Part 1
Ignition
Chapter 1
Waves of heat radiated over me from above and the hungry roar of a fire followed. If you have ever been next to a burning building you know how loud and terrifying they can be, I was laying right outside one. Pain washed over my body like a powerful wave rolling over me and finished by pounding down on my head. The hypoxic haze clouding my brain was lifting and around me people shouted as the sounds of sirens cut through the night air. The smell of burnt hair and flesh lingered in the air bringing back memories of cattle branding when I was younger. As I opened my eyes to glance around the pain in my head intensified. I preferred my eyes closed and I rested my face back on the cool grass hoping tonight would end. I tried to quiet my mind and reach out to my longest companion.
Maeve are you there? I silently asked. I noticed a slight stir in my mind but nothing else. Not a big surprise, I didn’t want to talk much either, after the huge amount of energy we used and the injuries I have she might be busy for a while. I took the time to mentally go over my situation. First, I was alive, Yeah! Nothing appeared to be broken but my right hand and forearm radiated heat and pain. I moved my arm around to peer at it and I saw the skin had blackened spots with blisters already appearing in places. Every time I drew in a breath my chest screamed at me and add possible broken ribs to the list of problems. Other than feeling like I had tumbled down a flight of stairs it would appear that I would live. Again yeah. Testing my limbs I pulled them under me and rose. It could be worse I thought as I straightened up and something slammed into my back. Pain exploded through my body again and the shock took my breath away as I hit the ground hard. See I told you it could be worse. My mind fogged over with pain again as I squirmed around stunned for several seconds. As my mind cleared, something grabbed my left arm and cold metal pressed around my wrist as a man wrenched my arm around behind my back.
“Don’t move, you’re under arrest.” the man shouted at me as he drove his knee into my back and grabbed my other arm. Pain flared along my right hand and forearm from where the fire chewed through my flesh as I felt the other cuff tighten on my blistered wrist.
I hissed from the pain and spat out, “Easy buddy, I’m not going anywhere. Damn!”
Behind me a voice, I was not familiar with, recited a litany I knew well.
“You have the right to remain silent, you have the right to...,” the voice continued.
Blah blah blah I thought as he dragged me to my feet not caring one bit as the blisters on my arm burst open. This is not the first time I’ve been read my rights before. Hey, I’m not a bad guy but I tread real close to the dark side more often than not. Before you make any judgments, I haven’t been responsible for all the circumstances that have landed me in jail. It always seems I am in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s a recurring theme in the story of my life.
I dared to open my eyes again and looked up at the flaming hole I had put in the third floor of the apartment building. To be fair, only the hole in the apartment was my fault. The flames were not. I panned around to see if I was the only one that got out of the building and I saw a firefighter helping a girl in her late teens, early twenties. Ash and soot smudged her polka-dot pajama pants and a pink tank top. She appeared to be in shock. Black streaks covered her face as tears cut lines through the ash on her cheeks. One side of her blonde hair was matted and singe and she pulled on it trying in vain to straighten it out. Her wide eyes stared at me while a paramedic put an oxygen mask over her mouth and examined her. I lost sight of her when the officer shoved me towards his car with its lights blazing. Well at least she was still alive, I thought, now hopefully Greg made it out. In the chaos I noticed two other ambulances but I couldn’t tell who the paramedics were taking care of. As I scanned around I noticed a dark skinned man in an expensive suit watching the fire. The flames reflecting off his dark eyes. He had a small frown on his face as he turned to me; raised a questioning eyebrow then gazed off in the dark.
Why is he here? Did he follow me? These thoughts raced through my mind when a giant roar ripped through the night. The apartment just above the hole exploded in a massive fireball and debris rained down on the surrounding people. Firefighters yelled into radios and the cop behind me cursed and rushed us to his car. A pair of firefighters ran by us and headed into the building and people surged back from the building in a panic. The cop jerked open the back door of his car and shoved me in. I ducked just in time to avoid bouncing my head off the roof and landed face first on the seat.
“Stay there.” he shouted and slammed the door.
“Where the hell do you think I will go?” I muttered to myself as I struggled to sit up straight with my hands behind my back. In truth to get out of these handcuffs and this car wouldn’t take much effort but I was too tired to even try. Exhaustion fell over me so I took one last look out the window at the chaos and then closed my eyes.
The pain continued to hammer at my brain and the lurch of the car was imperceptible as it moved out and the sirens screamed to life. I squinted through blurry eyes to see the officer smirking at my pained expression and anger flared through me as Maeve stirred.
“That asshole did that on purpose”, Maeve said and before I could stop her a surge of power left me. The siren smoked and died with a warble as the light bar on top of the cruiser exploded. I felt the car swerve as the surprised officer cursed and pulled over with a screech of the tires before we fell into well of darkness.
Blinding light in my left eye and then the other. I could barely make out the person behind the light as my exhausted mind tried to pull itself together. I swiped away the light with a wild swing from my arm and pain flared once more.
“Calm down. Do you know where you are?” came a woman’s voice.
