Medusa's Dagger: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Aya Harris Collection Book 1) (16 page)

“He’s not too far.” Angel handed me a flashlight. It was the type of flashlight you could get at the dollar store or in a Happy Meal. “My friend said to follow the pipe straight in for a good five minutes.”

“And you’re sure he’ll meet with me?” Gideon held a much sturdier flashlight in his hands.

It was probably a standard issue SI flashlight, the kind you could use as a baton if a criminal got out of hand. I considered offering him a trade, but kept my dinky little light instead.

“Yep. I guess he’s up for it,” Angel said, leading the way.

Without the illusion of the city’s enchantment, her perfect skin shined even brighter than usual, as if she glowed. Her shoulder length hair shimmered with an unnatural ripple, and her body moved with a grace that was almost alien.

I’d forgotten that nymphs were captivating without the mirage of the city’s spell. It was no wonder that men and women had fallen madly in love with nymphs over the centuries, and written epic stories about it.

We followed the instructions and trailed the pipe for several hundred yards. There was a dozen connected pipes that went off in different directions, but we stayed on course. Occasionally in the half dark, we’d catch a glimpse of a scurrying rat, or the tail end of a snake slithering through the pipe.

“At least they’re not spiders,” I said after we spotted our fourth rat.

I looked sideways at Gideon in the dim beam of my plastic flashlight. He pursed his lips and kept silent, but I could see the beginning of a slight grin.

Finally, a light flickered in the pipe ahead of us. We plunged forward and found a wide opening where four pipes intersected. Water flowed nearly up to our ankles. A single hanging LED lantern lit up the space from its wire on the ceiling. Lying underneath the lantern was a bulbous and slick mass. A film of white sticky liquid surrounded the black flesh, reeking of ripe fish. I resisted the urge to plug my nose.

“What do you want?”

The rumbling voice echoed in the cavernous pipes. We watched the mound of slick flesh constrict and stretch, contorting until it pushed itself up and faced us.

Limax had five beady black eyes that glistened in the light of the lantern. His nose was two little holes sitting above a gaping mouth lined with thousands of tiny razor sharp teeth. With one chomp, he could’ve bitten off my arm and had it for lunch. I hid my arms behind me, just in case he got a similar idea.

“I’m Vanessa’s friend, Angel. She told me you could help us.” Angel stepped forward, the strand of Kit’s hair on her open palm. “We need to find the child this belongs to.”

Limax leaned back, his rolls of blubber undulating as he moved. “That kind of magic requires a great price. You must pay first.”

The three of us exchanged glances. We weren’t sure what a demon slug would want in exchange for the spell. Gideon had a wad of cash stuffed in his suit jacket. At the very least, we could try and buy it. As most slugs had a desire for stolen merchandise, we figured cash was a safe bet.

“What’s the cost?” Angel asked.

I had to admire my friend, standing in front of me and talking to this slug like it was any day of the week. She handled strange and scary better than the rest. It was probably why she’d worked at the museum with me for so long.

She was especially good at handling any creeps that occasionally made their way to our museum. I’d excuse myself to do some paperwork, and she’d talk them into joining the Peace Corps or going to law school, or something grand like that. Angel saw the potential in people. It was one of her charms.

“What does all magic require?” Limax slid along the floor, revealing a table behind him with a tin bowl and three black candles. A thin silver knife and a handful of bones lay scattered next to the bowl. “It requires life force.”

I felt the chill of the air work its way through my thin blouse, leaving goosebumps along my newly healed skin. The only way we could give him life force was through the exchange of blood. Maybe he only needed a pinprick, or maybe he needed an entire body’s worth of liquid gold. Either way, the idea made my stomach sink like a rock.

“How much?” Angel pulled her hair out of her face. “We’re willing to pay.”

“Just enough.” Limax turned his big head in my direction.

He hadn’t given us a second look since we’d entered his lair. He swept his five eyes over me and then turned to Gideon. The sight of Gideon’s suit made him pause.

Angel dropped her flashlight and pulled the sleeve of her cashmere sweater up to her elbow. “I’ll do it.”

“No,” Limax barked. “He’ll do it.” His unblinking eyes were fixed on Gideon, as if daring him to refuse.

