Path of the Necromancer Ch. 03

"Signs?" Ian asked in wide-eyed innocence, grinning wider.

Sarah looked skyward and cursed the heavens for what she had to endure sometimes. Then a concerned look crossed her face and she asked, "You're not squatting here, are you -living on the streets because you're on the run?" A muffled laugh came from Lily around the corner at that.

Luckily, Sarah didn't appear to notice and Ian slowly shook his head, amused at the direction the conversation was going in. She pursed her lips and glanced towards the street as patrol cars flashed past on the way to the less-than-structurally-safe hotel. "You know I'm going to have to take you in for questioning... again." Her eyes narrowed and she accused, "And don't think I don't know you had something to do with that loud noise earlier and what's been going on in this neighborhood."

Ian smiled at the way her face scrunched up when she got angry and walked towards her. As he left with her, he used his will to brush Ember's hair affectionately. Ian held out his wrists to Sarah when they reached the car and she rolled her eyes. "Just get in," she muttered, indicating the passenger seat. "Maybe you can make some sense of all this."

Sarah observed the boy who'd plagued her dreams these past few weeks. She hadn't known if he was still alive or what had happened to him. The things she'd seen and heard that night had changed her path in life. Then, of course, she'd joined the special task force her chief had organized. She gave a snort of annoyance. Three people a task force did not make.

He'd assured her that he'd just started recruiting, but she could tell they'd be stretched tight for awhile -not to mention suffering an extreme lack of funding and resources. He'd essentially put them in the basement of the precinct that was packed with boxes of suspicious reports, most of which were copies of ones the FBI had come in and ordered burned -not shredded, but actually, physically incinerated. She'd spent all of last night skimming through them. The more she read, the more uneasy she felt, convinced that there some seriously strange things going on.

They arrived at the precinct and Ian saw she had her own parking space. Walking through the station lobby, she got nods of greeting and he didn't see any signs of the usual hazing he would have expected shown towards a newbie. He whistled in appreciation. "This is definitely a step up from your last post," he remarked, looking around at the busy office setting.

She gave a snort and they rode the elevator down to her 'office.' "Still think it's glamorous?" she asked as the doors opened and she moved a stack of boxes resting on a dolly out of the way.

Ian had a coughing fit as a plume of dust was kicked up by the action and he stated, "Ah, I see. They stuck you in a completely separate unit. I had wondered about that..." As he took a seat across from her as she took the one behind her desk, he commented, "It didn't look like the others were giving you a hard time. I had this image of the regular members of the force discriminating against the 'weirdos' that try to put a face on what lurks in the dark."

She laughed sardonically. "Oh, they probably would if they actually knew what my work involved. As it is, there are lots of instances of undercover duties that no one knows anything about. I think most of them think I'm acting as a liaison for another department related to drugs or immigration."

Ian nodded, relaxing in the chair. He was still coming off the emotional rollercoaster the day had been. He knew Ember would make sure the wounded got taken care of and she had the car keys so she wasn't stuck there. "So what exactly is your job?" he asked as he grabbed one of the folders spread out atop her desk at random and began paging through it.

"To look at issues that seem too outrageous for the normal detectives to take seriously. To observe and make sense of a given situation before reporting back to my superior so we're not caught with our pants down," she recited drolly.

Ian nodded, his head swimming with images of her with her pants down. "Or those issues that the Inquisition covers up, leaving you guys in the dark..." he added with a chuckle.

She nodded in agreement. "There is that," she admitted. Her eyes narrowed. "That's the nickname for the FBI among those who know what's up, right?"

He shrugged. "Almost," he corrected. "The FBI are just cops like those upstairs." He grinned. "The Inquisition is you with more manpower, better resources, and the ear of those politicians in the highest offices."

Her eyes widened at the picture he'd painted. She was beginning to understand her boss's worries about them being outmatched and why he only wanted them to observe instead of act. She sighed and looked out at where someone with a sense of humor had put in a window that looked out at the brick wall it was framed in. Finally, she said, "There's something wrong with this city."

