Part Fourteen End
Having finished her supper, Kawena was once more sitting on the floor playing with the large gray cat that Malcolm had adopted. Night was now tending to the wound on Phoenix’s chest, scolding the dragon in a low voice.
“You should have said something about it sooner,” the elf grumbled, cleaning the long cut that extended across the dragon’s ribs. Shaking his head, he said, “There’s no reason for you to suffer.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Phoenix protested, smiling faintly. He started when the door suddenly burst open. Standing in the doorway that lead into the hallway, was a tall elf with thick dark hair and piercing violet eyes.
“You,” he said, glaring darkly at Night. “You have ruined everything with your meddling!”
Night scowled at the taller elf for a moment before he sidestepped to block the other’s view of his child. “Rook, I presume,” he said, quirking an eyebrow.
“Why couldn’t you just go along with it the way everyone else did?” Linthil said, shaking his head in frustration and anger. Chuckling, he added, “Or at least had the decency to let Desmond kill you, like he did that wench of yours.”
“I ruined everything, you say,” Night repeated, looking amused. “Because the Agency’s after you now?” Rolling his eyes, he countered, “You brought this on yourself.” He shook his head and glared at the agent. “If you didn’t want to go to prison, you shouldn’t have teamed up with someone like Artemis Desmond. The moment you threw in your lot with him, your fate was sealed!”
Linthil roared in anger and snatched the small elf by the wrist. Yanking him forward, he pulled a gun with his free hand and waved it at Phoenix. “If you even think of following us, he’s dead!” the elf warned, then he pulled the smaller elf out the front door and down the hall.
Phoenix hesitated and then glanced over his shoulder at Kawena. The girl was staring at the open door, hugging Mister Whiskers. After a moment, she looked up at him and sniffled.
“Don’t worry,” he told her, his voice confident and firm. “We always get out man.” As he stood to follow Linthil and Night, his path was blocked by Southlake. “He’s been and gone,” the dragon said quickly. “He’s got Night.”
Darian cursed and ran back out the door. Southlake paused long enough to say, “Stay with the girl,” then he followed his junior agent in pursuit of the fugitive and his prisoner.
***
As soon as they’d pulled to a stop in front of the building, Darian and Southlake rushed inside. Malcolm started to follow, but skidded to a stop as he was about to enter the building. A faint scowl crossed his features and he glanced around. “Violins?” he said, sounding confused. He was certain that he could hear the soft strain of violins. The tune was harsh - tense even - and filled the investigator with dread.
Suppressing a shiver, Malcolm started in the direction that the music seemed to be coming from and away from the entrance of the building. As he moved towards it, he unconsciously quickened his pace until he was running.
He stopped abruptly as he rounded the building. Linthil and Night were standing in the middle of the Havelen Center Bitola Bridge. The taller elf had Night by his wrists and was pushing him towards the railing, preparing to toss his prisoner over the edge and into the water below.
“Night!” Malcolm screamed, his tone almost panicked. The music stopped suddenly and Linthil spun around to face the newcomer. As soon as Malcolm saw that Night was not in immediate danger, he leapt forward, tackling Linthil to the ground.
Night sat, tense and immovable, as the investigator grappled with the dishonest agent. The pair rolled over and over, each trying to gain an advantage over the other. The small elf gasped when Linthil pinned Malcolm with his head and shoulders off the edge of the bridge.
“You should have stayed out of this,” the agent growled, a fierce smile touching his lips. He shook his head and, pressing his hands to Malcolm’s throat, said, “Now I have to kill both of you.”
Malcolm squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain in his throat and his body’s cry for oxygen. Focusing all of his attention on the seemingly immovable weight on his chest, he brought his knee up, connecting with his attacker’s groin. Linthil gasped and the hands fell away. As soon Malcolm sat, he pushed the dishonest agent away and yanked his arms behind his back.
“Malcolm!” Darian said, dropping into a kneeling position beside the investigator and his prisoner. He caught hold of the man’s arms and yanked him to his feet, then looked back at Malcolm. “Are you alright?” he asked, sounding truly concerned.
The investigator forced himself to stand and nodded, rubbing his throat. Coughing softly, he said, “I’ll live.” His eyes sought out Southlake and, when they spotted the detective helping Night to his feet, he said, “Great timing!”
“Mac!” Night squeaked, interrupting Southlake before he could even utter a single word. The elf threw his arms around Malcolm. After a moment, he loosened the embrace and dropped back to the ground. Stepping back, he smiled and said, “I… I’m sorry, Mac.”
“Don’t worry about it,” the investigator sighed, shaking his head.
