Chapter 9

The Party

Cyrus closed his eyes and breathed in deeply through his nose, allowing the natural humidity of the island to flood through his sinuses. Memories of trips to Greece, South Africa, and even parts of the Philippines while hunting a rogue naga flitted behind his eyes, but he tuned them out. There was something about the scent of salt in the air that relaxed him, made him feel at ease. Maybe someday, if he lived long enough, he would retire off the coast and take up fishing. Or maybe even stand up paddleboarding. Whatever it was he decided on, it would be infinitely easier than tracking down and hunting cryptids.

He had stopped at the bottom of the boarding stairs, his hand on the rail. Behind him, he heard Amida clear his throat.

“I don’t mean to rush you, Master Cyrus, but this box is getting heavy.”

“My apologies.” Cyrus moved to the side and watched Amida step off the stairs carrying a wooden crate. They had taken a private plane from Montana in the early hours, which also meant that they had brought some additional cargo that was due to arrive anyway. Inside the crate were replacement parts for a device meant to block sonar, which allowed the local mermaid colony to avoid detection by the navy.

Amida handed the crate over to a member of the Order wearing an aloha shirt and strings of wooden beads around his neck.

“I have a change of clothes for you,” said the local, then set the crate in the passenger seat of an unmarked van parked on the tarmac. He opened the rear door and pulled out some plastic tubs. “You will fit in better in these, and it won’t be so hot.”

Tasia took her box and opened it, then let out a snort. “I can’t remember the last time I wore so little,” she declared.

“Then maybe you need to take more vacations,” Cyrus told her, then picked up the tub with his name on it.

They had already tracked down Tristan Edge through the use of their psychic, and were planning to infiltrate a party he was throwing tonight at an estate he had rented for a porn shoot. It bothered him a bit that they were going in blind, but this was hardly the most dangerous mission he had been on.

That, and despite their difficulties with the succubus, Amida and Tasia were the best of their generation. They wouldn’t be doing it alone either, and he waited for the rest of his team to receive their gear. Local support would be ready for them if they needed it, but the Hawaiian team’s specialty was largely rooted in keeping the locals from harassing the cryptids who lived in the area.

He had a strong feeling that he would need the fighters he had brought. Tasia had stripped her clothes off already next to Amida, who was now also naked. Both of them put on clothes that made them look like tourists, though Tasia still carried a regal air about her. She was in a one-piece suit with cloth shorts, and she strapped her collapsed sword to her leg. The blade shimmered and disappeared under the simple glamour, and Amida slid his ten-inch wand into the pocket of his trunks, which were only a few inches deep at most.

They may look like beach bums in the making now, but the magical gear was top notch.

“Master, are you going to change?” asked someone behind him.

Cyrus smirked and stripped off his clothes. When his shirt came off, he heard everyone else go silent for a moment, most likely at the scars along his back. He pushed back the memory of a biting spider swarm and slid into a pair of cargo shorts with comfortable sandals beneath. He put on an aloha shirt of his own, then went through the pockets of his jacket to get everything he needed.

It was with a small amount of sadness that he watched them pack away his jacket. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been without it, and it felt like it was somehow the last time he would ever see it.

“Hmmph.” He snorted away the thought, then looked at the others. “Are we ready?”

Tasia undid her ponytail so that her hair tumbled free around her shoulders. She ran her fingers through it and then pulled a pair of sunglasses from the small beach bag she was carrying and slipped them over her face.

“Let’s go carve ourselves a dragon,” she stated, then moved toward a group of SUVs that had been parked behind the van. She got into the driver’s seat and rolled down the window, and Amida got in the passenger seat. Cyrus joined a pair of young women in the back, and opened up his laptop.

“Class is officially back in session,” he announced, certain that this hunt would go far better than the last. The succubus had caught everybody off guard, and had reminded him that he needed to be thinking ahead. He stuck his hand in his pocket and gripped the metal cross tucked within.

And if that succubus showed up again, he would be ready for her.

The beach was crowded with people that smelled to Dana like hundreds of sizzling burgers on a grill. Even the scent of sunscreen failed to overpower the odor of ballpark franks that wafted off of a pair of coeds who were busy sunning their backs with their bikini tops undone.

