Category: Avalon

Erik

The lab belonged to some bio-medical facility owned by Lady Maritza’s husband. Wit the stainless steel table, countertops, and sinks, the set-up reminded Erik of the morgue back in Avalon. There was other machinery that Erik didn’t recognize and his team had been told rather pointedly not to touch. Erik didn’t care. His team wouldn’t need any of those technological marvels. They were just going to be doing a basic locator spell. Or more to the point, Veronica was going to be doing the spell.

The charred bones of the bargainer were arranged on the steel table to form a skeleton. The spell Veronica used on the bargainer had incinerated most of the flesh off the body, but Erik could see bits of crispy here and there on the bones. Veronica was carefully picking off some to use in her spell. Thankfully, the air purification system in the lab kept the burnt flesh scent to a minimum. When they’d first opened the body bag, Erik nearly gagged on the smell. That part of his job never seemed to get any easier.

“Are you going to be alright?” Erik asked Sam. She looked up from behind the laptop and gave him a weak smile.

“I’ll be fine. As long as I keep busy, that is,” Sam answered. Erik marveled at his friend and colleague. He could barely sense the bargainer’s horror from its “ghost,” or the psychic imprint left on the body. Sam could feel the entire ghost, including the last few images of the bargainer. All of the horror, the pleading, the desperate grasping for life as death bore down on the bargainer. Everything that flashes through the mind in the last second of life.

“If you want to go back to the lobby to collect your thoughts, I don’t think anyone would have a problem with that,” Erik suggested.

“Thanks, but no,” Sam answered. “I’m fine, but when we get back home, you’re taking me to your family’s resort for a whole fortnight.”

“Only a fortnight, Sam?” Erik asked playfully, “I thought Aunt Maria said you could stay there for a month the last time we were there.”

“Oh yeah, she did. Okay, a whole month,” Sam said, tapping away at the keys. “Seriously, Erik, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. There’s something odd about that bargainer.”

“Like it’s human, but not?” Erik suggested. Sam nodded.

“Veronica said that it has wild magic bound in it. Actually bound in the body. Have you heard of that before?” Sam asked.

“No, but magic’s not really my thing. It’s why we have Veronica,” Erik answered. Sam gave him a flat look. “Yes, I know that all agents are supposed to have a basic understanding of how magic works.”

“How did you get to be team leader again?” Sam asked, and then looked as she could take back the question. Both knew why Erik had been selected by the Saint to run the operation. He waved it off before she could apologize. Sam had been there for him during the entire fallout from the Commandante Affair, even risking her own career. The pair fell silent as they watched Veronica work.

The petite sorceress was currently pouring a ring of salt around the skeleton. Kurt was following behind Veronica with a box of sea salt. For some reason, Veronica couldn’t pour the salt directly from the box. It had to go through her hands before hitting the table. Sam would know, but Erik wasn’t about to ask her. She’d just roll her eyes and complain that he should know.

Completing the circle, Veronica picked up the small metal bowl with the burnt bits she’d picked off the skeleton. She sat down on the tile floor and spread a map of the city out in front of her. She scattered the burnt flesh on the map, and then poured another circle of salt around her. Seeing that the spell was about to start, Kurt strode to the door of the lab.

Veronica started chanting in elvish. Unfelt winds made her black hair dance as the two circles glowed an eerie, warm white. The chanting changed cadence and the two circles pulsed. The burnt flesh slid around the map in a chaotic pattern. Then the skeleton itself glowed with a brilliant amber light. From Sam’s sharp intake of breath, Erik knew the spell wasn’t going as planned. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stop it. Once a ritual spell was started, it couldn’t be stopped without at least killing the caster. With that much power, it could kill all four of them. There was a blinding flash of light and Erik felt Veronica being hurled at him. Instinctively, he reached out with some power and caught her.

As his vision cleared, he could see the skeleton was gone. No, there was some charred powder on the table. The map was also a charred ruin. The two circles were fused into single, giant salt crystals. Well, that didn’t happen often.

“Give me a map!” Veronica demanded. Sam spun the laptop around for Veronica. Veronica frantically scrolled through the Google map of the city. Finally, she brought up the street view of a dilapidated warehouse a few blocks from the docks.

“That’s where those bastards are,” Veronica said. Fear and rage were radiating from the small woman. There was also a strong undercurrent of certainty.

“Slow down, Veronica,” Erik said, “Kurt and I will go check it out after we clean up here and get you back to the house. If we find something, we’ll figure out how to deal with it then.” Frustration bubbled up in Veronica.

“No, you don’t understand. All of the others are there now!” Veronica said, almost shouting, “It’s a place of power, and they’re preparing it now!”

“And you know this how?” Erik asked. Locator spells were only supposed to tell where the subject was, or in this case, had been.

“That wild magic that was bound up in the body. Part of it is used as a bond between each of the members. They’re like a pack of dire wolves, or something,” Veronica said. “I hit one of the bindings, and I could see where they were.”

“Did they sense you when you broke that binding?” Sam asked. From the look on Sam’s face, she must have picked up a stray thought from their sorceress. Veronica stopped and became very still. Her lips pursed into a single line.

“I think so,” Veronica said.

“Open your mind,” Sam said and concentrated on Veronica. The room was deathly silent for several long moments. Expressions of pain crossed Veronica’s face, but she didn’t utter a word. Sam broke eye contact and both women started gasping for breath.

“They know,” Sam said, “They know Veronica found them, and they seem really happy about it. They’re waiting for us to attack.”

“How many?” Erik asked.

“About ten, I think,” Sam said. Erik nodded as he mulled it over.

“Sam, pull up everything you can about that area and the building while we clean this mess up. Once we’re done here, we’re going to pick up Anne and then Kurt gets to break out the assault gear. We end this tonight.”

Anne

“The reservation should be under Schneider,” Anne said to hostess.

“Of course, ma’am. If you would wait just a moment,” the woman said, looking down at the screen in front of her. Anne restrained the urge to fidget. When the note had been delivered to her room, Anne thought it had been from Lady Maritza. The envelope reminded her of a wedding invitation. It was actually sealed with a wax imprint of a coat of arms. She’d carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the note.

