How to Hunt a Menacing Magical Shadow Read online

  “I wish I shot you in the head.” And in that moment, I was dead serious. If the other officers hadn't shown up when they did, I probably would have followed through. I released the metal bars from my tense grip and stormed to the farthest corner of the cell as far away from him as I could get.

  “Well, it was fun while it lasted. I do hope all can be forgiven one day. Until we meet again, my friend!” Nolan turned and vanished down the hallway. I could hear him humming a triumphant tune as he disappeared from view. Forgiveness? He couldn’t be serious.

  “Some friend you got there,” I peered across the aisle, barely making out a small female figure sitting in the dark corner of the cell across from me.

  “Not my friend,” I retorted. My legs gave out from beneath me as I crouched in the corner of my eight by eight foot cage, trying to figure out a plan.

  “What happened to his face? It’s like the outside of an avocado had an allergic reaction. ”

  I couldn’t help but to let out a snort. “I beat the crap out of him. And shot him.”

  “Hmph. You could have done better. Clearly, he’s still alive. Next time, punch him in the throat. ”

  “I don’t need advice from a criminal.”

  “And you aren’t?” I winced at her counter. Was I?

  “I see,” she continued, “So you’re better than me. You think you’re above everyone else, Mr. Law Enforcement? You think you can do whatever you want and get away with it, don’t you? I bet mommy and daddy would be so proud of you.”

  The accusation about my parents struck me like a hot iron.

  “SHUT UP!” I snapped, my voice bouncing off the walls of the empty cell. I had enough people berating me about my life’s failures today. I just wanted to be left alone so I could think.

  I can help you. The voice emerged in my head.

  “Sounds like you have some issues to work out,” the female across from me concluded.

  “Just leave me alone!” I belted out. That wasn’t meant for her. I was yelling at the voice in my head.

  “Fine. Don’t let me keep you from your precious loneliness.”

  I finally sat back down on the bench, anxiously tapping my foot.

  I can get you out of here.

  I thought about it for a moment. What was a voice in my head going to do? Sweet talk my way out of this? Even if it could get me out of here, I’d be a fugitive on the run. However, if I stayed, I’d have to face a judge and most likely be sent to prison for years. There was no good way out of this unless I could prove Nolan was behind everything. I suppose I couldn’t do that from behind bars...

  “Fine. What do you want?”

  “I just wanted to talk. It’s not like there’s anything else we can do while we’re trapped here.” This three way conversation was getting confusing. I needed to remind myself not to talk out loud.

  Hands on the bars. I walked over and stared at the metal bars standing between me and my freedom. I focused past them and saw the woman leaning against the side of the wall, the weak glow of the light hiding most of her body, but her long, ivory colored hair shone through the darkness. I stretched my neck out trying to put an image to the voice, my curiosity getting the better of me.

  “I’m Lizzy.” She was completely still, not moving a single inch from her spot against the wall.

  “Adrian.”

  “Well, Adrian, what would you say if I told you I’m busting out of this joint?

  “I’d say you’re nuts. And I’m in enough trouble as it is, so don’t try to rope me into this. I’ll deal with my own problems myself.” I placed my hands on the bars and closed my eyes. My previously dislocated wrist weakly gripping one bar while my other clutched like I was about to rip the bar out from the floor.

  Think. Really? This wasn’t a therapy session. Think about what? Unicorns and rainbows and how awesome my life was? I don’t think so.

  I closed my eyes and let my thoughts take over. The avalanche of angry emotions started as a single reflection in my head. Nolan. Then it built up momentum as everything else came tumbling after...my mistake two years ago that got a woman killed, Captain Fletcher’s accusations of murder, my dead family, how every day at work was worse than hell. The heat surged through my body, gathering in my hands.

  “You might want to cover your eyes.” Before I could react, before I could release all that pent up anger, an ear shattering blast knocked me to my knees. My arms braced the ground as blocks of concrete came flying at me like asteroids crashing to earth.

