A Montague & Strong Short Story Collection (Montague & Strong Case Files) Read online

  “Oh, that,” Monty said, looking himself over and pulling on his sleeves. “Practice.”

  “Basically you’re saying I’m bait.” I tossed the towel to one side and looked up the block. The street was clear for the moment. “If we’re going in, we need to be fast. It takes them eight minutes to patrol one side of the block.”

  “Eight minutes—how do you know that?” Monty asked, looking up and down the street.

  “I’m observant,” I said. “Wait a second. A transdermal expanding thermal spell is just another name for an exploding fireball—isn’t it?”

  Monty pointed to a door down the block and across the street. “You’re familiar with magic terminology?” he asked as we crossed over to the building.

  We had about five minutes before another Rakshasa turned the corner and saw us. “I wouldn’t say familiar but I know a bit about magic-users and magic,” I said as we approached the door. It was an old blast door with three large locks on one side. Judging from the outside, we would need several pounds of explosives to make a dent in removing it.

  “Have you studied any magic?” Monty examined the first lock and placed his hand against the door. “I get an odd energy signature from you, which would explain how you saw the Rakshasa.”

  I remembered the jolt from Shiva. What if it was more than just marking me? “It’s probably just this,” I said, pointing at the pendant. It flared orange for a brief second in the night. “Only thing I know about magic I learned from the classics.”

  “You’ve read Ziller, then?” Monty muttered some words I couldn’t understand under his breath and the first lock clicked open. He moved his hand to a second lock.

  “Never heard of Ziller, but I’ve read Tolkien.” I stepped to the side as he gave me a withering glare. I looked down the block to make sure nothing was sneaking up on us.

  He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You do realize Tolkien is fantasy not reality?” Monty whispered and gestured again on the second lock. “Bloody hell. Why are you even here?”

  “Same as you,” I shot back defensively. “I’m going to stop those kids from being hurt or worse. Last I checked I didn’t need magic to put someone down. Is every mage angry, or is it just you?”

  “In your world magic is an abstract,” Monty said, flexing his jaw. He opened the second lock and moved his hand to the last lock. “In mine it’s an absolute. It can and will kill you—absolutely. You’re going to need more than bullets and bravado.”

  “I know,” I said as the last lock clicked open. “I’ve got you.”

  He shook his head. “Once this runic seal is broken, she will know our location.” Monty grabbed the large handle of the door. “Anything she has in here is coming for you—first.”

  “Well, now I feel all warm and loved.” I gave him my best Eastwood glare—easily a four on the glare scale (only Clint can hit a five). “According to Ramirez, there are seven children in the building. Make sure the kids get out safe. That’s the priority. Oh, and not getting dead. I would really like that one up there too.”

  “I’ll work on getting the kids out safely,” Monty replied as he tugged on the handle and we were sucked into the building.

  SIX

  PAIN HAS A way of waking you up in a hurry. I opened my eyes just as the wave of searing heat punched me in the chest. I hung suspended a few inches from the floor. Some force I couldn’t see held my arms and legs apart, turning me into a large X. I didn’t see Monty anywhere. I did notice the five Rakshasas that formed a loose cordon around me.

  “You stupid, pathetic, human,” the voice whispered in my ear. She had a slight accent that reminded me of Shiva’s. “Did you really think you could stop me? Has Shiva grown this desperate to enlist the likes of you as my karmic consequence?”

  She caressed the pendant around my neck until it began to glow. She released it with a hiss as it burned her skin and then she slapped me hard enough I wondered how my jaw remained intact.

  I tried to form the words, but my throat was a raw, sandblasted wasteland. I must have been screaming. A woman came into my field of view. It took me a few seconds to realize through swollen eyes that I was looking at Kali the Destroyer.

  The picture hadn’t come close to doing her justice. She was beyond stunning. Her chocolate skin glistened in the dim light. She wore a black form-fitting dress that stopped mid-thigh and allowed the imagination to continue. Her long black hair hung loose and it appeared to have a life of its own as it flowed around her in the non-existent wind.

