The Impossible Wizard: The Aegis of Merlin Book 1 Read online

  “Good evening, Bloody. Where’s your master?”

  “Mistress Raven. Iron Skull’s in the kitchen with the guys. Numb shot a bunch of rats and we’re frying them up. There’s plenty if you want some.”

  Lady Raven swallowed the gorge that rose in the back of her throat. “I have already dined. Take me to him. I have a job.”

  “Yes, Mistress.”

  Bloody led her through the filth and past bare studs to what served as their kitchen. A barrel with a fire burning in it covered with a grate served as the stove. A cast iron pot filled with oil snapped and bubbled. She didn’t move close enough to see the contents.

  Iron Skull leapt to his feet when he spotted her, prompting the others to follow suit or make their leader look bad. His black mohawk stood straight up and stiff today. It looked like he’d used some sort of automotive grease on it. His broad-shouldered chest strained his leather jacket to its limits.

  “Mistress Raven. What brings you here?”

  “I have a task. A simple one, but it will require a bit of finesse.”

  Iron Skull scratched his head and belched. “Finesse ain’t my bag. Bone, you’re up.”

  Where Iron Skull was broad and thick, Bone Skull was thin, almost skeletal, thus his gang name, with slicked back black hair and only a single tattoo. Lady Raven and the slender biker shared a look of mutual distaste. Bone didn’t like her and worse, didn’t trust her. She had Iron Skull wrapped around her finger, but Bone was far too intelligent for her liking. Lady Raven preferred her tools dull.

  She removed the box from her hidden pocket. Sometimes you just dealt with a less than ideal situation.

  “That the same as the other ones you had us hide?” Iron Skull asked.

  “Similar. I need this hidden on the grounds of the Shadow Carnival tonight.”

  “Where?” Bone eyed the black box, his lip curled in distaste.

  “It doesn’t matter as long as it’s out of the way.” She held out the box to him.

  Bone nodded toward the only other small man in the room. “Give it to Numb. The two of us will get the job done.”

  He definitely didn’t trust her. Lady Raven smiled. He also feared her, though he’d never admit such a thing.

  She gave the box to a scowling Numb Skull. The moment it settled in his hands she spoke a spell. “There, now you’re the only one that can open it. Your instructions are simple. Find a hidden place, kill someone, doesn’t matter who, and drag their body into it. Inside the box you’ll find a black gem. Touch the gem to the body and the magic will activate. Leave the box next to the body and go. Nothing to it.”

  Numb looked from her to Iron Skull. “What about dinner? I shot the rats. Don’t seem like I ought to miss out on eating them.”

  “We’ll save you some leftovers. You two get a move on.”

  Bone grabbed Numb by the shoulder and dragged him toward the door. “Come on.”

  Lady Raven nodded to Iron Skull and followed the other two out. Assuming her tools did their job the boy would die tomorrow.

  Bone and Numb left their bikes two blocks from the park where the carnival had set up. Despite the clear night the thin crescent moon offered little in the way of light. It was perfect for sneaking around, especially since the island blocked most of the moonlight above the carnival. The shops that lined the street had closed for the night so they had no trouble finding a spot to pull in. The roar of their choppers would alert the carnies if they drove the whole way and the bitch queen said she wanted the job done quiet.

  Bone didn’t especially give a shit what she wanted, but if they fucked up Iron Skull would have a fit that might end with one or both of them dead. The leader of their club wasn’t known for his even temper and gentle disposition. Not exactly shocking for someone in their line of work, but no less dangerous for all that.

  They dismounted and Numb headed for the park.

  “Hold up,” Bone said.

  “What? I want to get this done and get back before the guys eat all the leftovers.”

  “Will you forget about the fuckin’ rats? That shithole we’re livin’ in is full of them. You can shoot some more tomorrow. Now open that box.”

  Numb pulled the black box out of the satchel of tools he’d brought. “Why do you want to open it now? She said we’re supposed to leave it with the body.”

  “Fuck her. Open it.”