Anne, would you do me the honor of having lunch with me? I will have reservation at the Brown Hat at 2. and Kurt’s signature. Okay, maybe there was something to formal courting. At least, she hoped that was what Kurt was doing. It was a nice surprise at least. Anne was sure Kurt and the others were doing something with that corpse they’d recovered. Erik had been pretty firm that Anne should stay in the hotel until they contacted her. Well, if Kurt was there, she should be safe enough from Arem or whatever they’d fought last night.

“If you’ll follow me,” the hostess said. The Brown Hat was on the low end of upscale. It had started back in the forties as a swing club, and then matured into a restaurant known for its warm atmosphere and excellent steaks. The old stage was still used on occasion. The last time Anne had been in the Brown Hat was when her parents had taken her out for making detective. The lunch crowd was mostly business people who worked in the nearby skyscrapers.

Kurt was hidden behind one of the large, colorful menus as the hostess seated Anne. As the hostess left, Anne loudly cleared her throat. Okay, maybe she didn’t expect Kurt to jump to his feet to seat her, but he could’ve at least acknowledged her presence. The menu dropped, and Anne clenched the tablecloth as she looked into the dark eyes of Arem.

“I apologize for the ruse, but I very much doubted that you would come meet me if I signed my own name,” Arem said in a warm voice.

“I should just shoot you,” Anne said in a strained voice.

“That would just be foolish,” Arem said, “You would disturb all of these humans’ lunch. You would also not find out what happened to your sister.” Anne froze for the briefest moment.

“She was murdered when we were both infants,” Anne said coldly, “What could you know about it?”

“They never did find the person who kidnapped the both of you,” Arem said. “I know it’s been part of what drove you to become the detective you are today.”

“What do you know?” Anne demanded, barely keeping herself from screaming at Arem. The handsome elf gave her a smile.

“Power isn’t the only thing that the Dark Towers can provide. Answers are another service we can provide,” Arem said, coyly. “Come with me, and all of those questions that have been haunting you can be answered.” Anne was tempted. She couldn’t remember when her twin sister and her had been abducted. She’d only been six months at the time. What Anne remembered was the after effects when she’d been found alive, but her sister brutally murdered. The mournful looks from her parents on her birthday when they couldn’t help but think of the daughter they’d lost. The whispers in school. Arem was right. Her sister’s murder was part of what had driven
Anne to join the force. The temptation stopped cold as she remembered the crime scene photos of her last three murders.

“Your allies have murdered four people in my city. There’s no way in hell I’m going anywhere with you,” Anne growled. Arem looked affronted by her words.

“My allies?” Arem snorted. “Those weren’t my allies.”

“I killed an elf last night that responded to their summoning spell,” Anne said.

“And you assume that all elves work together? Or that all of the Towers work together? You’re laboring under a faulty premise. Two actually.” Arem asked. “The first is that all elves work for the Dark Towers. No. There’s actually a sizable community that lives in the occupied lands, as well as the Empire’s allies. That elf you killed could’ve been from either of those. For the sake of argument, let’s say this elf was part of the Dark Towers. Do you know how many Towers there are? Thousands. Each with their own agenda. Mine has not allied themselves with the criminals you’re hunting with the Avalonians.” Anne stared hard at the elf. She could usually tell when someone was lying to her, but there was something about the elf that made it hard to tell.

“Excuse me Detective, I’d like to have a word with you. Would you mind stepping outside?” Detective Jason McMurtry asked. Jason’s sudden presence startled Anne from her concentration on Arem. Her fellow detective eased Anne out of the chair and led her out of the Brown Hat.

“Who was that?” Jason asked as soon as they were outside.

“You don’t want to know,” Anne said. Jason seemed to consider that and mentally file it away for later.

“You’ve been ducking me Anne,” Jason said.

“Maybe,” Anne said. Dale had warned her that Jason was digging hard into her apartment’s explosion and her murder cases.

“No maybe about it,” Jason said, a hint of anger in his voice. “Damn it, what the hell is going on? First there’s a gunfight at the docks, but no bodies, then the explosion at your apartment, then a mysterious fire at the Menendez murder scene. You know what’s actually going on. Tell me. I don’t care how crazy it sounds.” There was a pleading in Jason’s eyes that scared Anne. It was like he knew and just needed Anne to confirm it for him. She shook her head. That was crazy. Almost as crazy as telling him about the Avalonians, the bargainers, and the Dark Towers.

“Look Jason, I like you as a friend, but I don’t know anything,” Anne said, “If you think I was responsible for any of that, then take it up with IA. Otherwise, I’ll see you in a few days when my medical leave’s up.”

“Anne, please. I don’t think you committed any crimes, but you know the missing pieces in the puzzle. Why won’t you help me figure this out?” Jason asked.

“We’re done here Jason,” Anne said, dashing to grab a cab back to her hotel.

“Don’t try to protect them Anne,” Jason said as she shut the cab door. “You’re in over your head.” Anne spent the ride back to her hotel wondering what Jason’s parting words meant. She dreaded it didn’t mean anything good.

Anne

Anne’s cellphone woke her up with its incessant chirping. Still groggy from little sleep, she reached over to the nightstand and picked it up. The screen was filled with text messages from her partner Dale, along with several missed calls. The text messages were all some version of “Call me,” but the last few were in all caps. Damn, if he was doing that, Anne couldn’t ignore them. Yawning, Anne sat up and hit the speed dial for Dale’s cell.

“Anne, where are you?” Dale asked with an unusual urgency.

“Chesterton Arms hotel on Eighth Street,” Anne answered. Lady Maritza had arranged the hotel room, along with some replacement clothes and necessities to last Anne while she was still on this side of the gate. “What’s up, Dale?”

“It’s the Mendez crime scene. The house burned down last night,” Dale said. “Arson investigator is on scene, but he’s baffled. He can’t figure out what happened. Where have you been? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all night.”

“I was out with some friends, and then crashed pretty hard when I got home,” Anne answered, “I didn’t hear my phone until just now.”

“Were you with this Kurt guy?” Dale asked.

“Yeah, why?” Anne shot back.

“Relax, Anne. I just don’t trust this guy,” Dale answered.

“You barely know him,” Anne said.

