by Tom Keller
"That would be helpful," he said, turning his head back in my direction. "They were difficult to bite, but at least they had no taste, unlike the Harpies we fought."
"I don’t know about taste, but they were certainly a nightmare," I replied, remembering our battles in the Underworld before I became King of Hades. "You getting anything?"
"Nothing fresh," he said, trotting back towards me. "It is possible a Were was here, but the scent has faded."
"Before or after the incident?" I asked.
"After," he replied. "But it is strange. It smells different somehow, almost unrecognizable."
"Strange how?" I asked. Charlie was a Fae hunting dog, and royalty as well. His nose almost never failed him.
"I do not know," he replied. "But it is not normal. Come, perhaps I can locate more as we move through the streets."
Not normal wasn't a good sign, I thought to myself, following him across the deserted highway. We wound up near a nightclub with a mostly empty parking lot. Charlie started sniffing the sidewalk and headed down Fremont to where it becomes Boulder Highway.
"Anything?" I asked as we passed the old trailer sales lot. There was nothing there now except for a few abandoned trucks that looked like they'd been used for target practice.
"It has been a day," he replied, pausing as he sniffed a spot on the sidewalk. "While lightly travelled, most of that scent has faded. Those that remain mask whatever is left of the other. The Were is but one of many strange scents here."
"Forget the Were for a minute," I said, frustrated at the situation. I tapped my forehead with two fingers as I realized what I should be doing. "We need to start back at square one. Come on." I turned and walked a few yards, then cut through the broken chain link fence where the trucks were parked. Moving behind one, I motioned to Charlie to join me.
"Where are we going?" he asked, stepping up to my side.
"Where we should have started to begin with," I replied, my bident appearing in my hand. I tapped the ground and created a portal and we stepped through, appearing a moment later in the alley by the house on Ballard that Nikki had processed earlier.
"That is Nikki's scent," Charlie noted, sniffing at the foot of the steps that led up to the back door. "What is this place?"
"Yeah, about that," I replied, walking up and pulling the crime scene tape off the door. I checked it, and, not surprisingly, it was unlocked. Something I'd already surmised from looking at the tape before I'd taken it down. Someone had tacked it back up after leaving, and quite sloppily at that.
"My bad. I should have brought you up to speed before we started. I've been a little preoccupied. My fault for acting like a rookie." I'd already told him about the magic and the cars, but now I gave him a quick overview of what had occurred since then, including what Nikki had learned when she processed the various scenes. When I was done, I opened the door and let him in, then took a seat on one of the cracked concrete steps to wait. He came back out a few minutes later and bounded down the steps and into the alley.
"Well?" I asked, catching up to him on his way to the street.
"The trail ends here," he said, stopping about a car length from the end of the alley. He sniffed his way to the road and then circled back.
"The girl's?" I asked, assuming he meant our suspect.
"The female, yes," he replied, stopping at the side of the alley. "She stepped off here. A vehicle, most likely. Her scent has been carried away by the wind."
"Anything else you can tell me about her?" I asked.
"She is not human," he replied, raising his nose from the asphalt. "At least not entirely so. But whatever magic exists within her is not known to me. It smells of Fae, yet not from any race I am acquainted with. Perhaps she is something new."
"New?" I said, not quite understanding. "You mean new to us or something we just haven’t run across yet?"
"No," he replied, adamantly. "I mean she is not of the old races.
"That's quite a supposition isn't it?" I asked. "Maybe she's just from somewhere you aren't familiar with."
He turned and walked toward me, his large head rising as he peered into my eyes.
"My line was forged by Pan," he began. "Older than the Gods that preceded you, it was he that taught them many of the secrets they took credit for. Do not underestimate my abilities. I carry the memory of my sire and those that came before him within me. Even were she of other lines, be they Egyptian, Roman, Norse, or another, I would, at the least, recognize some part of her scent. I tell you that I have never sensed the exact patterns of this scent before. I do not know what she is, but I know what she is not."
