A Ritual of Fire Read online

  I took a closer look at the pole, and sure enough, the edges were smooth. It looked as though someone took a chainsaw to the wood. If I were going to down these lines, I would have pushed them over and let the wood break, as though something natural shoved them down, like wind or even a car accident. The way these looked, it was obvious they were taken down on purpose.

  Just one more clue for our case full of clues with no answers.

  Standing, I glanced around. Right at the front of the traffic jam was a man leaning against a black Dodge Ram Heavy Duty pick-up truck. “Hey, why don’t you with the truck come help me? You have a wench on that monster?” With the torque from his truck and a few strong men, we could move these poles out of the way and get traffic flowing again.

  “Yeah, sure thing.” He walked toward me as he surveyed the poles. “Are the lines dead? I have no interested in getting fried by power lines today.”

  “I don’t see any sign of power arcing from the lines. We just need to move the poles back to the side of the road. No need to actually touch the lines. They’ll move when we move the poles.” Now I could touch the lines and be just fine although it would look odd if anyone noticed I was getting electrocuted and still standing.

  My proactive attitude had gotten the attention of some other helpful-looking motorists. Nodding at them, I looked back to the truck driver. “If you could pull one of the poles back to the side using your truck while the rest of us move the other pole, it should help to keep the lines from causing any issues. You know, just in case the power is still flowing through them.”

  Everyone agreed to the idea and my little crew of volunteers got ready to move our pole as the driver hooked up the other to his truck, though I really didn’t need their help. I just needed everyone to think I was a normal man, not a paranormal one.

  We got the poles moved in no time and everyone went back to their vehicles. With a little time, the traffic began to move again. I waited by the side of the road for Alyson to pick me up.

  “What happened?” Alyson said when I opened the door to the SUV.

  I jumped in and when she took off, I told her the situation.

  After I finished my little story and recounted what I had seen and smelled, she nodded. “I have to agree. It sounds like our killers are trying to keep us, or someone else, away. Not really sure yet.” Alyson kept her eyes ahead, but I could tell from her serious expression she was focused on what this all meant for us.

  We headed toward the great witch. I just hoped she was in the mood for uninvited visitors.

  7

  Vlad

  “All right, just follow my lead and let me do the talking,” I said. “Whatever you do, don’t give them attitude. They could have information we need, Alyson.”

  My partner wasn’t always the most diplomatic. Still, she was also usually right on in her estimation of people, unless she was pre-disposed to hate them before she even met them. Like with witches.

  I couldn’t really blame her for not trusting witches, especially with a secret like hers. Worse, from what she has learned about her family, witches were involved in their brutal deaths. Traces of magic were found at the scene of her parent’s murder. Since she discovered that, she really hadn’t trusted any witches. It hadn’t helped that she has busted more than a few for messing with humans.

  While her distrust was warranted, I hoped she would be able to trust my friends, since I trusted them with my life.

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be on my best behavior. Scout’s honor.” She lifted her hand with three fingers up.

  “That only means something if you were actually in the Girl Scouts.” I quirked my mouth and shook my head. She was going to be a handful on this one, I could feel it.

  Now, this particular coven of witches lived in an old industrial complex, from factories to management offices. Every building was all set up with a vast array of magical booby traps for anyone who was stupid enough to break-in. I’d seen one man go up in flames when he tried to enter without permission. If you had any idea of what witches could do, you would be stupid to mess with them.

  While the older buildings looked like they were about to fall apart, most of their decrepitude a glamour woven by the witches to keep people away, the main business office was in great shape. It doubled as a storefront for their business where the coven sold soy candles, all-natural body soaps, and shampoos, the type of products yuppies and hippies alike spent their hard earned money on, under the company name of Holistically Sound Products. Even Alyson used some of their products, not that I would ever tell her. She’d probably stop buying them if she knew.

