Category: Avalon

*Erik*

Erik parked the car outside of Anne’s apartment building and let out an exhausted breath. Anne chuckled lowly as she stepped out of the car. Erik snarled as he followed her up to the building. Mostly at himself.

“Samantha wasn’t exaggerating,” Anne said as she punched in her code to the front door. “You really have a hard time driving on the right side of the road.”

“I am so happy that my driving amused you,” Erik replied, a bit more primly than he wanted. Anne let out a guffaw as the two walked into the building’s lobby.

“Your driving was so perfect, a vice cop would’ve pulled you over thinking you were a mule,” Anne said. Erik quirked an eyebrow, not understanding her slang. “People who transport illegal drugs make it a point of carefully following the traffic laws to avoid being pulled over. In this city, the way you drive is suspicious.”

“Thank you. I will have to practice to conform to your driving habits,” Erik said. Well, that definitely wasn’t a part of the environmental brief. Damn, the Saint should have sent someone from Foreign Intelligence with his team. Anne walked over to the stairs, a smirk dancing across her face. Erik dashed over and intercepted her.

“I should go up first,” Erik said, “In case there is someone in your apartment.” Anne’s smirk vanished to be replaced with a scowl.

“Okay, I suppose,” Anne said, clearly not pleased, “Third floor, second door on the right.”

“Yes, I know,” Erik said, and then felt a spike of fury from Anne. Erik mentally slapped himself. Sam had told him that Anne was extremely touchy about the level of surveillance his team had on her.

“Sorry,” he said.

“Are you really?” Anne asked, still furious.

“I’m sorry you’re in this position,” Erik answered, “Not for putting you under surveillance.” Anne’s fury was tempered with appreciation for Erik’s honesty. The pair walked up the stairs with Erik in the lead. He had to remember that Americans weren’t used to having something like Imperial Security. Even their internal security forces were required to follow all sorts of laws and regulations before even beginning the most cursory of investigations. Of course, they didn’t have something like the Dark Towers attempting to wipe them out. It was easy to get indignant when monsters weren’t gating in with the help of local traitors.

As the pair reached the third floor, Erik stopped. There was someone in Anne’s apartment, but it didn’t feel human or Dark Towers. It was similar to the psi-scent of the man at the accident that delayed his team from getting to restaurant this morning, but slightly different. Erik drew his pistol.

“What the hell is going on?” Anne asked, drawing her own sidearm.

“Something is in your apartment,” Erik said.

“Something?” she asked. Then, Anne gasped as he pulled out the suppressor and screwed it on. “What the hell are you going to do?”

“Whatever it is, something like it caused an accident this morning and delayed us to our meet with you,” Erik explained as he crept down the hall. “Considering that Arem was there to meet you in our stead, I have a strong reason to suspect that it’s allied with the Dark Towers.” Anne’s anger was gone. She was scared, but she continued to follow Erik. Excellent. This one might actually survive more than a fortnight.

“Do you need a key, or do you have one already?” Anne asked, forcing some anger to cover her fear.

“I’ll need you to open the door so I can do entry,” Erik answered. The technical terms seemed to calm Anne. Police knew how to do an entry.

“Shouldn’t we call for back-up?” Anne asked as she snaked past Erik.

“Already did, but they won’t be here for a bit. We need to get whoever’s in there,” Erik said. The two took positions on opposite sides of the door. Anne reached over and unlocked the door. She mouthed the countdown for Erik to follow. At one, she slammed the door open. Damn, he wanted a quiet opening to sneak in, not a bleeding rush. That was his mistake.

Erik dashed into the apartment with his pistol raised. He felt out with his senses and spun just as a small man leapt from from the bedroom. Erik was knocked to the ground as the man backhanded him. Erik brought up his pistol, but the small man’s hand materialized and wrenched the weapon out of Erik’s grip. Erik sent a burst of power that launched the little man across the room. There was an audible crack as the man slammed into the wall. Erik finally got a good look at his assailant. The dark-haired man was maybe a 160 to 165 centimeters and dressed in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. Nothing that looked that unusual. Well, except for that strange psi-scent. The man glared at Erik. A flash of molten gold flared in the man’s eyes before turning back to their original brown.

The man took a step and jumped at Erik. Another burst of power pushed him back while Erik drew his backup pistol. Sighting down the small barrel, Erik fired twice. Red holes appeared on the assailant’s sweatshirt, but the man didn’t slow down. He sprinted across the room and lunged at Erik. The operative ducked and felt the whistle of the blow on the back of his neck. Erik snaked his pistol around and emptied the magazine into man. The assailant let out a scream of pain and anger that sounded more animal than man.

Stars blossomed in Erik’s eyes as the man punched him. It felt like getting hit by an orc, not a man not much bigger than a goblin. Erik saw his sidearm on the floor and pulled it to him with a quick burst. As his hand gripped the stippled butt, a sledgehammer blow crashed onto his back and knocked the wind out of him.

“Stay out of this Avalonian,” the man growled. Erik was surprised he could hear the man’s low voice after the abuse from the gunfire. At least it gave him the opportunity to bring up his pistol. The man just grinned as the barrel floated in front of his face.

“Go ahead. It hasn’t slowed me down yet,” he said. Erik paused at the words. The man had absorbed ten .40S&W hollow-points without any effect except for some small bleeding. What the hell was the Erik fighting? Before his mind could come up with an answer, the apartment rocked with more gunfire. The assailant grimaced as more bullets slammed into him. Finally, more annoyed than hurt, the man leapt out of the window into the parking lot.

“What the hell?” Anne yelled as she dashed to the window. An empty magazine dropped out of her Glock as she slapped in a fresh one. “Where’d he go?” Erik rose to his feet and looked out of the window.

“He went that way,” Erik said, pointing across the parking lot into a small wooded area next to the apartment complex.

“How do you know?” Anne asked.

“Psychic, remember?” Erik asked. “I can sense his psi-scent out the window and into the forest.”

“How the hell did he survive getting shot and then a thirty foot jump onto concrete?” Anne asked.

“How indeed,” Erik murmured.

“He wasn’t an elf or something else from the Dark Towers?” Anne asked.

“No, but he was definitely on their side,” Erik answered. Now that the fighting was over, he sorted through the psi-scents in the apartment. Why had that little bastard been in Anne’s apartment? He followed the psi-scent back into Anne’s bedroom. The room was thoroughly trashed. Anne walked up behind him, reporting the incident to her partner. He needed to find out why that man was here before the police showed up. Then he caught a whiff of old rubber.

“Get the hell out of here!” Erik said, “That bastard set a–” He barely heard the click of the detonator.

Anne

Anne Hearst glared at Erik as he removed his hand from the butt of his pistol. Damn it all to hell, Arem had been just about to tell her about her sister’s murder. Anne wasn’t sure how the elf knew anything about it, but she was sure that Arem was telling her the truth. Erik stepped into the alcove and took a seat across from Anne as if nothing had happened. Veronica was right behind him. The small Indian woman looked almost disappointed.

“Arem told you how we were the invaders into his peoples’ lands, and that we are responsible for conducting a war of genocide,” Erik said as he took a sip from the glass of juice in front of him.

“Something like that,” Anne said, keeping her voice tight.

“I assume you know the old adage that a good lie is at least three-quarters truth?” Erik asked. Anne nodded. “The truth is that we humans did show up on lands that the Dark Towers claimed. We didn’t invade. Something brought us to those lands. That’s something we still don’t understand.”

“And the genocidal war?” Anne asked.

“Neither side has a particularly good track record on that,” Erik answered, “As soon as the fighting began between the Avalonian Empire and the Dark Towers, it became savage. That said, at the end of the day, the Avalonian Empire must prevail in our war. If we don’t, those monsters will invade this world, and they will continue their slaughter here.” Anne sat back in her chair. She’d expected Erik to claim the Avalonians were innocent and that they were only defending themselves against the evil hordes.