  I coughed uncontrollably trying to fill my lungs with something other than dust. A ringing sound pierced my ears, stabbing me in the brain. The gash on my forehead reopened, not that it ever closed, dripping a pool of blood onto the floor.

  A slender female hand reached out to me through the cloud of dust. I looked up, but all I could make out was the voice.

  “Come on, Adrian. Let’s go.”

  I had no idea what was happening. All I knew was that I’d rather take my chances with this stranger than rotting in prison. I reached for her hand and she hoisted me up. She wrapped my arm around her neck and clutched my belt trying to keep me from collapsing. A cool breeze rolled off my skin as we made our way through the gaping hole in the side of the building. I tripped over some rubble, and she abruptly squeezed her grip around me, doing her best to keep me steady. My attention was drifting away. My head had taken too much of a beating today, and it was about to shut down. The last thing I remember was passing out the sidewalk and the mystery woman’s face blurred above of me.

  Chapter 6

  A blinding light burned my eyes when I finally came to. Either the lights in this room were extremely bright or I was suffering from a concussion. I was leaning toward the latter. I rolled over and closed my eyes, slipping my face into the warm, soft, fuzzy fleece blanket. I had no idea where I was, but the thought of melting into the soft air mattress and getting some much needed sleep was too hard to ignore.

  Muffled voices came from outside the door. Their escalating argument grew irritatingly louder until I gave up trying to sleep.

  I swung my legs around and sunk my naked feet into the shaggy carpet. I tried to stand up on my own, but the amount of exertion needed just to push myself to the edge of the bed reminded me how badly my body had been battered around. The air mattress was low to the ground and I was too weak, so with the grace of a gorilla on roller skates I flopped to the floor and used a nearby chair to hoist myself up.

  When I finally made it to my feet, something slipped off the backrest of the chair: my police uniform. Confused, I turned my attention to the oversized navy blue t-shirt that fitted like a trash bag around my chest. The black sweatpants completely covered my feet as I kicked them out trying to get a good look at my new outfit. I don’t remember getting changed. Actually, I don’t remember much of anything from after the explosion. My face flushed at the embarrassing thought of Lizzy removing my clothes.

  As soon as I started to move, dizziness overcame me, followed by waves of throbbing, nauseous pain pounding like a hammer inside my head. If I had anything left in my stomach, I was sure I would have thrown it up. I rubbed my fingertips against my temples trying to relieve the agonizing pressure, but it didn’t seem to help.

  When I was confident enough I could stand on my own two feet, I investigated the room. The twin sized air mattress was shoved up against the bare white wall, and a small wooden desk with a matching chair was practically on top of it. A door to what I could only imagine was the world’s smallest closet was cracked open, metal gadgets and clothes hanging out. I laughed at the thought that a prison cell was larger than this shoebox. I didn’t even have to move to nudge my hand against the gray linen curtains ruffling in the refreshing, cool breeze that brushed against my face. That invigorating feeling was quickly diminished when I could practically taste the unpleasant smell of city garbage in my parched mouth. Well, at least I hadn’t gone too far.

  I placed one foot in front of the other trying to
avoid tripping over the desk and chair. The last thing I needed was another head injury. I leaned against the door and cracked it open, searching the hallway for anyone walking by. As I crept closer to the noise, the voices echoing off the empty walls intensified along with the throbbing pain in my skull.

  A flight of stairs met me at the end of the hallway. I wondered if I had enough balance in me to pull this off without anyone noticing, or if I’d end up bouncing off the sides of the walls and rolling into the living room like a rubber ball. With one hand holding onto the railing and the other pushing against the wall for support, I slowly, and cautiously, made my descent.

  I stopped just short of the last few steps when the decadent aroma of sugary goodness aroused my nose. I really hoped someone was baking because I could easily scoff down a dozen cupcakes right about now.

