A Kind Of Magic (10 page)

Elle laughed shakily. “No, we can’t.”

“We’ll have to go in,” Val said. “Elle, you know this time. Can you get us in?” Roderick watched as panic took hold of her.

“I’m not a good liar, and I’m a terrible actress.” He took hold of her arms and turned her until she looked into his eyes. “Will you at least try?”

She swallowed, then nodded. She moved out of his arms and paced in front of them. Suddenly, she stopped and turned to smile at them. “I have a plan.”

Elle took a deep breath and walked up the steps to the front doors of CenterPoint Energy. Just as she thought, they were locked. She cupped her hands and placed them on either side of her face as she peered inside.

A security guard approached and unlocked the door. She gave him a smile as he opened it.

“Can I help you?”

“Am I too late?” she asked.

The balding, pot bellied security guard crossed his arms over his chest. “For what? Everyone has gone home.”

“Oh, no,” Elle cried. “My aunt told me to meet her here. I came earlier to meet her for lunch and when I tried to leave, my bike wouldn’t start,” she said and pointed to Roderick’s motorcycle they had moved into view of the doors.

“She told me to come back and she would give me a ride home.”

“Sorry, miss. Everyone is gone.”

“Are you sure everyone is gone?” she asked, giving him her most innocent look.

“My parents are going to kill me when they find out. Can’t I at least come inside and try to call her?”

The security guard looked unconvinced, and Elle felt her panic growing.

“No cell phone?” he asked.

“No,” she said and rolled her eyes. “My parents took it away when I dropped out of college last month. I came here to my aunt’s office to try and find a job.” She couldn’t believe this imbecile was buying what she told him.

After a moment, the security guard sighed and motioned her inside. “I’ll give you five minutes. After that, you’ve got to leave.” She rushed inside after the security guard. When he handed her the phone, she dialed her home phone and kept an eye on the door. When she saw Roderick and Val sneak inside, she cursed under her breath.

“Dialed the wrong number,” she told the guard. “I’m still getting used to Houston.”

He smiled. “No problem.”

She turned so that the guard turned with her, putting his back fully to the doors.

As she dialed slowly, she saw Val and Roderick slip up behind the guard.

When Roderick lifted the hilt of his sword, Elle put down the phone and looked at the guard. “I’m really sorry.”

“For what?” he asked, just as Roderick brought the hilt down on his skull.

The security guard crumpled to the ground.

“There will be more,” she said as she pushed them toward the elevators. “We haven’t got long before someone comes in and finds him.” As the elevator took them to the top of the building, Elle could hear the unearthly screams of the Harpies. “They sound so close.”

“Because they are.”

She shivered at Val’s words. Her gaze sought Roderick’s. “What are we going to do when we reach the top?”

“I want you to stay hidden,” he told her. “Val and I have done this plenty of times, but with three of them, I cannot watch you as well.”

“You’re

outnumbered.”

“We’ll be fine.”

But she knew they wouldn’t. The thought of either man hurt or killed left her with an aching void she didn’t want to confront. In a short time, she had come to trust these men with her life, and the least she could do was watch their backs.

When the elevator doors opened to the top floor, Val and Roderick crept out. Elle slowly followed them, keeping an eye out behind her in case someone walked from one of the closed offices.

“There,” she whispered and pointed to the doorway that was sure to lead them to the top of the building.

Just as she expected, the door was locked. In awe, she watched as Roderick took a step back, then kicked the metal door in.

“Wow,” she mouthed silently and followed him inside as Val closed the door behind them.

“Vile stench,” Val said as they reached the door that would open onto the roof.

She glanced at him. “I don’t smell anything.”

“It’s the evil he speaks of,” Roderick said. “Remember,” he said as he looked at her. “Stay hidden, Elle. This realm is counting on you.”
Great. Nothing like pressure.

He didn’t move until she nodded, and then he pushed the door open and he and Val rushed outside. Elle moved slower. She peered around the door to see Roderick and Val, weapons in hand as they looked around them.

She stepped onto the roof and closed the door behind her. She leaned against it and waited, heart pounding wildly.