“When you get to Avalon, you’ll understand,” Veronica chimed in. Anne could tell by her tone that Veronica was trying to be helpful. From the look Erik shot Veronica, he knew that Anne didn’t want to go to Avalon. Well, maybe if Kurt came with her it wouldn’t be too bad. Almost as if she’d summoned him, Kurt strode into the alcove. His eyes seemed to glow with a fierceness Anne didn’t know he was capable of. Kurt noticeably calmed as he saw that Anne was safe.

“May I sit here?” Kurt asked, pulling out the chair next to Anne.

“Um, sure,” Anne answered. If any of the other guys in her life were that protective of her, she’d have smacked them. She’d proven that she could take care of herself enough times. Kurt’s protectiveness, on the other hand, just made her feel– Anne shook her head. This wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. At that time, Samantha walked into the alcove. She was far more composed than Kurt. The brunette gave Anne a warm smile before sitting down next to Erik.

“Okay, here’s what we have on the three murders,” Anne said, pulling out three thick manilla folders from her briefcase. Erik and Samantha opened the folders. The initial crime scene photos were on top. “Sorry. Some of these are pretty graphic.”

“Very,” Erik answered with a clinical detachment. “I’ve never seen a murder like this done solely by human hands.”

“I keep them on top to help push me,” Anne explained.

“We do something similar,” Samantha said, “Because we don’t want to forget the horror of what we’re fighting.” Anne felt a wave of relief from Samantha’s tone. Her frustration with these Avalonians was pushed back as Anne went into full homicide detective mode.

“What’s bothering me is that there is no discernible pattern to them,” Anne said, “Other than the pure savagery and the end result, nothing is the same. No similarities between the victims, the weapons used were different, the method of killing was different. My partner and I are stumped.”

“Can I see all three photographs of the murders?” Veronica asked, her cheerfulness replaced by a somewhat disturbing solemness. Samantha handed her the pictures. Veronica studied them intently as Erik and Samantha went through the scanty forensic evidence. Kurt just sipped a cup of coffee.

“Is there anything you’d like to see?” Anne asked.

“Of the case, no,” Kurt said, “I am not an investigator. I am more of the muscle of this team.” He gave her a mischievous smile. “There are other things I would like to see.” Anne felt her cheeks warm. She covered it by taking a long sip from her own coffee.

“Do you have a map of these locations?” Veronica asked, setting down the pictures.

“Here,” Samantha produced a tablet and brought up a map of the city and its suburbs. With a few touches, the three murders were highlighted. Veronica studied the map.

“Well, these aren’t random, and there is one major similarity among your victims,” Veronica said. She picked up a stylus and drew a half-dozen lines across the map. All three murders were where at least two of the lines intersected.

“Your murders were rituals to ignite the lines of wild magic,” Veronica said, “I think they are called ley lines on this world.”

“Dammit,” Anne swore. She’d been hoping this was just simply a human psycho and not somehow connected to the Avalonians or the Dark Towers.

“Summoner or bargainer?” Erik asked.

“What’s the difference?” Anne asked.

“A summoner uses magic to bring something from another world into this one,” Veronica explained, “Usually one of the Dark Towers’ lesser minions. Those can be controlled by the summoner as long as they remain on this side of the gate. Bargainers create a hole between the two worlds to make a bargain with the Dark Towers. Usually for magic power or knowledge of magic.” Veronica turned to Erik. “I can’t tell which these were from the pics. I think that was part of the reason the victims were torn apart. I’ll need to get to one of the murder sites and try to recreate it.”

“What? Try to recreate the murder?” Anne asked.

“No, recreate the spell,” Veronica said, “Anytime magic is used, it will create what we in the magic community call a ‘ghost’. I can use my own magic to see the ghost and determine what kind of spell was done.”

“We can get you to the warehouse pretty quickly,” Erik said.

“That won’t work. Arem was throwing around too much magic from what you told me,” Veronica said, “I’d never be able to find the ghost in all that noise.”

“It will have to be the second one then,” Anne said, “The first was in a home, and there’s a new family that’s living in there now.”

“Great! When can we go?” Veronica asked.

“We can go tonight,” Anne said.

“Why not now?” Erik asked. It wasn’t an accusation. Just a simple query for knowledge.

“Technically, I’m not supposed to be working the case,” Anne answered. “So, I’d kind of like not to be parading around a crime scene in broad daylight when I’m not supposed to be.”

“Perfectly understandable,” Erik said, “In light of that, this is our current plan. After we finish eating, Kurt will go with Sam and Veronica back to the safe house. I will take Anne back to her apartment and take over guard duty until sunset. At that point, the three of you will come pick us up and we will proceed to the crime scene.”

“Why not Kurt?” Anne blurted out before she could stop herself.

“Because he’s been going for almost two days, and I’d like to get him rested before we head out again,” Erik answered. Anne looked over at the blond German, who just shrugged in response.

“Anne is not supposed to be driving,” Samantha reminded Erik, “Are you going to remember which side of the road you’re supposed to be on?”

“Is that going to be a problem?” Anne asked. Instead of answering, Erik just scowled. Anne was forced to hide a smile. So, the consummate spy had a weakness after all. That made him slightly less annoying.

“Just try not to distract him too much,” Samantha answered, “It would be a silly way to blow an operation.”

Erik

In the thirteen years Erik had been working for Blackguard, he’d developed a sense for when he could chalk up adverse events up to bad luck or to enemy action. It was a useful thing for an intelligence operative to possess. It didn’t make those adverse events any less frustrating.

The hassle getting the reservation at the restaurant was simply a matter of bad luck. Lady Maritza was less than pleased to hear from Erik so soon, much less for the task of setting up a simple brunch reservation. Erik wasn’t going to leverage his Blackguard status with Lady Maritza this time, so he’d been forced to haggle. So, for the price of setting up the reservation, he owed the American Chief of Station one favor to be named later. It was annoying, but Erik could hardly blame the Dark Towers for Lady Maritza’s actions. By contrast, the accident backing up traffic in front of Samantha and him was pinging his “enemy action” instincts.

“Stay here,” Erik told Samantha as he stepped out of the car. He’d asked Samantha to drive because he had a hard time wrapping his mind around driving on the right side of the road. Bloody Americans. Why couldn’t they drive on the proper side of the street like civilized people? Samantha, for some reason, could do it smoothly.

“Where are you going?” Samantha asked, concern in her voice.

“I need to see the holdup,” Erik answered. “I don’t think this accident was chance.”

“Cool! Do you want me to back you up?” Veronica asked from the backseat. Erik gave the sorceress a stern look. Why had the Saint forced Erik to take her through the gate? Granted, the young woman was more than a fair magic slinger, but she was still so new to Blackguard that the shine hadn’t worn off. Add to that her fascination with his old exploits.

“If I wanted your assistance, I would have told you so,” Erik said, “Your orders stand. Protect Samantha.” Veronica nodded, her enthusiasm not diminished a whit. Samantha shot him a warning look. Erik ignored it and walked down the sidewalk. After all, Samantha was surprisingly good at tamping down Veronica and giving the young woman much needed nudges.

About thirty meters down the street, the intersection was crowded with cars. He wasn’t even sure how the ambulance and two police cars had managed to squeeze in. In the center of the commotion was an overturned lorry and at least three cars that hadn’t been able to stop fast enough. Erik turned to the man next to him. From the man’s emotions, he was dying to tell someone of his account of the accident.

“What happened?” Erik asked, remembering to use his American accent.