  I really hoped Alyson didn’t realize where we were. Not that the witches needed her business, they were doing quite well, but I’d already bought her a gift basket for Christmas and I didn’t relish the idea of getting her a new gift. Besides, I enjoyed the smell of coconut plumeria.

  “Alyson, please be polite. This is important. They might have the information we are looking for.” I begged with my eyes for her to go along with me on this. “You do want to solve this, right?”

  “Or, they could be our murderers. Magic was used at those sites. Granted, it was dark magic but any of these witches could have gone over to the dark side.” Alyson retorted.

  “It wasn’t the work of an organized coven. None of them would use dark magic. They haven’t even attempted it in over a century so please don’t accuse them of this. Let me take point while you just sit back and listen for a change. Please?” I took her hands in mine and pleaded with my eyes for her to follow my lead. “Otherwise, you may as well wait in the car.”

  “Fine. I’ll play nice.” She rolled her eyes and followed behind me to the front door.

  I knocked and waited for someone to answer. Normally, I would call first but with all the phones still down, well, I just hoped they were home.

  The front door creaked open. If this were a horror movie, we would be in trouble right about now. The light above the entry was flickering and all the windows were boarded up. This abandoned warehouse park had seen better days, at least according to the glamour.

  Fortunately, we weren’t in that kind of movie and behind the opening door was Stella, one of Mara Zoltar’s daughters. “Vlad. Good of you to drop by. The great witch was hoping you would. She tried to call but, well, you know the issue with the phones. Please come in.”

  “Stella, good to see you too. This is my partner, Alyson Andrews.” I motioned to my stony-faced partner who couldn’t even muster up a polite smile before nodding to Stella. “Alyson, this is Stella, the daughter of the great witch, Mara. She’s one of those who have been quite helpful in the past.”

  I really hoped Alyson could hold in her prejudice for just one conversation, a hope that seemed to bear fruit as she seemed to rally, giving Stella a small smile. “Nice to meet you.” At least she didn’t shift to her dragon form and blow fire on the poor witch.

  “I should warn you, Mother is not having a good day. I actually haven’t seen her this bad before. The council is talking about retiring her soon.” Stella’s eyes shone with unspent tears.

  “I’m sorry, Stella. You mother has had a rough life. Maybe it’s time she stepped down voluntarily and enjoyed life and her grandkids.” I hated to hear this about my old friend. She meant a lot to me.

  “Come on, maybe seeing you will help her rally.”

  Stella led us further into the labyrinth that was the witch’s den, before we came to an old oak door that did not fit with the rest of the business decor. Someone must have changed out this door at some point. There were carvings of a forest and the moon etched into the oak. A few large stags were also carved into the scene.

  Stella opened the door and bid us entry. “Mother, guess who’s come to visit?”

  Mara was naked and painting an ocean scene of a lone woman looking out to the sunset. The painting was actually quite good. I never knew she was an artist. To think, after all the years I had known her, I didn’t know this
about her.

  The elderly witch turned around and I did my best to avert my eyes. Alyson stifled a groan behind me and I could see she was taking in the rest of the room instead of Mara’s body.

  “Mara, it’s good to see you again,” I said. “Would you like to get dressed and meet my partner?” If she was having an elderly moment, when she came back around it would most likely embarrass her to know we saw her like this.

  “You’ve seen my body so many times, Vlad darling. Why should I cover up? Why, just last week we made love on the ocean. See?” She gestured grandly to the canvas. “My painting. It’s of our last encounter, when you said you had to leave me.”

  I had not planned on letting Alyson know this part of my past, so hoping that it might snap Mara out of the moment, I said, “Mara, that was fifty-five years ago.”

  Stella walked up to her mother and put a black robe on the old woman’s shoulders. Once the robe was secured Mara’s eyes seemed to clear up. “Oh! Vlad, you came. So good of you to come. What do you think of this business with the eco-terrorists?”

  “Mara, I would like to introduce you to my partner. You remember me telling you about her, right? Alyson.”

