Gremlin Night Dale Smith (comprehension books txt) 📖

There was train parked at the tracks ahead. Not a freight train, but a passenger train. Amtrak? No, it was gold, not green and white, and the train cars appeared supremely old-timey, like they were from the 1940s.

The lights were on and people milled about inside the cars. It had to be some sort of evening train ride. Something had caused it to stop.

The fox and I both slowed down. This whole setup smelled to the high heavens.

The passengers were in fancy dress, men in tuxedoes and women in old-style evening gowns, the kind that brushed the floor.

The fox sat on its haunches and waited expectantly. The cool, wet night air began to crackle faintly. My hackles rose.

Now was my chance, but something was up, and if I started the chase again, who knew what would happen here. I parked the Ducati and got off.

“Refocus if you’re gonna,” the little voice said right behind me, in a sly tone. “You might have the time.” The fox laid down, and watched me.

“Funny,” I mumbled, but the voice had a point.

I closed my eyes, and inhaled deeply. Belly breathing helped me refocus. I did six, long, slow breaths, clearing my mind, ignoring the fact that I was a stone’s throw from a fox-manifestation that had led me on a merry chase across the river to here. Inhale, exhale. I stretched my arms, brought my hands together in prayer pose.

My witch grandmother would be proud. She was always trying to get me to do more yoga. I forced myself to ignore the danger I was in. Standing there, with the air crackling more loudly with each passing second. After a minute of this, I released my hands. I felt lighter, just a bit more restored.

I fished around in my memory for a pair of spells I could use. If only I had another magic item, or a bound manifestation in service to R.U.N.E. But no, I wasn’t allowed anything extra tonight, because the front office didn’t trust me.

The air around the fox glowed blue, and then, the fox disappeared.

The crackling became a steady drumbeat of noise. Now I could see silver flashes around the train cars.

I drew my binding knife.

A familiar-looking figure appeared from behind the train, the bystander from the strip mall. What was he doing here?

He stumbled toward me, looking confused, holding himself up with that tall walking staff of his.

I held the knife loosely. He looked as ordinary as the first two times I’d seen him. For an instant, I thought I glimpsed a glow around him, but it vanished when I looked hard.

“Say hello to Rudy,” the little voice whispered in my ear.

Hello to Rudy? “What are you on about?” I hissed back.

The man’s long hair was disheveled, covering one eye. His other eye stared at me, wide. The poor guy was always in a panic.

“It’s Rudy,” the voice insisted.

“Okay, so what?” I asked, in a low hiss.

“I can’t do everything for you. You must provoke the truth.”

Skies above, I hated Tricksters, and all the trickiness that went with them. Fine, I’d bite.

“Hi, Rudy,” I said brightly to the man. “Are you lost?”

The drumbeat of arcane crackling grew, the flashes of silver around the train cars growing brighter.

He glanced back at it, his expression suddenly calculating.

“There’s no time for this,” he said. He turned back to face me. His expression shifted again, to a look of naked arrogance.

“Took you long enough,” Rudy said. “I can’t say I’m surprised.” Smugness filled his voice. “Figures a piece like you would take your sweet time blundering to reality.”

“Excuse me,” I said, “but you played a clueless putz well.”

“That was easy.” His voice dripped with scorn. It was obvious now, the scent of sorcery was strong on him, stronger than Tully or even Farlance. A purple aura outlined him. He stood taller, and his eyes flashed.

“Despite how easy you were to fool, I’m happy to have you join me,” he said, smirking. “Power can be shared.”

“Yeah, no thanks.” I shifted my binding knife to my left hand.

His gaze followed. “Tsk-tsk, woman. You think that will stop me?” He chuckled. He flexed his arms, assumed what must have been a martial arts stance.

I rolled my eyes. “You really are a piece of work after all. Pretty good act you had going on.” Okay, I was repeating myself, but I needed to stall, see if he had a manifestation on him. It was a long shot, but if he did, I could, maybe, just maybe, bind it. I’d say longshots were my specialty, but honestly, you grab at what you can when you’re backed into a corner. No sign of one. That left only one option, but I’d never get the chance to pull it off, not with him watching me closely.

“Almost worthy of me,” the small voice said. The fox suddenly reappeared a dozen feet away from Rudy and me, in the direction of the train.

Rudy’s expression hardened. “Supernaturals are not equal to men.” He raised his hand. A tornado of golden light exploded from his fingers and engulfed the fox. The old trickster stiffened, and yowled silently, convulsing in agony.

“You will obey me,” he told the fox. The fox yowled louder.

Despite my roiling guts, I drew my pistol and aimed it at Rudy’s chest. “Stop the spell or I put three rounds into you.”

Rudy regarded me coldly.

I tightened my finger on the trigger. I’d never killed a human, and I didn’t want to start now, but I had no choice.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment. At the edge of my vision the fox writhed in agony. Beyond it the air around the passenger train crackled with silver lightning that reflected in the windows. The building magic was an impending hurricane of arcane energy. The people inside stared out, wide-eyed.

“Stop it now,” I shouted.

Rudy laughed sharply. “You don’t get it, do you, girl? You could hang with me. Who knows, we could have