I got the bad feeling that we weren’t going to get out of here so easily. The slug demon had us just where he wanted. His hatred for the SI was all the fuel he needed to make a meal of each of our corpses. Maybe he’d do us a favor and kill us first.

“Sure.” Gideon pulled off his jacket and handed it to me.

The warmth of this body clung to the fabric, so I held it close to my cold chest.

He unbuttoned the cuff of one sleeve and rolled it up, exposing the tendons and tense muscles of his lower arm. “Now what?”

“The knife.” Limax turned his head to look at the knife on the table.

Gideon strode forward with confident steps and grabbed it. He dragged the blade across the flesh of his left arm, opening a cut the length of his hand. The blood began to spill over the wound, dripping onto the floor and mixing in with the muddy sludge. Gideon grabbed the metal bowl and held it beneath the cut.

The bowl filled quickly. Blood was nearly spilling over the rim by the time Limax nodded, indicating he was satisfied. I tore a piece of cloth from the cleanest part of my shirt and rushed forward to help.

Gideon’s face had turned a sickly white in the lamp light. A thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead and dripped down his temples. He stared at me as I wrapped his cut, doing my best to stop the bleeding. We’d have to change the bandage later for something cleaner – that was if Limax let us leave his sewers alive.

I finished wrapping his arm and Gideon held the bowl out to Limax.

The giant slug shook his head, nearly taking out the lantern hanging from the ceiling. “First, light the candles. Then drop the hair into the blood and feed it to me.”

Angel rushed forward to light the three black candles. It was insane, lighting a fire beneath a sewer plant, especially with all the gasses floating around, but I held my tongue. Now was not the time to freak out. She dropped the hair into the bowl in Gideon’s hand and stepped back.

I could see the hesitation on Gideon’s face. Limax’s huge mouth looked ready for a man-flesh flavored snack. He held the bowl out on his outstretched hands, keeping as much distance between him and the slimy residue of Limax’s skin. Tipping the bowl into his mouth, Gideon poured his life force until every last drop had fallen.

A slurping noise came from the slug’s throat, followed by a gulp. Satisfied, Limax leaned back and smacked his lips together. “Hmm… Child of Moros blood. It’s like fine wine with the slight hint of dark despair. Delicious.”

I felt my lip curl in disgust. Thank goodness harpies didn’t have to drink blood. I’d rather stick to my wine.

Limax turned to the candles flickering on the table. A low growl began to vibrate the air. It took me a moment to realize it was coming from the slug. The growl morphed into chanting. It was unlike any language I’d ever heard.

If I had to guess, it was an ancient demon language – words that were forged in hell and rarely spoken on Earth’s surface. I could feel the power in them. They beckoned to me like a mysterious light in the dark. But in my soul, I could also sense the timeless evil in them.

Limax’s body began to undulate. The three of us pressed our backs against the walls of the pipe as he shook and swung around the cavern. Just one hit from his massive body would be enough to flatten one of us like a bug on a windshield.

“We’ve got to get out of here,” I yelled.

The thrashing was becoming worse. If Limax didn’t release the spell soon, he was going to explode. I didn’t want to be within a hundred yards of a giant exploding snail.

Before we could run, Limax reared back and fell forward, vomiting out a mixture of black and green substance. It splattered the walls, oozing down the ribbed pipes into the water at our feet. I watched Limax for signs of life, but he didn’t move. The spell had taken everything from him. Even Gideon’s life force hadn’t been enough to sustain him.

“Is he…?” I didn’t want to ask the question lingering in my mind. If Limax was dead, we’d lost our hope of finding Kit and Michelle alive.

All of a sudden, Limax reared back up. Angel screeched and ran a few steps down the nearest tunnel to escape. The snail settled back down, twisting his body to look at us. Vomit still trailed down his open mouth. I tried not to look at it, and instead picked one of his five eyes to focus on.

“The child is located at a half finished building in downtown Arcana.” Limax pressed his lips together before speaking again. “I believe it’s what you would call an apartment. It’s very high. At least fifteen stories.”

Angel and I looked at each other. We were both thinking the same thing. There was a new high rise apartment building going up downtown near the new sports stadium. It was supposed to be finished this past May, but due to delays, wouldn’t be done for another year. That had to be the building Limax saw.

