Guilty Spark (Dark Magic Enforcer Book 4) Read online

  He could wait. I was sure he'd turn up soon enough.

  I had to go talk to a ghost.

  Ephemeral Encounters

  I'm not really a fan of ghosts, and I'm certainly no fan of courtrooms for obvious reasons, but here I was, back at the scene of my sentencing.

  The massive courtroom, intimidating and eerie as hell, was empty. Just me, and Charlie.

  The courtroom for the Hidden Council is a bizarre place, proper old world gothic. It's freezing inside thanks to the bare stone walls, flagstone floor, and vaulted ceiling, has tapestries on the walls, ancient wooden seating, and the bench where the Judge and Heads sit is enough to give you palpitations. I was transported right back to my sentencing. Was it really only a few days ago they finally got round to deciding my fate? Yeah, it was, it just felt like an eternity of stress and horror.

  What a mess. I'm no supersleuth, but it felt like all the jobs I'd had over the past few years involved a lot more unearthing of clues and solving of mysteries than I was used to. Maybe I should open up for business. Spark Investigations, it had a nice ring to it.

  The fact that Florenta the faery had her memory altered, and Kate was being messed with, had finally allowed me to narrow down the search. It had to be someone on the Council, and who better than the Head, Severi Sakala?

  He was still in Cardiff, away from Finland where the Worldwide Council resides, and would stay until after my execution to make sure everything went according to plan. My guess was he'd orchestrated the whole thing—these dudes are masters of planning ahead, always trying to get a few moves in front of the wolves snapping at their heels.

  Plus, we never got on. I didn't like his attitude, his condescending nature, or the fact he had a mustache that he oiled and curled up either side of his stupid nose. He also wore a bow tie and that was just downright ridiculous. He even had a staff, and I knew for a fact he could walk perfectly fine—another affectation he thought made him look all wizardly. What was the point? We knew he was a wizard. Okay, mage, but you get the idea.

  Anyone could come into the courtroom, even me. Nobody guarded it or anything like that, you just had to know where the door was. Regulars would never find it, certainly couldn't open it, but for a Hidden like me it's open access.

  I just went into the museum, put my hand on the special spot of the door with the Staff Only sign and I was through. It never opens, you simply find yourself in the courtroom. Where it actually is I have no idea, nobody does. It's as old as human Hidden, constructed back when we first got our Laws, with countless portals in every country on the planet, same as exits, one of which led to my prison. Proper old country magic, and kind of cool.

  It was also home to Charlie, a right scamp to put it nicely, a thieving maggot with no morals and a potty mouth to put it bluntly and more honestly.

  Charlie was also very dead. He also liked to talk a lot, given the right incentive.

  "Woo, woo."

  "Cut it out, I'm not in the mood," I said as Charlie thrust his head forward in his hands.

  "Oh, sorry, Spark, didn't realize it was you. Hang on, give me a moment." Charlie put his head back where it was supposed to be and wiggled it to check it was on right. "There, that's better."

  "Why do you still do that? You know this is the absolute worst place to try to scare people, don't you?"

  "Gotta keep my hand in or I get rusty. And besides, you know I'm stuck here, so I gotta make do best I can."

  "That's your own fault. You should have picked somewhere else to do your haunting. You had endless choices, or you could have been a free ghost like all the sensible ones are. You have to think these things through, eternity is a very long time."

  "Look, I panicked, all right? Back then we didn't know about ghosts and stuff, not like today. When I died and they gave me the choice of what to do, I said I wanted to go haunt those that did me wrong. How was I supposed to know it would mean being stuck here for so bloody long and—"

  "Enough. I've heard it all before." I had, he tells anyone that will listen the same story no matter how many times he's already told them.

  "Yeah, well, I've been a bit lonely since they sentenced you. The place has been like a ghost town. Haha."

  Charlie is about as funny as he is solid.

  "Hilarious. Listen, I need information. You like to hang around here, okay, you have to hang around here, and you hear everything everyone says, doing your hiding so they don't know."