“Oh man, you should have seen it,” the short man said excitedly, “I was standing on the corner waiting for the light to change when this huge-ass dog comes barreling through the street. Biggest dog I’d ever seen. And then it stopped in front of that truck. Like it was waiting to get hit or make the truck crash. Well, the truck driver stood on his brakes and slid that rig around. I guess the driver misjudged, because then the truck tipped over and slid for like twenty feet. when I looked back, that dog was gone. Just gone.”

“Wow, that sounds insane,” Erik said, before turning back to the street. Erik reached out with his power. The raw emotions of everyone in the intersection went from a dull hum to a roar in an instant. Erik sifted through the morass of emotions, looking for the tell-tale feel of a Dark Towers minion. He felt a whiff of Dark Towers’ scent and focused. He found the psi-scent, but there was something very wrong. The psi-scent had a shade of the Dark Towers, like a summoner or a bargainer, but the underlying psi-scent wasn’t human. It had some hints of human, much like it had hints of the Dark Towers, but the base psi-scent wasn’t human. It wasn’t like anything Erik had encountered on Earth or Avalon. With the psi-scent fixed firmly in his mind, Erik started hunting around the people in the intersection. His eyes locked onto a tall, dark-haired man who looked back at Erik with a knowing grin on his bearded face. Erik fixed the man’s face and psi-scent firmly in his mind. He couldn’t chase the man – or whatever that person was – at the moment, but there would be other ways to find him later. Almost as if his job was done, the man tapped his fingers to his forehead in a mocking salute and vanished. Erik fished the small cell phone out of his pocket. Okay, there were somethings they had here on Earth that made his job easier.

“Sam, tell Kurt to stay close to Anne. This accident was a set-up,” Erik said, as he walked back to the car. He closed the phone without waiting for a response. Was that man part of Arem’s forces trying to snatch Anne, or was there another faction operating in the city? After this morning’s session with Anne, Erik was going to have Sam and Veronica yank that man out of his mind and try to find him. He probably should also talk to Lady Maritza and see if she knew anything about the man.

“Erik, get in the car!” Sam yelled as Erik approached, “Kurt was forced to leave Anne alone at the restaurant.” Erik sprinted the last twenty feet and bounded through the open car door. Samantha wheeled the car onto the sidewalk. Honking at the few pedestrians to get out of her way, Samantha drove for half a block and then dropped onto a side street. Two fast turns and Sam smoothly merged into traffic.

“What about the cops?” Veronica said, looking back.

“Stop that,” Erik told her, “We’re driving a silver nondescript sedan. Hard to pick us out of all the cars that the Americans drive.”

“Careful Erik, your prejudices are showing,” Samantha chided him. “Now, what’s going on?”

“That accident was staged to delay us,” Erik answered, “I think I saw the person responsible. He was odd.”

“What do you mean odd?” Samantha asked.

“After we finish this morning’s adventures, I’ll need to sit down with you and the sorceress back there to yank the man out of my head. It’s hard for me to explain. Whoever he is, I’m not sure if he’s working for, with, or against Arem.”

“How the hell could they have set that up?” Veronica asked.

“We’re being watched,” Erik answered, a hint of anger and frustration in his voice.

“That’s impossible,” Veronica said,”I put up wards against the Dark Towers detecting our presence. We should’ve been essentially invisible to any that might have tailed you or Kurt last night.”

“Magic’s weak on this side of the gate,” Erik said, “Maybe your wards just aren’t strong enough in this environment. I know my own abilities are more limited.”

“If I used normal wards, that would be true,” Veronica said, “But that wasn’t how the wards I used work. Mine were designed to work by subtly shifting our auras to something the Dark Towers wouldn’t be able to see properly. Imagine if Dark Towers were colorblind. I shifted us to a color they can’t see clearly.”

“Then that means a local faction,” Erik said.

“Restaurant coming up on the right,” Samantha said, pointing at the building. “I haven’t heard from Kurt and I can’t park in front of the building.”

“Okay, just drop Veronica and me at the curb,” Erik said, “Veronica, we will approach quickly, as if we are late. Do not do anything that would unduly draw attention, but prep for a fight.”

“Don’t worry, Erik, I’ve got just the thing,” the small sorceress said, with a wicked grin spreading across her face.

“Follow my lead, and don’t do anything until I give you the signal,” Erik said.

“What’s the signal?” Veronica asked.

“Either gunfire or me dropping dead,” Erik said, “You can never tell.” Veronica’s smile became wary, as if she couldn’t tell if Erik was being serious.

Samantha paused the car just long enough for the pair to hit the sidewalk before she sped off in search of a parking spot. Erik strode up to the restaurant with Veronica struggling to keep up. The maitre d intercepted them as they stepped inside. Erik gave the man the name of the reservation and opened up his powers. The stench of Dark Towers filled the restaurant. Seeing Erik’s expression, the maitre d quickly led them to the table.

“Arem,” Erik growled as he stepped into the alcove’s entrance. Thankfully, Anne was still in her seat. The detective spun around to look at Erik. The woman radiated extreme frustration.

“Jaegar, you always have the most annoying timing,” Arem said, and then looked at Anne, “Detective, we’ll talk again.” Before Erik could draw his weapon, Arem slashed a line in the air and vanished.

Anne

Anne woke to a light tapping on her door. She looked over to the clock. She’d been asleep for maybe an hour and a half. She rolled out of bed and walked over to her door. She scowled as she saw Kurt’s apprehensive expression. She tapped her foot impatiently.

“I’m sorry to wake you up after the events of last night, but Samantha would like to meet with you today to go over these murders,” Kurt said. There was genuine contrition in his voice, and Anne felt her anger with him dissipate like an ice cube on a hot stove. Damn it, she did not need this right now, whatever it was.

“Where? At the safehouse?” Anne asked.

“No, I told her you had not eaten yet, so she suggested Barron’s,” Kurt said with a surprising nonchalance. Barron’s was one of the city’s most exclusive restaurants. Rumor was that the only thing on the menu under $20 was the dinner mints. Not to mention getting a reservation took six months – if you were lucky.

“I believe that there is a standing reservation that we are using,” Kurt said, smiling at the shocked look on her face. “If it is alright with you, I told Samantha that we would meet her in two hours. That should give you enough time to fret about and figure out something to wear.” Anne’s shocked face twisted to a scowl at Kurt’s humorous tone. A smile broke across the German’s face.

“So, do you have a suggestion, or are you just going to stand there looking pleased with yourself?” Anne asked. Where the hell did that come from? She was supposed to be angry with this man, not bantering with him.

“That gray suit you wore to court two weeks ago would do nicely,” Kurt said. Anne’s jaw hit the floor. “What? I thought that was a lovely outfit.”

“Y’know what? I don’t want to know exactly how close you’ve been keeping me under surveillance,” Anne said, with a resigned tone. She shut the door and went to get ready.

“The reservations are under Hunter,” Kurt said as he pulled up to the door of Barron’s. “I will join you after I park the car.” Anne stepped out and looked up at the building’s dual spires. The restaurant was actually an old cathedral from the pre-Civil War days built to resemble the Notre Dame. An colorful awning covered the area between the street and the restaurant’s entrance. A well-tailored valet escorted Anne to the door and handed her off to the maitre-d. She gave the perfectly styled man the name Hunter. The maitre-d gave a pleasant smile and motioned for Anne to follow him.

What had been a sanctuary was now a wide dining room. Small semi-private alcoves lined the left wall, while the right was dominated by a large and exquisite bar. Even this early in the day, there were a few people drinking exotic-looking cocktails. Tables with rich, dark red tablecloths and elegant place settings were spaced throughout the floor. It was mesmerizing enough that Anne almost missed the maitre-d motioning her to an empty alcove. As she stepped into the box, Anne realized it wasn’t empty. It took everything in her not to yank her pistol from the holster at her side. Arem, the elf from last night, smiled pleasantly from the table.