"Whoa," I said, leaning down to reassure him. "I wasn't trying to second guess you. You just caught me off guard with that one. But you said she smelled of Fae. What does that mean?"
"Her scent reminds me of Fae," he replied, apparently satisfied with my response. "More than that I cannot say. I am confused as well. Perhaps the Imp can provide more insight."
"Okay. Nikki also said the magic was off somehow," I said, straightening up. "One more mystery to deal with."
"Let us return to the Highway," Charlie said, "Perhaps there is more to be learned now that I know what we are searching for."
"Let's go then," I said, and opened a portal back to the old trailer lot.
In a perfect world I could just use my Hades powers and reach down into the ground to see what was there. But even though, by tradition, Hades had owned everything within the Earth, concrete and asphalt had a way of masking the ground it was built on, making those powers less than helpful in an urban environment. Fortunately, Charlie's nose seemed to have flipped into high gear, and we slowly made our way up the street toward a small motel where Charlie stopped in front of a large dumpster and looked back at me.
"She was here," he said as he circled the dark green object and then trotted off to the entrance, his head low to the ground. "The almost Were as well. Something masks his scent. I believe there is dark magic being used here"
"The girl was here? Where? Here in the motel?" I asked, walking up to the gated entrance.
"No," he replied, moving back toward the dumpster. He walked around to the side that faced the motel's walls then bent down at a spot that would be hidden from the street. "She stood here. A day ago at most. As to the unknown Were, I can only say he has been here as well."
"How can you tell anything from this stench," I quipped, as the smell from the full dumpster hit me. "Just kidding! So, she was here when it happened. Probably watched the whole debacle then. I wonder what she was thinking?"
"That I cannot say," he replied, then his eyes turned toward the motel's front gate, his hackles rising as he searched for whatever had alerted him.
"What is it?" I asked, reaching out with magic to see what it was he sensed.
"Someone watches," he replied a second later.
"What the hell is a Lilin doing here?" I asked, sensing the aura of the ancient creature. I moved toward the entrance and saw a girl on the second-floor balcony waving and motioning for us to join her. I glanced back at Charlie and we crossed the parking lot and bounded up the stairs as she led us into a room.
"Get in! Quickly now!" she said, holding open the door. She stuck her head out the doorway as we passed. "Hurry, before the beast comes back." When we were both inside, she closed and locked the door, then peeked through the blinds as if to make sure we hadn't been seen. "I think we're safe."
"Safe from what?" I asked. "What kind of beast can scare a Lilin?"
"The kind that eats you," she replied, pushing down the bent blinds. "It took out my roommate, Angela, last night. Never heard it coming. Bit through her like she was candy. I think it sees non-humans as lunch meat. First time we saw it, it was stalking a Fae. She got into a car before it could get to her. Kid gunned it and took off down the road with it following half a block behind. If she hadn’t had a hot foot, it would have probably caught her. We thought it was gone, but it's been hanging around the dumpster ever
since. It's left the humans alone. I think it's searching for something."
"Or someone," I said, lifting a blind.
"Be careful!" she said, pulling my hand away. "It's smart. Watches things before it attacks, or at least I think it does. Either way, we need to lay low until morning. It only comes out when it's dark. Hopefully it'll find what it's looking for and move on."
"I don’t think we can let it do that," I replied, nodding at Charlie, who moved to the window and pushed his nose between the blinds. "I think we found your unknown Were."
"Don't be an idiot, and it's not a Were," the Lilin said. "I've never seen anything like it before, but it's got horns and sharp teeth. Big ones. I told you it ate Angela. We were together for over 300 years. We've never run into anything that strong before, at least not with just teeth and claws."
"You said it chased a Fae," I said, moving to sit on the bed. There were no chairs in the room. "When exactly was that?"
"Last night," she replied. "I think the Fae was watching the light show at the car place across the street. Stayed until the cops showed up, then jumped in her own car and took off. The beast appeared just as she was leaving. I don’t even know if she knew she was being followed. But she took off like a bat out of Hell, so I just assumed she must have known. No idea if she's still alive, for all I know it ate her and came back to have Angela for dessert."
