The Gift of Fury (15 page)

***

“You’re lucky my neighbors are used to the noise.” Nerva says “Usually there is a lot more screaming and banging.”

“I don’t feel lucky.” I say.

Every thing hurts when I even think about moving. Nerva was good enough to help me onto her couch. I just relax and try to find a position that is less painful than the last. It’s a bit unfair. I won our little battle and I feel as weak as a kitten. Nerva is acting like nothing has happened. I watch her buzz around the apartment, straightening things up.

“Shouldn’t you be taking it easy?”

“You’re kidding, right? I’m fine, just a little hungry.” The smile she flashes me is playful. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to feed on you. You won’t make much of a snack with the shape you’re in right now.”

“Thanks. You really know how to make me feel better.”

“Well, I know a few ways to perk you up.”

Her smile leaves no doubt as to just how she would accomplish that. I’m beginning to feel better until I remember the last time she gave me that smile. It was right before she tried to kill me.

“Tell me, did you run into any Fae lately.”

Her expression changes from playful to serious. “Yes, yes I ran into one the other night. There was a Fae at the Batcave. His name was Fitzgerald. He wanted to arrange a meeting with Sol. “

I heard of the club. I didn’t realize Nerva hung out there but it makes sense. The place caters to vampires and their guests. It’s not my sort of place. Even though it’s billed as neutral ground, you could end up paying a lot more than the cover charge if you’re not careful.

“Did you do it?”

“You know Sol’s rules. No one sees him unless they are vetted and I didn’t know this Fitzgerald guy from Adam.”

I focus my thoughts on Fitzgerald. Kara had mentioned my attacker had been under a Glamour. It’s one of the ways the Fae use magic. Part enchantment, part illusion and part act of creation, the Fae can use Glamour to shape the world around them and the perceptions of those around them. There are numerous stories about the Fae and their magic. Remember Cinderella and how the fairy god mother turned a pumpkin into a carriage? That’s a good example of how Glamour can be used. It is their defense and protection in a world that is getting smaller every day. Like most forms of magic, the Glamour has little effect on me, allowing me to see through their illusions and resist their enchantments much to the dismay of several Unseelie. My talent does have its limit. It doesn’t does not protect me from anything created by the Glamour. A sword forged from a tree limb can still kill me as I learned when I first encountered the Fae. Also, sufficiently powerful Fae can get by my gift.

“So what did this Fae look like?”

“He’s an Unseelie with sharp teeth. You’ll know him the moment you set eyes on him.”

Nerva’s description leaves a lot to be desired. So does this entire situation. Still, I trust her. If she says I will know him when I see him, I believe her.

“I’ll keep an eye out for him. I think he tried to have me killed in the hospital.”

“One thing, Count.”

“What’s that?”

“He’s mine.” She holds up a hand to stop me before I get started. “I’m serious, Count. That son of a bitch tried to turn me into his plaything. I was going to kill you and lord knows who else. He belongs to me.”

“All right, have it your way. Do you mind if I crash here tonight?”

“Not at all, safety in numbers.”

Chapter Nineteen

Her couch was just big enough to me to stretch out on. She would have let me sleep in her bed if I had asked. Somehow, I don’t think I would have gotten any rest. It wouldn’t be because we would have done something. I would have spent most of the night questioning my sanity instead of getting any sleep. We’re past the point of being lovers no matter how much she flirts with me. Nerva is a friend, one of my better ones. That’s enough for the both of us. At least, that is what I keep telling myself.

It is well past noon when I wake up. Nerva is nowhere to be found, not even a note to say where she has gone. I try not to worry about it. She’s a big girl and can take care of herself. I shower and clean up as best I can before heading home. Once more, I am forced to take it slow and easy. My crutches didn’t survive last night’s scuffle. Luckily, I have no trouble catching a cab back uptown.

Marino is waiting for me outside of my apartment building. Her expression is guarded. It doesn’t betray her thoughts. I wonder why she is here until I remember the ring in my pocket.