“Please Detective Hearst, join me. This tea is so much better than anything those Avalonians can manage,” Arem said, motioning to a silver tea service and bone white china cups. His melodious voice seductively tugged at her mind.

“I should just shoot you, but from what I’ve heard, you’re supposed to be dead already,” Anne said, stamping down hard on the feelings Arem was stirring in her. It didn’t help that Arem was model-gorgeous. Long brown hair perfectly framed a long face. Smoldering dark eyes watched Anne with an interest that could be uncomfortable – or exciting.

“The Avalonians had every reason to believe I was dead. After all, they had just detonated a nuclear device,” Arem answered casually, “Please sit down. There is much we have to talk about.”

“What is there to talk about? You tried to abduct me last night,” Anne said. Arem gave her a curious look.

“Is that what Jaegar told you?” Arem asked with just enough subtle hint of injury. “That fool doesn’t understand who and what you are. He just assumes that because my people have an interest in you, that you must be dangerous and killed.”

“You were the one who told him to ‘give me the woman’,” Anne said, making air quotes for that last part, “That sounds like abduction to me.”

“Yes it did,” Arem said, “I do apologize for those words. Jaegar, unfortunately, brings out the worst in me.” The elf took a long sip of the steaming liquid. “His people have taken what belongs to my people and committed horrific atrocities in the course of keeping it from us. It makes what happened to your own Native American people pale in comparison.”

“They were defending themselves from your people,” Anne shot back, not sure why she was defending the Avalonians. After all, hadn’t they been tracking her to kill or snatch her back to across this gate thing?

“When the barrier came down, our armies went forward to claim the lands we won in our war with the Cairen, who also stole it from us,” Arem said, calmly, “We find humans occupying the Kel’tel’Cairen, and because our soldiers look monstrous to them, the humans slaughtered the lead forces. Even after my brethren tried to talk to them, the humans continued to fight. We understand that they were in the Cairen lands against their will. We could’ve made peace. Instead, their king insisted it was their land and that he would kill any of my people that stepped a foot into his territory.”

“That’s an interesting twist of the tale,” Anne said.

“It’s the truth,” Arem said, “I’m not the one who came to this world to kill you. I came here to show you your destiny. To explain exactly who you are and how the balance of our two worlds lie in your hand.” Anne was about to pull her pistol and put two rounds into the elf’s chest. His next words froze her.

“I can tell you the truth about what happened to you and your sister.”

Anne

“I’m fine, Dale. The docs said I might have a light concussion, that’s all,” Anne told her partner as they walked out to his car in the hospital parking lot. Dale Melon shot her a skeptical look. He’d been her partner for the last two years and knew better than to try and convince her to take it easy. That was what captains were for.

“What happened to the guy who picked me up?” Anne asked for the fourth time that morning. The police officers that had been with her at the hospital had been circumspect about Kurt’s whereabouts.

“His story checked out, so we let him go this morning,” Dale said grudgingly. “Can’t you remember anything more about last night?”

“No. If I had, I’d’ve told you the other twenty times you asked last night,” Anne snapped. She took a deep breath. “Look, I’m sorry. I should have told you where I was going last night, but I honestly can’t remember what happened after that SOB clocked me.” Dale’s rugged features softened into a warm smile. She hated lying to Dale, but Anne was sure that he shouldn’t be dragged into last night’s insanity. She was having a hard enough time dealing with what happened. Anne wasn’t sure if Dale would survive.

“I’m just glad you survived. From all the brass we collected, there was one hell of a firefight,” Dale said, driving towards her apartment.

“But no bodies?” Anne asked.

“No bodies, no blood, no DNA,” Dale confirmed, “It’s as bizarre as our murders.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t someone just letting loose with some homemade full autos?” Anne asked, “That would explain why someone would knock me out to prevent me from telling.”

“That’s what we’re telling the public, but Jason doesn’t think so,” Dale answered. Jason McMurtry had been Army CID before joining the department as a homicide detective. From the few conversations Anne had with the intense detective, it was clear he’d investigated more than one nasty battle scenes.

“Any more leads on our murders?” Anne asked.

“Just a setback,” Dale said. “Those DNA samples from the first two crime scenes came back as contaminated. We didn’t get anything.”

“All of them?” Anne asked. “How is that possible?”

“Believe me, CSU is having to answer that question right now,” Dale said, “The field people are saying they followed procedures and the lab screwed up. The lab is saying the field people screwed up the collection. Whatever actually happened, we don’t have anything to run in CODIS. Anyways, you don’t have to worry about that for a few days.”

“Paid administrative leave. Yay,” Anne said flatly.

“You discharged your weapon. That plus your medical means you’re benched,” Dale said. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you posted if anything breaks.”

“Thanks,” Anne said as he pulled into her apartment complex. Dale put his hand on her arm as she started to get out.

“Listen, try and get some rest. Please? I don’t want to have to explain to your mother why you’re in the hospital. Again,” he said, with a smile to soften the last word. She couldn’t help but return the smile.

“I will. Try that is,” Anne said. He laughed as she shut the door. She didn’t let the scowl cross her face until she was climbing the stairs to her apartment. If this Avalon stuff wasn’t bad enough, she had nothing to find her murderer. To top it all off, she couldn’t do anything. She paused for a moment. She couldn’t do anything officially, but the Avalonians said that they’d help her. Veronica’s little touch had made the doctors see injuries consistent with her cover story. Why couldn’t Veronica’s magic help her figure out who was behind her murderers?

Anne paused at her door. That was odd. Delicious smells were coming from apartment. Since she’d talked to her mom before leaving the hospital, that couldn’t be the source. She very much doubted a robber stopped to make himself breakfast. One of her exes? She doubted that, but odder things had happened. The department had taken both her sidearm and backup for the dockyard investigation. Dale had offered his backup, and now Anne was regretting refusing the pistol. She was about to creep back and call Dale when the door opened.

“It’s about time you got here,” Kurt said, “Your food was about to get cold.” Anne froze in the hallway. She was having a hard time reconciling the tall, blond German’s handsome features with the frilly, pink apron he was wearing over his clothes. “I’m sorry, did I speak in German by accident?”

“Where did you get that?” Anne asked, pointing at the apron.

“This thing?” he asked, in a mock seductive tone, “You had it in your pantry. Now, will you come in?” Anne laughed as Kurt led her into the apartment. It was a comfy one-bedroom affair full of hand-me-down furniture from her grandparents. On the table were four covered dishes and a place setting.

“Where did you get those?” she asked, pointing at the table.

“They were in your pantry, in the back,” Kurt answered, surprised at the question.

“I have covered dishes?” Anne asked as she let Kurt guide her to the table.

“Ja. Although, that would explain why they looked unused,” he answered, with a light tone. As she sat, he uncovered a plate of eggs and bacon followed by another of pancakes that looked like they were used in an advertisement.

“When did you do all of this?” Anne asked.

“Well, after your Freunde from the police were done questioning me, I came here,” he said. “Erik told me when you’d be discharged and so it wasn’t hard to have breakfast waiting for you. I very much doubted you’d have anything to eat at the hospital. Fortunately, you had all of the necessary ingredients in your kitchen.”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t done shopping in ages,” Anne said as she took a bite of the pancakes. Damn, they were good. Then, her police instincts finally made their appearance. “Wait, how did you get in?”

“Detektivin Hearst, I am a trained intelligence operative,” Kurt said, “Do you really think your locks posed that much of a challenge?” His tone was joking, but Anne felt an icy pit in her stomach. Kurt read her expression and his own face grew serious.

“Detektivin, after last night’s events, we needed to make sure that Arem didn’t have someone waiting for you when you came home. Since I was already tasked with watching you, it made sense for me to do so,” Kurt said, “Until this is resolved, you may as well get used to the idea that we will need to periodically sweep and secure your apartment.”

