Authors: Richard Jackson
There are five men there, one of which I recognize as Meredith. I don’t know who the others are but one of them definitely doesn’t want to be here. He struggles in the grip of two men dressed in what has come to be known as business casual. Another man is lighting candles and incense following Meredith’s orders to the letter.
A canvas drop cloth, painted with intricate symbols, has been spread across the dark stone floor. I don’t recognize any of the symbols but my eyes hurt just looking at them. They remind me of Sol’s book but worse. Meredith is smart, I’ll give him that. Most sorcerers make their drawings in charcoal or burning oil. This way saved time. There was no risk of accidentally rubbing out a line or drawing the pattern wrong. It also enabled him to transport it wherever he needed to take it. After the last candle is lit, I know what’s coming. It doesn’t stop me from watching. I hope in vain things will turn out differently. As Meredith begins to chant, he reaches into his pocket for something. I don’t understand the words, for that I am grateful especially when he pulls out the length of cord from his pocket. As his chant becomes louder, nearing its inevitable conclusion, his helpers force the victim to his knees. In one deft motion, Meredith wraps the cord around the hapless man’s neck. This sort of thing shouldn’t be happening, not even in a place like New York. You just don’t grab people off the street and drag them off to be sacrificed. I turn away from the sight and sound, trying to shut it out. It doesn’t work. The memory of another time and place assaults me as the smell of death fills the room once more.
***
It was summer time. The sun was shining, the pigeons were scavenging for food and the heat was oppressive. All in all, it was another fun-filled day in the South Bronx. I was only a little boy, no older than ten or eleven. My cousins and I had decided to use the abandoned lot next to our apartment building for our playground.
Each of us was a hero in our own right but together we were unstoppable. Our adventures were larger than life. It was a good time. The temperature rose and my cousins went to cool off in the spray from a fire hydrant. I sought out adventure on my own. There behind our apartment building, I saw her. She shouldn’t have been in a neighborhood like this. She looked like a princess and she was in need of a hero. The boy who had punched her was older and bigger than me. That didn’t stop me from racing to the rescue.
Even back then, I was something of a fighter. I put fear into the neighborhood toughs and bullies who thought me and my cousins were an easy mark. They knew I wasn’t afraid to play rough. This time I was way out of my league. I landed on the boy’s back as he leaned over the girl, catching him off guard. It wasn’t enough. He shook me off and sent me flying.
When I hit the ground, I couldn’t move. It felt like something was broken. The boy looked down at me and laughed before kicking me hard. The only thing I could do was lie there, curled up in a little ball as I tried to breathe. Satisfied, he turned away from me and back to the girl. I knew he was doing something to her but I didn’t know what. I couldn’t comprehend what he was doing. It scared me out of my wits. I knew when he was done with whatever he was doing; he was going to kill her then me.
Somehow, I managed to find the strength to throw myself at his knees. I was too weak and too late. I wasn’t a hero. I couldn’t save her or myself. She was dead, a length of extension cord wrapped around her neck. I screamed long and loud. It and my struggling didn’t stop him from putting his hands around my throat.
***
I’m back in the basement, standing there unable to move. When I was a child, I remember being put in the hospital. I could never remember how I got there. Was this what happened to me? Was it Meredith? Did he try to kill me when I was a boy? This is a nightmare. The crowbar drops from my nerveless fingers. Kara snaps me out of it.
“
Run!!
” she screams.
All eyes look in my direction. They don’t have a clear view of me but they know someone is here. I turn to run. I make it to the stairs as the first man runs out into the main room. My hand slaps the light switch plunging the basement into darkness then I am taking the steps two at a time, fleeing this insanity.
They stumble behind me in the dark as I emerge onto the first floor. I am not alone. There is a man in the lobby guarding the now open front door. He doesn’t see me yet but he has heard the commotion. His flashlight begins to traverse in my direction as he yells for me to stop. Yeah right, no chance of that happening especially after what I’ve seen. If I do that, I’ll end up just like the rest of Meredith’s victims. I bolt for the next set of stairs.
