Finding Real Magic

by Shawn Keys

The compound door was locked, but only with a pass-card. He had filched one from one of the guards on the way past. With a soft beep, he was inside. The ground level proved to be a rat’s warren of corridors leading into a wide variety of rooms. The walls had all been assembled more recently than the warehouse itself. These hunters had assembled a barracks for a small, private army. Places to sleep, relax and eat were all provided for them. With this, they could probably sustain their presence forever.

  It was impressive, but still mundane. Not what he wanted.

  Three minutes later, he found the stairs leading up. Hah. Same as management the world over. They always want the upper floors while the grunts sleep below.

  Emerging onto the second level, he noticed the difference immediately. The décor wasn’t any less utilitarian. It still felt like a warehouse. But the walls weren’t as congested. The stairs opened out into an open-concept bullpen made for collaboration and planning. There, at the very center, Zahn’s Eye of Ra showed him a relic that flared with a staggeringly brilliant light.

  Sinking down in a corner of the room to catch his breath, Zahn absorbed the room’s details, and most especially the ancient relic. It was supported by a massive circular stone table. There was a raw quality to it, like it had been hewn fresh from a mountain-face. No polish. No effort to make it look pretty. The table was all jagged and crude, starting from a central pillar that broadened out into a wide circle that could seat ten around it comfortably.

  At first glance, it was a table. But Zahn quickly noticed that the top had a shallow dip to it. Water filled the pond, making it more like a huge bird-bath than a table. It was about an inch deep. At the center, Zahn could see a massive white pearl settled in the water. That was the relic. It was cupped by the stone formation below. From the pearl, an ethereal smoke wafted over the shallow pond.

  Six people surrounded the table. They were gazing into the mist-shrouded water intently. Their hands waved through the haze now and then as if to clear away an unworthy image. Once the swirling settled, the mist would unveil different snippets of the world.

  A scrying pool, Zahn realized. How is it possible they haven’t found us yet if they can draw on magical clairvoyance?

  His train of thought was broken by Ash exiting from an office on the far side. She sounded annoyed. “…for all I know, they’re wasting our time from Boston. You could order a room, pizza, clothes and everything online.”

  A male voice trailed after her, though Zahn couldn’t see him yet. “You said the hotel staff recognized her. They were in awe of her. No doppleganger she hired would have that effect. I’m not saying they aren’t messing with us. But they’re here in LA. They didn’t do the smart thing and just run. We need to find them.”

  Ash growled. “They’re pissing me off. Worse, I think Zahn is doing that on purpose.”

  Zahn huffed quietly. Actually, it’s just one of the side benefits.

  Concern came from the man. “I can’t afford to have you biased on this. We need to find Crawson just as badly. Not to mention tracking down that loose cannon, Mueller. If you’re getting frustrated, I can reassign you to one of those cases. I’ll bring Lawrence over to be a fresh set of eyes on Zahn.”

  Zahn knew he was in the right place. Two minutes listening, and he knew more about what was going on than five days of guessing. Burt Crawson was another relic diver, and a damned good one. Divers didn’t exactly trade secrets or go to conventions. But it was inevitable that they would meet during estate sales, archaeological digs, and antique auctions. Zahn had spent a pleasant couple of hours chatting with Burt during an auction while they bid against each other to obtain a few rare texts rumored to contain a mention of a relic. Zahn had always considered him to be one of the honorable sorts. How’d he end up in this mix?

  Then there was Lars Mueller. He was a mercenary like Ash, but with a sadistic streak a mile wide. Zahn had heard the man got off on causing pain, but he didn’t think that was the whole story. No, Lars got off on destroying dreams. He knew magic existed, and he knew the sort of promise they could bring to poor diver. They were a path to a better life. And he loved to rip relics out of the hands of divers who had bled to acquire them, keep them alive long enough to see them get sold off to a rich collector without an ounce of skill, then torture them to death while they cried.

  What Zahn found strange was that Mueller wasn’t here getting paid right alongside Ash. Lars was an opportunist. Pain amused him, but he wasn’t shy about getting paid for it. Could there be another high-level backer in competition with Ash’s boss with Lars on their payroll?

