We mercifully came to a stop before I threw up. I opened my eyes and noticed the vibrant rosebuds in the darkness. I followed Redridge, who normally didn’t pass through the vortex, and Blodeuwedd in human form up the Valley of the Gods with two mountains on either side. She led me into one of the many audience chambers that had been dug out of the bases of both mountains.
A huge open room had been carved out of the mountainside with wall torches and fires beneath cauldrons illuminating the area. Seven round stone tables with wooden chairs around them were scattered about the room.
Cerridwen, her wild, dark curls slithering around like snakes, made me uneasy. She attended to the three burning cauldrons on the right-hand side of the room and I noticed intricate nature scenes had been carved into the wall behind her.
The Goddess of Poetic Inspiration, Rebirth and Transformation wore a loose red dress that barely covered her chest but swept the ground as she danced from cauldron to cauldron, stirring the ingredients with a huge wooden spoon. The aroma of pumpkins, cinnamon and squash filled the room as her golden bracelets rattled from the stirring.
I noticed two other Gods and Alayna, who wouldn’t even make eye contact with me. I assumed she was here to listen to the conversation. Blodeuwedd sat down at a table with Cernunnos and The Dagda. Small crowd today.
“We hear you’ve seen one of our own.” The Dagda spoke in a soft voice, a stark contrast from his muscular body. The God of Wisdom and Power wore a hooded cloak, the hood seemed to float around his head, leaving his short red hair visible. He puffed on a pine pipe and the smoke that smelled like spicy cloves danced around his freckled cheeks and icy blue eyes. The aroma mingled harmoniously with the one coming from the cauldrons.
I tried to explain what had happened. “Indeed. The demons lured him out of Clara Spiritus somehow and kidnapped him. Now I think the demons are going to use him for this G20 murder plot. They have him and one of my friends from a group I’m in.”
“Stacy Redbok. We know.” Cernunnos said, as he threw some sunflower seeds toward the seminivorous baby birds in his massive beard that hung to his belly. The Lord of the Wild Things had horns coming from the top of his head, wild dark hair, and a beard streaked with gray that housed several tiny birds that he continually fed seeds to.
The Gods spoke with slight English accents, but they adapted to any audience concerning the content of the conversation and the vernacular.
I said, “What do you know about the Jersey Devil? I guess you already know about the deal he’s trying to make with me.”
The Dagda quickly answered, “Real name, Montidoro. He went to the earth’s surface to cause trouble as a young man in the 1850s. That’s where he developed his nickname. Rumor has it that his father pushed the moniker because their names were too similar. What else? Demi-devil. Mother, a dragon. Father, Montidore, one of the thirteen devils in the Red Cavern. He’s tried a few acts on the earth’s surface but nothing of this magnitude. He’s a master shifter and one of the strongest demons the Red Cavern has to offer. I know nothing of any deal he has offered you.”
Cernunnos spoke in his booming tone, “That is where the details become blurred. What deal have you been offered?”
I revealed, “The Jersey Devil wants the Sacred Pages in exchange for Mabon and Stacy.”
The Gods laughed, just as I knew they would. “I guess I am included in that too,” I hoped to sweeten the pot.
They laughed again. Blodeuwedd stroked her cascading curls, and said, “You know that isn’t possible. And Mabon allowed himself to be captured. His mental discipline was lacking.”
“So because of a short moment of mental weakness, you’ll allow him to die.”
Cernunnos used his thumb to pet one of the birds in his beard. “I would look at the situation in reverse. If I had been taken, I would know that there wasn’t any possibility I would be traded for our Sacred Pages. And I would understand completely. Mabon’s immaturity might not be able to see that, but we aren’t breaking thousands of years of traditions, constructed by millions of people, for three people.”
The Dagda added, “The Red Cavern is a very powerful entity that thrives on dark magic. If they were to obtain our secrets, there would be no stopping them. The most powerful beings are those that cross both forms of magic.”
I found it funny that Alayna still faced the cauldrons, pretending that she was watching Cerridwen. I said, “So, there is a sect of super beings that combine both forms?”
