Magic - Chapter 19
I followed Kalle as he ping-ponged between the containers like a rat looking for a piece of cheese, hitting a dead end and then doubling back on himself.
This is a portal fantasy series with mythological roots and action-adventure tendencies. You can search through all my work on my website.
Ollie wasn't looking for trouble, but after she saved the Antichrist from being slaughtered, it came for her.
Ollie lived by one rule. Never get involved with anyone for any reason; humans, demons, fae folk, it didn't matter. They were all trouble. Keeping her distance was how she survived in the criminal underworld for so long.
Keep your head down and don't piss anyone off. That was her motto, especially since her clients all had access to powerful dark magic.
She thought she had a flawless system for keeping her nose clean, so how did she wind up in a stolen car, with a demon spawn in her back seat, driving away from her ex-lover and a gang of demons ready to skin her alive?
That's a good question.
And why did she agree to help save the demon's life so she didn't get sacrificed to open the gates of Hell?
An even better question.
She had one rule. One stupid rule. And tonight...it goes right down the toilet.
Now, the only way for Ollie to get her life back is to save the girl, prevent the Apocalypse, and track down the people who betrayed her.
They will pay. Oh yes, they will all pay.
I followed Kalle as he ping-ponged between the containers like a rat looking for a piece of cheese, hitting a dead end and then doubling back on himself. He pulled a clipboard from the end of a row of containers and stared at it, scratching his head.
āIām sorry about this,ā he replied. āI thought for sure that container 3-8-4-2-1 was in thisāahaāā He pointed at his sheet and then pulled a walkie-talkie from his belt. āOperations, this is 623.ā
āGo ahead, Kalle,ā a gruff voice squawked back.
āThis manifest doesnāt have container 3-8-4-2-1 on it, but Iām sure it came in last night. I have the owner here, and she is pissed. Over.ā Kalle smiled at me. āJust play along, okay?ā
āOh, that wonāt be a problem, my friend,ā I said. āIām always pissed, including right now.ā
The walkie crackled to life again. āIām showing an override here to expedite the container for delivery. It has your code. Over.ā
āThatās impossible. It hasnāt passed through customs.ā Kalleās smile faded into an irritated scowl. āWhere is it now? Over.ā
āTheyāre loading it on a cargo truck at entrance thirteen,ā the walkie replied. āOver.ā
āDo not let that truck leave, operations. Do you hear me? Over.ā
āRoger, roger.ā
Kalle flagged down one of the many golf carts zipping back and forth across the dock and pushed its driver out of her seat. āGet in.ā I hopped into the passenger seat, and he took off, leaving the irritated woman flailing her hands in frustration.
āThis doesnāt make any sense,ā he said, shaking his head. āI would neverāyou have to believe me! I would never call you here and thenāit doesnāt make any sense.ā
āIt makes perfect sense to me, my friend. You have a traitor and a liar in your organization.ā
He shook his head. āI donāt believe it. My men are loyal to a fault.ā
āNobody ever believes it. I have never met a good person that didnāt vehemently deny one of their people was crooked. Anybody can justify anything given enough money, and the people who are messing with me have plenty of moneyāand they stiffed me, which makes it even more infuriating.ā
āThis is very troubling.ā
āDo you remember when I slid you five thousand Escudo to get a look inside one of your containers?ā
āOf course, but that was different. You wereāā
āWhat? Beautiful? I donātāā
āI was going to say very annoying.ā He smiled. āBut I get your point. I have not been perfect in my life, have I?ā
āNone of us have. Thatās part of the human condition, or theāā He didnāt know I wasnāt human, so I bit my tongue. āMaybe the most human condition of all. I remember your wife was sick, and she needed some surgery or anotherāā
āA new heart valve,ā Kalle said. āIt was a horrible time, and I didnāt have the moneyā¦ā
āI played on that, the same way somebody is playing on you right now.ā
āI donāt like this story.ā
āThink of it this way. You took that money, your wife is still with you, and you have two beautiful children. Iām sure you would say that was worth it, wouldnāt you?ā
He spun the wheel, and we turned left down another row of containers. āOf course. It saved her life.ā
āJust remember that whoever betrayed you, they have similar motivations. None of us are mustache-twirling evil henchmen, no matter what the storybooks say.ā It felt a little silly telling him that when I was looking for vengeance against my own betrayal, but weāre all hypocrites.