  He needed answers. That was the only way to make things less complicated. Time to get a few.

  Ash was answering her employer without compromise, “I can keep my emotions locked down. Doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy gagging him before shipping him off the continent.” She stepped out of the doorway and into the central area.

  That was Zahn’s chance. Cutting it this close was risky, but he didn’t know what sort of protective measures the boss-man would have on his office. Once Ash was clear, they might snap back into place within a few seconds.

  Activating his ring, time dilated around him. The power was not an omnipotent one. It only lasted for about five seconds in real-time and then took time to recharge. There was also the possibility that another relic would grant the same power to another.

  But they were rare, and Zahn had never met another. He had come to rely on the edge it gave him in situations like this.

  Almost faster than the eye could follow, Zahn zipped through the door behind Ash. He shoved her on the way past. Not to be mean. Alright, there’s some satisfaction in knocking her literally off-balance after she promised to kidnap and export him. He just wanted to cost her an extra second or two before she considered activating her suppression relic. But he didn’t think she would, not with the scrying pool right there in the room.

  Leaving her staggering, he grabbed the door and slammed it in her face. Willing life into his energy gauntlet, he lined up three fingers and painted a thick strip along the seam between the door and its frame. The door opened inward, and the energy would remain indestructible as long as he concentrated on it. Whirling to face the other end of the room, Zahn completed his burst of augmented speed with his borrowed pistol targeted at the man behind the wide desk.

  Ash’s boss didn’t look like a wicked villain of old stories. In fact, he looked a lot more like a tired bureaucrat who knew he wasn’t going to meet a production schedule. His hair had gone mostly white, though there was still a hint of black strands from his youth. Zahn knew appearances could be deceiving when magic was involved, but his weathered face placed him somewhere in his early sixties. He wore a trouble expression on his rounded, somehow familiar face accented by a short-trimmed beard. His clothing was a simple suit made of a dark brown cotton blend, a white shirt and a matching tie. His horn-rimmed glasses were from an older era, or he was into the retro look that had lately taken root.

  However well connected he was, the man was totally surprised by Zahn’s sudden appearance. He rocked back in his chair and his hands darted up in a sign of surrender. “No, don’t shoot!”

  Zahn frowned darkly at him. “Here I thought you were the wise man with all the answers. Did your pet mercenary fail to brief you on anything about me? I should shoot you just for thinking that I would shoot you before talking.”

  Hearing the dark humor in Zahn’s voice, the man’s panic slowly subsided. “She did. And you’re right. You won’t.”

  Zahn’s grip tightened on the pistol. “Until I need to.”

  The man nodded slowly. He lowered his hands down onto the desk, keeping them in plain view. “Fine. I’m not sure you would, but I won’t push you into proving it.” His eyes flickered to the door. “Ash might. She could shatter your magic shield and swamp you with her hirelings. You’d have a good chance at killing me first, but she doesn’t know that. She says you usually don’t carry firearms.”

  “I don
’t. They’re messy. But she started waving them around first, so I figured she started it. Fair’s fair in love and war and all that jazz, right?” He shook his head. “But she won’t cancel the magic. Not until she hears you ordering her to do it.”

  “Oh?” The man tested Zahn.

  Zahn decided to play along. Things would go better if he respected Zahn’s capabilities. Maybe not as an equal player, but worthy of treading lightly around. “If she cancels my barrier, then she’ll crash your scrying pool as well. Never heard of a network of six feeding off the same source. Must be difficult to attune them all. Takes hours before their visions clear. Let me guess. You don’t want to take the chance. You don’t think you have hours like that to waste. Am I close?”

  The man couldn’t quite keep his poker face intact.

  “Thought not. That means we have a few minutes to chat. I didn’t enjoy talking this out with Ash while she pointed a gun at me. Let’s see if you like it any better. Where shall we start? Ahh, how about we level the playing field? You know my name. What’s yours?”

  There was a long pause as the man debated how to play this. “I’ve had a few names over the course of my life. Carter will do for now.”

