by N M Thorn
“Master McGrath.” Aidan felt a soft touch to his elbow and turned around. Angel bowed to him in the traditional Taekwondo bow.
“What’s going on, Instructor Angel?” asked Aidan slightly surprised. Normally, no one bothered him when he was working with kids, especially during the sparring lessons.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Master McGrath,” said Angel, sounding apologetic, “but you have a call on your personal line, and I think you will want to take it.”
Aidan frowned. With everything that had been going on in the city in the last year, he expected bad news by default, allowing himself to feel relieved when his expectation didn’t materialize.
“Please take over the lesson, Instructor Angel,” said Aidan, heading outside the dojang.
He walked into his office and picked up the phone receiver, pressing the blinking button of his personal line.
“Hello?” he asked, bracing for bad news.
“Aidan.” He heard Jim’s voice on the other end of the line and slowly lowered himself into the chair. Calls from Agent Jim Andrews were never a good sign. Come to think of it, Jim usually didn’t use a phone to call him.
“Agent Andrews,” replied Aidan. “You are calling me on the phone as opposed to summoning me?”
After a prolonged silence, Jim cleared his throat. “Well, you’re probably forgetting that I’m the only pureblood human among you magic freaks,” he said quietly. “And since Angelique is…” His voice faltered and he fell silent again. “Since Angelique is no longer with us and Gunz turned into— since he is gone too, I have no way to summon you. This is why I’m calling you, Aidan. I hope that’s not a problem.”
“No, of course not. And I didn’t forget, Jim, it just... I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t be bringing it up, but you need to hire another witch for your team,” he said quietly. “Not to replace Angelique, of course. No one can replace her… But you need someone with magic on your team. Especially since Gunz disappeared.”
“Grand idea, Mr. McGrath,” taunted Jim, and Aidan could almost see him rolling his eyes. “And how do you propose I do that? I can’t really post a job advertising on LinkedIn or CareerBuilder, can I? Help Wanted – Witch-slash-Seer. A local FBI office is looking for a witch-slash-seer with minimum of five years field experience. Position requirements… What would you suggest as the position requirements? Witchcraft and wizardry with emphasis on clairvoyance?”
“Jim, I’m sorry. I was just trying to help,” said Aidan softly. “I can contact Karma for you and see if she would be interested to work with your team.”
“Karma?” huffed Jim. “Aidan, aren’t you a fountain of great ideas today. You want me to hire an assassin to work for the FBI?”
“She is a supernatural assassin. She doesn’t kill humans,” objected Aidan. “You could do with a witch on your team who can also kick some serious ass.”
“Yeah, and one who will jump on any high-paid assignment at any time dropping everything she would be working on with me,” snapped Jim. “No, thank you very much.”
“I doubt she would do such a thing, but it’s up to you,” replied Aidan, now cursing himself for bringing this subject up.
Jim sighed and fumbled with the phone. “Sorry, I know you are trying to help,” he said, notes of awkwardness in his voice. “It’s been almost a year since Angie’s… death, and I still can’t get over it. And with Gunz behaving like an asshole… Ugh. His disappearance didn’t help the situation.”
“You said it yourself. It’s been almost a year and you have a hard time getting over it. Imagine how hard it is for Gunz. He was actually in love with Angelique,” said Aidan, his fingers crushing the receiver. “Don’t you think you should give him some space to grieve and as much time as he needs? Also, I thought he was working undercover on some assignment you gave him.”
“It started as an assignment,” confirmed Jim. “In hindsight, it was stupid of me to give an assignment like that to him. He was fighting every night, all through the night on the streets and I thought an assignment like that would keep him more in control, you know? I didn’t know it would become an obsession. And then he figured out that Akira’s son is a captive fighter and dove straight into this mess.”
“So, it’s true then?” asked Aidan. “Yaroslav was enslaved by one of the Houses?”
“That was the last thing Gunz told me,” replied Jim. “But that was a few months ago. I can’t believe he could disappear without a trace. Even Mrak Delar doesn’t know where he is, and I must tell you – he’s pissed.”