  From what I could see, the stairs led into a single, spacious first floor that flowed together as the main living area. It had all the look of a swanky urban apartment, except the cheap furniture ruined the whole ambiance. A rustic red brick wall lined the outer side of the room with a row of windows reaching upwards toward the beamed ceilings. Sunlight seeped in through the broken white blinds, casting shadows of what reminded me of prison bars across the cinnamon glow of the couch. The shiny oak floors were covered with faded rugs that had definitely seen better days.

  When I peeked around the corner, I caught a quick glimpse of the three culprits yelling at each other around a small wooden table next to the kitchen. I quickly pressed my back against the wall before anyone could see I was there.

  “So what are we going to do about this? The media thinks it was all his doing. You shouldn’t have brought him here,” an aggressive female voice challenged.

  “I wasn’t going to leave him. He would have died.” That familiar voice was Lizzy. Sadly, she was probably right. If I hadn’t died in that explosion, I’m sure Nolan would have found a way to finish the job himself.

  A sharp male voice scolded Lizzy. “You can’t just bring anyone here. Not to mention we’re now harboring a fugitive accused of murder and breaking out of jail. What were you thinking?”

  Something told me they weren’t going to bust out the good china for a welcome party. If Nolan wasn’t going to kill me, it sure seemed like these people might.

  “Well, there’s no changing what I did. Let’s go see if that sack of bricks woke up yet.” I heard the soft dragging of chairs across a thin rug as they got up and moved away from the table. I guessed that was my cue to introduce myself. I cautiously shuffled down the last few steps into the living room, and all of them instantly froze in place when they saw me.

  “Ummmm...hi. I’m Adrian.”

  As if an automatic reflex, they all assumed an attack stance, ready to go after me like starving seagulls fighting for a half-eaten hotdog. These people weren’t joking around.

  “Woah!” I threw out a defensive warning, stepping back and waving my hands in the air. “You brought me here. You could have left me in a dumpster behind a building and I would have never known what happened. Actually, I still don’t know what happened. Can someone fill me in?”

  A tall, slender woman stepped forward, her tight leggings and snug tank top accentuating her slim but toned frame. She stomped her bare foot down on the wooden floor, taking a wide stance. Slapping her hands together, she stretched out a massive lightning bolt that formed into the shape of a staff. She quickly whipped one end under her arm, then thrust the other end in my direction preparing to roast me like a pig on a spit.

  “I will ask the questions. State your intentions.” Her shoulder length, golden blonde hair shimmered with all the glowing personality she lacked. She dropped her pointed chin and dark, forest green eyes locked onto mine as she waited for an answer.

  “That’s actually not a question,” I corrected. This wasn’t the time for jokes, but sarcasm was always how I responded to threats.

  “Do not play smug with me. State your intentions here!”

  My eyes pleaded for help from Lizzy, expecting her to jump in and say something, but she had joined the fight ready to launch two very sharp black daggers, a slight white glow illuminating their edges, directly at my throat. The other guy raised his arms, one hand ready to throw what looked like a sharpened metal boomerang to decapitate my head.

  “Look, I have no beef with you, just that asshole who framed me for murder. Thanks for the help, but I think I’ll just take my things and get out of your way.”

  The room fell into a hardened silence, with the only noise coming from the splintering branches of marigold colored lightning whipping out from the staff. She continued staring at me for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually she eased up, letting go of the staff and closing her hands together, the lightning dissipating before my eyes.

  “I’m Blair,” she said, straightening her posture and waving a hand toward the others. “You already know Lizzy, and this is Eli.”

  “That was a neat lightning staff...how did you do it? What’s your magic object? I didn’t hear you say anything to activate it.”

  She scrunched her eyebrows contemplating the seriousness of the question, and then the three of them burst out laughing uncontrollably.

  “Yeah, you were right Lizzy. He’s definitely not a threat.” Eli eased up, collapsed his fancy boomerang, and tucked it into the pocket of his cargo pants. Spiky cobalt tips peeked through his fingers as he raked his hand through his hair in relief. I was no giant, but the guy was massive and he had the muscle to back it up too. It must have been his oversized clothes I was wearing.

