Chapter Twenty-One

Puca looked at Venus and Venus met his gaze with a catlike stare. Unnerved Puca asked, “what do we do now?”

Venus sighed, realizing that although Puca Beag was bright for a Puca, Puca’s as a genus were not known for their intellectual ability.

“Summarize the position,” Venus coached.

“They discussed killing us but continued to search the apartment. Then they got a phone call and left, taking Oengus’s iPad with them.”

“So clearly something more urgent took them away. It is possible they will return in due course,” Venus added.

“So Venus, what do we do?”

“We need to vacate the premises,” Venus decided.

“The door is locked and the windows are closed. We are imprisoned,” Puca said sounding panicked.

“Puca what do you do best?” Venus asked.

Puca frowned in concentration. “What?” he asked.

“You shape shift Puca my friend. Currently you are a poodle, previously you were a pigeon and before that a cloak.”

“But Venus, the windows are locked shut, none of those will work,” Puca objected.

“How did we get into the apartment?’ Venus asked.

“I was Hugo and I opened the door when you showed me how to find the spare key.”

“Puca, what if you did another human and stood and opened the door?” Venus prompted.

Puca barked an enlightened bark. The penny had dropped.

“I can do a Dunquin Fisherman, not very tall but fully clothed including cap. It’s my party piece. I also do a convincing Hugo, but I haven’t got it quite right. Nina saw through me.”

“Do it,” Venus instructed.

“Which?”

“You just have to open the door. But do the fisherman, we don’t want to run across one of Hugo’s henchmen.”

“I wouldn’t mind another attempt at Hugo, I’m nearly right.”

“OK, just open the door. Then pick me up in case there are rats.”

“OK and what then?”

“Puca we go find Maedbh and Oengus.”

“I know the way as a pigeon flies,” Puca said.

“Now!” Venus insisted, running out of patience.

***

The Natural History Museum covers four blocks but at John’s insistence the cab stopped on west seventy Seventh Street

“You need the Central Park west entrance,” the driver pointed out.

“Staff entrance,” John said with a smile.

John stepped out of the cab.

“Wait for me here,” he said.

They watched until he disappeared into the building.

“We wait,” Jane said with resignation. The driver was happy, his meter was running and the passengers looked like they could pay. Jane and Peter took the opportunity to study further Peter’s maps of the water system.

John used his fireman ID to get past security into the office complex.

“Hi, John, what brings you here?” Morgan, the exhibits manager charged with site issues said in surprise as John stuck a head into his office.

“Random safety check.”

“Haven’t you guys enough to do with the city up in a heap over the contaminated sewer system?” Morgan asked.

“Computer generated. I need to check the thorium in the Meteorites minerals and gems area.”

“What? You know we don’t put radioactive stuff on show?”

“Morgan with all the turmoil going on we’re checking sensitive materials.”

“John, this is a hassle. You know thorium is a nuclear material. We’ll need to go to the secure storage area. As I said and you know, this material is not on public display given its nature.”

“Finely divided thorium metal presents a fire hazard due to its pyrophoricity and must therefore be handled carefully,” John said to show he knew his subject.

“Sure,” Morgan said to show he knew what the word meant.

“I know Morgan, but New York insists that dangerous or potentially dangerous material are verified regularly. I know there is a lot of turmoil so I’ll make it quick. It’s not the first time I’ve inspected in this area.”

“OK, I’ll get one of our technical people to bring you through.”

“Make it quick, there’s a lot going on.”

“Albert, I left an item in one of the containment slots,” John explained as the technician led him to the secure storage area below ground level.

“I thought you’d need to look at the radioactive isotopes?” the technician said with a puzzled frown. “By the way call me Al.”

“Sure thing Al. It’s in a fire service holdall clearly marked. I need to bring it back to the station.”

“Not if it’s become radioactive,” Al pointed out.

“How long have you been working here Al?” John asked.

“About six months.”

“Well Al, you’ll get used to seeing me. I do the regular safety checks.”

“So Morgan informed me, but he said nothing about you taking stuff out.”

“Our stuff, I mean Fire Service stuff. You’ll see it’s not radioactive.”

The containment area was deep walled and lined and the contents of the chambers were held in thick metal sliding containers.

Al was surprised that exposure to radiation inside the container had not affected what John had called ‘Fire Service Stuff.’

It was a rectangular holdall clearly marked ‘Fire Department Property’ in red letters. He ran the Geiger counter around it to double check. Registered as just normal.

“Thanks for your help. See you soon,” John said as he departed, taking the holdall with him.

Al watched him depart with a frown. That bag should have been contaminated but it wasn’t. But then it was Fire Service Stuff. He shrugged and went back to work.

***

Puca stopped and placed Venus on the roof of a parked car.

“I need to do pigeon and find the place,” Puca said.

“Get on with it,” Venus said resignedly.

“I’ll do a police horse when I get back.”

“Whatever,” Venus replied and settled down on the roof.

Puca took off and did a reconnoiter. In five minutes he was back.

Venus was busy holding a group of rats at bay who clearly saw her as their next dinner.

Puca gave a neigh and Venus hopped onto his saddled back.

The rats looked confused as their prey disappeared on the back of a galloping horse.

“It’s over in the Bronx, we’ll be there in no time,” Puca neighed reassuringly. Venus dug in her nails to keep her balance on the heaving back of the galloping police horse.

“I love doing horse,” Puca neighed, scattering pedestrians as he ran the pavements.

