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  Publisher’s Note:

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events are the work of the author’s imagination.

  Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is coincidental.

  Solstice Publishing - www.solsticepublishing.com

  Copyright 2014

  Casey Knight

  Fang Shway in L.A.

  Casey Knight

  Chapter 1

  As a cover, being a travel agent had its perks, traveling around the world, staying in swanky hotels and sampling a smorgasbord of finely aged wines and melt-in-the-mouth culinary delights. When I'm not traveling I try enticing others to take a cruise or safari. My name is Lauren Simon. You can find my listing in the travel section of the Yellow Pages: Elemental Travel - Air, Land, and Sea, Los Angeles, California. You dream it, I’ll book it.

  In my free time I try to preserve the balance between the supernatural world and the one inhabited by the human race. You won’t find that number listed, which isn’t a problem. Trust me, all manner of otherworldly beings find me, one way or another. Sometimes, I’m up to the task, kicking ass, righting wrongs, leaping vengeful demons and sometimes I fling it, kick it, or blast it right back at them. You know, improvising as I run. I’m a wizard. Yes, I know most female wizards use the witch label, answering to witch just doesn’t work for me, riding brooms, wearing unfashionably drab clothing just doesn’t suit me, and it sounds too much like bitch. Enchantress is kind of catchy but, I digress.

  My job as a travel agent supplements my income and provides me with a plausible excuse for my frequent travel needs. Let’s face it, keeping the supernatural world’s denizens inline is a full time avocation, a labor of love that never grows old. Fortunately, my father left me a sizable inheritance, which helps defray the cost of damages from ill-tempered demons, thirsty vampires and felonious fairies. Yes, fairies - they aren’t all cute, sprightly, cuddly, little ambassadors of good will. I am tasked with keeping the peace between the countless clashing forces of evil, protecting the human race from these same supernatural bad asses and hiding the bodies, once I kill them. This is my calling, think of me as a United Nation’s one-woman peace keeping force. While some people are born to run, I’m called to wield magic in defense of the innocent. My grandmother and mother were wizards, wizarding as you can see runs in the family.

  Lately the supernatural world has been quiet, which my instincts told me wasn’t a good sign. The travel business was booming, filling spring break requests, planning summer vacation get- a-ways and the occasional wedding kept me too busy to worry about the supernatural troublemakers. Los Angeles is the largest county in the country, home to roughly ten million people, all hurrying to some exotic destination, getting out of town, excitedly headed to places both near and far. Okay, not everyone is excited about their journey. There are some who are just trying to get home during rush hour traffic, which is never easy in L.A.

  I finished confirming my last batch of airline reservations and e-mailed the confirmation numbers to my clients. Surveying my desk, I decided to finish the itinerary for the cruise to Bermuda. The UCLA class of 1950 was celebrating their sixty year reunion. Whatever, as long as I didn’t need to get anywhere near the Bermuda Triangle. There are good reasons ships and planes disappear there - magic baby, dark magic. I could explain it but then you would never sleep at night.

  Eyeing the stack of unfinished work on my desk, I decided to begin returning my phone messages. I reached for the phone, but before I could pick it up, it rang. Saved by the bell. Answering the phone, I said, “Elemental Travel, Lauren Simon speaking. How may I help you?”

  “Ms. Simon, my name is Arnold Span and I’m a minister for a small church in Culver City. I represent a group of church members who want me to organize a tour of the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza.”

  “Reverend Span, please call me Lauren. I would be happy to work up an itinerary for you, but first, I’ll need some information. How many people, when would you like to leave and from where?”

  “Lauren, there will be twenty-five to thirty people, and we would like to go in August from Los Angeles.”

  “All right, Reverend Span, I’ll work out a quote for your trip. Do you have an e-mail address or fax number where I can send it?”

  “Yes, my fax number is two-five-four, three-two-three, five-eight-seven-zero. When can I expect your quote?”

  “By Wednesday. I’ve sent several groups to the Northern Yucatan and I am familiar with the area. Do you have any further questions?”

