Chapter 4
Chapter Four
A car honked as I darted out in front of it to cross the street. When I hit the sidewalk, a tourist stepped in my path with his hands raised, beads swinging from them. “Show me your tits,” he yelled.
I punched him in the throat.
He made a choking sound as his hands fell from the sky. Served him right. I wasn’t that kind of girl.
I pushed him out of my way as his friends screamed with laughter.
Idiots.
A deep-throated shout caught my attention. Then another from the east. A lithe and agile wolf ran up ahead. One I recognized. It was a shifter. A real shifter, not an aswang turned shifter. They also helped police the Brink, which was what we called the human world, from supernatural creatures.
Boy, hopefully there weren’t more of those aswangs , because that might get confusing for the poor shifters.
I crossed a grassy area where homeless were gathered. To the right was a collection of jazz bars where my good friend Red, a weak shifter and an excellent source of information, always hung out. Another shout drew me forward, into an area blanketed by darkness. I could see in it just fine, one of my (not as special) traits.
“Don’t go that way,” a homeless man said in a scratchy voice. “They got trouble up that way.”
A surge of adrenaline had me pushing faster. “Thanks,” I said, not heeding his words.
After another half-dozen steps, I saw a body crouching with his hands held out. Getting closer, I realized it was the captain, his attention focused on a space between a house and a fence.
I stopped in front of the house. “Hey,” I whispered.
He started, and something in his hands crackled. He blew out a breath and cocked his head, looking at his fists. When no magic issued forth, he glanced my way. He pursed his lips like he was saying shhhhhh. He jerked his head toward the space he’d been focusing on a moment before.
I eased my head around the corner, where there was similar tableau to the horror show in the Bourbon Street house. Another poor sap had had his number drawn. He was a big guy, too. As for the creature, this time the torso was a woman’s, still leathery. The bottom half looked the same. It was sucking an intestine like it was a piece of spaghetti.
Wow. That was one of the grossest things I’d seen in a long time. It was the stuff of nightmares.
“What’s the plan?” I asked softly.
“We’re trying to get in position. We’re still waiting on a few of our people.” Nodding toward the walkie-talkie attached to the side of his belt, he said, “Take this. It’s for you. I have my earpiece in.”
I glanced at the space between the house and fence, then darted to the captain’s side of the space and grabbed the walkie-talkie. It went into my pouch, since I couldn’t very well hold it while fighting. Unfortunately, my pouch was only so big, and the bulky, out-of-date equipment made it hard to close.
“Do you have the entrapment spell?” he whispered.
Probably. I had no idea. I wasn’t good at keeping track of that stuff, since I rarely used it. I nodded anyway.
“Get it out. On my mark, we’ll all throw it at the thing. It’s the only way to prevent it from getting away.”
I made no move to dig through my overburdened pouch. It would make too much noise and take too long. “Why don’t we just kill it? I can sneak in there and get it done. The trick is not announcing your presence before you lunge at it. Lesson learned.” I winked to show I’d learned my lesson after the last hiccup.
“This is too dangerous, Reagan. One swipe and you’re done. We wait and do it as a team. The others should be in position soon. ”
That creature probably wouldn’t be there long enough for this crew to get into position—I knew how slowly they worked—and we couldn’t let it get away. The thing had taken out at least two people, possibly three if it had found someone in the cemetery. Besides, I was much too impatient for those shenanigans. “Okay, here’s a better idea. You guys get ready. I’ll run in there. If I don’t kill it by the time you’re up and running, you trap it. Then I’ll kill it. Good?”
“Reagan—”
His tone said he was going to say no, so I got moving before I could hear the order to stay put. The trick was, you couldn’t get into trouble if you didn’t hear the command.
Hopefully. It was worth a shot, anyway.
I ran around the house until I found a way onto the roof. I broke a shutter, but I got up there. I’d need to remember to leave a note.
On top of the abnormally steep incline, I made my way to the side of the building where the creature was still feasting. Once there, I looked down at it, hunched over its prey like a fat guy at a buffet. Good gracious, what a mess it was making. It was really going to town.
A muffled voice sounded from my pouch. The creature jerked up and looked around.
Crap!
I backed away from the edge before the creature could see me, quickly took out the walkie-talkie, then threw it as hard as I could. The distant racket of plastic and metal breaking apart a ways away melted into the sounds of the city. Back at the edge of the roof, I watched while the creature continued its look around and then dove back into its main course.
The walkie-talkie chatter probably meant they were in position. Hopefully, because this was about to kick off in a big way.
I’d sheathed my sword before climbing the roof, and it would have to stay there for now. If I climbed down one-handed, I’d risk falling on my head, and jumping from this height with such a steep incline would probably have the same effect. Knocking oneself out was not the first step to winning a fight.
I gripped the edge of the roof with my fingers, hurled myself over, and then hit the side of the building with my feet and pushed off. I spun in the air like a cat and landed with a bounce-step. Sticking the landing would’ve been cooler, but I definitely got style points.