  Zahn narrowed his eyes, inspecting the man a little closer. “I don’t know you. Though you look somehow familiar. You aren’t after me because I’ve wronged you or killed one of your relatives, are you? What is this about, Carter?”

  Stalling, Carter asked, “Don’t you want to invite your partners in to talk this over? They have to be nearby. I’ve always wanted to meet Miss Laviolette. And is it true what Ash told me? She was quite certain that it was Kaylee Valemount who thrashed her at the cottage. Quite exceptional that you would have picked up two partners of such stature.”

  Now he’s showing me that he’s done his homework, too. Maybe he thinks I don’t trust them by coming here alone? Zahn cut off that possible train of thought by bringing them into the room. Keeping his pistol pointed at the man, he slipped a hand into a hidden pocket on his backpack stashed under the invisibility cloak. He produced a tablet computer. Propping it onto a nearby filing cabinet, he tapped the preprogrammed icon that would open the video app and connect.

  A few seconds later, Angelica and Kaylee appeared on the screen. They had shifted in their seats so the background didn’t show the location of their SUV parked not far from the compound.

  Zahn spoke first, “Things are calm at the moment in here. Ash is outside the room, probably fuming.” He gestured at the desk. “And allow me to introduce Carter, the one who’s been trying to kill us the last few days.”

  Carter was instantly rebellious. He reacted with the same sort of indignation as Ash. “I have no wish to kill any of you! That has always been the last resort!”

  Zahn dug in another barb. “How kind of you. Knowing that my murder is your Plan C makes me feel warm and snuggly inside. Well, it would, except your men brought out their rifles awfully quickly. Seems Plan C wasn’t that far from your mind.”

  Carter held up a hand, trying to stall the conversation from turning into an argument. “You need to understand. What we’re dealing with here could unmake the world. History would forgive me for a few sacrifices along the way.”

  That caught Zahn off-guard. Unmake the world? A few thousand people exist who would kill to obtain the Fountain of Life. I know a few hundred who might start a war to get it. But no-one would kick off an apocalypse. Zahn thumbed his pistol’s hammer back in mute threat. “I’m not a rookie in the world of magic, Carter. I’ve watched the turmoil some of the more powerful relics can cause. I’ve read about the conflicts surrounding them. Grand-standing with me isn’t going to win me over.”

  Angelica interjected, “Not to mention that we don’t care how history would judge you. This is our lives you’re talking about. If you’re willing to sacrifice us, then why shouldn’t we make you pay the price instead?”

  Kaylee pressed him too, “We’re done with running from you, whoever you are. It doesn’t matter if Zahn kills you or if you manage to stay alive. We aren’t under your control, but we know a lot about your organization. One call, and we’ll have police crawling over your little compound. I wonder who they’ll believe? Some unknown spook, or two of the most famous actresses on the planet?” She smiled in a mockingly friendly way. “Oh, and I’ve been sure to take a few screen captures. If you think your face is unknown, it won’t stay that way.”

  Carter looked trapped. “You people don’t –”

  “– don’t know what we’re dealing with here?” Zahn scoffed. “Ash played a similar card. Give us something. Give me a reason not to shoot you, damnit! I don’t want to. We have that in common. But you aren’t giving me a hell of a lot of choice!”

  Carter’s fingers curled, scratching against the table. He was arguing with himself, and his frustration was showing. Finally, he said, “Have you heard of the Guardians? ”

  Zahn scrambled to handle the sudden change in subject. “They’re a ghost story. Meant to scare new relic divers from chasing down leads.” He added for the benefit of the ladies, “A hidden organization whose job it is to ensure the most powerful, dangerous relics are never found. Ones that are so powerful, using them could cause massive destruction and chaos.” He shook his head. “I’ve seen some intensely powerful relics get claimed. No-one has ever talked about a circle of Guardians that stepped forward to interfere. Entire wars haven’t drawn them out into the open. They’re a myth.”

