by Leo Romero
“Lead the way,” I replied without a jot of enthusiasm in my voice.
“I think green goes better on me,” said Aurora, looking down at her robes.
“Black is the new green.” I trudged after Zane, giving any of the weirdos around me a courteous nod as I passed by. A skinny, redheaded geek with black rimmed glasses, buck teeth, and zits came running over to Zane.
“Hey, Zane. What’cha been up to? Raised any dead bodies lately?”
Aurora’s flinched in surprise. She gave Zane a stern glare. Zane let out an uncomfortable chuckle. “He’s only joking,” he told Aurora. “We don’t raise dead bodies.”
“Yes we do,” the geek said with an adamant nod. “I raised the corpse of a pigeon the other day. Right after I snapped its neck.” A sick grin spread across his face.
“Zane, who is this little freak?” I asked.
“Sorry, I forgot to do intros. Dusty, this is Mr. Stone, and this is the lovely Aurora.”
Dusty held his hand out to Aurora. “Have you ever tried a Ouija board while high on mescaline?”
Aurora arched a brow. “I...can’t say that I have.”
“I have!” Dusty said with a snort. “I contacted Captain Jack Ward, a legendary Barbary pirate. He told me he would pluck out my eyeballs and piss into my skull!”
Aurora recoiled. “That’s...awesome.”
Dusty burst into a fit of snorty cackles, spittle flying all over Aurora’s robes. “I thought so as well! I was like, piss away! I’m all yours!”
I stared at the guy with a furrowed brow. Was he trying to sound impressive? He sounded like a dick.
“Maybe one day you’d care to join me for a séance,” Dusty said to Aurora. “I’ve just ordered a shipment of peyote online from the Silk Road. Maybe when it comes in we can attempt to contact Cleopatra. I hear she’s into naked images on clay pottery.” He gave Aurora a double raise of his eyebrows.
“Ahem!” interjected Zane. “I don’t think that’s really Aurora’s thing, Dusty.”
I smiled to myself. Zane was getting jealous of this guy. Hilarious. I lounged back and watched on for a moment. I couldn’t wait to see these two fight it out.
Dusty’s inane grin drooped. “Well, maybe she’d like to do some spirit cooking while high on psilocybin mushrooms instead.”
Zane gritted his teeth. “No, I don’t think she’ll like that either!” he sneered.
“Hold on a minute. I can speak for myself!” Aurora snapped, making Zane’s jaw drop, panic fizzing in his eyes.
I laughed out loud. All three heads turned my way. “Please continue,” I urged. “This is pure gold.”
Zane was about to speak when the ominous ring of a bell sounded, diverting everyone’s attention. Someone was climbing up the steps toward the pulpit.
“We better take our seats,” Zane said.
“Yes, maybe Aurora would like to come and sit with me,” Dusty said, grabbing her robes.
Zane grabbed her arm. “No, she’ll be fine with us.”
“Both of you let me go!” Aurora hissed. They both released their grips on her with immediate effect. Worry zigzagged across both their faces which was priceless to witness.
Dusty was first to grovel. “I’m sorry, Aurora.”
“Please feel free to sit where you like,” said Zane in his most diplomatic of voices.
“I will,” said Aurora. “Come on, Gabe.” She led me toward a bench at the back of the throng. I glanced back at the two jilted lovers, who were scowling at one another other. Dusty turned and scuttled away while Zane trotted after us. Aurora and I took our seats on a rickety bench and Zane zipped in next to me. “Nicely played, Romeo,” I said to him in a quiet voice, a smirk on my face.
Zane straightened his robes. “Damn low levelers! They always cramp your style.”
I chuckled and that bell rang again, capturing all our attention. Standing up on the pulpit was an old guy with giant black bags hanging beneath his eyes, his face lined with more creases than a paper bag. He stood there where once a priest would have once stood, all haughty and consumed like a comical dictator addressing the brainwashed masses. The audience were captivated; necromancers of varying levels and strengths, all part of some obscure underbelly of society, which probably gave their otherwise dull lives some kind of bizarre purpose.
“That’s Erasmus,” Zane whispered to me out of the corner of his mouth.
