Secrets and Lies

"Kill her."

The words hit me with a shock of adrenaline, while Owen simply reacted without any emotion at all. His right hand rose up like he was reaching for me, while at the same time his lips started moving. And that's when I felt it.

Just briefly it was as though something had reached inside my chest and wrapped itself around my heart. I didn't even have time to panic before a warmth radiated out from the tattoo on my ankle, and somehow I knew Owen's spell had been negated. Out of reflex I still brought my hand up to my chest, but by then it was already over. Owen seemed to realize it too, based on the look of confusion on his face.

Before either of them could try something else I half-shouted, "Feebs now! Both of them!"

That seemed to snap my partner out of whatever was holding her back, a moment later Owen's eyes rolled back and he crumpled like a marionette who's strings were just cut. The monster seemed unaffected though.

It snarled at me, and as it did so its black glassy eyes lit up with an unearthly purple glow. Suddenly I felt like I was falling into that beautiful swirling purple light, before a warmth from my ankle yanked me back to the here and now.

"Not this time bitch!" I stated as I reached out to grab it.

Its skin felt like dried-out old leather beneath my hands, but instead of being weak and fragile it seemed tough as steel. And it turned out to be a hell of a lot stronger than it looked. I thought I was going to easily take control of the thing, and instead found my arms brushed aside as one of its bony hands locked around my throat.

My truth spell ended right about then, and the monster once again looked like a hot sexy young woman. Except what looked like perfectly manicured red fingernails felt like long razor-sharp talons as they tried and failed to sink into my neck. The entity seemed to realize it wasn't going to rip my throat out, so it just kept squeezing. I quickly found myself having trouble breathing, while it lifted me up until my feet left the floor.

By that point the hotel manager was hurrying over from his desk while a doorman or bouncer was also heading our way. Probably to ask us to leave for making a scene, since they'd have no idea what was really going on. At the same time Phoebe came charging out of the bar at a run, and she reached us first. It seemed like she meant to tackle the entity, but instead she bounced off and ended up on her arse on the floor like she'd run into a brick wall.

"Dispell!" I wheezed as I clutched at the thing's arm to try and free myself from its iron grip. "Dispell it! Disguise!"

Feebs might have been a little stunned from her failed tackle attempt, but she obviously understood what I was saying. She gave her head a shake then reached out towards the entity and tried another spell. It worked, and the hot young blonde turned back into a gaunt grey corpse. Only now everyone else could see it too, and the lobby exploded into pandemonium.

There were screams from the bar, the hotel manager started shouting for someone to call the police, and the doorman just stood and stared in wide-eyed horror. Phoebe began to recite another spell, but this time the entity reacted before my partner could finish.

It drove a withered foot and stiletto-heeled shoe straight into the redhead's face, with enough force to send Phoebe sliding backwards a half dozen meters across the polished marble floor. Then with my throat still locked in its vice-like grip it turned and lunged towards the large floor-to-ceiling windows that ran along the front of the lobby.

After two strides to build up momentum it flung me forward with inhuman strength, and for a split second I felt weightless. Then my back struck the thick tempered glass. There was an explosion of pain as the window shattered around me, and I tumbled through the air like a rag doll before coming to rest halfway through the windscreen of a black cab that had stopped on the roadway outside.

I was barely conscious as the monster stormed up to me. I might not have noticed it at all in fact, but it stopped to snarl like it was tempted to finish me off. Instead something seemed to startle it, the entity turned and dashed off into the darkness. That something turned out to be my partner, who arrived at my side a second later.

"Trillium!" she shouted in panic. "Shit! Just stay still ok! Help's on the way!"

Rather than pass all the way out from pain and blood loss, I actually felt myself rapidly coming back to my senses. At the same time the pain quickly faded, until something in my back seemed to click. That sent another jolt of agony through me and I convulsed, which actually freed me from the front of the cab.

Feebs let out an anxious little yelp as I slid off the hood, then ended up on my arse on the pavement next to the vehicle's front wheel. The renewed pain was already fading though, and by that point I realized a small crowd had gathered around. Some of whom had their phones out, taking pictures or shooting video.

I let out a long soft groan, "It's getting away."

"Let it go," my partner mumbled as she pulled me into a hug. "We got Owen, and you're already healing up. We can deal with the entity later."

She held me a little tighter as she whispered, "Sorry for the delay. Some wanker got in my way right when you said the phrase."

"It's ok," I sighed as I slowly brought my arms up to return the hug. Then I whispered, "Did you dispell the control on Owen?"

She shook her head, "Not yet. I only hit him with a sleep spell, to knock him out."

