“Demetrius!” Susan punched the lanky man on one shoulder; given her colleague’s height, that meant punching upwards at a thirty-degree angle. “I can’t believe you called the local police. We’re not even in the city, where we could pull strings!”
Demetrius Wittier put a hand to the side of the imposing cloud of dark, tightly coiled hair that surrounded his head, and looked up at the sky, avoiding Susan’s gaze. Flashing red-and-blue lights atop the squad car parked nearby illuminated the left sides of his black suit, which was slightly too small, and his high-top sneakers, which were remarkably large.
The tall agent cleared his throat and spoke, now looking down at Susan. “Well, Agent Miller… you said it was an emergency, and that you’d restrained a Class Four magic-capable threat, but that you had to leave the scene to…”
Demetrius glanced towards Una; the succubus stood behind Susan, wearing a black leather motorcycle suit and staring moodily into the middle distance. “I know I told you I’d take the helicopter, but it’s surprisingly difficult to get a flight clearance to land here in Yonkers… oh, never mind.”
Susan rolled her eyes at the other OSA agent, then looked moodily over at the squad car. Bethany Carlisle had her face pressed to the back window.
“Autumn! Baby, I didn’t mean for this to happen.” The student’s voice reflected off the glass, muffled, and the officer sitting in the driver’s seat seemed not to notice at all; the figure in the back seat, shrouded in a black hoodie, never moved. Susan wasn’t sure whether the witch was still unconscious or just refusing to respond.
“Can you hear me?! Autumn, I’ll make things right! I love you!” Bethany turned her tear-streaked face towards Susan, her eyes blazing. “You! You said she’d be safe… that the OSA could help her!”
Susan opened her mouth, not knowing in the moment whether she’d protest or reassure, but Una stepped forward. Bethany froze, her hands unclenching, and Susan saw the look on her partner’s face: a mixture of stern resolve and cool rage, tempered only slightly by pity.
“Ms. Carlisle. Your girlfriend’s pursuit of power broke laws, and it also violated the bodies and minds of those she cursed. I found that out first-hand. She’ll have to answer for her actions. The wheels of justice must turn. But I promise you, Agent Miller and I will do what we can to make sure Autumn is safe… and that you know where she is.” The succubus’ voice was calm and authoritative, but with a hint of darkness in its depths.
Bethany shivered and took a step back. “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that Autumn’s magic was messing with people’s minds, too. When she first started talking about it, she made it sound like a temporary prank. That she just wanted to give guys a shock, a taste of a woman’s perspective. I didn’t think she had the power to alter people’s minds, memories, identities…”
“For what it’s worth, we didn’t realize how powerful the curse had grown, either.” Susan put one hand on Una’s shoulder; the demoness’s muscles were tightly coiled with tension. “Her second victim had only a few episodes of mental alteration, for instance. When Rian’s mental changes didn’t dissipate when broken, I should have realized the whole matrix was feeding back on itself…”
Susan trailed off, looking over to where the transformed blonde sat on the steps of Bethany’s building, texting rapidly on her phone. We still have to determine how to reverse the physical transformations, thought Susan, and turned to Demetrius.
“Where were we? Obviously, you can’t just let the local police hold Autumn. I couldn’t determine the keystone of her curse earlier, so we may have to convince her to break it.” Demetrius held his hands up in a placating gesture, but the smaller agent continued. “And the police won’t have precautions against magic! If she recovers sufficiently to—”
“Susan!” Demetrius interrupted, waving his hands. “Susan, I’ve got it under control. I brought Agent Cuatepotzo with me, and she’ll stay with the subject while I handle the paperwork with Yonkers PD, all right? Elena? Where did she go?”
A head framed by long, silver hair rose from the other side of the police cruiser, as if answering a summons. The woman who appeared was nearly as tall as Demetrius, though her slender figure had gentle curves that contrasted with Demetrius’ bony build. She wore a simple black dress, with a utilitarian belt of pouches her only concession to OSA standards; tattoos of skeletal snakes wound across the bronze skin of her forearms. Agent Elena Cuatepotzo flashed a smile at Susan from beneath a half-lidded gaze and rested her arms on the trunk of the car.
Why does she always look like she’s about to fall asleep? Susan wondered. She tried to suppress a scowl and almost succeeded. And why does Director Lombardi only hire hot girls as agents?
“Hey, Susie…” Elena Cuatepotzo began, sounding dreamy. “You don’t have to worry about this little firecracker. I’ve got her all snug… as a bug in a rug.”
