AN: I made a promise to a friend to have this out before October, so I made a solid effort to get this done. However, reading the first chapter or two it felt rushed so I tried to take my time with this chapter. I'm hoping I was successful with more than just beating the deadline. :) Also I may go back and do some minor rewrites on some of the earlier chapters to add more depth try to smooth it out a little. However, I'll try to hold off on the rework until I finish the story. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, please read, enjoy and feel free to add feedback in the reviews.
The elderly fat man hurried down the stone passage, his sandals slapping on the cold ancient stones. The sweat ran down his face from under the thick, rough cotton hood of his robes. His chubby belly and chest were sweating from the exertion making the heavy scratchy robes even more miserable than before. He was panting as he turned the corner and slowed his pace trying to catch his breath as he walked quickly to the chamber door and knocked twice firmly.
The torch set into the wall burned brightly as the knocks echoed down the hallway. The man stood silently waiting for a reply, fidgeting and tugging at his clothes.
"Enter." came the gravelly voice from the other side of the door. The not quite human sounding bass voice made his skin crawl and sent fear into his chest as he obediently reached forward to open the rough hewn wooden doors. The iron hinges made a grinding sound as the doors opened stiffly. The light from the hallway spilled into the dimly lit room, the smell of incents and dead flesh wafted out of the room and the heavy set man pushed forward into the room. He took only a few steps in before dropping to one knee and placing his right palm flat on the ground.
"My Lord, I bring news." He said, trying to keep the fear and anxiety out of his voice. He stared at the stone floor both to show respect and also to avoid looking upon the visage of his master. He had served his master for the last three years, exchanging knowledge and training for helping his master recover and doing the odd jobs that were necessary to gather the resources needed to restore his master.
"Abram, it's not like you to visit me in the middle of the day." His master replied with a feigned surprise. "What's this news you speak of? I sincerely hope, for your sake that it's something I want to hear. Like that you've recovered the stray little girl..." His voice trailed off sounding harder and colder than before as it trailed off. The older man took a deep breath to steel his nerve before speaking.
"We had found her sir, but we were unable to recover her. It seems she's that some people are protecting her, and they are strong." Abram said and then quickly continued. "However, one was shot and is in the hospital, the other had a friend show up unexpectedly when we tried to assault the home. The home was protected with magic and they were well armed." He was about to continue when he felt the tip of a whip cutting into his right shoulder. The bite from the whip stopped him in mid sentence and caused the arm he was leaning on to buckle. Abram fell with a clatter to the old thick stone floor. The cold and moisture making the dirt gritty as it rubbed against his cheek and jaw.
"You told me you were sending in a competent team. They could take down a dictator, you had said. Yet now," His master howled in rage and disbelief striking out again, the whip finding the center of his back this time, cutting through the fabric and into the apprentices soft flesh. "You come to me telling me that two men stood off your entire assault team?"
"It seems that they were ready for an attack sir. I don't know how they could have known we were coming, but the exterior of the house was rigged with traps and they had large caliber weapons. From what our man said, they were unbelievably fast and I believe one was a practitioner. A very powerful one at that." Abram whimpered as he tried to push himself up to his knees, his shoulder and back welling with blood from the whips insults. The sting still fresh on both wounds.
"A practitioner or a Wizard?" the hooded figure asked, his boney fingers tapping the wooden table in front of him. Small pieces of flesh fell from his fingers, the bone at the tips exposed as it drummed against the wood. The two red glowing spots seemed to get brighter as his master gazed upon Abram.
"Wizard, he seemed to be a wizard sir!" Abram said anxiously wondering if he'd receive another lash from his master.
"That's very interesting." His master mused, leaning back in the huge overstuffed chair. "His companion, the one you shot, describe them for me."
"It was a young woman sir. Mid twenties with long blond hair. She may be a wizard as well. The men reported that she was incredibly strong and their bullets seemed to bounce away from her and the child." Abram continued.
"The man, was he tall and lanky. Was he perhaps wearing a long leather duster?" The master asked sounding amused and annoyed at the same time.