“How did you even know where to find them?” Southlake said, waving his hands in frustration. He shook his head in disbelief and added, “We were inside before we even realized that he’d already gotten to Night and then it… there was no way to tell which way he’d taken him.”
“I figured the bridge was a good bet,” Darian said, looking sheepish. He shook his head and added, “Linthil would have wanted to kill Night quickly and expeditiously.”
“Actually,” Malcolm started, looking a little embarrassed. “I… heard violins.” He turned to the elf and said, “I think I finally have that figured out.” He chuckled softly as Night blinked slowly. “I… My magic and the bond between us… I’m basically hearing your emotions.”
Night chuckled softly and shook his head. “It sort of makes sense,” he said, grinning brightly. He shrugged and said, “I am a musician, so your magic would pick up strong emotions from me as…”
“Music,” Malcolm said, nodding in understanding. He grinned and tilted his head at Southlake in amusement. “At least now I know that I’m not completely insane.”
“That’s a matter of opinion,” Southlake said. He took Linthil by the arm and started pulling him towards the car. “Come on, partner,” he said, coldly, “Director Lachlan would like a word with you.”
“But he’s not an agent,” Darian said, rolling his eyes. Turning back to Malcolm and Night, he grinned and said, “We’ll need your statements, but that can wait until morning. In the meantime, I’ll start paperwork on getting Apollo Desmond - the real one - exonerated of the charges against him and freed from prison.”
“Thanks, Darian,” Night said, his smile warm and gentle.
Malcolm scowled and said, “What is your name, anyway. Your real one, I mean.”
The man chuckled and nodded. “Oh, Darian’s my name,” he said, sounding amused. “Just, you know, not Darian Lambert.” He winked at the investigator and said, “I’m Darian Lachlan.” Waving at the pair, he hurried to catch up with Southlake.
“Lachlan,” Malcolm breathed, blinking in surprise. Turning to his former partner, he said, “So that means…”
“He’s Director Lachlan’s son,” Night finished. Chuckling, he shook his head and added, “I thought he looked familiar, at least now I know why.” He grinned and patted Malcolm on his back and said, “Let’s go back to my place. You can have dinner.”
“I’ll… eat in the club,” Malcolm said, grimacing. “Mushrooms… just aren’t my thing.” He sighed softly as Night began chuckling softly and shaking his head. Smiling, the investigator paused to look up at the stars that danced high overhead. After a moment, he turned away and ran after Night. “Those big ones are supposed to taste like steak, right? Maybe I’ll try them.”
***
“I thought you didn’t like mushrooms,” Laurel said, a slight frown on her face, as she set a plate in front of Malcolm. Resting in the center of the plate was hamburger bun with a large mushroom cap set inside it, along with tomatoes, lettuce and mayonnaise.
Shrugging, the investigator took a sip of his soda and then lifted the mushroom burger off the plate. “I… these aren’t like those little white ones. I can actually eat these.”
Night chuckled softly and poked a slice of mushroom with his spork. “Button mushrooms,” he said, holding it in front of his friend.
“I don’t care what you call them,” Malcolm said, shaking his head. He smiled when Night rolled his eyes. “I think they’re horrible, but these… these aren’t too bad.” He took a large bite of the burger and added, “Still prefer meat, though.”
“Hey!” a familiar voice called from behind them. Night’s face broke into a sunny smile at seeing Darian standing behind him. The agent grinned brightly at the elf and said, “For reasons of security, I’ve been permanently assigned to monitor you two.”
“Oh?” Malcolm said, quirking an eyebrow.
Darian nodded. “Hmm,” he said, “You’ve been officially released from duty, but the Agency respectfully requests that you maintain your aliases - such as they are.” He gave Night a pointed look as he said the last. Then he held out his hands to either side and said, “My partner and I will charged with making sure that your cover is maintained.”
“You partner?” Night said, tilting his head to one side.
“They misplaced my paperwork,” Phoenix said, appearing beside the man. The dragon shrugged and shook his head, then he grinned. “My letter of resignation never made it to the Director’s desk before it was lost, so I’m still with the Agency.”
Night bounced to his feet and hugged the pair. Stepping back, he said, “I’m so glad to hear that!” He turned to Darian and added, “So, you can continue to sing with me?”
“If you want,” the agent said, a faint blush touching his cheeks.
Throwing his arms around the other, Night said, “Of course it’s what I want!” He practically danced away from the agent and said, “Only one thing could make this more perfect!”
“Oh?” a soft voice said, drawing everyone’s attention. “What would that be?” Malcolm tensed slightly as he took in the golden blond hair and soft, gray-green eyes that were locked on the elf. The man was dressed in a soft cotton shirt of a jewel-toned blue.
