The Memphis Knights

by Phillip Drayer Duncan

  “You ignore your father’s orders all the time.”

  “Same difference,” he said, then changed the subject. “The sword picked you, Wyatt. It chose you for a reason. It’s time to grow up and start acting like an adult.”

  I stared at him dumbfounded. I didn’t even have the words.

  “Now, I’m going to go eat some more mushrooms and play with G. I. Joes, which you will have to miss out on since you’re leaving me behind, you wanker.”

  With that, he stormed out of my room.

  Chapter 2

  We didn’t talk much on the drive, which was fine by me. Several hours in the car with Parker Grimm and two other Shamuses wasn’t my idea of a good time. I laid back with my eyes closed, hoping none of them would try to engage me in conversation. Fortunately, they didn’t.

  We stopped at a truck stop outside of the Fort Smith to fuel up. Parker informed me it would be our only stop, so I joined the others in perusing the deli counter. The options were limited to pretty much anything you could imagine fried. They even had frog legs. What kind of a truck stop has frog legs? More to my amazement, one of the Shamuses actually ordered them. Who the hell orders frog legs from a truck stop? An hour down the road he was complaining that his stomach hurt. Moron.

  I dozed off somewhere around Little Rock and didn’t wake up until we were pulling into the compound. It wasn’t actually in Memphis. In fact, it wasn’t even in Tennessee. It was in Arkansas, within our jurisdiction, just a few miles out of West Memphis.

  Since the Cabal didn’t have a lot of work in Memphis, on account of the Knights, the compound wasn’t all that big. In fact, it was basically just a fancy looking farm house surrounded by brick walls.

  As we pulled up in front of the house, I realized there was a group of people waiting for us. I felt my anger flare when I recognized them.

  “What are they doing here?” I asked, glaring at Parker.

  “Who?” Parker asked. There was a smirk peeking out from the edges of his lips and I very much wanted to remove it. Preferably by violent means. He continued with his faux innocence. “The Kingsnakes?”

  My glare turned into a full scowl.

  “Oh, that’s right,” he said. “That’s your old team, isn’t it?”

  “Why are they here?” I repeated.

  “Until the Knights gave us the boot, they were the team stationed in Memphis. They’re here to debrief you.”

  “Like hell,” I said, getting out of the SUV.

  They were all there. Barrett, Gabriela, Zeke, Sophie, and even that asshole Sanchez. Worst of all, were the two standing front and center. My old boss Malik and my ex-girlfriend Tanya.

  At the time, I believed Tanya was the love of my life. I’d even thought about proposing to her. I’d been a fool. Our relationship was a case study in why you don’t date people you work with. It’s a bad idea. She’d only joined the Kingsnakes a short time before I had, but she was already an experienced rifleman and an expert in long distance magical strikes, giving her an important role as the team’s sniper. I, on the other hand, was their Generic Mage and the brunt of a lot of jokes.

  And Malik, our dear boss, had always treated me as a second-class citizen. It took me a long time to figure out why. I thought it might have had to do with the fact my dad was the Blade Mage, or that maybe he just didn’t like me. Nope. He wanted me off his team because he wanted my girlfriend. And, it turned out, she’d felt the same. Which, okay, no big deal, I could handle that. What I couldn’t handle was the fact they didn’t own it. Instead, they started sleeping together behind my back, and, to make matters worse, everyone on the team knew except me. All they had to do was just tell me the truth. Instead, they lied and stabbed me in the back.

  Judging by the fact she had her arm around his waist as I approached, it was a good bet they were still together.

  That was fine.

  Good for them.

  Whatever.

  It wasn’t like I was still bitter.

  Not at all.

  But a promise is a promise.

  So, I slugged Malik in the face.

  My fist exploded against his nose like a gunshot. Pain tore through my clenched knuckles at the impact. Trimmers of agony shot through my wrist. It felt great.

  My old boss stumbled backward and nearly fell. My ex kept him on his feet. Barrett and Gabriela both stifled a laugh, Zeke shook his head, Sophie screeched, and Sanchez went for his knife. He always wanted a reason to kill me. Beside him, a large charcoal colored pit bull growled at me.