  "It's not hiding or eavesdropping, it's being discreet."

  "No, Charlie, it's trying to get some dirt you can use to blackmail someone powerful enough to get you released from your afterlife. That's besides the point, call it what you want. What I need is information."

  "What's in it for me, eh?"

  "How about I put in a good word for you with Rikka?"

  "Ha, what use is that? He's not even Head now."

  "Not now, but he will be again soon, and he knows people that will then be falling over themselves to get back in his good graces. Meaning, he could get one of them to help you. You could be free, finally. Die properly, whatever you want."

  "Hmm, you could be right. But I don't want to die properly, Spark, I like being a ghost. It's interesting. What I want is to have my freedom, not be locked to this boring place. I want action."

  "Okay, fine. So, do we have a deal?"

  "Yeah, let's shake." I rolled my eyes. You'd think he'd have learned by now. "Okay, guess our word is enough. What do you want to know?"

  "I want to know anything you've heard Severi say, to anyone. Or anything you can tell me about what he does when in here on his own. Has he been acting weird, talking to himself? Anything?"

  "Sorry, but he comes in only when he has to. He talks to the others on the Council, does his bossy act like usual, but there's nothing I have on him. I wish I did. Man annoys me, especially with that stupid mustache."

  "I know, right? What's with that?"

  "Beats me. Thinks it makes him look distinguished or something. He looks like a walrus in a bow tie."

  "He must have said something about me. No conspiracies, no talk of getting me put away? Has he shown any signs of mind control?"

  "Mind control, are you nuts? Look, he's a pain, but he's a straight-up honest man underneath all the pomp. I hate to admit it, but I think you're barking up the wrong tree. Actually, I'm sure you are. Spark, I've heard Severi talking to the Faery Queen a few times in here, and he thinks you're innocent. He tried to get you off, almost had an argument with her over it. He said there was no way you would kill a faery. Heck, the day of your sentencing he pleaded with the Faery Queen to go easy on you. He's on your side, just annoying."

  "Damn, I was sure it was him. I'm surprised he stood up for me like that, though. He always acts like he hates me."

  "I don't think he likes you, but he's such a stickler for the Law that he didn't want to see you go down for anything you weren't guilty of."

  "Thanks for clearing that up, Charlie. I was sure it was him who wanted me out of the way." Charlie was never wrong, it was about the only endearing quality he had.

  "If you wanted to know who was keen to get you out of the way then why didn't you say so?"

  I began to get a good feeling about this. Maybe it wasn't Severi, maybe it was the Faery Queen, although that seemed even less likely. "Okay, what have you got?"

  "I heard a shifter muttering away to herself. Right good looker she was, big knockers and an ass like—"

  "Please, show some respect." Okay, I may think the same things about women, but I always think it with respect, and prefer to say boobies and bum, like a true gent does.

  "Sorry, it's the age difference. I forget you kids are all politically correct these days. Wasn't like that when I was a lad. We used to bang our women over the head and tell 'em to get back into the kitchen and make our dinner. Ah, good times." Charlie was lost to his dreams for a moment.

  "I bet. Sounds perfect."

  "Oh, it was. None of this equal rights
nonsense. We were in charge then."

  "Yes, and it was a right bloody mess. You got condemned to death for using magic to—"

  "Don't bring that up! I can't think about it now or I'll just be sad, and being a depressed ghost is no fun. I have to stay positive."

  "Okay, now, you were saying? About the shifter?"

  "Yeah, she was in here, at your sentencing, right up the top, hiding. I thought it looked suspicious and she had this extremely tight vest on so I went to investigate."

  "Went for a perv, you mean?"

  "Whatever." Charlie waved it away with a translucent hand. "She waited until your sentence was passed then she said, 'Good, now I can really get to work on the rest of them.'"

  "And?"

  "And, nothing, that was it. Right dodgy character if you ask me. You should go check her out."

  "Okay, it's worth a shot. Why would she have it in for me? And how could she be powerful enough to manipulate so many of us? Okay, what did she look like?"

