr.”

  “If it walks like a bear and growls like a bear,” Frank said, while scurrying away and hiding behind me. “Down bear, down!”

  I stepped over to the cold girl, who was busy reading the runes on the broken column. She reminded me of the angry man, and I could sense the power inside her small body.

  “I’m glad we found Mr. Simon,” she said and hugged me. “Is he going to be okay?”

  “I’m fairly certain my bondmate is unharmed,” I said, “considering I was the target of the Darkfiend.”

  Cece nodded. “I’m glad you’re okay too, Peaches,” she said, rubbing my head. “Will you come and visit more often?”

  “
I will,” I said, staring at this peculiar but wonderful child.

  “Promise?” she asked. “Really?”

  “Promise,” I said, my tone serious, “on my word as a hellhound.”

  She clapped her hands and hugged my neck again.

  “I hope you can come over with Mr. Montague,” she said. “Sometimes he’s kind of scary.”

  “Thank you for helping me find Simon,” I said, bowing my head. “I couldn’t have done this without all of you, but especially you, Cecelia, the cold girl.”

  “You are very welcome, Peaches, the hellhound,” she said returning my bow. “Can we go home now? I’m getting kind of hungry.”

  “Yes, let’s,” I agreed. “Meat is life.”

  We walked over to where the others stood.

  “You know, we work pretty well together,” Frank said. “Kind of like a team. We need a name, something catchy like ‘Frank and the Misfits’ sounds perfect.”

  Rags growled again.

  “Fine,” Frank said, quickly. “Well, I like to drink and you”—he pointed at me—“like to eat, ‘Mr. Meat is Life’, so we can call ourselves the Cold Brew & Chew Group on account of the Icicle over here.”

  “She is not an ‘icicle.’ Her name is, Cecelia,” Rags said, adding another growl. “You will refer to her as such or Miss.”

  “How about just the Brew & Chew?” Cece volunteered. “That sounds perfect.”

  “Brew and Chew?” Simon asked. “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t hurt your brain, Strong,” Frank said. “You’ve had a long day. Professor Peaches, take us home.”

  Simon crouched down and hugged me around the neck. I focused, stepped in-between, and took us home.

  TWELVE

  A FEW DAYS had passed since Simon had been gone. He was out with the angry man on a short errand to visit the scary lady. I closed my eyes and sensed his location immediately.

  Another smell filled the room.

  It was the smell of flowers and the sweet smell of wet earth after a long rain.

  She came in quietly and stood in front of me. She wore blue jeans, chewable boots, and a black sweater with a big red letter B on one side.

  “Do you know who I am?” she asked, speaking to me directly.

  “Yes,” I said. “Karma, the personification of causality.”

  With her, I could speak at my normal level. She could understand my true voice.

  “Do you understand what happened?”

  “You allowed my bondmate to be taken and our bond to be interrupted,” I said with a low growl. “That was foolish.”

  “Are you threatening me, hound?” she asked with a lethal smile.

  “I don’t appreciate what you did. Your actions put everyone in danger.”

  “I needed to know if you were…capable.”

  “Capable?” I asked. “Capable of what?”

  “The time will come,” she said, patting me on the head. I let her keep her hand, “when Simon will be taken from you. I need to know you can function and, more importantly, locate him when that time comes.”

  “Are you saying this was a test?”

  “Of sorts,” she said. “Consider it more like an evaluation.”

  “I didn’t act alone,” I said. “I had help.”

  “I know, but you are the hub. You brought them together.”

  “Simon is right,” I said angrily. “Sometimes you can be a real bi—”

  “Careful, hound,” she interrupted, her voice steel. “Do not mistake my kindness for weakness. I would hate to have to erase you.”

  “I’d like to see you try.”

  She nodded. “You sound more like Simon with each passing day.”

  “Coming from you, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “It’s not,” she said. “I’ll stay in touch.”

  She turned to leave, and I growled, low and menacing.

  “Is there something else you’d like to share, hound?”

  “Yes,” I said, letting the menace flow over every word. “My name is not hound.”

  “It’s what you—”

  “My name…is Peaches.”

  THE END

  AUTHOR NOTES

  THANK YOU FOR reading this story and jumping back into the world of Monty & Strong. Those readers who wanted Peaches to be showcased requested this story. I hope you enjoyed it. Peaches, Frank, Rags, and Cece will be teaming up in more of their own adventures in the future.

  With each story, I want to introduce you to different elements of the world Monty & Strong inhabit, slowly revealing who they are and why they make the choices they do. If you want to know how they met, that story is in NO GOD IS SAFE, which is a short explaining how Tristan and Simon worked their first case.