"They said he wore an overcoat, but it may very well have been a duster sir."
"So it's them..." the master cackled to himself. His scratch dry voice made the laughter all the more ominous as it echoed in the large stone room. "This is earlier than I'd hoped for but at least I won't have to go looking for him later." The figure leaned back exposing part of his face, the skin was cracked and dry where skin covered his face. Part of his jaw and mouth were missing skin completely and the bone and dead muscles were visible along with a good portion of his teeth. This made his smile all the more macabre and Sinister. "How many of your men returned?"
"Two sir. Three were chased off and one died on the way back, another is seriously injured but the third has only minor wounds. The rest were captured and turned over to the police." Abram replied sheepishly, sitting on his haunches and keeping his head down. "I've called for our doctor to tend to the wounded."
"That won't be necessary. Bring them to me. Use the skill I taught you to dominate their minds and march them to me." The master said from under the heavy cowl, there was a smirk in his voice and then he waved his decaying hand at Abram to send him away. "and Abram, bring the second group of girls to the room tonight, it seems I should step things in case I need to greet our new friends anytime soon."
"As you say sir!" The older heavyset man bowed his head and then quickly got up and scurried out of the room pulling the doors closed behind him.
Abram headed back down the hallway, rubbing his shoulder. He smiled a toothy smile as he headed to gather the two who had returned unsuccessfully. Their screw up had saved him from having to try to gather fresh body parts for his master to use to patch his dead, but slowly regenerating body back together. He hoped that perhaps this time there would be enough left over to construct a complete skeleton or maybe a complete body. Abram was currently working on reanimating thing but squirrels and small pets were one thing, if he could animate and control a human body... Abrams feet moved faster and his shoulder seemed to hurt less as he neared the stairs leading to the room where the two soldiers were waiting for him.
There was a buzzing in the old ear piece as the phone rang. "Come on.. come on.. where are you grasshopper?" I thought to myself as it rang again.
"Carpenter residence, Alicia speaking." came the voice on the other end.
"Alicia, it's Harry Dresden. Is Molly home?" I asked frantically.
"No, sorry Mr. Dresden, she's out for the morning." Alicia said matter of factly. How could she be out this morning of all mornings?!
"Alicia, is your mother there?" I asked hopefully.
"Oh yes, she's home." Alicia said sweetly, then moved the receiver only a few inches from her mouth before yelling at the top of her lungs, "MOM.. Phone! It's Mr. Dresden..." My ear was ringing as I quickly moved the receiver from my ear. Then there was a soft click.
"Hello? I have it, you can hang up now Alicia." Charity Carpenters voice said sounding a every inch a mother. The line clicked again and the static and background noise on the line went away.
"Charity, I'm sorry to bother you but I need a favor." I said hurriedly, the stress and desperation coming through in my voice.
"Harry? What's wrong? What do you need?" Charity asked sounding concerned and serious.
"Panties, I need panties and I didn't know who else to ask besides you." I said honestly. Then there was a brief and uncomfortable pause.
"Harry, I'll be talking with Michael about this conversation shortly, so I suggest you think about what you're going to tell him." She said sounding furious.
"Not YOUR panties! I need little girl panties." I said trying to clarify.
"I'm hanging up now." She said in a cold heartless tone.
"No! It's for Simone. The little girl staying with me. Lash is in the hospital and we're going to pick her up but she doesn't have any... you know, underwear.." I explained quickly into the phone receiver.
"Go on..." Charity said in a cold but somewhat more tolerant voice.
"Simone is in the bath tub, we're going to get Lash today. When I was laying out her clothes I was able to find everything but... those. I can't let her go outside commando and I can't leave the house to go buy some with her in the tub. So I was hoping you could lend her a pair of your daughters until I can get her more or find out where Lash has put them." I said totally out of my element. I'd rather be fighting a mob of trolls with a few ghouls mixed in instead of having this conversation, but this is what the situation called for and I wasn't going to fail.