Night froze and Malcolm started to stand, nearly falling over when the elf shrieked and threw himself at the human. “Apollo!” he sang as the man spun in the embrace so that they didn’t fall over in a heap. “They let you out!”
“Thanks to you,” the man sighed, rubbing his chin in the elf’s hair. He sighed and set Night back on his feet. Smiling at Malcolm, he said, “Kaylen could always tell us apart, Makari. Trust him if you can’t trust me.”
“I do,” Malcolm said, sighing lightly. He stood and patted the blond man on his shoulder. “Congratulations on your release,” he said. Smiling, he winked and said, “Now, you just have to learn that I’m Malcolm and he’s Night.”
“Night?” Apollo said, looking down at the elf that was still wrapped in his arms. The man shook his head. “No, that can be your stage name, but we need to think of something that sounds like a name, sweetie.”
“Sweetie?” Darian whispered, blinking in surprise. Malcolm shrugged to indicate that he knew no more than the musician.
Night ignored the side conversation and tweaked Apollo’s nose. “Have you got something in mind?” he said, his voice low.
Before the human could reply, Kawena had appeared at the base of the steps and run up to throw her arms around the pair, joining the embrace.
“Hey, Peanut,” Apollo said, ruffling her hair gently. Looking at her father, he said, “I’ll work on it and get back to you.”
Nodding once, Night spun out of the embrace and said, “I’ll be needing a larger apartment, Shoshanna.”
“Right,” the elf maid said, giving the other a knowing grin. “I’ll get right on that,” she added. “There’s one upstairs that someone just moved out of, in fact. It’ll be ready in a few days.”
Oliver rolled his eyes and flicked on the radio. As a song with a strong pop beat filled the room, he said, “If we’re going to celebrate, let’s get to it.”
Night giggled and caught his daughter’s hands, dancing with the child to the cheerful music. Oliver took Shoshanna by the hand and they joined the couple.
Grinning brightly, Malcolm turned to the only remaining female and said, “Would you care to dance, Laurel?” Chuckling softly, she let him lead her out onto the dance floor.
Before long, everyone in the club had joined in the celebration. None of them noticed the police detective standing at the doorway, watching the group. Shaking his head slightly, Southlake smiled and walked away. “I’ll let them relax while they can,” he mused.
End...
“You should have said something about it sooner,” the elf grumbled, cleaning the long cut that extended across the dragon’s ribs. Shaking his head, he said, “There’s no reason for you to suffer.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Phoenix protested, smiling faintly. He started when the door suddenly burst open. Standing in the doorway that lead into the hallway, was a tall elf with thick dark hair and piercing violet eyes.
“You,” he said, glaring darkly at Night. “You have ruined everything with your meddling!”
Night scowled at the taller elf for a moment before he sidestepped to block the other’s view of his child. “Rook, I presume,” he said, quirking an eyebrow.
“Why couldn’t you just go along with it the way everyone else did?” Linthil said, shaking his head in frustration and anger. Chuckling, he added, “Or at least had the decency to let Desmond kill you, like he did that wench of yours.”
“I ruined everything, you say,” Night repeated, looking amused. “Because the Agency’s after you now?” Rolling his eyes, he countered, “You brought this on yourself.” He shook his head and glared at the agent. “If you didn’t want to go to prison, you shouldn’t have teamed up with someone like Artemis Desmond. The moment you threw in your lot with him, your fate was sealed!”
Linthil roared in anger and snatched the small elf by the wrist. Yanking him forward, he pulled a gun with his free hand and waved it at Phoenix. “If you even think of following us, he’s dead!” the elf warned, then he pulled the smaller elf out the front door and down the hall.
Phoenix hesitated and then glanced over his shoulder at Kawena. The girl was staring at the open door, hugging Mister Whiskers. After a moment, she looked up at him and sniffled.
“Don’t worry,” he told her, his voice confident and firm. “We always get out man.” As he stood to follow Linthil and Night, his path was blocked by Southlake. “He’s been and gone,” the dragon said quickly. “He’s got Night.”
Darian cursed and ran back out the door. Southlake paused long enough to say, “Stay with the girl,” then he followed his junior agent in pursuit of the fugitive and his prisoner.
***
As soon as they’d pulled to a stop in front of the building, Darian and Southlake rushed inside. Malcolm started to follow, but skidded to a stop as he was about to enter the building. A faint scowl crossed his features and he glanced around. “Violins?” he said, sounding confused. He was certain that he could hear the soft strain of violins. The tune was harsh - tense even - and filled the investigator with dread.
