Firstborn (The Legacy Series) (4 page)

I walked past the park and caught sight of a sign that read ZOO. The park
. I was supposed to check that out but kept putting it off. There were kids there with glaring parents − and Erik the voodoo freak was not exactly compatible.

Ah screw it
. I was getting paid for this.

So
, I strode in and bought a ticket. The receptionist gave me a weary look and I said something stupid. Maybe I tried flirting – whatever. I got in and started walking down the animal exhibits.

The only out of place being there was me. I looked like I belonged on the other side of the reptile glass. I think it’s the leather trench coat.

Then, I saw it.

The elephant exhibit was a late entry. It was the largest exhibit, farthest f
rom the entrance. It wasn’t the most populated of exhibits and few people were there. Maybe it was the thirty minute walk from the reception to the elephant place.

And at the very back of the herd, completely on its own, was the possessed monster.

It was twice the size of an elephant and completely bizarre. Its body slumped downwards like a mammoth’s and its legs were not the usual trunk-shaped paws, but rather lupine legs with thick, obsidian claws. Its ears were a giant tusk which branched forwards towards where normal elephant trunks should be. The thick enamel forked outwards like a tree, creating an entire bush of sharp spikes around the monster’s face. Its trunk was more muscular than usual and instead of nostrils, it had a pair of leaf-shaped blades which promised a whole new world of pain.

The entire monster was covered in long
, dark fur − darker than black.

It aimed a bloodshot red eye at me and I felt my knees buckling slightly.

"Holy crap."

My quip triggered a chain reaction.

The Behemoth reared on two legs and let out a bellow, sending everyone but me running out of the exhibit.

I reached for the gun and pointed it at the monster.

Bobby said it could kill anything up to an elephant. Just my luck that I had to come up against a possessed demonic elephant.

Thank you, universe.

A scream emanated throughout the now-empty exhibit. There he was − a kid clutching a stuffed giraffe and trembling as he stared at the monster.

Great.
More kids.

Time for a diversion. Or rather, to be
the diversion.

6

Here was my plan
− yell as loud as possible so that the giant Behemoth possessed elephant would attack me, instead of a small, helpless, little boy.

Very heroic right?

Then the plan actually worked and the Behemoth turned its attention towards me. My screams were not part of the plan. From now on, it was all improvisation, or as I call it – the
don’t-get-yourself-killed
plan.

Which sound
ed easy enough until the Behemoth swiped its trunk at me.

I heard the blades whistle by, missing my hairline by a breeze. Instead, the
y met the gravel and left a pair of very deep grooves.

Years of fighting horrors had
its advantage. My body reacted and I fired at its exposed neck. The gun roared and buckled in my hand. It roared a lot but seemed otherwise unaffected. The trunk swung again, this time closer to the mark. I had to duck to avoid the scything blades.

Suddenly
, it charged. Those white tusks it had on each side jutted at me. My body crouched into a roll and I caught the impact on my side. The momentum of the blow sent me flying. I slammed into a wall and felt ribs break. Breathing became heavy and very painful.

Almost immediately, my magic began healing my wounds. I felt the familiar trickle of heat as bones were set back in place. These weren’t light wounds
− it would take some time until I fully healed. Time which I did not have.

The Behemoth turned its gaze o
nce more towards the kid.

Time to call the cavalry. Or in my case, the kitty.

Slowly, I reached inside my shirt and touched the ruby pendant I always wore. It served as a link between us, between master and familiar.

"Amaymon, get over here
, now," I growled through clenched teeth. Healing magic was all well and good – but it still hurt like hell.

A patch of air in front of me cracked with static and distorted.
Amaymon popped from it, flicking his tail in annoyance.

"So
, I guess you found the Behemoth," he quipped.

"Save the kid," I rasped.

Amaymon turned his head in the boy's direction and back. "No."

A flash of pain went through me and I felt the last of the broken ribs mend. "What do you mean
no
? That's an order," I growled.

"Erik, I'm your familiar, not your butler. You do something for me and I do something for you. That’s how this works." Amaymon
’s intense, yellow eyes bore a challenge.

I stood up and looked around for my gun. It had disappeared during my brief moment as a crash test dummy.

"So. What's in it for me?" he challenged. "And I suggest you decide quickly. That thing looks like it's about to pounce at any second."

"Fine. What do you want?" I asked exasperatedly.

The Behemoth’s shadow covered the boy. I could smell urine in the air.

"Two belly rubs a day for the next week and an extra-large jumbo box of cookies," replied Amaymon.

I looked at him incredulously.

"I'm a cat, Erik. There are only so many ways you can please me."

"Fine, whatever, you got a deal. Now, go!”

The cat had already vanished.

The Behemoth's colossal body concealed the boy and I couldn't see anything. I heard another loud roar and the monster turned abruptly.

There was no blood or signs of violence. Amaymon had gotten to the boy in time.

Sword in hand, I rushed at the beast. A streak of azure energy arced towards one leg. The Behemoth was sent toppling forwards, the ground shaking under the massive weight.

One of its claws swiped at me, but
was easily evaded as my magic encased Djinn’s blade, elongating it. With the demon on the ground, I began hacking and slashing at it. It was helpless and I took advantage of the situation. But all I could do was slash through the black fur. The Behemoth’s skin was too thick for even my sword to slice through.

It swung its trunk at me and caught me with muscle, not blades. As I rolled away like a rag doll, something hard bumped in my back. Instinctively
, my hand went to feel around and the flintlock was back in my possession.

