Repossessed (26 page)

He had prey to hunt and didn’t have time to waste on small fry.

There was only one way for Rob to reach his final destination at just the
right
place—even if that meant giving a few jobs to the competition.

“You’ll give me what?” the other warlock asked at the end of cellphone line. The guy’s voice was hoarse with a tinge of fatigue. He’d probably spent all morning working at a regular job after spending the night doing repo work.

“I’ll give you a shot at every single gig I’d get assigned at Clive’s place.” He didn’t work for Clive anymore so it was a win-win for both parties. “All you have to do is find something for me. A house in Limbo.”

Ten calls later he was done. Not a single spellcaster turned him down. His former employer didn’t exactly have the most attractive digs, but Clive got fed the bigger fish in the pond. Mostly due to Rob’s efforts.

Now all he had to do was wait.

An hour later, a text message arrived with good news:
You got 9 min to get your ass to 10648 W 55
th
.

Traveling from Brooklyn to Manhattan with jump points helped him get there with seconds to spare. He appeared before the caller who pointed where Rob needed to go.

“If you look to the far right, there’s this structure that leans kinda weird,” the man said.

Rob peered into the familiar pink haze at what could be described as a home. Someone, with apparently a lot of time on their hands, had used magic to construct a shelter from whatever materials he could procure: random slabs of wood and metal for the walls, along with a colorful satyr’s blanket for the door.

For a guy hiding out from the wizards, Dagger didn’t exactly have the nicest place compared to the beach house where Rob and Tessa fought against him.

Rob slowly approached the place, careful to keep an eye out. With one hand under the flap of his satchel—for easy weapon retrieval—he reached the doorway and peered inside. There wasn’t much. Just a bed of quilts and a lantern in the corner for light. Not that one needed to worry about the elements in Limbo, but you never know what roamed around here.

A rustling of junk drew Rob outside. He found Dagger sitting on a nymph’s enchanted bench with a fresh cigarette trailing smoke into the air.

“Why, if it isn’t Mr. Shin?” Dagger said after a long drag. “Have you returned to Limbo for a longer stay?”

“You know why I’m here.”

Dagger sighed. “You never were one for chit-chat first.”

“I came here to take care of business. Even if that means taking you out.”

Dagger’s little smile grew. “You’re cocky. That’s growing on me actually. I could
kill
you now, but that would be a waste, wouldn’t it? Most of the brothers let the darkness within seep inside until their judgment is clouded. But you, on the other hand, are far sharper.” Dagger flicked the glowing ash at the end of the cigarette on the bench. “The warlocks could use a man like you when the war comes.”

Rob rolled his eyes. More war talk that would go nowhere. “Not interested. You should know by now I don’t choose sides.” He immediately changed the subject. The last thing he needed was more diatribe about how the warlocks planned to bring the wizards down. “Even if you’ve managed to create a means to blacken magical weapons, what makes you think you’ll manage to take out all the wizards’ arsenal?”

“Wouldn’t you love to know that? Let’s just say this place is the key.” Dagger left the bench and strolled around a mound of tattered books and discarded clothes. “Contrary to popular belief, not everything stays here. The dwarves have been working with the Supernatural Council to return all the weapons back into the world. Ever since I’ve gathered together my cursed goodies—thanks in part to you—I’ve blackened most of the wizard weapons in Limbo. You did a lot of the work pushing most of what I needed through the portal. You need a particular amulet for cursed goods, which I don’t possess. Thanks to you, once I figure out a way to get my tool out, a lot more wizard wands are gonna bleed black.”

Rob’s jaw twitched.
You dirty piece of shit.

Time to wipe that smirk off his face. He shifted to advance on Dagger, then paused. There was no way Dagger would be able to blacken
all
wizard weapons in the world. They’d have to be in close proximity to the cursed items he gathered.

So what the hell was he up to?

No time for Q&A right now, might as well get to the ass-kicking part. Rob opened his satchel.

“Wield it well,
Doryeonim
,” the bag spirit implored. From within the folds he pulled out a long onyx staff. Black thorns jutted from the end. Sparks from its power heated the palms of his hands. A thrill pulsed through him as he gripped it.