  “Ah, I don’t think so. I’ll review your quote and get back to you.”

  Home is a two-bedroom condo in Huntington Beach that I share with my German Shepherd Xena. Yes, she is named for the warrior princess because I like strong, classy women who know how to kick butt and look good while doing it.

  I use my second bedroom to keep my valuables and electronic devices safe from destruction whenever a random or not so random burst of energy explodes in my home. I wish I could say these are rare occurrences, but they aren’t. Ill-mannered malcontents frequently drop by unannounced, uninvited and nursing bad attitudes. Unfortunately, my safe room idea isn’t fool proof since some impolite changelings, demons or monsters don’t knock. My insurance company dropped me a long time ago. I guess I can’t blame them. It isn’t easy to explain a room blown apart by a deranged demon on a fairly regular basis and I could understand why no one wanted to insure me.

  “Xena, come on, girl, it’s time to get some exercise.” Shrugging off my work clothes, I donned my jogging attire, pulled my straight black hair up into a ponytail, grabbed Xena’s leash, my IPod and we were on our way. We headed for the bike path along the ocean, jogging south toward Huntington Beach until we reached the pier. Xena is a godsend, whenever I face a strong onshore breeze she pulls me along like the sled dog she tries to impersonate.

  Walking up to my front door, I pulled out my key intending to unlock the door when I felt a wave of powerful energy sweep over me, freezing where I stood. I strained to find the source of the power. I focused my energy outward, listening, sensing I wasn’t alone. Xena stared at the door, a low growl escaping from her throat as if she dared the door to move. Closing my eyes, I sent my magical senses out probing for energy, like sonar pinging for a solid object, movement, anything to tell me who or what lurked within. Yes, whoever or whatever it was, it was powerful, and it was in my house. Great, these types of visits usually aren’t social. Slowly, I opened my door and allowed my eyes to adjust to the dimmer light. Quietly, I closed the door, holding my hand over Xena’s muzzle as we crept slowly into the room. Listening, straining to hear the slightest stirring of movement, which is when I heard a scrapping sound coming from my office. Now what? Before I could decide, the door swung open. Xena lunged at the figure in the doorway, pulling free. She threw herself at the intruder.

  Xena jumped in gleeful circles around the person, yelping excitedly, “Thank God your dog is smarter than you are.”

  “Jason, you scared the daylights out of me.”

  “Lauren, it’s good to see you too.”

  Flipping on a light, on my way to the refrigerator, pulling off my jacket and tossing it toward a chair, I asked, “I’m having wine. Would you like a glass?”

  “Yes, I a glass of wine would be nice. We need to talk.”

  “Really? Jason, you ne
ver visit me for purely social reasons. What world needs saving this time?”

  “You wound me, my child.”

  Chuckling, he accepted the glass I handed him. I settled into the chair opposite the one he sat in and waited for him to fill me on the reasons for his visit. Jason is my mentor and I apprenticed with him eons ago. We’ve always had a love-hate relationship, meaning he loves to annoy me and I hate it. He came into my life shortly after my father’s death, which may be the reason he irritates me. I hated everyone and everything after my father died, angry at the world, raging, inconsolable.

  Fortunately, I’m able to slow the aging process. I’m thirty something and holding and no one in their right mind would risk asking me. However, Jason remains annoying, grating, something about his aristocratic nature rubs me the wrong way and he brings out my inner brat. The truth is if I were being fair he just couldn’t replace my father, which isn’t his fault no one could.

  “What’s up? I know you’re not here because you miss me.”

  “You would be wrong. However, I felt you needed to know there is a Daywalker in L.A.”

  All the color drained from my face, my heart leaping erratically at the news. “Are you certain? Why? Where?”

  “Why indeed, which is what I need to know. Daywalkers are the finest hunters and guardians among the vampires. All I know for certain is our urban vampiric citizens are increasingly busy, spilling blood, biting innocents, as well as the usual malcontent that gets what they have coming.”