My reply came out something like “Leaf ma alo.” followed by muffled voices I couldn’t make out. I felt hands on my body and head pushing and feeling around. They were very thorough as I jerked away from the probing on some painful spots. More people were talking and I heard something about a head CT before I faded to black again.
Voices cut through the fog, “His CT is negative but he has some ribs that were broken a couple weeks ago judging from the x-ray we took and the burn on his arm that we dressed. Other than that it appears that he is just exhausted and a little dehydrated.” said the women I had heard earlier.
“So he is able to come with us?” Damn, I knew that voice. Great this should be fun, I thought right before I was jostled and then was out of it again.
This time there was only silence that greeted me when I reemerged from the darkness. Pain assaulted my eyes and headache as the bright florescent lights in a white bare room overwhelmed me. I squinted my eyes as I looked around. Bandages covered my right arm but I still felt the burns radiating heat. Both my hands were now cuffed to a ring bolted to the table in front of me and ash and soot covered my clothes. I turned to a big mirror to one side of the room and I got a look at myself. I stared in shock at the image in the mirror. My black hair is singed and standing up in all directions. I would need one hell of a haircut to even out the left side of my head. The right side of my head my hair was almost down to the scalp and face was red like I had a bad sunburn. My five day stubble on my face is half gone now and my right cheek covered in curled up charred whiskers.
“Mal, you look like hell”. I heard Maeve say.
“Hey, you’re awake”, I said. “Yeah, well that’s what happens when something lights you on fire.”
I felt a surge of fear at the memory, “That was a close one, we were lucky that you were only lit on fire”, came Maeve’s worried reply.
I looked away from the mirror and closed my eyes, Yes it could have been much worse. I hope Greg and the old man are OK.
I felt the fear fade, but the worry remained so I tried to settle both of our emotions and looked back to the mirror.
“Hey.”, I croaked; my voice harsh. “Could I get a glass of water? I am a little parched.” I looked down at my arm and the bandages on it. “I need some Tylenol or something for my arm too.”
After what seemed like ages the door opened, a man in a tweed jacket and loose tie stepped inside carrying a small paper cup. He set down the cup just out of reach of my cuffed hands, dropped two tablets on the table and sat down across from me. The man was in his late forties standing well over six feet with graying sandy hair and sky-blue eyes. The wooden chair creaked as he settled back in his chair and placed his hands over a small paunch and stared at me.
A wave of disgust surged in me and Maeve’s voice echoed in my head, Oh great our favorite Detective. I stifled the scowl that tried to creep on my face and looked up at the cop.
“Marty, could you slide that cup a little closer?” I said as I stretched my hands toward the cup and medicine.
“Detective Halvorson.” he stated as he narrowed his eyes. “You will get the cup in a minute Malcolm, I have a few questions for you.”
“Really Detective Halvorson?” I said, drawing out the detective. “Resorting to cliques like this in an interrogation room?” I settled back in my chair which pulled on the handcuffs and they bit into my burnt wrist. I jerked upright again and tried to ignore the smirk on the detective’s face.
Nice one Mal, you really showed him, drifted through my mind followed by a fading laughter.
I bit back a grimace of pain and glanced over at the Detective, “I am not answering any questions until I know what happened to Greg.”
Halvorson’s face turned serious and he looked down, “He is at the hospital with some bad burns but he should live.”
I sighed in relief and smiled. Greg would be fine, I knew the burns would not slow him down for long.
“What are you smiling at?” Halvorson asked with disgust. “Your friend nearly died and you have that stupid smirk on your face. You are insane.”
That wiped the smile off my face and I looked at him with a frown, “Why are we wasting time like this? Every time we talk” I gestured little quotes with my fingers around the word talk. “It ends with you red faced with dangerously high blood pressure and me walking out the door.” A scowl flashed across Halvorson’s face and he sat forward in his chair. “Let’s just cut to the end and you let me go so I can do my job.” I continued before he interrupted.
“I don’t care how many times we do this because one of these times you can’t lie your way out of it.” Halvorson snarled as he stood up and glowered down at me. “I dislike what you do; treading just at the edge of the law. I also think you are insane and a danger to the people around you.”
Well he might be right about the insane part. Maeve said. What do you think? Am I a part of your mind that’s been damaged for all these years?
Hey this is why he thinks I am insane. I cannot have two conversations at once; pipe down. I returned my focus towards Halvorson again.
“Hey don’t get all bent out of shape because I am better at your job than you ar-” I started to say with a grin before Halvorson slammed his hands down on the table.
“You know nothing about my job and how it’s done.” He shouted in my face, the veins on his neck and forehead pulsing as spit flew from his mouth.
Shock welled up in me and Maeve spoke up, Wow it takes you about an hour to get him worked up like this. Either you’re in good form tonight or something else is going on.
Yeah something’s up.
Halvorson calmed and a small mocking smile crept across his face, “This time is different. You are not getting out of this mess this time. I can put you at the scene of a murder this time.”
The last part hit me like a punch to the guts and a surge of fear slipped from Maeve and it flattened the mocking reply I had ready for him. “Who died?” I asked quietly.
