Fang Shway in LA (14 page)

Chapter 23

I put the case with the spear over my shoulder and with my staff in hand I crossed the parking lot, before starting up the side of the bluff. The footing got tougher just before I crested the bluff.
The ground littered with loose, deep sand and small pebbles, made aware that I needed to carefully placing my feet. I didn’t want to announce my arrival and I sure as hell couldn’t afford to dislodge anything.
Stealth was needed. I hoped that the element of surprise I’d gained climbing up from the beach would give me.

I smelled the man on the bluff before I saw him, Marlboro Lights. My father had been a smoker. Creeping silently up behind him, I held my staff across his throat, clamping my hand over his mouth and twisted. He slumped against me as he slid to the ground, unconscious, unmoving and unavailable to give Azif any help.

Softly humming to myself, ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, I inched back down the hill a few feet. I didn’t want to take the chance I’d be spotted or heard. Then I moved south along the bluff until I was past the parking area. Tokem met me, whispering directions and together we inched toward the parking lot. He motioned to his left and I nodded. Acknowledging
I’d spotted the man standing at the edge of the asphalt parking lot.

Staying in the shadow I followed closely behind Tokem. When I got within five feet of the man I paused. Tokem, on the other hand, sped up hitting the man hard in the eye. Yelping, the man fell to his knees, cursing and holding his hands to his face. He never knew what hit him. I slipped up behind him, knocking him out with my staff and rolling him into the brush. On the bright side, at least his eye no longer hurt.

Once I was satisfied he was out of sight. I went looking for his friend. I couldn’t believe my good luck. The second man was watering the lawn, as in peeing in public. “That’s against the law.” I genuinely thought he would get something important caught in the zipper, in his rush to free his hands. Not one to miss an opportunity, while he was frantically zipping, I hit him hard with my gun.
He fell forward, landing face first in his own urine. Sucks to be him.

Tokem and I edged nearer the hole where Traygen was being held. I spotted Azif across the fairway.
Motioning for Tokem to join me, I handed him my small Swiss Army knife’ and pointed
toward Traygen. I signaled for him to deliver the knife, once I got Azif’s attention. Then backtracking so, I could approach Azif from the opposite direction. I didn’t want him to know I knew where Traygen was. When I got near enough to spot him again, I stood up.

“Azif, I’ve brought the spear. I have kept my part of our agreement. Where is Traygen?”

He turned slowly in my direction. I don’t think he’d heard me approach, but if he did he didn’t show it. His eyes glowed an eerie yellow, almost feral looking, an involuntary shiver coursed through me. This guy was dangerous.

“Lauren, I was beginning to believe you might stand me up. I’m glad you didn’t disappoint me.”

“The night is still young. Where is Traygen? I want to see him before I give you the spear.”

“No. You show me the spear first. Since, I know you would give your life for his. I don’t trust you.”

Pulling the case from my back, I stooped to unzip it, never taking my eyes from Azif. I pulled the spear from the case. It glowed faintly, pulsing with reddish light, vibrating, oozing evil.

“Satisfied? Now where is Traygen?”

“Frank, pull the dragon to his feet. Let the wizard get a good look at him.”

A bit later, I saw Traygen’s head just above the top of the trap before, he disappeared from view

“As you can see, I’ve kept my end of the bargain. Now walk away from the spear and I’ll turn him loose.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. I will not surrender the spear until I know Traygen is safe. You have your man stand Traygen up so I can see him. Then tell him to walk over and stand by you. Once you are together, I’ll put the spear down and walk over toward Traygen. You can get the spear when I’m sure he is unhurt.”

“As you wish. Frank, stand him up and get over here.” Traygen’s head again bobbed into view, while Frank moved over to stand beside Azif.

I picked up the spear, moving backward until I was satisfied I could dive into the bunker before Azif could pick up the spear. I put the spear down, without taking my eyes of Azif, and inched toward the bunker. When I was almost there, Azif cheated, calling to the spear, which soared through the air to him? Shit.

I dove over the bunker’s edge, knocking Traygen down, just before the front of the bunker exploded, and sending sand raining down on top of us. The blow had one benefit.
The jolt snapped the frayed ropes holding Traygen’s wrists.

“Good to see you, my love.” I threw him my gun. “I’ve taken out his help. You get Frank and I’ll take care of Azif.”

“I love you, too.” Then he disappeared out the back of the sand trap. I followed him out the back of the bunker and headed back toward the bluff. Azif must have been waiting for his men before attacking. Then another burst of fire exploded into the side of the bunker we just vacated. I could just make out Azif’s form. I stood up and pointed my staff at him and yelled out, “Idha.” The wind roared from my staff and sent a huge gust directly at Azif.

