by Logan Byrne
“That’s enough, boys. Let’s get going,” I said, before taking a radio from Faus and sticking it in my ear. “Keep your wits about you. We’ll get him, I’m sure of it.”
We didn’t all walk out at once, keeping a mystique about us so nobody spotted us together just in case it was obvious who we were. The man in the shop seemed to know we were M.A.G.I.C. right off the bat, so who knows if we gave off a vibe of young police officers, but I wasn’t risking it.
I sat down on my bench, where a much smaller older woman of goblin origin was sitting on the other end. Charlie walked past me a couple minutes later, not looking at me, and I saw him disappear into the alleyway in my peripheral vision. Faus came soon after, his smaller frame lugging a backpack into the café. I put my gloves on, the sweet yet bitter chill of the English air starting to waft through the translucent barrier above and brush my cheek.
The store was busy, a crowd of people obscuring my vision as I tried to keep watch for our suspect. “I’m in position,” Charlie said through our radio.
“See anything yet?” I asked softly. The older woman looked over at me, seeing me talking to myself. “The voices, they get to me sometimes,” I said, whirling my finger around, and she got up and scurried away.
“I’m not seeing much of anything, at least in terms of our guy. There are a lot of people in there moving around, and I have to say this place doesn’t exactly smell all that great. Doesn’t anybody bathe around here?” Charlie asked.
“Tell me about it. Even these coffee beans can’t mask the odor of a troll close to me,” Faus said.
“Faus,” I said politely.
“What’s up?” he replied.
“Shut up,” I said.
The minutes started to rack up and pass by, a slew of people coming and going from the shop, as the tip of my nose started to go numb. I wanted to give up, call it a day, and go back to the sanctity and warmth of our little city cottage. “Maybe a few more minutes before we wrap it up?” I asked.
“Sounds good to me,” Charlie said, before I heard him yawn.
Not soon after, as the cold was starting to get to me and my eyes were feeling strained and burning, I thought I saw someone who looked like our guy. He was inside the shop, and I only got a quick glimpse of him passing by, but I was sure I’d seen him. Why didn’t we see him go inside? Neither Charlie nor I saw anybody who looked remotely like him walking in the front door, and we were keeping full track of everybody who came and went.
“Did you guys see that?” I asked, perking up in my seat.
“What? I don’t have eyes on him, do you?” Charlie asked.
“I…don’t know. I thought I saw him, but I never saw him or anybody like him walk inside. Maybe it’s just my mind playing tricks on me,” I said.
“We can’t go for it unless we know for sure it was him,” Faus said.
“I think I need to get a little closer at least. If I can get a better shot of him, maybe I can catch him,” I said.
“Lexa, you know that’s not protocol with a guy like this,” Faus said.
“And what if it is him and this is our chance to grab him? We haven’t even seen this guy or gotten much on his tail all this time we’ve been searching for him. We need to take the risk and hope that it’s him, Faus. I know it might not be protocol, but sometimes in the field when you’re in the thick of things you need to create your own protocol,” I said, standing up and crossing the street.
“I’ll keep watch from up here,” Charlie said.
“Lexa! Don’t!” Faus screeched in my ear.
I walked up to the storefront, my hood up as I peered just enough to see inside without giving away my face. The workers had seen me before, as well as that owner, who I wasn’t all that sure I trusted.
“Anything?” Charlie asked.
“No, not from here. I think he went down the hallway, though. I’m going inside,” I said, before opening the door and hearing the little bell chime above.
“Why me?” Faus moaned.
The shop was busy, the chatter of accents from everywhere, not only England, filling the store as the few workers inside scurried around and didn’t seem to give me any regard, which was exactly how I wanted it. I slipped over towards the side, making sure not to move too quickly or draw attention to myself, before the darkness of the shop’s hallway obscured me from view.
I heard male voices down the hall but I couldn’t quite make out what was being said. I walked slowly, the old wooden floor creaking under my weight as I tried to lessen the noise exuded from each step. There was a door at the end of the hallway, a sliver of light slipping out from the small crack between the door and the frame. As I grew closer I noticed a voice—it was the owner who had talked to us before.
“You know you’re a wanted man,” he said.
“I will not be arrested, it isn’t part of the plan. You know our master will not be happy if we give up this trade,” the other man said with a thick Nigerian accent.
“He’ll never let us rot in a magical prison, so don’t worry about that. He needs us, probably more than we need him,” the owner said.
“Lexa, what’s going on? Are you okay?” Charlie asked. I didn’t respond, instead moving closer to the door.
“Do you have a buyer for my wares or not?” the naga hissed.
“You know, M.A.G.I.C. is hard on my case. They were in here asking for you, if I knew you, and how to find you,” the owner said.
“And?” the naga asked. “I’m not afraid of some lowly auditors who think they can take me down.”
“That’s pretty brazen, even for you. I know that two of them were witches, the other two shifters. There was one small one, maybe you could snatch him,” the owner said, obviously talking about Faus.
“Did you give me up?” he asked.
“I sang like a canary,” he said, laughing.