“You should know since you were there.” Halvorson said with a grunt. “How about you start and I will fill in the spots that you will conveniently leave out.” he said as he settles back in his chair again. “And I don’t want to hear any of the bullshit fairy tales you have told me before. I know you never tell me the whole truth.”
I leaned forward with a sigh, resting my elbows on the table and started my tale.
Chapter 2
“Wake up, time to work.” came a deep voice accompanied by a slap to my foot causing me to awaken with a jerk from my spot on the soft couch in the back room. Yes, I have a nice couch in my office so I can get some sleep when I need it. I know what you’re thinking, how good of a worker can I be if I’m sleeping all the time. Well, being rested could keep my partner and me alive so I try to get as much sleep as I can.
“There is a guy out here that is looking for someone and would like to hire us. Try to rub the sleep from your eyes and come on out.” Greg said and he left the room.
As I sat up an uncomfortable pressure hit my bladder and I grimaced in pain.
“Hold on a minute Greg.” I said with a shallow breathe afraid the pressure may be too much for my strained bladder. I gingerly walked into the restroom and closed the door.
Don’t look! I mentally said.
It’s not like I haven’t seen it before, came Maeve’s reply.
That’s beside the point; it’s just weird.
Let me fill you in on something unique about myself. My name is Malcolm Morrigan and I am possessed.
Hey, you make it sound like I’m a demon. Maeve shouts in my head with a hurt voice. I am much better than a demon. Well... OK I don’t think I am. I don’t act very demonic, do I?
Well, there was that one time you took over and I had that awkward moment with Danny Jesop. I answered.
O yeah... but that was just once, besides he was too embarrassed to tell anyone and he moved away right after that, she replied.
And the other time you wanted to join the cheer squad and …
OK I get it, she snapped.
So maybe possessed is not the right word. Ever since I was born I have not been alone. I have had this presence or spirit or something living in my head with me. Her name is Maeve and yes she’s a girl or at least as girly as a spirit can be. She is always there in my head so we share everything; emotions, experiences, pains and even heartbreak. I have learned to tell which emotions are mine and which are hers but it took time. Trust me, it made my puberty a very confusing time. One minute my hormones are flaring because a cute girl walks by and the next I am trying not to grab the star quarterback’s ass. I had several really awkward moments back then. Anyway, she has been part of my life for as long as I can remember for better or worse.
I like to think I improve your life a great deal. Maeve says with a smug voice. Look how boring it would be if we were not together.
That is true. It’s why I sleep so much and even why I am in the restroom now. Because of Maeve I can do something that most people can’t. Maeve can manipulate the elements; you know water, air, fire, earth and spirits. I have learned to channel Maeve’s ability myself although with a lot less finesse. From what I have read over the years, there are other people that can do this but with only one element. They are able to use the environment around them to power their magic and as far as I can tell this what Maeve is able to do. The problem is that Maeve’s environment is me so she has to use my body to fuel her magic and there can be several dangers. OK, a lot of dangers. Whenever we manipulate water, it has to come from somewhere. Water comprises eighty percent of the human body so there is a lot to work with when I need it. But I always try to drink a lot of water; hence the restroom. If I use too much magic, I get dehydrated which at first is not a big deal but it can lead to vision problems, hallucinations and organ failure. The first time I used water magic I was nine years old and having your own endless squirt gun from your own finger was great. Until I stopped sweating on that hot summer day and couldn’t see right then it wasn’t so great. I came stumbling into the house with a fever and collapsed. When my parents got me to the hospital, the doctors told them my kidneys had shut down and I might have to be on dialysis for the rest of my life. That is when I also found out having an independent being possessing you is not all bad. Maeve has a different and much better understanding of my body and how it works and heals. Like I said earlier, my body is Maeve’s whole world. With her ability to control the different elements she can control them in my body with much more precision than we can outside of my body. She can move water, minerals, and oxygen around my body better than millions years of evolution ever could. With this ability, she was able to revive my kidneys; much to the shock of the attending doctor. After that incident, we learned that all the neat magic we can do comes at a cost and we needed to be careful. So that was the last problem we ever had. We learned our lesson for about a week; then we learned the hard way about air magic.
Air and earth magic are little trickier. When I move around air Maeve uses the oxygen in my body for fuel. I can push myself and other objects around and only get a little light headed but if I push too much, I pass out. If I’m just messing around that’s not a big deal but if I’ve launched myself three hundred feet in the air that’s something else. If I pass out that high up, I either never wake up or when I do I’m in traction. Been there, traction sucks; especially when your childhood dreams of being like Superman are crushed along with several bones in your body.
Earth magic burns the minerals in my body. The problem with burning them is they are required for several processes in my body; most important keeping my heart beating. Calcium is the most concentrated mineral in the human body in the form of bones so I try to use only that. After our first bout of whole body muscle cramps and heart arrhythmia, Maeve learned to pull the calcium from my bones not my blood. The bad side effect of using earth magic is I end up with the bones of a ninety year old lady for a couple days. In extreme cases just holding up my body weight can break my legs until Maeve re-infuses the calcium.
