Once Upon Stilettos

I kept talking in hope of distracting them from whatever it was Ethan had planned. “You’re working for Idris, right?” I asked. “That pathetic geek must be getting really desperate if he’s resorting to picking on me. Or is he afraid to go after the big boys?” I desperately wished I were out with Owen, and for a change it wasn’t because of that silly crush I had on him. He’d be able to get rid of this bunch with a careless flick of his wrist. Then again, they’d be able to harm him in ways that wouldn’t work on me.



Taking a deep breath, I moved forward, away from the security of all that solid German engineering. “Well, you can tell your boss that getting rid of me isn’t going to do him much good. I’m just a glorified secretary, and he should know that. He’s got his spy in our company. Or is that what this is all about? I’m getting too close to the truth?” If I was, I wished they’d let me in on the secret because I had no clue.



Mr. Bones formed another fireball in his hand and threw it at me. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to duck. I knew intellectually that magic couldn’t hurt me, but my instincts saw a threat coming and wanted me out of the way. The fireball disintegrated harmlessly as it touched me. I felt the tingle of power, but otherwise was unaffected.



“Nice one,” I said. “But obviously you don’t have a lot of experience with immunes.” I almost felt like that fireball had given me a surge of power. I knew I wasn’t invincible, but I sure felt like I was. I folded my arms across my chest and said, “Got anything better you want to show me, or have you passed on your message? I have somewhere I need to be.”



This was a really good time for the cavalry to show up, but I didn’t know if any of my magical bodyguards would have followed me all the way out of the city. I should have noticed a fairy or gargoyle tracking us. Or did they have a network that passed us from one to the other as we traveled?



The monsters closed in again, and I couldn’t help but back up closer to the car. Magic or not, they were big and scary. I tried to get to the trunk where Ethan was. Just when I thought they’d be on me, there was a loud whoosh of air and white foam sprayed everywhere, forcing the monsters to move back. I turned to look at Ethan, who defiantly held a fire extinguisher with its nozzle facing the crowd of monsters.



“You wouldn’t happen to have a tire iron in there, would you?” I asked.



He dug in his trunk and came out with a cross-shaped lug wrench. “Will this do?”



I’d have preferred something with a little longer reach to it, but I took it anyway. It was better than nothing, and it looked like the sort of weapon Wonder Woman might have used. The mob made another charge, and I waved my lug wrench at them while Ethan gave them another blast from the fire extinguisher. The extinguisher ran out of foam, and Ethan threw it into the crowd, scattering them briefly. He handed me a crowbar and said, “Hold them off for a second,” before going back to digging in his trunk.



I wielded the crowbar like a sword and waved the lug wrench back and forth as if it were an exotic martial arts weapon. The monsters didn’t look too impressed. “What else do you have in there?” I asked Ethan.



“I’m looking for something that might help. Ah, there it is.” A second later there was a loud sound like a gunshot, then a whistling and a burst of light overhead. Ethan, bless his overprepared heart, must have had a flare gun in the trunk of his car, along with the fire extinguisher, enough tools to take the car apart and reassemble it, a spare blanket, a first-aid kit that was better equipped than some ERs, and enough bottled water for a trek across the Sahara. My mother would love him at first sight.



The creatures all ducked and cringed. They must have been used to that kind of thing being far more dangerous and magical. I wanted to duck myself, but I forced myself to stand upright and stare them down.



Soon there were several popping sounds, along with the rustle of wings around us. Someone grabbed my elbow. I started to resist, but a voice in my ear said, “It’s me, Ethan.”



Another voice said, “Get in the car, hurry.”



I looked around to see that we were surrounded by friendly-looking gargoyles, as well as some humans and fairies. I wasn’t sure where they’d come from, but I was grateful. They formed a shield around Ethan and me. As we made a dash for the car doors, I caught glimpses of fights between two sets of magical people. My hair felt like it was standing on end from the surges of power around us. Ethan opened the driver’s-side door and shoved me inside. I scooted across to the passenger seat so he could climb in and shut and lock the door. The engine roared to life on its own before Ethan had a chance to turn the key. A beaked gargoyle flew ahead of us as Ethan floored the accelerator and tore off down the road, leaving the still-raging battle behind.