  “We’re no myth, lad. You might have a little experience, but that doesn’t mean you know everything. We act quietly. And we don’t act often. The threat of what we might do is an effective enough deterrent. Our true goal has always been the safe-guarding of the relics that can break the world.”

  Zahn gritted his teeth, still sorting through what was being said. He can’t mean the Fountain. No matter what hidden depths it might have, it can’t have the sort of power he’s talking about. It’s too localized!

  Speaking from far less experience, Angelica asked innocently, “What sort of relic could you possibly mean?”

  “The Horn of Jörmungandr is one.”

  Zahn huffed. “Blow upon this horn, and summon the serpent who will eat the world.”

  “The Jade Crown.”

  Zahn looked at the two ladies. “Able to control the minds of millions of people simultaneously.”

  Carter leaned forward, testing him again, “The Universe Archway.”

  Zahn gave an amused snort. “If I’d caught a sniff of that, I wouldn’t be here talking to you. I’d be hot on the trail and never look back.” Once again, he filled in the blanks for Angelica and Kaylee. “A doorway capable of taking you anywhere in existence. Some might say in any dimension. And because it is a portal, any number of people could step through. Humanity could colonize another world with it.”

  Carter cautioned, “Or with the short-sightedness of mankind, that freedom could destroy nations. Nothing would be safe.”

  Zahn admitted that with a nod. “None of them have ever been found. Their existence is less than a legend. Legends have texture and a sense of history around them. These are fables.”

  Carter grimaced. “Do you think the Guardians would wait until they are dug out of the Earth before preventing their use? We have destroyed any compendium of knowledge that anyone has ever tried to begin on them. We’ve spread false tales meant to sound credible to muddy the path. And yes, over the centuries, more than a few have died just by claiming to have located a clue to their location.”

  Zahn’s eyes widened. “You think I’ve found one?”

  “Not only you. Not every relic with world-ending power can be cloaked in total mystery. Some are just too popular. They fire the imagination. No-one really wants to end the world, so who would look for the Horn? But this one…everyone wants this one.”

  He sighs. “In a short span of time, no less than three relic divers converged on the LA area. Burt Crawson. Ryan Masters. And then there’s you. Each of yo
u was reported to have caught wind of a relic of incredible power. In terrible coincidence, the last suspected location of a mythical relic lies within this region. Unlike the others I mentioned, this one has been held by mortal hands within the last ten centuries. There was a real chance one of you had uncovered its true resting place. I won’t share the tale of how it came to rest here. If you aren’t the one, I won’t help guide you to it.”

  Zahn grimaced at him. “Time to start giving a little trust, Carter. Otherwise, odds are neither of us will walk out of here alive. That isn’t the end I want. Tell me what you’re looking for!”

  Carter leaned in at him again. “You first. Lower the pistol. We’re trapped in here anyway.”

  Zahn weighed his options. The Eye of Ra was telling him that Carter didn’t have a relic on him. But magic was only one way to hurt someone by surprise. Then again, the old man’s right. We need to start somewhere. He eased back the hammer and lowered the pistol. If nothing else, I get to rest my arm. It was starting to ache . Wouldn’t want it to start shaking while the ladies are watching. Laughing at his own pride, he said out loud, “Your turn.”

  Carter hadn’t expected Zahn to go for that. Caught off-guard, he was perhaps a little more honest than he might have been. “Merlin’s Staff.”

  That made Zahn laugh again. “Are you fucking serious?” Relief washed through him. They aren’t after the Fountain. The whole conversation had taken on a new tone for him. They don’t want what I have, and I don’t know anything about what they want. We can part ways and never see each other again! Now I need to convince this old bastard where I stand.

  “Odd to hear a relic-diver who is a non-believer,” Carter noted.

  “Knowing when not to waste your time is important. You can rest easy with me. I chase legends, not fables.”

  Carter snorted. “After what I’ve revealed to you, would you tell me if you did?”

  Zahn admitted, “Fair point.”

  The two men faced each other down in a silent stand-off.

  From the tablet, Angelica seized the opportunity to ask, “Excuse me, did you say Merlin? As in the Merlin? From the stories of Arthur and the Round Table?”