by Robert York
I ran through my memories. He only came to the shop to meet with Barnabas on occasion and those were rare. It was James that always came to the shop to do menial tasks.
“No,” I said.
“Why would Orm decide to pick up his ingredients on this particular day and not send James, his lowly dull witted apprentice,” Merlin asked.
I shook my head uncertainly as I turned away from Merlin. I didn’t have a clue as to why Orm would decide to do something so beneath him as to run errands… My thoughts trailed off, unless…
“James was already dead the morning Orm showed up at the shop, wasn’t he,”
Merlin inclined his head minutely acknowledging my progress in thinking.
“So that makes Orm the tall Wizard,”
“Most definitely,” replied Merlin.
“Why couldn’t you have just told me the information instead of having me go through all of this Yoda crap?”
Merlin smiled.
“A knife cannot cut unless the blade has been properly sharpened nor can a mind be used well unless it has been made to do so,”
I rolled my eyes.
“That still doesn’t explain how Orm was able to get through Bialek’s defenses,” I asked skeptically.
“Does it not,” Merlin replied. “Use your mind.”
I groaned exasperated.
“I don’t want too,” I whined.
Merlin considered me, disappointment evident in his eyes. I averted mine. Then I sighed.
“OK,” I said. “We’ll do it your way.”
I paced back and forth ordering my thoughts then I said.
“There was really only one way for someone to get past Bialek’s defenses and that was for someone to deactivate them from the inside,”
I turned to face Merlin.
“There were two others in Bialek’s place that we know of… Tilly and his apprentice Olivia,” I began. “I’m fairly certain that Tilly had nothing to do with Bialek’s death,” “He had the crystal and was pretty badly beaten up when he arrived at the magic shop.”
I pondered that piece of information for a moment.
“So that leaves Olivia,” I said scratching my chin. “But her body was at Bialek’s place,”
“Are you sure of that fact,” Merlin inquired.
“No,”
Then a thought hit me.
“Olivia let Orm and the Vampires into Bialek’s compound… It was her,”
I shook my head can’t believing that none of this had occurred to me earlier. Then I said.
“But if Orm and Olivia are alive that means that the body we thought was hers at Bialek’s was really James’s made to look like Olivia using a masking spell of some sort,”
I turned away from Merlin.
“Which would explain all the dark magic around that place,” I continued. “Orm must’ve laid down various spells to throw us off the identity of Olivia’s body.”
Where was she hiding herself? I thought. She couldn’t have been lying low while all this was going on she… Then the answer came to me. I turned back to eye Merlin.
“The albino... Olivia is the albino,” I said triumphantly. “Orm had to have known about Rham through Bialek because he was with Oswald and Barnabas the night that the real Rahm was sucked into the collapsing doorway… Orm used Rahm’s appearance as some sort of psychological weapon,” “Bialek’s expression must’ve been one of surprise just like Barnabas’s was when he saw Rahm in the shop,”
Merlin smiled approvingly.
“Orm conspired with Olivia somehow turning her loyalties away from Bialek… He killed James or had him killed the day everything happened, he couldn’t have any witnesses… Orm knew everything about the Octagon, it’s members and how the relics may have been protected but maybe not the locations of all the artifacts,”
I paced around a bit more as my train of thought kept on chugging.
“But something went wrong when they tried to get the crystal from Bialek… Even though he was caught off guard he still managed to thwart their plans… That’s why Olivia had to come to the magic shop following Tilly... Neither her nor Orm expected Tilly to escape with the crystal. It happened all so fast,”
My head throbbed from all the thinking, but I kept my brain chugging along like the little engine that could.
“Very good young Solomon sadly you have overlooked one important detail,” Merlin said in a chiding tone.
Crap! Here I thought I was doing so well. I sighed heavily searching my brain for scraps of thought overlooked during my initial deductions.
“The marks,” I finally offered. “How did Orm get past the effects of the marks that bound the information only to the members of the Octagon,”
“Very good young Solomon,” Merlin beamed.