"Aye," she added a second later. "I'll do that now, before he wakes up. Hopefully that'll save him the headache at least. Then we should get out of here, or Tril's going to have an awkward reunion with some of her old coworkers."

I wondered for a moment who she was talking to, before realizing my bluetooth had gone missing at some point. Probably during my flight through the plate glass window. As for her comment about a reunion, based on the approaching sirens I was pretty sure that was already inevitable.

"Are you good to get up?" Phoebe asked me. "Think you can walk?"

"Yeah. I'm fine now," I nodded as I started to pull myself upright.

Meanwhile she turned to glare at the small crowd around us, "Oi! Back off you bloody ghouls, give us some space!"

The gawkers barely reacted to her words, but there were a few gasps and plenty more pictures once I was on my feet again. And it wasn't hard to understand why. Despite feeling fully healed I still looked like a complete disaster. My clothes were shredded, I was covered in blood, and maybe worst of all one of my shoes was missing. That made it look like I was limping, which was just annoying. So I ended up kicking off the other one as I accompanied Phoebe back inside the hotel lobby, where people were still running around in a panic.

The redhead crouched down by our boss's side, where she mumbled another spell. Owen twitched once but didn't wake. Then Phoebe straightened up and quietly announced, "Done. There was a control spell, no surprises there. It's gone now."

"Aye," she responded to a voice on her headset. "I'm sure your dad's going to be ok. He just needs time to recover, same as Martin."

Finally she looked up at me and explained, "Alys Emma and Grace will be on their way to London tonight, so they can be with Owen. And Terry's heading to Canterbury, to be there when Martin wakes up."

"Sounds good," I replied.

We were both momentarily distracted as the hotel lobby lit up with a lot of flashing blue lights. Phoebe and I both turned to see several emergency vehicles outside, with more pulling up behind them.

"Maybe someone should text Miss Talbot and let her know what's happened?" I suggested. "Since it seems like the whole team's going to be indisposed for a while."

"Oh and let her know, I'm pretty sure this thing isn't really an angel?" I added.

Police and EMTs were already swarming into the lobby while Phoebe nodded, "Dr. Bishop's on it. She's sending the boss some screen grabs of the bloody thing."

That was all the time we had to talk. Between the gawkers pointing me out and the fact that I was covered in blood and shredded clothes I soon found myself herded into the back of an ambulance, where a couple attendants did their best to find some injuries they could treat. Needless to say they were very confused to swab away layers of drying blood only to find nothing but healthy unblemished skin beneath.

Unfortunately my perfect health meant instead of riding with them to a nearby A&E I was transferred directly out of the ambulance and into a waiting police car. From there it was only a short drive back to my old place of employment on Victoria Embankment, and soon enough I found myself alone in an interrogation room. Along the way I'd also been searched and relieved of my phone, wallet, keys, and ID.

That was all fairly standard procedure for dealing with criminal suspects, as was leaving me to stew for a while. If nothing else that told me what else to expect, since they obviously didn't think of me as a witness, let alone a victim.

What worried me was they should have looked at my ID, and when they found my South Wales warrant card that ought to have earned me some leeway. For that matter if they ran my ID they'd have seen I was a former detective right here in London. Then again it was possible they already knew who I was, in which case treating me like a criminal may have been nothing more than simple bigotry. I wasn't exactly popular since I came out as trans, and now that I'd resigned from the Met I couldn't even expect them to show any professional courtesy. So I did my best to get comfortable on the very uncomfortable chair while I quietly waited for someone to come and ask me some questions.

I had no way of knowing how long I was there, but it felt like an hour, perhaps more. It was both boring and annoying, and I couldn't help thinking at least Silent Man didn't keep me waiting so long. Which in turn left me shaking my head at the way this week had gone so far. It was only Wednesday night and I'd already been stuck in two different interrogation rooms. At least there hadn't been any threat of torture this time. Unless the boredom and uncertainty counted.

Eventually the door swung open, but when I saw who'd entered I couldn't decide whether to be surprised or annoyed.

"Chief Superintendent Williams," I greeted my former boss with one raised eyebrow. "I wasn't expecting to see you working this late."

He scowled as he slumped into the seat across from me. Then he tossed my South Wales ID onto the table in front of me and demanded, "How?! It's barely ten days since you quit. How are you already working as a detective in Wales?!"

"My first thought was that's a forgery," he added. "I was this close to busting you for impersonating an officer. But it checks out! Not only are you on the books with the South Wales Police, but I'd barely got your information up on my computer when I received a call from the Home Office! Telling me you're on some sort of special assignment, and not to interfere with your case?!"