  Numb shrugged and pulled the lid open. Inside was a matte black gem that didn’t reflect the meager light. “What now?”

  “Take the gem and put the box in my saddlebag.”

  “That’s not what she said to do, Bone.”

  Bone grabbed Numb by the front of his jacket and yanked him close so their noses almost touched. Bone might have been skinny, but he was stronger than he looked. “She ain’t here. Now do what I tell you. And make sure you wrap it in my spare bandana. Last thing I need is to get a curse off the fuckin’ thing.”

  Numb’s eyes went wide, as if the idea of a curse never crossed his mind. Since he was an idiot it probably hadn’t. Numb did as Bone told him and when he finished asked, “What now?”

  “Now we do the bitch’s job and split.”

  They walked down the sidewalk toward the park, side by side, just like they owned the street. Nothing made people suspicious like a person sneaking around.

  When they reached the edge of the parking lot Numb stopped. “What are you going to do with the box, Bone?”

  “Nothing, right now. But sooner or later that witch is going to fuck us over and when she does I want some leverage. If I threaten to show the cops her box it might make her think twice.”

  “Iron Skull’s not going to like that.”

  He certainly wasn’t. That’s why Bone didn’t plan on telling him. “The boss has a soft spot for her. I’m trying to save him from himself. Now shut up and focus.”

  They swung out wide around the parking lot then moved in closer to the fence surrounding the carnival. In the dim light they couldn’t make out much beyond the closest stalls. They circled around until they reached a spot behind a large tent.

  Numb sniffed and sighed. “Too bad we couldn’t come back during the day. I smell hotdogs.”

  Bone shook his head. Fuckin’ moron. “Gimme the cutters.”

  Numb pulled a pair of short-handled bolt cutters from the satchel and in less than a minute Bone had an opening big enough for them to slip through.

  The carnival grounds were quiet; no one was out and about at this time of night. That should make it easy to find a place to hide the stone, but would they find someone to kill?

  The bikers darted from tent to display to shed. They’d have to risk going out into the main part of the carnival if they wanted to find someone. Bone inched along the side of a food trailer.

  “Hey, Bone, look at that.” Numb pointed at what looked like an artificial mini-mountain.

  “Will you shut up?” Bone looked closer. There was a faint light coming from the mountain. If someone was there they could kill two birds with one stone.

  He grabbed Numb’s sleeve and tugged him along across the open space separating the trailer from the mountain. They stopped beside a dart game. There was an opening in the front of the mountain, that’s where the light was coming from.

  Numb started to move closer, but Bone stopped him. If there was a light someone had to be inside. The hunters had to stay patient.

  Soon enough a shadow moved in the feeble light and a moment later a pudgy woman in a polka dot dress emerged from the cave. She had a clipboard and no visible weapon.

  She would do nicely.

  “Go get her,” Bone said.

  “Thanks, Bone.” Numb drew his knife and jogged toward the woman.

  She never knew what hit her. Numb came up behind her, clamped a hand across her mouth and swung around, driving his blade into her chest. She twitched a couple times and went still. He might be an idiot, but Numb was a fine killer.

  Bone took a quick look around to make sure no one ha
d noticed the ambush. It looked clear. He ran over to Numb. “Let’s move her out of sight. There must be a place in there we can hide her body.”

  Numb grabbed her under the armpits and Bone got her ankles. They lugged her back toward the cave. Too bad they couldn’t have found someone skinnier. The bitch weighed a ton.

  Once they moved inside, out of sight, Bone dropped her legs and sighed. “No sense lugging her around until we have somewhere to take her. Let’s check this dump out.”

  They walked deeper into the mountain, following a set of narrow train tracks. The mountain was a ride. Pretty elaborate for a piddling operation like this.

  “Hey, Bone, a light.”

  A thin glowing line in the wall beside the tracks drew the two bikers closer. Bone worked his fingers into the gap and yanked. A door opened revealing a small room filled with machinery.

  “For maintenance, you think?” Numb asked.

