Moon Shimmers(5)

Our mixed blood causes havoc. Our powers fritz out at the most inconvenient times. That wasn’t exactly a big selling point to our bosses at the OIA—the Otherworld Intelligence Agency—and although we worked our asses off, we were never exemplary employees. Between our lapses, and my run-in with a supervisor who got pissed when I wouldn’t blow him, we were shipped over Earthside on what was ostensibly a sabbatical. Things went downhill fast.

We arrived Earthside thinking our stay would be all fun and games. A real chance to explore our mother’s homeworld. We ended up at the frontlines of a demonic war and trust me, saving two worlds, one monster at a time, isn’t easy. We’ve been to hell and back in this war, and until we find the last spirit seal and forever bind all nine away from Shadow Wing—the leader of the Sub-Realms—there will always be the chance that he’ll take control of the portals, force them open, and raze both Earthside and Otherworld. We’re battle weary and we’ve lost too many friends to this war. We just want to finish it and be done, because trust me, war wounds run deep, and we’re all scarred with injuries that are mostly unseen, but always present.





WE WERE ALMOST to Golden Gardens Park when Fry suddenly veered off the road, onto the shoulder. She leaned across the passenger seat, squinting out the window. To the right was a swath of grass, and a large wall leading up to a street that ran parallel with ours. The wall was covered with ivy.

“I thought I saw something big and fast out there,” she said. “Is this creature invisible?”

I glanced at Menolly. “I don’t know if it can fully turn invisible, but I’d say it could camouflage itself against a background of greenery.”

“Come on. Let’s go take a look. Hand me the shotgun, please.” She held out her hand.

I stared at the gun, not wanting to touch it. There was enough iron in that gun to burn my hands if I accidentally touched any part that wasn’t wood.

“Just do it—oh.” She stopped, looking at my face. “You’re half-Fae. Iron thing, right?”

“Right.”

Menolly grabbed the gun, letting out a faint curse as her finger grazed the barrel. She carefully lifted it over the seat. Her fingers were blistered when Fry took the gun from her, but they began to heal up quickly. Vampires healed faster than most people realized, which meant she could touch iron and—while it still hurt—it wouldn’t incapacitate her.

I frowned. “That gun won’t do a thing against this creature. We’re fighting a spirit. Even if you have silver bullets, it’s not going to make a difference.”

“Then what do you suggest I use?” Fry really didn’t sound happy. She gazed down at the gun, then back at the window. “He’s out there—see?”

I plastered my face against the window. Sure enough, I could see his faint form against the wall, blending into the ivy. “Come on, Menolly. We’ll go on foot from here. Fry, why don’t you drive ahead and try to keep people from scattering. If we can keep him from making it to the park, then maybe we can pull this off without the wedding guests ever knowing what’s going on. Tell them…oh, tell them you’re chasing a couple burglary subjects or something that won’t cause a panic.”

With that, Menolly and I hopped out of the car. Fry hesitated a moment, then put the gun down and took off toward the park, which was about a quarter mile down the road.

Menolly and I headed for the stone wall covered in ivy. I had left my shoes in the car, for easier running, and as we passed over a gravel spit, my toes protested. Of course, I had to find the sharpest pieces of gravel around. I hopped across to the grass and wiped off the pebbles that were stuck to the bottoms of my feet.

“What do we do when we get there?” Menolly asked.

I kept my eye on the hulking spirit. Turned out troll spirits were as big as their bodies, which were huge. The smallest troll I had ever seen was ten feet tall, and that was a youngster. Troll parents didn’t let their young go wandering until they were large enough to look out for themselves. But trolls weren’t just tall. They were bulky and muscled and scary as hell.

“At least we aren’t facing a dubba-troll. Two heads are definitely not better than one.” I paused, trying to keep track of where the troll spirit had gone. Then I saw him, up ahead, still on his way to the park. “There he is. Why he’s determined to go to the park, I don’t know.”

“Neither do I, but let’s get a move on. I’m going on ahead. You come as fast as you can.” Menolly sped up. She could move in a blur, like most vampires, and before long she was keeping pace with the troll. The next moment, she was in front of him and ready to try to dropkick him backward. As her foot hit his stomach, it went right through him and she landed in a heap on the grass. The troll didn’t even look back.