Eddie Lancaster Box Set 2, page 30
part #4 of Eddie Lancaster Series
‘Well, basically I looked up all the new tenants in town, right?’ he said. He had a very common Medway accent. That made me dislike him even more.
‘You looked up all the new tenants in Maidstone?’ I said slowly, just wanting to be sure that I was hearing him correctly.
‘Yep.’ His thick lips stretched in a satisfied smile and he stuck his chin out with misplaced pride. I buried my face in my hand.
‘You really are a cretin,’ I said. ‘Do you think that somebody who is on the run would be stupid enough to take out a tenancy agreement?’
The smug look on Marty’s face stayed firm. I looked at Gabe who was doing his best to look across at the far wall and avoid getting involved in the debacle.
‘Well, I started working my way down the list, visiting each place one by one and you know what?’
‘Do tell,’ I said with mock anticipation.
‘I got this block of flats over on Bower Mount Road. I was looking for flat six only there was only five flats in the building.’ He spoke as though he was telling the most riveting story since Game of Thrones.
‘Did you go to the wrong building?’
‘No. I triple checked that,’ he sounded irritated now, so he must’ve been picking up on my sarcasm.
‘I checked it too, flat six wasn’t there’ Gabe said, now ready to join in.
‘Because it’s cloaked,’ I conceded. Let me tell you, swallowing my pride was not a pleasant experience. Marty was right, though. Urgh, those words feel disgusting.
‘Let’s get over there and find us a sorcerer,’ I said standing up. I noticed that Marty was attempting to follow us. ‘Not you,’ I muttered dismissively and carried on walking.
‘Oh, come on!’ he protested. ‘I did all the work and you haven’t even thanked me.’
‘Thank you for your work, Marty. You’re still not coming,’ I said.
‘Bloody piss take!’
I turned back, ready to argue but saw Gabe giving me a disappointed look. ‘He’s right,’ Gabe said. I was very dramatic when I let out my sigh of exasperation.
‘Fine. You can come but stay out of my way and for God’s sake don’t touch anything.’
Chapter Thirteen
A brief investigation of the grubby building that had once been a house before being turned into a block of flats, revealed that flat six was indeed missing. I surveyed the building to be sure that Marty hadn’t simply been mistaken about there ever being a flat six. There was a buzzer for number six, there were electric and gas meters. There was definitely a flat 6. We then got to work searching for the totem that the cloaking spell was linked to. Thankfully, it was a small building and the totem would have to be somewhere near the outside of wherever flat six was. It didn’t take long to find. Annoyingly, Marty made the discovery yet again. It annoyed me that he was proving himself useful because I quite enjoyed hating him. There was a small electrics cupboard on the top floor of the building. Once Marty had kicked it in he had found a wallet sitting inside amongst all the wiring.
‘Well done, Marty,’ I said, trying not to sound too patronising. I knelt down and picked the wallet up carefully, in case it was booby-trapped. It wasn’t. I flipped it open and saw several bank cards and a driving license belonging to Philip Marbow. A quick look at the photograph confirmed that he was a sacrificial lamb. I stood up, wallet in hand and then clutched it between both palms. I infused it with destructive magic and it quickly went up in flames. I released it at once and let the burning leather husk fall to the grim blue carpet. As the wallet disintegrated before us a worn out white door bearing the number six in gold lettering appeared.
‘And there she is,’ Marty said smugly. I really wanted to punch him. I don’t even know why, he was being bloody useful, but I’d just taken a dislike to him and nothing he could do would ever redeem him. It was too late. Even if I had been starting to like him, what he did next set him right back to square one. Marty, in his infinite moronity, stepped forward and delivered three loud raps on the door. Both Gabe and I turned and stared at him in disbelief.
‘What?’ he said stupidly.
‘You’ve just let whoever is in there know that the cloak is broken,’ I pointed out. ‘You can go in first now,’ I told him angrily.
‘Actually, he can’t,’ said Gabe. I turned and rounded on him.
‘I’m getting fed up of you sheltering this idiot,’ I snapped.
‘He literally cannot go in. He’s a vampire,’ Gabe pointed out, not hiding his annoyance.