He dove toward his left, sending another fiery burst in my direction. I held up my arms, sending energy out through my bracelet to form a wedge in front of me, like the blades of a plow. Azif’s blast slid harmlessly past me. Undaunted he sent the next explosion of fire into the trees to either side of me, and they instantly ignited a roaring inferno. Long, hungry fingers of fire raced up the trees, turning them into giant torches, lighting up the area, illuminating everything including me.

Shit. I turned and raced back toward the bluff. Looking over my shoulder I saw Azif trotting in my direction. Pointing my staff at the water, I channeled all my energy into it, pulling a wall of water up over the bluff. I ducked into a cluster of boulders just before the water hit. Grabbing the nearest boulder I wrapped my arms around it and held on. The water nearly tore my hands loose, but I managed to hang on. I still couldn’t tell if it was safe to let go or not and I held on tight resisting the pull of the retreating water, falling back into the ocean from where I’d
summoned it. Then I heard Traygen and Tokem yelling for me. “I’m down here.” I called as I relaxed my grip and started to get up. I was soaked, but otherwise unharmed.

“Stay where you are, I’ll come get you,” Traygen yelled, as he bounded down through the rocks, pulling me to my feet.

“Am I glad to see you,” I said throwing my arms around his neck. I held him tightly to me.

“Thank God, I was afraid he’d blown you out to sea. Come on let’s get you out of here.” He led me back up the hill.

“Where are Azif and the spear?”

“Gone. The water washed him back to the parking lot. I believe he thought you were dead because he took off out of here in a hurry and he has the spear.”

I shook my head like a dog shaking off after a bath. “Let’s get out of here, he’ll be back or the police will show up. There’s nothing more we can do tonight.”

Jumping back to avoid being splashed, Traygen guided me back down the hill. “Tokem should be along any minute. I sent him to see if he could spot anyone.”

Right on cue, Tokem streaked into view. “They’ve gone. There’s no one else around.”

Holding the wheel with one hand and mine with the other Traygen took us home. It didn’t take long, yet something didn’t feel right. “Drive past the house but, don’t stop. We’ve got company.”

Traygen continued down the street past my house, before pulling into the next side street and parking the car. “Lauren, what’s wrong? Is it Azif? Vampires? What are you feeling?”

“Let me send out my senses.” Closing my eyes, I sent all my senses out to probe the area around my home. Something wasn’t right, I could feel it. What? My shields were still in place, but someone or thing had tried to gain entry.

Turning to Traygen and Tokem I said, “We’ve got company. My shields held, but they’ve been tampered with. Someone or thing is waiting for us to come home.”

Picking my gun up off the seat, I slid the safety off.

Traygen asked, “Any ideas?”

I shrugged my shoulders and put my hand on the car door. “It could be Azif, but I can’t feel the spear. On the other hand, it could be someone from the council.”

“The council? Why would they be here?”

Flapping over to sit on the steering wheel, Tokem piped in. “Do you want to tell him or should I?”

Looking from Tokem to me, Traygen waited.

Damn it, I hated it when he got like this. “I had to steal the spear back from the World Council. They can’t be happy with me.”

“You sure have a gift for understating an issue.” Tokem added.

When Traygen spoke his voice was barely above a whisper. “Lauren, why would you do that? You know I wouldn’t have asked you to risk so much. When they find out Azif has the spear, they could lock you up or worse. We’ve got to get the spear back. Do you have any idea where to start looking?”

Opening my door, I said, “One thing at a time. First we deal with our company and then we can recover the spear.” Reaching up to turn off the car’s dome light, I got out and slowly closed my door. Traygen and Tokem followed closely in my wake. Skirting behind the house, we sent Tokem to check things out, crouching down behind the back fence. We waited in silence.

“You can come in, it’s Jason and he isn’t happy. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes right now.”

Standing up and stretching my aching muscles I moved mechanically towards the house. I hesitated for an instant before opening the door.

Jason greeted me in the doorway. His face contorted in fury. “Lauren, where is the spear? The council is furious and so am I. What were you thinking? Do you realize what you’ve done?”

I swallowed and slowly breathed out before responding. “Azif has the spear and you know what I was thinking. I’d have done the same thing for you. The council didn’t hesitate to put my life on the line to get the spell, which disarms the spear. They’ve no room to talk. They didn’t treat me honorably.”

Jason threw his arms up in despair. “I can’t believe this. You’ve done some stupid things before but, this may cost you your life. Do you have any idea where Azif is?”