“There’s so much exposed flesh out here,” remarked Lily. “I can’t tell you how much arousal I can sense, it’s like ambrosia.”

“Aren’t you hot in those boots?” asked Dana. Lily was in a barely-there bikini, but still wore her thick leather boots. Other beach goers were reflected in the shiny black leather of her boots, and more than a few people stared at her. “Why not take them off, get some sand between your toes?”

“Maybe I like standing out.” She cocked her hip toward an older man with curly white hairs on his chest and a large belly. He was staring at her while eating a massive ice cream cone. She pulled up on one of her straps, causing the back of her bikini to disappear between her buttcheeks, then bent forward a little.

The man dropped his cone onto the hot sand and swore to himself before picking it up and taking it to the trash.

“You’re gonna give someone a heart attack,” Dana told her.

“If a little cheek is enough to kill a man, then that’s not my problem. Besides, he shouldn’t have been eating that anyway. I could sense his arteries clogging shut.” Lily stopped and gazed out along the distant beach, then pointed. “We’re headed there, by the way.”

The succubus was pointing to a large cliff made of lava rock with several large homes built into the side of it. From where they stood, Dana could see the high-walled barrier that kept the homes segregated from the island.

“Tristan’s production company is doing their shoot up there,” Lily said. “If we can get in, we can look around a bit, figure out what we’re dealing with.”

“How do we get in?”

She shrugged. “We’ll play it by ear. Besides, we’ve got back-up if we need it.”

Dana nodded and pulled the straps of Tick Tock tight. The mimic was posing as a large, folded beach chair, and the strap squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. They continued down the paved path that bordered the white sand beach, and Dana watched the families as they walked past.

A small family was busy setting up a volleyball net, and she couldn’t help but wonder. If Alex had lived, would they have eventually started a family? It was something they hadn’t really discussed, but she knew that Alex had wanted children someday. How would that have worked? Would they have adopted, or maybe done artificial insemination? Which one of them would have been pregnant?

The sidewalk ended, and she followed Lily out onto the sand. The beach continued for a long way before turning into large, scary rocks. The distant shore was, in fact, not reachable by the beach, and she found herself staring across a large patch of water that was bordered by a rocky dam.

“Guess we’re swimming,” Lily said, then started walking into the water. “I didn’t look too hard at the map, so that’s on me.”

“Why not just walk?” Dana asked.

“Gated community, apparently. So even if we walk, we’d still need to get in, and if we wait, we’ll miss the shoot.”

“I can’t swim there like this,” Dana said. It wasn’t a fear of the water, but the fact that the surf looked rough and it would be difficult to make the swim while towing the mimic.

Lily vanished beneath the waves and resurfaced to float on her back. She now wore a wetsuit with swim fins and a snorkel. “It’s not that hard to fit in, surfer girl.” She pointed over her shoulder to a group of surfers who were waiting for waves. “Toss the mimic in and catch a wave.”

Realizing what Lily wanted, Dana took off her sandals and strolled into the water. Nobody seemed to be looking their way, so she submerged Tick Tock and felt the canvass straps of the chair stiffen abruptly beneath her fingertips. A surfboard emerged from the water with a laughing skull in the middle, and she laid down on it and paddled her way out.

Lily came back to tow them out past the breaking waves, where the water was smoother. Dana paddled relentlessly toward the opposite shore. It was easily a couple of miles, and on more than one occasion, a sudden wave threatened to dump her over.

Though she was a decent swimmer, navigating the surf was proving more difficult. She would sometimes watch one of the now distant surfers catch a wave and ride it in, and wished she could accomplish a similar feat. Maybe Tick Tock had a way to help?

“Don’t suppose you have a way to get us there faster, do you?” she asked the surfboard.

Tick Tock didn’t respond, and she sighed. Lily surfaced about ten feet away, holding a starfish.

“You’re not supposed to be touching the wildlife,” Dana informed her. “And why do you even have that?”

“I think they’re pretty. They remind me of...” Lily looked at the starfish, then scowled and dropped it in the water. “Guess I’m towing your ass. Do me a favor and hold on.”