  "Um, er, well, she had big, um, boobs, a bum you wanted to fondle, and, er..."

  "Hell's bells, Charlie, you are not telling me you didn't even look at her face are you?"

  "Hey, give me a break. I was busy."

  "You are such a dirty old man. I can't believe you." It was time to leave. I had a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time left to do it in.

  "Don't forget your promise to me. Put in a good word with Rikka. I have to get out of here, it's driving me nuts."

  "Sure, I'm good on my word. And thanks, Charlie. But next time try looking at the faces, eh? It helps if you can give a description beyond nice bum, you know?"

  "It was really nice."

  Guess I was off to shifter town next.

  A(nother) Ghost from the Past

  Standing at the end of the street brought back a lot of unwelcome memories. It was like going to the gym but magnified tenfold. The nightmares hadn't gone but had been less intense since my release. Last night was a foggy mix of dreams, panic, and sadness, and the booze was still weighing down my thoughts no matter what magic I threw at my cloudy mind.

  The last time I'd been here the streets ran with the blood of shifter men and women and vampires that had fared just as badly. A true massacre. I'd thought the area would be left abandoned but the opposite had happened. When the shifter communities came from far and wide to wipe out any vampire that had anything to do with it, many had remained and the roads were busier than ever before.

  They had relocated en masse and the communities were thriving better than ever, kids running around like maniacs, playing games in the street that made no sense to an out of touch guy like me.

  The small terraced houses were busy as all hell. People coming and going, doors left open, families and all manner of loners visiting, others wandering around aimlessly, people cleaning windows or sweeping up.

  What was also very obvious was that these newcomers didn't have some of the hangups the previous inhabitants had. They were mixing openly and happily, not sticking to shifters of their own kind, but chatting with each other. There were no petty rivalries that had built over the years as they were from all over the country, some related to those that died, others not, all of them knowing that in the end the various factions had come together to work as one to try to save themselves and their way of life.

  Now they were bonded in blood and closer than ever. Taavi had lost, the outcome the opposite to the one he'd worked toward. Take that, Taavi, you sick freak.

  Why would the shifters be involved in my current predicament? It made no sense. I'd risked life and limb for them. That didn't deserve punishment, that deserved a thanks, right?

  I wandered down the street, drawn to where I'd seen Plum sitting with her head in her hands, distraught and broken at the death and the cruelty. I could picture her now, face a mess, light spilling out the open front door, Barrack beside her, neither of us knowing how to help her. I could feel her clutching at me, holding me tight as if I could take away the hurt, and me wishing more than anything that I could, feeling helpless because my friend was so sad and lost.

  Kids ran past, shouting to each other, and I nodded at the adults who didn't know me, had no clue who I was. They'd find out soon enough. My job meant I'd visit a few at some point—shifters love a spot of trouble, and there's a wildness about them that refuses to be tamed. Rather like me, I guess. I realized then that I still had hope, I was thinking of a future that had me in it, so I clung to that—all was not lost. Yet.

  Coming out of my thoughts about what was and what might be, I looked up only to be confronted with a real blast from the past.

  She was back!

  Plum was staring right at me. Solid, real, gorgeous, and looking utterly pissed off.

  "You motherfucker," she screamed, and before I knew it she changed into a panther and leapt for my face, claws ready to rip me to shreds if the powerful jaw didn't take off my head first.

  Don't Hit Girls

  Magic hit me seconds before the panther. My ink surged with power and I reacted before I had a moment to think. Something held me back and rather than trying to blast the panther to hell I felt the vibration then her weight as she slammed into the force field that protected me from physical harm. But it was so sudden, so unexpected, that her momentum sent us both flying backward, crashing into the road in a mess of panic and claws. She raked at my clothes, sleek panther face snapping at my head, utterly terrifying.

  It's one thing knowing strong magic is surrounding you like a cocoon, it's quite another to experience a beautiful and powerful creature coming at you, stopping mere millimeters from your face. I don't recommend it one bit.

