The Left-Hand Path: Mentor

by T. S. Barnett

  “Yon jou pou chasè, yon jou pou jibye.” He winked at her and picked up his duffel bag, putting a friendly arm around Cora’s shoulders as they followed Elton back to the street.

  Adelina watched the three of them from her front window until a taxi arrived to drive them away, and she checked each room of her house, careful not to disturb any of the wards Nathan had set. She only stopped when she reached her bedroom. A folded note sat on her pillow, and a thrill ran up her spine as she ran her fingers over the black handwriting.

  Adelina

  13

  The flights back to Tucson were just as long and unpleasant as before, but Cora suffered more on the return journey. She pulled her legs up to her chest in her seat and put her forehead on her knees to try to fight the sleep she desperately needed. Nathan half carried her off the plane and through the parking lot at the Tucson airport.

  Cora settled into the passenger seat and let the rushing wind keep her awake. “So what was that you guys did?” she asked after a while, leaning across to shout through the noise at Nathan. “Were you praying?”

  Nathan shrugged one shoulder. “Paying service to the loa isn’t exactly like praying. But sort of, I suppose.”

  “You used that word before. You asked Adelina if she spoke to them.”

  “Good ear,” he chuckled. “The loa are spirits. Some of them are extremely powerful. We make offerings to them, and in return, we ask them for favors—good fortune, health, all the old standards. Sometimes we ask for more specific favors.”

  She frowned. “Is that dangerous? I mean, I don’t know any spirits, but it seems like that might be dangerous.”

  “It is dangerous,” Elton cut in from behind them before Nathan could answer. Nathan waved him away with an air of irritation.

  “Any magic is dangerous if you don’t know how to use it.”

  “And you think you can control these spirits?”

  “It isn’t about control. Not something I’d expect a Chaser to understand.”

  “But how do you talk to them?” Cora interjected. “Do you summon them, like in some kind of demon circle or something?”

  “You want me to give the Magistrate all my tricks, my love?” Nathan shook his head. “The heart of the matter is this—you do not summon the loa. You do not make demands of them. You call, and you ask. If what you offer pleases them, they will respond in kind. It usually involves possession.”

  “Always a safe and sane procedure,” Elton muttered.

  “Isn’t that scary? Possession seems like something you would want to avoid.”

  “It’s probably not like what you’re imagining. It’s…indescribable, really. The closeness you feel with them. The helplessness, the trust you have to put in them. Perhaps someday you’ll experience it for yourself.”

  “I might pass,” she chuckled, and Nathan glanced sidelong at her with an indulgent smile.

  When they reached the address Allan had given them, Nathan parked the Jeep outside the squat little building with the word “Butcher” painted in neat letters on the front wall.

  “A butcher,” Elton said as the engine sputtered to a stop, and he shook his head.

  “A butcher shop where we’re supposed to be getting a human heart,” Cora finished. “That doesn’t sound creepy in the slightest.”

  “It’s a good enough cover if you’re going to have lots of body parts about,” Nathan said, dropping down from the driver’s seat. The three of them approached the building, and Nathan pushed open the glass door with a jingle from the attached bell above him.

  Inside, the shop looked quite average. Clean and white, with a glass case filled with various cuts of meat. The only unusual thing was the small dog bed in the corner and the Corgi that slept in it, twitching its ear at the sound of the bell. They heard shuffling from beyond the curtain of heavy plastic strips that separated the front from the cold back room, and a moment later a mountain of a man appeared, wiping water from his hands as he shouldered his way through the curtain. Bloodstains both old and fresh marked the front of his apron and his white t-shirt, as well as spotting red the nametag marked “Carl” that was clipped to his apron strap. His head was shaved, but the thick, curly beard on his dark face was held in check by a hair net looped upside down over his ears. He grinned at them and slung his towel over his shoulder to lean on the white counter.

  “You all having a barbecue?” Carl asked in a booming voice. “Good weather for it these days. I got the best steaks in town. You won’t be disappointed.”

  “We’re more interested in long pig,” Nathan said, dusting a bit of desert sand from his shirt.