The tip of Lily’s tail slithered over the edge of the surfboard, and Dana grabbed it with both hands. The succubus submerged and kicked, pulling Dana across the bay at a much faster speed. Beneath the waves, Lily was using her wings to propel them forward, and after just over an hour, the jagged rocks of the shore rose up on them like the teeth of a shark.

They came to a stop, and Lily surfaced, a frown on her face.

“They looked a lot smaller from far away,” she said, then looked along the rocks. “Guess we’re climbing wet rocks. What do you think?”

“I’m thinking that I wish I wore something other than flip-flops and a sarong.” She studied the rocks, then pointed up at a section of fence. The gnarled rocks had plenty of handholds, and there was a flat spot that was easily scaled. “I think we could climb up there. You carry the surfboard.”

“Tow me, blow me, carry my shit. A working girl’s job is never done.” Lily grabbed onto the surfboard and held it steady. “Much easier to carry a beach chair.”

“Yeah, hold on.” Dana grabbed her sandals and rolled into the water. For a moment, the surf gobbled her up, and then she surfaced. She swam around Lily and grabbed onto one of the rocks, doing her best to steady herself. As the surf swelled, she hauled herself out of the water.

Halfway up the cliffs, she looked down to see Lily carrying the beach chair about ten feet down. The rocks weren’t hard to scale at all. When she made it to the top, she discovered that the railing was only to cover a gap in the rocks in someone’s backyard. The yard itself was empty, but there was a pool with a green floating mattress bouncing along the interior edge. The home was three stories tall with large bay windows that overlooked the ocean.

Dana hopped over the railing and moved away so that Lily could follow. They moved together along the side of the fence until they reached the gate that let them out front. Dana opened it quietly, and then both of them were moving toward the street.

“Welcome to Pele’s Point,” Lily told her, then led her to the sidewalk. “One of the most exclusive neighborhoods in all of Hawaii, built up on a massive lava flow from hundreds of years ago. Comes with breathtaking ocean views and twenty-four-hour neighborhood security.”

“Why the security, though?” She looked at the surrounding homes. It was clear that they were easily worth millions of dollars. “I thought Hawaii was supposed to be laid back.”

Lily shook her head. “Laid back doesn’t mean no problems. Theft is a pretty big problem on the islands, and you’d better believe the people who live here have some great shit to steal. I would also put money on the fact that these homes aren’t occupied year-round. It’s one of the reasons they’re doing a porn shoot out here. Why not make extra cash on your million-dollar vacation home which you probably only visit every year or so?”

Dana frowned. She imagined if she had the money to buy a home like these, she would want to live in it year-round. Then again, whatever job allowed her to live such a way probably wouldn’t be one she could do from home.

“Any ideas where our guy is?” she asked.

“Yes. The shoot is at a place called the Black Palace, which is at the top of the hill.”

“Sounds ominous.”

They were walking along a wide street with no lines painted on it. The few people Dana saw out and about looked to be groundskeepers, and she saw no fewer than ten people tending gardens or yards. The sidewalk they walked along had giant concrete baskets along it with large flowers she had never seen before, and a Hawaiian woman with a wide brimmed hat was busy snipping dead buds out.

“It’s not meant to be. Guy who had it built has that last name is all.”

“But what about the palace part?”

Lily stopped in the road, her eyes set on a gap between the buildings up ahead. “See for yourself.”

Through the gap, Dana saw an enormous home with large pillars in the front, and what looked like a tower in the back. It reminded her slightly of Mike’s home, but on a much larger scale, and the third story had a large patio that hung directly over the cliffs with a view of the ocean on all three sides. “How the hell do you afford something like that out here?” she asked incredulously.

“Apparently the guy is a billionaire. Billionaires do what they want. They’re kind of like the modern world’s equivalent of a wizard, in a way. So much money, they don’t know what to do with it.”

“Must be nice,” Dana muttered.

“Oh, it is.” Lily started walking again, and when she passed behind a palm tree, her appearance rippled. Her hair was now a dirty blonde, and her wetsuit had become a bathing suit once more. She was about twenty years older now, and stopped to hand Dana the beach chair.

“One of us needs to look the part,” she explained, tilting her sunglasses down to make eye contact. The sunglasses were encrusted with gems, and a cursive letter C was on the corner of the frames. “You can be my poor niece, just out for a quick visit before going back to school in the states.”