  I turned around and waved Alyson over. I could tell she was extremely uncomfortable. She wouldn’t look at any of us. Her eyes were focused on the painting.

  “Nice to meet you, Mara. That is a wonderful painting.” Alyson pointed to the work which seemed almost completed on the easel.

  “Thank you, dear, it’s from a simpler time in my life. What a wonderful memory.” Mara looked to me and smiled. “But you didn’t come here to see an old woman’s painting. What can we do for you?”

  Mara gestured for us to sit on a nearby couch. On a small table in front of it, an antique tea service was ready, the pot steaming as if someone had just made a fresh pot.

  I took a seat on the couch and Alyson settled next to me. “I wanted to know if you knew anything about what was going on with the paranormal murders, the ones the mortals are calling the Ripper killings. We have had eleven so far, and still are no closer to finding out what happened.”

  “I am sad to say we do not know what’s causing this. Two of my daughters and most of my coven are out right now trying to find answers.” Mara sighed and seemed to drift off to another world. Knowing her age and her mental issues, she might be.

  “Have you lost anyone to these murderers?” I knew witches would never report a murder of their own. Instead, they would hunt down the perpetrator and skin them alive, literally. So, it was very possible they’d lost people as well.

  Mara looked at me with clear eyes which spoke to her sanity. “Yes. Mona, one of our younger members, was found murdered just a week ago. It was a ritual killing. Can you show me another site? I might be able to help if I have more information.”

  “Yes, I think we can,” I nodded. “Just last night we were called into a fresh scene. We believe dark magic was used. Maybe you can help us to pinpoint the spells and what they want with these creatures. All of them are paranormals. Mostly shifters. We believe they did murder a vampire but we can’t be sure since all we found was ash. All of the bodies have been ripped open in some form or fashion, opened up using a knife in multiple places around the body, included the carotid artery. Draining the blood must have been a necessary part of their ritual.”

  “Interesting,” Mara said, steepling her fingers, and as she opened her mouth to say more, something exploded outside.

  8

  Alyson

  I heard a loud crash outside. Vlad must have too because his head twisted toward the direction of the sound.

  “Did you hear that?” Vlad asked, concern leaking into his voice as his eyes flicked to me.

  “Yes, sounds like there might be an issue.” I took a deep breath and got to my feet slowly in order to keep from startling anyone. If something was going on, panic was the last thing we needed. “Mara, how many witches are here right now?”

  Her answer was cut off by an explosion loud enough to rattle the glass in the room. The distinct vibration of magic going off burst out from the protective wards surrounding us. It almost felt like an earthquake and as I clenched my hands into fists, Mara’s painting slid off the easel and crashed to the ground.

  “We only have eight sentinels here,” Stella answered, worry clouding her voice as she turned to look at me. “Everyone else is out investigating the murders.” She shook her head. “Who would be dumb enough to attack a witch’s home, especially the great witch’s home?”

  “Someone who knows you have very little protection right now. Do you have cameras? Any way to see how many attackers there are and what they’re carrying?” I had been quiet the entire time until I heard the break-in. Now, I was in mission mode.

  Vlad nodded his thanks to me. I wouldn’t leave them alone to fend off an attack. I was a professional. It was our job to protect the supernatural community from evil, no matter what I felt about the victims personally. This old lady didn’t deserve to be taken and sacrificed like the others. No one did.

  Stella spoke up, “Yes, down the hall is our security room. Let’s head there.”

  “Do you have a panic room for your mother?” Surely they had somewhere safe to send the leader of their coven in case of an attack.

  “No. Most people aren’t stupid enough to attack us. Even with only eight sentinels, it would take a small army to get to my mother. We have this place locked up tight with magical surprises for those who aren’t invited.” Stella reached under the counter and produced a fully-automatic rifle. “And for those that don’t, well, we have bullets. Lots of them.”