  The butcher paused for a moment, and his eyes went to Elton’s stern face and set mouth. Nathan followed his gaze and sighed through his nose. Elton couldn’t have looked more like a cop if he’d been trying. Maybe he was trying.

  “Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Carl said with a frown.

  “Allan Waverly sent us,” Nathan added. He tiled his head toward Elton. “He’s fine. We need to talk to you about a heart.”

  “I think you’re in the wrong place,” Carl insisted, and he gestured to the door. “You all need to get gone.”

  “I’m not here to bust you,” Elton said. “This is important.”

  “I’m not saying anything to a damn Chaser. You all fuck off out of here now. This is an honest business.”

  “I’ve been hearing that a lot,” Elton cut in with a faint sneer. His thumb idly brushed the silver ring on his right hand. The butcher stared him down, ignoring his warning, and Elton looked him in the eyes and spoke the word indoirg.

  The man immediately doubled over, clutching at his stomach, and in a brilliant flash, a pair of long, glittering wings appeared at his back, clear and iridescent even in the fluorescent lighting.

  “Pay attention, now,” Elton said as he released the butcher from the spell, leaving him panting and leaning against the counter. “We’re on a strict timetable.”

  Nathan lifted his eyebrows and gave Elton an approving nod. He had predicted a drawn-out argument convincing the man of Elton’s intentions, but that had been much more effective. Cora covered her mouth with one hand and pointed at Carl with the other.

  “He’s a fairy!” she said, looking between Nathan and the butcher for confirmation. “Holy crap, he’s a fairy right? How can he be a fairy?”

  “What,” Carl snorted as he straightened, his wings twitching behind him and leaving a trail of shimmering dust. “Fairies have to all be girls? Fuck off.”

  “But you’re...you’re so big.”

  “Yeah, I drank my milk growing up; what’s it to you? Who the hell is this girl?”

  “We’re here for a heart,” Elton interrupted, moving to stand between them. “Can you provide one or can’t you?”

  “They’re expensive,” Carl spit out. “Has to be worth my while risking getting involved with assholes like you. You have the money?”

  Elton stood with his hands in his pockets and glanced briefly around the room. “How about you give me what I asked for, and I don’t come back here and shut you down when we’re done?”

  The butcher sneered down at him, but Elton’s steadfast glare made him hesitate. “This is such bullshit,” he grumbled.

  “Just pack it up,” Elton said evenly, and Nathan nudged him with his elbow as the burly fairy disappeared behind the plastic curtain.

  “Unexpectedly pragmatic, Mr. Willis,” he chuckled. “Are you really planning on letting this slide? I expect you’ll be back in a fortnight with some of your Chaser friends.”

  “I’m a man of my word, Nathan,” Elton said without looking at him. “Tucson isn’t in my jurisdiction in any case.”

  Nathan smiled at him, and Carl pushed back through the curtain and dropped a grubby red and white cooler on the counter.

  “Thanks for nothing, assholes,” he muttered, pushing the cooler toward Nathan’s waiting hands.

  “Sorry for all this, friend,” he said, and he pee
ked quickly under the lid and gave the man a mock salute. “Have a nice life.” He tucked the cooler under one arm and turned Cora by her shoulder to break her stare as the three of them exited the butcher shop. Nathan slid the cooler under the front seat of the Jeep to hide it from the sun.

  “That guy was a fairy,” Cora pointed out again.

  “Good keeping up, my love.”

  “I’m going to need a list of everything that’s real and what’s just made up so I don’t spend the rest of my life in a state of perpetual surprise.”

  “I’ll write you one,” Nathan chuckled. He glanced down at the floor of the Jeep. “Well,” he started, “we’re going to have to do the rest of this pretty quickly, before that thing starts to rot. Unfortunately, it’s the part that’s a bit tricky to find. Cora, you don’t happen to be ovulating, do you?”

  “Don’t answer him,” Elton cut in before Cora could even express her revulsion. He looked at Nathan with a frown. “You’re absolutely certain this is necessary? We don’t have time for your games.”

