Page 21 of Mystic Justice
‘Time!’ Loki squawked urgently at me.
Luckily I knew exactly what he meant, though I had no idea howheknew about it. The next vampyr came at me in a blur, too fast for a human eye, but I had another ace up my sleeve: I hadtime.
All Inspectors had access to the Third Realm, the realm that let you do fun things like go back in time or slow it down. And I didn’t need my magic to use it. I simply depressed the small button on Dad’s old enchanted pocket watch and the Third realm grabbed hold of me.
The vampyr’s fast movements became languidly slow, like they were swimming through molasses. I would only get a blast of the Third for a few moments, so it was essential to make the best use of it. I ducked low, rolled and came up behind my attacker, raised my dagger and sliced his throat.
Black blood sprayed, but it wasn’t a fatal wound – to kill a vampyr, you needed to cut off their head or stab them in the heart – but my action would hurt the necromancer that was controlling him and that was my aim.
I met the vampyr’s black eyes. ‘Fuck you,’ I said to his puppet master and thrust the dagger into his heart. His black eyes leached to brown for a moment and then he exploded into dust.
Time snapped back into place. Damn it! I’d hoped for longer.
‘Another one incoming,’ Krieg called helpfully. He was leaning against the wall, arms folded.
Dodging fangs and some truly criminal breath, I whirled around and kicked my attacker in the knee with enough force to shatter bone. He dropped and I let go of my light casting long enough to use my magic to grow the dagger I was holding into a sword. Lifting it up, I cut off the vampyr’s head. Another dust cloud exploded.
‘Bites dust!’ Loki crowed triumphantly.
‘Three down over here,’ Elvira shouted. ‘How many have you got?’
‘Two!’
‘I’m winning!’
‘It’s not over yet,’ I grunted as a sixth vampyr phased in now that I’d let the shadows reappear. That was just annoying. Sword in hand, I drew forth my intention and let the light blaze again. Six vampyrs were quite enough for one day.
Elvira vaulted over a discarded crate, wind magic coiling around her fists like invisible gloves. As she slammed both palms into the ground, a shockwave rippled through the alley and the remaining vampyr was lifted off her feet. She slammed against the wall with bone-crunching force then fell awkwardly, femur jutting through her thigh. She was twitching but still moving; a broken limb wouldn’t stop her.
Raising the sword like I was King Arthur, I charged and sliced off her head and just like that, she was nothing more than ash. I whirled around; we were alone in the brightly lit alley, apart from Krieg.
‘That one was totally mine,’ Elvira muttered. ‘Four to me.’
I snorted. ‘No way. I cut off her head. It’s 3–3.’
‘I broke her leg,’ Elvira argued.
‘That’s not a kill shot and you know it.’
‘Fine,’ she huffed. ‘It’s a draw – but I was spectacular.’
‘I liked the shockwave thing,’ I admitted.
She grinned. ‘Thanks! It’s one of my favourites.’
I turned to Krieg. ‘Where the hell were you?’
He grinned. ‘You ladies had it covered. You didn’t even break sweat.’
‘I did,’ Elvira muttered, wiping her brow. ‘It was squeaky-bum time until you rolled up.’ She turned to me and said seriously, ‘Thanks, Stace.’
‘No worries.’
As far as I was aware, Elvira woke up looking like pure Mediterranean perfection every single day. Her tanned skin wasalways flawless, her dark eyes always lined and her lips always rouged. Despite the impracticality of long hair, she often wore it down in luxurious waves that made the brass shout at her if they caught sight of it. Even a little sweat just made her skin look dewy. It was so unfair.
Despite her perfection, I liked and admired her. She was fierce and strong. Out of nearly a hundred full Inspectors in the Connection, she was one of only ten women. The glass ceiling was alive and well, though I strived to crack it every day.
‘Any idea what this is about?’ I asked.