He burst out laughing and she glared at him before shaking her head as he grabbed his sides. "No shit," he managed to gasp, dabbing wetness from his eyes. He smiled at her indulgently. "I know the feeling... It's as if everyone that's part of this world knows what's going on and no one bothered to tell the rest of us." She nodded her head ardently, glad to have found someone that understood.

He looked around the room at the other two vacant desks. "So how did you guys get roped into this gig?" Sarah described the interview process and the chief's need to get eyes on what was happening in the city. By the end of her story, she realized that she'd done all the talking so far when she'd actually brought him in to ask questions of him. 'Oh yeah,' she berated herself. 'That's one hell of a detective you're turning out to be.'

Ian nodded at what she'd told him, impressed at her boss's initiative. "Seems like he's at least making an effort to follow the rules," he commented.

"What do you mean?" Sarah wondered, leaning forward.

He leaned his head back and thought. Finally seeing no reason to hold back, he explained, "Apparently, you can only be told about this stuff once you've experienced a supernatural event. It makes sense that you don't have a big force down here. He can't just pick any cop -they have to have already seen something strange, survived it, and then have the will to learn more and put their lives on the line in the face of something they know nothing about.

She stayed silent as she thought about what he'd told her. It made sense. Her eyes widened and she murmured, "That's why..." Her face flushed and she admitted, "I kind of got your friend involved in this." She bowed her head at the sharp look he gave her. "Rachel, she... helped me keep my head after that night. I was going crazy trying to figure out what happened and she was the one who told me I needed a change of scenery and gave me the idea of being a detective."

His eyes were locked onto her and she squirmed under his scrutiny. 'Damnit,' she chided herself. 'I'm supposed to be the one putting him in the hot seat.' She took a deep breath and continued, "Well, just look at this office. There has got to be tens of thousands of unfiled documents lying around. We also need someone to take calls because we normally turn our phones off whenever we're scouting. I asked the chief why we couldn't get a secretary to organize this stuff and he said they wouldn't have clearance to know what's in the files. That they would have to be in the know..."

Ian had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Rachel had been telling me that she wanted to find work or an internship someplace for the summer and I sort of... pushed to get her a job here," she explained. Sarah looked miserable and couldn't meet his eyes, knowing from how the girl talked about him that they must have been pretty close. "I'm sorry. It's just that she was all for it and the chief was ecstatic to essentially have a new recruit..."

He groaned and covered his face. As she made to apologize again for putting his friend in danger, he held up a hand. "I don't blame you. When she takes an interest in something she's like a force of nature. You wouldn't have been able to stop her." He sighed before looking up. "Tell me she's at least getting paid for this," he questioned, knowing how companies liked to take advantage of kids trying to beef up their resumes.

Sarah nodded her head vigorously, explaining that it was actually quite a lot for a receptionist. "She starts next week, actually. I believe she's still looking for an apartment. So am I, as a matter of fact, since the temporary housing the department put me up in is kicking me out next week after I get my first paycheck. We were discussing splitting the rent for one. It would have to be somewhere over in the university district since she won't be living on campus and it's only about 5-10min. from here."

Ian shook his head and let out a soft chuckle at how close the two had become since he'd last seen them. He grabbed her pen and pad and scribbled down the information of his apartment complex. He handed her the note and said, "I believe they still have a couple of openings." He grinned. "They're also putting in a pool to appeal to a younger crowd so that's a plus." She smiled gratefully. Most of the apartments in a large university district usually started booking over a year in advance and the competition for most places was murder.

He finished reading the report in his hand and tossed it onto the desk. "Werewolf," he announced with a yawn. She'd raised her mug of bitter coffee to her lips and choked as she heard the word.

Sarah looked from the report he'd been skimming to his bored expression and back. She leaned back and had a surreal moment as she considered it. Over and over while reading the reports she'd understood something abnormal was going on, but she'd never actually put a name to it. She had even been skeptical about her chief's brief introduction to the city's ruling class. Finally, she shook her head and asked, "How can you tell?"