Elena let out a little giggle, and Susan felt a flush reach her ears. She stepped closer to the vehicle, trying to lower her voice so Bethany wouldn’t hear. Fortunately, Una had moved several feet away to take down some information from the teacher. “Please don’t call me that, Elena. I suppose you’ve got her drugged with one of your… concoctions?” She shot a glare at Demetrius, trying to insinuate blame, but the other agent just shrugged his shoulders.
Elena leaned her head down, bringing it to Susan’s level. “Not to fret, Susie. Old family recipe, with some modern kick. She’ll sleep like a baby and wake up none the worse for wear.” The curandero winked and reached into her hair, lifting one of the long silver locks; it had an unmistakable blue tint to it. “Oh, and I found this for ya. Don’t say I never did nothing for you, sweetheart.”
Susan reached her hand up reflexively as Elena tossed her a silver object. She opened her fingers to look at it: a small case, something like a locket but attached to a flexible armlet. “Wait, this is…”
“Spellcase. Phylactery. Whatever you want to call it. I guess you didn’t frisk her enough to find it?” Elena winked at Susan with a smile that suggested mischief and secrets. She tilted her head to one side and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes, a mannerism that Susan found annoyingly endearing. “But it’s probably the keystone of the curse, if the aura’s anything to go by.”
Susan stared at the other woman, her mouth half-open in surprise, then closed it. “Thank you. I’ll… I guess I’ll try to sever the whole curse with this.” I’ve never in my life met anyone as smug as Agent Cuatepotzo, she thought. And I think I hate her, but she’s also disturbingly competent… especially for someone who could poison the entire office with a carafe of coffee.
Elena’s smile grew wider, and she arched her back, stretching like a cat. “Perfecta. We’ll take the perp, and you handle the poor little victims. Ready to go, Dimi?”
When Agent Wittier nodded, the slender woman rapped her fist on the care roof above the driver’s seat. “Off to the precinct, my good constable!” She slipped into the back seat while Demetrius turned to Susan.
“Oh yeah! I sent Agent Mori over to check on the professor, Jens Bergman…”
“Berglund?” Susan perked up, her curiosity overcoming her lingering annoyance. “Was he all right? Transformed, I’d guess?”
Demetrius nodded, then rubbed at one cheekbone with a knuckle. “The door was locked, but he heard yells for help, so he broke in, and… um. How do I put this? Based on what you told us about the curse, the professor seems to have a thing for… mermaids?”
Susan’s eyes widened. “Mermaids?” Una, Rian and Bethany all looked over from their nearby conversation; she’d spoken louder than she intended. “You mean…?”
Demetrius’ face had a look that Susan recognized as meaning he wished he were somewhere else. He ran his hand over his hair. “Yeah… I guess he’s been stuck in the bathtub for a few days? Wearing a bikini top made of seashells and everything. Water all over the floor. Mori’s still over there, but can you help follow up?”
Susan nodded, and Demetrius gave her an awkward farewell handshake before climbing into the passenger seat of the cruiser. As the car sped off, Susan saw Bethany staring after it, tears streaming down her face. Rian, standing beside the other girl, had her hand on Bethany’s shoulder and looked concerned.
The young professor looked over at Susan. “Where are they taking her?”
“First to the local police precinct, but Demetrius—my colleague will make sure she’s brought to an OSA facility where she can get help. If she agrees to cooperate, that is.” Susan lowered her head with a serious expression. “I’m sorry. This has all been… more complicated than my other cases.”
“It’s… all right. I understand.” Susan thought the auburn-haired girl sounded subdued, but Bethany looked up, then towards Rian. “Did you at least figure out how to change Rian back?”
Susan held up the spellcase on its armlet. “Do you recognize this, Bethany? It might be the key.”
Bethany nodded, frowning. “Autumn started wearing that around her thigh a few weeks ago, when she first began experimenting… she even kept it on in the shower. I knew it was magic, but I didn’t realize…”
“It’s magically sealed… but I have ways of dealing with that.” Susan reached into her duffel bag, sitting at the base of the stairs to Bethany’s building, and drew forth the Arctavo. The hooked blade glistening beneath the streetlight; Susan set the spellcase on the top step, then slowly brought the tip of the athame against the seam that bound the two halves of the case together.
“Wait!” Rian yelped. “Is that—am I going to suddenly change back into a guy?”
“Not necessarily.” Susan raised her hand slightly. “The core of the curse’s energy is inside, but even if I break it apart, you may not revert immediately.” Rian’s expression had faded into an uncertain frown; her cheeks flushed.