“Until this is resolved? You don’t mean helping me with the murders. You mean until I get dragged to this Avalon,” Anne said quietly. Please don’t let him say it.

“Probably, but that will be Erik’s call,” Kurt said, bluntly. Anne cringed at the words. His blue eyes melted into warm sympathy. “It is horrible when things beyond your control destroy your life. Especially when those things weren’t even known to you. I would change that, but I can’t. So would any of the Avalonians. All I can do is promise to protect you as best as I can and do whatever I can to make your life a little better.” Anne fled from the table into her room.

Damn it all to hell, she wanted to be angry at him. She wanted to scream, and rail, and maybe throw things at him. How dare he look at her with those eyes! Why did he have to be so truthful? Anne yelled a long string of curses at the door. Suddenly exhausted, Anne walked over to her bed and flopped down. Why couldn’t Kurt be more like Erik? From what Anne had seen so far, she was pretty sure she could get a hate on for Erik. Kurt, on the other hand, was confusing all of the instincts built up over a decade spent on the police force. At some point in her rumination, Anne fell asleep.

Erik

Erik and Lady Maritza descended back down the stairs with neutral looks. Lady Maritza motioned for her two guards to follow her as she walked out of the house. The woman didn’t even so much as look at Anne or the others as she stormed out. Erik was just glad she was gone. Damn nobles always managed to screw up an operation.

“The others gave you the basic history?” Erik asked. Anne nodded. “Good. Lady Maritza is going to help us smuggle you out of the city. Apparently your fellow cops are looking for you.”

“What do you mean, smuggle me out?” Anne asked.

“We need to get you back to Avalon to figure out why the Dark Towers want you so badly,” Erik answered.

“No,” Anne said, gripping her pistol tighter, “I’m not going to let you take me.”

“Are you insane?” Erik asked, exasperated, “Do you remember the monsters you fought at the warehouse? Do you want those things popping up in the city looking for you? We can protect you in Avalon.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got a serial killer running around out there,” Anne said, “Unless it was one of those monsters doing the killing, I’m not going to leave until I’ve caught the bastard.”

“Erik, stop,” Samantha said. Then she turned to Anne. “If we can help you find this killer of yours, will you consider coming back to Avalon with us?” Anne thought it over for a moment, and then nodded.

“Good, then might I suggest that Kurt take you home so that you can call your people,” Samantha said, “He can also take the night watch tonight.”

“Night watch?” Anne asked.

“Anne, you’re going to need one of us nearby in case Arem tries again,” Samantha said. “Kurt can watch you tonight. One of us will meet you in the morning to discuss these murders of yours and see how we can help catch the killer.”

“What am I supposed to tell everyone?” Anne asked.

“You’re smart. You’ll come up with something,” Veronica said, walking over to Anne. The small woman touched Anne’s head and murmured a string of sing-song words. Anne felt a rush of heat that dissipated quickly. “There, that should help.”

“Detektivin, if you will follow me,” Kurt said, with a low bow. Damn it. On anyone else, the gesture would have been cheesy. The German just pulled it off with a dashing charm.

Anne

Anne followed Kurt back out of the house. He led her over to the garage and opened the passenger door of a beige sedan with a flourish. Anne smiled.

“You know, I can open the door myself,” Anne commented as she sat down in the car.

“You’ve had a very bad night,” Kurt said, “Please allow me to try and make it a bit better.” He closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side. Anne leaned back in her seat. A very bad night? That was an understatement.

“Where would you like to go?” Kurt asked as he climbed into the car, “Home? Your office? The hospital? Dinner?” There was a slight mischievous glint in his blue eyes as he said the last word.

“Home, I guess,” Anne said, pushing down a long-forgotten flutter in her stomach. Damn it, this guy kidnapped her. I don’t care if he is pretty to look at. And the accent is kind of cute. No! His employers want to take me to another world.

“I am truly sorry that you are involved in this, Detektivin Hearst,” Kurt said. Anne could sense something more in his words than a simple apology.

“Who?” Anne asked, guessing.

“Meine Mutter und mein Vater” Kurt answered quietly, “Sorry, my mother and father. I was four.” Anne could see an intense pain in Kurt’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Anne said, reaching out to Kurt’s shoulder.

“We all have our personal tragedies,” Kurt said, “They help make us what we are.” The pained look was replaced by a knowing one. Anne suddenly felt very uncomfortable. How much did these people know about her? Did they know about that? From the look in Kurt’s eyes, they did. Kurt must have read her expression, because he quickly turned away. “I’m sorry, Detektivin.”

“So what should I tell my superiors?” Anne asked, quickly changing the subject.

“Simple is best,” Kurt answered, “Elaborate stories tend to have holes that others can open and unravel the whole thing.”

“Yeah, my mom was always–” Anne stopped, “Oh my God, if my mom thinks I missing, she’s going to be out of her mind.”

“Calm down, Detektivin,” Kurt said, “Think this through. Your mother will soon know her daughter is fine. Better to concentrate on how you are going to explain tonight’s events.”

“You don’t know my mother,” Anne said.

“I know that she raised a remarkable woman,” Kurt said. Anne’s cheeks heated at the unexpected compliment. “I think she’s stronger than you would like to give her credit for.”

“Maybe,” Anne said, not ready to accept that idea.

“Why did you go to that warehouse?” Kurt asked.

“I don’t know. Something about this case. I just needed to see the murder scene again,” Anne answered. A concerned look flittered across Kurt’s face. “What?”

“Something pulled you to the scene?” Kurt asked. “Remember to tell Samantha when you see her tomorrow. It may be your own instincts, or it could’ve been someone luring you into a trap. At any rate, begin with you going back to the scene of the latest murder.”

“I went back to the scene,” Anne began, “Then I was attacked. It would explain some of these injuries and my smashed radio.”

“Do you know who attacked you?” Kurt asked.

“No, I can’t remember,” Anne said, “I just remember you.”

“Well, that’s a pleasant thought,” Kurt said, “What do you remember about me?”

“That you found me outside the docks and offered to help. All I could think was getting home,” Anne said.

“Why not the hospital?” Kurt asked.

“Because I’m stubborn,” Anne answered, “I kinda have a reputation for that.”

“Well, that should work. Good thing too,” Kurt said.

“Why?” Anne asked.

“Because we are about to get pulled over,” Kurt answered. An instant after he spoke, brilliant blue and red lights erupted around them. It wasn’t just one police car. The entire area was suddenly swamped with police.

“This should be fun,” Kurt said.

Anne

“POLICE! Drop your weapons!” Anne screamed at the two men as they came into the room. Both were dressed like SWAT and holding stubby submachine guns. They professionally scrutinized the scene and lowered their submachine guns. Anne glanced at Erik. He didn’t look confused or tense. He just looked annoyed. Anne guessed that the two tactical guys were also Avalonian.

“Police? What the hell are the police doing here?” asked a woman’s voice. A tall, statuesque woman walked in behind the two tactical guys. Anne swallowed hard and lowered her own pistol. That elegantly coiffed brunette with the hard blue eyes was Mrs. Maritza Holland, the wife of if not the wealthiest man in the city, definitely one of the top five. Mrs. Holland was a big player in the society circles and could squash Anne’s career without breaking a sweat. So, why was she here?

“You! What the hell are you doing here?” Mrs. Holland asked as she caught sight of Erik.

“The Saint’s work,” Erik quipped. The two tactical guys traded a wary look, but Mrs. Holland didn’t seem fazed.

“And you kidnapped a cop? Then, you use one of my safehouses? Are you out of your mind?” Mrs. Holland asked, storming over to Erik.

