Rise of the Demon Lords, page 12
“Goodway Insurance?” Rutledge asked.
“Yes, sir,” Diane said. “How did you know?”
“Best we can tell that’s the epicenter of this outbreak. Unfortunately, before we could secure the building, those things bit a number of other victims, transforming them as well. We don’t know how many of the things we’re dealing with.”
“We’re trying to trace the original vector of infection. Our working theory is some sort of drug. I was hoping one of the survivors could give us a line on our victim’s dealer. From there, maybe we can figure out what he’s dealing.”
“Best of luck to you. Stopping the outbreak at the source would save my teams a lot of work. Anyone gives you any shit, you send them to see me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Rutledge turned back to his screens and they hurried out of the trailer. Once they were away from everyone and on their way to the holding area Jonny said, “He seemed reasonable.”
“You sound surprised. Rutledge is in charge of the SWAT operations. Our investigation is on another track. I didn’t technically have to speak to him at all. It was out of courtesy, one cop to another and he appreciated it. Besides, these attacks have SWAT working triple time. If anyone wants to put a stop to it, they do.”
The survivors had been evacuated to a holding area a quarter mile from the building. Canopies had been raised to offer shade and an officer was handing out bottled water to anyone that wanted one. For the most part, everyone was sitting and staring with a vacant look as if unable to comprehend what had happened.
Jonny understood how they felt. He barely understood what happened when one of those things showed up on his patrol and he was trained to deal with that kind of thing. These poor people were just doing their jobs when all hell broke loose, literally.
“Keep an eye on their reactions when I ask for information. If anyone looks shady, we’ll make sure to talk to them.”
He nodded. While interrogation wasn’t his specialty, the recruits all learned the basics during training. Deep inside, Jonny wondered if Major Evans shouldn’t have assigned one of their MPs to this job.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Diane said. “May I have your attention please?”
When everyone had turned her way, she continued. “We’re investigating the death of Amelio Lopez who worked at Goodway Insurance. Did anyone know him? Also, we were informed that he may have had a drug habit. Anyone that knows anything about who might have been dealing, please speak up. You won’t be in any trouble.”
Jonny noticed nothing out of the ordinary as two people, a man in a sweat-stained gray suit and a woman in a torn green blazer and pencil skirt, raised their hands.
Diane waved them over and the four of them moved a little way away from the gathering. Behind them the occasional crackle of machine gunfire filled the air. Sounded like the SWAT boys were having a time of it in there. Poor bastards.
“What can you tell us?” Diane asked.
“I knew Amelio,” the man said. “He was a good guy if a bit high strung. I…I introduced him to his dealer. I haven’t used in six months, but back in the day, I had quite a habit. The guy you’re looking for is called Gonzo. I don’t know his real name. He’s about thirty-five, lots of tattoos and piercings, works Third Street near the coffee place. After dark, if you know what I mean.”
“That’s not right,” the woman said. “I saw Amelio getting something from Kevin Green, our IT guy. Two days ago, I accidentally walked in on them in the copy room. Amelio pocketed whatever he had before I could get a good look and hurried out.”
The first guy shrugged. “Maybe he switched suppliers. Happens all the time.”
“Thank you both very much.” Diane jotted down their contact information.
They returned to the car and she switched on the built-in laptop. “Let’s see what we can see. Gonzo, here we go. Street-level pusher with a sheet as long as my arm.”
Jonny leaned over for a better look. The guy on the screen would have been a nightmare passing through a metal detector. He had more studs in his face than Jonny could count.
“Uh-oh. Gonzo’s body was found yesterday.” Diane scrolled down further. “Cause of death, murder, heart ripped out and most of his blood missing. Lovely. Now Mr. Green.”
“Do you think Amelio’s dealer got killed so he went looking for a new hookup?” Jonny asked.
“That’s a good theory. Looks like Kevin from IT is clean. No record and no reports of any run-ins with the law. Might be just a user sharing his stash.”
“Who took over for Gonzo?” Jonny asked. “I can’t imagine his employer didn’t replace him as soon as possible.”
Diane frowned and switched back to Gonzo’s file. “Looks like he worked for the Alpha Z cartel. Vice isn’t my usual beat. If they got their hands on some kind of cursed drug, the sooner we get it off the street, the better. I’ll arrange a meeting with someone from vice. Hopefully they can point us in the right direction.”
21
As they drove out of the city center and into a residential area, Jonny stifled a yawn. Things had been crazy today and he was starting to feel it. It didn’t seem possible that he and Diane had been working together for only a few hours. He glanced at the clock in the dash. Three in the afternoon. How long was this day going to last?
“It was a bit of luck that a detective needed magical advice for a case,” Diane said, knocking him out of his trance. “Most of my colleagues are busy burning monsters, so we agreed to swap information.”
“What did he need help with?” Jonny asked.
“She. Apparently she thinks magic was involved at her crime scene and she wants me to confirm as well as identify the type. Simple stuff.”
Jonny nodded as if he had any real idea what she was talking about. His knowledge of magic was limited to the fact that his two best friends could do it and if you couldn’t, it was best to keep your distance.
