Firstborn (The Legacy Series) (7 page)

“You got it,” I said as I picked up the phone.

“Dialing Heaven?” Amaymon hopped on the desk beside the phone.

“More like Hell on Earth.”

There was a tone dial and Mephisto’s cold voice crackled on the other side on the line. “Good morning, Ashendale mansion. How may I help you?”

“
Sup, doggie,” I said enthusiastically. “Where’s Gil?”

“Master Gil is busy,” he replied. “May I take a message?”

“Yeah, tell her I have an angel running around and that it might be in her best interest to stop ignoring me and PICK UP THE PHONE!”

That should get her attention.

There was a shuffle at the other end.

“What do you want
, Erik?”

Gil was not a happy girl.

“Hi, Gil.” The glee in my voice probably didn’t help either.

“What. Do. You. Want?” she growled in a voice that hinted at my imminent death. As I said, Gil does not like to lose.

“I got a new case.”

“Good for you.”

“It involves an angel.”

“How
so?”

“It seems to be protecting someone,” I said. Better not include that detail about the succubus. “Ever heard of Jehudiel?”

I heard the tapping of a keyboard at the other end. “Seems to be an Archangel,” she said. “Huh.”

“What?”

“Says here he’s a Virtue. Never heard of that.”

“Why not ask your bodyguards?” I said, remembering the entourage she had with her.

“They don’t do interviews, Erik.” A sigh crackled on the other end of the phone. “Erik, is this so-called
person
in reality a succubus?”

Oh
, crap.

“Maybe.”

“Oh, God, Erik.”

“What?”

“My angels are after the succubus,” she said.

“So
, what about this Jehudiel guy?”

A groan escaped her throat. “I don’t know. Maybe we’re dealing with a rogue here.”

“A rogue angel?” I asked as I looked at Amaymon. He just shrugged.

“Either way, I’m gonna need you to step down from this one,” she said.

“Step down?” I did not like where this was going.

“Yes,” she replied. Her voice was hard. “Word of warning
. We’re going after this succubus. Do not stand in my way.”

“Or what?” I challenged.

“Or I’ll crush you, too.”

All that was left was the theme from
The Good, the Bad and The Ugly
playing in the background.

“Why are you doing this
, Gil?”

“Because I have to,” she spat. “Because this goes all the way to the top. There are things in play here that far outweigh whatever case you have. So
, Drop. The. Case.”

She shouldn’t have said that. I don’t follow orders, ever. It’s like telling a kid not to do something – they end up doing exactly what you tell them not to.

If this went all the way to the top, then it was no longer in Gil’s hands. And as much as she irritates me, I’d much rather she be the top dog around here. Whoever she was answering to might not have the Earth’s best interest in mind – and that did not sit well with me.

If the angels were in charge, then all was lost already. But I had the feeling she was getting pressure from a third party – someone deep in the shadows but powerful enough to force the Ashendale leader into action.

Either way, I wasn’t about to drop the case. If anything, I wanted to see this ‘til the end.

“No way, sis,” I challenged. “I’m seeing this
through.”

“Funny you should say that. Good luck then, brother.”

And the phone went dead.

“Erik! Duck!”

Amaymon’s warning registered too late.

A series of explosions went through my office. Shrapnel flew at every corner
as bullets ripped into my arm and side. I landed painfully. My lungs felt as if they were on fire.

I felt my healing powers take effect. Projectiles were ejected from my arm
. They weren’t the usual deformed bullets, but thin shards of iron-like shrapnel from a mine.

I heard his boot crunch glass. He wore heavy combat boots and black cargo pants. His biker jacket revealed a bodybuilder’s torso.

I inched beyond the table’s edge. His weapon was not a firearm – it was a long barrel extending from where his forearm should be.

His other hand held a
cell phone to his head.

“Yeah
, boss. I got him. Call you when I’m done here.”

He pocketed his phone. His other forearm melted and shifted into a matching barrel made from the same dark
, grey metal.

“Come out wherever you are,” he called.

He sucked in a deep breath and both barrels fired again. Shrapnel sprayed everywhere.

“Do you feel lucky
, punk?!” he hollered.

The barrage stopped abruptly as he slumped over, exhausted.

Most of my injuries had healed and pain was replaced by seething anger. I crouched behind the desk and grabbed the edges. Magic coursed through me, giving me a burst of strength. The heavy desk was sent flying into the thug, knocking him backwards.

I ran and jumped over it. My extended arm met his neck and drove him into the ground. He landed so hard, he actually cracked the floorboards.

I leveled my gun at his face.

“Didn’t you get the memo
, kid? I’m the only wiseass around here.”

10

The gun roared in my hand
and a loud, metallic sound echoed around the office.

I peered over to see his head completely
covered in steel, as if he were some robot. The bullet ricocheted off, leaving only a shallow grove on his forehead.

“What the heck?”

A metal-covered fist connected with my hip. I buckled and fell hard.

We both lay there, moaning in pain.

“Is that whole
no-shirt
thing some sorta fashion statement?” I whined between clenched teeth.

“
What's wrong with what I wear?”

“
You look like a cross between a biker and that dark kid from
Twilight
.”