  “Did I miss something?” I scratched my face in embarrassment.

  Blair took a deep breath, trying to bring herself together. “Let’s start from the beginning. Sit.” She plopped down on the couch and patted her hand on the overstuffed cushion. Eli went to grab a chair from the dining room.

  “OK, but first...where are the cupcakes? Don’t try to hide them from me. I can smell them. I know they’re here somewhere.” The smell had been taunting me ever since I hit the bottom of the stairs. I licked my lips, imagining myself lost in the smooth, tangy cream cheese frosting complementing the sweet chocolatey taste of a fluffy red velvet cake.

  Lizzy headed to the kitchen and came back with a pink box full of sweet sugary confections. “We live above a bakery. Deal with it. Here, the owner gives us the day old cupcakes sometimes.” She dropped the box along with a bottle of water on the glass coffee table in front of me. Glass seemed like a poor furniture choice for this rambunctious group.

  I finally got a good look at Lizzy as she leaned against the brick wall in between a set of brightly lit windows. She brushed her ivory colored hair behind her ear, the warm sunlight amplifying the radiant glow of her porcelain skin that revealed itself underneath. Not a single freckle, blemish, or crease defiled her face. Although the rest of her body was completely covered with black tattoos. Around her neck, a rope hung like a noose. What looked like barbed wire coiled up her arm, over her shoulder, and vanished down her chest under the tight, maroon tank top embellishing her very curvy features. Her long, pin straight hair draped down just past her hips, covering the tattoos exposed across her back. She even had tattoos on her feet. The head of a flashlight peeked out from beneath her black skinny jeans. What insane person gets a tattoo of a flashlight on their foot?

  I gave her an appreciative grin and scooped up a red velvet cupcake from the box. A disgusted look twisted her face as I devoured half the cupcake in one bite.

  I guzzled the bottle of water and reached for another cupcake while Lizzy began to speak. “Back at the police station, I used a magic explosive to bust my way through the wall. Unfortunately, I must have gone a little overboard and ended up catching you in the blast. Your cell bars were in pieces on the floor and the debris from my explosion seemed to have gotten you pretty good. You were in bad shape and completely out of it. You looked like a dying cat curled up on the floor. I was pretty certain you were too weak to do anyt
hing for yourself so I stepped in to save you. Now you owe me. You know you’ve been out for nearly two full days? That’s a lot of time I wasted on you.”

  That would explain why I was so hungry and dehydrated.

  “I never asked for your help. As a matter of fact, I explicitly remember saying not to rope me into your mischief.” She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at me.

  “Anyway, how did you manage an explosion like that? The officers sweep for magic items.” Much like a metal detector, police officers were trained to use special devices that beeped when a magic object was detected.

  Lizzy glanced quickly at Blair, who nodded at her to proceed. A swirl of black smoke surrounded her open palm, and out of thin air a grenade emerged in her hand. “Like this.”

  “Woah, woah, woah!” I flattened my back against the couch, wondering if I should be looking for a place to hide. “Where the hell did that come from? Are you trying to kill me again?”

  Her jaw tightened as she tried to reel in her frustration. She loosened her fingers around the grenade and it vanished in a poof of dusky smoke.

  “I guess I shouldn’t expect an idiot like you to understand what’s going on here.” Lizzy smacked her hand against her forehead. I just stared at her like a deer in headlights, unwilling to budge until I got answers.

  “I don’t need magic objects. I harness my own magic energy. These are magic tattoos. I can materialize them whenever I want. Blair manipulates lightning, and Eli can attract or push magnetic objects.”

  The dumbfounded look on my face must have been priceless because for just a moment I believed her. “Haha, very funny. You almost got me. Where’s the object...is it your hair clip? Belt buckle? Did you whisper the word so softly that I didn’t even hear it? I mean, the explosion really rattled my hearing.” I scanned her body from top to bottom, her creamy cheeks flushed to pink bubblegum as she gave me the cold shoulder to shield her discomfort.