"The coroner couldn't figure out how a rapid dog or wolf managed to bite the top of his shoulder when the blood-spatter and footprints before he was dragged clearly showed he was standing with his back straight when the puncture wounds occurred," he explained. "Werewolves are about nine feet tall when they shift."

She just stared at him openmouthed before shaking herself and scrambling to open other report. "What caused this one?"

He glanced at the puncture wounds in the photo. "Don't suppose you believe in vampires?" he asked her with a grin. Her eyes widened and she wondered if she was going crazy.

She picked up another folder. "And this?" she asked excitedly.

Reading the report, he realized it described a number of bodies found along the riverbank near Delridge. He tilted his head and looked up at her, eyes softening. "Me," he told her quietly.

They stayed like that for a long moment, staring at each other as her mind seemed to rebel against her. Then the door opened and a heavyset man with balding hair entered the office and froze when he saw Ian. "Fuck," he muttered disbelievingly. He turned to Sarah and yelled, voice bordering on hysteria, "You did NOT just bring the Inquisition's number one most wanted fugitive into my precinct!"

"H-hey, chief," Sarah said, a bit apprehensively. "Nice to see you too."

"Don't 'hey' me!" the man exclaimed furiously. He lit a cigarette, which told Ian he didn't care much for policy regulations, and waved a hand. "I told you, watch, gather information, don't get involved." The man pointed a pudgy finger in Ian's direction. "He attacked their goddamn branch headquarters yesterday and you brought him here? Are you trying to start a war?!"

Ian frowned. "I resent that," he argued. "I 'escaped' from their branch headquarters. Any damage caused to the building or agents therein was strictly their fault." The two stared at him incredulously. "Besides," he continued, polishing his nails on his coat, "they removed me from the unofficial wanted list afterwards." Ian held open his phone showing their website. "See?"

The lit cigarette fell from the chief's open mouth. "You've gotta be shittin' me..." He started pacing and ranting about all the injustices that were occurring in his fine city.

Sarah watched for a bit and thought about writing down some choice phrases before picking up another folder and poking Ian in the ribs. "What about this one?" she whispered.

The chief finally cooled down and glanced over to see Sarah had divided the files atop her desk into three piles and was separating them into known causes of death and those that required more information. Ian noticed after awhile the chief pulled up a chair and began listening as he explained what he knew. Ian just shook his head at the situation. These guys were barely keeping their heads above water and if someone didn't set them straight their ignorance was going to get people killed, themselves included.

The sponsors wouldn't stand for anyone trying to destabilize the system and he knew the Inquisition would side with them. By the time it got dark, they had only gotten through a fraction of the material they possessed, but at least Sarah felt she understood the situation better and could keep herself afloat. The chief in particular was curious about getting his hands on some enchanted bullets. They'd need every edge they could eke out if they wanted to survive.

They finally called it a night and Sarah grabbed her coat to walk Ian out. She offered him a ride as they exited the building, but he turned her down. She was surprised to then see the most gorgeous woman she'd ever laid eyes on push off one of the sweetest cars she'd ever seen from across the street and walk up to Ian, grabbing his coat and kissing him hard. She stared openmouthed as his hand snaked down and caressed her hip before hugging her to him and palming her ass. As they walked off, he called back to her, "Come by the apartment sometime to check out if it's your thing."

In the car, Ember smiled at him as she made an illegal U-turn and floored the car past the police station, watching the pretty detective in the rearview mirror. "You set 'em up and I'll knock 'em down," she murmured. He laughed. Life was good.

* * * * *

In Anhui province in eastern China, Supreme Master Han sat with the twelve clan leaders in the Tiandihui longhouse near the top of Mount Tianzhu (meaning Heaven's Pillar). Honorable Master Chou was trying to defend the actions of his student, Honorable Master Long, from the accusations of the ambitious Honorable Master Feng.

"He continues to say the same thing," Feng grumbled in disgust. "Always progress. Never a problem. Everything is in hand. With all the progress he claims to make, it is small wonder he has not conquered whole country... Yet their exports still rise!"