Suppressing a shiver, Malcolm started in the direction that the music seemed to be coming from and away from the entrance of the building. As he moved towards it, he unconsciously quickened his pace until he was running.
He stopped abruptly as he rounded the building. Linthil and Night were standing in the middle of the Havelen Center Bitola Bridge. The taller elf had Night by his wrists and was pushing him towards the railing, preparing to toss his prisoner over the edge and into the water below.
“Night!” Malcolm screamed, his tone almost panicked. The music stopped suddenly and Linthil spun around to face the newcomer. As soon as Malcolm saw that Night was not in immediate danger, he leapt forward, tackling Linthil to the ground.
Night sat, tense and immovable, as the investigator grappled with the dishonest agent. The pair rolled over and over, each trying to gain an advantage over the other. The small elf gasped when Linthil pinned Malcolm with his head and shoulders off the edge of the bridge.
“You should have stayed out of this,” the agent growled, a fierce smile touching his lips. He shook his head and, pressing his hands to Malcolm’s throat, said, “Now I have to kill both of you.”
Malcolm squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain in his throat and his body’s cry for oxygen. Focusing all of his attention on the seemingly immovable weight on his chest, he brought his knee up, connecting with his attacker’s groin. Linthil gasped and the hands fell away. As soon Malcolm sat, he pushed the dishonest agent away and yanked his arms behind his back.
“Malcolm!” Darian said, dropping into a kneeling position beside the investigator and his prisoner. He caught hold of the man’s arms and yanked him to his feet, then looked back at Malcolm. “Are you alright?” he asked, sounding truly concerned.
The investigator forced himself to stand and nodded, rubbing his throat. Coughing softly, he said, “I’ll live.” His eyes sought out Southlake and, when they spotted the detective helping Night to his feet, he said, “Great timing!”
“Mac!” Night squeaked, interrupting Southlake before he could even utter a single word. The elf threw his arms around Malcolm. After a moment, he loosened the embrace and dropped back to the ground. Stepping back, he smiled and said, “I… I’m sorry, Mac.”
“Don’t worry about it,” the investigator sighed, shaking his head.
“How did you even know where to find them?” Southlake said, waving his hands in frustration. He shook his head in disbelief and added, “We were inside before we even realized that he’d already gotten to Night and then it… there was no way to tell which way he’d taken him.”
“I figured the bridge was a good bet,” Darian said, looking sheepish. He shook his head and added, “Linthil would have wanted to kill Night quickly and expeditiously.”
“Actually,” Malcolm started, looking a little embarrassed. “I… heard violins.” He turned to the elf and said, “I think I finally have that figured out.” He chuckled softly as Night blinked slowly. “I… My magic and the bond between us… I’m basically hearing your emotions.”
Night chuckled softly and shook his head. “It sort of makes sense,” he said, grinning brightly. He shrugged and said, “I am a musician, so your magic would pick up strong emotions from me as…”
“Music,” Malcolm said, nodding in understanding. He grinned and tilted his head at Southlake in amusement. “At least now I know that I’m not completely insane.”
“That’s a matter of opinion,” Southlake said. He took Linthil by the arm and started pulling him towards the car. “Come on, partner,” he said, coldly, “Director Lachlan would like a word with you.”
“But he’s not an agent,” Darian said, rolling his eyes. Turning back to Malcolm and Night, he grinned and said, “We’ll need your statements, but that can wait until morning. In the meantime, I’ll start paperwork on getting Apollo Desmond - the real one - exonerated of the charges against him and freed from prison.”
“Thanks, Darian,” Night said, his smile warm and gentle.
Malcolm scowled and said, “What is your name, anyway. Your real one, I mean.”
The man chuckled and nodded. “Oh, Darian’s my name,” he said, sounding amused. “Just, you know, not Darian Lambert.” He winked at the investigator and said, “I’m Darian Lachlan.” Waving at the pair, he hurried to catch up with Southlake.
“Lachlan,” Malcolm breathed, blinking in surprise. Turning to his former partner, he said, “So that means…”
“He’s Director Lachlan’s son,” Night finished. Chuckling, he shook his head and added, “I thought he looked familiar, at least now I know why.” He grinned and patted Malcolm on his back and said, “Let’s go back to my place. You can have dinner.”
“I’ll… eat in the club,” Malcolm said, grimacing. “Mushrooms… just aren’t my thing.” He sighed softly as Night began chuckling softly and shaking his head. Smiling, the investigator paused to look up at the stars that danced high overhead. After a moment, he turned away and ran after Night. “Those big ones are supposed to taste like steak, right? Maybe I’ll try them.”