“Oh,” I replied, totally not giving a crap.
“Brothers and sisters,” Erasmus began. “Welcome this divine night to this meeting of the Black Scepter. I am pleased to see so many familiar faces. But I am equally displeased to see one or two...unfamiliar ones. For, brothers and sisters, I have grave news.” He gazed upon the congregation with stern eyes. “There is an imposter amongst us. A being of light. And one of us has brought him into our midst.”
Oh boy!
Murmurs and whisperings bubbled among the congregation. I rolled my eyes to the right to meet Zane’s fearful stare.
Erasmus jabbed out a finger ahead of him, and it was pointing right at me. “There!” he bellowed.
Bald heads and goatees spun around to meet me. And that was just the ladies in the room. Scowls and sneers were the order of the day.
I gulped and put on a fake grin. “Hi.”
“We saw the light imbued in your palms as you approached this place,” Erasmus told me. “Fallen angel.”
I didn’t hesitate. I jumped to my feet and focused as much light magic as I could in my palms. They glowed effervescent. A couple of necromancers ahead of me leaped over the bench they’d been seated on, their faces twisted into snarls. I gave them both the ‘stop’ sign, a hand in each of their faces. The flash of light blinded them for a moment, causing them to stagger back and fall over the benches behind them. I threw off my robe, pulled out Excalibur and imbued him with light. “I’m surrounded by darkness,” Art said. He wasn’t wrong.
The higher level necromancers around me had already whipped up small balls of fire in their palms, while others had summoned globules of dark magic, shimmering balls as black as the Void. The antithesis of my light magic.
I pulled out Bam Bam and backed up, making sure Aurora was behind me, my eyes fixed on everyone in the chamber. “Who are all these jackasses?” Bam Bam asked.
“Bad guys, Bama,” I answered, staring at the guys and gals in black robes, some of their hands filled with either fire or dark. The low-levelers had their fists at the ready.
“What are we gonna do, Gabe?” Aurora asked from behind me in a hot whisper.
I shook my head. “I don’t know,” I answered, staring at everyone.
“Shoot ’em!” shouted Bam Bam.
The necromancers must’ve been able to hear the dead as Bam Bam’s words triggered them. They went to throw their magic and I went to shoot.
Zane leaped in between us all, his hands raised into the air. “Brothers and sisters!” he said in a snappy voice, stopping us all in our tracks. “There is nothing to be alarmed about. Our guest means no harm!”
“He’s from the Angel Guild!” Erasmus sneered from his pulpit while running his hands around a huge ball of dark he’d stirred up. It shimmered with malevolent power, a black hole of doom, the edges flickering with malice. One hit from that and I’d probably age by a thousand years, my body erupting with tumors just as black and corrupted. “He is our enemy!”
Zane swallowed. “Yes, yes, he is from the Angel Guild, but he isn’t here to cause trouble.”
“Then what is he here for? He shall not leave!”
“If I’m harmed,” I began, “you’ll be committing a severe crime against Divine Law and the Guild will be all over this place!”
“Then you will die and be buried here!” Erasmus shouted, raising that menacing ball high above his head.
I aimed Bam Bam into the air and fired. A blast slug rocketed to the ceiling where it exploded, raining pixie dust mingled with ancient stone dust down on everyone below. The noise caused peo
ple around me to duck, then to gaze at the pixie dust in both horror and awe. It did the job of severing the tension. They now knew I could start taking off heads with my shotgun if they didn’t watch it.
Erasmus remained as he was with that ball of dark held above his head. I aimed Bam Bam up at him. “Your move, Erasmus. You throw that thing and I’ll blow off your head!”
All eyes darted to Erasmus.
“Now put away the dark and I’ll put away my gun and sword,” I ordered.
Erasmus hesitated.
“I think we should all just calm down and talk,” suggested Zane, patting the air softly. “Okay? Some Zen if you please.”
Erasmus grumbled to himself. “Him first.”
I bit my bottom lip. Only an idiot would trust a high-level necromancer not to shoot after you’ve lowered your gun. “We’ll do it together. On the count of three. One. Two.” I kept my stare on Erasmus. His eyes glittered with tetchiness.
