Page 5 of Magic and Medicine

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t know you would come here to watch. Or maybe you’re into lace panties? Out of professional curiosity, tell me, did it hurt a lot? Does paracetamol work on your kind?’ My sweetly saccharine voice conveyed my anger as clearly as the assault on his person, and with a vicious sneer promising retribution, Adam forced the cooling coffee into my hand.

‘If you weren’t under his protection, this would play out differently.’ The fangs suddenly on display were clearly meant as a warning, but I was too angry to care.

‘If you weren’t under his protection, my elbow would be aimed at your bollocks. Now get out of my bedroom before I change my mind and find something silver to stake you with.’

‘Silver is for werewolves, you idiot.’ He said, muttering curses as he left the room.

Alone, I looked at the coffee and took a sip. Velvety, caramel goodness flowed over my tongue, and I sighed softly. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts, my distracted thoughts reminding me of the old saying as I pulled on jeans and a simple jumper. I just wished this gift could be refused, along with its demands. On returning to the living room, Adam was unfortunately still there, arms crossed over his chest, looking like fury incarnate as he attempted to win a staring contest with my cat.

‘Leszek called. We need to hurry.’

With this renewed sense of urgency, the doors were barely closed before the two goons flanked me, their broad shoulders forcing my feet to move at an uncomfortable speed as they escorted me to a large black Range Rover. ‘At least it is not a black Volga. So which one of you boys felt the need to overcompensate?’ I said, provoking surprised stares until I felt compelled to explain my remark. ‘It’s an old joke, you know. There was a rumour the Communists kidnapped children in a black Volga to work in the mines.’ I pointed to the car, waiting for their synapses to catch up before adding. ‘At least it is not a black Volga.’

Only Adam laughed, but it wasn’t at my joke. ‘Oh, you think we didn’t understand? No, darling, my men simply struggle to comprehend why you think we need to compensate for anything. I’d be happy to prove my point when you’re finished with the boss.’

With that statement, I was bundled into the vehicle, an overwhelming smell of wet dog making my eyes water as the two henchmen sat on either side. The entire situation was oppressive, and I decided my unwilling companions should share in my misery, so I blurted out in pure spite.

‘Are we there yet?’ I said as we passed the first crossroads, and Adam looked at me in the rear-view mirror.

‘No,’ He answered sharply, tempting me to repeat my question. With each passing junction or red light, I repeated, ‘Are we there yet?’

The satisfaction I derived from the slowly tensing shoulders and deepening scowls made my smile grow over the miles of our journey until, at one point, I was sure one of Adam’s henchmen’s eyes flashed with a golden glow as his head snapped in my direction, and he growled.

‘Will you shut up?’

I chuckled, looking at the nameless guard and, led by another self-destructive thought, I sang.

‘Oh, Grandma, what big teeth you have!’

The roar that shook the car scared me silent, but moments later, the vehicle came to a screeching halt in front of an old warehouse at the docks. I was pushed out of the car and into the building with a brutal efficiency that proved my captors were eager to get rid of me. At the end of the long, dark corridor, we stopped in front of some rusty doors, and Adam pointed at them with a sarcastic smile.

‘Show us you are as good as Leszek thinks, or your screams will entertain me as the boys show you why grandma has such big teeth.’

With a nonchalance I didn’t feel, I pushed the door open and smirked.

‘Of course, I’m that good. I’m bloody excellent. Why else do you think I’m here?’

I stepped into a dimly lit room, and the view that greeted me made me wish I could turn back time and swallow my words.

Most of the room was drowned in darkness, but one brightly lit area was filled with a metal table upon which some animal was strapped, writhing in pain and howling so pitifully it made my skin crawl. Leszek stood there, calm and composed, but I could see a deep frown on his face as he placed a hand on the animal’s head before turning his gaze toward me.

‘Thank you for coming. I didn’t want to drag you here in the middle of the night, but I had no choice. I encountered a situation only expert hands can help with.’

His apologetic tone didn’t calm my anger, and I marched toward him, pointing to what looked like a massive dog.

‘What kind of sick experiment is this? I won’t take part in anything like this.’ I heard the pitch of my voice rising like it always did when I was on the edge of going fully berserk, and I would not calm down this time. Few things truly angered me in life, but animal cruelty… Gods, demons and even the owner of the most mesmerising eyes in Gdansk couldn’t make me torture an animal.

Agitated, I gesticulated wildly, trying to unstrap the poor beast, and my hand trailed dangerously close to the creature’s head. Before I knew it, Leszek grabbed me, pulling me away from the snapping muzzle.

‘Sara, this isn’t what you think; he needs your help. Please, I know you are angry, but I don’t want to lose this boy.’ He said, pressing my hand to his torso before I ripped it from his grasp.

‘I won’t torture animals, you bloody psycho. Who the fuck do you think I am?.. wait, did you say help?’

I was confused, with rage boiling inside me, ready to explode if he denied me an answer. Instead, Leszek placed his hand on the animal’s head. The beast on the table stilled under his touch, panting heavily, its eyes darting between the man who touched him and me.

‘Change.’

A sense of déjà vu overtook me as the power in that one word took my breath away, just as it had in resus, but this time, thankfully, it wasn’t directed at me. Even so, I felt a slight whimper slip past my lips at its strength. However, the poor animal on the table felt the full force, shuddering and twisting to escape. I couldn’t help myself and stepped forward to stop Leszek from torturing the defenceless dog, only to stop as the writhing animal blurred before my eyes, changing, elongating, its fur slowly disappearing. The step backwards was involuntary as my mind struggled to comprehend what it saw. No longer was there a large dog on the table, but a naked young man screaming and cursing in pain. I could see several bullet wounds unevenly spread across his torso, a strange grey smoke rising steadily from each hole. I had minimal experience with this type of wound. Gdansk had violent crime like any city, but gun violence was rare. However, the local mob “families” occasionally clashed, and a body would spend a few moments under my care before heading to the morgue.

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