The trucks idled near the entrance. A hairy, lumbering driver stood outside screaming at a poor woman holding a clipboard. She flinched with every move of his hands.
āPerla,ā Kalle said, bringing his cart to a stop and hopping out. āHaving some trouble?ā
The driver wore the stained blue hat of the FC Porto soccer team and a cut-off shirt that showed off his flabby arms. āThis is such bull!ā
āWhat seems to be the problem?ā Kalle said, hands high and speaking in a calming voice.
āWeāre ready to go, and you people are saying we canāt leave. I have shipments to make today. Time is money.ā
Ā āIām sorry, sir.ā Kalle walked around the truck. āAh yes, 3-8-4-2-1. This is what I was looking for.ā Kalle turned back to the man. āIām afraid this container was cleared in error.ā
āThatās a you problem,ā the man said. āI radioed my boss saying I was leaving port. She expects me back there as soon as possible.ā
The pleasant smile faded from Kalleās face. āThen you need to call your boss back and tell her that youāve been detained because this has become very much a you problem.ā
The trucker threw his arms in the air. āWhy even call us to pick up, then?ā
āMistakes happen. Iām sure you understand.ā
āI donāt understand, but what am I gonna do about it? Nothing.ā He kicked the ground and walked off. It wasnāt the truck driverās fault he had something that belonged to me. He was just doing his job, but he had unwittingly aligned himself with forces that opposed me, and that meant, on some level, that he opposed me.
Kalle whistled to a crane operator, and though I didnāt understand the gestures he made, I was able to figure out that he was telling the operator to pull the container off the truck. Even though Kalle was the boss, it still took half an hour to comply with the request and another twenty to haul the container from the truck. An hour later, the truck was gone, along with the pissed-off driver, and we were standing in front of the container, ready to open it.
I tried to contain my excitement as the door swung open, but when I saw her, my heart sang, and I rushed forward to hug my beloved car around the hood. āLily!ā She was the best lead I had in my search for the jerk demon that betrayed me, and I had tracked her all over the world.Ā After I had my moment with Lily, I turned and hugged Kalle tightly. Rare tears welled in my eyes. Lily was one of the only long-term relationships I had which wasnāt toxic, and now I had her back.
āThank you, my friend,ā I said.
āIt was my pleasure.ā Of course, it wasnāt just his pleasure. I paid him for the privilege, using most of the money I had made since the night I stopped the Apocalypse. It was worth it. I hoped that maybe Moloch or Balaam would be too stupid to know how valuable the wand was, and it would be waiting for me in the passengerās seat. It wasnāt, which was disappointing, though not unexpected. Ā
Kalle called his people over and had them fill up my tank. For thirty thousand Escudo, it was the most expensive gas ever, but I would have gladly paid it twice over. Lily rode rough when I pulled her out of the container. She sounded like an old smoker coughing up their last bit of lung, but she drove.
āHow are you going to get it home?ā Kalle asked, resting his hand on my open window as I idled by the front entrance. He was sweet, but there was no way I was going to tell him the truth. Humans didnāt need to know that I could teleport at will. āDo you need me to arrange a lift for you?ā
I shook my head. āNo, thank you. Iāve got it covered. Tell your family I said hello.ā
āWould you like to meet them?ā Kalle asked excitedly. āCalandra is making Bacalhua tonight. Iām sure she wouldnāt mind making another piece of fish for you.ā
āAbsolutely not.ā I patted his hand. āI was just trying to be polite, Kalle. Now, can you please take your hand off my window?ā
He smiled and brought his hand up in a wave. āAnother time, then.ā
I appreciated Kalle, but I was never going to accept that dinner. It sounded horrible. I pulled out of the yard and turned onto the road on my way to the main street. There werenāt many places to perform magic by the port, but Porto had plenty of blind alleys.
āItās good to have you back, girl,ā I said out loud to Lily. She sounded sick, like something had taken all the soul out of her and crushed it under their thumb. āJust hang with me, weāll have you feeling better in no time.ā
It was an uneventful trip back to the city, which I was thankful for. When I arrived, I turned into the first one-way alley I could find, which wasnāt hard to find. I held my hand up toward the end of the alley. āPorth yn Ć“l Los Angeles, a Phil.ā
A green portal opened in front of me, and I disappeared into it with Lily.
This is a portal fantasy series with mythological roots and action-adventure tendencies. You can search through all my work on my website.