I licked my lips. “Three.” I began lowering my gun, my gaze glued to Erasmus. He too lowered his arms, bringing that ball of dark with him. Good. I sheathed Excalibur and holstered Bam Bam right as Erasmus brought his hands together, squashing that ball down. I opened up my hands to show no ill intent and Erasmus did the same, the dark gone. The other necromancers who’d conjured up magic copied and everything went calm.
Zane breathed a big sigh of relief. “Great. Now that everyone is on friendly terms, we can parley.”
“We are not on friendly terms!” Erasmus exclaimed. “Bringing him here violates our code.”
“Well, I could have you all charged for breaking Divine Law,” I told him in defense of Zane. “This is holy ground.”
“It is no longer holy,” Erasmus said, his back straightening. “It is desecrated.”
“Well, I’ll have you charged for desecrating it.”
“We did not desecrate it. It was desecrated by those who once served God but abandoned Him and this church and the grounds it sits in. We merely moved in once the light was extinguished. You yourself are breaking Divine Law with those possessed weapons you hold.”
I shook my head. “Uh-uh. The souls possessing my blade and gun chose to remain with their trusty weapons. It was their free will.”
“Free will is hard to define when it comes to the spirit world, fallen angel. Does a spirit even have free will? Does it feel?”
I shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. But Divine Law is clear. The dead will remain at peace as a mark of respect.”
“And will you remain at peace once we deal with you and your friend?” He jabbed a finger at Aurora.
I cocked a thumb her way. “Her? You harm a hair on her head and you’ll regret it. Trust me.”
Erasmus’ back bristled. “And why would that be?”
“Aurora’s the daughter of Bracken, the Fae King.”
Erasmus shook his head. “The realm of magic has no bearing on us.”
“No, but if Bracken finds out harm has come to the heir of his throne, you’ll find the realm of magic here faster than you can say ‘Ouija’. And trust me, when Bracken’s pissed, you really don’t wanna mess with him.”
A flicker of doubt gleamed in Erasmus’ eyes. I held my unblinking stare on him.
“Besides, she’s half siren,” I added. “Piss her off and she’ll blow this house down.”
Some of the others around us turned to face Erasmus. He glared down at them. “Hmm, what is it you want?” he grumbled at me.
“I seek the assistance of one of the Crazy Four.”
Murmurs went off around me.
Erasmus flinched in surprise. “And why would you want that?”
“I’ve got a problem. And they can help.”
A smirk appeared on Erasmus’ face. “Hear that brothers and sisters? An angel seeks the help of a powerful necromancer.”
Chortles and titters hissed out around me and my top lip curled up. “Laugh it up, assholes. But if I don’t get the help I need, all your asses could be taken down as well. Something big and bad is coming to this city. An army the likes of which has never seen. It’s gonna take more than just angels to bring it down.”
Erasmus took a big breath. “Even if your words are true, an audience with one of the Crazy Four would be nigh on impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because they live in secrecy. Spread out from one another.”
“So where’s the closest? Asia? Europe?”
Erasmus grinned. “Who said they were even on the earthly plane?”
I scanned the floor. You mean they might be living in the Netherworld? Or some other realm? Holy moly.
“I’m afraid you’re out of luck, fallen angel. None of the Crazy Four wish to seek an audience. So, our business is concluded.”
“How about Nigella?”
I turned my head to where the voice sounded. Dusty was taking edgy glances between Erasmus and Aurora, his spotty face riddled with trepidation. A few small murmurs played out around me. Erasmus scowled at Dusty, his eyes burning with ire.
“Who’s Nigella, kid?” I asked Dusty, ignoring Erasmus.
“She’s one of the Crazy Four,” Dusty said, still giving me, Aurora, and Erasmus those uneasy glances. He wanted to help, probably to get in there with Aurora, but was also fearful of repercussions with Erasmus and his necromancer brothers and sisters. I suddenly kind of admired the little brat, he was following his heart and telling his brain to go jump.
“Hold your tongue!” Erasmus snapped at Dusty, his face reddening.