Fire is one of the safer elements to use, Maeve burns my fat stores. So I get to eat tons of candy and junk food and I still resemble a starved refugee. I know what you’re thinking; burning fat with the power of thought would be great. Well most of the time it is but like all the other forms of my magic I had to learn my limits. Anyone with multiple sclerosis can tell you the fat around your nerves is very important; without it your nerves don’t work. I learned that lesson after spending a week in bed while Maeve worked furiously to keep me breathing.
The last element is spirit, ether, or life depending on who you ask and it’s the safest and easiest one to use. Spirit magic uses my body’s energy or life force to fuel it. You might be wondering if burning up my life force is dangerous; well not as far as I can tell. I am just hoping I’m not knocking off years of my life when I use it. When I use this magic, I can move things around, throw objects and even create invisible walls or blasts of force. The only drawback is I get tired. And this brings us back to the reason I have a couch in the back of my office.
Anyway, I work with my friend and partner Gregor Magnus. We own and run Big Sky Recovery and Investigation. Greg and I are the best bounty hunters in the great state of Montana. Our specialty is finding and capturing fugitives and picking up the occasional PI job. With Maeve and Greg’s inherited abilities we are good at it too. Our office is in Bozeman but we cover the whole state of Montana so we make a decent living. On this lovely day we were after a stupid kid that decided he was too good for jail. But it looks like I will have to put that on hold since we might have another client.
I washed my hands and face and took a quick look in the mirror. My hazel eyes flashed a coppery color as I stared.
Looking good big guy, Maeve said with a snort.
I frowned slightly but she was right, my thin face was starting to show some dark stubble and my black wavy hair was standing up on one side. I ran my wet fingers through my hair until I looked presentable and headed out to the conference room.
My office is divided into the three sections, the back has the couch, a large table, a computer and several shelves filled with our gear. The front of the office has a big window front and is divided in half with a glazed glass wall. One side is where Greg and my desks are at and the other is the large conference room. I walked by my desk and popped a doughnut hole in my mouth and grabbed a glass of water and continued to the conference room door.
Sitting at the conference table was a middle-aged man with black hair and tanned skin. He was flipping an old Zippo lighter open and closed as he waited. He wore a suit that looked like it cost more than my car and my car is a mint condition classic. He had a thin long face with a hawkish nose and dark black eyes that seemed to reflect everything in the room. When I entered the room, he stood up and slipped the lighter in his pocket and dipped his head.
“Mr. Morrigan, I am Hakan Demir.”, the man said with a thick middle-eastern accent. He gestured to the women standing next to him. “This is Sevil Karga, my associate.” The woman had dark brown hair that cascaded over her shoulders, smooth olive skin, full red lips that were turned up in a small smile and smoldering dark green almond shaped eyes. She wore a crisp black suit coat and black skirt that ended just above her knees that provided a spectacular view of her tanned legs.
Pulling my gaze from the women I gestured for both of them to sit and I sat down next to Greg.
“What can I do for you today, Mr. Demir?” I asked.
He took a seat but the women stayed standing and I got the impression that was so her shapely legs would still be visible.
“I am looking for someone and I was hoping you could help me,” he said. Before I could ask the question he continued, “He is not missing but he stole something from me and I want it back.”
I nodded, “I assume you have already talked to the police.”
Demir shook his head, “No, I was hoping to not involve the police. The object is a rare antiquity and I would prefer it not end up in evidence for the next several months if he is arrested.”
“What makes you think this person is in Bozeman? We are not known for our high end antiquity thieves.” Greg said.
Demir smiled, flashing white teeth, “I got a good tip and I think I know who stole it.”
My eyebrows raised, “Really, well then it should be pretty easy for us to go get him.” I said a little disappointed. So much for getting several billable hours out of this guy. It looks like he could afford it.
“Not necessarily, he is on the run already. His name is James Keenan, I believe he has a warrant out for his arrest for missing a court date. I would like you to find him before someone else does.” Demir finished.
Greg groaned and sat back in this chair and Demir shot me a questioning look. Well shit, James Keenan was arrested after he committed his fourth bit of arson. His family was pretty well off and his parents quickly had him released on bail. His court date came and gone and shockingly he did not show up to court. He was our latest bounty we were pursuing which made this one hell of a conflict of interest for us.
“That will be a problem, we are trying to find him because of the bounty and I am afraid that that comes first. We have a good reputation and we can’t just turn him over to you.” I said. “Besides are you sure you have the right person, James Keenan is not what you would call a master thief. Or any thief at all.” I said with skepticism.
Demir nodded in understanding, “I see, yes, I could see how you could think that. I believe that he happened onto it by accident and not by design. He was vacationing and there was a mix up with our bags and he ended up with mine by mistake. That is the other reason I didn’t want to involve the police over this little misunderstanding. Perhaps I could just talk with him before you take him back to jail?”
Greg grunted, “Unfortunately most of the people we take in are not real receptive to chit-chat once we get a hold of them. All you will probably get will be a long string of foul language for your trouble.”
“I will tell you what, if we find out where he is staying and we do find that artifact we will get it for you. Give us your number and you can come pick it up.” I said. “We will be charging a finder’s fee of course. What are we looking for?”