“Yes and no.” Then I turned and headed for my office. On a side table lay a small tracking device. “I put a homing chip in the spear. I was fairly sure Azif would be looking for magic, not electronics.”

Everyone huddled around the table, silently watching the tiny blinking red light, mesmerized, our attention locked on the miniscule red ray of hope. No one spoke and no one moved. Finally, the dot stopped and didn’t move for several minutes. I pushed a button to get the address and while I waited, I reflected on the day’s events. I wasn’t sure how much I should share, but I decided to keep quiet for now.

Clenching and unclenching his hands, Jason paced. “Well, do you have an address or not?”

“326 Sand Rock Rd, it’s out near Pepperdine.”

“What are you waiting for? You need to get out there and get the spear back before the council…” His voice trailed off, and he didn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t need to.

“Before the council does what? You know I don’t like to be threatened. Those pompous old fools shouldn’t have gone back on their word. I’ll handle this my way and I don’t need their help. Now if you’ll step aside I need to prepare.” I stomped from the room, slamming the door to my office and locking it. I didn’t want to be interrupted, not now.

Striding to my desk I picked up a few more things. I was already prepared for Azif. Breathing deeply, I just wanted a moment to gather my thoughts. I’d never gone this far out on a limb before but, this was not the time to second guess myself. It could have been my imagination but, I swear I could hear the limb starting to crack or more likely I was.

Pushing the desk aside, I reached in and took hold of the spear. Grasping it in both hands, I called forth all my strength, before repeating the incantation. I replaced the spear and then the desk. Ready or not here I go.

I found Jason and the others in the living room. The air was tense, and what I had to say only heightened the mood. “Jason, I’ll return the spear in twenty-four hours, or I’ll surrender myself to you. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got work to do.”

Chapter 24

Turning my back on Jason, I addressed Traygen and Tokem. I could feel Jason’s anger and it scalded me with its intensity. “We need to get the spear back from Azif. We’ve tracked its location and now we need a suitable plan. I’m sure he’ll be on the lookout, if not for us then for the vamps.”

“Popular guy Azif, he attracts only the finest people,” Tokem said.

“Very,” I noted. “It won’t be dark for another six or seven hours
and I don’t know if we can afford to wait for the cover of darkness.” I turned to ask Traygen something and noticed Jason had left. Good riddance.

I started to comment on Jason’s departure when I noticed Traygen clenched jaw and somber expression. “Traygen, what’s the matter?”

“I can’t believe you traded the spear for my life. What were you thinking? You gave Azif the power to wreak havoc on the world. My life just isn’t important in comparison. I can’t believe you did such a reckless thing.”

Stunned and struggling to breathe, I didn’t answer him. I wanted to scream, for you. Damn it. I was fighting to control my emotions. If he didn’t get it, then I was wasting my time, something’s are worth fighting for and for me it was him.

Stomping across the room he grabbed my arm. “You shouldn’t have done that. My life isn’t worth the lives of all the people Azif will harm with the spear and you know it. Look at me, Lauren.”

Throwing his hand off my arm, I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Don’t make me regret it, now get out of my face. You’d have done the same thing and you know it. Don’t be such a hypocrite. Now if you’re through with your histrionics, we have work to do.”

“Lauren, this is a fool’s errand. I won’t help you kill yourself. If you want to commit suicide, don’t ask me to help you. I’m leaving.”

I stood there in stunned silence and let him walk out the door. Oh, Traygen don’t give up on me, not now. I need you. I needed to focus and I couldn’t let his anger make me careless. If he wouldn’t help me, then I would do it by myself.

When I finally looked up Tokem was staring at me. “What? Do you want to leave too?” I spat.

“Take it easy Lauren.
You know I’ve got your back. Besides he’ll be back once, he calms down. What’s the plan?”

I sure hoped he was right. “I wish I knew, just give me a few minutes to think.” There was an idea building in the back of my mind and when it finally appeared I wanted to shove it away. There had to be another way. Still, in my heart, I knew it was the right idea. I accepted it, as surely as I knew it might kill me.

Walking determinedly to my office, I scribbled a note to Azif and told Tokem to deliver it. For once, Tokem didn’t ask any questions and I was eternally grateful. After he left, I paced around the house. My ears straining to hear Traygen’s return, giving up, I wandered aimlessly from room to room talking to God. What had I done? It isn’t unusual for me to pray, as a matter of fact, it’s a daily practice. My faith is a large source of my power. God, thy will be done. I don’t know how, but you do. I know there is no place where you are not, guide me. Then I sat in silence, as a peace started to settle over me and my plan began to solidify.