“Hey! Let him speak! It’s okay, kid. Cat’s out the bag now. Keep talking.”
Dusty rocked on his heels. “She’s here. In Chicago.”
My eyes widened in shock. I turned to Erasmus. “Is that true?”
Erasmus tongued his bottom lip while his brain worked.
“Tell me, or I’m gonna start unloading my shotgun and we’ll all go to Hell.”
Everyone around started getting twitchy. Groans of discontent rose into the air.
Erasmus held up his hands and closed his eyes. “Calm down, brothers and sisters. Calm.” He sighed. “The underling speaks the truth. Unfortunately.” He straightened his back. “One of the Crazy Four is indeed here in Chicago. Nigella Darkheart.”
“Tell me where to find her!” I demanded.
“I cannot,” Erasmus answered. “If Nigella seeks an audience, she will request it. And as she has made no such requests, I cannot divulge her location.”
“Right, you can’t divulge her location, but you can sure as hell contact her. You tell her we want an audience with her sweet ass, and you tell her it’s highly important. More important than anything she’s doing right now.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then I come back here with a bunch of Angel Enforcers and we shut this place and your group down. Permanently.”
Concerned eyes darted around ahead of me. They eventually made their way up to Erasmus, who was feeling the heat. His sweaty head shone under the candlelight. He gazed upon his disjointed congregation in despair.
“Okay, you win, fallen angel,” he said, his head dropping. “But hear this. If Nigella refuses your audience, it is not the fault of the Black Scepter and so you will leave us in peace.”
I looked at the faces around me. They were scared, scared I was going to take away their Saturday nights sitting around a Ouija board the way geeks sat around a D&D board. I didn’t like what they were doing; it was against Divine Law and I should’ve shut the place down. But at the same time, I wasn’t dumb. Sometimes you had to let things slide because you never knew when your enemies would suddenly become your friends. Like now. I needed this sect’s help. I was like a cop who allowed a drug dealer to continue his operations because he gave up good insider intel to catch more dangerous dealers. Letting one go to catch twenty was worth it, if not totally ethical. But that was the world I lived in.
I met Erasmus’ stare. “Okay, you’ve got a deal.”
*****
I don’t k
now how Erasmus got in contact with Nigella because the old bastard went out the back to the vestry where he probably kept his crystal ball. He told us to wait here while he spoke with her. I found it interesting that he had a direct link to her. Did he have one to the other three? Whatever, that didn’t concern me right then. I only needed to speak to one of them, not all four. We waited out in the church with all the other necromancers, who kept their beady eyes on us.
“What are we gonna do if Nigella won’t meet us?” asked Aurora.
“We think of something else.”
“Like what?”
I shrugged. “Look for Crazy Number Two? I mean we only need one out of four to meet us.”
Erasmus reentered the church and all heads turned his way. The atmosphere thickened with tension.
“The moment of truth,” I said with a deep breath.
Erasmus sucked in a big breath of his own and approached us, a grave look etched into his face. He stopped ahead of us, the other necromancers huddling in around him.
“Well?” I asked. I didn’t like prolonged delays.
“I have made contact with Nigella.”
“And?”
He closed his eyes briefly. “She has agreed to an audience.”
I let out a relieved breath. I met Aurora’s stare. She smiled. I returned that grin.
“I wouldn’t be so happy if I were you, fallen angel,” Erasmus said.
I faced him. “Wha—”
“Nigella doesn’t suffer fools lightly.”
“And I’m no fool.” I thought about what I’d just stated. “All right, maybe just a bit. Okay a lot.”
“What I mean to say is, she is wily. Clever. Cleverer than you’ll ever be. You cannot outsmart her, cannot fool her. If anything, she will wrap you around her little finger. I’m warning you, fallen angel, be on your guard. Not that I care for your kind, but even I have some semblance of a heart beating somewhere in my blackened and decrepit body. Ask of her what you will and leave. That is the best advice I can give you.”
I gave him a nod. “Thanks. I think.”
“This is her location.” He handed me a folded piece of paper. “Memorize it, then destroy it.”