“The detective was the reason we’re here,” Erik answered, “Your safehouse was the closest when we were ambushed picking her up.” Mrs. Holland looked over at Anne with an intense scrutiny.

“Detective, are you alright?” Mrs. Holland asked.

“I think so ma’am,” Anne answered, surprised by the question, “Are you an Avalonian?” Mrs. Holland whirled on Erik.

“Exactly what did you tell her?” Mrs. Holland asked.

“We were in the middle of explaining who we are when you came bursting through the door,” Samantha snapped, and then looked mortified as Mrs. Holland glared at her.

“Lady Maritza, can I speak with you privately?” Erik asked.

Lady Maritza? Anne thought to herself, Exactly who is this woman, and why does everyone but Erik looked cowed by her?

I’m not sure we can answer that right now, but yes, she’s important in our world, Samantha answered in Anne’s mind, Sorry, but you’re ‘yelling’ your thoughts right now.

“Very well,” Mrs. Holland answered. She motioned for her two guards to remain as she followed Erik upstairs.

“So where were we?” Samantha asked, “Oh yes, the barrier came down in 1635, and we started our centuries-long war with the Dark Towers.”

“Um, should you be telling her this?” one of the guards asked.

“Yes,” Samantha answered, “Of course, the early years were dark. We had no idea of how to fight the Dark Towers’ monsters. They’d swept away our few outposts and pushed us back to the walls of Avalon. Then a coalition of psychics and magic-wielders helped to defeat the Dark Towers army at our walls. We learned how to fight. If In the years since, we’ve allied with the Elven Empire and the Dwarven Kingdoms. We managed to not only push the Dark Towers back, but actually managed to capture one.”

“We also had a lot of help from Britain and America,” Veronica admitted, “We couldn’t have reclaimed Freesport without their help.”

“The governments know about Avalon?” Anne asked.

“With the elves’ help, we managed to establish a stable gate on a South Atlantic island. Technically, we belong to the Commonwealth for diplomatic purposes on this world.”

“Then why have I never heard of any of this?” Anne asked, agitated.

“The Treaty of London,” Veronica answered, “The governments kept us quiet and we keep the monsters from coming over to this side.”

Erik

“Explain yourself Jaegar,” Lady Maritza demanded as soon as the master bedroom’s door was shut.

“The elves handed us intelligence that the Dark Towers had a major operation starting, and it involved that woman,” Erik answered, “The Saint asked me to get a small team together and deal with the woman.”

“So why is she here and not dead?” Lady Maritza asked.

“Because she’s not a summoner nor a bargainer,” Erik answered, “We don’t know why the Dark Towers wants her. So, I went to collect her tonight and ran into a snatch team led by Arem.”

“That’s impossible. That elf is dead,” Lady Maritza said, her face paling.

“That’s what I thought too,” Erik said, “But I saw him tonight. I fought him. It was Arem. He demanded that I hand over that woman to him. Not a chance in hell. We need to find out what’s so special about her, and that is probably going to mean getting her back to Avalon.”

“That may be more difficult than you expect,” Lady Maritza said, “Your little firefight drew official notice.”

“What notice?” Erik asked, “There shouldn’t have been any bodies for the police to find. Death breaks the connection with the Earth’s wild magic and forces the monsters’ bodies back to Avalon.”

“Bodies no, but the police managed to recover lots and lots of spent bullets, casings, and the destroyed radio of the detective downstairs. They are in a frenzy to find her. Getting her out of the city, much less to Avalon Island will be challenging,” Lady Maritza explained, “You should have come to me as soon as you landed in this city.”

“You weren’t supposed to know we were in the city,” Erik said, “This was supposed to be a quick hit and extract. Everything we had said that she was working with the Dark Towers.”

“Are you sure she isn’t?” Lady Maritza asked.

“Samantha is, or the detective would already be dead,” Erik said. “I trust my people.”

“I’m sure your people are trustworthy,” Lady Maritza said, “What I don’t understand is why the Saint would trust you. Especially after the Commandant Affair.” Erik managed to get his sudden anger under control, but Maritza could see the blow had landed.

“You’d have to ask the Saint,” Erik managed, “He recruited me back into Blackguard for this mission. And since you are now aware of the job, are you going to help us extract, or do I have to do this myself?”

“Oh, I’ll help,” Lady Maritza said, “If for no other reason than to get you out of this city before the Americans realize what’s going on.”

Anne

Samantha and Veronica leapt to their feet as Erik collapsed to the ground with a grunt of pain. Kurt kept Anne restrained in the chair, but loosened his grip. She looked up at the fair-haired German, who just gave her that charming smile. Damn, why were all the pretty ones trouble?

Samantha and Veronica helped Erik into another chair. Veronica was a study in professionalism, with some heavy-duty respect laid on. Samantha, on the other hand, wore an expression of genuine concern. There was something there. Samantha guessed an unrequited affection. She could always smell one of her own. Erik’s long coat was removed. Anne saw the unmistakable black-stained hole from a gunshot in the shirt, but there was no blood. Samantha tore off the shirt to reveal some kind of bulletproof vest. It was slimmer than the one she normally wore, and looked like it was more flexible.

“Samantha, relax,” Erik said, fending off the woman’s attempt to remove the vest. “It didn’t penetrate. The orc did a wonderful job of slowing the bullet down. Veronica?” The Indian woman stood back and looked at Erik’s chest like she could see through the vest.

“Cracked ribs, some organ trauma, and blood leakage,” Veronica said, “Not nearly as bad as it should have been. Hold on a second.” Veronica closed her eyes and murmured unfamiliar words. Anne’s eyes grew wide as Veronica’s hands glowed a warm red. The dark woman placed her hands on Erik’s chest and the man let out a pained yelp. Then, he fell back into the chair, looking exhausted. Veronica examined Erik critically.

“You should be fine tomorrow,” Veronica told Erik, “If you don’t do anything stupid and push yourself. Your body will need a chance to recover.” Erik waved her off and looked at Anne. He gave her a tired smile.

“I think it’s time we explained ourselves to Detective Hearst,” Erik said, “Kurt, you can let her go. She’s too curious to leave without her questions answered.” The German’s arms vanished. Anne shot up from her chair, drew her pistol, and walked back to hall. None of them looked particularly frightened about having a gun pointed at them.

“Who and what are you people?” Anne demanded.

“We are officers of the Avalonian Imperial Security Service,” Samantha answered, “Well, except for Kurt. He’s kind of our local guide. As to what we are, well that needs some background?”

“Avalon? Where the fairies come from?” Anne asked, skeptical.

“That’s where the name comes from, but we haven’t seen any of the Sidhe courts that the stories talk about,” Samantha answered. “Anne, could you please lower your pistol. We will answer your questions, but I’d rather not chance a mistake happening.” Samantha cocked her head as if listening to a radio, and then turned to Kurt.

“Kurt, stand over in the corner and put your weapons on the table. Anne has a healthy fear of what you can do.” What the hell? Those were the thoughts that had just run through Anne’s mind. Kurt walked over the table and deposited a pair of pistols before walking over to the corner like a child being disciplined.

Yes, I can hear your thoughts. Samantha’s voice erupted in Anne’s head, Or at least, your surface thoughts. Please put your gun down. Please, sit.

“What the hell are you?” Anne asked Samantha, as she lowered her Glock.

“Humans, but with a bit of power that this world hasn’t seen in millennia,” Samantha answered, “In our case, Erik and I are psychics, but with different gifts. Veronica is a sorceress.”

“That’s impossible. Those things aren’t real,” Anne said, reflexively. Although, she had to admit to herself that she was no longer sure after what she had just seen.

“They aren’t real on this side of the gate,” Samantha said, “They are very real in Avalon. As are those monsters that you and Erik fought earlier tonight.” Anne took a deep breath. This was beyond bizarre. Damn it, why was she trusting these people? Why did it feel so natural to trust them?