Thoughts and ideas came more freely now.
“Barnabas said that if any of the members of the Order attempted to speak of the secrets they held to an outside party, that they would suffer terrible pain which would ultimately incapacitate them.
“Yes, that is true,” said Merlin. “And what creatures have Orm and Olivia surrounded themselves with?”
It didn’t take long for my brain to hit upon the answer. I shook my head however not wanting to register the implications if that thought were true. A Wizard is a powerful being in their own right, but if you were to add the strength, speed, immortality and power of a Vampire to what a Wizard could do already, you’d have a dangerously frightening being on your hands.
“Are you saying Orm is a Vampire?”
“Yes,” Merlin answered bluntly.
“That’s impossible,” I began. “There were things in place like spells and charms and God knows what else to monitor the life of each member of the Order. Barnabas had a woodcarving with jewels in it that changed color and Oswald had his rings… I can’t speak for what the others had in the way of monitoring devices, but they all would’ve known when Orm had become a Vampire… You know as well as I do that a person must die in order to be reborn as a Vampire,”
“A quandary is it not,” Merlin said.
He lifted his head looking about somewhere above him.
“It is time for you to return to the conscious world,” he said… I want you to taunt Orm as mercilessly as you can, do not restrain yourself… Tell him that you are the new vessel for my essence,”
“But...” I protested.
“Do as I say, make him angry. Tell him you are the new vessel.” Merlin commanded, sharply cutting me off,
“Now off you go,”
I don’t think I can accurately describe the feeling of returning from my subconscious mind, but I’m fairly certain the sensation would feel a lot like being flushed down a toilet. Though I’ve never actually experienced being flushed down the toilet, I’d have to also surmise dizziness and heavy sweating would be part of it.
* * * * * *
I returned to the same place I’d been standing before Merlin called me for the chat. Which of course I would’ve anyway seeing only my mind checked out. Glum’s arm was more or less in the same position when I left. Recalling Merlin’s instructions I called out.
“Hey Orm why don’t you do your own murdering for a change,”
Orm’s masked face jerked in my direction. His right hand shot up staying the blow that would’ve surely crushed Oswald’s head. Glum tottered back on his heels as the abrupt stopping of his movement unbalanced him, but he managed to right himself.
“Yeah, I thought that was you, the smell sort of gave you away”
Barnabas glared dumbfounded in my direction like I had three heads and a tail. I turned giving him a reassuring glance.
Orm regarded me for a long moment before his hand went to the mask, removing it from his face. He dropped the Janus mask to the stone floor with a clatter before pulling back his hood.
“Yeah, even a mask can’t hide that ugly mug of yours,” I said.
I think I’ve described earlier that Orm was not a handsome man. Apparently becoming a Vampire
didn’t improve his looks much at all. Though his eyes had the piercing jade green color that all Vampires shared.
“You can lose the disguise too Olivia,” I said staring fixedly in her direction.
I noticed in my peripheral Wilmar visibly started at my words. The imposter Rham glanced in Orm’s direction then back to me. Rham’s appearance erupted in undulating ripples. His features melted away in mere seconds, leaving a plain looking yet attractive young woman in her early twenties standing before us. Rahm’s clothes hung loosely over her frame as she clutched the medusa cane stiffly in front of her. Wilmar took a step forward, his eyes fixed on the woman that now stood in front of us. She flashed a smug pitying smile in Wilmar’s direction.
“Poor sweet silly Wilmar, you never really knew me at all,” she said emphasizing the word “silly” in an accent I thought was Russian or some other Slavic dialect.
Wilmar’s lips moved, but words were just not there to express his emotions.