“So do you. You’ve only known him, what, a couple of days? I ran a check on him, and there’s something wrong. He’s too clean,” Dale said. Anne’s first reaction was to rip Dale a new one for doing a background check on Kurt. A voice in the back of her head reminded Anne that Kurt had not only been the person who’d “found” her after what happened at the docks, but had come to visit her in the hospital after her apartment exploded. Dale would’ve been negligent to not run at least a basic background check.

“What do you mean ‘too clean’?” Anne asked.

“He says he’s a security consultant, but with no record for any police or military. He has no arrests anywhere. Yet, he has one of the city’s best defense attorneys on retainer when we question him? Something’s off about him. It’s not just me. Jason thinks there is something odd about Kurt as well. You might want to think hard about whether you want to be seeing him for a bit.”

“I’ll think about it,” Anne said. Dale let out a long exasperated sigh. Well, he should have known better.

“Well, at least you weren’t in the hospital last night,” Dale said, “How’d you swing getting a room at the Chesterfield?”

“Mrs. Holland arranged for me and a few others to stay there until we can find new places,” Anne answered.

“Mrs. Holland? The Mrs. Maritza Holland? The society lady?” Dale asked, his voice rising in surprise. “How did that happen?”

“She’s just playing the society philanthropist,” Anne answered dismissively. The last thing she needed was to cause trouble for Lady Maritza.

“Well, enjoy your stay. Just do me a favor and stay out of trouble while you’re on medical leave. I don’t want to go and have to break in a new partner.”

Erik

“Was the burning of the house necessary?” Lady Maritza asked. Erik was letting his team try to get some rest after the night’s activities. As fatigued as he was, Erik decided he needed to at least give Lady Maritza an overview of what they had found. She might have some idea on the identity of who those bargainers his team fought. Since the corpse they collected last night hadn’t vanished from the body bag, Erik was sure that their opponents were from this side of the gate.

“It closed that point from being used to contact the Dark Towers,” Erik answered, trying to keep his frustration out of his voice. From the annoyance in Lady Maritza’s psi-scent, he didn’t think he was succeeding. He took another sip of the tea. If there was one good thing about being forced to work on Earth, it was the tea. The plants just didn’t grow right on Avalon.

“For a covert team, you haven’t been very covert. The battle at the river docks, Detective Hearst’s apartment building explosion, and now this fire,” Lady Maritza mused from behind her own cup.

“I’ll be the first to admit that things have not gone as planned,” Erik replied. Lady Maritza let out a harsh bark of laughter.

“I see you have managed to capture a noble’s use of understatement,” Lady Maritza said. “I’m sure your mother and stepfather would be proud.”

“Do you want to discuss my heritage or how you can help me finish my mission and leave your city?” Erik asked. Lady Maritza sat back and was silent for several long minutes. Erik could feel the war of emotions in her psi-scent.

“I have not heard of a new group of bargainers in the city,” Lady Maritza finally answered. “Whoever they are, they haven’t made any contact with any of the small cults in the city. I’ll have my agents start to ask around. Is there anything else that I can do to assist the Saint and his pet Blackguard?”

“Actually, yes,” Erik said, “I need a lab room to examine a body. Something like a morgue or anthropology lab. And it should be secluded so that no one will disturb us.” To her credit, Lady Maritza didn’t even bat an eye at the request. Curiosity and anger were roaring in her, but she didn’t even let it touch her face.

“I will see what I can do.”

Anne

“Anne, would you please explain how you can read elvish?” Veronica asked warily.

“I don’t know,” Anne answered, dumbfounded. “I just looked and it just became understandable. Like I was remembering it.” Samantha peered into Anne’s eyes. Anne could feel the woman’s psychic touch in her mind. Odd memories came flooding up. Her fifth birthday party with that scary clown. Her prom date opening a limo door for her. Her father watching baseball on a hot summer afternoon. Ambushing the local bully with snowballs when she was ten. Then they stopped just as suddenly.

“Read the words again, please,” Samantha requested. Anne looked down at the white words on the small table. As she read them aloud, Samantha’s face scrunched in pain. When Anne said the last word, Samantha let out an anguished cry and fell to the floor. Veronica and Anne were at her side.

“Well, that didn’t go as well as planned,” Samantha said weakly as the other two helped her to her feet.

“What just happened?” Erik asked over the radio. “Is everyone alright?”

“We’re fine. Go back to your work,” Samantha answered. Then she turned to Anne. “I very much doubt you’ll be able to tell us why you can read elvish. There’s a part of your mind that is blocked from me. When you were reading, I followed the thoughts to that part, and then it slapped back my probes a bit harder than I expected.”

“Is it a magical or a psychic block?” Veronica asked.

“I’m not sure,” Samantha answered. “It isn’t recent though. That block has been in place before you hit puberty.”

“You can tell that?” Anne asked, astonished.

“I can,” Samantha answered. Her tone told Anne that it wasn’t a common ability among Avalonian telepaths. Samantha looked over at Veronica. “Let’s get this done.” Veronica nodded and went into the kitchen. She came back with a box of salt and proceeded to pour a circle around the table. Anne needed to spend some time with Veronica to figure out how this magic of hers worked. The small Indian woman murmured and the salt glowed with a warm white light that brightened up the living room. The table shook and wisps of what looked like brightly colored smoke floated out of the wood. Veronica stared intently at the wisps.

“They’ve done some magic since the killing. A communication spell, but not like one I’ve seen before. I think they were calling–” Veronica was cut off by a flash of light in the corner of the room. By reflex, Anne turned her flashlight on the source of the sudden light. A male voice cursed in a melodic language. She recognized that voice. Arem. Anne brought her submachine gun up towards Arem. She was thrown back as an invisible force smacked her in the chest. Pain flashed through her body as she hit the floor. Her body protested the continued abuse as Anne worked to get to her feet.

“SKAYLA!” Veronica shouted and a beam of brilliant blue shot from her hand. Arem, now clearly visible, waved his hand and the beam sparkled across an unseen shield. He turned his intense brown eyes on Anne, and her resolve melted away. Her arms lowered the weapon. No, she didn’t have to fight him. He could take away the pain. Then Samantha punched the elf in the face.