Demir hesitated for a moment and then flashed a quick smile, “Of course, it should stand out. He took an ancient sculpture from the middle-east dating back thousands of years. If you see it you will know. Just keep me informed on how the hunt is going.” He passed me a small envelope, “This should do as a retainer, Thank you.” He stood up and bowed his head again and left the office.
I am not sure about that guy, I think he isn’t telling us the whole truth, Maeve said.
Comes with the job Maeve. Most people don’t like telling us the truth, especially if they don’t want the cops involved, I told her.
I opened the envelope and my eyebrows shot up.
Now I know I don’t like him. This is going to blow up in our face Mal.
“What?” Greg asked.
I pulled out ten hundred dollar bills and a business card, “I guess he really wants his stolen property back.”
Greg grunted and snatched up the money, “I am fine with that.” He went to the back room and put the money in our safe while I sat down at my desk. I looked over my desk and threw a couple candy wrappers in the garbage. Greg’s side of the office is clean and meticulously ordered. Except for his computer, desk lamp and a couple of papers his desk is tidy and clean. My desk, on the other hand, has a computer and lamp but they are hard to see under the wrappers, empty sports drink bottles and vitamin bottles. In my defense, I need all these things to keep my magic fuel topped off. I continued to clear off my desk as I ripped open a chocolate bar and took a bite.
“What do you think?” I asked in between bits.
Greg glared at me over the protein shake he was drinking as I ate my candy bar, “I really hate you sometimes.”
I grinned at him showing off the chocolate coating my teeth, “Hey, some of us just have better genes.”
He flipped me the bird as he sat down at his desk. Greg was dressed in black fatigue pants and a black tee shirt stretched over his massive chest and arms. His blond hair is held back in a ponytail and his eyes are the color of glacier ice. Greg is a big man because he drinks lots of protein shakes and lifts lots of weights. He is over six and half feet tall and close to three hundred pounds with little fat on his body. Despite his size, he still moves with a grace you see in Olympic athletes. He is the muscle of this partnership. You need a door kicked down, he’s your man. Unruly criminal looking for a fight, Greg can send him to the hospital with a dismissive backhand. He is a big contrast to my average height and less than athletic build. You need someone to kill a spider or maybe carry your groceries that is something I can handle. Well that’s not true. I can hold my own but compared to him I am pretty pathetic.
Grep blew out a sigh, “We need to concentrate on finding James first and then worry about finding the sculpture after we have him. Maybe he will tell us where it is at before we bring him in.”
HA¸ Maeve said.
I nodded slowly, “How is our hunt going?”
“Good, just before Mr. Demir came in I got a tip, James is at his girlfriend’s.” Greg said as he tapped one of the pictures stuck to the bulletin board.
I finished my chocolate bar and washed it down with another glass of water. I looked up at the mugshot on the board and the face of a young man in his early twenties stared back at me.
Ahh… I like looking at that picture, he’s cute, Maeve says as I felt a rush of hormones I am not entirely comfortable with and quickly pushed them aside. Hey it’s not my fault I think he’s hot. I don’t think it’s fair you always push my feelings down. Maeve commented in a hurt tone.
You don’t have to live with the weird looks I get when you take over. I told her. I turned back to the task at hand as Maeve pouted in the back of my mind.
“Great, anything we need to go over before we head out?” I asked as I got to my feet and gathered my stuff.
Greg shook his head and picked up a bag next to his desk full of his gear.
“No, I got a call from his girlfriend’s neighbor just about fifteen minutes ago and he says James just showed up at her apartment and said it looks like he is staying the night.” Greg said as he finished sliding into his Kevlar vest. “It pays to have nosy neighbors.”
I snorted and slide my arms through my long coat.
“Alright, maybe we get lucky and he has the sculpture with him and we can close both of these by the end of the day.” I said.
Irritation welled up in me, Great, now everything will go to hell.
Maeve don’t be such a downer, this will be a quick snatch and grab. You’ll see, back in an hour. I said,but by now I should know better.
Chapter 3
Greg and I hopped into my old blue Chevy Impala we use as a company car and I started it up. With the engine growling, I pulled onto the road, “So how are we doing this?” Greg asked looking over at me. “We going with the normal snatch and grab when he opens the door?”
I shook my head, “No I don’t think he will open the door. Once Rebecca notices us we will need to kick the door and I want to limit the damage we cause.”
Greg sighed, tapping out a cadence on the passenger window as he thought about the problem. “How about we use the fire alarm and grab him as he comes out? That would get him out and with all the chaos we should be able to scoop him up without too much trouble.”
I nodded, “Sounds good, we still need to take a look around when we get there but I don’t see why that won’t work.”
Um... last time you two did that Greg spent half the money we got from the bounty to pay the fine for pulling the alarm.
Don’t worry Maeve, we won’t get caught this time.
Sure Mal, sure, Maeve said doubt tinging her words.
I settled back and got in the right state of mind as we headed off to Rebecca’s apartment. You wouldn’t think that there would be a lot of business in Montana but we’ve been running around a lot more this last couple years. I don’t know what it is but all the crazies seem to hide out in Montana.
Maeve snorts, We’re here aren’t we!
You’re not helping; quiet.
