by Martha Carr
Once the train had met the shore, her transfers began—one every few states. The first transfer involved switching trains. She climbed a set of stairs and followed the blue arrows. At the first landing she saw a sign that read Austin, with an arrow pointing to the left. She was tempted to take a side trip to see her family and friends. She sighed, knowing she needed to get back to DC. Another time.
At her last layover, she ran into Toni. She was as wonderful as always, with a big smile and bobbing afro as she enveloped Leira in a hug. After they pulled back, she gazed at Leira with a proud smile on her face.
“What are you doing out here?” Leira asked.
“Oh, I was just on my way back from visiting my grandchildren in Ohio. It was a much-needed vacation.”
“I’m sure! I was on my way home from...work.”
Toni smiled kindly. “It’s so good to see you. Stories about your heroics get back to us all the time. I go by Estelle’s for a beer at least once a week.”
“Really?”
“Estelle looked after you in Austin. You didn’t think she wouldn’t keep track of you back there in big city life?”
“I suppose you’re right.” Leira looked up at the clock on the wall. “Ugh, I have to get going, or I’ll miss my last train home. Please tell Estelle and the others how much I love and miss them.”
“Of course I will. And you take care of yourself, too. You’re so precious to us.”
“I will.” She smiled and kissed Toni on the cheek. “We’ll catch up soon, I promise.”
The train was parked and ready, the people quickly boarding. She hurried inside and sat down in the back corner, putting her bag onto her lap. She grinned as she thought about Toni and the others. It was really nice to see her on a day like this. She leaned back and rested her head, watching the different stops come and go until hers. She got off and climbed the stairs to the Starbucks, and when she exited, she headed to the clerk’s office where she’d been instructed to pick up her pay.
She still wasn’t used to a life as a bounty hunter, but it didn’t bother her as much when she hit the mark.
The clerk behind the counter looked up as Leira approached. He peered over his glasses and gave her a thin-lipped smile. “How can I help you?”
“I’m Leira Berens, here to pick up my pay.”
“Ah, yes, the world’s first bounty hunter of magical beings. I should have recognized you. What’s that like? I suppose you don’t mind being around them since you’re one of them.”
He gave her a disinterested shrug, putting the information into the system. Leira ignored his snide comment and gave him her best dead fish look. He slid the envelope across the counter and she paused, knowing she could choose to argue or just go. At that moment, the choice was clear. She took her money and walked out. Before she could open the portal, though, her phone buzzed with a text from General Anderson.
You are wanted at a meeting in Switzerland. Tell no one.
10
Louie shuffled through Chinatown, headed for a small dive bar stuck between a laundromat and a deli. He’d set up a meeting with Ralph, a new informant with the inside track on the dark families and some on the Harriken. Being new to the informant game, Ralph was more than a little skittish. As he approached the bar, he heard a man clear his throat and saw Ralph, in jeans and a t-shirt with a ball cap pulled down low, sitting on the sidewalk bench. What Louie failed to notice was the small Chinese woman—his best friend, Ava—following in the distance.
“Ralph, my man. Thanks for meeting me.”
“Not so loud!”
“I’m pretty sure you won’t find any dark family members or Harriken hanging out on the streets in this part of town, but all right, I’ll keep it down. You doing okay?”
“Fine, fine. What do you need to know?”
Ralph clasped his hands together and leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and looking at the ground. To any passersby, it wouldn’t look like the two were conversing. Louie smiled, pulled out an envelope of cash, and slid it across the bench.
“I want to know everything you know.”
Ralph looked up at him and grabbed the envelope, putting it in his back pocket. “I’ve been hearing rumors about another group causing the trouble with the shifters. Not the dark families. They say it’s the...”
Ralph’s head popped up and he stared at Ava, who was peeking around the corner. Immediately he spooked, stood up, and shook his head. “You were followed. I knew it.”
Confused, Louie looked around and saw Ava wave from the corner. “It’s just my...”
Ralph bolted down the street. Louie chased him, grabbing for his arm, but the guy was quick. Louie pursued him for two blocks but eventually stopped, throwing his hands up in frustration. Ralph used his wand to cover his tracks as he disappeared into the distance. Unfortunately, he had vital information Leira needed for the search for whoever was messing with the shifters.
Louie caught up with Ava, grabbed her arm, and looked down at her, trying not to be angry. She gave him a guilty grin and looked down at the ground.
He tried to control his voice. “I care about you, but it’s too dangerous to be following me. There are so many things that could go wrong, and so many people who would love to get hold of you.”
“But I can help. I am a better fighter than you are already.”
“No. No way, no how. This is not your type of gig, and besides, you don’t have any magical abilities. Being able to fight is all well and good, but when you can’t get close to the guy because he’s tossing dark magic arrows at you, your roundhouse kick won’t do you much good. We had a human—a seasoned police veteran—on our team, and he retired because fighting the magical with a gun is about as useful as throwing rubber chickens at them.”