“Like you’re any better,” he said.

He swung his arm downwards on me – his arm liquefying and becoming a long, sharp blade of dark metal. I rolled and managed to avoid being beheaded, but still felt a small cut on my neck.

I rolled up and brought the gun around. He swung his weapon aro
und and ripped it from my grip as a second blade stabbed at me.

I sidestepped. The blade ripped through my shirt but left no permanent damage. Safe from his blades, I smashed my elbow to his nose and felt something crunching. Still keeping my momentum, I
spun, kicked backwards and sent him flying in classic judo throw.

He landed heavily on his back.

I saw his arms shift shape again, reverting back into guns – these had shorter barrels. A burst of gun fire shot from them.

I leapt backwards and crossed my arms.

Normally I can’t use magic without any channels, but I found a loophole to that – a set of crystals placed inside the walls of my office allowed me to manipulate magic freely inside my own home. My magic is trapped inside my body, and these crystals essentially make my office space into an extension of me.

So
, I crossed my arms and an invisible barrier of energy formed in front of me like a shield. It robbed the bullets of their kinetic energy, causing them to fall harmlessly on the ground.

He got to his knees and his weapons disappeared. He began panting heavily.

“You’re tougher than I imagined,” he rasped.

“
You're no pushover,” I replied. “For a young Elemental.”

“
How did you know?”

I could have gone into
a Sherlock Holmes-esque explanation. The shards were iron, the only metal found in the human body. Elementals initially use their bodies to provide material – in this guy’s case, metal.

But instead I went with this
−

“I’m an almighty wizard.”

He growled.

“
And I also know you’re just about ready to collapse,” I continued. His expression confirmed just how spot on it was. “It’s easier to use material from your own body. But it leaves you weakened.” I grinned at him.

“Quit while you still can
, kid, or else it’s a world of hurt for you.”

“Yeah
, right.”

I held up two fingers. “I’ll knock you out in two strikes. Then
, you’ll be so impressed with my awesomeness that you’ll answer my questions.”

He got to his feet. Metal crept over his body like a liquid, encasing his body in dark iron.

“Screw you.” His voice had a reverberating tone to it.

I opened my arms in challenge.

“Have it your way, kid.”

He charged at me with a feral snarl
as I shifted sideways and extended my magic over the area around me. The air became heavy and damp as moisture gathered. A torrent of water crashed into the Elemental from all directions, swirling around him in a violent current. He hung suspended in a water prison, gasping for air.

Soon, the first patches of rust appeared sporadically. The dark spots grew, hindering his powers and movement even more.

I held up a finger. “One down.”

Static crackled around me and arced down to my fingertips. Tiny bolts of electricity zapped angrily from my hands. My grin was so wide, it actually hurt my cheeks.

“Join the Dark Side of the Force,” I yelled maniacally.

I had to admit it – I looked damn cool. Just like a Sith Lord. Darth Erik.

I sent the lightning at the Elemental. The water amplified the electricity and the resulting explosion literally rocked the ground. The Elemental’s metal body acted as a lightning rod, taking in millions of volts of damage.

There was another, louder explosion and a bright flash of light. The water evaporated and I heard a scream. The Elemental fell on the ground, twitching erratically. He tried to say something but couldn’t get his lungs to work. He shuddered some more and fell to the ground, unconscious. His metallic armor flaked off, revealing a normal person beneath. Smoke billowed from his body. That kid was down for good
.

Amaymon’s little
, feline head popped from beneath a destroyed wardrobe.

“
Is it over yet?”

11

“
Yo, kid. Snap out of it.” I threw a second bucket of cold water over him and slapped him in the face.

He jerked up, wide away.

I had tied him to a chair and sat in front of him. There was a circle of chalk drawn around his chair to interrupt the flow of magic. I had also drawn a triangular symbol on his forehead with a sharpie – that’s to keep him from focusing on anything for too long.

Like morphing his arm into a sword and slicing my head off. There’s only so much my healing powers can do.

His head spun from one side to another.

“Told you I’d take you down,” I said gleefully.

He struggled against his bonds.

“That's not gonna happen,”
I jabbed.

He ignored me. His face had turned red now. I could feel him pushing against the wards around him to transform.

“Dance monkey, dance,” muttered Amaymon.

I raised my hand and flicked my index finger towards him. A bolt of psychic energy hit the triangle on his forehead. His head snapped backwards and he stopped struggling.

“You done?”

The Elemental just panted and glared. He was going to have one giant headache in the morning.

“So,” I said. “What’s your name?”

“Go blow yourself.”

I flicked my finger again. He expressed his pain by letting out a very long stream of curses.

“I’m almost certain that’s not your name,” I said.

“Shut the-”

“
Ah, ah.” I warned as I waved my finger threateningly in his face.

He dropped his head in surrender.

“Jack.”

I blinked at him, waiting for an elaboration.
“Jack. Just Jack. Jack the Elemental,” I said, as he fell silent again.

He glared.

“Okay, Jack. Who sent you here?”

“
I don’t know,” he spat.

I raised my eyebrow and repeated the spell once more. He actually yelped this time.
“Wanna try that again?”