Magic - Chapter 41

This is the second book in The Godsverse Chronicles, a portal fantasy series with mythological roots and action-adventure tendencies. You can search through all my work on my website.

Ollie wasn't looking for trouble, but after she saved the Antichrist from being slaughtered, it came for her.

Ollie lived by one rule. Never get involved with anyone for any reason; humans, demons, fae folk, it didn't matter. They were all trouble. Keeping her distance was how she survived in the criminal underworld for so long.

Keep your head down and don't piss anyone off. That was her motto, especially since her clients all had access to powerful dark magic.

She thought she had a flawless system for keeping her nose clean, so how did she wind up in a stolen car, with a demon spawn in her back seat, driving away from her ex-lover and a gang of demons ready to skin her alive?

That's a good question.

And why did she agree to help save the demon's life so she didn't get sacrificed to open the gates of Hell?

An even better question.

She had one rule. One stupid rule. And tonight...it goes right down the toilet.

Now, the only way for Ollie to get her life back is to save the girl, prevent the Apocalypse, and track down the people who betrayed her.

They will pay. Oh yes, they will all pay.

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It took a half-hour to raise the boat and for the bunny to recover the information I needed, but it was well worth the wait. Transcriptions of phone calls between the Elkman and the bunny, wire transfers between accounts, signatures on checks, and more. Aside from a signed confession or a picture of him ordering the hit on Benny, it was everything I needed to bring him down.

There was just one problem—he was also the one who promised me five million dollars to catch the killer, a feat he must have thought I would never be able to pull off. Even if I did, I would have to make a decision whether to blackmail him or call him out, and if I chose the former, then five million would be a small price to pay to control an empire.

I had to talk with him, alone. I slipped the incriminating papers inside a satchel and headed to Pine Street Market. The Elkman was under lock and key at all times, except, of course, when he was using the bathroom. Bodily functions killed more monsters than any other. You couldn’t avoid them, no matter how powerful you were.

“Myfyrio,” I said, touching the wand to my wrist when I reached the corridor near Gino’s. There was a complete invisibility spell, but it was tricky and required absolute concentration to maintain, something I didn’t have much of at the moment, or ever. A cheap substitute was a mirror spell, which reflected everything behind you back at the person in front of you. It fell apart during close inspection due to the refraction, but it was fine in a pinch if you moved quickly.

I had cased out the joint pretty well on my last two times inside Gino’s. Enough to know that the bathroom was on the right when you walked in, on the other side of the restaurant from where the Elkman held court.

I slid past the two guards at the door easy enough and spun around another on my way to the bathroom. I waited until somebody opened the door and slipped inside. The worst part would be the wait. I needed the Elkman alone, and I had no idea when he would need the bathroom, which made for the grossest couple of hours I’d had in a long time. I heard things in that bathroom no being should ever have to hear, and the smell—my nose plugs could only do so much…but eventually, the Elkman showed and sidled up to the urinal, which was when I placed my wand on his neck and revealed myself.

“I know it was you,” I replied. “Don’t scream, or everyone will know.”

He chuckled. “I’m not scared of you, and I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I know you owned the warehouse that burned. I know you were working with the demon that betrayed me. Tell me his name, and I’ll let you pee in peace.”

“I would, my dear, except you couldn’t be more wrong.”

“I have documents, checks, transcripts, and more proving you, and you alone were responsible for Benny’s death.”

“Ah, I see. And I suppose this is when you try to extort me for the five million dollars with your doctored evidence.” This was not how I expected it to go. “Of course, all of that is preposterous. After all, Benny isn’t even dead, is he? Once we find that rat, assuming he’s still alive, then he will be back.”

“So you’ll be able to betray him again, is that it?”

“Can I wash up?” the Elkman asked. I nodded and led him over to the sink. “Nice to know you haven’t lost all civility.” He wiped his hands and turned to me. “Now, if you would like to tell your lies to my men, I am sure they would love to hear it.”

“I will then.”

I followed him out of the bathroom. When the men saw me, the Elkman held up his hands. “It’s okay. She’s with me.” He walked to his normal table and slid into his chair, gesturing for me to continue. “You were saying?”

“This man!” I started, pulling a pile of files out of my satchel. “Killed Benny! And here is the proof.” I tossed the wet files on the table. 

“Soggy papers, probably with runny ink that would absolve me. How convenient. I don’t see how this proves anything.”

“Think about it!” I said. “Who had the most to gain by Benny’s death?” I pointed. “Him! The frigging Elkman!”

“My name is Heath, actually.”

“I don’t care!” I shouted. “You are a murderer.”

“We’re all murderers here, love.”

“Yes, but only you murdered Benny.”

“That is—”

“ENOUGH!” A sound quaked through the restaurant. The shriek came from five different octaves at once. I smirked when I saw a reformed rat king come around the corner. “I have heard enough!”

“Benny!” I screamed.

The rat king shook its head. “We don’t go by that name anymore. We are Dexter.”

“Well, then, it’s good to see you, Dexter,” I said. “I thought you were dead.”

“While one of us is alive, we are never dead, only changed.” The rats moved around to make the mouth scowl. “And I find you guilty, Heath. Guilty of my attempted murder…and I sentence you to death!”

“What?” Heath shouted. “You can’t—I’ve always served you loyally!”

“GUARDS!” Dexter turned to the guards stationed around the restaurant. “Take him away!”

The guards took a moment to consider their loyalties, then advanced on Heath. The Elkman tried to gallop away but he didn’t make it far, and Dexter’s guards pulled him back, kicking and screaming.

“You have done well,” Dexter said, looking at me. “I owe you a great debt.”

“The five million dollars would be nice.”

The rat king howled. “Yes, it would be nice. Now, go.”

“So, the money?”

Dexter simply looked out the window at the water.

“You know what? We’ll talk about it later.”

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This is the second book in The Godsverse Chronicles, a portal fantasy series with mythological roots and action-adventure tendencies. You can search through all my work on my website.

Paid subscribers can access the entire archive of this series from the beginning, along with other series and every article I’ve ever written.

If you are not a paid member, you can read everything with a 7-day free trial, or give us a one-time tip.