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Authors: Justen Hunter
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your top twenty here. I’m not sure what’s going
on, but I think they’re close, and they are definitely on to me.
I shook my head, and flipped out the notebook Nick had given me. I punched the number
he had written into my cell, and listened to the phone ring.
“Hello, Eric.” Nick’s smug voice greeted me. “Found something, have we?”
“Thomas’ room was ransacked. I found a box of bullets, and there was a note taped
to the bottom.”
He made a noise of acknowledgment. “Well, interesting. Not where I would have put
it, but maybe he was rushed. What did it say?”
“Well, apart from calling you a bastard, he said this was big, and you needed to call
in the big guns. He was in over his head.” I read off the note for him. “Nick, this
sounds pretty bad.”
“Top twenty, eh?” He was silent a moment. “That’s interesting. I can’t think of anyone
that high on our most wanted who’s operating in Frisco.”
“Frisco, seriously?” I may have not been a native, but there was just some things
you too offense to. That was one.
“Sorry, forgot how you local yokels object to that one.” I could hear the eye-rolling
on the other side. “It’s a start. Unfortunately, I have no marshals I can send.. It’s
just you and Amy. You guys have to do this.”
“Me?” I rolled my eyes. “Jeez Louise, Nick, why can’t you come?”
He laughed. “Oh, I definitely can’t. You’re new to this, Eric.” His voice grew solemn.
“There are lots of rules in the Arcane. You may not know these yet, but you’ll find
that Amy and I and others like us are limited, though we may seem powerful. There
are rules to our game, ones that we must follow, always. No exceptions.”
“Great, I’m getting slammed with the Arcane Prime Directive.”
“Star Trek, really? I took you more for a Star Wars guy.”
I had to laugh. “Hey, I like both. It’s not a crime. I’m a geek, and I take my sci-fi
where I can get it.”
“Very well. Anyways, Mister Carpenter, you’re on your own.. Keep Amy close, and, please, don’t get yourself killed. I’d hate to change
the status of your file.”
“Wait, I have a file?”
He just answered. “Find Thomas, find the girl.”
The line went dead. I pondered on that for a moment. A guy who was heading a part
of the federal government that tracked and hunted law-breaking Arcanes had a file
on me. How’s that for scary?
Chapter 9
I have had terrible ideas in life. I was sure this one took the cake. I was going
to walk into a vampire bar and do the same exact thing that got a human killed in
a regular bar two nights ago. Yea, totally brilliant.
It was my night off. I had earned that after the mess that was the previous night.
I left the jeep at my place, and had stashed the brush in my dresser. I felt safe
at least in that those were secure as I called a cab to take me to the Last Drop.
I could practically feel the disapproving glance of the cab driver when I told him
the address. I mean, I could have made him feel better by telling him I was doing
it to go undercover and try to find a missing girl, but my attire didn’t exactly scream
‘professional investigator’. I wore a black shirt and jeans, both of which had seen
better days. The collar of the shirt, thankfully, hid the forming scars of the bite
from last night. It was hard to believe, but the wound had rapidly healed. I’d have
to ask Amy about that.
The cabby dropped me off on the corner near the Last Drop, so I had to walk the rest
of it. I suffered his disapproving look as I paid him. Sure, the Arcane races were
out of the closet. Didn’t mean that most people had to like it.
I walked to the line and queued up. As I was waiting, I got a call from Matt. “Hey,
man what’s going on?” Matt said, greeting me as I answered.
“Oh, just, uh, running some errands tonight. Going to be busy all night. How’s it
going?”
“Pretty
on, but I think they’re close, and they are definitely on to me.
I shook my head, and flipped out the notebook Nick had given me. I punched the number
he had written into my cell, and listened to the phone ring.
“Hello, Eric.” Nick’s smug voice greeted me. “Found something, have we?”
“Thomas’ room was ransacked. I found a box of bullets, and there was a note taped
to the bottom.”
He made a noise of acknowledgment. “Well, interesting. Not where I would have put
it, but maybe he was rushed. What did it say?”
“Well, apart from calling you a bastard, he said this was big, and you needed to call
in the big guns. He was in over his head.” I read off the note for him. “Nick, this
sounds pretty bad.”
“Top twenty, eh?” He was silent a moment. “That’s interesting. I can’t think of anyone
that high on our most wanted who’s operating in Frisco.”
“Frisco, seriously?” I may have not been a native, but there was just some things
you too offense to. That was one.
“Sorry, forgot how you local yokels object to that one.” I could hear the eye-rolling
on the other side. “It’s a start. Unfortunately, I have no marshals I can send.. It’s
just you and Amy. You guys have to do this.”
“Me?” I rolled my eyes. “Jeez Louise, Nick, why can’t you come?”
He laughed. “Oh, I definitely can’t. You’re new to this, Eric.” His voice grew solemn.
“There are lots of rules in the Arcane. You may not know these yet, but you’ll find
that Amy and I and others like us are limited, though we may seem powerful. There
are rules to our game, ones that we must follow, always. No exceptions.”
“Great, I’m getting slammed with the Arcane Prime Directive.”
“Star Trek, really? I took you more for a Star Wars guy.”
I had to laugh. “Hey, I like both. It’s not a crime. I’m a geek, and I take my sci-fi
where I can get it.”
“Very well. Anyways, Mister Carpenter, you’re on your own.. Keep Amy close, and, please, don’t get yourself killed. I’d hate to change
the status of your file.”
“Wait, I have a file?”
He just answered. “Find Thomas, find the girl.”
The line went dead. I pondered on that for a moment. A guy who was heading a part
of the federal government that tracked and hunted law-breaking Arcanes had a file
on me. How’s that for scary?
Chapter 9
I have had terrible ideas in life. I was sure this one took the cake. I was going
to walk into a vampire bar and do the same exact thing that got a human killed in
a regular bar two nights ago. Yea, totally brilliant.
It was my night off. I had earned that after the mess that was the previous night.
I left the jeep at my place, and had stashed the brush in my dresser. I felt safe
at least in that those were secure as I called a cab to take me to the Last Drop.
I could practically feel the disapproving glance of the cab driver when I told him
the address. I mean, I could have made him feel better by telling him I was doing
it to go undercover and try to find a missing girl, but my attire didn’t exactly scream
‘professional investigator’. I wore a black shirt and jeans, both of which had seen
better days. The collar of the shirt, thankfully, hid the forming scars of the bite
from last night. It was hard to believe, but the wound had rapidly healed. I’d have
to ask Amy about that.
The cabby dropped me off on the corner near the Last Drop, so I had to walk the rest
of it. I suffered his disapproving look as I paid him. Sure, the Arcane races were
out of the closet. Didn’t mean that most people had to like it.
I walked to the line and queued up. As I was waiting, I got a call from Matt. “Hey,
man what’s going on?” Matt said, greeting me as I answered.
“Oh, just, uh, running some errands tonight. Going to be busy all night. How’s it
going?”
“Pretty
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