“School has already started, though,” Dana replied while taking Tick Tock back.

“Please. Rules are for poor people.” Lily’s tone now had an edge to it, and she fixed a permanent sneer on her face as she adjusted a designer beach bag that had appeared on her shoulder. “Speaking of which, don’t bother making eye contact with the help. It just encourages them.”

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Dana asked.

“Quite.” Lily walked on stiletto sandals along the sidewalk. “And when we get up the palace, you let me do all the talking.”

“Happily.”

As they continued up the hill, a trio of SUVs passed them by, but Dana was too busy staring at the Black Palace to give them any mind. If the Dragon’s Pearl really was there, then it would mean she had salvaged this trip, and was one step closer to being alive.

She knew she should feel excited, or maybe even anxious. Instead, it felt like she was simply crossing one more item off her shopping list. Even worse, her mind kept slipping back to Oregon, and the sense of belonging she had felt there. She had never felt like she had belonged at Mike’s house, but now she was starting to wonder if she had even given it a fair chance. Instead of talking with him or even asking for help, she had left a note behind explaining what she was doing—and that had been it.

If she had brought someone else with them, maybe the beginning of the trip wouldn’t have been such a disaster. Then again, who could she have brought? The naga was content to lurk around in her labyrinth, and nobody else there could have passed for human anyway. Mike probably could have come, but that would have exposed him to danger, as well as—

“Well, fuck.” Lily had come to a stop, her arms crossed over her chest. She was looking at a large metal gate up ahead with a security guard at it. “I didn’t expect that to be an issue.”

“Private security for the house?” Dana asked.

“Maybe. Though I suspect it’s an extra you can hire, or...” Lily squinted. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“Because you are,” Dana muttered under her breath.

“The guard is wearing a Maximum Dragon shirt. Looks like our boy brought his own security team, though I suspect a few police academy dropouts won’t be too difficult to handle.”

No sooner had she spoken when a pair of men in black polos walked across the road behind the gate. They were both wearing shoulder harnesses and carrying walkie-talkies on a belt around their waist.

“Seriously, he’s a porn star, not a prince. Seems a little over the top.”

Lily shook her head. “It doesn’t, actually. Think of the success this guy has seen already because of his magic. It makes you paranoid, remember? Scotes was freaking out over a magic flask that gave him free booze, but the pearl itself? If this guy really is becoming a dragon, he is amassing power, and he will do what he can to protect it. Hold up.” She turned her attention to a sports car that was coming up the road with its top down. Inside were a couple of women who stopped at the gate and showed the guard something before continuing up. “I’m guessing the shoot hasn’t started. Looks like the talent is still arriving.”

They stood around for a few more minutes and watched a couple more cars arrive. After a few vehicles went inside, Lily took Dana by the arm and walked her up to the gate. When they drew near, Lily’s features shifted a bit more until she was shorter than Dana. Her breasts and hips inflated, and her skin darkened until it was brown with golden undertones.

They were near the guard station now, and the man in the kiosk looked up from his computer. Recognition and surprise flitted across his face, and he frowned when he walked out.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“Oh, honey, I’m sure you can.” Lily’s voice was dusky, and she put a hand on her hip. “Call me Mona De Ville, surely you’ve heard the name. Or, as the internet knows me, the gangbang queen.”

“Uh...” He checked a clipboard he was carrying, then coughed nervously. “I’m afraid you’re not on the list, Ms. De Ville.”

“Of course, I’m not on the fucking list.” Lily moved into the man’s personal space. “I’m supposed to be retired now. Well, guess what? I live nearby and heard through the grapevine that Tristan motherfucking Edge is shooting here, and I will be damned if I do not get a look at that monster cock of his for myself.”

“This is a private—”

“I don’t fucking care if it’s private.” Lily was sweating profusely now. “I’m considered royalty in the porn world, anyone worth their salt knows this. I’m ready to come out of retirement, and I would love for it to be for a scene with the king cock himself.”

“But I—”

“Hey, I’m already angry and frustrated because my car broke down at the bottom of the hill, and if I can’t get inside to speak with Mr. Edge very soon, I am going to fucking lose it. I will walk away and tell everybody that Maximum Dragon is a shit company. What, does he have something against milfs? Honey, I’m the queen fucking milf.”

