Moonshine Wizard

by Phillip Drayer Duncan

  Jim shrugged. “It’s kind of like having a master code. Before you even told us about the vampires, I could tell from your face you’d had a rough night. So, I figured I’d just take care of your wards. Kevin agreed.”

  Bert shrugged. “I don’t mind. I just didn’t know you could do that.”

  “So anyway, late in the night, when the party started to die down, someone walked right up and breached the first level of the wards.”

  “So why didn’t we do anything?” Bert asked.

  Kevin chimed in. “The best we can figure, it had to be someone one of us knows.”

  “How did you guys come up with that?”

  Jim said, “Whoever it was, they came close enough to breach the first barrier. So, obviously, they had a good idea where it was. They stepped across it and used some kind of minor spell.”

  Kevin said, “We think whoever it was wanted to let one of us know they were a magic user. We think they may’ve been trying to send a message.”

  “So naturally,” Jim said, “we assumed it was for you.”

  “You guys are magic users too. Could’ve been for one of you.”

  “No,” Kevin replied, “you’re the one who is out there pissing off the entire supernatural world.”

  “Fair enough.” Bert shrugged. “But I don’t know who or what it could be.”

  Jim asked, “You made any new enemies working for Carter lately? And you’re still working for Falcon as a private investigator, right? Any of the other shady customers who pay your bills? Anyone that might want to cause you harm?”

  “No,” Bert replied honestly. Before his visit this morning, his work life had been pretty boring. Last night was the first-time Carter had hired him in over a month, and that rarely involved violence. The rest of the time he worked as a private investigator for a small firm in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The owner knew all about the supernatural community and kept Bert around as a consultant for bizarre cases. That didn’t usually involve much violence, either. Every so often he did work for a few other local big wigs, but nothing recently. He barely got enough work to keep the bills paid.

  It had to be related to his visitor this morning, but it didn’t sound like it was the same guy. Which meant Bert had an even bigger problem.

  As he was lost in his thoughts he realized they were both staring at him. “I really don’t know, guys.”

  Jim gave him a thoughtful look. “I believe you, but the look on your face a moment ago tells me you know more than you’re sharing.”

  Bert shook his head. “Honestly, I don’t know who it could be.”

  Kevin said, “All right, we’ll just have to be careful, then.”

  As much as he wanted to tell them about Dasfarus, he knew it was against his better judgment. For one, the dark wizard made it pretty clear he’d kill Bert and probably anyone else he told. Even if he hadn’t made it clear, that was pretty much a given. The few dark wizards who roamed free were constantly hiding from the Hand of Magic. Anyone who knew anything about their business, or whereabouts, was a liability. On top of that, he knew there was a good chance his friends would want to help. If this thing turned out as bad as it seemed, he didn’t want them throwing their lives away.

  “Agreed,” Bert said. “I’m going to see if Lilith is up.”

  The whole mess would be difficult to deal with since Lilith had come to visit, and it wouldn’t be easy to get away from her long enough to investigate. As he stepped into his bedroom he wasn’t sure he wanted to get away from her. She stood stretching beside his bed, wearing simple black cotton shorts and a white t-shirt. Her hair was a mess and she had tired written all over her face. To Bert, however, she looked like a goddess.

  “What?” she said, smiling at him.

  She looked into his eyes and he found himself speechless.

  “What?” she said again, pushing him playfully.

  “Nothing,” he said, unable to keep the smile from his face.

  She hopped back in his bed and got under the covers. He sat down and poked her in the rib cage. “What are you doing, lazy?”

  She rolled away. “I’m sweeping. Weave me awone.”

  Bert continued to sit and watch her. He wasn’t sure what to say.

  Finally, she rolled over and looked up at him. “I don’t think I’m going back to sleep, so let’s talk.”

  He nodded. “Okay, what would you like to discuss?”

  “You.”

  “Boring subject, but it is one of my favorites.”

  “Shut up,” she said with a grin.

  “Well, that would be counterproductive to our conversation, wouldn’t it?”

  She shook her head. “Ugh... Is this what I traveled all this way to visit?”

  “Yup.”

  “You haven’t changed much.”

  He shrugged.

  “So, what are you doing now?” she asked.

  “Still just doing odd jobs. Occasionally some private investigating, but nothing too exciting.”

  “Do you like doing that?”

  “The bills get paid most of the time, and I can’t really picture myself doing anything else without going crazy.”

  “I always figured you’d go back to bounty hunting.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  She rolled toward him and tilted her head like she was trying to come up with the right words. “You just... Well, you just seemed so alive when you were hunting. You seemed happy.”

  He shrugged and said, “Maybe I was. I still do, a little.”

  “I always wondered, though, if it was the job that made you happy, or if it was that girl you were with.”

  He wasn’t sure how to reply. It had been a long time since he’d thought about Rogue. It was best she stayed buried in the past.

  “Might have been either, I guess.”

  “You really cared about her, didn’t you?” she asked, broaching the subject carefully.

  “Yeah, I suppose I did,” he answered, not exactly sure where this conversation was going.

  “So why didn’t you ever try to rekindle the flame?”