‘Oh, yeah,’ I said sheepishly.
‘Who’s the idiot now?’ Marty said, a cocky expression plastered on his face. I waved my hand at him and he smashed in to the door hard enough to knock it right off its hinges. I then used my magic to throw his unconscious body aside before stepping into the flat.
I put up a magical shield, ready for an attack. I felt some sort of spell hit my shield and fizzle out. I turned and saw a red-haired woman standing in the open-plan kitchen, already preparing another attack. I dropped my shield just long enough to throw a blast of magic her way. It hit her but only managed to make her stagger back. She was strong. A quick analysis of the situation told me to change tactics. I turned and ran from the flat before she could throw a spell my way, I doubted my shield would hold her off for long. I ran out into the hall and headed back for the stairs. She followed, sensing that she had the advantage. As soon as she exited the flat. Gabe delivered a punch to her head that looked like it nearly took it clean off. With an anguished scream she crumpled onto the floor, blood drizzling down the side of her head.
‘Iron,’ I reminded him. He pulled the iron handcuffs from his back pocket and fixed them around the woman’s wrists before she could recover.
‘There we go. Nice and safe,’ I said as I strolled back down the corridor.
‘We have to go!’ the woman shouted. The fear in her voice was so strong that it even made me a little afraid. ‘The cloak is down. There’ll come for me!’
‘Who will?’ I asked keenly. I already had a pretty good idea of the answer.
‘The warlocks. The warlocks of course.’ She wasn’t running from Clara or Aldric, it was option three; Nickolas Blackwood.
‘Why are they after you?’
‘We need to leave!’ she shouted. Gabe pressed his foot onto the back of her leg and applied enough pressure to make it feel like her ribs were going to crack against the floor.
‘Answer his questions and we’ll be out of here quickly enough,’ said Gabe. I liked his initiative.
‘Why are they after you?’ I repeated calmly despite the fear that was creeping over me. I did not want to be in a battle with team warlock, not now that I’d seen their leader in action.
‘I was one of them but when I heard their plans I ran away. Now they want me dead so I can’t tell anyone what they’re up to,’ she explained. This prisoner was going to be a lot more useful than the last. She was far more willing to talk.
‘Who is the leader? Is it Nickolas Blackwood?’ I asked, squatting before her.
She shook her head. ‘I was never high enough to meet the boss,’ she said.
‘Right.’ I didn’t bother hiding my disappointment. ‘What’s his plan then?’
‘I will tell you whatever you want to know as soon as you guarantee my safety,’ she said. Smart. The problem was I couldn’t guarantee her safety. I could never stop Nickolas if he wanted to take her back and frankly I didn’t want to make an enemy of him because so far he didn’t seem to wish me any harm.
‘I can’t guarantee your safety, but Clara Winters can. If you cooperate with her,’ I explained, hoping she’d take the deal because I really wanted some sodding answers about team warlock.
‘Alright, but only if I am allowed to keep my magic and my freedom once all this is over.’ For someone with no options she sure did like to negotiate. I shook my head wryly and pulled out my phone to call Clara. Thankfully she answered on the second ring. ‘Clara, marvellous. I’ve got a warlock on the run from Nickolas Blackwood.’
‘He’s dead, but go on,’ Clara said plainly. I didn’t have time to argue.
‘She says she’ll cooperate fully as long as you promise she can keep her magic and freedom.’ There was a pause as Clara considered the offer. ‘I don’t mean to push you, but we don’t have much time before the warlocks find us. They’re already coming for her, apparently.’
‘Agreed. She’ll have her freedom as soon as the warlocks are all taken care of and are no longer a threat to us,’ Clara said. ‘But she will surrender her athame so she can’t steal any more magic.’
‘Deal. How do you want to get her?’
‘Well since I’m not allowed in Maidstone I’ll send a team to meet you at the town line. Bring her to us.’
‘We’ll be there in twenty,’ I said and hung up. ‘Let’s go,’ I said to Gabe.
‘What about Marty?’ Gabe asked, looking down at his slumbering lover.
