Story of Sebastian, Chapter Two

Story of Sebastian, Chapter Two

My mom's cover art

Warning: Story contains adult language, violence, and adult situations.

We last saw Sebastian trying to find a way to kill time before attacking the criminal they were after…

Sebastian sipped the beer as he sat at the bar. Gods love Ireland, the crowds up and drinking with the clock having barely struck noon. Tourists mingled with locals and occasional rowdy jokes permeated the room. He’d picked the smaller pub hoping it wouldn’t be so full, but he’d hate to be in the tourist trap pub across the street.

His head turned as a rowdy group cheered on some sports team on the TV. Soccer or rugby, he didn’t really care. He snickered into his beer as some fan got wrapped into an embroiled debate over who was the best fan. Humans remained so clueless - meaningless was all their crap was. If they understood exactly what surrounded them, those boys would go home, shit themselves, and never walk outside again.

“You’re a different sort…” the bartender started a conversation with him, hoping to improve her tips.

Sebastian slapped a wad on the counter, cutting her off. “How about just pouring the beer and skipping the conversation?” He said it politely, still surprised when she didn’t take offense.

He noticed her saunter over to another customer and start up the same friendly chat. The smile and laughter didn’t quite reach her eyes and Sebastian concentrated. His skills weren’t as effortless as Dubhan’s but he’d never had much need for magic. Just a strong back and a good sword, gun, or any other weapon of choice. He focused on the laughing redhead, noticing the hint of brown roots.

Her thoughts brusquely broke through to him in tangles. She was thinking about getting off work and painting. She hated this job and the people she had to entertain. If the guy stared down her chest one more time, she’d dump ex-lax in his drink. She needed to dye her hair again and hated the red, but it added to her tips from the tourists… Sebastian frowned and released his hold, poor girl stuck behind a bar instead of living her dream.

He stared at himself in the mirror behind the counter, silently saluted his reflection, and drank the last of his beer. Pretty much true for all of them, wasn’t it?

“Wanting another one?”

“Just a water, keep the change.”

Sebastian’s mood plummeted again. He searched around the room looking for a distraction. His number would be up soon if he kept focusing on the bad details of life. His eyes caught a crooked smile and his brain froze. Well, hello freaking pixie. He surveyed the pub casually to see if she was visible to everyone or if only he saw her. As one man tripped to buy her a drink, Sebastian had his answer and turned to watch openly - pixies were always good for a laugh. Fucking pranksters of the supernatural world, they never killed but they left many wishing they did. They all possessed a horribly sick sense of humor.

Silver eyes slid over him and Sebastian nodded in return. He caught the surprised look on her face before she masked it. She hadn’t expected another supernatural to be witnessing her debacle and he wondered if it would change her game plan. As she started to move toward him, he shook his head. “Oh no, pixie, leave me out of this one.” He caught her quiet hiss as the word ‘Enforcer’ bounced around her head. Well, at least it earned him a free pass to enjoy the day’s entertainment.

His presence didn’t stall her for long; pixies never gained much control over their need for trouble. Sebastian watched as a quiet whisper from her had a tourist shouting expletives about the home rugby team’s match on TV. As the locals stalked over to the confused tourist, another whisper had a mug flying across the bar. Sebastian reached out to stop the bartender from leaving her post.

He handed her another wad of money. “Just take a break out the back for about twenty minutes. I’ll watch the bar.”

His bribe worked and she was out the door in record time, ignoring the calls for more beer or liquor. Sebastian jumped into her place and filled the orders as mayhem broke out around him. The pixie was quick on her feet, easily darting out of the way of the harm she caused. The speed of her movements around the room gave away her age. Her compulsions were followed lightening quick in the mostly full pub. Sebastian heard the sirens in the distance as the patrons fell into piles of bloody exhaustion.

He looked up as the pixie sighed in ecstasy on the bar. She perched lightly next to him enjoying the last dying moments of her pandemonium. There was the pull of the pixie. The chaos created an almost sexual high for them and he could feel the heat she threw off in her excitement. Her eyes were closed and her lips parted.

“Tis but a wee bit of sport,” she panted at him.

“Shoo before you have to deal with the human authorities.” Sebastian grinned. “And thanks for the control.” He meant it. She could have done a lot more damage and probably would have if he hadn’t been there.

“Shame,” she winked. “Look me up if ye be needing to unwind.”

She disappeared with a giggle and a wave as Sebastian shook his head. The patrons were all shuddering off what disturbed them and he swiftly made an exit out the back. He found the fake redhead taking a drag on a cigarette leaned against the alley wall.

“They’re done in there, bar’s in one piece, and cops are on their way.”

“Thanks.” She blew out a smoke ring. “Fucking pixie is in at least once a week.”

Sebastian’s eyes went wide with surprise as she tossed the cigarette and stalked back inside. He’d missed her half-supernatural side when he scanned her. Sebastian barely caught the swish of a tail before she tucked it back under the vest she wore. He rolled his eyes and stalked down the alley. Fucking Ireland, his kind were everywhere in this place. Sebastian paused to look into the bright sky as he wondered what drew so many to the island.

Loud ringing interrupted his thoughts and he pulled out the cell phone contraption. “Yeah.”

“Time’s been moved up. Fucker came back early and he’s got a guest, meet me in twenty.” Dubhan’s voice echoed through the tiny silver thing.