  “Well, probably because she’s dead.”

  Lilith’s jaw dropped. “That’s not funny.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “You’re serious.”

  “I am.”

  She pulled him into a hug. “Oh Bert, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. You never told me.”

  “It’s all right. Doesn’t really bother me anymore.” And for the first time, with her there in his arms, he realized he wasn’t lying.

  “So not to pry, but what happened?”

  “It was after I left the team. They tried to take down a target but he turned out to be a crazy person. Started a fire and brought the whole building down on them.”

  “Oh my god,” she said, clutching him tighter. “I’m so glad you weren’t with them.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “So, did you go to the funerals?”

  “No. I was stuck in bed at the hospital.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Well, because when they fired me I decided I’d hunt alone. I figured my whole one year of experience would get me through just fine. I got shot.”

  She shoved him. “Bert! You never told me about that either!”

  “I haven’t told hardly anyone about that. It’s not something I’m proud of, or a period of my life I really like to think about. Not to mention the fact I haven’t heard from you much in the past few years. It was three years ago all of that happened, anyway.”

  “I thought I was the exception...and sorry, mister,” she said.

  “You are...most of the time.”

  “Whatever. The next time you get shot, you should at least call me.”

  “At what number?” he said, laughing.

  She stuck her tongue out at him.

  He shook his head. “Why don’t I start asking about your love life?”

  “Because that’s a very long, boring, and stupid list, and besides,
you really don’t want to hear it.”

  He nodded. “That’s true. Look, I’ve got to go do some work stuff for a bit. I’m really sorry. If I knew you were coming I would’ve gotten out of it.”

  She got serious for a moment. “So that girl...she broke up with you and then...that’s a lot to deal with... Are you okay? I mean it Waylon, really... Are you okay?”

  He smiled. “Like I said, it was a long time ago. I barely even remember it.”

  The lie came out easily, as if it had been rehearsed. He didn’t know if she bought it, but some things had to be kept locked away. How could he tell her the truth about what had really happened? How could he tell her it still haunted his dreams?

  She snuggled up next to him in a warm embrace. He leaned back and the scent of her hair filtered in. He felt himself nodding and his eyes got heavy again. As he drifted into sleep, the memories replayed in his head.

  Chapter 5

  Bert couldn’t remember a time he’d been happier. Things were finally falling into place. Working with the bounty hunters not only brought in good money, but provided a different perspective on the supernatural world he hadn’t experienced through wizard training.

  The team he worked with were all humans without any magical powers or special abilities. Just hard asses who knew how to fight supernatural nasties. The Boss had been leading the team for years. Bert didn’t know what he was before becoming a bounty hunter, but he was tough and Bert had learned a lot from him.

  Being the only wizard on a team of non-wizards had been tough. They hadn’t trusted him at first, but over time he’d earned his place. To the regular world, they were just bounty hunters. In reality, though, the Boss took contracts to hunt down rogue vampires, were-creatures, wizards, or anything else that wasn’t playing by the rules. Occasionally, The Hand of Magic paid bounty hunters to do their dirty work. Let them clean up the smaller messes.

  The best part was Bert had fallen in love. For the first time in years he didn’t constantly think about Lilith. Rogue was different. She was eccentric, and sometimes Bert wondered if she was crazy. Short, thin, gorgeous, and mean as hell. He could see her through the window of the office from where he sat.

  She shook her short blonde bangs from in front of her face while she spoke on the phone. The other hunters were just arriving, and Bert figured she was getting information on their next target. Rogue was the Boss’s second in command, and the only one allowed to talk business with their contacts. Bert saw the scowl on her face from the other side of the glass. Must be disputing price, he thought.

  He stared at her lovely face. He’d never figured out what she saw in him, but he was crazy about her. Watching her stroll around in full combat gear always got his blood boiling. She looked up at him through the glass. He winked and she rolled her eyes.

  Their headquarters was an old warehouse. The Boss and Rogue shared space in the old manager’s office. They’d taken a few random desks and set them up on the warehouse floor for the rest of the team. Bert never found much use for his other than staring at his girlfriend.

  As she slammed down the phone the Boss strolled in and spoke to her. He was in his mid-fifties with combat veteran written all over his face. Hair cut short and scars lining his grizzled features.

  Rogue waved her arms up and down, explaining something. The Boss’s face went pale. That’s odd, Bert thought, the Boss never seemed bothered by anything. Obviously, something big was going down. Both Rogue and the Boss stared at one another until he nodded and stuck his head out of the door, calling all the other five hunters besides Bert into his office.

  He was still the rookie, but he’d hoped he was past being left out at this point.

  He watched the other hunters’ faces. As the Boss spoke a few fidgeted uneasily. They were combat hardened men, carrying enough guns to start a small war, but they all seemed on edge, gripping their guns like teddy bears. He really wanted to know what was going on.

  Bert’s heart raced as all seven of them glanced at him through the glass. He gave them a childish wave. They turned and continued talking.

  Well shit, Bert thought, maybe I’m getting fired. He was trying to figure out what he’d done wrong when they all shuffled out of the office. The entire group approached him.