  “What the hell, Wyatt?” Tanya asked, glaring at me.

  Malik straightened back up and looked me in the eye. Despite the blood streaming from both nostrils he put up a hand to stop Sanchez. This was between us.

  Malik stood a few inches taller than me and was more heavily built. If it came down to a fist fight, I wasn’t sure I could take him. However, I noticed he still wore skinny jeans, so there was a chance I’d have more agility. Either way it was worth it. Damn, that felt good.

  “Have you lost your fucking mind?” Parker asked from behind me. He moved around to stand between us. “I could have you arrested for that, Wyatt!”

  “Can you?” I asked. I knew it was a risk, but I wasn’t sure he could, actually.

  “I think so,” he said, his confidence waning. As far as the official chain of command went, I was pretty sure I technically outranked everyone except for the Archmage. In practice, however, I was pretty sure the Cabal’s maids had more authority than me. Still, I wasn’t sure any precedence had ever been set around arresting the Blade Mage.

  I decided to ignore him. Malik and I were still busy glaring at each other.

  Finally, my old boss said, “I suppose I deserved that.”

  I shrugged. “I did promise I’d hit you the next time I saw you.”

  “That you did,” he said, then turned and walked toward the old house.

  Tanya gave me one last scowl then turned to follow.

  Sanchez sauntered over to me, licking his lips. He was like a rabid dog someone needed to put down, but for whatever reason, no one else ever seemed to see it. He too, was quite bit larger than me, and we’d come close to trading blows on a few occasions. Then his dog got killed and he blamed me for it. That wasn’t entirely unfair. He died saving my life. All of our lives, actually.

  The problem was that Ruck was more than just a pet. Sanchez was a Menagerist. He could communicate magically with some animals, so he and his dog had a special bond I suspected was stronger and more personal than any he had with another human. He was also the team’s mid-range attack magic and explosives specialist. Not the best person to piss off.

  Sanchez leaned in close to me and said, “I haven’t forgot about Ruck. I still owe you.”

  Then he backed away as well. His new dog growled at me once then turned to follow his master.

  I looked up at the remaining members of the Kingsnakes and smiled. “Now that the assholes are gone, how are the rest of you doing?”

  Gabriela shook her head then stepped in and gave me a hug. “You, stupid boy. I’m glad to see that you haven’t grown up.”

  “I would never,” I said, returning her embrace.

  Gabriela was a hard ass, but she’d always looked out for me. Gabby, as she hated to be called, was a whole lot of mean wrapped up in a tiny little package. She was the team’s infiltrator and with her ability to move quiet and bend light, she could sneak in almost anywhere.

  Barrett stepped in next and lifted me right off the ground in a hug. Gabby’s opposite, Barett was practically a giant and built like a tank. He looked like Mr. T, minus the gold chains, and he’d played Defensive Tackle in college. Unsurprisingly, his specialty was close quarters combat, yet he was also perhaps the friendliest person on my old team. He was like a giant teddy bear who happened to have a penchant for physical violence.

  “Missed you, kid! How have you been?” he asked while squeezing the life out of me.

  “I’d be better i
f I could breathe,” I replied.

  He bellowed a great laugh and then set me on the ground.

  Zeke stepped in next and slapped me on the shoulder. He was basically an old hippie who happened to be damned good at creating defensive shields, thus he was the team’s defender.

  “Surprised someone hasn’t finished you off yet,” he said, still clutching my shoulder. The grin on his face was assurance enough that his comment wasn’t meant as an insult.

  I smiled back. “And I’m surprised you still haven’t retired.”

  “Yeah, well,” he said, pointing a thumb at Barrett. “The Cabal hasn’t found a replacement who can make a shield large enough to protect his big ass.”

  “Ain’t that the truth,” Barrett said.

  Last, I gave Sophie a little wave. We’d never been particularly close. She was the team’s intel officer, enchantress, and medic. A bit shy, she tended to always keep to herself.