It’s not just the regular people either in the last couple years we have seen in big influx of the supernatural element. Yes, supernatural. Greg and I not only track down your average fugitive, we also specialize in supernatural bad guys, although; I like to avoid them if I can. There is a world out there that most everyone else likes to pretend doesn’t exist. All those fairy tales you grew up on and Disney loves to make into much happier movies. Those are all real. The world is filled with fairies, ghosts, vampires, old gods and countless other things that go bump in the night. If a vampire sucks people dry and is leaving corpses everywhere, we get a call and we make it stop. Don’t get me wrong, there has always been creatures of the night around but we leave them be as long as they don’t make a mess. Montana has always had a lot of supernatural creatures. The open space and few people allows them to live in some places without hiding what they are. The fey like Montana. They followed the people from the old country when the Irish settled in Butte and other mining towns. All the fey love nature and quickly prospered in the new world. Most of the time they are not a big problem. Occasionally, we have a child disappearance from a changeling swap but mostly we don’t deal with them that much. Other creatures that are getting pushed out of the more populated areas and wonder up here are more of a problem. I hear rumors that a group of vampires have settled in an old mining town that has been abandoned. I also know a pack of werewolves have been taking in new members outside of Missoula. I am hoping we will not need to deal with either one of those problems. Bozeman has been lucky with only a strong presence of fey it has remained peaceful for some time. So far, humanity is still oblivious to the all the creatures in the world. The creatures that are part of that world like it that way and so do Greg and I.
The car rounded a corner and I focused back on the current situation. Luckily, we were just after your average human so no freaky stuff. The first place you check when tracking down a fugitive is at the girl or boyfriends place. Yeah, you would think people running from the law would know better but more than half the people we catch are curled up in their girlfriend’s bed. After asking a couple questions around town, we found Rebecca Larson, a young girl that James had graduated with and has been spending time with. Her apartment was on the outer edge of town; ironically within a block of the firehouse. When I first talked to her a week ago at her apartment, I got what you would expect.
The girl glared at me like I made James burn up that car. She had straight blond hair and a cute face despite the glare she was throwing my way. She was dressed in gym clothes and had a bag over her shoulder when I knocked on the door. I could tell she was itching to get to the gym. “No I haven’t seen him,” she said.
“OK,, if you see him here is my number. Believe me, it would be better if he turns himself in. The longer he is out the worse it can get. Don’t hesitate to give me a call. It’s for his own good.” I told her as I held out my card.
She snatched the card from my hand, pushed passed me and locked her door, “Sure, whatever. Expect my call.” she finished her voice dripping in sarcasm. I watched her walk down the hall and down the stairs.
I think you wasted you card Mal, Maeve said.
Yeah, probably.
I knew he would show up here sooner or later and I could tell she would not help. I started after her and made it to the stairs when Maeve spoke.
There is someone watching us. Maeve murmured. I felt a pressure in the back of my skull and once I turned around I noticed that one door was cracked open. An older gentleman was peering through the crack with a narrowed eye. It seems every building like this has one person; be it the old man yelling at the kids playing in the hall or the cat lady spying on her neighbors. That one person knows the coming and going of everyone in the building. As I walked up to the door and an older gentlemen opened the door as far as the chain would allow.
“I haven’t seen you around here. What do you want with Miss Larson?” asked the gentlemen.
“Hi, I am just looking for a friend of hers and was hoping to talk with him.” I said while I handed him my card.
He looked me up and down taking in my blue jeans, hiking boots, and black overcoat. “Malcolm Morrigan, Recovery Expert”, the man said reading my card. “Can you be a little more specific?”
What like Possessed Supernatural Bounty Hunter? Maeve says. Wait, that sounds pretty catchy, maybe you should change it to that.
I smiled slightly ignoring Maeve and looked back at Rebecca’s door. “I am hired to investigate, find and recover things. Sometimes it could be your stolen wallet or a man that missed his court date.”
The man’s bushy eyebrows raised and he closed the door. After some rattling, he opened the door again and stepped out into the hall. He was dressed in old slacks, a knit sweater that had seen several years wear and wore well used slippers on his feet. His hair was combed over a bald spot on his head and he had thick glasses perched on a bulbous nose. He looked at my card again and then looked over at the door behind him. “I see, you’re looking for her boyfriend then.”
“Have you seen him around?” I asked, pulling the mugshot I had in my pocket and showed him.
He shook his head, “No not in the last week, but he was spending a lot of time here in the last couple months.” He visibled reddened and through his blush whispered, “They tend to make a lot of noise if you know what I mean.”
I smiled and nodded, “Yes.” I reached into my pocket and grabbed a twenty and handed it to him. “Call if you see him and there will be another twenty for you.”
He grabbed the money and nodded “Sure, I will let you know.” He waved a hand at me, stepped inside and closed his door.
That was over a week ago and not a lot has changed from the look of the apartment building as we pulled up into the parking lot. The metallic creak of the Impala’s doors opening cut through the evening silence. Street lights in the parking lot bathed the car in a yellow light as Greg opened the trunk. He unzipped his duffel bag and pulled out several large zip-ties and a taser pistol.