  There are some references you will understand and some…you may not. This may be attributable to my age (I’m older than Monty or feel that way most mornings) or to my love of all things sci-fi and fantasy. As a reader, I’ve always enjoyed finding these “Easter Eggs” in the books I read. I hope you do too. If there is a reference you don’t get, feel free to email me and I will explain it…maybe.

  Thank you for taking the time to read this story. I wrote it for you and I hope you enjoyed spending some moments with the Brew & Chew Crew.

  If you really enjoyed this story, I need you to do me a HUGE favor— Please leave a review.

  It’s really important and helps the book (and me). Plus, it means Peaches gets new titanium chew toys, besides my arms, legs, and assorted furniture to shred. And I get to keep him at normal size (most of the time).

  If this is your first introduction to the world of Monty & Strong story…WELCOME!

  I’ve included the first chapter of TOMBYARDS & BUTTERFLIES the first full-length Montague & Strong Detective Agency Novel. Please read on and enjoy!

  SPECIAL MENTIONS

  Craig-For the Garmr and letting me pick your brain about Rags.

  Mark-For the initial nudge to get the details of Peaches’ love interest and their adventures.

  Cecelia-Because you wanted to be in a story.

  Noah-Cibum Esse Vitae is a most excellent battle cry.

  TOMBYARDS & BUTTERFLIES

  A MONTAGUE AND Strong Detective Novel

  ONE

  What’s more exciting than chasing a rabid werewolf in the middle of the night? Chasing that rabid werewolf in Downtown Manhattan in the middle of the night. The Village, as a neighborhood, was a warren of intersecting streets and dead ends. We had already been at it for thirty minutes and we were closing in.

  “This is what the English did,” I said as we ran down Sixth Avenue. “Who lays out a city like this? A grid, Monty, would it have killed them to use a grid?”

  “The Dutch were here first,” he said. “The English didn’t arrive until 1664. That’s how you get the name New York.”

  We chased it down Minetta Lane off Sixth Avenue. The wet-dog smell punched me in the face as soon as I turned the corner.

  “There’s something wrong with that smell,” I said. “God, he reeks!”

  “I didn’t realize you were a werewolf scent expert,” Monty said as he caught up, his long legs making it easy.

  “I’m not, but this guy smells like he hasn’t bathed in a year. And did you see his eyes?”

  “I did,” Monty said. “He seems to be suffering from some kind of reaction.”

  “Reaction? He tore that poor woman in half. That’s not a reaction. That’s a full-blown infection.”

  “It does seem like he’s unstable,” Monty said as he looked up and down the street.

  “Just a bit, yeah.”

  We followed the scent to the end of Minetta and on to Macdougal Street, when a large, furry blur shot past us.

  “Shoot it, Simon! Shoot!”

  “What do you think I’m doing?” I said as I fired several times.

  “Shoot it harder!”

  We jumped behind a parked SUV. The license plate read RUFFRDR. The truck was one of thos
e huge things that wasn’t quite a tank but could never pass for an ordinary car, either. I figured there was enough vehicle to protect us from the Were’s razor-sharp claws. That theory evaporated, though. We jumped to the side as it sliced through the metal and plastic with ease, rendering our cover useless. The SUV fell apart like blocks of LEGO and I couldn’t help thinking that RUFFRDR was going to wake up in the morning and have a very bad day.

  “Really, that’s what you’re going with, Monty? ‘Shoot it harder’?”

  “Strong,” rasped the creature on the other side of what used to be a perfectly functioning mode of transportation. “I’m going to rip out your intestines and eat them while you watch.”

  “Wow,” Monty said. “He’s pissed. What did you do to him?”

  “Now would be a good time for magic,” I said. “You know, a fireball or two? Or some Were-melting spell?”

  “Can’t—he’s wearing a null proximity rune,” Monty said. “But I don’t understand why the silver ammo isn’t affecting him. You did switch out for silver ammo, right?”

  “Silver…ammo? Of course I packed the silver—shit.”

  I forgot to switch the ammo.

  “You forgot, didn’t you?” Monty said, exasperated. “We’re out here fighting a werewolf, Simon.”

  “I know,” I said. “It’s a little hard to miss.”

  “I’m going to die,” he said as his voice hiked up an octave. “Out here on the filthy street, alongside you. Wonderful.”

  “No, I just misplaced it,” I said with feigned indignation. “Hey, I had to pack all the bags while you did your meditation thing to charge the magic you’re currently not using.”

  Monty narrowed his eyes and glared.

  “Are you saying this is somehow my fault?”

  “I’m just saying a little magic would make this go smoother, especially since I forgot to pack the silver ammo.”

  The werewolf shoved the debris of the SUV to one side. Saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth as he snarled loudly enough to rattle some of the windows. I jerked my head to one side to let Monty know that tall, dark, and fangy was about to shred us.