  “Honestly,” Nathan sighed. “Aside from the fact that it is absolutely necessary, I feel I’ve behaved admirably for someone who has been young and attractive for all this time without a single sexual encounter. I’m only human, and regardless of your disapproving stare, Elton, the ritual cannot proceed without a woman. If you find a better method, feel free to tell me, but this is the one that I know.”

  Cora glanced sidelong at the cooler under the seat and then back to Nathan. If it was a matter of doing her part to help stop the lich—she’d overcome so much weirdness so far that agreeing to do…that with Nathan almost seemed normal, even if the thought made her choke a little. If they really were running out of time…she took a steeling breath before speaking. “So why can’t I do it? It’s just magic, right? I can do magic.”

  “It isn’t just magic,” Elton pointed out.

  “Cora, my love,” Nathan laughed, putting a hand on her head, “as much as I admire your enthusiasm, this may be one better left to professionals. Besides, you’re so young; I’d only ruin you for any future loves, and what a shame would that be?”

  Cora frowned up at the two men, shoving Nathan’s hand away from her and combing her fingers through her hair to straighten it. She couldn’t say she wasn’t relieved. “So then how are we supposed to find a woman willing to do...whatever it is you’re going to do to her, and even if we do, how are you going to know if she’s ovulating? I mean, it’s kind of a personal question.”

  Elton frowned at the gravel of the parking lot for a moment. “We don’t have a choice,” he said. “The best thing to do is to contact the Chaser in Yuma. I’ve already met him, so he knows I’m with the Magistrate. He’ll be able to direct us to a needle-woman.” He paused and glanced at Cora before clarifying, “A prostitute.”

  “Yuma?” Nathan cried. “No, not Phillip. I hate Phillip,” he moaned, slumping back against the side of his Jeep. “He’s a total prick.”

  Every time Phillip Martin had shown up at his home, he had written Nathan some citation or other for whatever petty infraction he could think of. No permit for keeping animal remains, no crossings in areas frequented by mundanes, no using ventriloquist magic to make the neighbors’ dogs speak in funny voices. He had significantly reduced the fun level of Nathan’s retirement on many occasions, which was why he had made it his hobby to irritate the Chaser any way he could—mostly by signing him up for women’s magazines subscriptions.

  “Maybe he’ll be nicer if you keep your mouth shut about who you are,” Elton said. “He won’t know you by sight if he thinks you’re still an old man, and we don’t want him knowing any more than he needs to.”

  “Oh, Elton, I’m touched; you don’t want anyone else to bring me in. Too proud to have a bit of help? That’s adorable.”

  “Let’s just get going,” he grumped, but Nathan brushed by him and tossed him the car keys as he dropped onto the back bench.

  “You get going. I’m having a nap. You can find your way back to Yuma, can’t you?”

  Elton clutched the keys tightly in his hand, but he chose not to engage Nathan’s prodding and just climbed into the driver’s seat. By the time Elton finished filling the Jeep up with gas, Nathan was snoring quietly in the back seat, one arm resting on the floor. Cora sat in her seat beside him and leaned her head against the roll bar.

  “Are you going to contact your parents, since we’ll be in Yuma?” Elton asked, glancing between her and the highway.

  “Not a chance.” She sighed. “Look, I know you’re trying to be the good guy and everything, but I’m an adult and they’ve never been anything but shitty to me, so you can drop it, okay? They won’t miss me and I won’t miss them.”

  “All right,” Elton agreed. “That’s your decision. Do you have any plans after this is done? Not taking after your mentor, I hope.”

  Cora took a deep breath and let it out in a puff. “All of this stuff is so new to me, you know? I want to learn how to do the kinds of things that you and Nathan do. Maybe even go to school for it, but that probably costs money. I’d have to move away, probably, and I can’t even afford that, let alone whatever tuition costs at Hogwarts. I wouldn’t even know how to find out any of this stuff.”

  “If you want an education,” Elton shrugged, “I can put you in touch with someone at the Magistrate. I don’t have many contacts in the States, but I could probably find someone in Seattle who would talk to you. You would have to give them some of your time in exchange for the free schooling, of course.”

