Lycans and Legends

Chapter 20: Your Friendly Neighborhood Vampire

I took a deep breath then turned and headed in the direction of Edwin’s office.

Fully aware that there could be other boggarts or manticores lurking abound, I allowed my senses to work overtime. I was filled with so much rage it made my hands tremble. I tried not to think about the fact that my colleagues were dead, that my friends were hurt, and that my agency was blitzed. On top of that, this piece of rubbish had gone after my Queen.

And, if what the druids said was true, he had killed my parents.

I pulled off my goggles and stuck them in my pocket.

I breathed in slowly, in and out, then opened my eyes.

And this time, I let myself see. Really see. I scanned the hallway, the sight in my mooneye amplified. I could see our world and the spirit world overlapping.

“The Lady of the Lake is the guardian between the worlds.”

Or, she had excellent eyesight. I wasn’t sure I had bought this whole Lady of the Lake bit. Until I started controlling water or pulling magical swords out of mud puddles, I wasn’t buying it. But the idea that there was some magical blood in me made a little sense. It would explain…a lot. At least it explained why my boyfriend—no, fiancé—thought I smelled so good.

From the direction of Edwin’s office, I heard something crash.

I moved toward the noise.

Toward the danger.

Always toward the danger.

One of these days, it was going to get me killed.

There was a very dim light burning in the room.

Steeling my nerve, I stepped toward the door, but someone grabbed my arm.

I turned around.

A pair of flashing silver eyes looked back at me.

Agent Rose.

“Wait,” she mouthed soundlessly.

She tilted her head and motioned for me to step into one of the other offices with her. The room was pitch black, but I spotted the shape of Constantine in the shadows. He stepped forward, almost like he was emerging from the shadows themselves.

“He has a beast in the room with him,” Constantine whispered.

“There is something in that room we need to get to before he finds it.”

“What is it?” Agent Rose asked.

“A magical artifact.”

Agent Rose sighed. “And of course it’s right there. Fine. I’ll take the beast, the two of you go for the faerie.”

Constantine nodded to her.

“Are you sure?” I asked, surprised.

She winked at me, her eyes sparkling. “Trust me.”

“Lure him out,” Constantine told me. “Lead him to the lift shaft.”

“And when I get to the lift shaft?”

“Jump.”

“Jump?”

“I’ll catch you.”

I shook my head. Fangs. “All right.”

With that, we moved toward the door. Constantine melded into the shadows once more then disappeared down the hallway. I signaled to Rose. Through the narrow crack in the door, I could make out Melwas. And the manticore. I had always admired Edwin’s office until now. Now it was a little cramped for hand-to-hand combat. I scanned the room. The small replica of Tinker’s Tower that sat on Edwin’s desk was undisturbed. Agent Rose moved toward the door, but the floorboard below her foot squeaked. Melwas and the manticore looked at her.

“Oops,” she said with a wicked grin.

The manticore growled.

“Kill her,” Melwas commanded.

Moving faster than I thought possible, Rose rushed down the hallway in the other direction, the monster bounding after her.

I waited a breath then turned and entered the room.

Melwas, who had been rifling through a cabinet, stopped cold. He turned and looked at me, his eyes glimmering. He looked me over from head to toe, his gaze resting on the faerie dagger stuffed into my belt.

“That’s mine,” he said.

“Why don’t you come take it from me?”

The faerie smirked. “Overbold, Agent,” he said then rushed me.

I turned and ran from the office, down the hall toward the lift shaft.

The faerie cursed.

A moment later, I felt the energy around me charge. Magic filled the air. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that Melwas had stopped. He was twisting his hands in a ball, forming a glowing blue light, which, no doubt, he was going to blast at me.

Hell’s bells.

I couldn’t wait to go back to fighting werewolves.

I grabbed an ornamental spear off the wall and hurled it toward him, wincing in pain as the movement aggravated the scratch on my arm.

Not expecting the move, the faerie broke off his spell just in time to get out of the way. The blade on the long spear sliced his shoulder. The steel burned him. He hissed in pain then turned and glared at me.

“You’re really starting to get on my nerves,” he growled.

“You started it,” I said then slowly began to back toward the lift shaft.

I really, really, really hoped Constantine was planning to keep his word.

The faerie rushed me again. I ran to the lift. The door was open; the lift was on the floor above us. The shaft from here to the tram level was empty. I jumped, grabbing onto the shaft cables.

The faerie reached the opening then stared at me.

Saying a silent prayer, I linked my arms and legs around the cable then began my quick slip downward. I looked up only to see the faerie glaring at me. Frustrated, he leaped into the shaft, leapfrogging back and forth along the tunnel walls.

Hell’s bells. He was catching up quickly.

I glanced down. The bottom of the tunnel was fast approaching.

“Any time now,” I called into the darkness.

There was a rush of cold air then a moment later, a colony of bats surrounded me. The sight was slightly terrifying. From amongst the bats, the handsome face of the vampire Constantine appeared.

“What took you so long?” I said.

The vampire grinned then grabbed me by the waist, lowering me quickly to the ground.

We landed softly then looked up, waiting as the faerie neared us.

“And do we have a plan for when he gets here?” I whispered.

“If he doesn’t cooperate, I could just eat him,” Constantine suggested.

“Might give you an upset stomach.”

“That’s what I was thinking. Perhaps that dagger will work better.”

Melwas landed on the ground before us, his cloak swirling around him. He righted himself then let out a long, low whistle which reverberated down the narrow tunnel, echoing in the darkness. From somewhere not far away, a series of howls answered him.

But they were not the howls of a manticore.

I knew that sound very well.

Somewhere in the darkness was a pack of wolves.

“Shite,” I whispered.

The faerie looked from me to Constantine.

“You’re on the wrong side of this battle, fiend,” Melwas told Constantine.

“You’re not the first tyrant to tell me something like that,” the vampire replied.

“Then you must be very stupid if you haven’t learned by now.”

Constantine’s rage rolled from him with such force that the air shuddered. A moment later, he disappeared into the shadows.

“Darkness has come for the light. You’ve picked a fight with the gods, Agent Louvel,” Melwas hissed at me.

“I’ve met gods before. You are no god,” I said. “And you should call me Little Red,” I said then pulled the faerie dagger and attacked.