Anne felt her resolve snap back into place alongside a burning rage. What the hell had that damned elf done to her? Anne snapped up the submachine gun and fired a short burst at Arem. Small red holes appeared on the elf’s brown tunic. The elf spun and glared at her. Anne felt her resolve slipping, but her anger helped bolster her defenses. Anne lined up the floating red hologram on Arem’s face and pulled the trigger. His head snapped back as the nine millimeter bullets struck. The elf dropped to the ground and didn’t move. Anne kept the elf covered as she checked on Samantha.

“Are you okay?” Anne yelled at Samantha. Firing a gun indoors tended to deafen everyone in the room. The psychic nodded, but grimaced in pain as she cradled her right hand. Anne then moved to Arem. Except, as she neared, Anne could see that it wasn’t Arem. The resemblance was striking, but this elf was shorter by an inch or two. The hair was slightly different as well. Cautiously, Anne turned over the unmoving body. The unseeing face confirmed that it wasn’t Arem.

Anne spun as the door slammed open. Erik and Kurt stood in the doorway with MP9’s up and ready. Erik coolly observed the scene, but Kurt almost leapt to Anne’s side. The German’s submachine gun dangled on its sling while he enveloped Anne in a warm embrace. She wanted to revel in Kurt’s warmth and scent, but instead she pushed him away. The hurt or annoyance she expected to see in Kurt’s face never materialized. Instead, the concern went to a professional neutrality. There wasn’t even the subtle mocking in his posture. Why the hell did she have to find the one man that seemed to understand professional boundaries right before she was taken to another world?

“Do you have what you need?” Erik asked Veronica, satisfied that the area was secure. The sorceress nodded as she scrambled to her feet. “Sam, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just forgot how much it hurts to punch someone,” Samantha answered.

“Extract and burn. Salt the earth,” Erik ordered. Kurt and Samantha walked to the door as Veronica started drawing symbols on the walls of the house.

“What do you mean ‘burn’ and ‘salt the earth’?” she asked.

“Burn this area with enough magic to destroy the ground’s link to wild magic,” Erik answered. “Keeps it from being used as a gate or to communicate with the Dark Towers.”

“What about him?” Anne asked, pointing to the dead elf.

“He’ll be gone in a few minutes,” Samantha answered. “No connection to this world anymore.”

“What about the neighbors?” Anne asked. “Shouldn’t we get them out as well?”

“We’ll call it in when we’re outside,” Samantha explained. “This won’t be any different from any house fire. You’re confusing magical intensity for physical.”

“We need to leave now,” Erik said with a strained patience, “I don’t know if your gunshot was protected by Veronica’s spell slinging tonight. I’d rather not deal with the local authorities again. They might actually start figuring things out that they shouldn’t.” Anne held her tongue as she followed the others out to the waiting van. Samantha used a burner phone to call in the fire as Veronica whispered an elvish word. Flame immediately engulfed the house like it was made of flash paper. Anne felt a pang of guilt as her murder scene was incinerated.

“Did we accomplish anything tonight?” Anne asked herself.

“More than you realize,” Samantha’s voice echoed in her head, “We found out who was responsible for your murders. Now, we just have to figure out who they are and deal with them before they can help Arem steal you.”

Erik

Growls from a dozen throats echoed up and down the deserted suburban street. A dozen pair of golden eyes shone from the shadows surrounding the house the team had come to see. Veronica leapt out of the van and drew a circle around her with chalk. A pale white light surrounded the young woman as she chanted in elvish. Erik slid out from his seat. He drew the stubby MP-9 submachine gun from under his coat. He could feel the animals’ barely contained rage. They felt like dire wolves, but there was something noticeably different.

“IKALA!” Veronica yelled and thrust her hands in front of her. A brilliant ball of red energy burst from her hands. The growls turned to yips of fear as the dire wolves scattered from the magic blast. In the glow of the ball, Erik could see the distinctive canine shapes about the size of small ponies. They may not feel like dire wolves, but they certainly looked like them. The ball dissipated harmlessly as it struck the house. The yips ceased instantly. The pack of dire wolves turned back to face the group. The limited emotions that Erik could sense went silent. Well, that wasn’t good.

Veronica just stood in her circle and gave a warm smile as the pack stalked back to the van. Erik unfolded the wire stock of the submachine gun and placed the glowing red hologram on the sight on one of the barely visible dire wolves. Sam was not going to like this one bit. Erik sensed as Kurt and Anne moved up to the flanks. The German was his normal solid rock. Anne was terrified, but determined. Each carried the same small submachine guns.

“Wait for Erik,” Kurt quietly advised Anne, “Once he fires, then hose those things.” The detective didn’t say anything, or at least, not where Erik could hear. Erik was waiting on the diminutive, chanting woman. He’d seen the spell she was slinging before. Those dire wolves were in for a nasty surprise if they thought her magic balls were harmless.

“VERONICA, HIT THEM!” Samantha yelled from behind the line. “Erik, don’t fire!” Veronica obliged her teammate by unleashing a second ball of brilliant red. This time, the dire wolves stood their ground and snarled. That lasted approximately one second after the energy ball consumed the lead dire wolf and incinerated it. The emotional silence from the dire wolves was shattered by a flood of strangely human terror. The remaining wolves scattered with a speed that no dire wolf could achieve. What the hell was going on?

“Erik, look!” Veronica said, as she pointed at the smoldering corpse of the dire wolf. Except, it wasn’t a wolf’s corpse. The still-hot remains were indisputably human. Veronica tentatively stepped out of her circle. She cautiously approached the remains. Kurt and Anna moved behind their sorceress.

“Oh God, that’s burnt human all right,” Anne said, coughing as she neared the corpse. “I’ve smelled that particular odor enough times.”

“Glamour?” Erik asked as Veronica as he joined them. Sam walked up next to him and gripped his upper arm. As a telepath, Sam was always the worst effected in a fight. She could sense the thoughts of the dying. Erik wrapped his arm around his friend and gave her a reassuring hug.

“I’m not seeing the ghosts of a glamour spell,” Veronica answered, examining the body. “It’s almost as if he had wild magic actually bound to him. More wild magic than should’ve been available on this side of the gate. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Could it have been a werewolf?” Anne asked.

“A what?” Erik asked.

