The drawers were a dead end. Rhychard felt around edges and behind drawers, inside each little whatnot and behind every picture. Nothing. He sat in one of the leather chairs, his back to the window, as he stared at the office.:How goes it, Warrior?::Either Harvest Fellowship has the best custodian in the world or our good pastor is a little OCD. Nothing is out of place.: Rhychard scanned the walls, the desk, the bookshelves…the books? Rhychard stood and scanned the books on the shelf. They were alphabetized within subjects. Prayer. Commentaries. Biographies. Between a Biblical concordance and a topical Bible was a large hardbound book on American Baseball. "Now, you're out of place, aren't you?" He slipped the book from its place, surprised at how light it was compared to its notebook size. :I think I found something.::I was afraid you had fallen asleep.:It was a hollow box, one of those storage boxes that you could buy in a craft store that at first glance seemed like a real book,
A branch snapped, and the first gargoyle plunged into the clearing followed immediately by the second. Kree turned and leaped into the air, paws extended. Rhychard ducked to his right and slashed at the second creature. The gargoyle braced his wings, trying to halt his momentum. He wasn't fast enough, however. The Guardian Sword sliced through the beast's chest, ripping it open. It screeched, slicing the air with its dying wail before exploding into ash. So much for not drawing attention to them.Rhychard turned to aid Kree. The elven hound and gargoyle were wrapped around each other in a wrestling match on the ground. Kree yelped as a claw ripped his chest, then he bit into one of the wings with his massive jaws and ripped. The gargoyle screamed, stretching his head back as he wailed his pain at the moon. Rhychard brought his sword down across the beast's outstretched neck, ending the wail. Kree fell to the earth and sneezed. :I hate the way they die.:"I agree, but better that than h
"I know you're in there!" Anger. A male voice. Guttural, as if whoever the voice belonged to smoked too many cigarettes. A fist violently pounded on the front door. "Open the damn door, Buttercup, or I'm going to be really pissed off. You don't want to see me pissed off, do you? You know what happens then."Rhychard forced his eyes open and stared at the clock. Seven A.M. And the person at the door already sounded pissed. :Kree?: No answer. Great. Tryna was still off scavenging for information, so without Kree there, Rhychard was basically alone. Kree hadn't returned after their foray into breaking and entering, and Rhychard had no idea where the giant mutt was. Rhychard sighed. He would have to get up to deal with whoever dared disturb his peace and quiet, and now he was pissed.Throwing the sheet to the side, Rhychard grabbed one of the short swords from the harness and stormed his way to the front door. Well, it was more like he stumbled, but he did it while he was fuming, so he fel
Not until Rhychard had locked and bolted the door did Buttercup come out of her corner. Wrapping her arms across her chest, she rubbed her hands up and down her upper arms. She still had that trapped look in her eyes."He's gone," Rhychard assured her as he walked over to where she stood.Buttercup fell into him, her trembling body trying to wrap him around her like a blanket as she held onto him. He held her, the top of her head coming to his chin. He could smell his Irish Spring and made a mental note to pick up something more feminine for her to shower with. If she was going to be there for a while—and it looked like she was—she might as well have what she needed."I take it he didn't know you quit?"With a deep breath, Buttercup pushed away from him, her thin fingers wiping the water streaks from her eyes. "I wasn't planning on quitting." She gave him a wan smile as she wrapped her arms around herself again. "I only wanted to stop what I was doing for Pastor Adrian, but those creat
"Are you here to help or not?" Rhychard asked.Kendalais cocked a slanted eyebrow. "Humans have no patience.""Well, we don't live thousands of years, so time is a commodity we tend not to squander."The Sidhe Warrior started to open his mouth in rebuttal, but Tryna stopped him. "Please, Warrior Master, we must know what you know and have time to act on it."The elf's nod was barely perceptible, but he wasn't one for grand gestures, anyway. "Tryna has told me of the demon's purpose and progress. The Void's influence on the land before and the weakening of the Way's impact to change that influence now has gained Vargas a solid footing on his attempt to open a Gateway to the Nether. The Void would destroy Harbor City if that were to happen, of course."Rhychard suppressed his rage. "Of course," he growled.Kendalais remained ignorant of Rhychard's annoyance. Elves were quite oblivious to human mannerisms, believing most of them the silly emotions of spoiled children. "He will require a l
A gentle breeze came off Manatee Creek, keeping the late-morning sun from becoming unbearable. A momma duck floated past, trailed by seven little babies in a zig-zag pattern. About three feet behind them was baby number eight, not seeming to care that it wasn't with the others. Rhychard took a pull from his Rocky Patel as he watched the loner stop here and there periodically to investigate some floating leaf or pesky insect. Take your time and enjoy the sights, my friend. Things change all too quickly.The flat rock—his Thinking Rock as he liked to call it—was warming as the sun floated higher into the morning sky. The creek lapped at the stone as the water drifted by, a harmony mixing with the rustling leaves above him. A mullet jumped off to the west. Rhychard tilted his head back and allowed the sun to warm his face. The heat helped cool the tension his morning had brought him, and there had been quite a bit of tension.He heard the snap of twigs behind him. Out of reflex, he sent a
Rhychard took a long pull from his cigar, allowing the mild smoke to linger before exhaling. He stared at the glowing tip as he recalled the fiasco of breaking into Adrian's office. "It was worth a try. Without the pastor's so-called evidence people can stand up to him. Too bad gargoyles can get on to church property now." He knew he sounded bitter, but he couldn't help it. Everything they told him seemed to have been a lie.Tryna nodded, her tiny, childlike lips pressed into a stern line. "It is worse than I feared.""We have another problem. Jerome, Buttercup's pimp, came looking for her. I had to convince him to leave.""This is the man she works for?" Tryna turned and looked at him, her brows bunched in a confused knot."Her boss, so to speak, yes. He didn't like the fact she wasn't working his streets. My guess is Adrian told him where to find her, and Vargas told Adrian.""That is unfortunate." Tryna turned back to the water.He could tell that something was on her mind, but he w
"If there is no job, where are we going?"Rhychard glanced over at Trace Wheeler, who was only slightly rough in appearance as opposed to his usual total mess. "To finish one."The afternoon made its slow slide into evening with the sun dipping toward the west. Shadows were getting longer, and rush hour clogged the narrow streets. Rhychard had called Trace and told him to be ready. Luckily, his friend was never into anything more important than the new level of Angry Birds and a Cheetos sandwich, so there was never a problem getting his help.Rhychard could have done the job by himself, but since Trace had been the one to get the gig in the first place, he should be a part of its conclusion. Besides, Rhychard needed to redeem himself in the eyes of his friend.It had taken Rhychard a while sitting on his Thinking Rock, but common sense somehow seeped through his thick skull. Both Tryna and Kree had been right, and Trace for that matter. Bitterness was like a cancer that devoured a pers