Page 2 of Dragon's Desire

Kiercy placed a finger under each of their shoulders and chanted with such speed as the light of the train illuminated them. “Light as a feather, stiff as a board, light as a feather stiff as a board, light as a feather stiff as a board.”

She lifted them both with a single digit up and off the tracks; back onto the station platform, and they returned the favor by pulling her up just a moment before the train would have flattened her.

All three fought to catch their breath from the harrowing experience, and most of the voyagers in the tunnel clapped at the heroism, but now wasn’t the time for applause or celebration.

Back on her feet, Kiercy ran up the stairs and into the streets above. She had no visual on the perp, but she could tell the direction he ran based on reactions of people that he clearly ran by and assaulted in one way or another.

She grabbed her radio as she began double timing in the direction her suspect had fled. “Agent Carrier still in pursuit. Subject has left the station, and is headed for Hell’s Kitchen.”

“Roger that Agent Carrier. Units standing by,” the radio chirped as the communication ended.

Before she entered a full sprint, Kiercy stopped at a tree planted along the sidewalk, and grabbed a small branch. She smeared some of the blood of the vampire off her knuckles onto the twig, and took a vial of water off her utility belt and sprinkled some on the branch. Then a pinch of dirt rubbed between her fingers, and three times said, “Inveniatur”.

The branch glowed pale purple as otherworldly energy infused it, then she placed it in her outstretched hand; perpendicularly. Slowly the branch moved with life of its own and pointed in a direction. To be certain she moved her hand and the branch turned again to point at the same direction.

“Ready or not, here I come,” she said smiling.

2

KIERCY

Only in New York City,she humorously thought. Still holding the glowing branch, and rushing through crowds to find catch up; you’d think someone would have a bigger reaction than, “watch where you’re going bitch.”

“Nobody’s perfect,” she whispered to anyone listening.

“Says you,” replied some random stranger. The streets were packed tonight. People coming and going in this giant bee hive of a city. At any given moment you could catch a whiff of street vendor food, an Italian bistro, car exhaust, and someone’s public urination.

Sometimes Kiercy just wanted to wear a gas mask. Her thoughts were interrupted when the branch turned sharply in her palm to her left. She stood at the entrance to an alleyway between a few buildings.

She prepared to enter when a passerby roughly put a shoulder into her and knocked the branch out of her hand, while another carelessly stepped on it. Breaking it in three places.

In vain she reached for it too late. “No!”

“Watch where you’re going.” Was the only response she heard back.

“Shit,” she cursed her luck tonight. “Goddess be with me,” she said to gird herself as she entered what was sure to be a trap.

She cautiously made her way down the alley and turned a corner to what she might have expected. A number of homeless bums were gathered here. Huddled together against the chill of the night. Eating what foodstuffs they had managed to rummage during the day, and burning what refuse kept barrel fires going.

Some would look up and cough as she walked by. Occasionally she would hear someone whisper ‘pig’ under their breath. She would only make eye contact long enough to determine if someone was her perp, or if maybe they had seen him. Though, something told Kiercy these people had seen horrors far greater than a single vampire.

The scent of burning trash was thick in the air, and Kiercy tore away a strip of her own uniform to fashion a handkerchief to tie around her nose and mouth in an attempt to dull the smell and taste.

She wondered briefly what tuberculosis smelled like as a particularly sickly woman began hacking. Then she walked by two bums that were huddled together, sleeping, with hoodies.

She looked up to examine the fire escapes and cat walks. Might her perp have taken his flight to rooftops? Just then a cold shiver ran down her spine and something deep inside her called out to move.

She somersaulted forward into a combat roll, and came up facing the opposite direction. She could now see that the two bums huddled together were actually the vampire and his latest victim, drained lifeless.

The vampire had a baseball bat and took a swing at Kiercy, but she was too fast.

“You’ve got moves, bitch, but I just fed, and you’re no match for me now!”

“I don’t have to be a match for you, you’re holding a big ass match right now.Enflaumen, Enflaumen, Enflaumen,”her words grew louder and almost seemed joined by other voices in a far-off place.

The baseball bat in the vampire’s hands literally exploded in flames, burning his hands and setting the sleeves of his coat on fire. The bat dropped to the pavement below with a dull thud and began self-extinguishing, but smoldering hot.

“I’ll kill you, bitch!” he lunged at her with his burnt hands, though they had already begun to heal. He grabbed her hard by the collar and drove with his legs, no doubt on his way to slam her against a wall. Kiercy had another idea though as she placed her hands over his, and fell backward into a roll. She kicked her feet hard into his stomach and sent him flying over her to land in a thud behind her. Since she still held his hands, she applied pressure to his right hand by hyperextending at the wrist.

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