The Behemoth closed the distance and tried a different approach
− quash the puny wizard. It raised a paw the size of a garbage can and stomped on me. I raised Djinn and put all my magic there. The Behemoth’s paw pressed against the blade.

It was a losing battle – the damn thing was ten times my size. In a flash o
f brilliance, I shifted my body so I could point my gun at its underbelly. The flintlock roared twice. Thick, black chunks flew off the Behemoth. It reared back in agony.

Fear is a
s good a motivator as any. Emotion fuels intention, which fuels magic. So, in my nearly hysterical state, I swung the blade again. A giant crescent-shaped beam of energy shot towards the beast, and sent it flying.

I followed its trajectory, batting away trunk and tusks. I found the beast’s mouth
. Similar to an elephant’s, but with a row of teeth the size of my head. I jammed the gun inside its mouth and squeezed the trigger.

If I couldn’t beat it from the outside, then I had to attack it
from the inside.

Magic encased the shotgun shell as it tore through its throat and neck
, but the Behemoth still trashed around, very much alive.

I channeled more magic into the gun and fired again. There was a small explosion of angry
, red light as a magically enhanced bullet tore the beast open from the inside. I tore my arm and weapon out and leapt away. The Behemoth fell to its side, finally dead.

I slumped on the ground, breathing heavily. I felt my heart pounding in my ears. A burst vessel was the least of my worries. There was a moment of hysteria as I sat on my ass watching a hulking Behemoth slowly melt down in to opaque ectoplasm. It felt like the story of David and the giant – except I had a gun
, not a slingshot. Much more western.

Amaymon appeared at my side. “Mission accomplished?”

“Yeah.”

“You got any plans for that ectoplasm?” he asked. Ectoplasm was to monsters, what blood was to humans. A wizard could get very creative with the correct ectoplasm and enough connections. It was very common ingredient in most hardcore textbook spells and rituals. Most shops had the cheap stuff
. A Behemoth’s ectoplasm was like selling a Rolls Royce to a car dealer.

I hadn’t really thought about it. I was too bus
y not getting cut or stomped or eaten by a giant mutated elephant. So, all I could offer Amaymon was a shrug.

Cats can’t roll their eyes, but Amaymon got damn close. “Turn me human and gimme the gun,” he said.

"Why?"

"Because that’s high
-grade stuff, there," he replied. “If I infuse that ectoplasm into your gun, it’ll become a channel. A proper magical channel.”

“Can you do that?” I knew it was possible, but the magic had been long lost. Besides the only guy in town with the faintest idea on how to create channels needed a room full of equipment.

Amaymon scoffed at me. “Oh, ye of little faith.”

I took off my ruby pendant and attached it to his collar. Amaymon may not be the most trustworthy of familiars
, but he did know his way around magic. If anyone, anything, could manage an infusion it was him.

I felt him call upon his old powers and his form simmered. In his place was a stocky teenage boy wearing a black tank top, black cargo pants and black beanie. His eyes were the only feature which remained the same
− still cat-like and full of promises of chaos and destruction.

“No funny business,” I warned as I handed him the gun.

He smiled, exposing a set of serrated, shark-like teeth.

The weapon twirled around his finger as he approached the puddle of disappearin
g ectoplasm. He stuck a finger in and tasted the gooey stuff.

“Oh, yeah,” he said approvingly. When in human form, Amaymon adopted an urban accent – I don’t know why but it annoyed a lot of people. I guess no
w I know why. “That hit the spot.”

“Get on with it,” I called.

Usually a wizard would require a magical
butterfly net
to interact with something purely ethereal. Not Amaymon. The demon extended one clawed hand and scooped the ectoplasm up like ice cream. He stuffed it into the gun savagely, like a kid putting sand in a bucket. After a while, he raked in the last handful and stuffed it into his mouth.

“Done,” he said. The demon tossed my gun back at me. It felt lighter, yet at the same time more solid.

“I stuffed all I could in it,” continued the familiar. “Couldn’t fit all of it, but that gun should be able to take whatever punishment you put it through.”

“Cool,” I said. “Thanks.” I holstered my weapons. “Guess this makes me even with my sister.”

Amaymon’s eyebrow shot up. “I think she owes you one, bro.”

“Nah. Remember that time,” I scratched my forehead, “with the vampires-”

“Right,” interjected Amaymon.

“
− and the whole camera incident –”

“Dude, they put your ass on MySpace.”

“Yeah, and she covered for me,” I said. “So, now it makes us even.”

Am
aymon was about to retort with something but the wailing of police sirens cut him off.

“Cops," he muttered. "We better hustle."

“That was fast.”

Amaymon gave me a sly smile. "I may have left th
e kid at the nearest police station."

“Sometimes I think your existence is just to torment me.”

“It’s not my only reason to exist but it does take up most of my time,” he replied. With a flick of his wrist, he ripped at the air and a portal shimmered. “But I guess you can call me both the creation and the solution to all your problems.”

I made a face at the portal. “I hate those things,” I whined. Travelling through portals made me sick to my stomach.

Amaymon smiled even wider. It made him look like the Cheshire Cat. Or the Joker. “Two minutes ‘til we’re ass deep in cops.”

"How is it you gotta blackmail me to help out a kid and now you're all helpful?" I
asked.

Amaymon stepped behind me and tipped me forward. I was sent through the portal with the grace of a tumbling sea lion.