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Texas
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EMELIA AND HER ALLIES arrived at the institute to see Leroy in his full poltergeist form. His once purple suit and fedora were now as black as the shadows that writhed around him. Laughing with glee, he was tossing humans around like they were toys. Bodies wearing black tactical gear littered the ground.
Men and women dressed in black suits and white shirts stood at a distance, chanting something. They were exempt from the dampening enchantment that stopped everyone else from using magic. Emelia figured they were in the process of casting a spell that would render the enraged phantom useless. Using her supernatural speed, she sprinted at them before they could realize they were in danger.
Harley and Asha turned to see what the fairy was up to. Their guns rose when they saw the warlocks and witches. Pru muttered something and tossed one of her potions at a cluster of armed guards that Leroy hadn’t torn apart yet. They let out shrill screams when toxic fumes spewed upwards to surround them after it hit the floor and burst.
Taking careful aim so they didn’t hit Emelia, Harley and Asha fired at their enemies. The fairy was a deadly whirlwind with her sword. Moving with graceful speed that no human could possibly match, she cut down the magic users who weren’t killed by bullets until none were left standing.
Pru fished more vials out of her purse and tossed them at the guards before they could shoot her. She readied some more just as another group of men rounded the corner.
Leroy picked up a fallen guard, swung him in a circle, then let him go. The corpse flew at the new group and knocked a few of them to the ground. An acid potion hit them and they shrieked as their flesh bubbled and melted.
Emelia raced down the hallway to engage the surviving guards. Between her sword and Harley’s and Asha’s bullets, they cut them down swiftly. Ears ringing from the noise, the warrior looked both ways up and down the hallway before walking over to the cell the phantom was guarding.
“What kept you honkies?” Leroy complained as he switched back to his usual form. The color bled back into his clothing and feather and the shadows receded from him.
“I had to ensure the cell was adequate to hold the leprechaun,” Emelia said curtly. Going up on her tippy toes, she peered through the window. Rudy had grown bored playing with the corpse of the doctor who had made the grave mistake of imprisoning him. He sat on his bed, clothes drenched in blood and wearing a brooding, malicious expression.
“How are we going to get him to the cell in Gorm’s house without letting him gain access to his magic?” Pru asked. She shifted closer to take a look in the cell next, then grimaced and stepped back. Harley peered inside as well, then it was Asha’s turn. She had to pull herself up by the windowsill to see inside. When she did, she was transfixed by the sight of Oscar Parry’s extremely dead body. While she was glad he was gone, a tiny part of her wished she’d been the one to end his life.
As if sensing her thoughts, Rudy looked up. He saw her and grinned evilly. “Why don’t you let me out, girly?” he asked in a sly tone. “We could have such fun together. You pretend to be naïve and good, but you’re just as evil as I am.”
Emelia shook her head when Asha went pale. “Don’t listen to him,” she said.
“Leprechauns who have gone rogue lie as easily as they breathe,” Irindal added. “I can hear more guards coming. We should leave this place while we still can.”
“There might be a slight problem with that,” Leroy said, scratching his chin uneasily. “The sorcerers have erected a barrier that’s keeping me in here. I can’t use the veil now.”
“Damn it,” Harley complained. “Are we ever going to get a break?” The specter had been their transport out of this place, but that avenue was now blocked.
“We need to find the magic users and kill them,” Emelia said coldly. “Once they’re dead, their spells will fade.”
“All of their spells?” Pru asked sharply. “Including the ones that are keeping the supernatural creatures imprisoned?”
“If the leprechaun is set free, he’ll go on a rampage and kill everything in sight,” Irindal said, wrapping her arms around herself as she fluttered next to Asha. She was too frightened to glow.
Emelia motioned for them all to be quiet for a moment while she thought through the problem. “This is the plan,” she said at last. “You wait here,” she said to the ghost. “The rest of us will go in search of the magicians. The moment you feel the ability to use the veil again, grab the leprechaun and take him to the cell that I constructed in Gorm’s house. It’s designed to hold his kind rather than yours, so I suggest you leave the cell immediately before he can use the ring to issue you with any commands.”
Rubbing his hands together soundlessly, the phantom nodded nervously. “I’ll keep the bad guys away from the crazy little mahfa. I just hope I can get him to the cell before he teleports himself away and takes me with him.”
“You’re the baddest ghost who ever walked the Earth,” Asha reminded him with a strained smile. “You can do this. We’re counting on you and so is Rudy. If there’s still anything left of the Rudy we know.”
“He’ll be okay,” Pru said, trying to convince them all. “We just have to make sure he doesn’t kill anyone else and becomes even worse than he already is.” She shivered at that prospect, then shook off her fear that everything was going to fall apart. They had a mission to accomplish and they didn’t have time for self-doubt.
“Can you sense where the witches and warlocks are?” Emelia asked Asha.
The dryad closed her eyes and sent out her senses, calling on the goblin side that she’d only recently discovered existed within her. Supernatural creatures of all descriptions were scattered throughout all four levels. Humans had congregated in several locations after Dr. Parry’s body had presumably been found. Two clumps of humans were different from the others. “There’s about thirty sorcerers left,” Asha reported. “One group is on the floor below us and the other is on the ground floor.”
Without Emelia’s teleportation skill and Leroy’s ability to use the veil, they would have to go on foot. The fairy took the lead and raced down the hallway. At the intersection, she glanced left and right and spied a sign for a staircase. The others had to sprint to keep up with her as she headed for the door. It was locked and she uttered a curse, feeling helpless without her magic. If she tried to break the handle, the lock could jam completely.
“I have the key,” Asha said, fishing the keys Irindal had stolen from Oscar Parry’s body out of her pocket. Tomlin had cleaned the blood off them for her. It took her a few tries before she found the right one. She left the door unlocked as they descended to the third level. “The witches and warlocks are in a room on the far side of the building,” she said quietly.
Cameras were watching them, so the guards and magicians knew where they were. If they had any sense, they would flee from the building. The fact that they didn’t meant they’d probably been bamboozled by Sheridan Harwood. The gorgon had turned them all into her obedient puppets. She’d ordered them to defend the institute and they didn’t have the strength of will to disobey her.
Asha didn’t have it in her to feel pity for these people. Whether it had been against their will or not, they’d all participated in the capture and torture of countless victims. Harley shot her an uneasy glance and she looked down to see her skin had turned slightly gray.
Forcing her rage away wasn’t easy. The goblin inside her was eager to rise to the surface. Maybe Rudy was right. She was afraid she was one short step away from turning rogue and becoming just as evil as he was right now.