“This detective knows about the Alpha Z cartel?” he asked.
“Yeah. She’s been after them for two years. The crime scene is a suspected cartel drop she’s had her eye on for a couple months.”
“Okay, and what makes her think magic was involved?” They rounded a corner and he spotted an SUV on the edge of the street with a vine such a dark green it looked black growing out of its hood. The car’s engine was clutched at the top of the vine. “Never mind.”
Police vans and cars surrounded the SUV and nearby house. Little yellow tags littered the ground and people were busy taking pictures of everything. It looked like a scene out of a cop show mixed with Jack and the Bean Stalk.
Diane parked just outside the crime scene tape and they got out. A woman in dark slacks and a white blouse with a holstered pistol on her right hip and a badge around her neck waved at them from beside the SUV. Jonny pegged her at midthirties though the deep worry lines made her look older.
The women shook hands and the detective said, “I’m glad you could come out. Command said it might be weeks before a department wizard could squeeze me in. You’d think there was no other crime in the city the way they’re focusing on this weird monster outbreak. Who’s the soldier?”
“Private Salazar and I are working on the monster outbreak as part of a joint military–PD investigation.”
“Jonny.” He held out his hand and she shook it. The detective’s grip was stronger than some men he knew.
“Kate. If you’re here, it must be worse than I thought.” She waved them over to the SUV. “If you can give me a read on the vine, I’ll answer whatever I can about the cartel.”
Diane went over and started muttering magic mumbo jumbo. Jonny knew enough to keep his distance. Instead, he turned to Kate. “Mind if I ask what happened?”
She shrugged. “Looks like a hit gone bad. We collected four bodies and another four survivors fled the scene. We’re trying to track them down now. How’d the military get roped into the investigation?”
“We’ve been killing these things off and on during beach patrol and the research department is trying to figure them out. Your boss and my boss decided to put a team together to share information. I’ve fought two of these things and you can’t kill them with ordinary bullets, only fire and magic.”
“I hope I don’t run into any then.”
Diane turned away from the vine and came to join them.
“What did you find?” Kate asked.
“It’s magic alright, the same kind that makes our monsters go, a mixture of dark and earth. Apparently, the spell that creates the monsters isn’t the only thing this new magic can do.”
“Wait,” Jonny said. “If this is a spell and not a cursed drug like we thought, doesn’t that imply there’s a wizard running around able to use magic you’ve never heard of?”
“Yes and that’s so much worse I don’t even like to think about it.”
“Cursed drugs?” Kate asked. “This is the first I’m hearing about that. Maybe you should fill me in.”
Diane did so and with more candor than their superiors would probably like. When she finished, she said, “Our last victim was a user and then we had an outbreak at his place of work. So, cursed drugs was our guess. Now, I just don’t know.”
“You think the wizard is using the cartel to distribute this cursed stuff?” Kate asked.
“It’s just a theory based on the fact that our victim bought from a dealer named Gonzo who was recently murdered.”
“I pulled that one too.” Kate grimaced. “Nasty business. If the Alpha Zs are mixed up in this, the one you need to talk to is the local boss, Carlos the Dandy. He’s always willing to speak to the cops since we can never get any actual proof he broke the law. He lives in a penthouse apartment in the city center. The building is called The Spire.”
Kate gave them the address and Diane thanked her.
As Jonny and Diane made their way back to the car, he asked, “Do we just go knock or do we try for a warrant?”
“Let’s knock. If he stays as clean as Kate said, we won’t qualify for a warrant anyway.”
“Okay. I’ve got a friend at the Arcane Academy. What me to give her a call and see if she knows anything about this new magic?”
“That would be great. In fact, if I can talk to her, that would be even better.”
“I don’t think that would be a problem. Maria loves talking about magic.” Jonny just hoped she’d speak to him after he set Conryu up.
22
It took all of Maria’s willpower not to throw the worthless notebook she’d gotten from Angus across the library. Everything in the stupid thing was speculation. Reading it reminded her of reading fairy tales only they were less believable.
Her last conversation with Conryu hadn’t been any more enlightening. He still had no idea how long it would be before the Reaper released him from his current task so he could come home. She really wanted to get into the magic library and talk to the librarian. Surely the ancient spirit would have some insight to the current situation.
Of course, he had lived long after the ancient times when the other demon lords were active in the world. She probably shouldn’t get her hopes up.
Her cellphone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket. Since class was over for summer break, Dean Blane had given her the phone back on the off chance an emergency arose. Another emergency that was.
She checked the number and scowled. Jonny. He had a lot of nerve calling her after the stunt he pulled.
Maria hit ignore and tossed her phone on the desk.
Think! Where hadn’t she checked? Dean Blane was on the phone all the time with other research facilities and they’d come up as blank as her. Or so they claimed. She wouldn’t have put it past them to lie. Old habits and all that.
Her phone rang. Jonny again.
She snatched it up and hit answer. “What?”
“I need your help.”