“No. Those don’t exist,” Veronica answered, “The tales of monsters were either a summoner bringing in monsters from Avalon, bargainers using their new-found powers to shapeshift, or natural phenomena being misinterpreted by the uninformed. Actual howl at the moon, vulnerable to silver werewolves are just fairy tales.”

“Okay, so what were those things?” Anne asked.

“Something new from the Dark Towers,” Erik answered, his unhappiness tinging his voice. “I wonder if Arem’s been reading Earth monster lore.” He thought on that for a moment. “Let’s get this cleaned up and get to what we came here for. Anne, would you please take Veronica and Sam up to the house so that they can examine the murder scene. Kurt and I will clean up this mess.” He motioned to the corpse.

“Okay,” Anne answered, and then led the two women up to the house. Kurt looked down at the now smoking remains with disgust.

“How exactly are we going to clean this up?” Kurt asked.

“Go get the silver bag,” Erik answered, “And hurry up before Anne can see what we’re doing.”

Anne

Anne walked up the familiar sidewalk to the dark house. It was a typical suburban house. Nothing to make it stand out from the rest of the houses down the street. Well, except for the yellow police tape across the front door. Veronica waved her hand at the door, and it quietly swung open. Anne pulled out her flashlight and motioned for Samantha and Veronica to follow her inside.

Anne could remember coming into this house the first time when the murder was discovered. That time, the quiet street was lit up with a dozen police cars and the two vans of the crime scene techs. Nearly twenty uniformed police officers were busy sealing the area up and doing a canvas by the time Dale and her pulled up. She knew it had been bad when her name got pulled out of rotation. Her captain knew she had a knack for the weird ones.

“Where was the body found?” Veronica asked.

“Down here, in the living room,” Anne answered. She could remember the uneasy faces of the officers that were first on scene. She had walked into the living room, and it was much worse than she expected. It was also the first time she realized it was connected with another suspicious death. One that had been thought to be the work of animals. It was almost the exact same crime scene.

It was the odd scent in the air that alerted Anne something was off. It was a sickly perfumed scent that shouldn’t have been in the house. No one should have been in here except for police, and they wouldn’t be burning incense. Anne drew the MP9 from under her coat and motioned for the other two to fall back.

“No one’s here,” Samantha said, “At least, not now.” Anne arched her eyebrow in question. Samantha just pointed at her head. Oh yeah, psychic. Anne was still getting used to that. Anne lowered the submachine gun, but kept it out as the three women walked into the crime scene. At the center was something. It looked like a collection of odd shapes. As they neared, Anne saw it was a wood plank on top of two stones to form a small table. White symbols covered the table in concentric circles. No, not symbols. They were words in some language that Anne knew she’d never seen before. So why could she read them?

“Upon our souls, we bargain for the power. We pay the cost willingly. We offer the payment for the contract,” Anne read. Veronica and Samantha both froze. Anne turned to see the shocked faces on the women’s faces.

“Anne, would you please explain how you can read elvish?”

Anne

Anne hated getting pushed around in a wheelchair. She was perfectly capable of walking out of the hospital, but no, they had stupid rules that didn’t make a damn bit of sense. The orderly at least seemed apologetic about having to do the chore. As her frustration built, Anne took a long, deep breath. At least they were letting her out. There’d been some discussion by the docs that maybe they should keep her in the hospital for her own safety.

“Here you go Detective,” the orderly said as he pushed her outside. “Did you have someone coming to pick you up?” She looked around. Anne was expecting Kurt. He’d left that morning to talk to Jason, but Anne was sure he’d be back in time to pick her up. If not, Dale should’ve at least come.

“Yeah, but they must be running late,” Anne answered. She reluctantly reached into her purse. Maybe it was time to call her folks. Of course, if Anne called them, there was a good chance that she wouldn’t be leaving their house anytime soon.

“Do you want me to wait with you?” he asked.

“No, I’ll be fine,” she answered, pulling out her phone. Before Anne had a chance to punch in her lock code, a limousine pulled up. A tall, stately woman gracefully exited out from the back as the driver hurried over to Anne’s wheelchair. The orderly, satisfied that his duty was done, fast walked back into the hotel. Anne could only stare at the smiling face of Mrs. Maritza Holland.

“I hope you don’t mind that I came to pick you up,” Mrs. Holland said, “I wanted to talk with you, and Mr. Schneider is being detained by your colleagues.” Anne’s heart skipped a beat. Had Jason arrested Kurt? Was he coming for her next? The driver eased Anne out of the wheelchair and escorted her to the back of the limo. Mrs. Holland took over and helped Anne sit down in one of the supple leather chairs.

“Take us to Antoine’s, Charles,” Mrs. Holland told the driver before turning back to Anne. “From what the news reported, I doubt much of your wardrobe survived. We’ll have to do something about that.”

“Why are you doing this, Mrs. Holland?” Anne asked, “The last time I saw you, you had armed men pointing weapons at me. And you weren’t very happy with Erik’s mission surrounding me.”

“My problems with Erik have nothing to do with you,” Mrs. Holland answered, “How would you feel if you find out that the FBI was investigating a homicide in your city without even telling you?” Anne nodded her head in understanding. That explained a lot. “There are other issues I have with that man, but I’m mature enough to realize my biases and try to overcome them.”

“What other issues?” Anne asked.

“You’ll find out about all of that once he’s gotten you back to the Saint,” Mrs. Holland answered.

“Who?” Anne asked.

“Jaegar’s boss,” Mrs. Holland answered. “Now, what I want to know is what exactly happened at your apartment.” The older woman’s blue eyes seemed to bore into Anne.

“I’m not sure that I should. At least not until I talk with Samantha,” Anne said. She wasn’t sure where Mrs. Holland fit into Avalonian politics or their intelligence services. Anne half-expected the older woman to erupt in fury, but instead a warm smile crossed Mrs. Holland’s face.

“I understand your hesitance, Detective, but Agent Hart is busily helping keep Jaegar alive,” Mrs. Holland answered. “In the meantime, I have the American government asking me pointed questions about a possible, illegal operation on their soil. I need to know what happened if I’m going to protect you, Jaegar, and his team.” Anne looked hard at Mrs. Holland. The older woman wasn’t lying to her, or even trying to deceive her. Anne told Mrs. Holland everything that had happened in the past two days. Sweet mother, had it only been a couple of days?