“Let me guess, you need my help.”

I move past her, continuing inside. If Meredith has made his move, I don’t have time for these people.

“Count…..” she warns. A touch of color appears on her cheeks. “I’m not about to apologize for doing my job but this is important.”

The urgency in her voice stops me. Against my better judgment, I relent. “Okay, let’s talk inside.”

***

After I make some coffee for us, I settle down to hear the bad news. Marino doesn’t drink. She just holds the cup as if she were drawing warmth from it.

“You have to understand, this is all so new to us. We didn’t go to Meredith, he came to us. It was right after the incident. We were still trying to figure out what had happened. Meredith told us you and your friends were responsible for letting that thing loose. I didn’t believe him but he did a good job of convincing my superiors this was at least partially your fault.”

Every good story and great lie has an element of truth to it. I’m not sure how much truth was in Meredith’s tale. The guilt I had been suppressing rose to the surface. Was I really partially to blame for this? A lot of people died and I could be the one responsible for it. No, I might have caused the building to fall but it’s not my fault that thing got loose. Something else happened. I’m just not sure what.

“And what do you think?”

“I think you had nothing to do with that creature getting free. Meredith had convinced Andrew to give him your ring so he could cast a spell to imprison it again. According to him, it had to be cast in a certain place at a certain time.”

My words are angry and bitter. “And after what I told you people you let him?”

“I was against it!” Marino’s words reflect my heat. She holds my gaze, not backing down. I concede the point, looking down into my own cup. “I told them it was stupid. We should at least consult with another expert in the field but there was no time. They wanted to have this wrapped up quickly.”

“So what happened?”

She takes a deep breathe before answering. “Whatever Meredith tried to do, it didn’t work. That’s when the ring vanished. He was livid. We all knew he was criminally insane but this…. It went beyond anything we had seen.”

“And that’s when you tried to take him to a padded room.”

“Yes. That’s when it showed up, the Servitor. He was in control of it the whole time. He was the one that let it loose from the building. I don’t know why he didn’t have it break him out of jail.”

I don’t know what causes her to shake. It could be the horror of the situation or the fact she and her co-workers were used. That’s the problem when you sleep with the devil, you get burned. When Marino is able to speak again, I realize it is a combination of emotions that haunt her. “He laughed about how we had all played into his hands. All of those people dead and he laughed.”

“I heard the speech before. Let me guess, he got away.”

“Yes, we didn’t have anything to stop that thing. It killed almost everyone. I barely got out of there.” She pauses again, setting aside the coffee. “Is this the world you live in? Is this what you deal with?”

Marino is hurt and shaken. It is obvious she has lost a lot of friends and co-workers. I don’t know anything I can say that will make her feel better. I settle for the truth.

“I’ll help you get him. Don’t worry. I’m not about to let him turn the world into an abattoir.”

***

Marino stays with me the rest of the day and well into the night. She doesn’t want to go even though she should. There is work to be done. She has to file a report about what happened. There’s a manhunt to arrange. Meredith is a fugitive and she wants him brought in. As a favor to me, she stays at my place doing as much as she can from here. It’s not the most efficient arrangement and her superiors might have questions for her. I haven’t told her what it’s about. I only mention it’s important. I can tell the cryptic answer annoys her. That’s better than being shell shocked. I’m still a little worried about her. Meredith exposed her to the darker side of magic. I need to show her the other side of things. I don’t want her or her superiors getting the idea all magic is evil. It’s obvious the DIA doesn’t know much about this sort of thing. I don’t want them to launch a modern day witch hunt or inquisition. I stay out of Marino’s way until it is just before midnight.

“It’s almost that time” I say.

“Time for what?”

“Time to begin your education. Come on.”

I grab my coat and open the door for her. It takes her a few minutes to gather her things. Instead of heading downstairs, we go up to the roof. I can see the mixture of curiosity and suspicion at war on her features. Marino has good reason to be suspicious after what she had been through. She glossed over the details but I had seen the Servitor’s handiwork. Being present while it slaughtered everyone in sight is something I don’t want to think about. It would do things to anyone’s head.