"What's a Lilin doing in a dump like this anyway?" I asked, as she sat across the bed from me. "Why aren’t you up in Reno with Ella, or working in their new Nightclub at the Neptune?"
"Not all of us need numbers to feel safe," she replied, defiantly. "Besides, why trade one master for another? Some of us think freedom means just what it implies. Which isn’t exactly in line with what she and the other Elders want. Hey, for an old guy with a dog, you seem to know an awful lot about my kind. If I'd have known you were going to ask so many questions, I might have left you out there to face it alone."
"Why did you let us in then?" I asked.
"Like I said," she replied. "You looked like an old guy with a dog, and I like dogs. Sure, I knew you were a Fae, even if I couldn’t tell what kind. I've been around long enough to know one when I see one. Besides, never ran into a human with a talking dog before. That was my first clue. Truth is, if I'd thought you were something more, I wouldn’t have let you in."
"Be glad you did," I said, standing and moving to the window next to Charlie.
"You've got some balls," she replied, sighing. "But I think this one's got you outclassed. You're an old fool if you think you can take that thing on."
"We may not be as helpless as you think," I said, slipping open a blind to look outside again. "Tell me about the girl."
"The girl?" she asked, looking confused for a moment. "You mean the Fae that drove away?"
"Yeah, her."
"What's to say?" she replied. "Seen her around a few times. Up the Boulder Strip, mostly. County Line Bar, the casinos, places like that."
"You know her name?" I asked, moving back towards the bed.
"I said I've seen her around," she said, crossing her arms. "Not that I knew her. It's not like I'm on a first name basis with most of your kind. Besides, no one uses their real name on the streets, if you know what I mean."
I hadn’t expected her to be as cooperative as she was. The Lilin had once suffered under a spell that made them subservient to the Fae. While I had been the one to lift it, she had no way of knowing that. Old wounds are hard to forget and there was still some friction between the two races. Although I wasn't involved in how they ran things, her fear of Ella, the current leader of the Lilin had merit as well. The Lilin had been fractured and unorganized before the spell was lifted, and from what I'd heard, Ella hadn’t exactly been gentle trying to pull them together. I had to admire this Lilin for being able to stay independent as long as she had.
"I like her," Charlie said, turning his head from the window for a moment.
"You would," I said, laughing. "Okay then. Describe her for me."
"What are you? A cop?" she asked, now crossing her legs.
"Used to be," I answered, honestly.
"Now I really shouldn’t have let you in," she replied, glaring. "What are you going to do? Give me the third degree?"
"Hardly," I said, still grinning. "Description?"
"Oh, fine," she replied, shifting a bit. She jumped up and walked to a dresser, opened it and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Do you mind?"
"It's your place," I replied, raising my hands.
"Let me think," she said, pulling a smoke and matches out of the pack. She lifted it to her lips and lit it.
"Small girl," she said, taking a puff. "Shorter than me. Barely looks 21, but I've seen her in the casinos up the Highway. Usually late at night or early morning. Not that that means anything out here, nobody comes out during the day. Dirty blonde hair. Always playing with her phone. I hear she's good with computers. Has a car but I've only seen her drive it a few times. An old beater. Don’t know what kind."
"Interesting," I replied. "Got a name?"
"Sheesh, man. What did I tell you?" she said. "I don't know her. Wait, Mouse, maybe… I think that's what someone said her name was."
"Well, at least that fits," I said.
"Fits what?" the girl asked.
"Someone has arrived," Charlie said, before I could say any more.
I moved over to the window. A dark sedan had pulled up next to the dumpster. A young male got out of the driver's side and walked around the car, leaning on it as if he was waiting for something.
"Any idea who that is?" I asked, holding open the blinds enough for her to see.