“Ha! You’re lucky Conryu didn’t feed you to Cerberus after the stunt you pulled. Give me one good reason I should lift a finger to help you.”
“We’ve run into a new kind of magic down here, something none of the wizards have encountered. I thought maybe you could help us figure out what’s going on.”
Intrigued despite herself Maria said, “Can you give me some details?”
“Hang on, I’m going to put you on speaker. My new partner is Diane Sif, Miami PD wizard. She can explain it better than me.”
A female voice said, “So the new magic we’re dealing with is a combination of dark and earth magic, which based on everything I’ve been taught shouldn’t be possible. The primary vector seems to be plants, vines specifically. There are also new monsters running around with the same magical signature. They’re vulnerable to fire and light magic. We’re pretty sure there’s at least one wizard using this new magic, but we haven’t encountered her yet. Does any of this mean anything to you?”
Maria’s excitement grew by the second as Officer Sif explained the situation. This was proof that the new demon lords were making moves here. Not that it was a good thing, but at least they weren’t guessing anymore.
“It does,” Maria said at last. “Have you two been briefed on the current dark magic emergency?”
“No one said a thing to me,” Jonny said.
“Nor me, though the department’s lone dark aligned wizard did have a one-on-one chat with the chief. Can you fill us in?”
Maria frowned. Could she just tell them everything of her own volition? Maybe just the basics would be okay. If they were going into battle against someone wielding this strange new magic, they’d need all the intel they could get.
“Alright, but this isn’t exactly meant for the general public. As best we can tell, there are eight more hells, each ruled by a lord as powerful as the Reaper.”
“Heaven above! Are you serious?” Officer Sif asked.
“Deadly serious. For the past five thousand years, earth has been under the control of the Reaper, but that came to an end a few weeks ago. We’ve been searching for signs that the other eight are making moves against our world. There’s been some circumstantial evidence, but your encounter is the first hard proof. Be careful. It seems much of what we assumed about dark magic isn’t the truth. Assume you can run into just about anything.”
“How did you learn all this?” Jonny asked.
“Guess.”
“Conryu?”
“Yes. He’s in Hell right now filling in for the Reaper and learning all he can about the other eight lords. I’ll let him know what you’ve learned.”
“Thanks, Maria,” Jonny said. “Maybe when this is over the three of us can get together and sort things out.”
“He might be willing to let bygones be bygones,” Maria said. “But I’m not. You could have gotten him killed, Jonny. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive you for that.”
She hung up and glared at the phone. Of all the nerve, thinking she’d just overlook what he did. If it wasn’t the end of everything they knew, she wouldn’t have even answered the phone.
Shoving Jonny to the back of her mind Maria said, “Kai, could I speak to you for a moment?”
A little shiver ran through her when the ninja appeared. “I’m at your service.”
“You heard what Jonny said?”
“Yes. You wish me to tell the Chosen?”
“Please. I know you’re supposed to watch over me at all times, but Melina and the others can do that for however long it takes you to reach him, right?”
When Kai didn’t speak for a few seconds, Maria wondered if she’d refuse, but at last she nodded. “As you wish. I will return as quickly as I can.”
Kai vanished and Maria found herself alone again. Whatever was happening in Miami, there was nothing she could do about it. Her vulnerability to dark magic made her a poor choice to go to battle with a dark magic user.
If this turned into a real war, she’d be useless. Maria hated feeling useless.
Conryu sat on the Reaper’s throne and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He now knew far more than he ever wanted to about the nature of the universe and the altogether nasty beings that populated it. As far as he was concerned, the lessons were over. He just needed the Reaper to get back and set him free from his new job.
He’d never expected to feel sympathy for the Reaper, but if this was the lord of Hell’s day-to-day life…
He shook his head. It wasn’t an existence he’d choose, unlimited power or not.
At least the black-winged angels weren’t worshiping him today. The guards were lined up along the wall, still and silent as statues. They had to be bored as well. There were just enough of them for a football game. If he asked, he had no doubt they’d play.
He grinned at the thought of the gorgeous women chasing each other about the throne room. No doubt the Reaper would be thrilled to have his personal guards playing for Conryu’s amusement.
When he sensed Kai approaching Black City anxiety warred with relief for the distraction. Relief won and he summoned her directly to the throne room. She appeared and after an instant of surprise bowed.
“I didn’t expect to see you, Kai,” Conryu said. “Is everything okay?”
“With Maria, yes. But another matter has come up. One of the demon lords has begun making moves.”
“Hold on. Narumi.” His teacher appeared a few feet away. “You need to hear this. Go ahead, Kai.”
Kai told them about Jonny’s phone call and the wizard using strange dark magic through the medium of vines.
When she finished Conryu said, “Sounds like Baphomet, don’t you think?”
Narumi nodded. “Very good, Chosen. I wasn’t always certain you were paying attention to my lessons. It’s good to see I was mistaken. It sounds very much like the work of the Lord of the Cursed Earth. From the sounds of it, his Chosen has already begun building an army of thralls. Spread the word to everyone you can that they need to use light magic infused flames. That combination is the most effective against Baphomet’s magic.”