The Dagda picked up a rectangular weight from under the table and began to do curls as he talked. “Therein lies the problem. There are only a select few that can handle that type of magic without spontaneously combusting.”
“Who would be able to do it?” I needed to know.
Blodeuwedd immediately answered, “Gods and Devils mainly.”
I followed up. “But could a demi-God or demi-Devil harness the strength?”
She tossed her head from side to side. “Possibly. Probably.”
I added. “Well, the Jersey Devil is a demi-devil. I mean, he’s part dragon for crying out loud.”
Cernunnos grabbed his fortified wine off the table and took a big drink from the chalice. “Which is precisely why we cannot let the great book fall into his hands.”
I hadn’t realized I was making the wrong argument. “Would Mabon give away the secrets? He knows them all by memory.”
The Dagda lowered his head. “If he allowed himself to be taken by the demons, my confidence level isn’t very high. Mabon isn’t suited well for torture and he already talks too much. It’s not the greatest recipe to keep our secrets safe. Now do you fully understand our dilemma?”
I didn’t. “I do. I told the Jersey Devil you would laugh at the prospect of throwing the Sacred Pages into the Red Cavern. He said I had until the 29th, so tomorrow. If I don’t deliver the Pages, he’s going through with the G20 murders too. I don’t know what to do.”
Cerridwen started humming a tune that would give the greatest opera singers a run for their money as she stirred the middle cauldron.
Blodeuwedd said, “We’ve deployed a skilled group of feelers to gather information about this hideous plan so that we can help stop it.”
I let out a monumental sigh of relief. Suddenly, I didn’t feel so alone in this endeavor. “What have you learned?”
Cernunnos held out his finger in front of his beard and one of the chicks ran out onto the perch looking for food. He held up a sunflower seed on his fingertip that the bird chirped at, snatched with its tiny beak and then devoured. “Unfortunately, nothing yet. The Jersey Devil and the Red Cavern as a whole seem to be covering their tracks rather well.”
“Well if you find out anything, will you let me know?” I asked, dejected.
The Dagda laughed. “Don’t you think it should be the other way around?”
I hadn’t thought about that. My friendship with the Gods had caused me to forget the hierarchal system I was dealing with. “I suppose you are right. I forgot my place.” All in all, it was a really good place, too. I really couldn’t complain about having to answer directly to the Gods in exchange for basking in their great knowledge.
I stayed for dinner, and when I walked out of the entrance of the cave, Redridge was waiting diligently to take me back to the Deep Burrow. He’d become extremely loyal to me since I assisted him with the angry band of snotlings.
We flew back to the Deep Burrow in darkness. I gave Redridge a goodbye hug and walked into the elevator portal in the woods where I had entered the underground world. You had a great fall to get to the underworld and this elevator took you back to the surface of earth.
The elevator car shot up toward the sky with reckless speed, and I started to feel sick. My head began spinning, so I closed my eyes.
With a sudden jerk, the car stopped and the doors slid open.
I navigated through the dark tunnel and popped out near the Allegheny River at the bottom of Blawnox. Night had fallen.
I viewe
d the trip as a wasted day in the Deep Burrow as I covered the door with dirt. Deep down, I had been hoping for a miracle from the Gods. I wanted them to solve the mystery for me, although I was quite taken aback at their lack of regard for a missing God.
The Gods hadn’t helped me figure out how the Jersey Devil could break all the rules of shifting, completely eschewing the cycles of the moon.
Were the Gods testing me to see if I could handle this problem on my own? Why did they seem so disinterested in this monumental problem? Had Alayna convinced them not to help me on this one?
My mind twisted around and I realized I was pretty much all by myself.
Along the uphill walk, I wondered if the Jersey Devil was bluffing. It sure as hell hadn’t seemed that way, and now, without the book, my life had just gotten a lot less safe.
I made it home and had a glass of whiskey before passing out on my loveseat.