I opt for speed instead of caution. I have an edge. Kara is here to warn me when I am about to make a misstep. She saves me from a broken leg. Behind me, one of my pursuers isn’t so lucky. Unfortunately, the rest don’t waste time to help their friend out. They continue the chase. I was an idiot to come here. Not only did I come alone. I also brought the Bloodstone with me. In my haste, I almost miss the glow stick marking my exit.
I duck into the apartment then out the living room window. The fire escape shifts with my weight. I half fall and jump from the thing before it gives way. My knee pays the price when I land. I don’t know how I do it but I manage to rise and limp away before anyone appears in the window.
I’ve brought myself some time. Maybe it’s enough to get out of here. The subway isn’t that close and at this time of night it will be the first place they will look for me. Catching a cab isn’t an option and the buses don’t run frequently this time of night. I have to get away on foot or far enough away so I can call for a cab or catch a train. I might have escaped but I’m still in big trouble.
Chapter Nine
I walk, I don’t run. Running down the street in the middle of the night in a bad neighborhood is the worst thing you can do. It screams out to any opportunist “Mug me!! I’m scared and not afraid to show it,” Even if I wanted to run, I’m not sure my knee would cooperate. It’s been hurting a lot after my little gymnastics routine, taking every opportunity to remind me of its displeasure. I pause to catch my breath in the shadow of a building that has been renovated recently.
“
I didn’t know,”
Kara says and I believe her. I know she doesn’t tell me everything. If she knew about this, she would have shared that bit of knowledge with me. She knows what it means to me. It’s a hell of a thing to be without a chunk of your memory especially when it concerns an event that changed your life. With the bad, there was a lot of good. Whoever hurt me is responsible for me meeting Kara. That doesn’t mean I’m going to forgive them for it.
“I know. I’ll be fine,” I say and she knows I’m lying. It’s not going to be anything close to okay or fine till I deal with whoever killed that girl and tried to kill me. They taught me I’m not a hero. Heroes aren’t about revenge.
***
I’ve made it. My goal is in sight. The train station is less than a block away. This close to the station there are bars, restaurants and convenience stores that are still open. There aren’t a lot of people on the street, too few for me to blend in with if someone was on the lookout for me. I decide to take it slow and easy.
With the cutbacks in service, there is only one entrance to the station open at this time of night. As usual, there are a couple of people hanging around probably waiting for someone or looking for the best time to hop the turnstile. I detour into a coffee shop when they are joined by a fourth person. Even though I didn’t get a good look at him, I remember him from the basement. He’s one of Meredith’s men.
I get a booth in the back of the coffee shop, one that gives me a view of the door. This night keeps getting better and better. I walked the extra distance to avoid this sort of thing and now I’m stuck. I could probably hang out here and call for a cab but something tells me I would end up in a limo with Meredith instead of in a car heading for home. I pull out my cell phone and turn it on.
The first person I try is Hagan. The phone rings for an eternity before I am shunted to his voice mail. I know he always keeps his phone on so he must either be distracted or someplace where it is too noisy for him to hear the phone ringing. I try Nerva next and as expected, her phone is off. I go right to voice mail. I don’t bother leaving a message. It won’t do me any good unless she checks her messages in the next five minutes and my luck isn’t that good. Nerva checks her voice mail once a year if at all. I take a deep breath and dial Scott’s number.
He picks up after the second ring. I knew he would be up, Scott keeps the same sort of hours I do but there is no hello or customary greeting.
“Count, I hope you aren’t calling my home from a cell phone.”
I wince at the tone remembering his quirks about phones and cell phones in particular. One day when I’m not afraid for my life, I will have to ask him about that. I’m sure it will be one hell of a story.
“Scott, I’m in trouble here.”
That gets his attention. I’m about to tell him what’s going on without going into the details. He doesn’t want to hear it. After all I am talking on a cell phone in a public place.
“Wait there. I’ll come get you.”
“Thanks. I appreciate this.”
“Oh and Count.”
“Yes?”
“This wouldn’t be happening if you just learned how to drive.”