“Are you thinking… you may enjoy being female?” Una asked, a trace of bemusement tinging her voice.
Rian twisted her lips into a scowl. “No! I’m a guy, I want my body back… this is all just so strange. Can’t we at least go upstairs in case I end up… I don’t know, looking like a guy wearing a miniskirt and women’s underwear?”
Una nodded, looking sympathetic. “Of course, Rian—or wait, I’m sorry. Didn’t we break the mental effects of the curse? Are you feeling… like Ryan, again?”
Rian’s eyes narrowed, and she pushed a slender thumb into the orbit of her left eye, as if fighting a sudden migraine headache. “I… no. I’m not sure how I could feel like a guy in this body after today, after these… experiences. Just call me Rian for now, okay?”
Bethany let the four of them back into her apartment building, sighing as they climbed the stairs. “It’s getting late,” she said. “Unless you government agents have a hotel room, you’re welcome to spend the night here. You too, Rian. Autumn was always using the bedroom for magic, so our spare room has my study and a guest bed, and there’s the couch, too.” She paused, realizing she was rattling on. “I mean, if you want to? And I’ll make some tea?”
“That would be great.” Una smiled warmly. “We’ve all been through a lot, and it’s jarring to suddenly be living alone after something like this.” Her eyes met the young professor’s, and Bethany nodded in grateful agreement.
Inside, Susan set the locket-shaped case on the floor. “Are you ready, Rian? We really have to do this at some point, for everyone’s sake. There are three other people whose lives are upside down.”
Rian swallowed, her mouth dry, and nodded. Susan brought her athame down on the case, slicing through it with a slow, careful stroke. With a puff of vapor, the two sections separated and fell to either side, releasing a puff of vapor and a charred clump of what looked like ashes.
Rian wrinkled her nose, still entirely feminine. “What is that awful smell? Is that… Savage Halberd body spray?”
Una nodded. “And gunpowder. Are those typical ingredients in a curse?”
Bethany ran a hand through her frizzy auburn hair. “That explains one thing, I guess? Autumn asked me a while back what the most masculine substances I could imagine were. So I said gunpowder and… that manly deodorant.”
Susan poked at the remains with a pen. “She must have infused the spell with reagents meant to trap masculine energy. And of course, some verbena, lady’s mantle, her own hair to infuse it with power, and…”
The scholar brushed a few crumbs of a dark, dried substance onto her palm, and sniffed at it, then held it out to Una. “Is this what I think it is?”
The succubus took Susan’s hand and brought it to her lips, tasting with a quick flicker of pink tongue. Wow, thought Susan. Something else I never could have pictured Michael, or even Micki Belmont, doing so casually.
“Hmm. Yes, this has the flavors of a woman’s pleasure,” murmured Una. “But blood, too.” She raised her brows. “Menstrual blood?”
Her partner nodded, looking serious. “It makes sense for this curse’s nature, and for her ability to control it easily. Just names and strips of paper..” Susan turned to look at Rian, studying the student closely. The student still had the same delicate features, slim frame, and shapely figure. “You haven’t reverted yet, but… how do you feel?”
“I… don’t really know?” Rian looked at Susan, then over at Una and Bethany. “How am I supposed to feel? Why aren’t I changing back? Am I stuck this way forever?” Susan could hear the distraught overtones in the inadvertent girl’s voice. But that’s also… curiosity? Or excitement?
She shook her head in reply to Rian’s last question. “If one theory holds, this may mean the cycles of the moon govern the duration of the curse. Or of Autumn’s own cycle. Which means you may have a little while to wait.”
“Cycles of the moon…?” Rian’s face grew pale.
Susan suppressed a wry smile and turned towards the other academic. “Bethany, any ideas?”
The professor blinked, then nodded slowly. “Well, Autumn and I never really had that period synchronization effect people talk about? But she was always about a week behind me, and… I think that means you have a few weeks until she’s bleeding again.”
Susan held Rian’s gaze. “I don’t know when you’ll change back, but I’m pretty sure you will. We’ve broken the curse.” She looked up at Una for confirmation.
The demoness nodded. “There was quite an unraveling of energy when you sliced it open. I couldn’t sense it until that moment, but it was all over this place, stretching out into the distance, then…” She made a gesture, miming something being pulled apart and disappearing.
“Good. But you might have a few weeks, or a month, Rian. Or whatever you want to call yourself. Can you handle that?”
Rian bit her lip for a moment before setting her jaw in a determined, if dainty, expression. “I’ll just have to make the best of it.”
TFTC
TFTC