The sky was turning a dusky rose when Tokem returned. He appeared to be catching his breath, but I guessed he had been looking for Traygen. “I delivered your note. He expects you before dawn. Lauren, the man is evil, devoid of emotion. He dismissed me with a wave of his hand. I can’t put my finger on it. It’s almost like he’s possessed, mad, driven beyond reason. You know, like he’s the center of the universe, like nothing else exists.”

“Tokem, he is. It’s the power of the spear. It’s controlling him, which is why we need to destroy them both. Fortunately for him, I’m going to kill him before the spear does. Are you hungry? It’s going to be a long night, I’ll fix you something.”

“I thought you’d never ask. I’m almost wings and bone, all this zipping about has made me lean and mean.”

“Poor Tokem, I can’t have you wasting away before my eyes. Give me half an hour and I’ll feed you.”

“Right, I’m going to clean up.”

Since when had he ever worried about hygiene? Then I got busy in the kitchen and put everything else out of my mind. I was just about to call Tokem when the door opened. Traygen came in with Tokem on his shoulder. Thank you, God.

“I hope you made enough for all of us,” he said, taking his seat.

I turned quickly back to the stove, wiping a tear from my eye. “It’s your lucky day, dragon. I made enough for an army and it’s ready.”

I served up our dinner and we ate but, no one seemed interested in talking. I welcomed the silence. There was so much I wanted to say and no time to say it. He would just have to know how I felt. After dinner, I left the guys to clean up and I went to my office.

I wanted to wait until later in the evening to take on Azif. I’ve always thought the phrase ‘collateral damage’ was an oxymoronic term, much like ‘unintended consequences’. Some ops are just not worth the risk. I couldn’t let an innocent person get caught in the crossfire. Waiting assured no one but Azif would be injured.

Having tangled with him at the golf course, I had a better idea of what to expect. He channeled the energies of fire and wind in our last meeting. It was doubtful he’d use the same sources again. He would try to use the spears powers to take me out. I only hoped he was arrogant enough to believe the spear alone would be sufficient.

I checked and rechecked my accouterments, but a soft knock on my office door interrupted my musings. “It’s unlocked.”

Traygen opened the door and came in, closing it behind him. He glanced around the room, as he summed up my preparations. Finally, he walked over to me and put his arms around me. “Lauren, I’m sorry. I...”

I placed my fingers over his mouth, silencing him. “There’s no need, my love. Just hold me, please. I’ll have time to punish you when this is over.”

“Promise?” He said as he pulled me into an embrace.

We stood like that for a longtime, both of us trying to wring the fullest amount of energy from our loving embrace. When would our time come, my love? Our services just can’t be indispensable. There had to be more and I wanted it. Time for us and only us, my love.

“Break it up you two.
It’s time to get going.”

Gazing up at Traygen, I nodded, “He’s right. It’s time to rock Azif’s world.”

I strapped on my pouch and gun. Then I picked up my staff and headed to the door. Tokem was waiting by the car and Traygen joined us moments later. I could see the outline of his handgun under his jacket.

Merging into freeway traffic, Traygen headed for Malibu. “How do you want to do this? You know Azif better than I do,” he said.

“I think we should park at the beach and fly up. We can survey the surrounding area and see where he’s placed his henchmen. Can I leave it to you to keep them from interfering?”

“Of course, I’ll offer to toast them. If that doesn’t work, I’ll get them all fired up for you.”

Tokem popped up from the backseat. “Didn’t you mean, ‘offer them a toast’? Why on Earth should we toast them? Oh, I get it. The dragon made a joke.”

“Would you have preferred I said roast them?”

“Funny, very funny. Do all dragons lack a sense of humor?”

Fighting back a giggle, I tried to refocus. We were nearly at Azif’s place. I loved those two and I wouldn’t let anything happen to them.
Life wouldn’t be worth living if I did.

Traygen pulled off PCH, parking in a lot near the turnoff to Pepperdine University. We sat for a minute before anyone made a move to get out.

“I suggest we send Tokem up first. We’ll need to know what to expect. You ready Tokem? We’ll wait here for you.”

“I’ll be right back.
This will only take a few minutes.”

Traygen turned to face me. He reached
toward me and he lifted my chin forcing me to look at him. “For as long as I can remember, it’s been hello
I love you
and good-bye. Now is our time, I hate being away from you and I won’t do it anymore.”

“I’ll remind you of that, when you’re sick of me.” Then I pulled him to me, covering his face and lips with my kisses.