The creature jerked up again, a screech gurgling through the blood in its mouth.
You are the worst !
I didn’t want to risk saying it out loud in case the thing burst into the flock of birds. I probably didn’t have long as it was.
I ripped out my sword and lunged forward .
The creature straightened and swiped. I met its two-fingered hand with my blade, lopping it off.
“Killing those birds took out part of your body, huh?” I said, dodging a swipe from its other hand. “Good to know.” I stabbed forward, getting the side of its stomach.
It screeched again and turned away, its form going blurry. It was about to change.
“Trap it,” I yelled, jumping at it. I sliced downward, catching its shoulder. A talon scraped my leather pants as the creature howled and twisted.
I jumped up and wrapped my legs around its neck, then ripped my body to the side and around. Its neck cracked. I let go with my legs and fell to all fours. My sword clattered away.
The creature’s head at an unnatural angle, it came at me, its good arm swinging. Its human face shifted into the glower of a grotesque monster with huge fangs. I’d gone and pissed it off.
“Holy beekeepers, what don’t you turn into?” I rolled to the side and grabbed my sword as magic buzzed around us.
“Get out of there, Reagan, we’ve got it,” Garret yelled from atop the fence behind me.
I dodged a foot trying to smash me as the creature righted its head. “Fast healing. Dang it. I don’t like this thing very much. At least it’s mostly slow. ”
“No, you’re just damn fast,” the captain called. “Get clear.”
“You’re blocking my catch!” Garret threw a casing. A spell erupted out of it and blocked off the thing’s upward escape. Another burst of magic materialized, putting up a wall. Then another, a second wall.
“This is mine,” I said, trying to get around the thing and stab it without also tearing down the spells with my magic-filled sword.
“Get clear, then put up your wall,” the captain yelled.
“I don’t have that spell handy,” I said through gritted teeth.
The thing realized what was happening. Its edges went blurry again as it paused, changing. Hello, weakness.
I took a quick step forward and stabbed. My blade sank into its mid-back.
The aswang howled in anguish. It writhed, folding in on itself before turning back to face me. Its jaws opened, inhumanly distended, issuing forth a growling gurgle. I had no idea what was happening, but its breath could put Clarissa’s car to absolute shame. I nearly passed out from the fumes.
Garret yelled my name. Before I could take another step back to get clear of the stench, something small and black worked out of the creature’s mouth. Almost like a wisp of smoke, a little bird flapped my way. I brought up my sword to kill the magic, an easy feat, since it was moving so slowly, but without warning, a green fireball blasted into the space between the creature and me.
Weak magic that seemed to come from Garret, but strong enough to somewhat damage normal human skin, it raked across my face and ate away my eyebrows. Luckily, I wasn’t a normal human, and soaked in the delicious heat, feeling the burn deep inside of me, my own special magic answering the fire’s call. When it had died away, I saw that the little bird was gone.
Survival mode kicking in—I’d need to explain why the green fire hadn’t burned me—I yanked at my pouch’s zipper, grabbed an empty casing at random, pinched it, and only then realized it wasn’t actually empty.
Donkey balls!
I threw it away from me, no idea what it was in my haste.
Another wall went up, the same spell the others had used. Hopefully no one would notice it had happened after the fact.
I staggered away and dug around for an empty casing. Clearly putting my hand out for all those free spells hadn’t been a good idea after all. Hindsight.
I put my hand to my face, wracking my brain for an excuse I could give for being unharmed. That magical fire had killed the little bird, so it should have been plenty strong to blister my face. People couldn’t know my skin was fireproof. That kind of thing raised eyebrows.
Not on me, of course, since I no longer had any, thanks to Garret. It was a good thing Callie, my mage friend, was so good at regrowing them.
“Reagan,” the captain said as he ran up, out of breath.
The creature writhed on the ground before crumbling to ash. So it was definitely dead, then.
“Are you okay?” Captain Lox gripped my shoulders and peered into my eyes. His brow furrowed as his gaze roamed my face.
“I used a spell to ward away the fire,” I blurted.
The furrow deepened.
Now on to important matters. “That kill went to me, right?” I asked. “That was mine, not Garret’s? I was the one who stabbed it.”
“Yes,” the captain said, releasing me and taking a step back, his confusion still evident. “You killed it. But without us, you probably wouldn’t have, so you’ll only get a fraction of the bonus. The rest will be divided.”
I waved that away. “Divide the whole bonus; I don’t care. I just want it in the books that I got this kill. Over Garret.”
“It will be.” The captain nodded .
“And my name will go in the books as saving Reagan’s life,” Garret said, sliding down the fence and hitting the ground too hard. He staggered and windmilled his hands, just managing to stay on his feet.
Dang.
He stalked over, all swagger and ego. A smug smile graced his pointy face. “You’re welcome.”