"I see. You should have said that in the first place." Charity said in a firm tone, the fury dissipating slowly. "How old is she?"
"She's ten. About the same size as Amanda, but a little smaller." I said approximating as best as I could.
"I'll have run a pair over for you. Is there anything else she needs? Does she need a slip, socks or tights?" Charity asked.
"No I've got those covered. One question though, does she need socks with tights or is that overkill?" I asked scratching my head.
"She doesn't need them... but if she's wearing proper shoes for the snow, it wouldn't hurt. It could help keep her feet warm and avoid blisters if you do it right." Charity replied thoughtfully, then paused. "On second thought I'll bring over the things and help her get dressed." Charity said in one of those, "I've made up my mind" tones that subtly told me not to object.
"I hate to put you out but if you have the time I'd greatly appreciate it." I said feeling my body becoming a little more relaxed.
"Just have her wait in the tub until I get there. I'm heading over now." Charity said as if giving orders to her minions.
"I'll get breakfast started then." I said happily.
"You had her bath before eating?" Charity asked with a snicker in her voice.
"Well ya... Why not?" I asked confused.
"With children under 13 it's best to let them eat first in their pajamas and THEN bathing and dressing them in the clothes you want them in for the rest of the day. Accidents happen and if you have to stop to clean her up and change her clothes, it can totally throw off your schedule for the day and you're probably going to wash their pajamas anyway so it just makes sense. Especially if you're going to the doctors or dentists. Somehow accidents seem to happen most often on days when shots or drills are involved." Charity said in a knowing voice. "Try to make something that's not messy, runny and won't stain if it drops on her clothes. Maybe scrambled eggs and toast." Charity suggested.
Thinking about what she said it was obvious she'd given a lot of thought into keeping her schedule on track and avoiding pitfalls by ordering her day. No wonder she seemed so strict to her kids, it was all part of the plan. Charity Carpenter not only had her daily routines down pat to optimize time but also to avoid any unwanted delays wherever possible. My respect for her grew deeper as I realized just how much energy she put into making sure things ran smoothly for her family. I also felt embarrassed at how I thought she was overly strict at times, as I suddenly understood the care and consideration she took when dealing with her kids. I couldn't help but wonder how many years it would be until her kids truly understood this as well.
"Scrambled eggs, I'm on it!" I said enthusiastically.
"Okay then. I'm on my way then." she said and hung up the phone.
I went to the door of the guest bathroom and stood next to it, knocking twice lightly.
"Simone, how are you doing in there?" I asked hearing the rubber ducky squeaking.
"Fine, I'm almost done. Do you want me to get out now?" She asked sounding happy as I heard more splashing coming from the bath.
"No, that's fine. Just finish up and then relax for a few minutes. A friend of mine's coming over with some things for you." I said calmly.
"Things for me?" Simone asked curiously.
"Clothes and she'll help you get ready." I said trying to sound positive.
"Um.. okay." Simone said softly. "You know I can dress myself, right?" She asked dryly. "I'm not a little kid."
"I know. Just hang tight for a little bit." I told her reassuringly.
"Okay." She responded with a skeptical tone.
I was finishing up chopping the ham when there was a knock at my door. I set the knife aside and headed to the door. As I got near I dropped the wards since no alarms had gone off. I opened the door to find Charity Carpenter on my doorstep, her pink cheeks and blond hair seemed to glow in the cold mornings sun. I quickly stepped aside holding the door for her.
"Come in." I said as she quickly stepped through the doorway. I closed the door after her quickly as I felt the chill morning air against my cheeks.
"It's a chilly one out this morning." Charity said rubbing the arms of her knit sweater. "We'll want to be sure to bundle her up."
"Thank you for your help. Monsters and scary things I can deal with. Little girls are a little out of my comfort zone." I said scratching the side of my head.
"Harry, don't tell me she has you flummixed?"
"I'm just not used to it I guess. I've never been a parent and have only babysat a few times, if you can call it that." I said, remembering the time I tried to take on the Carpenter brood to give Michal and Charity a date night. Charity must have been thinking the same thing as she was looking at me with a knowing smile.