***

“I’ll freeze the lock and you can break it,” Maedbh offered. “Just bring me nearer to the door but watch where you put your hands.”

“I think I heard bolts being pushed home. Freezing the lock might not do it,” Oengus replied. “And it’s a metal door.”

“What do you suggest then?” Maedbh asked with an emphasis on the ‘you.’

“She’s bound to come in again. You stand where you can be seen. That will distract her and I can hit her on the head with...”

“With what?” Maedbh interjected.

“This,” Oengus said, having cast about and picked up one of the surviving chair uprights.

“That would do it,” Maedbh conceded. “But remember that she is a witch. You’ll only get one chance before she throws a spell. Miss her and you could end up as a frog.”

Upstairs Leanan coughed and spluttered as Deirdre poured some more whiskey down her throat.

“She’s coming around,” Deirdre offered.

“I have to go,” the Greyman said. “I need to locate the uncle John and kill him.”

“I don’t think Morag said to kill him,” Dearg Due said with a frown. “I suggest just find him and then let Morag know. If she wants him dead she’ll tell you. But I am of the view that you are being hasty. John is more use alive. We need to find out what he knows.”

“Fair enough. You two can cope here?” the Greyman checked.

“Sure,” Dearg Due said.

With a swirl of fog from his cloak, the Greyman departed.

“I don’t know what I ever saw in him,” Dearg Due said.

“He’s got a certain ruggedness,” Deirdre offered.

“His hug is deadly. He kills with a hug. How did I think I’d get by without ever getting a hug?”

“Well he’d a problem too, the fear that you’d drink his blood?” Deirdre suggested.

“Nah, blood of magic creatures gives me terrible gas. He never had to worry.”

“That’s life,” Deirdre said and propped Leanan up against the wall.

“He’s lovely,” Leanan said and she slurred her words as she spoke.

“We should check the prisoners,” Dearg Due said, adding, “I’d like to have a closer look at the young man. From what I saw at the station, he seems to be rather handsome in a youngish way. You know he kissed me but I don’t think it had any effect.”

“Leanan said a kiss would be insignificant but it sure had an effect,” Deirdre said.

“Let’s go. We can leave Leanan here, she’s not going anywhere anytime soon,” Deirdre said. As she spoke she picked her keys up off the table.

“Follow me,” she said and led Dearg Due down towards the cellar stairs.

As she opened the door at the top of the stair she said, “The door at the bottom is metal and locked and I have four sliding bolts.”

“Good,” Dearg Due said approvingly.

“Nobody gets out of the cellar of Deirdre the witch,” Deirdre added and cackled with glee.

Dearg Due smiled in an empathetic way but said nothing.

At the top step Deirdre paused. She did not want to lead a vampire down a darkened stairs.

“Relax,” Dearg Due said gently. “I don’t bite fellow team members.”

Deirdre gave a weak grin and led the way, realizing she’d have to go first anyway to work the locks.

“She’s coming,” Oengus said, standing up when he heard the keys in the locks.

He took up position at the door and Maedbh stood in her chains facing the door.

They heard the bolts being drawn and the door creaked open.

“What the!” Deirdre exclaimed when she saw Maedbh.

It was enough distraction. As it dawned on her that Oengus was nowhere to be seen and that there was the debris of the broken chairs strewn about, it was too late.

Oengus had learned to play hurling with stick and ball and he drew on his experience as he whacked Deirdre across the forehead in a fluid motion. Deirdre fell back unconscious like a sack of potatoes and Dearg Due, who was standing immediately behind her stumbled as she fell against her.

Oengus stepped into the doorway and was surprised to see another woman, Dearg Due, on the stairs. Without pause he lunged aiming a downward blow onto her head.

He was amazed when a bat flew over his head and the woman disappeared.

“Vampire!” Maedbh screamed as the bat flew into the cellar.

“Such a small thing, Oengus thought as he threw the chair upright at the bat fluttering above Maedbh.

Without a pause, as he threw, Oengus ran and grabbed Maedbh and throwing her over his shoulder, he carried her towards the door. The wooden shaft struck Dearg Due knocking her out of her flight.

“Ouch,” she said as she hit the ground and became a woman again.

She was fast of foot and beat Oengus to the door. She revealed her fangs and raised herself to full height. But Oengus’s speed and momentum carried him into her and they all fell through the door. Swiftly Dearg Due rose and came in behind Oengus as he continued up the stair. Maedbh hit her with the freeze spell when they were up close and personal.

“Ouch,” Dearg Due said again.

Unfazed, Oengus continued up the stair with Maedbh over his shoulder. Dearg Due ducked and dodged while Maedbh continued to throw freeze spells down the stairs. He slammed the top door closed and threw the bolt.

“That should hold them,” he said.

“Forget it, that’s a vampire we only have seconds. Get us out into the daylight. She won’t attack there!” Maedbh shouted.

They hit the street as a cat riding on a horse arrived.

“Venus!” Maedbh exclaimed.

“Not very properly dressed,” Venus sniffed. “But get on anyway. Puca is the horse.”

“Hi!” Puca neighed.

Dearg Due arrived at the front door of Deirdre’s house just in time to see Oengus, naked but unashamed, with Maedbh face down in front, chains glinting in the sunlight and a cat riding high on the horses neck.

Dearg Due grimaced in exasperation.

“We should have killed the witches cat,” she said to no one in particular. She closed the door and stepping over the legs of Leanan she went down to the cellar to see if she could revive Deirdre.