“And you’re sure Jaegar wasn’t lying to you when he said he didn’t know what your attacker was?” Mrs. Holland asked.

“No, he wasn’t lying to me,” Anne answered, “Do you know what it could’ve been?” Mrs. Holland shook her head.

“No, and that concerns me,” Mrs. Holland answered, “Jaegar’s been doing this so long, if he doesn’t know, it must be something new from the Dark Towers. With Arem’s appearance on this side of the gate…” Mrs. Holland let the thought trail off. “Let’s get you into some new clothes and then I’ll drop you off with the team. My attorneys should have Mr. Schneider out by then.”

Erik

Sam was going to kill him when they got back to the safehouse. Veronica’s magic managed to put him back together. The pain that shot through his body with every movement told him that her healing wasn’t quite complete. For the moment, though, Sam was content enough to glare at him from the seat next to him. That, he could deal with.

Kurt and Anne were chatting in the front of the van as the team drove to the second murder site. Veronica was sitting on the floor in some sort of trance. She was murmuring a low chant of what sounded eerily like elvish. Erik didn’t understand all of the intricacies of magic on this side of the gate. Hell, he barely understood it on his own side. That said, he knew that it took a pretty strong and capable spell-slinger to accomplish what Veronica had on this side of the gate. When Veronica told him that she needed to “center” herself because she’d “thrown her aura slightly out of sync with this realm,” Erik was experienced enough to let her do what she needed to. Now, if she could just quit following him around with those puppy dog eyes. He was trying to be nicer, because Sam asked him. He wasn’t sure if he was succeeding. Sam was too pissed off that he was accompanying them on this jaunt for him to ask.

“Okay everyone, we’re here,” Anne announced as the van parked on a darkened street. “I’ll go make sure that there isn’t anyone still at the crime scene. I’ll call you when you can come up. Will she be ready?” Anne nodded her head at the chanting sorceress.

“She said she would be,” Sam answered. Anne looked unconvinced, but she started to walk over to the house.

“STOP!” Veronica bellowed in an unearthly voice, “DO NOT APPROACH THE HOUSE!” Veronica jumped out of the van into a fighting stance. Bright white energy swirled around her hands.

Surrounding them, golden eyes glared out from the darkness.

Anne

“Kurt, what are you doing here?” Anne asked as the German walked over to her bed.

“Someone needed to watch over you, and I volunteered,” Kurt said. The simple statement brought an unwanted heat to Anne’s cheeks. Damn drugs, they always screwed with her.

“I’m sorry about Erik,” Anne said, “I think he saved me somehow. I hated him so much, but then he…” Kurt’s arms were around her as the tears started down her cheeks. She wanted to hate Erik so much, and then he gave his life to protect her from the bomb that destroyed her apartment and killed one of her neighbors.

“Don’t, Anne,” Kurt said, in a low, soothing tone, “Erik’s alive. Veronica and Samantha are busily putting him back together.”

“How?” Anne choked out as her mind grappled with the news.

“That’s a good question, and none of us have a good answer,” Kurt answered, “He just appeared at the safehouse very badly injured. If Veronica hadn’t discovered him, I doubt he would have survived more than a few minutes.”

“It’s like ten miles from my house to your place,” Anne said, “How did he get all the way to the house?”

“Veronica and Samantha were asking the same thing when I left,” Kurt said, “Don’t worry, I’m sure he will be just fine in their care. And you will be just fine under my care.” Anne let out a strangled chuckle.

“You must be Mr. Schneider,” Jason McMurtry said, walking into the room. Anne’s grip tightened on Kurt’s arm as the detective investigating the bombing walked in.

“Ja, that would be me,” Kurt said cheerfully, “How can I help you, Detektiv?”

“I have some questions for you about your involvement with Detective Hearst,” Jason answered nonchalantly, “I’m just trying to nail down the timeline of events. Do you have a few minutes?”

“I would love to speak with you,” Kurt answered, not missing a beat, “Would tomorrow morning at nine be convenient?”

“What about now?” Jason asked, “Sooner we get this done, the sooner we can find who tried to kill Detective Hearst.”

“As much as I admire your desire to find the Schurke, tomorrow morning would be the earliest I could talk with you,” Kurt answered. Jason looked like he was going to press Kurt harder, but stopped when he saw Anne’s face.

“Mr. Schneider, can I ask you to step outside for a moment?” Jason asked, “I need to speak with Detective Hearst alone for a moment.”

“Of course, I will be just outside,” Kurt said and strode out the room. As soon as the German closed the door, Jason’s professional demeanor disappeared.

“Who the hell is this guy, Anne? Don’t bullshit me,” Jason said, clearly annoyed.

“He helped me out the other night, and then I went out to brunch with him and some of his friends,” Anne answered. Jason studied her face.

“Did you sleep with him?” Jason asked.

“No! Not that’s it’s any damned business of yours,” Anne shot back.

“You’re holding something back, Anne,” Jason said, “I’m trying to figure out if it’s something pertinent to the investigation.” His features softened. “Look, have you thought that maybe this guy’s appearance isn’t just a coincidence?” Anne studiously kept quiet.

“Anne, I’ve got a dead body in the morgue because of this mess. You know you can trust me. If it’s not related to the case, it won’t go into any report. If it is, and you don’t tell me, I’ll have you for accessory after the fact,” Jason warned. He waited for a long moment. With a frustrated grunt, he stormed out of the room.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Detektiv,” Kurt called back as he came back into the room. His cheerfulness melted into concern as he saw Anne’s face. “What’s the matter, Anne?”

“I got a woman killed today, and Erik almost killed,” Anne answered, “I became a cop to protect people, not get them killed.” Thankfully, Kurt didn’t protest or try to make her feel better. He just held her hand as she sobbed herself to sleep.

Erik

The room was black when Erik’s eyes snapped open. He immediately knew two things. First, Sam was in the room with him. Second, he hurt. The dull throbbing seemed to come from every part of him. Well, pain was something Erik had dealt with before. There were too many things that needed to be done to let pain get in the way. Erik made a slight move to get up and stopped. He nearly screamed as waves of sharp pain wracked his body.

“Serves you right,” Sam said, with a familiar mix of concern and annoyance. “You need to rest.” A dim light filled the room and Sam’s face hovered over him.