  She gave me a little wave back and adjusted her glasses. “Hello, Wyatt.”

  “Hello, Sophie. How have you been?”

  “Okay,” she said and left it at that.

  I turned back to Parker Grimm. “These guys can debrief me, right?”

  “Yeah, I guess they can,” he said with a sigh. He motioned toward the door. “It’s getting late. Let’s get this over with.”

  Chapter 3

  “We don’t yet have many details on the murder yet,” Parker said.

  “Helpful,” I said with a mouth full of muffin.

  Parker had led me to a small meeting room inside the farm house. It was nothing fancy. Just a little room with a table, a white board, and pens and paper in case I wanted to take notes. The whole thing was a bit too professional for my tastes, but at least they’d brought snacks and coffee.

  “What I was going to say is that we can tell you a bit about the Knights if you’d like,” Parker said. “That’s as good a place to start as any.”

  “Sure,” I agreed.

  “It’s important to understand what they’re about,” Zeke said, taking a sip from a Styrofoam cup. “The Knights are a different breed. Their organization has a rigid structure. Order is important to them.”

  “I thought they were a motorcycle gang?”

  “Club,” Parker reminded me again, shaking his head. “If you walk into Memphis referring to them as a ‘gang’ this whole thing is going to fall apart out the gate.”

  “Fine,” I said. “Club. My point is that I’ve known a few bikers. Not just the weekend warrior types who wear leather on Saturday and a suit on Monday, but like, real serious biker types. Never known any of them to be big on structure.”

  “You’d be surprised,” Barrett said. “Most clubs have a rigid pecking order. The Knights aren’t any different. They’re a formal part of the Knights Templar which the Catholic church doesn’t recognize nor admit the existence of, however totally runs from the shadows.”

  “Wait,” I said, glancing between everyone in the room. “Are you saying these guys really are Templars?”

  “Oh, he’s catching up,” Gabby said, clapping her hands and rolling her eyes. “You thought they hunted demons with their hopes and dreams?”

  “No,” I said, crossing my arms. “I thought the whole demon hunting thing was exaggerated. I didn’t think there were many legitimate demon sightings these days. I just assumed they were a gang with a few magic parlour tricks and a butt load of guns.”

  “That’s what they’d like you to think,” Zeke said. “The truth is that they’re part of the order. The church might not approve of their life style, but they’re effective, and they follow the rules for the most part.”

  “Kind of reminds me of a Blade Mage I know,” Barrett said, faking a thoughtful expression.

  “Bite me, big guy,” I said, then turned back to Zeke. “Okay, so these guys are the real deal, then. Got it.”

  “Which means?” Gabby asked.

  “Which means... They’re much cooler than I was prepared to give them credit for?”

  “It means that they carry magical swords and have some wicked magical defenses,” Parker said, shaking his head at me for the thousandth time that day. “It means they’re capable of hunting and slaying demons, monsters, and even wizards to some degree.”

  “Oh,” I said, feeling less confident about this mission by the moment.

  “It also means that among wizards, they respect the Blade Mage position above all,” Zeke said. “Hence their reluctance in letting anyone but our Blade Mage look into the murder of their leader.”

  “I’ll make a point of trying not to disappoint them.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” Parker said. “Look, we just need you to act like a professional for a few days until this thing works itself out.”

  “Works itself out,” I repeated back to him. I felt my irritation growing. “Holy shit. The Archmage doesn’t want me to actually try to find the killer. He just wants to use me as a political pawn.”

  There was an awkward silence around the room.

  “Well, I guess your silence confirms it,” I said. I couldn’t blame them, really. I hadn’t seen my old teammates since I’d left, and I didn’t have the best reputation even then. “So, basically, the Cabal just wants me to show up and play the part of a good little boy scout. Let the Knights solve the goddamned murder themselves. I just have to make a good showing, right? You just want me to make sure they think we give a shit. That it?”

  Parker stared at me for a few moments before finally nodding. “That’s pretty much it, Wyatt.”

  “Assholes,” I muttered.