“That doesn’t sound like something a smart man would do,” the naga said, and a hissing sound started to fill the room.
“I’m going in,” I whispered to Charlie and Faus.
“Lexa!” Charlie yelled.
“You’re under arrest under the authority of M.A.G.I.C.! I suggest both of you get down on the ground with your hands behind your heads and make this easier,” I said after barging into the room with my wand at the ready. They looked at me, neither of them seeming too concerned.
“Where are your friends? Or wait, are you all alone?” the owner of the shop asked, laughing, before walking over towards his bookshelves.
“I said get down!” I yelled as the man grabbed something from his shelf.
“No,” he said defiantly. As he threw the object to the ground, a spark pierced the room and my eyes with my light before he vanished. I was slightly disoriented, the room split into two, and I felt a weight hit me as my back slammed against the centuries-old wooden floor.
“It’s a shame I have to do this, you seem like you have a lot of potential,” the shifter said, his weight pressing down on top of me.
I tried to fight him, but his human body shifted and contorted as he transformed his lower body into a large metallic blue snake. He kept his arms in place, his bottom half slithering around me as his eyes turned yellow and his once-human pupils turned into slits of fiery rage. I looked over, my wand just out of reach, as I struggled to grab it and push him off me.
“Oh, I don’t think you’ll be doing any magic tonight, sweetheart,” he said, and as he squeezed harder I felt the air being sucked out of my lungs.
I choked, wheezing and gasping for air as I felt the light starting to leave my body. It was a surreal experience, dying. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before, yet it felt as instant as being born.
Just as I felt my pulse slowing down, a roar erupted and Charlie pounced on the naga, slamming him into the ground, which caused his grip on me to loosen.
“Lexa!” Blake yelled, running in after Charlie and coming to my aid, before Britta and Faus followed.
I coughed, ga
sping for air, my ribs feeling either cracked or totally broken. Blake, seeing Charlie struggling to contain the naga and then looking back at me, a broken mess on the floor, started to shift. I could hear him grunting as his eyes turned and his already fit body became much more muscular. “You picked the wrong people to fight,” he yelled, his eyes turning red, before he belted out a roar that sent vibrations down my spine.
He jumped on the naga, both him and Charlie taking turns hitting him and wearing him down, as I struggled to keep my vision clear. “This is going to hurt,” Britta said, and I saw three of her taking out their wands.
“Costa Instaurabo,” she said, flicking her wand. A surge of pain shot through my body. I screamed as my ribs were soldered back together with magic. I felt every little movement inside me. It felt like the magic was tearing me up all over again, but within a few seconds it was over and I wasn’t gasping for air any longer.
“Where did you learn that one?” I asked, grabbing my wand and standing up.
“A book,” she said, smiling.
“Man, am I glad you’re addicted to those,” I said, pointing my wand at the naga. “Rigormorio,” I incanted. The bolt from the tip of my wand struck him and froze his body.
“Where did you learn that?” she asked.
“Mirian, of course,” I said, smiling.
“Of course,” she said, nodding.
Charlie and Blake shifted back into their human forms, the two of them panting and covered in sweat, as the naga slowly shifted back into his human form, but his body stayed as stiff as a statue in Trafalgar Square. “What happened to the other guy? The owner?” Charlie asked.
“Before he attacked me, the owner used some kind of magical item that allowed him to either teleport or vanish and disorient me,” I said.
“Interesting. A smart object to use if one needs to slip away quickly and prevent one’s enemies from tracking or following them,” Faus said.
“Yeah, and also a great way for a slimy naga to attack me,” I said, walking towards him.
His eyes still moved, watching me, before I reached into his jacket and saw a neatly arranged array of vialed poisons. “What do we have here? It looks like solid evidence of your crimes, including possession, manufacturing, and intent to sell and distribute a Class I piece of contraband.”
“Let’s read him his rights,” Britta said.
“Not so fast. We need some other answers first,” I said.
“You know that’s against protocol,” Faus said.
“I heard you talking about your master. Who were you talking about? If you give us a name, we can give you leniency and maybe you’ll be out before you know it,” I asked.
“I find it unwise to give up the name of my master. It would result in my permanent departure,” the naga said.
“And what if we provide that for you instead?” I asked, leaning closer.
“Then go ahead and do it, but I think if you wanted to kill me you would’ve had your shifter pals do it already, especially when they were on top of me,” he said, smirking.
I knew he had answers about Kiren, and all I needed was for him to admit to helping him. If he did, we would have a material witness against Kiren that would help topple his administration and rid the magical realm of his impending takeover.
“I know you’re working for Kiren Nightstorm, and when I find out that you have been, I’m going to take both of you down!” I said, causing him to chuckle.
“Lexa, come on,” Blake said, grabbing me and pulling me out into the hallway as the others began to read him his rights.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“What am I doing? What are you doing? You’re going to get us all killed,” he said.
“You said you wanted to take down Kiren just like I did,” I said.
“Yeah, but this isn’t the right way. Besides, you can’t give up our interest in Kiren. It will jeopardize the resistance and everything they’re doing. You know Mirian would be furious right now if he knew,” Blake said.