“I’m at the safehouse,” Erik said. It wasn’t a question.

“It’s a good thing too,” Samantha said, “You nearly died, Erik. Again.” He felt the weight of that last word.

“I promise, I wasn’t looking for it,” Erik said.

“Damn it, I wish I could read your mind and know if that’s true,” Sam replied.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say that,” Erik said. The fact that they couldn’t read each other was part of what had sparked their friendship back at the Academy. They were each other’s refuge from the rage of thoughts and emotions surrounding them.

“I spent too long helping you put yourself back together after all that nastiness with the Commandant Affair. And Anya,” Sam said, “I am not going to lose my best friend to his own darkness.” Erik wanted to reach out to her. Any movement hurt too much. Samantha gave him a tired look and stood up.

“I told Veronica I’d wake her when you came around,” Sam said, walking to the door. She stopped at the door and turned back. “I know you think she’s too green for this op, but that girl just saved your life. I didn’t even think it was possible for someone on this side of the gate to pull that much magic without a bargain. Would you do us all a favor and try to be nicer to her?”

“I’ll try,” Erik croaked. “Sam?”

“Yes?” she asked, giving him a wary look.

“You did put me back together. I wasn’t looking for death,” Erik said, “That bomb just surprised the hell out of me.”

“Then why did you drag yourself all the way over here instead of calling us? Or even wait for the paramedics?” Sam demanded.

“I didn’t,” Erik said. “I was gated here.”

Anne

“Kurt, what are you doing here?” Anne asked as the German walked over to her bed.

“Someone needed to watch over you, and I volunteered,” Kurt said. The simple statement brought an unwanted heat to Anne’s cheeks. Damn drugs, they always screwed with her.

“I’m sorry about Erik,” Anne said, “I think he saved me somehow. I hated him so much, but then he…” Kurt’s arms were around her as the tears started down her cheeks. She wanted to hate Erik so much, and then he gave his life to protect her from the bomb that destroyed her apartment and killed one of her neighbors.

“Don’t, Anne,” Kurt said, in a low, soothing tone, “Erik’s alive. Veronica and Samantha are busily putting him back together.”

“How?” Anne choked out as her mind grappled with the news.

“That’s a good question, and none of us have a good answer,” Kurt answered, “He just appeared at the safehouse very badly injured. If Veronica hadn’t discovered him, I doubt he would have survived more than a few minutes.”

“It’s like ten miles from my house to your place,” Anne said, “How did he get all the way to the house?”

“Veronica and Samantha were asking the same thing when I left,” Kurt said, “Don’t worry, I’m sure he will be just fine in their care. And you will be just fine under my care.” Anne let out a strangled chuckle.

“You must be Mr. Schneider,” Jason McMurtry said, walking into the room. Anne’s grip tightened on Kurt’s arm as the detective investigating the bombing walked in.

“Ja, that would be me,” Kurt said cheerfully, “How can I help you, Detektiv?”

“I have some questions for you about your involvement with Detective Hearst,” Jason answered nonchalantly, “I’m just trying to nail down the timeline of events. Do you have a few minutes?”

“I would love to speak with you,” Kurt answered, not missing a beat, “Would tomorrow morning at nine be convenient?”

“What about now?” Jason asked, “Sooner we get this done, the sooner we can find who tried to kill Detective Hearst.”

“As much as I admire your desire to find the Schurke, tomorrow morning would be the earliest I could talk with you,” Kurt answered. Jason looked like he was going to press Kurt harder, but stopped when he saw Anne’s face.

“Mr. Schneider, can I ask you to step outside for a moment?” Jason asked, “I need to speak with Detective Hearst alone for a moment.”

“Of course, I will be just outside,” Kurt said and strode out the room. As soon as the German closed the door, Jason’s professional demeanor disappeared.

“Who the hell is this guy, Anne? Don’t bullshit me,” Jason said, clearly annoyed.

“He helped me out the other night, and then I went out to brunch with him and some of his friends,” Anne answered. Jason studied her face.

“Did you sleep with him?” Jason asked.

“No! Not that’s it’s any damned business of yours,” Anne shot back.

“You’re holding something back, Anne,” Jason said, “I’m trying to figure out if it’s something pertinent to the investigation.” His features softened. “Look, have you thought that maybe this guy’s appearance isn’t just a coincidence?” Anne studiously kept quiet.

“Anne, I’ve got a dead body in the morgue because of this mess. You know you can trust me. If it’s not related to the case, it won’t go into any report. If it is, and you don’t tell me, I’ll have you for accessory after the fact,” Jason warned. He waited for a long moment. With a frustrated grunt, he stormed out of the room.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Detektiv,” Kurt called back as he came back into the room. His cheerfulness melted into concern as he saw Anne’s face. “What’s the matter, Anne?”

“I got a woman killed today, and Erik almost killed,” Anne answered, “I became a cop to protect people, not get them killed.” Thankfully, Kurt didn’t protest or try to make her feel better. He just held her hand as she sobbed herself to sleep.

Erik

The room was black when Erik’s eyes snapped open. He immediately knew two things. First, Sam was in the room with him. Second, he hurt. The dull throbbing seemed to come from every part of him. Well, pain was something Erik had dealt with before. There were too many things that needed to be done to let pain get in the way. Erik made a slight move to get up and stopped. He nearly screamed as waves of sharp pain wracked his body.

“Serves you right,” Sam said, with a familiar mix of concern and annoyance. “You need to rest.” A dim light filled the room and Sam’s face hovered over him.

“I’m at the safehouse,” Erik said. It wasn’t a question.

“It’s a good thing too,” Samantha said, “You nearly died, Erik. Again.” He felt the weight of that last word.

“I promise, I wasn’t looking for it,” Erik said.

“Damn it, I wish I could read your mind and know if that’s true,” Sam replied.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say that,” Erik said. The fact that they couldn’t read each other was part of what had sparked their friendship back at the Academy. They were each other’s refuge from the rage of thoughts and emotions surrounding them.

“I spent too long helping you put yourself back together after all that nastiness with the Commandant Affair. And Anya,” Sam said, “I am not going to lose my best friend to his own darkness.” Erik wanted to reach out to her. Any movement hurt too much. Samantha gave him a tired look and stood up.