Then she heard the scream. She knew that voice.

She ran towards the sound. “Jennifer,” she yelled, only to be jerked back against a wall of solid muscle.

“Nay, Elle,” Roderick whispered harshly in her ear.

She watched powerlessly as one of the Harpies held Jennifer over the side of the building.

“Someone help me,” her best friend screamed. “Alex! I don’t want to die.” Elle felt Roderick stiffen as Alex walked toward Jennifer. “You would live if you had listened to me,” Alex said.

“Don’t let her die,” Elle beseeched Roderick. She looked up and over her shoulder at him. “I’ll give you anything you want, just don’t let her die.”

“I’ll try and save her,” he promised and ran his finger along her jaw before he gently pushed her away from him. “Stay hidden,” he said again.

Tears poured from Elle’s eyes as she watched her friend dangled from the building. She knew it was going to take a miracle to save Jennifer, but if anyone could do it, Roderick and Val could.

She heard the scrape of something against the roof the same time the smell assaulted her. Elle knew without turning around that one of the Harpies was behind her.

Slowly, she turned and faced the creature.

To her amazement, the top half of the Harpy was a woman so ethereally beautiful as to only be seen on a magazine cover, but the bottom half that was bird was more hideous than any monster Hollywood could create.

“What have we here,” the Harpy said as she moved closer. Long, flame red hair spilled over the creature’s shoulder as she bent towards Elle.

Elle was short, but the Harpy stood at least seven foot tall, if not taller. Elle’s tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, preventing her from calling out to Roderick.

The harpy closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. Her eyes flew open and narrowed on Elle. “I know your scent. You’re the one that eluded us.” Elle didn’t know what to say. Her hands slid along the warm metal of the door as she tried to think how she would escape the harpy. She thought to run, but with the harpies metal wings there was no way she could outrun it.

With more courage than she felt, Elle moved to the left and hoped her feet kept up with her heart as she raced away from the creature. She hadn’t taken three steps before hands took hold of her.

“Going

somewhere?”

Roderick didn’t stop to think. He launched himself at the harpy that had a hold of Elle. A smile formed as his feet landed square on the harpy’s back, causing her to stumble and release Elle.

“Run,” he yelled at Elle as he rolled to his feet, weapons in hand.

Thankfully, Elle did as he asked. But the harpy didn’t fight him as he wanted.

Instead, she raced after Elle.

He lunged with his sword and slashed at the harpy’s arm. A thin line of blood appeared, but she continued after Elle, unthwarted.

“Fight me,” he bellowed to the retreating harpy.

“I’ll fight you.”

Roderick inhaled deeply before he spun around to confront the third harpy. “I wondered where you had been hiding.”

She smiled, her beautiful face clashing with the horror of her body. “My sisters were having fun. I was content to sit and watch. Until you came along. ‘Tis been awhile since a warrior has been worthy enough to challenge us.” Roderick swung his flail around him. “Never let it be said I kept you waiting.” She laughed just before she extended her wings and lunged at him. Luckily, Roderick anticipated her move and rolled to the right to avoid her. He came up on his feet and swung the flail at her. It bounced against her iron wings, clanging loudly.

He heard a scream behind him, thankful it wasn’t Elle, but her friend instead. His mind focused back on the battle as the harpy turned to him.

“Very good.” She eyed him thoroughly. “Mortal you are not.” He smiled, ready for the fight. “I am not.”

“Ah, but even immortals can be killed.”

A cold chill raced down his spine. “Everything can be killed. Including you.” She laughed, her black hair blowing in the wind. “Aye, even I can be killed. But do you know how?”

“Do not mock me, creature.”

“I have a name,” she screeched. “’Tis Kaleno.”

Elle heard the flap of wings behind her and knew Roderick hadn’t gotten the harpy’s attention. She raced along the rooftop as fast as her legs would carry her, but it wasn’t fast enough.

A jerk on her hair brought her to a sudden, and painful, halt.

“Why run when you know you will die?” the harpy asked.

Elle turned and glared at the offensive creature. “Why stay when you know the Shields will kill you?”