“Oh for crying out loud, what if I’d been one of Azif’s goons. You two need to focus, no more kissy face, until Azif is dead. He’s placed men around the perimeter, but, I didn’t see him.”

“Thank you Tokem. It’s time to teach Azif a lesson.” I got out, strapped on my belt, grabbed my staff, checking and rechecking all my accessories. I was ready to rock n roll.

Traygen walked out onto the sand to change, slogging through the sand, I waited for him to complete the change and then I hopped on. Soaring out over the water, Traygen swung back toward shore. Thankfully, it was a starless night and the beach was empty. We would have been hard to miss and even harder to explain.

Soaring high above the treetops perched snuggly atop Traygen’s back was such a rush. I wished we could ride off into the sunset. First things first, I needed to finish Azif and then set things right with the council. Assuming of course, it was even possible to appease the council, I wouldn’t know until the time came.

We now hovered above Azif’s compound. I picked out a couple of men and I knew there were more I couldn’t see. Leaning down, I yelled to Traygen and he bobbed his head in acknowledgment, swinging around, directing a wall of fire at the main house.
The flames illuminated the area and scorched the ground.

The towering wall of flames drove the men back long enough for Traygen to swoop down and land. He skidded to a stop a hundred yards more or less from the house. I hit the ground before he’d come to a complete stop, sprinting for the cover of the nearest tree.

Traygen changed form and ran in the opposite direction, he had his gun drawn, searching for Azif’s rent-a-goons. Satisfied he safely gained cover, I gave my eyes a moment to adjust. My plan was to draw Azif outside, but I needed to leave Traygen time enough to remove his help. It would be tough enough to stop Azif, without interference from his hired thugs.

I jogged back into the shadow of the trees, trotting away from my prior hiding spot, moving as quietly as I could, I continued to survey the area. Then I found what I’d been looking for. Yes, I couldn’t be sure from the air, but there was a ridge or mound of dirt, it appeared to be two or two and a half feet high. It ran along the east side of the property. I hoped it would act as a natural shield against some of Azif’s power. As a matter of fact, I was banking on it. It would do nicely and now it was time to call out Azif.

I sure as hell hoped Traygen rounded up the bad guys. I would be a sitting duck otherwise. I stood up, focusing and directing energy into my staff, filling it. My staff vibrated gently in my hand, just before the tip started to emit a faint white light, a glowing orb of light growing to bathe the area around me in a brilliant halo of light. Talk about having a bull’s-eye painted on your shirt. I sure hoped he was as cocky as I thought or I was as good as dead.

“Azif, come to meet your fate. I’m challenging you, you second-rate hack. You’re no wizard, you’re an impostor.” Pissing him off might not have been too bright, a blast of pure energy slammed into the embankment, bits of dirt and grass raining down around me.

Dusting myself off I yelled, “nice parlor trick, Azif. Show yourself or are you afraid of me? Afraid you can’t fight me in a fair fight. What’s the matter doesn’t the spear give you enough power?”

A demonic laugh made the hair on my neck stand on end and shook the ground beneath me. Then I saw him, he’d obviously been feeding off the spear’s energy. He’d literally grown in stature, his shadow towering over me.

I’m tall for a woman, just a shade less than six feet. I gauged Azif to be nearly seven feet. Think Yao Ming in a black cape, if you can picture it. He sauntered out of the shadows, which provided me with a better look. Dressed all in black, he carried the spear snuggly in his right hand, it looked like a tooth pick in his hand.

“I was beginning to believe you weren’t going to show wizard. Where is your dragon?”

“I’m right here, did you miss me? Lauren, I’ve taken care of my responsibilities.”

Twirling around, Azif lowered the spear and fired at Traygen. Fortunately, Traygen expected this and dove from sight.

I didn’t hesitate to level my staff at Azif’s back, willing my anger into the staff. I sent a burst of blinding energy into Azif. It sent him sprawling. Patiently, I waited to take my second shot, not wanting to waste any energy.

Calmly standing up, he dusted himself off and lazily, turned to face me. “Is that the best you can do? I’d have guessed you were stronger than that. No matter, you’re boring me wizard and I’ve got other matters to attend to.”

“Finito.” He yelled. Lowering the spear, taking aim at me, he fired, flames erupted all around me. The heat pushing me back, singeing my hair in the process.

The smell of burned hair filled my nostrils. All right, now I was pissed. That was an expensive haircut, you bastard. Nauseated by the scent of my own burning hair, I jumped to my feet, running in a zigzagging manner. I kept in the shadows. Turning, calling up a holographic image of myself, which I animated before, I hurled it in Azif’s direction and took off again.