“What is the gate?” Anne asked.

“It’s how we come to your world from ours,” Erik answered, “Do you remember that hole in the air the orcs and Arem appeared out of back at the warehouse?” Anne nodded. “That’s a gate. Ours is at a fixed and stable point so that we can have regular trade and diplomatic relations with the nations of this world. Well, some of them, at least.”

“Your world? Like another planet?” Anne asked. “Are you aliens?”

“We don’t think we inhabit the same universe as this world,” Veronica answered, “The laws of physics are mostly the same, but there are some noticeable differences. Such as a much stronger presence of wild magic.”

“Why don’t we start at the beginning?” Erik suggested.

“Here is what we know,” Samantha started, “On our world, there were four main sentient races. The elves, dwarves, those we call fae, and a race only known as Cairen. The elves and dwarves inhabit another continent across an ocean similar to your Atlantic. Maybe three thousand years ago, a war happened between the fae and Cairen. No one knows if the fae created the Dark Towers and their monsters before the war started or during the war. What we do know is that the fae had nearly conquered the Cairen before that race vanished and erected some kind of mystical barrier around their remaining lands. No one could enter the last of the Cairen lands. At least, not until the first humans starting to show up about five hundred years ago.”

“What do you mean, starting to show up?” Anne asked.

“As in disappearing from this world and appearing in the Cairen lands,” Samantha answered, “Uncontrolled gates appeared on this world and swallowed or sucked humans between the two worlds. Strangely, only certain groups of humans were taken. Particularly, those of Germanic or Nordic ancestry. And no, we don’t know why. We also don’t know why it started with English people.”

“What about her?” Anne asked nodding at Veronica.

“Wherever the British went, they spread their blood. Somewhere back in my line, my family got a splash of British blood,” Veronica answered neutrally. From the look on the woman’s face, it wasn’t something she liked to discuss.

“I’m sorry,” Anne said. Veronica waved it away and gave the detective a warm smile. “So, the people just started appearing. How did you survive against those monsters?”

“They weren’t there when the humans started showing up. Nothing sentient could come through the barrier,” Erik answered, “Most of the humans, when they arrived, started making their way to Avalon City.”

“Why? Were they drawn there?” Anne asked.

“Sort of. It was the biggest thing any of them could see,” Erik said, “Have you been to New York City?” Anne nodded. “Take Manhattan. Then take another island and place it on top about a kilometer up. With giant supports more massive than any skyscraper. Then ring the lower level with a wall of metal some three hundred feet high. And inside, are magical devices that provide light, water, heat, even food. Bizarre food, but still food.”

“So the humans banded together in Avalon City and formed the Avalonian Kingdom. They even sent out patrols to bring any stray humans into the city. By 1632, there was nearly 100,000 people in the kingdom. That was when the first cases of psychics and magic-wielders started showing up among the native-born humans.”

“Which was a good thing, because the barrier came down in 1635 and our war with the Dark Towers started,” Erik said ominously.

That was when front door of the house slammed open and armed men charged in.

Anne

Kurt pulled into a driveway that wrapped around an old row house in Milltown. The old manufacturing district was trying very hard to reinvent itself and regain its former glory as the commercial heart of the city. Most of it was like this row house – worn and ragged. Anne felt remembered pangs flow through her heart. Her grandparents had lived in a house just like this on the other side of Milltown. Grandpa had worked in the old textile plant until it finally killed him twenty years ago. After that, Grandma just sort of, went away until she died a few years later. Anne’s momentary nostalgia died as Kurt expertly relieved Anne of her sidearm.

“What the hell?” Anne demanded.

“Detektivin, right now, you are our guest,” Kurt said, “I don’t want our guest shooting my employers. At least until after I get my pay.” Anne planted her feet and stared at the smiling German.

“What is going on? Who are you? Who are your employers?” Anne asked.

“Well, at least you haven’t become indignant that we’ve taken you,” said melodious voice behind her. It had the same strange accent that Erik used. Anne turned to find two women standing at the rear door of the row house. One was a tall, lithe brunette with calm and warm blue eyes. The other woman looked Hispanic, with dusky skin and jet black hair. That one’s dark eyes flashed with amusement.

“After those monsters at the warehouse, I figured if you wanted me dead, you’d just left me to them,” Anne said, “And Erik and this one were just too smooth not to be something more than common criminals. There’s something strange going on in my city, and I am going to get answers.”

“Where’s Erik?” the brunette asked Kurt. Her tone was calm and collected, but Anne could see the tiniest flicker of terror flash in the woman’s eyes. There was an emotional connection there. Good. Anne could use that if needed.

“He stayed behind to deal with someone named Arem,” Kurt answered. The brunette tensed as her blue eyes widened in shock.

“That’s impossible. Arem died nearly a decade ago. There’s no way he could be here,” she said. Anne had heard that tone before. The woman was trying to convince herself that the boogeyman hadn’t come back to hurt her.

“Tall male, about six-three? Thin with dark hair? Eerily handsome? Appears out of thin air with orcs in tow?” Anne asked. The woman nodded slowly. “That’s the guy that Erik called Arem. Right before he shoved me out to meet Kurt. Now, who the hell is this Arem and who the hell are all of you?”

“This is best told inside,” the brunette answered. “We will answer your questions, Det. Hearst. Please, we need to get inside where it’s safe.”

“Those things I saw at the warehouse could tear through the side of that house,” Anne said, not surprised these people knew who she was, “You expect me to be safer in there than out here?”

“Walls are not this house’s only protections,” the dark woman said, “Besides, if Erik stayed to stop this Arem, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about it.” The brunette shot the dark woman a reproachful look, which the shorter woman blithely ignored. The two women turned and walked in the house. Kurt motioned for Anne to follow them. She didn’t move.

“Give me back my gun,” Anne said. “I’m not going to shoot those two, but I’m not going into an unknown house unarmed.” Kurt gave another of his radiant smiles. Damn it. Maybe if she’d met him some other time and some other place. With a flourish, Kurt produced her Glock. Anne snatched the handgun from his proffered hands. A quick check showed it was still loaded with a round in the chamber. Satisfied, Anne walked into the house. Kurt followed whistling some tune that tugged at Anne’s memory. She’d heard it long ago, but couldn’t remember where.

Just beyond the door was a well-appointed, if dated, kitchen. God, it reminded Anne of her grandmother’s kitchen. She followed the two women through a narrow hall into a side room. It was decorated like a family room with comfortable, aged furniture and pictures of smiling people on the walls. Kurt motioned for Anne to sit in a cushioned chair as the two women sat on a couch across from her. A steel carafe sat on the coffee table between them with four china cups. The dark woman started pouring a rich coffee by the aroma.

“My name is Samantha Hart,” the brunette said, “My companion is Veronica Patel. We, along with Erik and Kurt, have come to this city looking for you.” As Samantha talked, Anne felt cold pricks in her mind. Well, that was the best description of the sensations. Her face hardened as she stared into Samantha’s face. Anne was sure that the woman was the cause behind the pricks.

“What are you doing?” Anne asked dangerously. The brunette gave her a warm smile.

“You can feel that?” Samantha asked. Anne nodded. “That is very interesting. Most people can’t feel when I do that. As to what I’m doing, I’m reading your thoughts.”

“What?” Anne blurted in shock. She didn’t know how, but she knew Samantha was telling the truth. She’d always been able to tell when someone was lying to her. “That’s impossible. There’s no such thing as telepathy.”

“No one born on this side of the gate can do it, that’s true,” Samantha said, “Which makes you all the more interesting. You have a touch of the power. I can feel it in your mind, but I can’t find where. I’m very sorry. This is going to hurt. Kurt?” Anne had the barest moment of realization she was in trouble before the German had her restrained.