“You were blind to who and what I really was just like Hans. Both of you thought I was a weak helpless little girl that needed saving.” She said hatefully. “I didn’t need him and I never needed you,” she spat then pressed on. “Cooped up out in the middle of nowhere miles away from anywhere with only a horny old man and an Elf to keep me company… He never wanted to leave that stupid compound of his… I couldn’t listen to his stupid ramblings of the good old days any longer… He was boring, He was lazy, He was filthy and he smelled. The man couldn’t keep his hands off of me, he even tried to get me to go to bed with him on numerous occasions,”
Olivia’s body visibly cringed at the thought.
“Pathetic worm,”
Wilmar stiffened, his eyes filling with tears. Olivia regarded him with emotionless eyes as she stepped closer to the barrier.
“Poor Wilmar, did you honestly think I could have feelings for an abomination like you, the only reason I visited you was to get away from Bialek and Tilly… Later that excuse allowed me to make trips to my new Master,”
She turned inclining her head to Orm.
“Traitor,” yelled Tilly as he lunged at Olivia.
Race held him back. His tiny balled fists punching erratically at empty air.
“And Tilly,” she said fixing her eyes on him. “All you were ever good for was washing our clothes and fetching my tea.”
“He trusted you,” he spat through tears. “We trusted you,”
“And where did that trust get you,” she asked harshly, cutting in on him. “Hans is dead and you’ll follow him shortly,”
Orm held up a silencing hand.
“I think it’s time to stop all this talking… This unmasking of myself and my accomplice is most unfortunate Solomon,” he said haughtily.
His high-pitched French accent had returned. The mask must’ve had some sort of voice modulating spell on it.
“You must think of yourself like a famous fictional detective cast in the same light as Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot, yes,”
Orm chuckled.
“No, you are like neither of them. “At best your are a pathetic novice and like all novices you overlook the obvious.”
“And what’s that?” I asked feigning genuine interest.
Orm flashed an arrogant smile.
“There is always an unseen accomplice,” he said wryly. “Bartholomew, would you care to join us out here.”
I turned to Bart, stunned. The magical field pulsed behind Bart. The field, invisible up to this point flared to a bright azure color bending inward flowing around him like a wall of water separating Bart from the rest of us.
“I’d be glad too, the smell of wet dog is rather pungent in here for my tastes,” Bart said moving over to stand to Orm’s right once he was clear of his prison.
The field snapped back into place with an audible crackle. The light faded as the field became invisible once again. I hoped that no one saw my jaw drop open in surprise. I was embarrassed enough as it was.
I knew that Bart was a jerk of epic proportions, but I really didn’t see that one coming. By the look of everyone’s stunned expressions I’d say they didn’t either, all except Adrianna that is. She didn’t show much emotion at all. Hell, even her body language didn’t give anything away. I’d hate having to play poker with her.
Strip poker maybe…
OK. Yes I know I have to focus, but cut me some slack. I’m about to die here. Her eyes fixed piercingly on Bart.
Bart flashed a satisfied smug expression as he stripped out of his tattered and wet winter gear. He was given fresh clothes by a Vampire lackey, I realized looking at the man that he was one of members of Bart’s strike team that helped out in the conference room at Adrianna’s building. Avery, I think was his name. But he wasn’t a Vampire then, he must’ve been turned recently.
“You may glare at me all you wish Adrianna, but I want you to remember something. You were far too careless and far too trusting, you alone created this situation not me” Bart said pulling on a new t-shirt.
“Why,” Adrianna asked.
“Why,” he replied indignantly. “I thought my reasons for betraying you would be clear even to you,”
Hate clouded the smile on his face.
“Power,”
He focused his eyes on hers.
“When I kill you I’ll be the head of Thorne house and will be in control of all its money and influence.”
He grinned triumphantly.
“With it and the help of the other houses I can once and for all exterminate these Werewolf abominations and cast humanity down into the role it was meant for... Food,”
Funny isn’t it, how this whole situation turned into some kind of second-rate soap opera. Sort of makes you wonder if God actually likes drama and has it embedded in our genetic code. That line of reasoning would go along way to explaining why we love winners, but love it even more when they crash and burn.