“We know what he’s talking about.” I turned to Gideon, throwing him his jacket. “It’s that new high rise.”

He caught the jacket in midair. “Good. I’m going there tonight. This ends here.”

Chapter Thirteen

By the time we got back home, nighttime had already shifted into the early morning hours. Gideon had rushed off to find Agent Silva, and coordinate their takedown of Theo. When Angel and I offered to help, Gideon turned us down flat. It wouldn’t help to bring in civilians, he’d said. We’d only be in danger. Besides, he had Medusa’s dagger tucked safely in his pocket.

We begrudgingly agreed to stay out of it. Gideon and Agent Silva would burst in, guns blazing, and save Kit and Michelle. We didn’t need to get in the way.

I was too pumped up on adrenaline to go to bed. After a steaming hot shower and a pot of coffee, there was no way I’d get to sleep. Instead, I headed to the museum early.

My cellphone was in my hands at all times, ringer on loud, waiting for Gideon’s call. I waited to hear from him at any moment. But the minutes ticked by as I cleaned the lobby. It wasn’t a secret that ancient trinkets required a lot of dusting to keep them looking their best.

I was unlocking the front door when my tracker phone buzzed in my purse. Dropping the keys on the counter, I rushed to dig it out. The main screen said I had a text message. I opened it up and saw Nicky’s name.

I’m sorry about the rooftop,
it said.
I found out where Theo’s staying. I’ll find him and end this with or without that dagger.

Closing my eyes, I held the phone to my chest. If my brother had just been a simple criminal, it would’ve been easier to swallow. But Nicky was still convinced he was doing the right thing. Who knew how many innocent lives Nicky had destroyed in his obsession to rid the world of evil?

At that moment, a couple with a small child came in to visit the museum. All three of them were wearing t-shirts with the American flag printed on the front like it was the fourth of July or something. They spoke with a slight Irish accent and mentioned being on holiday.

I stashed my cell phone and sold them tickets, returning to my cleaning efforts while they browsed. It was the only thing that could distract me from my silent cell phone. I was starting to get worried – Gideon still hadn’t contacted me.

I was cleaning out all the tiny grooves of a fourteenth century death mask, said to bring death to anyone who put it on, when I heard the couple’s little girl playing behind me. She was cooing and chattering away, giggling at her own jokes. The noise was endearing to me, even though I didn’t plan on having children of my own. It was too easy to screw a kid up. I didn’t want to take a chance with my own rug rats.

“And when we get home, I’ll show you my puppy,” the little girl trilled. “His name is Ardan. He’s so cute, you’ll die.”

I turned around to smile at the little girl, but stopped when I saw her sitting on the ground. Her legs were splayed on the waxed tile surface, striped tube socks showing beneath her blue corduroy pants. In her arms was a china doll, its shiny ringlets bouncing up and down. Roni’s brown lifeless eyes stared at me from above the little girl’s shoulders.

Throwing the mask aside, I dove for the doll and tore her out of the little girl’s grip. “Trust me, kid. You don’t want to play with this. It bites.” I smiled sweetly at the little girl.

If Roni had escaped in her arms, there would’ve been hell to pay, especially with this demon’s previous behavior with children. The little girl would’ve found out quickly that her playmate wasn’t so fun after all.

After a five second intake of breath, the little girl’s mouth opened wide in a scream. I waved my hands, begging her to reconsider, but it came out anyway.

“Moooooommmmmmmmy!”

I resisted the urge to cover my ears. It was surprising the glass display next to her didn’t shatter into a million pieces.

“I’m sorry little girl, but you can’t play with this,” I tried to yell over her shrieks, but it did no good.

Her mother came running over, snatching the little girl into her arms and burying her head in her shoulder.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but this doll shouldn’t be played with.”

The girl’s screaming had been muffled by her mother’s patriotic t-shirt.

“I had to take it away.”

“Well, if it isn’t for playing with, you shouldn’t have left it lying around.” She patted her daughter’s head and shushed in her ear.

“I didn’t leave it lying around. She got out of her display.”

The woman raised her eyebrows at me, clearly assessing my mental capacity as incredibly low. The little girl amped up her crying, letting loose a new round of screams.