  Arousal tugged at me until I looked in her eyes. Arousal then pulled the ripcord and left me in the full on embrace of Fear. This was the fear that made you a fetal-position expert while you drooled away any notion of courage.

  My body sagged in defeat under her gaze. I only saw death in her eyes, and then she smiled. Another wave of heat slammed me against the wall. She stepped close to me as I crumpled to the floor.

  “Where is my coward of a husband?” she demanded. A swift kick sent me sliding across the floor and that’s when I saw them. The children. They were chained together in a group inside a large circle that was decorated with ancient symbols of some kind.

  The fear in their expressions mirrored the fear I felt. The streaks under their red-rimmed eyes told me the story of the countless tears shed. They held onto each other, seeking safety in the embrace and yet trembling at its futility in the face of overwhelming power and evil.

  It wasn’t seven children, but closer to five times that number. They all had to be from five to seven years old. Boys and girls huddled together, waiting for death.

  Something snapped in me then. A rage I kept tightly under control shrugged free of my restraints and grinned at me—a twisted and dark thing. The part of me I never let free. I knew I was going to die, but I was going to find a way to get these kids away from this monster first.

  I got on all fours and caught my breath.

  “You’re a god?” I rasped and staggered to my feet. “What a fucking joke. What kind of bullshit god needs little kids for power?”

  Kali raised an eyebrow as I drew my gun. I hoped Monty’s green orb power would be enough for my next move. I needed to move fast—faster than the claws that I knew would be coming for me.

  I took a step toward Kali, and the Rakshasa closed ranks like I knew they would. I raised the gun and aimed for the orange balls. Kali smiled until I fired the first time—destroying the orb around one Rakshasa’s neck. I whispered a silent thanks to the angry mage and then aimed again.

  “Restrain him!” Kali screamed. “He’ll ruin everything.”

  It was too late. I managed to destroy three of the orbs, which meant the Rakshasas had their claws full. They crashed into Kali and I ran back to the children.

  “We need to get you out of here,” I said, tugging on the chain until I got to the end. In the center of the children, I realized why I hadn’t seen Monty. He lay unconscious, wrapped in the chains. I shook him. When that didn’t work, I slapped him. “This would be a good time to use some of your badass magic.”

  I turned in time to see a Rakshasa soar into the wall on the far side of the building with enough force to end up as a smear. Kali was laughing. It was the scariest sound I had heard in my entire life. I slapped Monty again—harder.

  “I have to thank you, Simon,” Kali said above the roar of fighting. “I haven’t enjoyed a moment like this in some time.” Another Rakshasa disintegrated next to her.

  “How the hell does she know my name?” I muttered as Monty regained consciousness. “Hey, an angry goddess is going to kill us all—can we escape now?”

  “Bollocks,” Monty said as he rubbed his jaw. “What hit me?”

  “We can discuss bumps and bruises later—if we’re still alive to have the conversation,” I said quickly. “Can we get them out now?”

  Monty nodded and gestured. The chains shattered, freeing the children, but they stayed huddled. Monty muttered something under his breath and some of the symbols aroun
d the circle flared to life.

  “Can you focus on the NYTF headquarters?” Monty asked as he placed his hand on the floor.

  “What?” I asked, confused. “Focus on what?”

  The remaining Rakshasas exploded, leaving a bloody, grinning Kali in the midst of their remains. She licked her lips and then focused on me.

  “Simon, listen to me carefully,” Monty said calmly. “She won’t enter the circle yet. I’ve made sure of that. I need you to focus on NYTF headquarters. Can you do that? I can’t activate the circle and teleport us out of here at the same time. I need your help.”

  Kali stepped to the edge of the circle, made a fist, and punched. A dome of blue energy materialized around us, causing her to fling her arm back.

  “Clever mage,” Kali said, wiping the blood from her face with a finger. “Using my runes to create protective shield. I’ll make sure to banish you somewhere unpleasant.” She began tracing symbols on the shield with her blood-soaked finger.