I had to keep the surprise off my expression about that last point. It left me wondering if Miss Talbot had someone at the Home Office on her payroll, or maybe somebody there owed her a favour. Then I thought of Silent Man again, and recalled the teen said she was going to have some words with one of his bosses. And if you went all the way to the top, the Home Secretary oversaw both the Security Service and the police.

The idea that LIES' mysterious young boss might have some influence over parts of the British government left me feeling more than a little uneasy, but I put those thoughts aside for now. Instead I focused on Williams again, and my current situation.

With my eyes on him I picked up my new ID and tucked it into my jacket pocket. Then I calmly asked him, "Does that mean I can go now?"

"Not yet," my former boss stated with another scowl. "Not until I get some answers. What the hell have you gotten yourself into, Sharpe? And what really happened at that hotel tonight?!"

He sounded equal parts confused and exasperated as he added, "I've seen the videos from the security cameras, none of it makes any bloody sense! It's more like some fantasy drama than anything else!"

I relaxed on my uncomfortable chair and in that same calm tone explained, "If you've seen the video then you saw the entity my colleagues and I are pursuing. It uses magic to hide its true appearance, and employs mind control to take advantage of its victims. I believe it's responsible for at least two deaths in Kent. It's intelligent, cunning, incredibly dangerous, and right now it's loose somewhere in London."

From the throbbing vein on the side of his forehead I could tell he probably wanted to yell at me some more, but was holding back. Odds were he didn't want to believe anything I'd said, but when Phoebe dispelled the entity's disguise everyone would have seen it for what it really was.

"Now where can I collect the rest of my belongings?" I asked in another calm voice. "And if your people have picked up my associate Phoebe Campbell I'll need her released as well. Finally I'd like to know which hospital Owen Powell was taken to."

Williams glared as he half-demanded, "Campbell? Isn't he one of those blokes you ran into up in Yorkshire?"

"Her name is Phoebe," I stated firmly, "And her pronouns are she and her. As are mine, incase you've forgotten."

At that point I got to my feet so I could look down at him when I added, "I don't work for you anymore Williams, and that means I don't have to put up with your transmisic bullshit any longer."

Sure enough his face turned a delightful shade of red, but rather than let him get a word in edgewise I spoke up once again.

"I was thrown through a tempered glass wall earlier this evening," I stated bluntly, "Not to mention halfway through a cab. Before that I stood face to face with a walking desiccated corpse, and it tried to rip my throat out. You'll note that despite all of that, I'm still standing."

My expression grew darker and my tone more demanding as I continued, "Right now I want to collect my things, and my new partner. Then I want to get cleaned up and get all the broken glass out of my hair and clothes. After that I have to figure out how to find that damned monster again, so we can put a stop to it once and for all. So you'll forgive me if I'm not in the mood right now for any more of your crap."

For a second or two Williams glared up at me with wide eyes and a red face. Then he almost seemed to slump a bit in his chair as he gestured to the door behind him and muttered, "Go on then, get out of here. Your stuff's at the front desk."

I strode past him without another word, then out through the door. There was a uniformed constable out in the hall, he looked surprised by my appearance but didn't try and stop me as I made my way past. I headed straight for the main lobby, and sure enough the sergeant on duty had the rest of my belongings in a large manilla envelope.

Phoebe was there too, pacing while she waited impatiently for me. When I emerged she all but tackled me with another tight hug, which I returned in kind. Then the two of us headed out the door together.

"Owen's been taken to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital," the redhead quietly announced as we hailed a cab. "Grace Alys and Emma are on their way, but they won't be there for a few more hours. And Terry's on his way to Kent."

Once we were settled in the back of the cab I told the driver which hotel we were staying at, then focused on my partner again.

"That's fine," I told her. "I don't know about you but I need a shower. Then perhaps a few hours sleep."

She sighed, "Aye, same. You're sure you're alright though?"

"I will be," I nodded grimly. "But maybe not until tomorrow."

Fortunately the cab ride wasn't very long. We took the nearest bridge across the river, and from there it was less than a kilometre to our hotel on the Albert Embankment. Phoebe picked the place, which meant we were in another luxurious suite in a very posh hotel overlooking the Thames. In fact you could see both Westminster Abby and the Houses of Parliament from our balcony.

I paid the cabbie then the two of us trudged through the lobby and over to the lifts. Once up in our room I spent some time in the shower before emerging wrapped in a complementary white terry bathrobe. That's when Phoebe presented me with a tumbler containing a double measure of whisky. Then while I enjoyed that she had a quick soak in the tub.

In all it was nearly one o'clock Thursday morning before the two of us were finally ready to get some sleep. And like our hotel in Canterbury, we only had one bed here. It was another king-size though, and as Phoebe and I climbed into it together I was happy to note it was every bit as soft and comfortable as it looked.