“I know. I tried to summon him, but he didn’t show up. Same with Kal,” said Aidan. “I even took a trip to Kendral. I talked to Mrak’s wife, Leila, and to Gunz’s friend, Oleg Svetlov, and both of them refused to give me any information on Mrak’s whereabouts.”
“If I ever find Gunz, I am going to kill that son of a bitch myself,” growled Jim.
“Jim, you can’t find him because he doesn’t want to be found,” said Aidan with a sigh. “He is not the same boy that walked into your office three years ago. He grew as a person and as a Fire Salamander, and the loss of his love affected him deeper than any of us expected. So, if I ever find him, by some great miracle, the only thing I will do is sit down and listen. And if he needs my help, I’ll be there for him, no questions asked.”
“I guess you are a better man than I am,” muttered Jim.
“I am not a man.” Aidan chuckled.
“Well, you are definitely a better god than I am.” Jim laughed, but his laughter died out quickly. “Listen, Aidan, there was a reason I called you. I need you to look into something for me. No one in my team is qualified for this kind of research.”
“What is it?”
“It’s really a two-part story,” said Jim. “First, I got a call from FBI Headquarters in DC. They said something abnormal is going on with the supernatural community on the west coast, mostly in California. Even though it’s outside my usual territory, they wanted me to take the lead on this case, stating that my team is the best they’ve got for this kind of assignment.
“Then I decided to call Akira and see if she could shed some light on it. Instead of talking over the phone, she showed up at my office without warning. And you know how Akira is?” He rolled his eyes and sighed. “She can never tell you things straight, and when you try and ask a few extra questions, she sits like a statue, staring at you with those narrow eyes without blinking like you’re supposed to know everything without her telling you. Anyway, the only thing I was able to understand was that she is aware of the situation on the west coast, but she cannot help me with the investigation. Maybe you can talk to her and find out what she really knows?”
“So, what’s going on the west coast?”
“That’s what I need you to find out,” said Jim. “The only thing the FBI HQ could tell me was that something is off with the Undead Americans. They do things their kind normally wouldn’t, whatever that means.”
“Undead Americans?” mumbled Aidan.
“You know, vampires, upirs, demons that wear dead humans’ bodies – the undead community. Those creatures of magic that do not have a heartbeat. Do you think zombies are a real thing, by the way? If yes, they could be affected too.”
“Yeah, everything is real,” muttered Aidan. “Zombies are nothing but corpses, brought back to life by necromancy.”
“Shit. I wish you hadn’t told me that.”
“So, what did they do that’s out of character?” asked Aidan.
“For one, a group of vampires or upirs robbed a museum in broad day light. In front of humans,” said Jim. “Then a clique of demons infiltrated a pharmaceutical company and stole some chemicals and materials. Anyway, when are your lessons over?”
“At six,” replied Aidan, his thoughts already on everything Jim just told him.
“Why don’t you stop by my office and I’ll give you a file with everything I have so far. You can teleport, if you wish,” suggested Jim.
“Sur
e, I’ll see you at six fifteen,” replied Aidan and hung up the phone.
Chapter 9
~ Aidan ~
For the rest of the day Aidan walked around in a fog, his thoughts circling back to his conversation with Jim. He couldn’t focus on the lessons and by five o’clock he gave up, allowing Angel to finish the day for him.
He quickly shed his Taekwondo uniform, throwing everything on his chair and changed into his normal clothes. Then he practically ran to the small parking lot in the back of the building where his car was parked. He opened it, but didn’t get in. Instead, he pulled his cellphone out, quickly scrolled through the list of contact and pressed the dial button. His call was answered right away.
“EverSafe Security. How can I help you?” said a pleasantly-cheerful female voice.
“Ms. Akira Ida, please,” he said and added, “This is Aidan McGrath.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. McGrath,” replied the secretary, her tone quickly slipping into a formal and cold category, “but Ms. Ida isn’t accepting calls today.”