  “Simon!” Monty hissed as I stood transfixed, focused on the impending doom in the form of an angry goddess. “NYTF. Focus.”

  I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and pictured the NYTF headquarters gymnasium. If he was going to send us to one place, it needed to have room. I heard him mutter more words and I felt a thump in my chest. When I opened my eyes, I noticed we were not in the NYTF gym. Then I looked around. The kids were gone. Monty was kneeling on the floor. Trails of blue energy streamed from him as the symbols around the circle pulsed.

  We were still in the building with a failing shield and a pissed-off Kali.

  She traced more symbols before pausing. “You fools, you have no idea what you have done.”

  SEVEN

  “WHERE ARE THE kids?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the angry goddess tracing symbols in the air. Her fingers flew across the surface of the shield, leaving trails of energy in their wake. Each symbol lingered for a few seconds before disappearing.

  “Gone to the NYTF,” Monty said between gasps. “She’s going to break through that shield soon. I can’t keep her out indefinitely.”

  Monty moved quickly, matching her runes with what I guessed was a counter rune. Kali was picking up the pace and making it hard for him to keep up.

  “Then we die,” I said, checking my gun. “I have to say—it was an honor working a case with you, Mage Montague.”

  “The feeling is mutual, Simon,” Monty said as he strained to keep up with the onslaught from Kali. “Do you have any bullets left?”

  “I have two bullets—I can use them on her or on us,” I said, my voice grim. “Either way, we don’t get another sunrise.”

  “I prefer to go down fighting, if you don’t mind,” Monty said and missed a sequence. The shield flickered and collapsed, revealing a smiling Kali. “Which from the looks of things appears to be any moment now.”

  She entered the circle. “You insolent humans. We sought the same end. Now it is too late.”

  “What is she talking about, Monty?”

  “I haven’t the slightest idea.”

  I aimed at the approaching Kali, when a green blast of energy punched into her chest and sent her across the building.

  “Hello, wife. Did you miss me?”

  It was Shiva.

  Monty and I both turned as Shiva entered the circle behind us.

  “Bloody hell,” Monty whispered. “This situation has just gone all to pot.”

  “I see you have found and stopped my wife. Quite admirable,” Shiva said matter-of-factly. “Now, before I erase you, where did you send the children she stole from me?”

  The world tilted under my feet at his words.

  “You bastardface,” I whispered, drawing my gun on him. “You only wanted to stop her so you could complete the ritual and get the power?”

  “Of course,” Shiva said with a sneer. “Even though I knew where she was, I couldn’t breach her defenses—but you could. It was only a matter of marking you and then following you.”

  “Being in the circle masked us,” Monty said and stood slowly. “You are the one behind the missing children. She didn’t want to destroy them at all. She was saving them—I was wrong.”

  “Yes, you were,” Shiva gathered another orb of green energy in his hand. “It’s quite simple, actually. I absorb the essence of innocents, increase my power, and finally destroy the Destroyer. It would be like you said, Mr. Strong—a violent divorce.”

  “Kali was saving the children—from you?” I said, confused. “But I saw them chained. They had been crying. She had those monsters—the Rakshasas—serving her.”

  “Those things are a nuisance, so my thanks for disposing of them,” Shiva said with a short bow.

  My brain was doing flip-flops, but I was getting it. Shiva was a right bastard.

  “You’ve been taking the children, and she’s been stopping your rituals,” Monty said, forming an orb of fire in his hand. Shiva focused his attention on Monty. “Kali has kept you in check.”

  “Each time, my bitch of a wife gets in my way, but no more,” Shiva said, stepping closer to Monty. “Tonight I finish it, and her. Now, Mage, where are the children?”

  I fired twice, hitting him square in the chest. He looked at me and released the orb in his hand. It lifted and catapulted me across the floor. I landed in a broken heap. I couldn’t move my legs or my right arm. One eye wasn’t working and I could feel the blood covering the side of my face. Things were looking bad.