Scott doesn’t give me a chance to reply with a snappy comeback. He hangs up the phone. Yeah, I don’t drive, not because I can’t. I just don’t like being behind the wheel. You don’t really need to drive or own a vehicle when you live in a place like New York. It usually doesn’t cause me any problems but when it does, the problems are big.
I put it out of my head and signal the waitress. Dorward will be here in twenty or thirty minutes tops. That gives me enough time to grab some food.
Kara gives me the bad news after I place my order.
“
Someone just cast a tracking spell.
”
I almost laugh out loud. Meredith must have forgotten his earlier attempt to use magic on me or he’s getting desperate.
“
And I should be worried?
”
“
It’s been cast on the ring, not you.
”
Oh, crap.
***
I don’t bother standing up or trying to make it to the door. From here, I can see three of Meredith’s men position themselves just outside the door. The fourth is probably around back covering the kitchen exit. Thankfully, they don’t come in. It gives me a chance to enjoy the scrambled eggs and bacon I ordered. In retrospect, maybe I should have chosen the steak. This might actually be my last meal.
All things considered, I’m not in that bad of a position. They don’t seem willing to drag me out of here in front of witnesses. If they wait too long, Scott will be here to get me out of this. I try to relax. Eating gives me something to do. The food is good, not the best but far from the worst. The eggs aren’t too runny and the bacon is just right. The meal is ruined by Meredith’s arrival.
Kara gives me enough warning so I can look up at him as he enters the coffee shop with one of his men. I’m not surprised he would come here in person. They walk straight towards my booth. I have no quips or jokes ready when Meredith slides in across from me. I am not in a joking mood, not after what I’ve seen tonight. His friend slides into the booth next me.
“I confess, I didn’t think we would meet again so soon,” Meredith smiles at me. In his mind, this is all a forgone conclusion. I’ve already lost. He might be right. “You must know far more than I realized. You will have to tell me how you found out about my little hobby.”
The man calls ritual sacrifice a hobby. He’s the one behind all the bodies that have been turning up in Alphabet City. How many has he killed? I don’t say a word as the waitress comes over and takes away the dishes. Meredith takes the liberty to order a cup of tea. If there is any justice in the world, he’ll choke on it. With the way my luck is going, I will probably end up picking up the tab. I debate lunging across the table when I hear the click and hum of a stun gun. His new bodyguard must have heard about what I did to Meredith. All three of us know there’s no place for me to dodge or avoid its touch in the booth. It’s only a matter of time before Meredith asks me to hand him the Bloodstone and step outside. They’ll be a car waiting to drive us back to his building. We’ll head downstairs and no one will know whatever happened to Count Albritton. I’m in no rush to take that trip. I remain silent and let Meredith speak while Kara points out what I already know.
“
Scott better get here soon
” She says.
“
Hopefully, he will bring help.
”
“I’m not going to lie to you, Albritton. We’re nothing alike. You, my friend, are a failure. It’s ironic that your greatest failure will allow me to succeed in bringing about the next golden age of magic.”
“A golden age? Do you mean one where you get to murder and kill at will?”
He favors me with a patronizing smile. I don’t understand and he knows it. I hope my mind never gets that bent out of shape where I can see the world as Meredith does.
“When the Seven and their servants awaken, it will usher in a new day. Even you would welcome it.”
“
Maybe he will talk me to death.
”
Kara doesn’t laugh at my little joke. For what its worth, his henchman looks just as confused as I feel. I don’t know whether or not I should be comforted by that.
“Magic and technology have never been balanced. One has always been stronger than the other. When the Seven awaken, the balance will swing back in favor of magic. It will be a return to glory days when magic held dominion.”
I think about the idea and it does sound tempting but the price is too high. It would be like Meredith says. There would be a new golden age of magic, a renaissance. If Meredith is telling the truth about then technology would lose much of its power. That wouldn’t have been so bad a millennium or two ago but today, it would amount to the end of the world. There would be panic in the streets as things we take for granted just stopped working. The death toll would make the various world wars seem like border skirmishes. To make matters worse, the Seven would be free to do as they please. Who could stop them? Only a handful of people can use magic. From what Sol tells me, most of those don’t know anything about the First Magics. Meredith takes my stunned silence as encouragement.