Arrest, Search and Séance : Book 1 of the Fringe Society by R.D. Hunter (pdf e book reader TXT) 📕

“This is over,” I said coldly. “Any minute now, a madman on a rampage is going to show up and kill every magic user he sees, which means one of two things is going to happen. Either I’m going to be instrumental in warning the Gilded Moon Coven about an incoming attack, thus saving many of their lives and earning their gratitude, or we’ll all die horrific deaths and that’ll be that. Either way, this little squabble is over. Agreed?”

The Thing glanced down at Trisha and over at her sister, who was shakily climbing to her feet. Then she looked over at Lacey who winked and licked her lips, as if savoring a delicious meal that was yet to come. That did the trick. She nodded her head so hard I was afraid it was going to fall off.

“Agreed. Totally agree,” she said shakily.

“Get your friend and get out of here,” I said, stepping aside to let her pass. The Things picked Trisha up under each arm, and was relieved to hear her groan and see her eyelids beginning to flutter. Despite Lacey’s assurance that she would recover, I hadn’t been so sure. Then they took off into the night as fast as their legs could carry them.

“Well, that was fun,” Lacey said, watching them go. “Probably not for them, but what can ya do?” She grinned, her color already returning to normal.

“Thanks, Lace. You saved my bacon. I mean it.” She shrugged.

“Glad to do it. Shall we go inside before the crystalline madman appears and starts with the disemboweling?”

“Yeah. We should hurry. I can’t believe he’s not here already.” We started walking towards the front door at a brisk pace.

“So, what’s the plan?” Lacey asked. “From what you told me, this guy’s too powerful to take on one-on-on.”

“True, but he’s on borrowed time. The crystals that made him into the magical equivalent of Superman are also siphoning off his life force.”

“Everything’s got a price, huh?” I nodded.

“He won’t last long, and the more juice he uses, the quicker he’ll expire. We just have to keep him from murderizing everyone he sees until then.”

“Us included, I hope.”

“Naturally.”

As we approached the entrance, we realized it hadn’t been left unguarded. A thugling of the Gilded Moon blocked our path, his ripped arms crossed menacingly in front of him and his boorish face displaying a scowl that promised a world of pain for anyone who dared to trespass. It was almost intimidating.

“That’s far enough, Ladies,” he said, holding out one meaty palm. “No admission without an invitation.”

“Sleep the sleep of the angels

And let the devils pass.”

I’d been preparing the spell ever since we parted ways with Trisha and the Things, pouring power into the words just in case we ran into some kind of guardian. Good thing, too.

The thugling dropped to the ground, snoring softly and we stepped over him.

“Wow,” Lacey said, impressed. “That was easy.” I shook my head.

“Only because we caught him off guard,” I said. “He wasn’t expecting a fight. Only an idiot would try to break in here without an invite.” Lacey opened the door and made a grand, swooping gesture.

“After you, Idiot A.”

“Thank you, Idiot B.” Together, we walked inside.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

As soon as we crossed the threshold of the muffling spell, it was like stepping into an entirely different world, one filled with sound, and light and lots and lots of alcohol. The entire interior of the warehouse had been hollowed out, to reveal one massive room for the swarm of people that now occupied it. Most of them were in the center, dancing and gyrating to music that seemed to have more bass than anything else, while showing off perfectly toned abs, pecks and breasts that could only be obtained from a lifetime in the gym, or ten minutes preparing an illusion spell.

Around the outer edges, which were darker but not wholly devoid of illumination, there were couples, throuples and everything in between, engaging in every act of sexual debauchery known to man, and some that were probably made up on the spot. In the corner was an elaborate bar, manned by none other than Jack Dobbs. He must have been contracted out especially for the event. I watched for a few seconds as he expertly combined a number of elaborate liquors infused with his own energy into an orange, swirling mixture that made the girl who drank it levitate for a few seconds. The man was a pro.

I hurried over, ignoring the faint moans that reached my ears over the throbbing music. Lacey stayed close by my side. I could tell from the spring in her step she was feeling better, probably drawing from all the energy given off by the party goers. I didn’t blame her. The excitement, lust and levity in the air was so thick even I could almost taste it.

“Jack,” I said when we got to the bar. He stopped shaking a drink long enough to give me a bright smile.

“Hey there, Mel,” he said brightly. “Didn’t expect to see you here. Didn’t think it was your scene.”

“It’s not, but listen. You have to leave. Now.” He gave me a confused look.

“Leave? Whaddya mean? I can’t leave.”

“You have to. Things are going to get very bad here any second, and you can’t be here when they do.”

“No, you don’t understand, Love. I can’t leave. I signed a contract to work this party. It was part of the gig.” My heart sank into my toes.

A contract forged and signed between two members of the Fringe was unbreakable. Jack couldn’t have walked out that door right now if he’d wanted to. Any move he made to shirk his obligations would just bring him right