I didn’t reply, taking a few deep breaths and trying to calm down instead. “Don’t you know that?” he asked, pressing again.
“Fine, yes, he wouldn’t be happy, but I just want to end this. Charlie and I had been searching for so long, and now that we finally caught him I just wanted to get the answers I’ve been searching for. I was out of line, though. I’m sorry,” I said.
“It’s okay, but I think you should erase his memory, at least of that part. It might benefit you quite a bit down the line,” Blake said.
“Thank you,” I said, leaning up and kissing him.
“Do you understand your rights as I have explained them to you?” Britta asked as Blake and I entered the room.
“Wait,” I said, unsheathing my wand and walking towards the perp.
“Lexa,” Charlie said.
“Cranius Expellus,” I said, the tip of my wand glowing as I erased the prior five minutes from his memory. “You’re going to have to arrest him again—sorry.”
“Fine,” Britta said, looking obviously annoyed.
I stood there and watched as the shifter was read his rights. I felt a certain sense of accomplishment even though the owner had gotten away, but I was sure we would find him—although I knew he would come up with some excuse as to why he was helping the naga. That man couldn’t be trusted.
5
“I heard you caught your naga suspect,” Mirian said, stepping beside me as we hid behind two-way mirrored glass. The shifter was in an interrogation room, one of many at headquarters, his hands and feet locked to the solid steel table and his magic dampened with crystals hidden in the cuffs.
“There’s something about him, Mirian. Something I need to talk to you about. The others don’t understand, I don’t think,” I said, glancing at him.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
I looked around, making sure nobody else was near. The door was shut and the closest clamor was at least ten feet away down the hall. “I think he works for Kiren,” I whispered close to his ear.
Mirian nodded, humming deep within his throat. “What makes you believe that?” he asked, speaking softly so his voice wouldn’t travel.
“He kept talking about his master, the same as the shopkeeper. He was trafficking illegal contraband that fits the motive of you know who, and I have a strong inkling that he’s one of his minions,” I said. I kept quiet about the interrogation for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I had erased his memory so the shifter, who I later learned was named Tulson, wouldn’t remember what had happened. Secondly, it was technically against protocol, and I could be heavily reprimanded for doing what I did, especially without reading his full rights first.
“He might be, we won’t know until we look further into his ties. Are you ready to step inside the box with him and question him? You must keep yourself calm, and let go of what you just told me. For now, he’s under arrest for poison distribution and nothing else,” Mirian said.
“I promise I can separate my personal feelings from my professional duty,” I said confidently.
“I’ll keep watch here and knock if I want you to stop and come back out,” Mirian replied.
Tulson kept his head hung low as I opened the door and walked inside. I couldn’t tell if he was playing opossum or if he were actually tired or drained, but I hoped for the latter. A shifter could draw a lot of power from their other side, as if two spirits of the same person came together as a whole between the human and more animal side. Having his shifting and magic dampened this much might be causing his human side, his default form, to become weakened and faint.
“Do you know where you are currently?” I asked, walking towards the front of the table.
“A M.A.G.I.C. stronghold, I’d like to think,” he replied, his voice soft.
“You’re right, you’re currently in an interrogation room in the magical realm outside New York City in the United States of America where you’re being questioned for crimes against the ma
gical world. Do you know what you’re being charged with?” I asked.
He didn’t reply, instead smiling, though still looking down, his eyelids twitching. I heard the soles of his shoes grind against the sandy floor. “You’re being charged with possession, manufacture, distribution, and conspiracy to sell a Class I contraband: venoms.”
“How can I be charged with a crime for giving away something that freely comes from my own body?” he asked, looking up at me. His eyes were cold and unforgiving, like a winter storm that aims to swallow up any life that dares cross its path.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s from your body or not, the distribution and sale of naga venoms is strictly prohibited. Besides, we’ve tested the venoms that were taken off your person and we know they aren’t all from you, Tulson,” I said.
“I don’t agree with your assessment, officer. But alas, it doesn’t matter. I’m sure I’ll be out of here soon enough and on my merry way to use my body and its venoms as I see fit,” he said, laughing a little.
I looked back at the mirror where Mirian was on the other side, but there was no knock. This was proof, wasn’t it? Proof that Kiren was going to somehow bail him out of here under some guise about wrongful imprisonment or arrest. I just knew he would find a way to weasel his power in here.
“And why do you think that? You’re facing serious crimes, you know. Crimes that result in a steep penalty in prison,” I said.
“I have friends that can get me out—legally, of course. I don’t want you to think that I’m going to slither my way out of here and attempt escape. I’d rather not have you guys chasing me down again. That was annoying,” he said.
There was a knock at the window, Mirian’s cue, and I had to bite my tongue and leave the room knowing Tulson was in there having the time of his life. For my own sake I didn’t want him to even think that he had the upper hand.
There were two other people standing outside next to Mirian. The look on my face exuded pure confusion. “What’s going on?” I asked.
“These men are here to transfer the prisoner to another location,” Mirian said, holding up a letter. “They have the right signatures.”