“All right, her apartment is on the third floor right?” he asked as he strapped on the taser.
“Yeah, so we shouldn’t have to worry about him hopping out a window.”
Greg tossed me a flashlight from his bag, “OK meet me at the third floor landing in two minutes.”
We both circled around the building on each side keeping an eye out for James or anything else that might have compromised our operation.
Maeve you notice anything weird?
No, everything is quiet, she answered.
I glanced up at the third-floor windows one last time and I ducked through the front door heading to the stairs. At the top of the stairs, Greg was waiting, “Anything?” he asked as he pulled out a collapsible baton and snapped it open. I shook my head and he silently moved down the hallway. He raised his baton to break the two lights next to Rebecca’s door but paused and then just gave each bulb a half turn. The end of the hallway plunged into darkness creating long shadows that reached menacingly out towards me. He flattened himself against the wall and nearly disappeared as I found the nearest fire alarm.
Don’t leave fingerprints this time! Maeve whispered.
I jerked my hand back before I touched the lever and pulled my sleeve over my fingers. Right, that’s what I was doing.
I heard a disgusted snort echo through my mind.
With a perceptible nod from Greg, I pulled on the alarm and ran down the hallway hitting the wall next to him. Alarms blared, doors opened and people shouted as they moved down the stairs. Greg pulled out his taser and readied himself as he stared at the door next to us. Muffled voices started up behind the door and light spilled out into the hallway as the door opened. A short kid with brown hair and tan skin dressed in sweats and a tee shirt darted through the door heading towards the stairs. He had gained some momentum so his feet flew out in front of him as Greg grabbed him around the neck in a choke hold. A startled cry was stifled as Greg tightened the hold and the kids eyes widened in panic. He slapped and hit at Greg’s arm trying to fight him off but Greg just pulled his face back with a frown.
“Calm down, don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” Greg said leaning forward to talk in his ear. “You keep struggling and I will choke you out and carry your unconscious body to the car.” James grabbed Greg’s arm and pulled on it trying to get a breath of air but slowly calmed.
As I stepped towards James and Greg I heard feet shuffling behind me. I felt a pressure between my shoulder blades, Look out! Maeve shouted. I turned in time to raise my left hand and stop a baseball bat as it descended towards my head. Rebecca stared at bat held in place in the air by my magic and then turned her wide eyes to me.
Bitch, did you try to kill us? Maeve yelled in my head as anger welled up in my body. A surge of power coursed through me as Rebecca was thrown back through the door and onto her ass. Rebecca whimpered in horror and scrambled back against the wall eyes wide in shock and terror. I gave her a look I reserve for hardened criminals and pointed down at her.
“Don’t move from that spot.” I growled. “That was your one chance, don’t try it again.”
I turned back to Greg, James had stopped struggling and gasped for air as Greg loosened his grip.
“Please don’t hurt me!” James rasped as tears streamed down his cheeks. “I didn’t mean to do all those things, I swear.”
“Sure.” I said with a scowl, “Buddy everyone says that when we get a hold of them. Let’s get this over with, be a good boy and put out your hands.”
“But I didn’t do anything!” James whined.
“That is not for me to decide kid.” I said as I reached out to grabbed his hands and cuff him. All awareness drained from his face, his eyes rolled up in his head as he started convulsing. Great now we will have to stop at the hospital before we drop him off. I started to give Greg a knowing glance when as fast as it had begun he stopped and was still as a statue. His eyes opened and they were completely black, now white at all. A low growl came from his mouth and he hissed, “Turid ’iitlaq alnnar sawf yakun dhulk.”
Fuck if I know what he just said but I quickly grabbed his wrist and heat shot through my hand like I had put my hand on a stove. Greg hissed in pain and stumbled back letting James loose.
MAL WAIT, ripped through my mind right before James detonated in a huge ball of fire and smoke.
The blast sent me flying through the door behind me and I missed landing on Rebecca by inches as she was pushed across the floor and into the wall. She lay stunned for a second and then saw the fire spreading across her ceiling. Rebecca screamed and clawed at the wall trying to get away from the flames. Red spots filled my vision as the room spun and shifted under me making it almost impossible to regain my feet. I shook my head trying to clear it as pain crawled across my right hand and up my arm. The pain cleared my mind with a shot of adrenaline and my mind snapped back into awareness. Fire danced along my arm eating through my coat and burning my flesh. I rolled my arm over to put out the flames and got to my knees. I ripped my coat off; taking a bit of my skin with it and threw it into the hallway as I jumped to my feet. My coat caught fire as it arched toward a figure wreathed in black smoke. Standing in front of me, instead of the young scared James, was a massive creature made of black onyx. The orange glow of lava melted through the onyx to separate the creature’s muscles and facial features. Smoke escaped its body through the melting seams rising around him in a haze. Large smoke shrouded wings of fire spread behind him and long black horns like a rams curled down almost brushing its shoulders. Its face reminded me of an hairless emaciated bear and the orange glow highlighting his massive teeth gave it a demonic appearance. Around the creature swirled the burning remnants of James cloths like fluttering butterflies of pure fire. Its eyes burned with an orange fury as they scanned the area finally settling on me.