  I felt a tug on my chest and Kali came into view. “Finish it,” I said between gasps. Fire and pain filled my chest. She had the pendant in her hand. Her dress was ripped in several places and her face was bruised. I noticed several cuts on her face.

  “You interfered in my plan and for that you both deserve death many times over,” she whispered into my ear as she crouched next to me. “I cannot touch the mage, but today, Simon Strong, I will give you something far worse. Today I curse you with life.”

  She grabbed my left hand and placed the pendant on it as she screamed words I couldn’t understand. A white light shot out from her hand and into mine. In the distance, I heard a roar as the pendant disappeared and my left hand burst into white flame.

  “What did you do?” I felt the power coursing through me as my body healed.

  “Your interference today has cost me centuries of work—one more ritual and I could have contained my husband,” she said and stood up. “Your interruption has forced my hand into something more—drastic.”

  “But you had the kids in that circle, with the symbols,” I said, standing slowly. I felt better with each passing second.

  “The circle protected and masked them from him— you human,” Kali said, obviously frustrated. “Now we have run out of time.”

  “Why?” I flexed my hands. “Just use one of your bolts of power and blast him back where he came from.”

  Kali gave me a look, shook her head, and pointed. Shiva was coming our way. “In time, I will make you pay for your actions, Simon,” Kali said as Shiva crossed the floor. “From this day forward, you will be cursed as Kali’s chosen. In time, everything and everyone you love will perish. Then, you will seek death and not find it. You will long to die, but death will escape you. At that time, our paths will cross again.”

  “Kali, my dearest, what have you done?” Shiva said as he drew close. He had green orbs of energy in both hands. Black arcs of power raced across them. “Tell me you haven’t—”

  “I made him the karmic consequence you wanted to use against me,” she whispered and raised her arms. I floated off the floor with my glowing left hand. “I have taught him that he cannot trust us. No god is safe and I have stopped you and the dissolution for another cycle.”

  “Five thousand years—wasted,” Shiva whispered, his voice shaking with rage.

  Kali smiled at him.

  “You stupid, bit—” he started.

  “Goodbye, Simon,” Kali whispered.

  She flung her arms down and launched me a
t Shiva as he released the orbs. They slammed into Kali as I raced across the floor aimed at Shiva. He erected several shields. Each one disintegrated as I crashed through them. When I hit Shiva, the concussive force shattered the walls of the building, blowing them out in all directions. The last thing I remember seeing was Monty racing to me as the ceiling collapsed in on both of us.

  EIGHT

  “IT WAS SUPPOSED to be a recon op!” I heard Ramirez scream in the background. “Was I unclear? Did I stutter? I clearly said recon—as in gather information and report back to me. At no point in time did I say level the building. Did you hear me say obliterate the building? Did I say detonate the building? Did I say implode the hell out of the building? No, I did not. Do you know the bureaucratic nightmare I will have to navigate now since we didn’t order this implosion?”

  “And yet here we are,” another voice responded calmly. “The children are safe and the threat has been neutralized.”

  It was Monty.

  “That is the only thing allowing you two to walk away from this entire fiasco!” Ramirez bellowed as he poked his head into the ambulance I was in. “Be thankful you are wrecked or else I would put you in the hospital myself.”

  “Your feelings for me are going to make me cry, Angel,” I said with a smirk, and winced as pain clamped down on my everything. “I didn’t know you cared so much.”

  “Fuck you very much, Simon, and I’m glad you’re in pain,” he muttered as he walked away. “Don’t know why I even called you in on this case. Pain in my ass.”

  “I love you too, Ramirez,” I yelled as he stormed off.

  I looked around and admired the interior of the EMTe ambulance. One of the medics came in and started attending to my wounds and then gasped. We both looked at the deep gash in my side in fascination as the skin closed and the wound disappeared, leaving no trace of injury.

  “What are you?” she said as she stumbled back out of the ambulance. “I’m not attending to that—that thing!”

  Monty poked his head into the ambulance.