CHAPTER#49

The voice just laughed at him. He tried to relax, allowing himself to sink deeper into the vision. He examined the pieces on the board, contemplating them. Off in the corner, he saw a pair of pieces laying inside the lid of a cardboard box. He pulled them out to look.

"Lily and Dana." Of course. They weren't on the board because they were traveling. He noticed other shapes on his board, blurry shapes. Those would be creatures he hadn't discovered yet in rooms he couldn't find. Frustrated, he tried to examine some of the pieces, but the harder he looked, the blurrier they became.

"So what's the point in all of this? Am I playing a game?" He was reminded of a movie he caught on TV as a kid. Something to do with the gods using humans as game pieces and sending them out on quests. "Are... are you God?"

There was no answer. Instead, he noticed a shadow sitting at the other side of the table. It was next to a game board of its own, and the shadow's ears perked up when it noticed him. It stood and leaned toward him.

"Oh shit." He couldn't make out this new creature, but the absolute malice it radiated washed over him like a heatwave. It had several game pieces of its own on a board that looked like it had a forest along the edges.

"You have been challenged," the voice warned him.

"Challenged to what?" When he spoke, it was in his own voice. He was back in his bed, Tink clutching his thigh. Early morning light illuminated his bedroom and he groaned. Had he actually fallen asleep? His whole body was stiff as if he hadn't moved a muscle the entire time he was in bed.

The vision had filled him with a certain level of dread, that shadowy figure regarding him from the other side of the table. Was it a Society member? He let out a loud sigh. He was too tired to give it much thought and briefly considered getting out of bed to go talk to Naia, or Ratu, or anyone who could give him a shove in the right direction. Fatigue sat across him like a heavy fog, pressing him into the comfort of his mattress.

"Fuck it." He grabbed the edge of a blanket and rolled over, shoving his face into his pillow. Tink stirred, and he jerked his thigh away before she could bite it. Unless the world was currently ending, he was going to sleep in.

-

It was nearly noon when he walked outside. He held a cup of coffee and wore a pair of sunglasses. He went immediately to the sundial and gave it a good turn, then looked up. He had expected to see Sebastien standing there, but was surprised to see a dark-skinned man in a fancy suit.

Amir. This was the head of the Society, standing right on the edge of his property, a false grin plastered across his face. He fiddled with a rather ornate ring on his finger, then put his hands behind his back. This was the first time anyone other than Sebastien had been on watch.

"Mr. Radley." Amir smiled. "I guess the reports of your journeys are... inaccurate."

"Come again?" Mike only walked close enough to hear better. Amir, according to Lily, was one of the most powerful mages currently alive. To Mike, he looked more like an expensive car salesman.

"For several hours, a locator spell I cast with your name pinged in an overgrown region of South America. I sent many of the others to capture you, but we lost your location hours ago. Naturally, I came here myself to check on the situation." Amir folded his fingers into a gun and a black and purple bolt ripped toward Mike. It struck an invisible barrier at the property line and scattered outward. "Can't blame a man for trying. Anyways, I had hoped to be waiting for your eventual return so I could kill you."

"Your locator spell is broken." Mike sipped at his coffee. "Clearly I am still here and haven't left."

"Or clearly you have returned. You are a man of many mysteries, Mr. Radley."

"Yeah." He turned away from Amir, then paused and turned back. "Any luck finding your succubus?"

Amir's features flinched. "She has been rather elusive, but I am a patient man. I have lived for countless centuries and will undoubtedly live countless more. That is why I have decided that I no longer care about gaining your cooperation. It would be far easier to kill you and whoever shows up to claim your inheritance. If I do this enough times, eventually someone will sell me this place."

"It's a shame you have all the time in the world, yet you spend it being a huge douchebag."

"That is a matter of perspective." Amir's smile reappeared. "As the wind wears down the mountain, I too shall see this through."

"Uh huh." The way Amir was looking at him now, he knew that he should be terrified. In a way, his death certificate had already been signed by the man. However, he had slept poorly and was officially too grumpy to care. "Anything else you have to say to me? I'm pretty busy these days. Found a dragon in the basement, I'm having him neutered so he quits humping the washing machine. Leaves terrible stains on all my clothes."

"You have a dragon?" A look of disbelief crossed the man's face. Mike ignored the man and walked back to his door. He stopped long enough to stare at the swing, wondering how long Cecilia would be gone. At the thought of her departure, his mood darkened.

In the early afternoon, a moving truck arrived. It was all the items from New Castle. He had them dropped off on the driveway and tipped the movers well. Beth came out with her list and verified that each item had, in fact, been returned.

The fairies helped him sort the items into magical and non-magical piles. Surprisingly enough, most of the items were non-magical. These Mike used to re-furnish the second floor with help from Sofia and Beth. The rats had unblocked the remaining doorways and closed up a couple of the portals already.