"That's Kenny," she said with an ever so slight shudder. "He's a pimp. Runs a few girls up and down the highway. He's a Demon, and an asshole. Likes to play the tough guy. I've had a few run-ins with him, but he's learned to leave me alone."
"Half-Demon," Charlie chimed in.
"Interesting neighborhood you live in," I said, looking back out the window.
"It comes," Charlie said, his tail swishing back and forth in anticipation. "I sense its dark magic."
Kenny, if that's what his real name was, stood straight for a moment, as if he had heard something that disturbed him. Then the creature struck. Coming from around the building, it never slowed as it wrapped its claws around the Demon and took him to the ground. It roared and bit into his neck, his body going limp as he died instantly. Then the creature dragged him back the way it came. It was huge. At least 14 feet tall and extremely well-muscled.
"Probably wants to eat in peace," I said, motioning to Charlie. I walked over to the door. "You take the stairs, I'll go over the top. Ready?"
Charlie just growled and put his head up to the door.
"What the hell are you doing?" the Lilin asked, moving up against a wall in the room. "I told you. You're no match for that thing!"
"Let me be the judge of that," I said, twisting the doorknob. "Stay here if you want to live. We'll be back when it's safe." Then I threw open the door and followed Charlie out to the landing.
He bounded down the stairs as I jumped up onto the roof. Making my way along the old asphalt shingles, I spotted the creature in the lot next to the motel. It had found a quiet place beside an abandoned storage shed and was tearing into what was left of the Demon. As Charlie came around the corner towards it, I willed forth both my bident and sword and took a running leap, jumping and landing a few feet on the other side of the creature.
The creature was fast, it dropped its prey and lunged toward me, it's mouth and tusks ejecting bits and parts of the now dead Half-Demon in all directions. A great claw swiped at me, ripping through my shirt and scraping along my skin. I pushed my bident into its chest and pushed away from its reach. At the same moment, Charlie clamped down on one of its legs, forcing the creature off balance as it fell to the ground. As it roared, it turned its huge jaws towards Charlie, exposing its neck and giving me an opening for my sword. A moment later, its g
iant head was severed from its body and the great hulk collapsed at our feet.
"Holy Shit! You killed it!" the Lilin screamed, coming up from around the shed. Her eyes wide as she took in the scene. "How did you do that? Who the f… are you guys?"
"One question at a time," I replied, then knelt and thrust my hand into the opening on its neck where the its head once rested. In case you've forgotten, I can read the history of a being by using its blood. But I didn’t have a lot of time. Once death occurred, memories faded as the last of its life force disappeared with them.
He'd been in the Royal Navy back in the 1700's. Shipwrecked, he'd found himself alone on an island somewhere off the coast of Turkey on the Black Sea. A giant of a man and a bare-knuckle boxer, he'd fought his way up and down the coast in charity tournaments for God and Queen. Then he found her at the end of a long winding path that led from the beach through the trees, and now I knew who had done this to him.
"That freaking bitch!" I declared, pulling my hand out and wiping them on my pants. I turned towards the Lilin. "Didn't I tell you to stay inside?"
"I'm sorry!" she cried. "But you don’t have to get nasty."
"It wasn't you I was calling a bitch," I replied, holding up my hand towards her. Then I dug into my pocket for my phone and pushed a contact on my favorites list. A moment later, a groggy voice answered.
"Don't you ever sleep?" Michael asked.
"You need to get down here," I said, telling him about the bodies and giving him the address. "We're in the lot next to the motel. Behind the concrete slab next to an old shed. Bring Siegfried, he'll want to see this too."
"We have a protocol for cleanup operations," he replied. "I don’t suppose you could follow it on occasion."
"Those calls are logged," I replied, hearing him open what I hoped was a closet door. "I'll leave it up to you if you want a report on this. But I'm guessing you'll want a little lead time before any statements make their way to outside agencies. If you get my drift."
"That bad, eh?" he said.
"Let's just say I think we're both going to want a little time before this gets out," I replied. "That work for you?"