“I guess this means you’ve decided to turn your back on us?” Dagger spat.

“I haven’t done a damn thing to our kind other than return property to the original owners. What I will do is put my foot up your ass so far you’re gonna taste the cotton candy I stepped on not too long ago.”

“Show me what you got then.” Dagger took a few steps back, then brushed his fingertips along the top of a metal block on the end of an antique bookcase. The dark metal came to life, wobbling a bit before it fell into an old wood bucket with a loud clatter.

Rob held his staff steady, unsure what move Dagger would make. A mahogany fire wand sprouted from his palm. He pointed it in Rob’s direction.

Rob raised his staff in a defensive pose, drawing on its power until it mingled with his own, building to a crescendo that roared in his ears like ocean waves crashing into the rocks. His body vibrated as he prepared to release the power gathering in the staff, sweat beading on his brow from the effort it took to control the magic. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the bucket. It shuddered before sinking into the junk and Rob stilled, his palms burning from the unspent magic in the staff. His focus wavered, the need to investigate nagged at him. Especially when a sinkhole began to form.

Maybe sinkhole wasn’t an accurate term.

The contents of the ten-foot radius sunk in, only to rise again as something jerked and spasmed from the ground. A tiny head with glowing red eyes came first, it’s bulky mass shuddering as it tried to find its footing. A set of metallic shoulders emerged from the debris next, covered with old oiled leather armor rose through the junk, along with a set of large hands. A strong stench of iron shot from the creature. Rob held his ground, trying to swallow away any apprehension from the humanoid thing that flexed its massive hands.

The satchel on his hip quivered and spat out words Rob didn’t recognize. Maybe he vocalized the curse words Rob held in.

Dagger must’ve paid a pretty penny for the iron brick he dropped into the bucket. Summoned golems were dangerous in the magical realm. Far too unstable, they were known to turn on those who called on them if the spellcaster wasn’t powerful enough to keep them from taking them out after their target had been brought down.

Rob took a step forward, his torso vibrating with pressure like a volcano about to blow. The best offense was a full on attack in this case. He aimed the staff at the golem. The power circling in his stomach jumped into the end of the weapon and raced to the other side. He held tight as an arch of blindingly white lightning shot the golem point blank in the chest. The creature screeched as it flew backwards into Dagger’s house. The wooden walls splintered into tiny bits as debris scattered wide.

Rob aimed again, feeling the heat in the staff writhing to be set free. He was unprepared for how fast the golem’s sprinted in his direction. His hands tightened on the staff as he fired again in quick bursts, but the golem quickly reached his side and swung wide. Rob brought the staff upwards, managing to block the blow. His teeth jarred from the impact. What little defensive magic the staff had, it wasn’t worth shit.

The creature laughed, a choppy sound, as it raised its meaty fists high in the air to slam downward. Rob’s block didn’t come fast enough and the golem struck him on the left shoulder. The crunch of broken bones forced all the air out of his lungs. Rob let out a long curse as the blow struck.

“
Doryeonim
, stay sharp!” the satchel growled.

Pain radiated through his left arm. It was now hanging shattered at his side. Rob staggered backward, quickly reaching into his bag with his good right arm, for another weapon. Another swing came hard, but he sidestepped the blow.

Where is it? Where is it?
Only once in his life had he gone through the whole inventory of his father’s satchel, barely understanding most of it, but only one weapon in his father’s arsenal would save his ass now: The
haetai
’s stick.

He stretched his fingers until he encountered a heavy twitching baton, no longer than his forearm. He yanked upwards, pulling until the stick emerged from the bag, lit as if on fire. With a mighty heave, he tossed the flaming weapon into the air, hoping and praying what his father told him held true.
“The haetai defends against evil when you need it, but use it wisely.”

The iron golem stormed at him again. Rob glanced around him and spotted a charmed Aegean shield. He gritted his teeth, dodging and weaving to avoid a giant fist to the head. Pain ripped through him as he held his left arm against his body with his right, only to let go so he could reach out to retrieve the shield.

The golem snarled and swung again.

Instead of feeling the jarring effect of the swing, the golem’s hand fell into the shield. The golem roared, pulling back a corroded and sizzling limb.