‘Get one of the others to come and collect him,’ I said over my shoulder, already on my way to the car.
As we headed to the car Gabe got on his phone to fill in the other two vampires who were waiting outside and arrange for Marty to be taken home. ‘What’s your name?’ I asked the warlock as I walked with her, my hand on the cuffs that held her arms behind her back.
‘Charlotte,’ she said. There was no bitterness in her voice, only fear. I did pity her but I also remembered the innocent man she’d murdered to power her cloaking spell. She wasn’t exactly a good guy.
We piled into the car and Gabe had us out of there in record time. Alison and Neil followed in their own car. I kept my eyes on the road, avidly looking for any attacking warlocks. Ten minutes into the journey they arrived. Sadly, I was not fast enough to warn Gabe. A blue Subaru ploughed into the side of us, knocking our car flying across the road right into the path of an oncoming lorry. The lorry let out a hideous screech and its horn blasted as the driver tried to brake in time. It still smashed into us with so much force that our car was knocked onto its roof and sent skidding down the road. I conjured a shield, but it didn’t stop me from smashing my head on the roof of the car. My seat belt managed to hold me in place but my neck still took a battering from being tossed about like laundry in a dryer. As we came to a standstill I heard the commotion outside as cars braked and people shouted.
Charlotte was whimpering next to me and when I looked over I saw that her arm was twisted horribly. Gabe was in action lightning fast. Before I could blink he’d pulled her out of the wrecked car and then he was back for me. Healing magic took care of the whiplash and the cuts on my face. I limped over to Charlotte, the pain in my leg already subsiding.
‘Get the cuffs off so I can heal,’ she pleaded through tears. I looked at her dubiously. ‘I want to get to Clara as much as you do!’ she yelled.
I nodded at Gabe who quickly released her from her bonds. He then snapped her arm noisily back into place. It was only then that I realised he could’ve just healed her with his blood. Too late now, she was already uncuffed.
‘On your feet. You’ve got magic now so put it to use,’ I told her. She could bloody well fight with us. The doors of the Subaru which now sported a crumpled bonnet, opened and the two warlocks I’d met at Muggs stepped out. The tall red man and the silver-haired woman. People were running around screaming and pointing at the wreckage that we were standing in the middle of.
‘Are you okay?’ a woman called as she ran over to the approaching warlocks. The tall man slashed his finger through the air and a gash opened up on her neck. She fell to her knees, blood gushing out. That got the pedestrians moving. They started screaming hysterically and ran about in every direction to get away from the warlocks. Good. It would be easier to cover up this royal fuck up if there weren’t too many witnesses.
‘We only want the woman,’ the man said, in his funny little voice. ‘Hand her over and we’ll leave.’
I began walking towards them too. ‘You know, after consideration I think I will ban you,’ I said.
‘Very funny,’ silver-hair said. She raised her hand and was suddenly knocked flying by Neil’s fist. I was grateful that he’d noticed her arrival this time. Sadly, he didn’t get to do much else as tall-red hit him with what I assumed was a combustion spell. Neil didn’t have time to react, he just exploded into fragments of vampire.
‘No,’ Gabe said in shock. That was the kind of death even my vampires don’t get to come back from. Gabe rushed forward angrily but tall-red sent him flying back. I’d seen enough. I called up my magic and thrust my palm forward. A burst of green lightning flew forth and obliterated the warlock. I heard a small whimper as he was blasted out of existence. I didn’t even consider that my actions could be interpreted as an act of war on the warlocks.
I don’t know where silver-hair was and I didn’t wait to find out. Alison came tumbling through the carnage in her undamaged car. She skidded to a stop in front of me and beckoned me in. I looked around, found Charlotte and pushed her in first. As I got in Gabe appeared behind me.
‘Call Richards,’ I told him. He’d need to get to work on this catastrophe. He was not going to like me very much. As we sped away I saw silver-hair hobbling down the road, her furious eyes fixed on us, but she was in no state to do anything and we sped away.
‘More will already be on the way,’ Charlotte said grimly. She was shaking in terror now.
‘It’s a good thing we’re here then,’ Alison said as we approached the border to Cedarstone and saw a small squad of sorcerers waiting for us.