  Sipping my wine, I said, “I’m listening.”

  “There has been an unusual rash of missing pets and people, at this rate, L.A.’s homeless problem will be non-existent. Even the LAPD is spooked. No one is patrolling on foot or alone. I need you to find out what’s happening.”

  “Where is the center of the disturbance?”

  “The Port of Los Angeles. There’ve been six or seven unexplained deaths in the last week. The police attribute it to gang violence. I’m not buying it. Gangs spill blood, they don’t drink it. These killings happened in daylight and there wasn’t enough blood left to transfuse a sylph.”

  “Daylight? Only a Daywalker has the ability, unless they died elsewhere. Any ideas?”

  “Lauren, I need this solved, yesterday. I’ve told you what I know. The World Council considers any activity by a Daywalker on this plane an act of war. You’ve got seventy-two hours more or less to figure this out.”

  “What? You’ve got to be kidding. I need more time. You can’t expect me to handle this in so little time, Jason?”

  “You’re the best, and you’ve got help. Good luck,” Jason said as he vanished.

  I hated it when he did that. Damn him, I liked having the last word.

  Chapter 2

  Brooding in stunned silence, the room darkening as the sun set, I mulled over the situation. Jason has saddled me with these types of problems for as long as I’d known him. His expectations of me are unrealistically high and always have been. Nevertheless, I owed him. When my father died I floundered, my life lacked direction, or a purpose. Clearly, he saw something in me, and he developed my intrinsic skills. Driving me to excel, he succeeded, but I paid a big price. My life just wasn’t my own. I never got a day off or dared plan a vacation-it was always duty first.

  Xena’s bark startled me, and I gave a small yelp of surprise. “What is it, girl?” I grabbed Xena’s muzzle to silence her. She strained to pull free from my grasp, growling as I restrained her. My skin crawled, my heart racing as if I’d just downed a double shot of espresso and a chill sliced through me. I could hear the theme song from Jaws thundering in my head. Scooting backward and tugging Xena behind me I reached for my office door. Silently, I turned the knob, crawled inside and closed the door softly behind us. Letting go of Xena, I crept to my desk, fumbling in the dark until I found my Uroboros bracelet and slipped it on preparing to defend us. The bracelet directs my energy at any target I aim it at. I reached under my shirt and pulled out my Dragon’s Eye pendant, it glowed with an eerie bluish-white light that indicated the current level of my energy. It works like the mood rings of the seventies.

  Feeling stronger, I shuffled back toward the door but before I got halfway across the room Xena growled. I flung myself toward her just as the door exploded inward sending wooden shards and splinters flying through the air, like so much shrapnel peppering the area around us. Protecting Xena I landed atop the crouching dog spinning the two of us to our left away from the door. Rolling up on to my hands and knees I struggled to see what destroyed the door. Standing in my living room was a Cu Sith. It was as big as a horse, black as night with eyes that glowed red. It was an ancient fairy dog drooling on my floor its eyes darting from me to Xena in hungry anticipation.

  Not waiting to see if I were the appetizer or entree, I lifted my arm, pointed my bracelet and aimed sending a burst of bluish light hurtling toward the Cu Sith. Feeling the energy build I shouted, “Dracu.” Sparks flew and a river of fire sprang from my fingers driving the Cu Sith backward until it exploded into a towering wall of flames. Sagging back against the wall I reached for Xena running my hands over her body and checking her for any injuries. Her fur smelled singed but she was otherwise okay. Thank you God, I loved her and I couldn’t live with myself if she died because of me.

  The smell of charred flesh filled my nostrils. The smoke detectors blared, but thankfully there were no sprinklers, this wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. I just couldn’t risk the water damage. Wobbling to my feet I went to survey the damage. All that remained of the Cu Sith was a large pool of sludge. My door would need replacing and the floor around the Cu Sith was burned. Fortunately I have a handyman I kept on speed dial. Great, just great. I have to track a Daywalker and someone is sending me deadly fairy grams. I haven’t even had the assignment for more than a few minutes, possibly a portent of things to come.