  “Probably. This should do nicely. We’ll dump her body here and seal it back up.”

  They retraced their steps, grabbed the corpse, and hauled it to the maintenance room. Bone dropped his end in a clear area at the rear of the room.

  “Fuck!”

  “What?” Numb stared at him, a worried frown on his face.

  “We left her clipboard outside. If anyone notices that they might come looking. I’ll grab it. You fire up the magic.”

  Numb’s eyes went wide. “You want me to do it?”

  “She gave you the gem. Hurry up. I want to get out of here.”

  Bone left Numb to his task and retreated toward where Numb knifed the woman. He’d never admit it, but magic made Bone nervous. He supposed it made everyone nervous, but it really gave him the shakes.

  After a minute of searching he found the dead woman’s clipboard. He bent to pick it up and froze. Voices were coming from the opposite way. In the night with his black jacket and jeans Bone should have been all but invisible.

  The voices faded and Bone risked looking up. He caught a glimpse of movement heading into the mountain.

  “Fuck.” Bone switched the clipboard to his left hand and pulled his dagger with the other. It was a wicked, eighteen-inch, double-bladed beast, with a deep blood groove running down the center. The beast would take care of any problems he ran into.

  Numb wanted to argue when Bone left him alone with the dead woman, which didn’t bother him, and the magic stone, which did, but he’d gone before Numb could work up the nerve. He knew he shouldn’t be such a coward, especially in this job. On the other hand a little fear had kept him alive more than once when the other guys got in a killing mood. Those days when the wrong word or even a funny look might get you gutted.

  Fuck it. Best to just do the job and go before someone showed up. He fumbled around in his bag and finally came up with the black stone. It chilled his hand to the marrow. Was there somewhere in particular he should put it? Mistress Raven hadn’t said.

  He shivered when he thought of the wizard. If ever there was a person to fear it was her. Numb didn’t know how Bone found the guts to risk going against her. He’d do just what she said, when she said it. Way safer than plotting against the terrifying woman.

  “Hey!”

  Numb fumbled the stone and it bounced into the corner of the room. He spun and found two men that looked like twins with matching brown hair and eyes. They wore grease-covered overalls with tools jutting out of the pockets.

  “You ain’t supposed to be here,” the left-hand man said.

  “Is that Gerty?” the other brother asked. “What’d you do to her?”

  Numb groped for the hilt of his knife and finally dragged it free of the sheath on his belt. Bone would be back soon. He could hold off a pair of mechanics for a minute or two.

  The brothers pulled out their heaviest tools, a monkey wrench and a long screwdriver. Not the most wicked weapons, but either one of them could do you in if it hit you in the head.

  “We’ll bash you good for what you done,” the guy with the wrench said.

  He lunged at Numb who dodged the clumsy blow and opened a long slash in the mechanic’s forearm, not deep, but bloody.

  Numb grinned. These chumps didn’t know how to fight. They were just stupid carnies who walked into the wrong place at the wrong time. He could take them. No problem.

  “Jobe!”

  The brother with the screwdriver leapt at Numb with no thought for defense. Numb’s knife drove deep into the man’s chest, but his weight bore the biker to the floor.

  Numb struggled to throw the body off.

  “You bastard! You killed my brother.”

  The second guy fell on him. The heavy wrench crashed into Numb’s head and set the room spinning. A second blow turned out the lights for a moment.

  When his vision returned Bone was standing behind the wrench guy, his big dagger poking out the front of the carnie’s chest. Bone tossed the body aside and knelt beside Numb. He reached down and Numb flinched when he touched the side of his head.

  “Don’t look good, Numb.”

  Numb tried to say he’d be okay, but only garbled nonsense came out. That, combined with the way Bone was looking at him said he wouldn’t be okay. That look said he was about to die.

  Bone cleaned his dagger on the dead mechanic’s overalls and returned to Numb. He held the ugly blade and shook his head. “You can’t ride, brother.”