The golem swung wider to catch Rob’s legs as a blur came from the left and slammed into them. The
haetai
growled deep in its throat. He jerked his gaze in its direction, taking in a massive, yet beautiful beast from Korean legend. The
haetai
’s long incisors locked around the golem’s shoulder, digging deep into the metal. The beast’s lion-like form shook its head to deepen the wound, its scaly limbs twisting and claws the length of blades cleaving at the golem. Dagger’s soldier tried to snatch its attacker off its back, but the
haetai
held fast and they tumbled away. Rob dug the balls of his feet into the uneven floor beneath him and scrambled away just as two grappling beasts cut a swath through the debris not a foot from where he had stood.

The two duked it out, the
haetai
clawing and scratching while the golem punched and bashed. The
haetai
was faster, far more vicious and managed to wrestle the iron golem to ground. With a loud screech, the
haetai
ripped off the golem’s head like a forgotten rag doll. Another limb flew away, then a leg.

The
haetai
was no joke.

Instead of poking at its kill, the beast glanced at Rob and vanished into a flash of light. The stick around its collar fell to the ground for Rob to pick up. His arm burned as he held it, but he had bigger problems now.

“Rather handy,” Dagger said from behind him. He closed in quickly from the left.

He tried to lift his right arm to block Dagger’s forward stab, but he didn’t twist around fast enough. Dagger grinned as he extended his fire wand with a blade at the end. The tip pressed against Rob’s Adam’s apple.

“Go ahead. Show me how fast you are,” Dagger whispered. “Give me a reason to make you swallow this knife.”

When Rob slightly shifted, Dagger grabbed his injured shoulder and squeezed. Tight. Pain coursed through him, spreading from his shoulder into his mouth. Rob grunted, refusing to give that piece of garbage warlock the satisfaction of hearing him cry out.

He pushed forward, holding tight to Rob’s wound. “Start walking, Shin.”

They shuffled away from the ruins of Dagger’s house over a hill. No more than a hundred feet away, Rob spotted where Limbo disappeared into endless canyons of emptiness. The blackness had no end. When they reached the edge, Dagger laughed at his side.

“Do you know what’s down there?” Dagger pressed the wand-blade closer until the tip cut into Rob’s neck. “Limbo’s architects needed powerful magic to hold countless magical things inside—and to keep others out. In order to do that, they trapped a demon down there.”

Rob had heard enough. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he twisted out of the grip and threw a right hook, ready to block his vulnerable left side. Dagger was quick to respond, thrusting the blade forward with a dance of fire in its wake. Rob managed to dodge the heat searing across his chest, growing ever more pissed off, to throw a combination right hook, followed by a swift uppercut, then a right jab. Pain be fucking damned.

With a roar, Rob slammed into Dagger, shoulder to chin, as hard as he could, and drove the warlock toward the edge of the cliff. Dagger lunged toward him and rolled onto Rob, trying to bring the wand-blade close to his neck. “Do you want to meet what lives down there?” Dagger hissed. “It eats blackened magic.”

“Not today, but you’re more than welcome to check it out for me.” Rob thrust one of his legs upward and placed his shoe in Dagger’s chest. With a hard kick, he flipped Dagger over his body beyond the edge. Rob turned to watch Dagger fall through the mist and plunge into the chasm.

“Have a nice trip,” Rob murmured. With satisfaction, he hoped Dagger enjoyed his stay in Limbo as much as he did.

“Well done,
Doryeonim
!” If the satchel had a face, Rob suspected the old spirit would be beaming.

“Don’t congratulate me yet.” Exhaustion settled into his shoulders and pain continued to stab at him from his shattered bones. Far too quickly the reality of the situation hit. He was injured and lost. How the hell was he supposed to get out of here? His thoughts went to Tessa, somewhere beyond the haze, and he hoped she got his message and she pulled through to save her business.

Dagger’s final words bothered him.
“It eats blackened magic.”
Did he have plans for the demon? Plans beyond bringing down the wizards? A creature powerful enough to hold the fabric of Limbo together had staggering power. Unimaginable strength.

Dagger was out of the way now, but what door might he have opened with his actions?