“She will accept my call, Miss,” insisted Aidan. The irritable secretary muttered something and hung up the phone. “What the hell?” Aidan stared at the phone in his hand, his eyebrows slowly climbing up.
He thought for a moment, then locked his car and quickly surveyed the area. He could not see or detect anyone with his second sight – the parking lot was absolutely empty. Aidan decided not to waste any time and snapped his fingers, teleporting to Akira’s office.
He materialized in the lobby in front of the desk. The secretary, a youthful-looking vampire, hopped to her feet and hissed, baring her long fangs. Aidan snickered and headed toward Akira’s office, completely ignoring the angry secretary.
Akira opened the door of her office before he reached it. She halted in the doorway. Her sharply angled eyes darted from Aidan to her secretary and her thin eyebrows gathered in a frown.
“Mr. McGrath, please come in,” she said evenly without taking her eyes off of her secretary.
The vampire shrank under her heavy gaze. “Ms. Ida, you told me you didn’t want to take any calls today—,” she started but abruptly fell silent. Akira didn’t move, didn’t say a word. She just kept staring. The secretary squirmed, tears gathering in her eyes.
“Do I have to explain to you that there are exceptions to all rules?” asked Akira, slowly spitting out one word at the time. “When I said I didn’t want to talk with anyone, I meant clients and employees. Not the ancient gods!”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” mumbled the secretary through tears. “It’ll never happen again.”
Akira pivoted on her heels and headed back into her office, pulling Aidan in. She slammed the door shut and turned to Aidan, her attentive eyes drenching him with a cold glare.
“Mr. McGrath, I’m sure there is a very good explanation as to why you teleported into my office unannounced. And it had better be something more important than my secretary’s oversight,” she said frostily.
“There is, ma’am,” replied Aidan calmly. Akira seemed to be unusually agitated and the forced coldness was her way to conceal it. “I’m here to talk about what’s happening on the west coast. Agent Andrews asked me to assist him with the investigation.”
Akira nodded and waved at an empty chair in front of her large desk. Aidan sat down and she took a seat across from him.
“There is not much I can tell you, Mr. McGrath,” she started the conversation, her voice low and hollow. “I’ve heard a few reports that raised my concern. These reports reminded me of the time when your stepmother was roaming this realm, controlling my loyal subjects, turning them into her mindless puppets.”
“It’s impossible,” said Aidan, but a cold wave of doubt rushed through him, making his stomach twist with worry. “Angel locked her inside the void. You know what the void is. There is no way for her to break free from there.”
Akira nodded, finally moving her unblinking gaze down. “I know. Mr. Burns told me… I’m not saying that the air demon is running free among the living again. I’m saying everything that’s happening on the west coast reminds me of those awful days. Someone has the power to control my kind and they’re not shy to use it.”
“I understand,” replied Aidan. “I’ll be leaving for California first thing tomorrow morning. I suggest you stay here. It’s not safe for you to be next to a person who can control your kind. We don’t want a powerful vampire as yourself to be controlled by someone with unknown intentions. And what I gathered from the little information Jim gave me, I think this person is up to no good.”
“Mr. McGrath, my son is there,” said Akira, her slim body locked with rage. “Agent Andrews told me about the last report he received from Mr. Burns. Do you think Yaroslav is not a powerful vampire? He is almost three hundred years old and his powers are well developed for his age. I don’t believe for a moment, that whoever enslaved him, wants to use him to make a few bucks betting in the underground fighting pits. There has to be more to it.”
“That’s what I intend to find out, Ms. Ida,” said Aidan rising. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”
“Mr. McGrath, bring my son back,” said Akira quietly. “I can’t go there to help him. I am well aware that it would be a mistake. So, I trust you and Mr. Burns to take care of Yaroslav for me.”
“Yeah, I wish I knew where Mr. Burns was,” muttered Aidan, shaking his head. “Last time anyone heard from him was over a month ago.”