Adrianna quirked an embittered smile.
“Food… You must be one of those Outlaw fanatics,” she said scornfully.
“One of them?” He replied laughing. “I created the Outlaws and I did it right under your nose and you never even realized it… I funneled manpower, resources and millions of dollars through shell companies which I created as well as hiding the movement of money in the balance sheets of a few of your legitimate subsidiaries and you were none the wiser,”
He laughed derisively.
“Haven’t you realized yet that it was I who sent the assassins after you?” He asked. “I had that team standing by to kill you for weeks when these three idiots showed up,”
He said indicating Barnabas, Race and myself.
“Then I saw my perfect opportunity, I’d have the Ashari kill you, then blame it on the Wizards and the Werewolf.”
Well, that explained how the Ashari got there so fast. They weren’t trailing us like I initially thought. How could they? Bobum and his people were watching everywhere around the shop and the twins were cleared of any possible magical bugs or trackers. Those assassins were meant for Adrianna as Barnabas surmised which explained why they were carrying only Ash daggers. I should have realized during the attack or at least right after it, that none of them carried weapons to kill Barnabas and me or Race.
“But,” he continued. “What often happens in regard to betrayal of this magnitude, the execution of my plan was off and you all survived.”
“You executed prematurely...” I asked mockingly. “It could happen to any man… It’s never happened to me of course, I’ve never had that problem… But given your age and quickness to anger you might want to look into getting a prescription for the little blue pill,”
I turned to Adrianna giving her a sly wink. Her expression remained controlled, but I knew she caught my meaning. Bart was outwardly unfazed by my comment, though inwardly, however I knew he was questioning his manhood and the pair of pants he chose to wear.
“Fortune smiled upon me again when you Adrianna agreed to accompany these two h
alf-breed lovers on this mission with none of your faithful bodyguards,” He said emphasizing the word - faithful - sarcastically. “I was overjoyed by this news and contacted my second team for them to be ready… Unfortunately the storm prevented the Yetis… he said indicating the shaggy beasts with a gesture. “From arriving at the portal in time to intercept all of you,” he continued. “And this freak,” he spat glaring in Wilmar’s direction. “Appeared from nowhere spoiling my plans and in the process killing four of my mercenaries and wounding two others,”
“So it was you that brought all these Mid-Realm beasts to fight for you,” Barnabas interjected.
“No Barnabas, I brought them here,” Orm said proudly. “They owed me a debt or two and now they are paying them off... Though a few have expressed interest in staying around this realm for a while,”
A maniacal chorus of laughter rose up all around us. The Bogeymen were laughing as well, though it sounded more like a ham butt caught in a clunky old garbage disposal.
“Man, you two are a pathetic pair aren’t you,” I said. “Orm needed to go to Mid-Realm for some muscle and you Bart, you just can’t catch a break,”
“I eventually did, Orm traveled back to the site of Bialek’s compound arranging everything there while you were off resting in the freaks cabin and Barnabas was sitting idle worrying about his oafish apprentice,”
At some point during his monolog Bart had taken out a little knife and was fitfully twirling the blade through his fingers.
“All I had to do was to get one of you to touch that medallion. Since you were all too leery of it I took it upon myself to spring the trap spiriting us all away from that site of carnage,”
Bart’s satisfied expression turned to thoughtful remembrance. He turned to Orm.
“Why were there so many bodies of my people at Bialek’s compound Wizard,” Bart asked coldly.
“It was a matter of necessity in order to fool the keen eye of Barnabas,” Orm answered unruffled by the question.
Bart nodded once then made a gesture with his right hand. Vampires fell upon the four Janis mask clad Wizards. Their vicious attack was a horror to witness. When the Vampires were finished all four Wizards lay dead in an ever-expanding pool of blood mere feet away from Orm. Fury welled up inside Orm as his eyes went wide in shock and he wheeled upon Bart.
