Disclaimer: Same as always, I dont own anything from the Dresden Files.
Ok, here's the second chapter! Enjoy! let me know what you think! Good or Bad (I hope mostly good!)
Harry Dresden - Wizard
Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations.
Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates.
No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or
Other Entertainment.
That's me. Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, aka Wizard, aka old fashioned knight. At least that's how I see myself. Is that considered being full of myself? Meh, what the hell do I care. I think after saving the city umpteen times I should be able to get away with it.
I've lived in Chicago for years now, taking care of their supernatural, and sometimes not so super, problems just to pay the bills. Well, most of them anyways. Being a wizard doesn't always pay too well. My Warden's pay has helped a little, I finally got my door repaired, and so does my job as a consultant with Chicago PD. But even then, being a wizard is slim pickings.
But I've gotta say, my social life is finally improved. Well, slightly. I've actually spent time getting to know my half brother, Thomas. It's been better than when we lived together and drove each other crazy. Honestly, I think that if I had walked in on him and some bimbo in my bed again I was going to have to kill him. Granted, having everyone think that I'm his boyfriend kind of blows too.
And then there's Molly and her family. Ever since I saved Molly from a, umm, early demise, they've been like an extended family to me. Charity actually invited me over for Thanksgiving dinner this year. What's even more shocking is that I went. She's a damn good cook too.
There's also Carlos, who now deserved a black eye. The young virgin and I are actually getting along pretty good outside of the war effort. Granted, that was after he had pinned me in one of his circles till I explained what had been going on with me. Obviously I didn't tell him everything, but he seemed satisfied. Lately he's been like a little brother to me. Hell's bells, I guess that would make me a middle child. Who'd have though!
Last but definitely not least is Murphy. Our relationship still hasn't changed much since our last talk in that elevator a few years back. She still call's me for jobs now and then, and once in a while she helps me with some of my own. Hell if I know what I want from that relationship anyways. Ok, so I'm in denial, but it hurts less than thinking about what I can't have.
As I drove towards McAnally's I thought about how much I'd changed in the last few years. I got an ex-girlfriend turned into a semi-vampire, blew up a building, ran into a ex-girlfriend I thought was dead, blew up another building, somehow convinced people I was gay without my knowledge, had my left hand charred to a crisp by a scourge of Black Court Vampires, saved a girl from a faerie queen's ice fortress, blew myself INTO a building, found out I had a brother, and, Hell's bells, rode a freakin' T-Rex to the centre of Armageddon! Of all the things I'd done and people I'd helped, there were still things I had no control over. Death being one of them. And Ebenezer said that this kid I was heading to meet was dying. Sometimes I'm too chivalrous for my own good, because I was having a hard time dealing with the idea that she was dying, and there was nothing I could do to help except find someone for her.
By the time I got to McAnally's I'd worked myself up pretty good.
"Cool it Harry." I told myself, grabbing my staff from out of the backseat of the Beetle and heading towards the Pub.
That's exactly what McAnally's was, an old time Pub. Because Chicago has literally sunken from where it was built, you had to walk down a few steps to get into it. With all the different practitioners coming in and out of the pub, everything is arranged to try and disperse excess energies. Thirteen tables, thirteen huge carved pillars, and thirteen bar stools are all scattered around the place. McAnally's was also known for Mac's home brewed beer and cooking. Basically, this place is cool!
I scanned the room as I entered, looking for the girl Ebenezer had described to me. It wasn't too packed tonight, only a few wanna be wizards and a couple Wiccan's. I could not see her anywhere, so I headed towards the bar and sat down in front of Mac.
Before I could even ask, Mac put an opened beer in front of me. It was warm, like he always served it, and tasted great in this cold weather.
"Thanks" I said after a long drink, placing some money on the bar to cover it. Mac just nodded and continued cleaning an already pristine looking glass.
So I sat there waiting. The door opened only a few times, mostly the regular crowd coming or going. I sipped my beer as I saw one of Billy's werewolf buddies come in; he waved to me as he found a table for him and his friends.
8:24. She must have gotten stuck in traffic on her way into the city. The door opened again and I lazily looked that way as I finished the last of my beer.
Hell's bells.
I almost dropped the empty bottle (knowing that my jaw had already dropped) when I saw who had just come in the door. She was beautiful, to say the least. Hell, I think she'd give Thomas a run for his money. She was fairly tall for a girl, err woman, about five foot seven. Her hair was short and spiky in the back, but hung down across her eyes, and was the color of dark red wine. It should have looked like a terrible dye job, but it didn't somehow. Her eyes were what caught my attention though. They were a dark brown, but the way the light caught them brought out flecks of deep burgundy's and gold's. They were so mesmerizing that I almost lost myself to a soulgaze. She wore a pair of dark jeans, hiking boots, and a tight fitting black tank top under a leather jacket that went down to her knees. She also carried a leather bag over a shoulder, with what looked like it had a short sword within easy reach.