  “Hey guys,” Bert said.

  “Waylon,” the Boss said.

  No one spoke for several long seconds. Bert glanced at each of their faces. They all seemed unsettled except for Rogue and the Boss. Rogue looked tense, like she might explode. She wouldn’t look in Bert’s eyes, but stared intently at him nonetheless. The Boss’s face was blank. He had regained his normal composure.

  Bert finally broke the silence. “So, what’s up guys?”

  The Boss responded, “We’ve got our next target.”

  “Okay, cool.” Bert nodded. “Who is it?”

  No one answered. They continued standing there until Rogue said, “Fuck this shi–”

  “Rogue,” The Boss said, cutting her off. She fell in place, silent.

  Bert glanced at both of them, confused.

  The Boss began speaking slowly. “Waylon, the next target is an execution target.”

  “Wow,” Bert said. Occasionally, they were hired not only to track down, but to execute a target. It was rare, though, and someone had to do something really bad to be put on that list. “So, who’s the target?”

  The Boss continued slowly. “The target, Waylon...the target is...”

  This time Rogue cut off the Boss. From the corner of his eye he saw her draw the giant, stainless, .44 mag she always carried, and point it at him. Just before the barrel exploded with light, in that crucial moment when time stood still, he heard her voice clearly. “You.”

  He jerked at the last moment and the bullet hit him in the left shoulder. As the impact threw him backwards out of his chair, fiery pain lanced through his body. He hit the floor with a thud, no time to worry about being shot, no time to worry about why his team was trying to kill him. He could only focus on survival.

  Pulling his staff, he threw a ball of magical energy at his desk, sending it sliding toward the bounty hunters. They attempted to dive out of the way, but a few were knocked off their feet. Wasting no time, he cast another spell into the floor beside him, sending his own body sliding across the concrete and putting distance between himself and his attackers. He left a blood-smeared trail behind him. It wasn’t a pleasant sight.

  Apparently, the shot hadn’t struck anything vital or he’d be dead. The .44 magnum round had so much velocity it must have ripped right through him and gone out the other side. He didn’t want to think about how big the exit hole was.

  Using his power again he slid behind another desk. Gunfire roared all around him. His head raced and his heart pounded. Nothing made sense. His left arm could move, but barely, and it hurt like hell. He summoned his sword to his hand.

  “What the hell’s going on, Bert?” Sharp yelled into his mind.

  Bert ignored him and stuck the very tip around the edge of the desk. “What can you see?”

  “It’s not good. They’re trying to flank you on both sides. Get the guy on the right first.”

  Bert threw up a quick defensive spell. It’d be enough to slow bullets down, but he couldn’t keep it up long in his present state.

  He crawled to his knees. Using his sword to guide him, he mounted an offense. Knowing one of the hunters was creeping up on his right, Bert stood and hurled a force spell at him. The man, and the desk he was trying to sneak around, went flying.

  Bullets smashed against Bert’s shield, slowing until they hit his flesh like a wasp sting. He dropped back into cover.

  When Sharp warned him the next target was coming around to the right, he repeated the action. The bullets pushed through his shield a little faster, and with the massive loss of blood, he barely kept his eyes open. He was running on pure adrenaline and knew he couldn’t keep it up. It was time to change tactics. He tossed his sword on top of the desk and drew hi
s Glock.

  With his sword telling him where to aim Bert stood again, holding his staff in one hand and the gun in the other. With his staff, he could bolster the strength of his shield while he fired the gun.

  Sharp screamed directions in his head. “Left! Right! Straight! Right! Straight! Left!”

  Bert didn’t bother to see if he hit anything, just focused on firing as fast as he could. After seven or eight shots, the gun made a sizzling pop and lost all weight on the trigger. He fell back into cover and tossed the useless weapon aside. He’d known better than to hope it’d last in tandem with his shield.

  Calling the sword back to his hand he said, “Tell me which direction to throw?”

  “To the left,” sharp replied.

  Bert stood and hurled the sword. Sharp sliced through tables and debris without effort and bounty hunters dove in and out of cover. As the sword ripped their cover apart Bert hammered a lightning spell at them. When the sword finished, it flew back across the room to Bert’s hand. He repeated the process.

  He wouldn’t look at who he hit. The faces of people he thought were his friends burned through his mind. He shut them out and focused on fighting.

  He threw the sword again and dropped behind his cover. Despite the ringing in his ears he heard cries of pain as it hit someone.

  As Bert stood to hurl the sword again Sharp cried, “Bert, watch out!”

  But it was too late, He watched the grenade clank across the floor in front of the desk. The Boss always cooked his grenades so they exploded shortly after landing. Bert instantly threw everything he had into his shield and dove for cover.

  He never had a chance. The grenade exploded right in front of him, his magical shield absorbing the frag pieces and most of the heat, but the force still sent him reeling backwards. He hit the ground with a thud, his shield gone. As he clambered to his feet fire ripped through his side. He stumbled but kept moving. The next bullet took him in the leg. He lost his footing and fell forward, smashing against the desk.