  “My time? What, you mean be a cop?” She laughed. “Look at me; how could I be a cop?”

  “You could if you wanted it,” he said. “If not, I’m sure they could find other work for you. The Magistrate is always looking for young witches with potential.”

  “Maybe,” Cora mumbled, picking at the hem of her shirt and peeking up at him. “You said you’re from Vancouver, right? Canada? Why were you in Yuma if you’re from Canada? You were really just looking for Nathan?”

  “I really was,” he sighed. “He makes for a very good story. I’m just not sure the reality quite holds up.”

  “How did you find him if he was hiding? The mailman had trouble getting to his apartment sometimes. He always had crossings and wards and crap up everywhere.”

  Elton glanced over his shoulder to make sure that Nathan was still sleeping. “I found a woman who used to know him. Evelyn Carlisle. She was one of his accomplices in the forties and one of the few people who knew him who was still alive. It turned out that he had taught her to use the arcela airet; she wasn’t nearly her age when I met her. She told me where to find him—she said he wouldn’t mind. She said he would like me. I didn’t think about it then, but having met him, I suspect I know what she meant.”

  “He said he was waiting for a challenge,” Cora said. “He said you were good.”

  Elton nodded. “I thought so,” he murmured, but the wind through the open Jeep carried his words away.

  “What happened to her? Evelyn.”

  “I called the local Magistrate and they took her in, of course. She had worked dorche. There are no exceptions.”

  Cora frowned at her lap. “Harsh.”

  They drove until they saw signs for Yuma, but the sky was already dark by the time they entered the city. Elton pulled into a cheap-looking motel and paid for a room, shaking Nathan by the shoulder to wake him. They filled the bathtub with ice from the machine down the hall and nestled the cooler inside in an attempt to keep the heart from decaying. Elton wanted to call Phillip straight away, but Nathan argued with him.

  “You’ve got to be as tired as I am,” he said. “Can’t we get a night’s rest, at least, before we have to deal with Phillip? Come on.”

  Elton paused with his phone in his hand, but then he sighed and slipped it back into his pocket. “First thing in the morning,” he commanded, and Nathan held up his hands.

  “You said it, boss.”

  Cora laid dow
n in the bed fully clothed as soon as they finished their delivered Chinese food and let Nathan hum a quiet tune over her, holding a warm hand to her forehead and helping her to at least a moderately restful sleep. The nightmares had been getting worse, as Elton had promised. When she went still, Nathan slipped away from the bed and turned off the lamp, leaving only the dim yellow light from the street to illuminate the room.

  “You’re still an asshole,” he whispered to Elton, just as a reminder. “She’s just a kid.”

  Elton stared at him curiously, his brow furrowed. “What is she to you?” he asked under his breath. “Why her? Why do any of this at all? You were all alone in that apartment and had been for years prior. Why try to live forever when you don’t have anything to live for?”

  Nathan smirked at him in the darkness. “You’re looking for story time, Elton? You tracked me down and did all of this because you wanted to know why?”

  “I didn’t do any of this,” he objected. “Just tell me why you did it. Tell me how.”

  “You looking to follow in my footsteps, Chaser?” Nathan grinned.

  “Using the arcela airet is stupid,” Elton said simply. “You have a ridiculously high chance of spell backfire. You’re as likely to die yourself as you are to succeed every time you use it. How have you done it so many times and not been killed by it?”

  “Fine,” he said, and he leaned closer to Elton’s face. “You want story time, you can have it. But I want my bracelet back.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “Then you get no story, and you’ll get no help the next time the lich is kicking your ass. I think I feel a weak spell coming on.”

  Elton bit his tongue and took a slow breath. Giving Nathan his bracelet meant that he would be able to do even more powerful magic than Elton had seen before. He hadn’t even been able to identify the spells Nathan kept carved in the bracelet. He wasn’t sure he had that kind of trust in the man, but Nathan had been true to his word so far. Besides, Elton had seen for himself that he couldn’t face the lich on his own. “Fine,” he agreed, and he slipped the band of beads from his pocket and handed it back to Nathan, who pulled it over his wrist with an affectionate touch.