***
“I thought you didn’t like mushrooms,” Laurel said, a slight frown on her face, as she set a plate in front of Malcolm. Resting in the center of the plate was hamburger bun with a large mushroom cap set inside it, along with tomatoes, lettuce and mayonnaise.
Shrugging, the investigator took a sip of his soda and then lifted the mushroom burger off the plate. “I… these aren’t like those little white ones. I can actually eat these.”
Night chuckled softly and poked a slice of mushroom with his spork. “Button mushrooms,” he said, holding it in front of his friend.
“I don’t care what you call them,” Malcolm said, shaking his head. He smiled when Night rolled his eyes. “I think they’re horrible, but these… these aren’t too bad.” He took a large bite of the burger and added, “Still prefer meat, though.”
“Hey!” a familiar voice called from behind them. Night’s face broke into a sunny smile at seeing Darian standing behind him. The agent grinned brightly at the elf and said, “For reasons of security, I’ve been permanently assigned to monitor you two.”
“Oh?” Malcolm said, quirking an eyebrow.
Darian nodded. “Hmm,” he said, “You’ve been officially released from duty, but the Agency respectfully requests that you maintain your aliases - such as they are.” He gave Night a pointed look as he said the last. Then he held out his hands to either side and said, “My partner and I will charged with making sure that your cover is maintained.”
“You partner?” Night said, tilting his head to one side.
“They misplaced my paperwork,” Phoenix said, appearing beside the man. The dragon shrugged and shook his head, then he grinned. “My letter of resignation never made it to the Director’s desk before it was lost, so I’m still with the Agency.”
Night bounced to his feet and hugged the pair. Stepping back, he said, “I’m so glad to hear that!” He turned to Darian and added, “So, you can continue to sing with me?”
“If you want,” the agent said, a faint blush touching his cheeks.
Throwing his arms around the other, Night said, “Of course it’s what I want!” He practically danced away from the agent and said, “Only one thing could make this more perfect!”
“Oh?” a soft voice said, drawing everyone’s attention. “What would that be?” Malcolm tensed slightly as he took in the golden blond hair and soft, gray-green eyes that were locked on the elf. The man was dressed in a soft cotton shirt of a jewel-toned blue.
Night froze and Malcolm started to stand, nearly falling over when the elf shrieked and threw himself at the human. “Apollo!” he sang as the man spun in the embrace so that they didn’t fall over in a heap. “They let you out!”
“Thanks to you,” the man sighed, rubbing his chin in the elf’s hair. He sighed and set Night back on his feet. Smiling at Malcolm, he said, “Kaylen could always tell us apart, Makari. Trust him if you can’t trust me.”
“I do,” Malcolm said, sighing lightly. He stood and patted the blond man on his shoulder. “Congratulations on your release,” he said. Smiling, he winked and said, “Now, you just have to learn that I’m Malcolm and he’s Night.”
“Night?” Apollo said, looking down at the elf that was still wrapped in his arms. The man shook his head. “No, that can be your stage name, but we need to think of something that sounds like a name, sweetie.”
“Sweetie?” Darian whispered, blinking in surprise. Malcolm shrugged to indicate that he knew no more than the musician.
Night ignored the side conversation and tweaked Apollo’s nose. “Have you got something in mind?” he said, his voice low.
Before the human could reply, Kawena had appeared at the base of the steps and run up to throw her arms around the pair, joining the embrace.
“Hey, Peanut,” Apollo said, ruffling her hair gently. Looking at her father, he said, “I’ll work on it and get back to you.”
Nodding once, Night spun out of the embrace and said, “I’ll be needing a larger apartment, Shoshanna.”
“Right,” the elf maid said, giving the other a knowing grin. “I’ll get right on that,” she added. “There’s one upstairs that someone just moved out of, in fact. It’ll be ready in a few days.”
Oliver rolled his eyes and flicked on the radio. As a song with a strong pop beat filled the room, he said, “If we’re going to celebrate, let’s get to it.”
Night giggled and caught his daughter’s hands, dancing with the child to the cheerful music. Oliver took Shoshanna by the hand and they joined the couple.
Grinning brightly, Malcolm turned to the only remaining female and said, “Would you care to dance, Laurel?” Chuckling softly, she let him lead her out onto the dance floor.
Before long, everyone in the club had joined in the celebration. None of them noticed the police detective standing at the doorway, watching the group. Shaking his head slightly, Southlake smiled and walked away. “I’ll let them relax while they can,” he mused.
End...