“Wait…what?” I asked, cold dripping down my middle.
“An aswang transfers its evil by issuing forth a tiny black bird,” the captain explained, writing something in his book. That had better not be Garret’s name under the title Reagan Savior ! “That bird nearly made it to you. Had it succeeded, it would’ve forced its way into your mouth or eye and turned you into one of its kind. It’s not a real bird, obviously, but magic. You would’ve transformed, and we would’ve had to kill you. Speaking of”—he pointed at my leg with the jagged end of his pencil—“it didn’t scratch you, did it? I don’t see a hole in your pants.”
“No, it didn’t scratch me.” I shook my head. “I was just about to kill that bird thing with my sword. I wouldn’t have ingested it. That doesn’t count. Garret, of all people, did not save my life.”
“Not even a magical sword can cut through that type of magic,” the captain said without inflection.
I opened my mouth to tell him that my type of magic, which was stored in the sword, surely would have cut through that bird thing. It could cut through anything, especially dark, underworld-type magic. I was underworld-type magic.
No words came out.
There was absolutely no way I could admit to any of that. Nor could I tell the captain that if the bird thing had infected me, its evil wouldn’t have taken root. I’d had plenty of experience casting demons out of my body. It was part of my lineage—a lineage I couldn’t share with anyone unless I wanted to enslave myself to the land below.
No, I couldn’t tell the captain, but I really, really wanted to. This sucked so hard.
“You were right there without the means to kill it,” Garret said, grinding the point home, standing beside me with his chest puffed out in triumph. “It would’ve turned you into one of its kind. I’ve seen it happen. It’s immediate and not pretty. Face it, I saved your life. And what do I get for saving your life?”
“Don’t be a putz, Garret,” the captain said without inflection.
“That’s right, I get a bonus. And honors. And a write-up in our newsletter.” Garret smiled and hooked his thumbs into his belt loops. “I’m a hero. Hail to the king.”
My hands curled into fists. He had me. And now, in the eyes of the office, I was indebted to him.
“You’re welcome,” he said, flicking my last nerve with his smug, douchey smile.
Before my mind caught up with my body, my fist hit his nose. The crack made everyone blink in surprise. He staggered back and reached for his face. A moment later, blood gushed over his lips.
“Oops,” I said. I meant it.
“That’s a red flag,” the captain said nonchalantly, not looking up.
I sighed. That fifth red flag had probably been inevitable. I clearly wasn’t cut out for a routine-driven, normal life.
Clarissa hastened up, out of breath and clutching her satchel. “Reagan, are you hurt? Did it scratch you?”
“It scratched her leather pants. It didn’t pierce them.” Captain Lox closed his book and finally looked up. “I’ve half a mind to have everyone wear leather. It’s a good idea.”
“Maybe tum’one s’uld ass her why her face isn’t fried,” Garret said through his fingers, his eyes watering and half closed.
“Why her face isn’t fried?” Clarissa asked, squinting at him. “Is that what you said? Let me see your nose.”
“Reagan got blasted in the face with magical fire when Garret burned the aswang’s transformation bird,” the captain said, looking at the ashes on the ground .
“Oh my gosh!” Clarissa’s hand drifted to her chest. “Oh thank God, Garret. Quick thinking. I didn’t have a chance to tell her about that. She would’ve been a goner for sure. Oh wow, that must’ve been a close one.”
My nails dug into my palms.
“But…” Clarissa studied my face. “Oh, I see, your eyebrows are gone. But your face doesn’t look blistered or burned in any way. Was the spell old? It must’ve created a decent amount of heat if it burned your eyebrows. I’d think you’d have light blistering, at the very least. I can heal that, of course.”
“Oh. Uh…” I shrugged. Time to lie. “A cousin made a fire-retardant spell. You know, that cousin. The one I mentioned when I helped you with the case earlier today. He lives in Canada.” They couldn’t possibly know I had no living relatives. Except my dad, but he didn’t count.
“Da one you lost yer birginity to?” Garret asked. He wheezed out a laugh, still holding his face.
“Do you want a broken limb to accessorize with that nose?” I asked him. “But yeah, turns out the spell works on skin but not hair. I’ll, uh…have to tell him that.”
“I thought we had an understanding about experimental magic,” Clarissa said with disapproval.
“It saved my life, didn’t it?” I turned toward home.
“No, I taved yer life,” Garret yelled after me.
I was walking away when Garret asked Clarissa to see to his nose. Other MLE staffers were showing up as I exited the little side alley. Their response time was terrible. If I hadn’t acted when I did, prompting the captain and Garret to act with me, the creature would be long gone.
Something that would be overshadowed by Garret’s assumed heroics. What joy was mine…
Now to deal with Smokey. If he’d seen what I had, which was likely, given the text message and his many calls, he might be a little frantic. Not to mention that if he was dumb enough to talk to the cops, he might need to be bailed out. It was the day that wouldn’t end.