  She scrabbled with hind legs, trying to eviscerate me, and I felt the blows, felt her pushing down against the protective layer. It isn't my specialty, I'm more of a blaster than a defensive guy, and I felt the protection weaken. Her weight was insane, hundreds of pounds of raw muscle with one purpose. Kill me. And that's no fun, I like being me.

  I focused, sending magic swirling around my body via the ink, pushing back against her, increasing the surface area of the protection. My eyes, still partially normal, snapped to hard black, silver sparks dancing away, magic now in full effect. I saw her as she truly was, the body of the woman beneath the surface of the panther like she was wearing a ghost shroud, and I paused, magic ebbing away, bringing with it a rising tide of sickness as payback for using it without proper preparation.

  Her fury increased as magic waned, and claws tore at my clothing, raking long gashes down the expensive fabric. She snarled and snapped, getting wilder and keener as she sensed the weakness.

  I faltered before the face of Plum, angry and intent on destruction. How could I do anything but let her take me? This was someone I'd seen dead and resurrected by the power of the necromancer to seek revenge, and I'd seen her collapse once her vengeance was complete. Now back for me? It made no sense. She was definitely dead and she was my friend. Why would she attack me?

  As I scrambled back, ripping my hands on the rough ground, cursing the council for the state of the road, I did what I had to to survive. I focused my will, got the magic to do my bidding, and felt my body lighten as her weight lessened as she was pushed away from me.

  She wouldn't stop, and now we had an audience. People shouted, kids cried, my world one of delirium as I failed to process what was happening.

  "Plum, it's me," I screamed. "Stop. It's me." But it made no difference, she kept after me, body arching back ready to spring at me yet again.

  I couldn't keep this up. Force fields are damn hard and every time she hit me it was like being shot wearing a bulletproof vest, the impact bruising my body as I weakened.

  "Stop!" I managed to hold my hands up, a flat burst of magic shooting at the body of the panther woman, enough to send her spasming back and sideways, allowing me to get to my feet.

  "Get away, all of you. She's out of control. How is she here?" The crowd backed up but I guess seeing one of their kin
d in their animal form is nothing new to them and they weren't half as worried as I was.

  Through eyes deep into the Hidden world I studied the panther just as she studied me with yellow eyes intent on her prey. I saw the body beneath, the beautiful curves, the taut chest and lines of muscle on bare arms. The mole on her upper lip just to the left of her nose.

  Mole?

  Plum had no mole. This wasn't Plum, this looked very much like her but it wasn't her. A relative? A twin? No, younger, maybe five years, putting her at early thirties, maybe. I've never been good at ages, and it wasn't like I was about to ask when her birthday was or anything.

  The panther leapt at me and I blasted her again, harder, blackness enveloping her in a mist of magic shards that assaulted the fur, not damaging, but bombarding her with multiple hits that pummeled her backward, enough to stop her launching but not enough to cause permanent injury.

  This was a woman, and she may have been trying to eat me but I'm not big on killing or fighting women. Call me old-fashioned but it's not how I do business unless I have to. This wasn't pure evil or malevolence I was fighting, this was someone who was angry at me and I wanted to find out why.

  Because of Plum, obviously, but why? I'd tried to save her, done my best. Why was her doppelgänger out to get me?

  Time to find out.

  Distracted by my own slow reasoning, she took the opportunity to attack yet again. With no other choice, I hit her in the hind leg with a sharp stab of silver pain and she sailed past as I stepped aside.

  She lay in the road, yelping and mewling as she morphed back to human and I got to see for the first time what a naked Plum would look like. God, but she was beautiful. Skin dark and perfect, bum even more stunning than I had imagined in my dreams.

  There was a large red mark on her leg where I'd hit her, but she'd be all right. She was as strong and stubborn as Plum, though, and just as I thought it was over she came at me once more, leaping like she was unhurt, perfect body elongating and transitioning beautifully as fur covered her flesh and then the panther was back, front legs reaching for my head as claws snicked out like a damn wolverine and she half growled, half screamed.