I watched the beating wings of the birds until they disappeared over the horizon. I shook the gate with all of my strength. I screamed dumbly. No words even came to mind. It was just raw pain. I balled my hands into fists and beat the top of my car until my hands were numb.

In my pocket, Charice’s phone vibrated as a text came through. I held her phone in my hand, the last remnant of her, a girl that I’d failed to protect. My fingers tightened around it. I gritted my teeth and got back inside the ‘Stang. I stowed the phone in my pocket so I could return it to her after I saved her.

---

It took the longest, painstaking forty minutes to get back home.

Because Highway 37 was only a one lane highway for five miles with a cement middle divider, it meant I had to drive to the far side of the marsh, only to make it to the intersection and bust a U-turn and drive the same five miles all the way back home. And of course I got stuck behind some slow drivers.

I stormed into my apartment nearly taking out the door.

I bared my teeth and ran past the kitchen into the living room. Tain was enjoying a good scratch behind the ears from Rob, but they both jumped when I entered.

“Gee whiz! You scared us,” said Rob.

“Yeah,” I said ignoring the two of them, rushing to my bedside. Once on my knees I pulled out the shotgun case and threw that on the bed.

Rob hovered in front of my face. “Was the date that bad?”

I stuck out my pointer finger and nudged him a little further away from me. “Don’t you understand personal space?” I unzipped the shotgun bag, pulled it out, then proceeded to load seven shots into it.

“You don’t have to be so snappy with me,” said Rob. “I just want to know what’s wrong.”

I let out a sharp grunt through gnashed teeth, not even sure where to begin. I grabbed another handful of shot shells and stuffed them into the slots provided on the shoulder holster.

“We killed it,” I said, raising my voice. “But after Charice and I had dinner—”

“Then this happened?” Rob held up Liam Neeson’s Taken.

“This isn’t a joke you idiot!” I snatched the DVD out of his hand and hurled it. The black box spun through the air until it splintered against the wall sending shards of black plastic everywhere. I fell to my knees and ran my fingers through my hair.

“Didn’t you say there was only one Sluagh?”

Rob bit his lip and looked up, trying to remember. “Did I say that? I think I meant the one you were dealing with.”

“If only I knew where to find Nehemiah. I could really use the wizard’s help right now.”

“Black wizard?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Nehemiah.”

The little hob gasped then giggled, flipping through the air. “This Nehemiah is the wizard?”

“One in the same,” I grunted.

“About this tall?” said Rob, hovering to the appropriate height. “Looks like if Luke Cage went and borrowed Gambit’s clothes and staff?”

“YES! That’s the guy.”

Rob clapped his hands together. “Why didn’t you say so? I know where to find him.”

---

Nehemiah’s house was a modest two-story home in Somerset Highlands, which was the nicer Northeast side of town.

I left Tain in the car as Rob and I walked up to the doorstep, me on two legs and him on four orange ones.

“Are you sure this is the place?” I asked Rob. It didn’t seem like the place a powerful wizard would live. “I don’t see his pickup truck.”

“Meow,” answered Rob. “It’s probably in the garage. Duh.”

I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. When I didn’t hear anything I knocked on the door firmly until I heard the sound of feet shuffling. I also heard a familiar voice say, “It’s late. This better be good.”

When Nehemiah answered the door I wasn’t exactly surprised. But he was.

He wore a purple sweatshirt and dark blue jeans with white socks. It was weird to see him in normal clothes and not a trench coat. Scruffy facial hair covered his face, like he hadn’t shaved in a few days.

His eyes however were the most striking.

They glazed over, and then a flicker of a magenta flame showed for only a moment.

He had a look on his face when your mind recognizes someone, but you see them completely out of their element, and there’s a surreal space in time as the brain pieces together who they are and what they mean to you.

“Hi, Nehemiah. It’s me Sean from the Banshee thing last week,” I said. “Something bad has happened. Really bad.”

His eyes quickly looked past me, narrowing and darting left to right like we were being watched. He stepped on the porch and closed the door behind him. He opened his mouth to say something then stopped.

I tried to put myself in his shoes. A white kid who he had helped defeat a Banshee showed up a week later on his porch uninvited, bloodstained, asking for help at a late hour of the night. He had to help me. I had no other options.

His lips pursed together and his eyebrows slanted downward almost touching the bridge of his nose. “How the hail did you find out where I live?”

I pointed to the cat. “He led the way, honest. I swear I didn’t stalk you or look you up online. Okay well, I did try to look you up online but I couldn’t find anything.” I was so flustered I was rambling.

Nehemiah looked from me to the cat then back to me. “Boy, you lost your mind? Coming here? You’re putting my family at risk.” He leaned in and grabbed my shoulder. “How did you really find my house?”

I pointed to the cat. When he didn’t do anything I kicked him.

“Ouch. Stoppit Sean,” said Rob.

“Nehemiah, this is Rob Swellfellow, the hobgoblin.”

Nehemiah put his hand to his chin. “Oh, the annoying homeless leprechaun?”

“I’m not homeless anymore,” hissed Rob. “And I’m not a leprechaun.”

“Who you fooling? You’re more of a carrot top than Sean is.”

The cat hissed.

I butted in. “Look. We can talk about how we got here later. The point is that some women have been taken by a massive bird monster and they need help.”

Nehemiah’s eyes darted again looking around his neighborhood. “Keep your voice down. The neighbors are going to hear you talking all fanatic like that.”

He opened the door and ushered us inside.

“Plus I don’t need them seeing me talking to a cat.”