  “For what it’s worth, I don’t like it either,” he said. “If it was my choice, we’d have left you out of it.”

  “Agreed,” Zeke said, giving me an apologetic sigh. “This relationship is important, though, Wyatt. We need the Knights and they need us. The whole world seems to be falling apart these past few years. Supernatural encounters are on the rise and our numbers are down. We can’t keep up and neither can they. Plus, what happens here will affect our relationships with other factions as well. We need the good guys standing together if we want to save people.”

  “All right,” I said, nodding. “I get it. Doesn’t mean I have to like it, but I’ll play my little part.”

  “That’s the spirit!” Gabby said with false enthusiasm.

  “So, tell me about the Knights,” I said.

  Zeke took the lead. “They’re a formal bunch. Every member has two titles. Their M.C. title and their Templar title. There’s parallel between the ranks of both orders. The leader, our recently deceased Abner Craon, was the President of the ‘club’ and the Master and Commander of the ‘Knights.’ He was a good man. They all are.”

  Parker rose from his seat and approached the white board. As Zeke spoke, he started scribbling out each of the positions held within the club.

  Zeke continued, “There’s a Vice President slash Seneschal. That’s Victor Montbard. He’s currently calling the shots with Abner dead. Then there’s a Sergeant at Arms, also called the Tucopolier. The Road Captains, also known as Marshals.”

  “Wow,” I said, watching as Parker wrote each of the positions down. “They really are serious about their formalities.”

  “They are,” Gabby said. “We’ve been working beside them for the past couple of years. They put a lot of emphasis on the chain of command and associate roles. They also have a Treasurer, a Secretary, and Chaplain Brothers, most of whom are older or combat wounded Knights.”

  Barrett picked up where she dropped off. “And in the field they have Tail Gunners, also called Under-Marshals, Members which are Knights, and Champions and Enforcers.”

  “How big is this organization?” I asked.

  “Not sure on the total numbers,” Zeke said, shrugging. “But they have around sixty full-fledged templars. Between prospects, local gangs, and basic soldiers, they could probably pull together another hundred.”

  “Wow,” I said. “I didn’t realize the
y were that large.”

  “Again, something they don’t really want the world to know,” Zeke said.

  “There’s something else,” Parker said, turning around and loudly smacking the lid back on his marker. “They won’t all be happy to see you.”

  “Do you ever have good news?” I asked.

  Ignoring me, he continued, “The current Vice President, Victor, he’s not big on mages. He lost one of his sons to dark magic some years ago. We put him down.”

  “Great,” I said. “So, not much love for the Cabal.”

  “Right,” Zeke said. “If he becomes the next President, he’ll be reluctant to work with us going forward.”

  “So, then why I am going?”

  “Not everyone is convinced Victor will be the next President,” Barrett said. “The Committee will have to take a vote. The Vatican will have to approve as well, but that’s more of a formality. The Committee’s vote is what counts. Those are the leaders of the sect... The V.P., Sergeant at Arms, Secretary, Treasurer, and the veteran Chaplain Brothers. They all get a vote. Some think they’ll end up choosing Uriah.”

  “And who’s that?”

  “Abner’s son,” Gabby said. “He’s popular with the club. A lot of the Knights want to see him take his father’s place. Not sure if he will, though.”

  “He’s the one who requested you,” Parker said, meeting my gaze. “He’s the one who asked us to send the Blade Mage. From what we’ve heard, Victor wasn’t happy about it.”

  “Sounds like a good time,” I said, glancing between them. I reached over for another muffin. Much to my dismay, the tray was empty. “Listen, if there’s just a little more to cover, we can go on, but if we’re going to be here for a while, we’re going to need more muffins.”

  There was an awkward silence, then Parker moved toward the door. “I’ll get more muffins.”

  Damn, and I’d been hopping that was it.

  Chapter 4

  I stayed the night in the old farmhouse. They gave me a room with just enough space for a small bed and a nightstand, which was convenient, because that was all the room contained. I didn’t even have my own bathroom. It was down the hall.