The call ended without any confirmation from Sebastian. He should be excited he didn’t have to find a new diversion. Instead he found himself wondering why Dubhan didn’t have a more interesting life. He shoved the phone back into his pocket and jogged his way to their seedy motel. A quick knock on Dubhan’s door and he was let into the war room.

“You really need a hobby, mate,” Sebastian ground out at the sight of weapons and accessories at the ready.

“Someone has to do the work around here.”

“Right, cheeky asshole.” It took awhile, but Sebastian understood the dark sense of humor his partner used.

Dubhan tossed a bag at him. “Let’s try not to get killed.”

Sebastian smiled back. It was the closest they ever gotten to being friendly, and they both understood the words went deeper. “Don’t plan on it today.”

“Famous fucking bloody last words,” Sebastian ground out, rattling the bars on the window.

Dubhan wrapped another slice of fabric around his arm. “It’s almost tomorrow and we’re not dead yet.”

“Ha-ha. What the fuck happened?”

“He knew we were coming, something or someone tipped him off. Should have known something was up when he came home early. Not his pattern.”

“You’ve sat up here every damn day, haven’t you?” Sebastian got no answer. “Unbelievable.”

The black eyes went colder. “I’m doing my job, so yeah I’m watching the asshole.”

Sebastian held his hands up to calm him down. One didn’t just walk away if you questioned Dubhan’s duty. “Why is doing a job so important to you?”

Dubhan groaned as he tied off the fabric. “Duty is all I have left.”

“Flat out sucks…” the words died off as he realized he spoke aloud.

“No kidding,” the guy surprised him with a smile. “Can you still do your disappearing trick?”

“The one from Greece?” Dubhan’s head shook and Sebastian shrugged. “Haven’t tried it since then. Shimmering isn’t working so I guess it’s worth a shot.”

“The girl he had. Short blonde, spiky hair about four foot eight.”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. “Pink sweater and black miniskirt?”

“Yes.”

He punched the wall, knocking a crumbling stone loose. “Damn bloody pixies!” Dubhan waited for an explanation and he got one. “Fucking pixie started one hell of a brawl in a pub earlier. Told her to leave me out of it. She must have been in cahoots with our bad guy. You saw her reporting our presence to him.”

Dubhan’s head smacked into the wall behind him. “And we walked into the trap. She must be loving it.”

“Knowing the guy’s track record, probably not, but I’m not going to assume she needs rescue either.” Sebastian paced. “I have to get us out of here. Find out how he’s got this cell barricaded and then get you out. We can take him from there.”

“I’ll just wait here.” Dubhan smirked and went quiet to let him concentrate.

This was different than their usual mode of travel. Shimmering you still felt like your whole self, just traveling through space and time. What happened in Greece had been like blowing all parts of his being to hell and then pulling them back. He’d done it on pure survival instinct and he wasn’t looking forward to trying again. Sebastian shook out his arms and neck to relax.

His eyes opened on a groan. Gods, that fucking hurt and took a serious amount of energy. He looked into the night sky and tried to calculate how long he’d been out of it. Few hours at most so he still had time to get Dubhan free. First, Sebastian had to find out how the cell was warded so he could break the spell. He sat up carefully and waited for the spinning to pass before taking in his surroundings.

He wound up close by, thankfully in the cover of the trees, but he could see the ruins from here. Sebastian concentrated and carefully located their captor. Sure enough, he was busy entertaining the pixie who’d turned them in. Sick thing loved every gory minute and Sebastian fought the urge to retch. He turned his attention to finding the cell he’d just vanished from. If he got lucky, he’d be able to see the magic pattern and untangle it. If he was unlucky, he’d have to take out the magician and the pixie to take the spell down.

Sebastian wandered carefully around the grounds. He spotted the familiar grate in the dirt and whistled.

“Bout damn time,” came the reply. “Can you get me out of here?”

“Not the easy way apparently.”

“Hey, if something happens to me, just get yourself out of here and find Sorcha.”

“What?” Sebastian stopped, frozen in shock and not sure he heard right.

“Sorcha, tell her… shit… tell her I messed up, okay? Tell her I’m a rotten fucking person and she deserves a whole lot better.”

“Shut up, man, you’re getting out of here.” Dubhan’s tone scared the shit out of Sebastian.

“I don’t think I am.”

“Knock it off, Dubhan, or I’ll kill you right fucking now. I’m getting you the hell out of there.”

Sebastian took off at a run. His partner must have lost a lot of blood to be waxing poetic about his old flame. Dubhan had only mentioned her one other time and it’d been on a drunken holiday in Greece. It was how they’d been caught unawares by their would-be attackers. It had also been the last time they’d celebrated on a holiday. Some lessons you learned the hard way.

He found his long, curved sword hidden in the supplies left outside the ruins. Apparently their captor hadn’t looked for any hidden stock, the dimwit. Sebastian waved its familiar weight for a moment before running back toward the ruins. Sure, he was winging it, but he didn’t exactly have time to stop and think of a plan. Oh wait, kill the sick fucker holding his friend prisoner and rescue said friend, counted as a plan right?

Return for the continuation of Sebastian’s story on September 4^th, here on Digital Digest. Catch up on your favorite stories with our ebooks available on Amazon!

~Jennifer Feuerstein~

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Copyright © 2011 Jennifer Feuerstein

All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. No portion of this work may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.