Ava took Louie’s hand, staring up at him. He couldn’t even be angry at her. It was written all over her face how much she wanted to help him, and people like him. Still, it was an incredibly dangerous thing to do, and he would not risk his only human friend because she wanted to be a fighter.
“Will you come back to the restaurant with me? I want to show you something.”
Louie looked back down the street to where the informant had disappeared, then back at Ava. She smiled and tugged on his arm. “He’s gone. You won’t see him for a while, I’m sure. Just come back with me, and we can talk about it some more.”
“All right.” Louie sighed. “But no more sneaking around. It’s not safe.”
“Promise,” she replied, her hand behind her back.
Louie scoffed. “I believe that about as much as the crossed fingers behind your back do.”
He let out a deep breath and nodded, letting her lead him toward Chinatown. She was incredibly important to him, as the only person he’d connected with on that whole dang planet. She was a strong and independent girl who reminded him of himself, but this was a huge playing field with adversaries the likes of which she’d never seen. They could easily turn her to dust with a swish of their wands. He couldn’t let her do it. He was too concerned with her safety and future.
When they got back to the restaurant, Ava peeked her head out the kitchen door, looking for her father. He sat in the back corner booth surrounded by mounds of paperwork, writing feverishly. It was office day for him so he would be glued to that table for the rest of the day. She took Louie’s hand and pulled him into a back room that her father had deemed off-limits to all.
As they entered, Louie looked around in wonder at all the relics and heirlooms that hung from the walls. They looked very old, likely brought over from China. Ava smiled, standing in front of a small alcove in the back corner covered by a curtain. She carefully pulled back the curtain, revealing a set of small ceramic bowls and different plants growing in jars.
“Humans have known how to manipulate the world and its energy for years too. We just aren’t as showy about it.” As she spoke, she poured some water into one of the ceramic bowls and set it in front of her. “In my cul
ture, we learned how to work with the life the Earth gave us. It has produced medicines, charms, and even deep meditation work.”
She dipped her fingers in the water and held her hand over the plant, waiting for it to respond. It perked up, almost reaching up for the water that Ava was offering. She moved her fingers back and forth over the jar, and the plant swayed as it followed the droplets of water hanging over it. She shook her fingers and let the water soak into the soil below. Louie watched in admiration, in awe of the things she could do.
Louie smiled. “That’s really neat, but I still have to say no. It’s just too dangerous, and I want to keep you safe.”
“I don’t think you understand.” She turned to Louie. “I wasn’t asking permission.”
Louie could see the fire and passion in her eyes, so he changed the subject. “Does your father know you’re showing me all this?”
“No, and this is the first time I’ve ever shown anyone.”
“I know I am making a mistake, but fine. I will train with you, but that’s it. I am not taking you on any jobs.”
Ava smiled at him brightly. “Let’s get out of here before my father finds us and neither one of us has the option anymore.”
“That sounds good,” he agreed with a nod.
Ava closed the curtain, and they headed back out to the kitchen.
“Hey, Louie,” the cook yelled. “You want the usual?”
Ava turned to him before he could answer. “Maybe you should eat something other than my father’s cooking once in a while.”
“I like it,” he argued, laughing.
11
A large oval room brimmed with representatives of the major countries. They talked quietly in their seats, their nametags legible. Some had on headsets for translations, while others were busily writing notes for talking points. General Anderson stood quietly in the back, waiting for Leira to show up. He scanned the room, looking at the tags. Russia, China, the US, Germany, France, and Brazil. They were all there, and they were only a few of who had arrived. Magic had encouraged worldwide cooperation, but it would take some effort to get them all on the same page. The general knew this, but he was sure that seeing Leira and hearing her stories about magical beings would bring everyone a little closer to an international agreement.
They were all aware Leira was coming. Some had come solely for that reason. The negotiations had grown tiresome, and the general hoped she would liven them up a bit. The frustration in the room was palpable and mostly fueled by fear of the unknown. Some countries were more open to the idea of a mixed bag of people. They looked at magic for the possibilities more than the dangers, but the dangers were real and couldn’t be ignored. If they had the logistics to take down the bad guys first, they could build a healthy relationship with magical beings that would procure a future for both humans and Oricerans.
Suddenly a loud crack echoed through the room, startling everyone. The room quieted as Leira walked through her portal. She froze when she saw all the people and looked down at her phone. She figured she’d had the wrong coordinates, which would definitely be a disaster.
“Leira,” the general whispered, walking up to her. “Glad you could make it. Sorry I had to throw this on you like this, but it had to stay top secret. These are representatives from all the major countries, and they are here to listen you speak about magical beings and discuss the future of things.”
“All right,” she agreed, pulling down her black tank top and straightening her hair. “Where do I go?”
“Up here,” a voice called from the front. “You can have a seat with this panel.”
The German representative stood at the front of the room, nodding and smiling at her. She looked at the general and nodded before making her way to the front. She had never liked public speaking, but if it helped the countries learn to cooperate, she would suck it up and put on a brave face.