  Numb tried to argue, but more nonsense emerged. His thoughts were so jumbled he couldn’t even form an argument in his own mind.

  Bone reached for him with the dagger. The razor edge touched his throat and the lights went out again.

  Bone grimaced as he watched the last of Numb’s blood spill out across the floor. It was a shame when you had to kill a brother, but he couldn’t ride, and that mushy spot on the side of his skull wasn’t something they could just sew up. Maybe a hospital could have done something for him, but Bone doubted it. Numb’s brain was as pulped as his skull.

  The black gem sat on the floor in the corner of the mechanical room. Bone had no intention of touching it. A quick search of the bodies turned up a pair of pliers in one of the brothers’ pockets. It opened just wide enough for Bone to pick up the gem and drop it on the woman’s chest.

  It seemed to melt into her, a black stain that covered her from breasts to hips. Dark sparks shot out and formed lines and squiggly figures. Bone had seen enough.

  “So long, brother.”

  He left the bodies where they lay and fled the room, pausing only long enough to push the door to the hidden room shut. A catch clicked, securing the door so that not even a glimmer of light leaked out. That should satisfy the bitch.

  Bone paused at the mouth of the cave. No one was waiting and nothing moved in the unlit carnival. At least the fight hadn’t drawn any attention.

  He ran back the way they’d come, following the outer fence until he reached the opening. Once he was clear of the carnival grounds Bone slowed to a walk and took his time getting back to the bike. He’d have to call Iron Skull and tell him what happened. He needed one of the guys to come pick up Numb’s bike.

  Bone had been preparing for this moment for months. He knew exactly where he’d hide the box. Maybe he was wrong and the wizard wouldn’t betray them. He hoped so, but if she did he’d make damn sure the witch suffered the consequences.

  When he finally reached his bike Bone sat down and pulled out his phone. Now the tricky part: breaking the news to Iron Skull in such a way that their unpredictable leader didn’t blow up.

  “Boss,” he said when Iron Skull answered. “Job’s done. Yeah, there was a problem. Numb bought it.”

  Bone held the phone away from his ear while Iron Skull shouted. When his leader fell silent Bone said, “It was just bad luck. A couple carnies showed up while I was out cleaning the kill sight. Numb killed one of them, but the other bashed his head in before he could free his knife. Yeah, I gutted him. The magic stone did its thing. Can you send a couple of the guys over to ride Numb’s bike to the d
ump site?”

  Bone gave Iron Skull the address and hung up. It would take at least twenty minutes for the others to arrive, plenty of time to set things up.

  Half an hour later when Bloody and Tough showed up he had everything transferred over to Numb’s saddlebags. Numb getting himself killed made his plan much simpler to put into motion. Bone had no idea how he would have explained his missing bike to the guys, but having to hide Numb’s made a perfect excuse.

  Tough climbed down from behind Bloody who roared off back to the house without a word.

  “So what happened?” Tough asked.

  Bone gave him the condensed version, leaving out the bit about cutting Numb’s throat himself. “We’ll drop his bike at the storage site down by the docks.”

  Tough nodded, not offering so much as a word of argument. Unless fighting and killing were involved Tough generally didn’t have many opinions. That’s what made him so valuable, especially at times like this.

  The two bikers roared off to the east. A small part of Bone almost wished the wizard would betray them just so she’d see what it felt like to have someone beat her.

  Mom stood in front of the apartment door with her arms crossed. “You can’t go.”

  “Why not?” Conryu had thrown on his comfortable, frayed jeans, shapeless t-shirt, and boots with the intention of heading out to the Shadow Carnival. A few hours without having to think about wizards and politics was way up on his to-do list.

  Ten had just come and gone. It was the last day of the carnival and he needed to go if he didn’t want to miss it. He was supposed to grab Maria and then they were going to meet up with Jonny and Rin.

  “Why not? You were almost murdered yesterday!”

  “Come on. I can’t stay in the apartment for the rest of my life. There’ll be hundreds of people there. No one would be dumb enough to try something with that many people around.”