  I stood in the shower until the water turned cold. Shivering, clad only in my old terry cloth robe, I toweled my hair dry. Feeling slightly better I went to the kitchen in search of food. One look at the tarlike substance solidified on my hall floor made my stomach do mutinous flip-flops. I settled for a glass of wine and retreated to my study Xena following close on my heels she curled up at my feet before dropping into a deep sleep.

  Who the hell sent me that thing? Cu Sith are inanimate objects from the fae realm. Someone needed to animate it and send it to me. Why? I hadn’t stepped on any toes recently. NOT that I was aware of anyway. Swirling my glass of wine I sent my thoughts out into the universe, seeking and merging with the universal mind, which is the power source for all things seen and unseen. It ebbs and flows like the ocean tides carrying thoughts and answers in an endless stream of causation. It is similar to the Internet in that regard, spam and all, no filters, just reams of unedited thoughts, feelings and emotions. Sifting and soaking through every iota of information I touched until I found what I’d been looking for. I searched every detail of the dog’s previous travels which ended with Ekil. Out of the frying pan and into the thrall. He was the last known being to animate the Cu Sith, as far as I could tell.

  Ekil is the powerful prince of the Los Angeles vampire thrall. His lair is on the city’s west side near his Beverly Hills estate. He dabbles in high end real estate and he has a thirst for virginal blood. He hasn’t drawn any unwanted attention from me in years. His past business ventures had mainly been drug-smuggling and gambling enterprises. His businesses must be doing well given his new address. Thankfully, I just wasn’t his type.

  Like most major cities, L.A. has a sizable vampire community. Yes, they exist and not just in the fertile grounds of my imagination. Vampires are as real as wizards, although much of what is written about both is untrue. The facts are really rather simple. They are eternal and they are shape shifters. Vampires are both male and female and thankfully they cannot have children. The fact they cannot reproduce is a blessing. Vampires can turn humans but they usually do not turn children. I mean who wants to spend ete
rnity as a two year old. In addition, they don’t need to drink human blood. Any warm blooded mammal will suffice and they do garner their strength from feeding on mammals. I prefer it when they stick to non-cuddly mammals but anything is better than me. Vampires are the living dead and should always be avoided. This is the Spark Notes version on vampires.

  Only a fool enters a vampire lair alone after dark but I didn’t have much choice, time was of the essence. Technically, there is never a good time to drop in on vampires. Better late than dead, I had to prepare, pushing up from my chair I went to my office. I would need to be armed to the teeth to save my neck - dressed to kill, so to speak.

  There are four different types of wizards. I’m an adept and I use thaumaturgy and theurgy. Thaumaturgy is the use of magic, which in my case means harnessing the natural elements. Theurgy is much different and it uses divine intervention or spirits to intercede on behalf of humans. Although, I know there are some that should not be saved - so not my call. Nevertheless, I can’t literally or figuratively wing it. I need to study and prepare my spells and shields well in advance. Harnessing nature’s energy takes careful planning. The smallest miscalculation could kill me or someone else and it was a risk I’ve never been willing to take. The expression ‘unintended consequences’ just isn’t acceptable. I couldn’t live with myself if my carelessness cost someone else’s life.

  Divine intervention isn’t as complicated as making potions or casting spells. Thankfully God doesn’t expect perfection, which in my case is a darn good thing. My guardians and God’s angels watch my back. All I need to activate this source of energy is faith and that I have in spades. My office is lined floor to ceiling with books, vials, plants, rocks…in short all the accoutrements a wizard needs to create. I took pride in assembling a first-rate lab for making my potions. Still I would need help with this. It was time for me to call in reinforcements. I couldn’t handle this alone and I missed Traygen? Traygen has been my on-again off-again lover for most of my adult life. He’d marry me in a heartbeat if I’d let him. I just couldn’t say yes and I am not sure if it is fear of commitment or loss keeping me single.