I'm an investigator; I'm supposed to notice things. Things like the sword and the knives hidden behind her back. I also happened to notice the subtle curves of her chest and her rounded hips.
Mac slammed another beer in front of me, making me jump. I think Bob would have been proud of what I just noticed. That idea made me sick. Mac gave me a look as if to say 'Wake up Idiot' before I started drooling.
She noticed me and headed over in my direction. I, being a gentleman (except for a few exceptions such as those thoughts a few moments ago), stood up to greet her. Maybe I shouldn't have done that, certain parts of my anatomy were, umm, in protest, so I kept my duster close around me.
She looked young, about twenty-five or twenty-six, and walked over to me with more confidence than I could have mustered knowing that I was going to die.
"Harry Dresden?" She asked as she reached me.
"Yes ma'am," I replied "You must be Ebenezer's niece."
She smiled and held out her hand "Syileta McCoy. Nice to meet you."
I hesitated slightly before taking her hand. Something I noticed that she noticed. She smiled again and I took her hand. Hell's bells. (I think I'm starting to swear too much) Hell's bells I don't think I've ever felt anything like that before. Normally it feels like a slight electrical shock, its strength depending on the power of the other wizard. I felt that, shaking Syileta's hand, but there was also a surge of raw heat. My mind went into overdrive; flashes of pain went through my burnt left hand, even though I knew I couldn't feel it. I snatched my hand back quickly and looked up into her eyes.
I guess I held the contact a moment too long, or she was already looking at mine. The soulgaze started almost immediately. There was a little red headed girl of about six or seven sitting in the corner of a bedroom. It wasn't a child's bedroom though; it looked more like a hotel room. The girl looked up, there were tears streaming down her bruised face. It was Syileta, or at least her as a child. A man came out from the shadows and hauled the little girl to her feet and threw her on the bed. She screamed as he came closer and started to undress. I turned away, and then the scene changed.
I was looking at Syileta again, a little older now, maybe fourteen. She was wearing what looked like a clean and proper school uniform and carried a patched up backpack. She looked nervous as she walked into a living room. There was an older man sitting there who didn't look quite human. His eyes were pure red, maybe that was what I didn't like about him. Syileta tried to slip past him, but he stopped her.
"You." He called, not getting up or even turning to her. "You have work tonight. And if you, resist, like last time, well let's just say that Riley will suffer the consequences."
Syileta visibly shuttered. But she nodded and headed up the stairs. The scene changed again, and I didn't know how much more I could take of this.
Syileta was a little older now, dressed in dark clothes, showing off her curves, holding a young man's head in her lap. She was crying over him, smearing the blood from a deep cut on his forehead over his face. He was dead. In the background I saw another body, the old man from the last scene, also dead, and a young man standing in the shadows.
And then the soulgaze ended, just as soon as it began. Syileta looked away from me for a moment. I didn't blame her. I don't know what she saw, but I really don't think it was good.
"Sorry 'bout that." She said a moment later, looking back at me. Her eyes were wet, but her voice remained strong. "Wasn't expecting that to begin so quickly."
I watched her for a minute. She spoke like a polite young woman, but from what I had seen I would have thought she would be anything but. Granted, I could fake being civil now and again too.
"No need to apologize." I replied politely. "And you can lose the polite act. It isn't fooling anyone."
She laughed. "Sorry. When Ebenezer said he was hooking me up with one of his colleagues I expected someone old and stingy."
"Should I be insulted by that?" I asked, laughing too. Then I realized we were still standing in the middle of the pub. I gestured to the chair I was still holding out for her and she took it.
Mac has the best timing ever. He came over and laid down a couple more beers for us.
"Thanks." I said. We drank for a moment before getting back to business. "So Syileta…"
"Please," she said, taking a long drink and making a slightly disgusted face before smiling, and taking another drink, "Please call me Syi. Dumb ass parents and stupid names no one can read." She muttered.
"Ok, Syi" I shook my head. Well, at least she was starting to show personality. "Ebenezer said you wanted me to find someone for you." She nodded, so I continued. "Two conditions."
She eyed me for a second, considering what I said.
"Shoot." She answered. Taking another long drink from here beer. "But only if we can eat. Hell, I'll even pay."
I laughed again and nodded.
"Hey Mac, can we get some food?"
We made small talk while we ate our dinner. Have I said that Mac's a great cook? And Syileta's good company. Did I also mention that she can pack away more than me? Who'd have thought?
Syileta had been telling me about how she found her uncle, Ebenezer, using her mother's bracelet. Supposedly it had been passed through her family and had strong ties to other McCoy's. Pretty impressive actually. Not sure why she needs my help.
I pushed my mostly finished steak sandwich away as Syileta finished the last of her fries. From what I could tell she had finally relaxed. I guess it's as good a time as any to start the hard questions. I knew I had to push her a little, make sure I wasn't going to have this blow up in my face. I finished the rest of my beer before diving in.