An annoying, beeping sound woke me up. I could barely open my eyes as pain and confusion circulated inside my skull. I sat up and the rest of my sore body started to come to life. I stretched my arms out and felt a sharp pain in my shoulder, courtesy of the werelion shifter. At least the stitches were holding up.
I stared at my phone on the table for a few seconds before reaching out and snatching it up. A text message from an unknown number. I wished it were a new client ready to pay me a ton of money. I always wished for that.
Chapter 30
ACTUALLY, IT WAS SOMEONE looking to collect.
I dialed up the number and a gruff voice came through the phone. “Hell. O.”
“J.D., it’s your good friend Micheal Merlino.” I made sure to pronounce my name correctly.
“Ha ha ha ha ha. Friend. That’s rich.”
“If you were just calling to see how I’m doing, I’m all right. I appreciate the concern though.”
His voice turned angry. “Shut your stupid mouth before I kill them right now. You got the book or what?”
“No deal, J.D.” I leaned down and petted Colossus.
“What in all the hells do you mean, no deal?”
“My fault. I apologize. You must be dyslexic. Deal no. Get it now.” I was acting like a prick because I felt cornered and scared, so I lashed out at the person directly threatening me.
I could almost see him shaking his ugly face of scowls and jowls. “I hope you know what this means?”
I knew our deal, but I wasn’t quite sure the Jersey Devil was going to kill Stacy and Mabon. I worried about Stacy because she didn’t hold much leverage with the Deep Burrow. “Look, J.D., what do you want me to do? I even tried to steal the book, putting me on the outs with the Gods. You knew it was an impossible task when you asked in the first place. Don’t be shocked.”
He paused for an uncomfortable amount of time. “Shocked, I am not. Disappointed. Gravely disappointed, I am. I am disappointed for your two friends here. I am disappointed for all those world leaders who are going to die on the 1st too. But it is you who should be disappointed most. Life was just starting out for you, Mikey. Why’d you have to shove your nose into this one?”
Time to get smart with this jerk. “Trying to save the city from scumbags like you seems to be a bad habit I just can’t shake.”
He sighed. Even his sighs sounded gross. “Aahh, the smug asshole returns. I know you think you’re cute with your sharp words, kid, but they only make people angry. Why are you making me angry?”
It came naturally to me. “You’re the one who sent me on a wild goose chase to the Deep Burrow. This is really on you.”
He paused again, causing my heart to skip a few beats. He said, “My ears, they aren’t happy right now. And when my ears are unhappy, they make my mouth unhappy, and then I start saying stuff that results in death. I’ll make sure to let your friends know that you don’t care about them right before I take care of them.”
“What do you expect me to do?”
I heard him lighting up a cigar. He said, “Nothing anymore. You had your chance and blew it. Nice knowing you, Mikey.”
“You’re really being unfair. Although I expect that from a demi-devil...”
He’d hung up the phone so I stopped. Great. I added this to the list of problems and tried to prioritize them in my head. I fretted over Stacy and the pain she had to be going through. The G20 still loomed on the horizon and I hadn’t a clue as to how I was going to stop that.
I got Colossus some fresh water and food and we enjoyed breakfast together. Satoku texted me, offering to give me a ride to the a.m. meeting, which I gladly accepted. With all the anguish I had caused this week, I needed a meeting. I needed to be in an environment where I was actually helping people, not wrecking their lives.
Then I worried that my presence at the meeting might put the rest of the group in danger. I had some dark, demonic creatures on my tail right now and I wasn’t sure if it was fair to involve the people I cared about the most.
The debate raged on and I decided to go to the meeting. Satoku picked me up and we talked the entire ride to the meeting. She had completely forgiven or forgotten about the awkward ‘bump into’ with Suzette in the city.
Surprisingly, Suzette, the tiger shifter, hadn’t texted me again after our great date. I couldn’t figure out how the Jersey Devil had gotten to her and wondered if Patty Elmhurst knew her daughter was a demonic shifter.
I tried to pay attention during the meeting to take my mind off the case for a while. I had dived right into this case and I was drowning. I needed to come up for air and smell the flowers before diving back in. However, I wasn’t completely focused on the meeting.