  I wanted to ask her where she’d gotten the AK-47, but when Stella grabbed four KA-BAR knives and strapped them to her thighs, I decided I didn’t need to know. Right now, I was just glad she seemed tough. Hell, if she wasn’t a witch, I would probably like her.

  “Got any more I can use?” I loved a good, serrated KA-BAR, or the KA-BAR neck knife. Perfect for close quarters combat.

  “Sure, take what you need.” Stella pulled a duffel bag out and set it on the counter. She unzipped it and gestured at the contents. “Take whatever you want.”

  I nearly gasped when I noticed a blade I had on my wish list. “Is this the new Becker “Moses” Bowie? I was planning on buying this with my next paycheck.” The longer blade made it great for a knife fight, especially since half the time, bullets didn’t work on paranormals. Decapitation though? That worked nearly every time.

  “Sure is.” She looked me over for a second and nodded. “Take it. I’ve got others.” Stella emphasized the point by strapping a sheathed sword to her back.

  “Thanks,” I said as Stella grabbed a satchel full of herbs. I assumed they were pre-mixed spells to be used in defense of their leader.

  “Looks like someone is making a new friend.” Vlad winked at me.

  “Be serious.” I snapped, turning toward the door. “We don’t know what’s coming through that door. Focus.”

  “Alyson’s right. Fun time is over.” Stella nodded to me, one hand gripping a wickedly curved kukri that gleamed in the low light.

  These witches were nothing like the ones I’d crossed paths with before. Maybe it was because of their relationship with Vlad, which was something I was going to have to ask him about after this was all over with, especially since it sounded like Mara used to be his lover at one time. Sure, it could be the crazy musings of an old lady, but I doubted it. Either way though, now wasn’t the time to focus on the past.

  Stella opened the door to their security room right when we heard another explosion. It was getting closer. Whoever broke in was making headway. That wasn’t good. While I was itching to put my new Bowie to the test, I had no idea what we were up against, and while being a dragon shifter had its advantages, going up against a grenade launcher with a knife and a pistol wasn’t exactly ideal.

  As Stella settled in behind an extensive monitor set-up worthy of any modern facility, she murmured, “A
ll right, let’s see who’s trying to get in here.”

  Stella began scrolling through various images on different screens until she found her prey. “Crap! They have gotten past the first two wards.” She swallowed hard. “That means they also bested three sentinels so far. Who are these guys?”

  As a dozen werewolves in their shifted form appeared on screen, I felt my heart sink. This wasn’t good. Not at all.

  Aside from the fact that fighting a singular werewolf was hard has hell, most werewolves stood about seven feet. There were over a dozen of these guys and to make matters worse, they looked to be over eight feet tall.

  Just watching them come down the hall made the Glock in my hands feel inadequate.

  “We need to hurry.” I gestured to the screen. “There’s no way we can take on that many wolves.”

  “I agree.” Vlad turned to the great witch. “Mara, I have to get you out of here. Is there a back exit? Someway to leave before they reach us?”

  “I’m not leaving!” she shouted with surprising strength as she shoved Vlad away. “I won’t leave my coven. I will stay here and accept whatever fate may bring.”

  I really hoped that wasn’t true. While I wasn’t sure what she could do against those giants, most of me knew it wouldn’t be enough. Worse, there wasn’t enough space in here for me to shift.

  “Mother, listen to Vlad. He knows what he’s talking about. You must be saved. Maura isn’t ready to take over yet. Please go with them. I’ll stay here and give you as much time as I can.” I wasn’t sure if Stella was trying to be brave, but either way, she had to know it was a suicide mission.

  I shook my head. “Stella, I don’t think you should stay behind. I think a trap might be better.” I pointed at the screens. “That way, when they get here, they’ll trigger it and bring the whole place down on themselves.” I met her eyes. “Then you can come with us.” I exhaled slowly. “That way, if they get to us, there will be one more in your mother’s line of defense.”