Chapter Fourteen
Alison brought us over the town line and then screeched the car to a stop. I threw the door open and piled out, practically dragging Charlotte behind me. Gabe got out the other side and walked round to stand by my side. Alison opened her door but seemed reluctant to leave the car in case we needed to get moving again.
‘Eddie Lancaster?’ a short, brown-haired guy said to me. He had about ten sorcerers standing behind him and behind them was a large white armoured van with tinted windows, the kind they transport prisoners in. I knew Clara had a lot of resources, but I hadn’t expected her to have an armoured van.
‘That’s right,’ I said, stepping forwards.
‘I’m Sam, dynast for Dover. Clara sent me to get the warlock,’ he said warlock in the snootiest and most irritating manner.
‘Which one? Me or her?’ I said pointedly. I wasn’t going to let this little pip-squeak look down his nose at me.
‘Her obviously. But you’re welcome to join us if you like,’ he said with attitude. I’d hit a nerve, good.
‘You know, I think I will,’ I replied to his surprise. ‘I’d very much like to hear what she has to say, plus I want to make sure she gets there safely.’
‘You don’t trust me to deliver her to Clara?’ he said in disbelief.
‘Well, now you’ve said that I’m a little suspicious, but no, I’m just concerned that the warlocks will catch you and kill her.’
Sam laughed derisively as if I was a child worrying about monsters under the bed. ‘This truck is magic-proof. And no warlock is going to dare attack us in Cedarstone,’ he said arrogantly. Clara’s lot had a real superiority complex.
‘Do you really think Nickolas Blackwood is too scared to come here?’ I asked.
Sam stared at me coldly and his people looked around nervously. ‘Nickolas Blackwood is dead,’ he replied quietly. It was clear that not all of his people agreed with that sentiment. ‘Anyone claiming to be him is an imposter.’
‘Well whoever their leader is, I saw him take out nearly twenty vampires in about the same amount of time it would take you to blink. So I don’t think you’re going to do much to scare him,’ I said. Sam looked at me through narrowed eyes, trying to figure out if I was telling the truth. I may have exaggerated a tiny bit, but he didn’t need to know that. A little fear would do him some good.
‘We better get moving then.’ He nodded at Charlotte and two of this sorcerers stepped forwards.
‘I ain’t going in that van,’ she protested, backing away.
‘Charlotte get in the van or stay here and face the warlocks chasing you,’ I told her firmly.
‘Can we hurry this up, it’s going to rain soon,’ one of the sorcerers said.
I laughed and was about to point out that it was a clear sunny day when I noticed how drastically the weather had changed. The sun was half-covered by a cloud so black and so big that it pretty much blanketed half the sky casting everything behind me in darkness. ‘How the…’ Then I realised that this was no ordinary cloud, this was magical and whoever had the power to change the weather like that was not someone I wanted to be on the opposite side of the battlefield from. ‘Get in the van. Now!’ I barked and Charlotte jumped straight to it, her expression shocked and frightened.
The sorcerers helped her into the back of the van and then began clambering in behind her. ‘We’ll follow in the car,’ I said to Sam and then headed back to the car with Gabe.
‘See you at HQ,’ he shouted over his shoulder.
Even as we got in the car the sky darkened further as more of the sun was blotted out.
‘What is this?’ Gabe asked as Alison started the engine. The van got moving and then so did we. I looked at my number two and saw the fear on his face. An almost unkillable vampire he might be, but he was still just a kid, a baby in the supernatural world and it was my job to look after him even if he was my bodyguard.
‘I have no idea,’ I said unhelpfully. ‘But it’s not us these guys are after. It’s the van in front of us. Don’t be afraid.’ Even as I said the words I could feel fear creeping up my own spine. The first drops of rain started to fall, light spittle at first but it quickly grew harder and heavier. Soon rain was pouring down in torrents from the previously cloudless sky. The rain forced the van ahead to slow down or risk crashing. Everything was cast in shadow like an eclipse. Clara would surely see this and know what was going on. Sam and his sorcerers would not be enough to stop whatever was coming for us.