The harpy laughed. “Too bad you are mortal. You would make an excellent harpy.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Elle saw the dark-headed harpy and Roderick circling each other as they talked. She couldn’t imagine what they could be discussing, but she had problems of her own.

She had to somehow get away from this harpy without help from Roderick or Val, who was trying to get the other harpy to release Jennifer.

“Enough,” a voice boomed around them.

Ellen watched as Alex walked onto the roof, the necklace in hand.

“Alex, help me,” Jennifer pleaded.

But Elle knew he would offer Jennifer no aide. Elle briefly closed her eyes and silently cried at not realizing just what Alex had been.

When Elle opened her eyes, she saw the harpy holding Jennifer also had a hold of Val. The other harpy with Roderick still circled him.

“Ah, Elle,” Alex said as he moved toward her. “What are you doing with the Shields?”

“You know of them?”

He laughed, his once handsome face now ugly to her. “I know much more than you realize. Now answer me. What are you doing with them?” Nothing on this earth could make her tell him just who she was. She continued to glare at him. “I’m a woman who is here to help a friend.” Alex moved around her, and it was everything Elle could do to keep still. When he stood in front of her again, the harpy at his back, he leaned close to her. “You’re the one, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You know, if Jennifer hadn’t taken the necklace from me, none of this would have happened. But, she saw it hidden in my drawer and thought to give it to you without asking me.”

Apprehension shivered down Elle’s body. She looked at Jennifer to see her friend’s face streaked with tears as she clawed at the hand that grasped her throat.

“It was quite by accident that Jennifer discovered just what the necklace was by eavesdropping on a conversation,” Alex continued. “I suppose this is when she thought to steal it from you.”

“Now that you have it back, there’s no need to kill her.” Alex laughed and reached out to touch her face, but Elle jerked away from him.

“The harpies will kill everything in this city,” he said with a sneer.

“Then why haven’t they?”

“I haven’t told them to.”

“What’s keeping you?” She didn’t know what was wrong with her. It wasn’t like her to play devil’s advocate.

Alex moved closer to her and ran his hand down her arm. “Where is it?”

“What?” she asked. “You have the necklace.”

“Where’s the mark?” he asked, his voice growing louder.

Elle’s blood went cold. Every fiber of her being wanted to turn towards Roderick, but she knew to do that would give away just what she was.

“I don’t have a mark.” She prayed he didn’t hear the break in her voice.

For several minutes he simply stared at Elle before he turned his back on her.

“Kill them.”

In a mere heartbeat, the harpies turned into vicious killing machines. Elle saw the fist coming at her face, but try as she might, she couldn’t duck it.

The blow sent her flying backwards. She scrambled to her feet and raced away from the harpy.

“Elle!”

She turned in time to see the harpy release Jennifer, and her friend fall to her death.

“No,” Elle cried as she rushed to the side of the building to see Jennifer already at the bottom. Dead.

“’Tis just you and me, little one,” the harpy said.

Elle turned to face her executioner, rage simmering just below the surface. “You might kill us, but more Shields will come for you.”

“We’re counting on it,” she said as her arms snaked out and took hold of her.

Elle fought, but it was useless. The harpies had the strength of Hercules, and she was just a mere mortal woman. Her eyes found Val who fought valiantly with his halberd. Roderick and the other harpy were locked in battle perilously close to the edge of the roof.

How she wanted to help them, and she realized the only way for that to happen was not to cry out and divert their attention.

She looked into the black eyes of the harpy. “You will be defeated.”

Roderick saw Elle in the same position her friend had been in moments before, and he knew he had precious moments to rescue her.

He kicked out his legs and connected with Kaleno’s, sending her to the ground with a hard thud. Without a second glance at the harpy, he rushed toward Elle.

Just as he reached Elle, the harpy opened her wings which knocked him in the face. He stumbled backwards from the blow but was determined to get to Elle. As he started towards the harpy again, he heard something behind him. He turned to find Kaleno flying towards him and the only thing he could do was brace himself.

Her claws caught him in the chest and threw him over the side of the building.

“Roderick,” Elle screamed as he fell. Tears blinded her as she kicked and punched the harpy that held her.