“Leira, we would like you to tell us about magical beings in general.”
Leira straightened in her seat and leaned toward the mic. “Okay. Um, where do I start? I have met all kinds of magical beings, and even went to Oriceran during the days of Rhazdon’s return. What I have found—and for those of you who don’t know me, I didn’t always know I had magic powers—is that they are much like us. They love, they have families, they work, and they fear just like humans. They make long-lasting bonds, probably stronger than most on this planet, and they are intelligent. Our technology is much more advanced than Oriceran’s, but most of the people who are already here know all about Earth ways.”
The representative from France cleared her throat. “We certainly understand that this is not a race of demonic creatures. We know that there are good ones, probably more than not, but what we really want to discuss are those magical creatures here on Earth playing way outside the lines of the law. It is impossible to send a regular police officer after them. Their magic is just too strong.”
“Right.” Leira nodded. “Just like with humans, there is a batch of bad magical beings. That is where I come into play. I have been trained as a police officer so I know the laws and the rules, and I combine that with my magical abilities to catch these guys. I then turn them over to the proper authorities, if they are not killed during the capture.”
“What about those who evade capture?”
Leira thought about the guy in London the day before. “Most of them, or all of them to this point, are eventually tracked down and resolved in some way.”
“Thank you.”
The representative from the US leaned forward, ready to move on. They’d heard all of this before. “We have a number system. One through three are normal everyday non-magical humans. Where they fall on that scale depends on their level of federal charges. Level one are those who keep their nose clean, only acquiring things like driving infractions. Level two are those who commit misdemeanors and non-major higher offenses, so your low-level drug dealers, your thieves, etc. Level three is the top ten most wanted humans on the FBI list.”
The representative took a drink of water and glanced at Leira. “Four through ten are magical, and scaled on the level of their perceived threat. Four is basically nothing. Leira, you are currently a seven, but before your powers were tamped down, you would have been considered a nine by the governments and people before you.”
Leira kept a straight face, choosing to overlook the fact that they’d compared her to thugs. She’d never been in trouble a day in her life, but because her powers were strong, they perceived her as a threat. It was exactly those kinds of thoughts that were sending thousands of people out onto the streets in protests.
“Rhazdon in her heyday would have been a ten,” the representative continued. “So far, from the captures and assignments you have run, excluding your takedown of Rhazdon, we would consider most of the magical bad guys you have run into to be somewhere around sixes.”
“Is that because I am still alive?” Leira asked with a smirk.
A couple of people in the audience chuckled, and the US representative held back a smile. “I suppose that has something to do with it. I’m going to turn the floor over to the German representative to explain the process we have already approved.”
“Thank you. We are more than aware that to catch these criminals we are going to need something stronger than our military or police force, which is where bounty hunters become important. That said, we will need some sort of control over certification. Otherwise, everyone in the world will be playing vigilante, and we know how that would look. We have collectively decided that any new bounty hunters will have to be licensed, and on these licenses, it will say what level they’re authorized to go after.”
“Okay.” Leira nodded, finding no fault in that logic. “And me?”
“You will receive a license that authorizes you to go after any level, although you will be tasked to focus solely on magical beings.”
Leira nodded and sat back in her chair as the German representative turned to address the rest of th
e room. “Now, one of the more vital aspects that we have yet to come to an agreement on is money.”
“We still don’t understand why it has to be so much,” the Swedish representative called.
“Yes, and will the wealthier countries have to support the poorer ones? That seems to be the way it always goes.” The Russian representative was short and stout.
The German representative lifted his hands, shushing the low murmur of voices. “When it comes down to it, magic is magic. It doesn’t matter if the problem is in Sudan today because they can be in America tonight. This agreement needs to make sure countries work together to facilitate the free movement of bounty hunters, and respects both them and their efforts to protect our world.
Leira leaned forward. “What about our weapons? We sometimes carry special weapons that wouldn’t be appropriate or accepted when moving into a foreign domain.”
France spoke up. “We will issue the bounty hunters a special passport so they can transport their weapons more easily and move through the Customs faster. Of course, the hope is that just like in the Old West, bounty hunters won’t be needed as much in the future, but for now...welcome to the future.”
“Now, I think those terms have been agreed upon by the entirety of this room,” the US representative interjected, taking back over. “The next order of business is finding the next bounty hunters to hire.”
The general cleared his throat. “We already have a few. A wizard named Louie, born on Oriceran, an elf named Brittany, and a troll named Yumfuck.”
“A what named what?” someone asked. “What’s our system for figuring out who to hire? Friends of Leira Berens?”
“I want to point something out,” Leira chimed in. “Bounty hunters exist because they are willing to take on a lot of risk and power to bring in magical people. Money helps. It supports us, and will give other qualified hunters a reason to take on the profession. The bounty hunters we have now are yes, connected to me, but also willing to put their lives on the line to catch these creatures. And they presently do it for very little pay, or sometimes none at all.”
