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

“Get them out,” she said, with an anger in her voice that matched anything Hawkins had. I nodded. She was buying me time. I’d use it.

I began rounding up the leftover guests, roughly shoving and pulling them towards whichever exit was closest while Hawkins and Isabelle threw down. Hawkins was a powerhouse. There was no doubt about it. The charged crystals he’d fused with enabled him to hurl blasts of pure force, like that kind that had flattened me and Perkins back at his office. It also made him incredibly strong and resilient. There was rubble all over the floor from his entrance, and every so often he’d pick up a piece and hurl it like a missile at the woman who dared to stand in his way.

But he was a one-trick pony. While he had power in spades, he hadn’t had the years of study and practice that made a magic user truly formidable. Isabelle had. It was the only thing that gave her an edge.

Hawkins hurled a wave of scarlet energy at her, so massive it caused my ears to pop from the air it displaced, only for Isabelle to speak a command in some language I’ve never heard and have its reverse course right in front of her. It crashed into Hawkins’ right side, whipping him around and actually sending him to one knee. He growled like a feral beast, before getting back to his feet and resuming his attack.

I was stunned. The amount of power being thrown at Isabelle, not to mention the chunks of rock, had the kinetic equivalent of a speeding bus, but she was standing her ground and actually redirecting it to suit her purposes. It was damned impressive.

It went on this way for close to a minute. Hawkins would fling an attack at her, only to have to jump, duck or dodge as it came right back at him. Eventually, he roared so loud I thought I’d gone deaf and charged at his opponent, content to settle things the old-fashioned way and grind her into a thick paste. But Isabelle spun in place at the last second, dissolved into mist, and reappeared a moment later in the exact place Hawkins had started from. She was baiting him. It was only when she wobbled and almost collapsed to one knee that I realized how she’d held her own for so long.

Instead of blocking or absorbing Hawkins’ attacks, she’d actually been ripping little holes in space this entire time. It allowed the incoming energy or debris-missile, to pass through under its own power, and come out the other side on a collision course with Hawkins. It was clever, effective, and exceedingly draining on the magical resources. I doubted if I could have done it more than once or twice when I was rested and at full power. Isabelle had done it more than a dozen times, then teleported on top of it.

The only way I knew to teleport was to have two rituals going simultaneously, one at the sending end and one at receiving. She’d done it on a dime, but the cost was catching up to her. Her hands were shaking visibly and her heavy breathing was audible in the open room. Hawkins grinned and stalked towards her, death and pain in his intentions. He was done with the theatrics. He was just going to rip the coven leader’s head off and revel in the sight.

I looked around. Lacey was still down, but showing signs of recovery. Vampires were tough and Lacey was a particularly stubborn vampire, but she wouldn’t be on her feet in time to help Isabelle. The rest of the coven had fled and most wouldn’t have been much help even if they’d stuck around. Jack was still here, although not by choice, but he was stuck behind the bar until his contract expired. It was up to me.

I pulled my sidearm in one practiced motion, took aim, and fired off four shots. They struck Hawkins in the back, center mass, just as I’d been trained. The grouping was tight and would probably have killed any normal man. Hawkins was no longer normal.

He staggered a bit from the impact, a thin trickle of blood from one of the shots trickled down his back, but that was it. He turned to look at me, a malicious sneer on his face and pointed one gnarled finger in my direction.

“I’ll deal with you in a minute,” he said. “Don’t go nowhere.” Shit. He was still going for Isabelle. She must have really gotten under his skin…er, crystal. I had to do something.

“Hey, Hawkins,” I called with as much contempt in my voice as I could manage, “you know all that stuff you were saying about the Fringe? About how we always get ahead and leave the rest of you to eat dirt behind us? Well, you’re right.” He paused for a second, looking at me in confusion, so I went on.

“I mean, why shouldn’t we have everything? We’ve got all the power. Those guys who out-shined you in school, probably used a simple knowledge spell in the hallway before class. The ones who got all the pretty girls that wouldn’t give you the time of day? A few drops of a love potion or an enchanted aphrodisiac got them a date on Saturday night while you stayed at home and played with yourself.” I stepped closer, my own sneer prevalent on my face. “Even now, as an adult, we get everything we want, and leave the scraps for little pissants like you to fight over. It’s just the way things are. And no amount of stolen crystals from a dead witch is going to change that. You might as well crawl off into a corner and die. Nothing you do matters. You’re just a mundane,