“Relax fraulein, and it will hurt less,” Kurt whispered with a tone of personal experience. Intense pain flashed through Anne’s head. The cold pricks were now one large stab. She tried to fight, but Samantha was unbelievably strong. Memories flashed through Anne’s head. The day she became a detective. Comforting a victim after Anne had shot the man raping the poor girl. Joining the police force. Graduating the police academy. Moments of passion with her old high school boyfriend. Her mother and father watching her dancing as the lead ballerina in a recital. God, she was ten. Even older memories flashed by. Then it felt like she hit a wall and the pain stopped. As the memories cleared away, Anne could see the room. Samantha was on the floor, holding her head in pain.

“What did you just do to me?” Anne screamed at the woman. Maybe she could still reach her pistol.

“I tried to find out why the Dark Towers were after you,” Samantha answered, staggering to her feet, “To see if you were already in league with them, even without you knowing it. Possibly even why you have a touch of the power in you. To see whether or not we could recruit you, have to protect you, or have to kill you.” Anne’s body went cold at the matter-of-fact tone Samantha used.

“And?” Anne asked. Before Samantha could answer, the door behind her slammed open. Anne could smell blood and gunpowder waft in. Samantha’s eyes lit with relief and worry.

“I would kind of like to know why Arem wanted her as well,” Erik said, walking into the room before collapsing.

Anne

The quartet of orcs bellowed as they charged the two. Anne raised her sidearm, but Erik pushed it down with surprising force. Anne glowered at the strange man. What the hell was he playing at?

“Don’t bother with that,” Erik said, “Your pistol isn’t going to be enough to take down an orc. Run to the street. Wait for a van driven by a blond-haired German named Kurt. Go with him. Tell him I’ll catch up.”

“Are you insane?” Anne demanded, “I need to call this in before these things kill a bunch of innocents.” She pulled her radio off her belt. The radio was ripped out of her hand by an unseen hand. What the hell?

“Don’t,” Erik said, holstering his own pistol. With a flash, he had a thick-bladed dagger that reminded Anne of a Bowie knife in his left hand. In his right was a massive stainless revolver. “Your police will just get slaughtered if they try to take on the Dark Towers. Run, now!” An invisible force pushed Anne towards the entrance of the warehouse. Forget who this Erik person was. The question in Anne’s mind was what was Erik? Anne stumbled a couple of steps before sprinting towards the entrance.

“Arem!” she heard Erik yell before she ran out of the warehouse. Then came a thunderous roar that could only be that revolver. Forty yards until she hit the entrance to the docks. The unearthly snarl to Anne’s left startled her enough that she tripped. Stars and pain blossomed as she hit the asphalt. Her sidearm clattered across the ground. Anne turned over as her vision cleared. What she thought was two dumpsters unfolded into two towering monsters. Each stood nearly twelve feet tall with dark, gray rough skin. They looked like much larger versions of those monsters Erik stayed to fight. Instinct took over and Anne slipped her hand down her her boot and drew the small Ruger LCP. A small red dot appeared on the closer monster. Anne squeezed the trigger. Blossoms of dark blood appeared on the monster’s chest, but all the little .380 bullets managed to do was enrage it further.

Screeching tires drew Anne’s and the monsters’ attention to the entrance of the docks. A white van darted into the dockyards before pulling an amazing skew turn to stop maybe ten feet from Anne. The two monsters stood still, trading perplexed looks with each other. Maybe they’d never seen a van before? The side door of the van slid open. A tall, lanky, blond man stepped out holding some kind of belt-fed machine gun. The two monsters didn’t seem to surprise him. If anything, the new man looked resigned. This must be Kurt. He pointed the machine gun at the monster that Anne wounded.

“Nice grouping fraulein, but trolls need more than small bits of lead and copper to take them down. Cover your ears. This is going to be a bit loud,” Kurt said. Anne quickly grabbed her ears a moment before the machine gun’s roar filled the dockyards. She could barely hear the monster’s howl of pain as its chest was torn apart by the machine gun’s bullets. Was there small gouts of flame coming from it? The first monster fell, and Kurt quickly turned the gun on the second. It didn’t last any longer than its companion. The silence was deafening as the machine gun stopped firing.

“Come, fraulein,” Kurt said loudly, “We need to get you and Erik out of here.”

“He said he was going to catch up with us,” Anne managed to say as she leapt into the van. Guns of various sizes were locked in racks on the sides of the interior. Kurt gave the detective a quizzical look as he locked the machine gun into one of the racks. “He was fighting off some orcs and someone named Arem.”

“Arem?” Kurt asked, “Who’s Arem?”

“Tall guy, brown hair and scary eyes?” Anne asked, “He was leading the orcs. I think that’s what the other guy called them.” Kurt’s normally handsome features contorted into a grimace.

“Schiesse,” the German cursed, “Hold on, this is going to get a little rough.” Kurt deftly wheeled the van around and darted out on to the street. He sped down the boulevard for a few blocks, took a right, and blended into traffic.

“Where are you taking me?” Anne asked.

“To my employers,” Kurt said, “They are the ones that normally deal with the dunkle Turme.”

“The what?” Anne asked.

“Sorry, the Dark Towers,” Kurt answered, “The monsters across the gate.” Anne didn’t look any less confused. Kurt shrugged his shoulders. “They will explain it to you.”

Erik

Orcs. Why the hell had Arem brought orcs to Earth? Better question, how had Arem survived? Erik thought as the orcs charged with their black swords raised above them. At least Kurt had been nice enough to put a light and reflex sight on this revolver. Not only did it help with aiming the heavy piece, but added a bit of weight to the front so he didn’t need to use as much power when using it. Erik placed the glowing dot on the lead orc and squeezed the trigger.

He felt the recoil thrum through his body. The heavy bullet neatly blew the back of the orc’s head out, splattering his comrades with blood and brains. To their credit, the three remaining orcs didn’t hesitate, but spread out to come at him from multiple angles. So, these had been up against Avalonians before. Well, Erik doubted they’d faced anything like him.

He flipped his dagger at the left-hand orc with enough power pushing the blade to launch it like a crossbow bolt. The orc gave out an abbreviated scream as the blade lanced through its eye before slamming into the its brain. It fell to the ground and slid for a few feet. The right-hand orc took a pair of bullets to the chest. With orcs, it was best to be sure. Like its brother, it went to the ground dead. Erik was brought the revolver around to deal with the last orc. The orc threw a small blade at Erik, forcing him to slide out of the way. Well, small for an orc. The blade was almost a bloody short sword. The orc sped up.

Erik felt the spike of wild magic before his revolver was torn out of his hands. The silver weapon fell into Arem’s waiting hands. Erik didn’t have time to even curse. He used a bit of power to yank his dagger back, and then sent a stronger blast at the elf. Arem stumbled back from the surprise push and accidentally fired the last two rounds from the revolver. Erik felt one of the heavy bullets whistle past his head a scant moment before a hammer slammed into his chest.

The last orc’s body slumped to the ground with the gaping hole in its chest. There was a flash of pain and Erik fell back to the ground. Damn, he hated getting shot. At least Arem killed his own orc with the same bullet. The elf pointed the revolver at Eric’s prone form and squeezed the trigger again. The warehouse echoed with the mechanical snap of the hammer landing on a spent casing. Arem let out a string of elven curses and threw the revolver on the ground. Erik winced. He really didn’t want to listen to the German when he brought that revolver home. Sirens in the distance caught Arem’s attention.

“We’ll finish this fight at a later time,” Arem promised. Another spike of wild magic coursed through the warehouse. A red hole in the air appeared just long enough for Arem to step through. Erik stood up. His chest and ribs protested the movement. It was time for him to get the hell out.