“I told Veronica I’d wake her when you came around,” Sam said, walking to the door. She stopped at the door and turned back. “I know you think she’s too green for this op, but that girl just saved your life. I didn’t even think it was possible for someone on this side of the gate to pull that much magic without a bargain. Would you do us all a favor and try to be nicer to her?”

“I’ll try,” Erik croaked. “Sam?”

“Yes?” she asked, giving him a wary look.

“You did put me back together. I wasn’t looking for death,” Erik said, “That bomb just surprised the hell out of me.”

“Then why did you drag yourself all the way over here instead of calling us? Or even wait for the paramedics?” Sam demanded.

“I didn’t,” Erik said. “I was gated here.”

Anne

“Can’t you go a day without needing to be taken to the hospital?” Dale Melon asked as he walked into her room. Her partner wore a forced smile.

“Yeah, because I so wanted to see my apartment blown apart,” Anne shot back. She wasn’t sure how she survived the blast, but she was pretty sure it was Erik’s doing. All she could remember was Erik screaming at her to run, and then she woke up in the hall. Oh, and there was pain. Lots of pain.

“What’s the damage?” Anne asked softly.

“Your next door neighbors were safely at church, so they’re alive,” Dale said, “Your downstairs neighbor wasn’t so lucky. She bled out before fire-rescue could reach her.” Anne didn’t know the young woman other than passing each other on the staircase. She was a student, Anne thought. Then, Anne perked up. Dale hadn’t mentioned a body in her apartment. What had happened to Erik?

“Listen, when you get out of here, if you need a place to stay,” Dale let the offer hang.

“Thanks, but I’ll find a place,” Anne said. The Avalonians would probably demand that she stay at that safehouse. Well, it was still better than staying with Dale, or her parents. Speaking of which…

“Dale, are my folks here?” Anne asked.

“They went down to the cafeteria to get some food,” Dale answered. “Your dad wanted to stay, but your mom convinced him it was okay since Jason and I are here.” Dale gave her a conspiratorial look. “Jason caught your bombing. He’s glad you’re okay and all, but he needs to ask you some questions.”

“Do I need my attorney?” Anne asked, quietly.

“I don’t think so, but it’s Jason,” Dale answered. “I can stay in the room if you want.”

“Thanks,” Anne answered. Jason was probably the second-best detective in homicide, as far as Anne was concerned. She was better, but not by much. Jason was good enough that he might just stumble into this Avalonian mess, and stubborn enough to get himself killed. Dale motioned for their colleague to come into the room.

Even in the dark blue suit, Jason looked like he should be on an Army recruiting poster. Tall, tanned, with cropped black hair and intense blue eyes, Jason had caught the attention of most of the women in the department. He was also scary good at reading suspects and knowing how the approach to get the most out of them. As he stepped into the room, his demeanor was purely professional. Oh, this wasn’t good.

“Anne, Dale told you I was assigned to your case?” Jason asked. Anne nodded. “Okay, I need you to tell me what happened.”

“That guy Kurt from last night invited me out to brunch with some friends of his,” Anne started. “When I came back, there was a man in my apartment. Caucasian, slim, and short, maybe five four. Dark hair. Jeans and a hoodie. I drew my gun and ordered him to stop. He moved at me and I fired. I think he fell out the window. I went to go check and called Dale. I told him about the intruder, and that’s the last thing I remember.” Anne hoped that jived with what the crime scene people dug up. Jason didn’t say anything as he wrote down some notes.

“Have you ever seen the intruder before today?” Jason asked.

“Not that I can remember,” Anne said.

“And no idea why he’d want to bomb your apartment?” Jason asked. Anne shook her head. “Okay, that’s all I have for right now, but I’d like you to talk with Jamie about a sketch. This may be related to those murders.”

“Maybe,” Anne said. Jason knew she was leaving stuff out. She’d seen him in too many interrogations. He never gave up that quickly unless he had some information to counter something she’d said. Exactly what did he have? Fortunately, her parents came to her rescue.

“Don’t worry, we’ll have your room all ready for you,” Barbara Hearst said, patting her daughter’s hand. “You can stay with us for as long as you need to.” Anne stifled a groan. She loved her mom, she really did. She just wished her mom was just a little less ready to keep her locked up in her old bedroom until a suitable husband was willing to take her away.

“Thanks, mom, but some friends of mine already offered,” Anne said. Well, the Avalonians hadn’t offered yet, but Anne was sure that they would want to keep her where they could guarantee her safety. Maybe even take her across into Avalon.

“Dale?” her mom asked with a hopeful twinkle in her eye. Damn it, Anne had worked nearly a year to knock that idea out of her mom’s head.

“No, some other friends,” Anne said.

“What’s wrong with staying at our house?” Fred Hearst asked. Her dad gave Anne one of his famous stern looks. Then her mom added that hurt look and guilt surged through Anne. Damn it, why couldn’t they play fair?

“Look, it’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but we’re not sure why my apartment was bombed,” Anne started.

“BOMBED?” her mom screeched. Okay, maybe the department was keeping that close to the vest.

“They told us there had been an explosion, not that it was a bomb,” her dad said, his stern countenance deepening, “It was one thing when you were chasing down murderers, but now someone is trying to kill you. I think it’s time we discussed you leaving the police.” Anne did groan this time. Her parents were already just barely coping with her job.

“I’m not going to have this argument with you again, Dad,” Anne said, “You don’t have to like what I do, but it’s not just a job for me.”

“That was fine up until someone tried to murder you,” her dad shot back, “Don’t make your mother and me go through that again.” Anne visibly flinched. Her mother started crying.

“That was a low blow,” Anne said through clenched teeth. “And I’m not going to stop living my life because of what happened to Miranda.” Father and daughter traded stony glares.

“Stop it, both of you,” her mom snapped. There were a few more snuffles as her mom composed herself. “Annie, would you at least stop by after you get out?” Anne sighed.

“Yes mom, I’ll swing by after they let me out of here,” Anne said. From the look on her father’s face, it was clear that going over there would be the start of round two. At least she’d have a temporary respite. Her parents made their good-byes and Anne slumped back in the bed.

“Mein Gott, I can see where you get your stubbornness,” Kurt said as he stepped into her room.