"We never sent him there to take over," Chou reminded them, "only to cause chaos, which he's certainly done. Their groups are still warring with each other." That caused some mutters around the gathering as the others took sides.

Han silenced the argument by raising his hand. "I agree that it is unreasonable to rely on such a young and inexperienced master to deliver us our primary rival in the Pacific. I also believe he exaggerates his success and we cannot count on his estimates. In light of what the mystics observed regarding the enormous power drain, I think it wise to act quickly while we still understand the situation and before the environment has time to change. I will now call on a vote to move up the date of the invasion."

The vote was unanimous as all twelve leaders pledged mages to fill the ranks of the invasion force. "It is decided," Han declared. "We must now decide on our method of travel. We cannot rely on the shifters to take the army by sea and they will not allow us to use their ports. Travel by air is also out of the question as we would be exposed to the American aeromancers."

"Why should we be limited to using clandestine means?" the newest clan member asked the masters. "We have the largest military in the world. It is time to throw off the Western yoke! We have been exploited by their magicians ever since the European 'missionaries' came to our country by the Silk Road."

He turned to the others and spoke fervently, "We are now stronger than we've ever been before. The European leagues no longer rule us. We should not be forced to follow their mandates. I say we shou-" His voice suddenly cut off as the Supreme Master had enough of his opinions and lack of respect.

The human lungs are roughly 90% water and it was a simple matter for Han to freeze them solid with his aquatic affinity. The clan leader died slowly and painfully, twitching on the bamboo mat. "Does anyone else have any similar notions of turning every magical community in the world against us?" Master Han asked the group.

Master Chou waved a hand absently. "No one wants the necromancers to return. He was a fool that took control of his clan by default. His sister will be a better ruler in his stead and we will be stronger for it."

Master Feng frowned and pointed out, "A woman may not represent her clan in the sacred ceremonies. She will have to be married before she is allowed talk in the assembly."

Han grimaced, "Is that rule still on the books?" He sighed. "Some traditions never made much sense."

Master Chou, getting back on track, said, "I think it's obvious the only way to pull off this invasion with any degree of success and gain a foothold in the US is by way of portals."

"The wards around their country are much too strong for that," one of the masters protested. "And what is this talk about a foothold? I thought we were only trying knockout Seattle. If we try and take over the fighting would no doubt bleed over to the general populations. No one wins if we set off a nuclear war."

Master Chou held out a placating hand and explained, "I'm not advocating a full occupation, but if we don't create a dominating sphere of influence there like we've done in LA and Portland and the Russians have done in Vancouver, they will just build anew. Once we entrench ourselves in their society, running American businesses as fronts for our own operations, we become legitimate entities that they would have to break their own laws to remove."

Heads began to nod around the seating area and the electricity in the air increased as he continued, "As for the portals. You are correct if we try to create one from here to there directly. Their structure would break up as they crossed the wards. However..." he began drawing what he had in mind. He'd spent many hours with the mystics as they described to him how they saw the cosmos.

"That's impossible," one of the onlookers exclaimed. "There are only three planes of existence: the divine, the physical, and the spiritual."

Master Chou shrugged. "The mystics seem to have a different opinion. It seems there are supposedly hundreds. There are old texts of ancient civilizations using them to travel around the world before deep-sea vessels were developed."

"How does this help us bypass the wards?" Han questioned.

Chou shrugged. "How are demons summoned from their plane into ours inside of the wards we establish? How do spirits manifest themselves inside of our barriers? It appears the laws that are true here aren't the same elsewhere. Only a few planes have been found to be habitable for us, and of them, the mystics have located two that overlap our plane in North America. One is relatively close to Seattle at roughly a six hour drive."

Han sat back and thought. "Have you tested this?" he finally asked.

Chou bowed his head and said, "With your permission, Supreme Master. I have an arcane wizard standing by that has been briefed by the mystics on the process. He can leave as soon as you order it."