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Like any modern city, Cardiff is a hotbed of overpriced coffee shops, chain restaurants, and department stores. But beneath the commercial exterior, Cardiff is home to a secret underground full of magic and mystery. Where human witches and warlocks mingle with the Fay and other creatures of the supernatural. Regular humans instinctively shy away from the secret world surrounding them. They may not know why they cross the street at the sight of the beautiful young lady with golden hair and an air of importance about her, but they do. A feeling they can’t quite put their finger on, tells them not to cross her path. If you assured them that she was a member of the fair folk, they’d laugh in your face and forget about it a moment later. People only see what they want to see. But there are others, like Thomas, who cross between the worlds. They live with one foot in their human lives and the other in the world of magic, but unlike Thomas, a lot of the non-magical humans who enter the supernatural underground are broken and damaged, too desperate or full of hate to function in a normal life. Four such men approached us when we left Fay Magic.
Besides the six of us, the alleyway was empty. The only street light was broken, and the thickening shadows delved ominously into every crevice and hideaway. What limited light was available came from Fay Magic’s blue neon sign and the ribbons of moonlight that cast the earth with their wraith-silver glow.
Thomas had already taken on the demeanour of a fighter — calm, but ready — when the men circled to surround us.
“Well, what do we have here?” The tallest one asked.
The man next to him spat on the floor. “Looks like a witch and her pet.”
“I thought witches kept cats as pets.”
“Sure looks like a pussy to me.”
The men chuckled at the lame joke. I sighed heavily and squared my feet. It looked like we were going to have to fight these guys. Thomas clearly agreed. “Okay, fellas,” he said. “Let’s get this over with. You coming at me one at a time or all at once?”
Without hesitation, all four men charged forwards. “All at once it is, then,” Thomas said.
Despite my reluctance to use magic against humans, I knew it was the only way I could fight these guys. I clearly wasn’t exposing them to anything new, and we were still outside a secret club, so, I figured Joe would understand and I would forgo another telling off. The runic tattoos circling my arms blazed to life, I drew on the power of protection, endurance, and strength: Luis, Fern, and Duir shone bright against my skin and sent magic roaring through my veins.
The magic snaked along my arms, swirling like tendrils of blue fire around my hand and between my fingers. An orb of energy gathered in my palms. A simple push spell that looked flashier than it was. I released it, knocking the guy closest to me from his feet. Thomas had moved to engage the other three.
The man who’d called Thomas a pussy grunted as he slammed into the wall. The tall guy snarled and charged at Thomas from behind and my heart pounded. I desperately wanted to rush to his aid, but the man I’d knocked to the floor was back on his feet and charging me again.
I engaged my attacker, but spared a glance at Thomas. I should have known better than to worry about him in a hand to hand combat situation, even against three men. Thomas was always a calming, stoic person. He found no joy in fighting, but had practised the self-defence system of Krav Maga for years. Its whole philosophy was based on ending a fight as quickly and brutally as possible, and my sweet, gentle Thomas, who didn’t have an aggressive bone in his body, turned into a different man when forced to defend himself. The fools didn’t stand a chance.
“I can do this all night,” I said to my opponent when I zapped him with a magical orb for the fourth time. “Don’t you think it would be better to give up and go away already?”
He glanced at me with hate emanating from his eyes, but I saw a flicker of doubt flash through them at the sight of his friends being demolished by Thomas.
“I know, right?” I said, brimming with pride. “He truly is amazing.” I laughed. “You know, if you’re sick of being blasted, you could always go try your luck with your friends over there.”
The guy edged backwards on his bottom before swiftly turning to run away. “Wise choice,” I called after him and then turned to watch Thomas in action.
He quickly kneed one guy in the groin. While he was down, another tried to pin Thomas to the wall by his throat, but Thomas chopped his arms away and head-butted him. I winced. Thomas turned and elbowed him in the chin. Blood splattered from the guy’s mouth and his eyes rolled in his head. He stumbled backwards, dazed and out of the fight.
The tall guy bunched his muscles and swung at Thomas, who ducked under the blow and hit his attacker with a punch to the stomach. The guy doubled over and coughed up a dribble of blood.
The one man left standing looked at Thomas for a second before running. His two friends joined him not a moment later.
“Well, that was a complete waste of two minutes,” I said, pulling a tissue from my pocket and using it to dab at the split above Thomas’s eyebrow. “I really wish you wouldn’t head-butt people.”
“It was either that or gouge his eyes, and although they were arseholes, I didn’t want to do too much damage.”
“You big softy,” I said, then gave him a peck on the cheek.
Thomas lifted me in his arms and waggled his eyebrows. “I’m not soft where it counts,” he said.
I couldn’t help but laugh and shake my head. “What has gotten into you lately, with your crazy eyebrows and insatiable libido?”
Thomas smiled. “Must be the season, I guess.”
“Well, the season or not, unfortunately, we have work to do.”
Thomas kept me pinned in a hug. “You think we should go after those guys? Find out if they’re working for someone?”
I sighed. I guess it stood to reason they were working for someone. It’s not every day you get attacked in the street for no reason. Although, the occurrence seemed to be happening more and more lately. My mind whirled, trying to piece together who may have sent the men. Was this attack also related to Lee Page’s case? Was Joe wrong and Mr Platt had finally decided to send some men against us? The problem was, Thomas and I had too many enemies — who didn’t? — and this attack could be related to either our current case or any of the ones from our past. My eyes drifted to the blue neon sign flashing Fay Magic. Had someone overheard our plans in the club? Did they know we were on our way to see Manon? Then, I remembered the words the attacker had used, ‘a witch and her pet.’ There was only one person I knew who viewed Thomas with such contempt, but would Dureth really send someone to attack us outside his own club? Plus, why would he try to kill us when I owe him a favour. Neither one of us could take our oaths lightly, we were bound by magic, and the penalty for breaking that bond of trust was unthinkable.
“Let’s leave them,” I said, deciding not to share my doubts about Dureth with Thomas. He’d charge back in there and try to rip him a new one, but formidable as Thomas was, I wouldn’t like to see him take on one of the Tylwyth Teg.
“At best guess, this attack, just like the last one, is related to the death of Lee Page.” I shrugged. “If I’m wrong, I’m sure whoever’s out to get us will show their next hand soon enough.”