"It's fine Harry, is she still in the tub?" She asked.
"Yes, the guest bath." I said indicating the door across the living room and just down the hall.
"Well then, leave it to me." Charity said pushing me towards the kitchen and then heading down to the bathroom.
I returned to the kitchen and now that the stove was up to heat, I put the heavy iron pan on the burner and added butter and some onions and peppers with a pinch of salt to get things started. I'm not a great cook by any means, but the Denver omelet's with 9 grain toast were a work of art, if I do say so myself. I was just setting the small glasses of orange juice and one regular glass of milk and one cup of coffee on the table as Charity and Simone came into the kitchen.
"My but don't we look nice this morning?" I said giving a short bow to Simone as she beamed at me and twirled in her blue and white dress. The dress was a nice floral print with long sleeves and the hem came to her knees, under this she wore blue tights and tennis shoes with the lacey white ankle socks. Her bangs had been braided on either side and pulled back and tied with a white ribbon, the ends hanging down several inches from the lavish bow. I gave Charity a thankful smile.
"Would you like to join us?" I asked Charity, starting to pull out a chair for her.
"Thanks, but no. I've left my kids alone too long already. Alicia can be a slave driver and I'm guessing I have about ten minutes until little Harry has a meltdown." She said with a smile on her face indicating she was only half joking.
"Well I'm sorry to have bothered you, but thanks for your help!"
"Thank you for doing my hair! It's so pretty!" Simone beamed up at Charity.
"Well you're both welcome. Oh, Harry, you should bring Simone over later today after school and let her play with Alicia and hope. A play date might be fun for them and give Lash some quiet time." Charity said thinking ahead. "Oh and don't worry about dinner, we'll send over a casserole." Charity said with a wave as she made her way towards the door.
"She's a nice lady." Simone said looking up at me and slipping into the chair I had pulled out. I moved the plate and glasses in front of her and tucked a cloth napkin into her collar that also covered half her lap. Mouse took up his resident spot under the table as we ate, hoping for hand outs or dropped food.
Once we had finished our meal, I filled the dog's mixing bowl with kibble and another with water and told him to keep an eye on the place. With that I bundled up Simone in a scaft, mittens and warm jacket and I were off to pick up Lash.
As we drove through the cold winters morning I could see fog still rising from the ground as the suns warmth melted some of the frost from the yards and sidewalks. The streets were dry from the mornings traffic and we were just making our way through the tail end of the morning commute as we made our way downtown. Simone was watching the trees and street lamps flit by with a faraway look in her eyes.
"Uncle harry? Do you think Auntie Lash will have a scar?" She asked sounding concerned.
"Maybe, but I doubt it. She heals fast and with her herbal creams, I'm sure if she has one, it won't last long." I told her with a reassuring smile. Simone smiles and looked at me with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Good, I'm glad." She said with a look on her face like a weight had just been lifted from her tiny shoulders.
With that we pulled into Cook County Hospitals parking lot. It took us a few minutes to find a parking spot and we had to walk farther than I'd liked to get to the hospital but as we entered the warm air was soothing on my nearly frozen nose.
I stopped at the front desk and got Lash's room number from the nurse on duty. She was a cute strawberry blond with a modest figure and still had the blush of youth on her cheeks. She smiled warmly at Simone.
"Is your Mommy getting out of the hospital today?" She asked Simone.
"My Auntie." Simone corrected her.
"Well you be sure to be a big helper for her then, alright?" the nurse said giving her a meaningful smile.
"I will." Simone said in a determined voice and took my hand.
We turned and headed down the hall way, up a couple of flights of stairs and down another few halls before we came to her room. The door was ajar as a nurse was clearing away the breakfast tray from her room. I pulled the door open and could see Lash gazing out the window as Simone let go of my hand and raced into the room.
"Auntie Lash, are you feeling better?" She asked as nearly skidded to a stop next to Lash's bed.