Oh shit.
Fear coursed through me turning my guts to water. My stomach churned like wriggling snakes and my muscles were twitching ready to make a run for it or step up for a fight. Bloody Hell, this was not how this was supposed to go. The heat radiating off the creature caused the paint on the walls to bubble and the temperature soared in the hallway. Passed the creature I could see Greg, his clothes smoking and singed scrambling to his feet in front of an older gentleman that just stepped out his door. It was the older man that called us with the tip, A scowl dominated his face as he prepared to scold us for disturbing his sleep. The scowl melted away and the blood ran from his face as he gazed in shock at the monster.
Maeve what the hell is that thing? I asked with astonishment.
I think he is maybe a demon or elemental but that’s just a guess, I have never read about anything like it, she answered with fear in her voice.
The creature narrowed its eyes at me and I had a paranoid thought that it had heard Maeve talking to me. I pulled my gaze from the creature and regained control of my fear and came up with a great plan.
“GREG, GRAB THE OLD MAN AND RUN!” I shouted and reached back to pull Rebecca behind me. We backed away as I frantically looked around for a way for us to get passed this thing.
The figures blazing eyes narrowed and a deep inhuman voice resonated from the creature. At first it spoke the same language it had before that I didn’t recognize but it sounded Arabic and then stopped. “I hate this language.” it said in halting English. “But I must change to this new world I am in.” it said with a snarl. Smoke bellowed from its mouth when it spoke again and it rose to cover the ceiling above it. “You can try to run but no one is leaving this building.” he finished as he drew in a deep breath.
Greg grabbed the old man and turned toward the stairs dragging him along as a jet of flame sprouted from the creature’s mouth in a hellish roar towards me.
Maeve had pulled water from my body once my arm caught fire so I fell backwards burying Rebecca under me and covered us in a sheet of water. Flames washed over us biting at the water. The hiss of water being vaporized was lost in the roar of the flames and I imagined that this is what a lobster goes through right before it dies. The water on our skin heated to a scalding temperature and as my head started to hurt from dehydration the flames stopped. I let the water fall smoothing the flames dancing on the surrounding floor. Maeve’s forethought had saved us both and now I had to get us out of here. I hacked and coughed as smoke filled the room and flames covered the walls and ceiling. Tthe heat was overwhelming and luckily our wet clothes was keeping us from burning up. Smoke bellowed from the hallway and it parted as the figure stepped forward through the door.
“Still alive human? You are stronger that I thought.” it said with surprise. “Let’s see if your friend is as resourceful.” He stepped back and turned towards Greg and the old man releasing another a column of fire down the hallway with a roar that shook the walls. Fire washed over Greg and the old man, the stairs burst into flames and they both disappeared over the rail, falling out of view.
“I guess not,” it said.
“You bastard,” I growled. “You’re going to pay for that.”
Gathering my energy I formed it into a ball of force the size of a basketball and with a snarl I hurled it towards the monster. The ball slammed into the creature knocking it off its feet and sending it through the wall across the hall. I fell to one knee and the world stretched as my vision tunneled. I struggled to keep from passing out from fatigue and looked through the hole hoping for a motionless heap. That would have been a near mortal blow for your average human but instead the creature pushed itself up and let out a deafening roar.
Mal you can’t keep trading blows with this thing. Maeve said with a desperate voice. You might overdo it and be unconscious from the effort and then....
Yeah I know, it’s time to leave, I told her.
I turned towards the stairs to see them totally engulfed in flames. Definitely not going that way I thought and looked behind me to see a large window leading to a three-story drop. Rebecca stood up and lunged towards the door but sucked in a lungful of smoke. She started coughing and fell to her knees again and promptly throw-up all over the floor.
Rebecca looked up from her mess, tears streaming down her face and in a hitching voice she whimpered, “I don’t want to die this way, Oh God not this way.”
“I will not let that happen.” I told her and pulled her towards me as a clawed hand slammed down on the floor narrowly missing her leg. Rebecca screamed and kicked at the arm as I pulled her away. The creature charged through the hole in the wall roaring, its mouth glowing with an orange fire. Smoke poured out of its mouth with every breath and it crawled into the doorway reaching out towards us. Rebecca’s scream echoed through the room as I pulled the oxygen from my body. My mind swam from the smoke and lack of oxygen as I reach out towards the creature and released my magic. A torrent of wind blasted from my hand buffeting the creature. The creature staggered back as the flames surrounding and in room roared to life with the added oxygen. The force of the blast sent both Rebecca and I flying towards the far window. Right before we hit the window I gathered the last of my energy and formed a small dome of force in front of us. The window shattered inches from my face and blew out into the night air as we flew through the window. A mushroom cloud of flame followed us out of the building as the back raft fed the fire, lighting up the night sky. I twisted in the air maneuvering Rebecca above me and I glimpsed a shadowy figure streak from the window behind us. Using the last of my oxygen, I sent a blast of wind down towards the ground. Our fall slowed slightly right before we slammed to Earth. The air in my lungs whooshed out as Rebecca landed on my chest and a new wave of pain passed through me and quickly faded as the world went dark.
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