I had been living in a constant state of fear and deliriousness from the head injuries. My tense muscles and mashed brain could testify to the constant strain.
The meeting ended and Satoku dropped me off at my house. My door looked a little off, even in its battered state.
I still hadn’t fully reattached the door, but it was tilted a touch more than when I had left it. I heard Reginald singing Baby I Need Your Loving as he lifted weights inside his house, so I summoned my magic, expecting a mystery visitor. I needed to be prepared for this situation instead of blindly running in unprepared like I had been doing for the past week.
I stood outside the door and perked my ears up. My dog was whimpering. I couldn’t wait any longer and kicked the door open, hoping to scare the intruder.
It was at that moment I realized the Jersey Devil hadn’t been bluffing.
I stepped over a bleeding body that had been dead for a while, and then apparently stabbed to draw more blood. It wasn’t even worth trying to save this man. The setup had begun. Well played, J.D.
The victim lay next to my coffee table. I went and sat down at my kitchen table across from the quiet, armed hitman. The gunman was enjoying a glass of my Jameson with his left hand and keeping the gun pointed at me with his right. “The king returns to his castle.” He laughed. The fat man wore a leather jacket and a gray Kangol hat. His dark complexion boasted fake tanning and his cloying cologne made me want to vomit.
“Yes, it’s quite the castle. I assume the Jersey Devil sent you?”
He sipped his glass and held it out toward me. He looked like a Joey. “Thanks for the drink. I don’t know who sent me. That’s how it works. They tell me to do a job and then they give me money. That way if anything happens, the employer is off the hook. Get it?”
Got it. It was the classic setup of an organized crime family. I hated admitting it, but it was smart. Insulation. “How much did he pay you? I have some rich friends, you know.”
Joey Hit Man knocked back another swig of whiskey and leaned the back of his head against my fridge. “Yeah, I guess this is just your winter home.” He laughed at me again.
I lied. “Just because my house is a rathole doesn’t mean I don’t have rich friends.”
“I already been paid for the job and it’s almost
over as soon as the cops get here.” He pushed up the small brim of his hat with the glass of whiskey.
“Cops. So what, you’re going to run out the back when they get here?”
Joey Hit Man laughed. “Not at all. I haven’t seen Vinnie and Charles for a while. I want to talk to them and make sure they know who committed this murder.”
“You’re in cahoots with the cops?”
“Oh ho, he finally puts the puzzle together. You will not do well in jail either. See, you’re kind of a big guy, but you’re too pretty. The real big guys are gonna eat you alive.” He laughed at me again. “Get the fuck outta here, you stupid dog.” He kicked Colossus across the linoleum floor of my kitchen.
I immediately wanted to throttle him with magic, but I thought better of it. I assumed the Jersey Devil had sent a powerful demon. But he hadn’t detected my rage. Vines were slipping out of me and surrounding him. A skilled practitioner would have figured that out and shot me already.
I sent a few more invisible magic vines across the table just to see if he would pick up on it. Joey Hit Man didn’t know magic. I continued the useless conversation of back-and-forth insults with him while I attempted to analyze my options. I looked at my freezer and sent my mind off in a million directions to the coldest places on earth.
Glacies frigus. Glacies frigus.
Then I plunged into a mental glacier, pulling in the chill carefully so it didn’t freeze my insides. The police sirens broke my concentration, but I thought I had built up enough of a glacier inside me to work with. I stared at Joey’s chest. I gathered all the coldness inside and coalesced it into a powerful ice ball. I projected my chill into the hitman.
It didn’t seem to have worked, as he was still talking. “Oh, did it just get colder in here? Brrr.”
Perhaps it had worked. His body was completely frozen in place and I removed myself from the line of fire. I couldn’t understand how his jaw that was covered in a thin sheet of ice hadn’t frozen internally in the process. I knew my time was limited so I grabbed a few things as the sirens got closer.
Bloodline Awakened Supernatural Thriller Series: Books 1-3 Page 16