Lash turned with a surprised look on her face and smiled at Simone, then at me. I swear in that moment I could smell the warm breeze of spring time as I looked at her. I couldn't help but smile back and joined Simone at Lash's bedside.
"I'm feeling 100% better, now that you two are here!" Lash told Simone, sliding her hand over her cheek and smiling at her. Simone just beamed up at her, relieved to hear it from Lash herself.
"Mister Dresden. Do you have a moment?" came the gravely bass voice from the doorway. I stopped smiling and turned to see Detective Grisham with a serious look on his face. He'd called me Mr. Dresden instead of Mr. Wizard or Wack-a-doodle, so that was something.
I nodded to him and turned to Lash and Simone. "I need to talk to him for a little bit. Simone can you keep Lash company until I come back?" I asked patting her on the head.
"Sure, Uncle Harry." She said giving the detective a weary look.
"I'll be back in a few minutes. Don't you two run off on me now." I said winking at Lash.
"I don't know. You breeze out of the room without so much as a handshake and expect a pretty lady to wait for you? Pretty sure of yourself huh?" Lash said with a wicked smile. I leaned forward and gave her a peck on the cheek.
"That'll have to do for now." I said giving her hand a squeeze before turning and heading out the door with the detective.
I followed the detective down the hall and into a small room, possibly the nurses break room as it had a small table and chairs as well as a counter with a coffee pot and paper cups next to boxes of sugar, non-sugar sweetener and powdered cream. I poured myself a cup of coffee and grabbed a handful of sugar packets before taking the chair across from the detective.
"So detective Grisham, what can I do for you?" I asked as I poured three sugar packets at once into my coffee.
"You heard about the two thugs from yesterday? They died in an unnatural manner." Grisham said with a troubled look on his face.
"Yeah I heard that. Something about them dying of old age?" I said remembering what Murphy had told me.
"I also heard you had some excitement last night." He said sipping the thick hot coffee with a scowl.
"I had some uninvited visitors who caused a ruckus." I replied not sure what he was getting at.
"Did you also hear that we found two more bodies, dressed in body armor and shriveled up like mummies? We were able to ID them from dental records, the oldest one was 25." He said looking at me with knitted eyebrows. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"
"No, this is the first I've heard of it." I told him honestly, taking a sip of the hospital coffee. "It sounds like you have a real mystery on your hands here Detective."
"Mysteries I don't mind. It's how they died that bothers me. The coroner said there's no explanation he could offer from medical science." The detective said giving me a meaningful look.
"Are you asking for my help?" I asked not sure what he was getting at.
"I got a call from the Chief this morning, he had got a call from the Mayor. They want answers and nobody seems to have any." he said swirling his coffee in his cup. "I don't suppose you have any theories."
"I have a couple but they aren't anything you'd want to hear though and definitely nothing you'd want the Mayor to hear." I told him.
"Murphy swears you're on the level and Rawlings vouches for you too. Murphy takes after her old man. I never liked him much, but she and Rawlings have earned my respect and that of the cops they work with. So if they say you're on the level, I'm willing to listen." The detective said staring at his cup.
"All I have is speculation right now. If you want answers I'd need to see the bodies."
"Fine, that can be arranged. Would you be willing to take a look off the books?" He asked.
"Normally I get a fee for working with the department. But this time, they came after my girlfriend and a little girl. I'll do this one for free." I told him leaning back in my chair.
"If we work together, you do it my way. No cowboy stuff, we do it by the book!" He said in a tone that would make a lesser man wince.
"Now you sound like Murphy." I told him with a wry smile. "Fine, we'll try it your way. I won't go looking for trouble, but if they take a swing at me or them, I'm not holding back." I said glancing in the direction of Lash's room.
"Somehow I don't believe you, but I'll take you at your word until you break it." He said giving me a hard look as if to say it'd be best for us both if I kept my word. "I'm giving you a chance, don't make me regret it."
"I'll try to live up to your expectations." I told him returning the hard look.
"That's what I'm afraid of..." He said putting down his coffee cup.