Finally, she asks “What are we doing up here?”

“Don’t be nervous. Nothing bad is going to happen.”

Marino can’t feel it yet. That will change soon. I take the remaining time to explain a few things to her. “There is a time when magic is at its strongest. It’s called the Witching Hour.”

“That’s at midnight isn’t it?”

“It is and it isn’t. The name is a bit misleading. The amount of time varies. A lot depends on the stars, the sun and the moon. At the height of a full moon, the witching hour can last up to three hours. On nights with no moon, it might only be a few minutes.”

Marino nods, not realizing what this has to do with her and why we are here. I point to the east, in the direction of Central Park. It’s not visible from our vantage point. The buildings between us and the Park form a wall that hides it from view.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

“Not a thing.” I smile. The world changes yet it remains the same. The laws of nature relax, loosening their hold. This is the Witching Hour. Her exposure to Meredith and his magic made her sensitive to the shift. It does the same to everyone who is exposed to magic. Some don’t realize what it is they sense. Those that realize something special is happening have a choice to make.

It’s not an easy one and there is no turning back once you make the decision. You can choose to enter the supernatural world or turn your back upon it. Almost no one takes the third option. Only a select few choose to walk in both worlds; the natural and the supernatural. The price for doing so is it that you’re not fully a part of either world. It’s the path I chose.

When I talk to most people about magic and the supernatural, they look at me like I am crazy. It’s why I couldn’t go back to my old life, I had changed too much. I can fit in and walk among the supernatural but at the end of the day I’m still only human no matter what I have seen and can do. Would I trade that away? No, it’s what makes me who I am so I walk this tightrope, making my own world that is a mix of the two, a world that Meredith has placed in grave danger.

There aren’t many Fae left in the world. Few call the city their home. Those that do, live within or near Central Park. By the light of the stars and moon, they gather. Faerie fire erupts over Central Park. It is lost to all those not attuned or able to sense the Witching Hour. I’m used to the spectacle. It’s something I take for granted until I look up into the night sky during the Witching Hour. It is a thing of beauty, the embodiment of their commitment to their home. It’s absolutely mesmerizing. When Marino recovers from the sight, we descend to the city streets. When I walked with Kara before my confrontation with Meredith, I avoided all the places where I might run into my friends. I also took pains to avoid any supernatural types. This time, I seek them out. I give Marino a tour of my world, taking her to the more magical places of the city. It’s not always pretty. To do this right, I have to show the good with the bad so she can make an informed decision.

At Lincoln Center, a street magician performs real magic disguising it as simple illusion and parlor tricks for the crowds leaving the opera house. We laugh as sprites soar and buzz around the oblivious skaters on the ice at Rockefeller Center. On Canal Street near the Manhattan Bridge, I point out a troll accosting passer bys for change. At the South Street Seaport, a siren sings her song. And so it goes. It is close to sunrise when we return to the roof of my building. I wonder what Kara is doing right now. I miss her. There were nights when we did nothing but look up at the stars together. Now it feels like I pissed all that away. Jennifer touches my arm. She looks to the east and the first rays of the sun, taking a deep breath. Some of the horror has been washed away. She still looks bewildered. Who wouldn’t be? There’s a lot to process. She has a lot of choices to make in the coming days.

“I see what you mean Count.” She smiles impishly, an expression I’ve never seen her use before. “It’s something I had to experience firsthand. And you see and do this every day?”

“Not everyday but this is my world, the world between. If you’re serious about wanting to learn about the supernatural, the price tag can be a bit high. It’s up to you. Once you decide, there is no going back.”

“Count.” She leans closer, close enough for me to feel her warmth. “Will I be able to work magic?”

“Yes, probably to some degree.”

“Can you work magic?”

“No. Not really, I can’t touch it.”

“I don’t understand” She says.