A tiny smile touched Akira’s full lips, hardly lifting the corners of her small mouth, but her narrow eyes remained cold. “You call yourself Zane’s friend, but it’s amazing how little you know him,” she said evenly, a layer of mockery present in her voice now. “I don’t need to talk to him to know exactly where he is and what he is doing.”
“I don’t understand… Do you know something I don’t? No one can sense Zane. He became so skilled in shadowing his magical signature, not even the Ancient Master can sense him.”
“What don’t you understand, Mr. McGrath?” exploded Akira, rising sharply. “No, I haven’t heard from Zane and no, I have no news. But if I know anything about Zane Burns, I’m almost certain you’ll find him in Los Angeles, California, next to Yaroslav. I’m positive that by now, Zane realized that the only way he could get close to my son was by becoming a captive fighter. That is the only way! So, I can bet you anything – he sold himself to one of the Houses, exchanging his freedom for the challenge to the California House.”
“I hope he didn’t do it. That would be reckless,” said Aidan, a chilly wave of unease spreading through him. “But knowing his current state of mind, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did something as stupid and dangerous as that.”
“Yes, he is still grieving. Nevertheless, it has nothing to do with his current state of mind, as you put it,” objected Akira frostily. “It’s his honor and loyalty to his friends and the people he loves that drives him. You find Yaroslav, and you’ll find Zane, Mr. McGrath. But as cold as it sounds, before you extract them, I suggest you learn who the person that runs the show is and what he or she truly wants. We might be facing a much bigger problem than just illegal fights and enslaved members of the supernatural community.”
After Aidan left Akira’s company, he teleported straight into Jim’s office who was waiting him, the folder with the FBI logo in his hands. He gave the folder to Aidan, telling him that everything he had so far on the situation in California was in this folder. Aidan opened the folder and quickly read through the reports. Just like Jim said – it wasn’t much. With a sigh, he handed the folder back to the agent.
“What’s your plan?” asked Jim, putting the folder away.
“I met with Akira before I came here,” said Aidan. “She thinks Gunz sold himself to one of the Houses to get closer to Yaroslav. She also thinks that somehow the disappearance of her son and the strange situation on the west coast are connected. So, the first thing I am going to do is find out everything I can about the Head of t
he California House. After that, I’ll buy a ticket to the first available captive event.”
“How are you going to get the ticket?” asked Jim, looking at Aidan in awe. “I’ve heard it’s by invitation only and it’s practically unaffordable, unless your last name is Rockefeller.”
“Getting in is not going to be a problem. I’ve been receiving invitations from them all the time. I just never bothered with it. Gladiatorial fights were never my thing,” replied Aidan with a dismissive wave of his hand. “And as far as the cost of the tickets, money is not an issue either.”
“I didn’t know owning a martial arts school was such a profitable venture.” Jim snickered, giving a quick tap on Aidan’s shoulder. “On the serious side, what are you going to do if you see Yaroslav or Gunz during the event? Or both…”
“I have no idea,” replied Aidan. “Like I said, I’ve never been to one of those events before. I don’t know where they’re held and how they’re run. I may need to attend a few events and do some betting first, just to see what’s going on. Besides finding Yaroslav and Gunz, I need to understand and investigate the situation in California, so it may take time.”
Jim nodded and sighed. “Do me a favor, Aidan. If you manage to pull Gunz out of this mess, first make sure he’s okay and then slap him around a few times. For me. The way he behaved in the last few months was—”
“Jim,” interrupted Aidan dryly, “if Gunz really sold himself to one of the Houses and is fighting as a captive, don’t you think he already got his fair share of being slapped around? Trust me, if that’s the case, what he’s going through right now is a lot worse than anything you can imagine.”
“You’re right,” said Jim quietly. “I hope that is not the case.”
Aidan nodded, then grabbed a sticky note and a pen from the desk and quickly wrote an address on it. “Here,” he said offering it to Jim. “I know you don’t want to hear about hiring a witch, but I still believe your team needs magical help. Go to Missi’s Kitchen, Jim. It’s a small restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale.”