"Two conditions?" She asked before I had a chance.
I nodded. "One, I have the right to refuse." I said. I was being a little harsh, but I really didn't want to get into this without a way out again.
I turned towards her and Syileta just smiled and nodded, "I expected that."
"Two," I softened slightly, not wanting to scare her away, "You tell me about yourself. I'm not asking to know everything, just some major facts. You know, where you grew up, what happened to your brother." I paused, watching her face. It had paled slightly at the mention of him. She recovered slightly and nodded.
"Where do you want me to begin?" She asked, downing the rest of her beer. Mac was ready with another opened one for her.
"How about telling me what was up with that handshake." I replied, trying to be gentle. I figured I should start with an easy one to get her going. But it didn't seem like that was going to be a problem. After our soulgaze she had relaxed a lot. I'm not sure why but my gut told me I could trust her.
She chuckled again. "Ohh, softball question. I take it you felt the practitioner part of me."
I nodded.
"Ok, so it was the other power you felt. My mother was a wizard, obviously, and pretty talented from what I've been told. But she screwed up, got involved with someone she shouldn't. Anyways, one thing led to another and she met my father. They fell in love and she got pregnant. Then me and my brother came along, and my parents died leaving us with our dad's brother. He was, well, horrible."
"That still doesn't explain that other power I felt, or what happened to your family." I said, picking at a few of my leftover fries.
"I'm getting there!" she snapped with a smile. "Ok, just let me spill it all at once, its easier that way. So stop interrupting me!"
I smiled and nodded. This must have been a little hard for her. Maybe it would be easier for her if I just shut up and let her talk.
"So my father. He was a Fire Elemental. That's what that raw power you felt was. That's also the reason my mother died giving birth to me and my twin brother."
"Fire Elemental!" I snapped. They weren't anyone you wanted to mess with. Even a low level one could blow my head off without a seconds thought. I didn't even know there were still many alive.
"What happened to interrupting?" She asked. "Anyways, when a Fire Elemental is born, they're born on fire. Ya, ouch, I know. There was nothing my mother could do to protect herself. We just burned her alive."
Syileta's eyes were watering slightly, but she held her composure. More than I could have done in her situation.
"Anyways, I'm a half Wizard, half Fire Elemental. That's why I'm dying too. For some fucked up reason my wizard half is battling with the Elemental part, tearing me apart from the inside out." She pulled an amulet from under her tank top. I blushed slightly, seeing where it was coming from. "This damn thing is part of the problem. It keeps my wizarding powers under restraint, but my body's so used to it that whenever I take it off to do magic, my body takes a major hit." She replaced the necklace, and pulled off the fingerless glove on her right hand revealing a red and black tattoo. "This stupid thing pretty much tells me when I'm going to die. Every time I use my magic, the black gets darker, and the red gets lighter. Once the red disappears, it's game over."
We sat in silence for a minute, taking in what she had said.
"How long?" I finally asked.
"About two weeks."
She turned to look at me after a moment. I couldn't meet her gaze. That wasn't long at all. And it wasn't fair.
"It's not that bad. I'll get to see Riley again." She said. I think it was hope I heard in her voice.
"Was that who you were holding?" I asked. I hoped she knew what I was talking about. I didn't want to have to explain it.
"Yes. He died that day saving my life, and the life of our friend. That's who I needed you to help me find. I'm not good at that kind of magic. It was hard enough to find one of my own family, let alone someone I haven't seen in eight years."
After hearing all this, there was no way I could possibly say no to her.
"So you going to help me?" She asked a little later.
"I've got one more question." I said. She looked at me before smiling and nodding.
"I expected nothing less from an investigator." She replied with a spark in her eye.
"Why couldn't Ebenezer help you?" I asked.
Syileta laughed. It was a deep laugh, similar to Ebenezer's. It made me smile too.
"You can't really ask the Council's blackstaff to help you find a vampire can you?" She said between laughs.
"You do know that they all want me dead right?" I asked a little shocked. She was a Practitioner, she would have known about the war, and probably the fact that I had started it. Hell's bells was she trying to get me killed!
"Don't worry," She said with a smile, "White Court."
"Oh, ok" I said, "Only eighty percent of them want me dead."
This was just great. I promised Ebenezer I'd help her out and I was probably gonna get killed. Just my luck. Oh well, I guess it's a good way to go, helping a damsel in distress. That's the way my life seems to take me.
"So, you still going to help me?" She asked after I was silent for a few minutes.
"Ya, color me stupid but I'm in." I mumbled as I chugged my half full beer. "So are you going to tell me who I'm supposed to find?"
She paused for a minute, finishing her beer too. Finally, her face lit up and she said two words. The last two words I ever thought I'd hear come out of her mouth.
"Thomas Raith."
lol, bet you saw that coming! anyways, next chapter will be up in a week i hope. It should get a little more, lets say... exciting.
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Thanks again to you guys who did review, I really really appreciated it!