The man looked horrified. “I can’t let anyone in who—”

“Get me a supervisor or something, right fucking now!” Lily pulled a fan out of her purse and waved it at herself. “You leave the industry for five fucking minutes, and suddenly, you’re nobody.”

“No, that’s not ... I mean...” The guard pulled a walkie-talkie from his belt. “South entrance to command.”

“Command here.” The voice on the other end sounded annoyed.

“We have someone who isn’t on the list.”

“Then get rid of them.”

The guard smiled at Lily, then lowered his voice. “It’s Mona De Ville, sir. She wants to do a video with Mr. Edge. To restart her career.”

There was a moment of silence, and then the radio squawked to life. “Mona De Ville? The gangbang queen?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m fairly certain it’s her.”

“Didn’t she retire to have a baby or something?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Lily snatched the radio from the guards hand. “I’ve been out in the heat for over an hour and I’m getting pissed.” While Lily’s back was to the guard, her breasts swelled up and wet stains appeared on the front of her bathing suit. “Having a fucking baby doesn’t turn you into a nun.”

When she turned back to the guard, his eyes went to her breasts. There was clearly an inner debate over whether to tell her or not.

“Put my guard back on, please.”

“Ooh, a man who knows how to give commands. Tell me, sailor, how tall are you?” Lily leaned against the guard station as a trio of men wearing black polos appeared around the corner.

The newcomers looked ready for trouble, but deflated when they saw what was going on. They blocked off the opening with their arms crossed, but one of them was fighting a grin.

“No, seriously, what’s your situation, you single or what? You sound hot.” Lily looked up at the group of men who arrived. “Please, you can stop trying to look tough. I once had five guys inside me at the same time, you think I care about your tough act?”

The one fighting a grin laughed, and the one in the middle cocked his head as if struggling to picture such a feat.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, I had two in my mouth, one in my ass, and two in my vag. Or was it two in my ass and one in my vag?” She was holding down the button on the walkie-talkie as she spoke, then turned to Dana. “Girl, you haven’t lived until you’ve felt three guys nut in you at the same time.”

“Hey. Hey!” The man on the walkie was free to speak now. “Can someone please take command down there?”

“Why don’t you bring your sweet ass down here and—fuck, I’m lactating.” Lily pulled down the top of her swimsuit to reveal a slow leak from her breasts. The way she held her suit, it was dripping on the walkie-talkie. “Can someone up there tell the man in charge that you’ve got a horny momma out front who wants to get done deep dick style.”

One of the men blocking the entrance had pulled out his own walkie-talkie and had snapped a picture of Lily. When she noticed the phone, she blew a kiss and held the pose.

The walkie-crackled to life. “Shit, it really does look like her,” said someone in the background.

“See if she has identification.” This was from the man in charge.

Lily rolled her eyes. “Of course, I do, but the name isn’t going to match. But yeah, sure, go ahead and look it up. Oh, that’s right, I don’t want people knowing it. What, was a picture not good enough?” She tossed the walkie-talkie to the guard. “Fuck it, let’s go. Tell Mr. Edge that he missed out on the opportunity of—”

“Wait.” This came from the man with the phone. “Can I at least get your autograph?”

“Yeah, fuck it, why not?” Lily walked over to him, her tits still on full display. “You got a pen?”

The man took the clipboard from the guard and pulled the pen out of it. “I’m a huge fan.”

“Yeah, you are.” Lily grabbed his bicep and gave it a squeeze. “Say, it looks like my schedule is about to open back up. What would you say to an early dinner, and—”

“Send her in.” The walkie had squawked to life. “Mr. Edge wants to speak with her.”

“Oh, too bad.” Lily pushed the guy’s sleeve up and signed his bicep. “C’mon, let’s go.” She waved Dana forward, and the guard moved to block her.

“She can go in, you can’t,” he told Dana.

“Oh, come fucking on. She’s my makeup girl. You think I wanna get fucked on camera looking like this?” Lily wiped the sweat off her head then pulled her top back up. “Ugh, I hate how cold that is,” she muttered, then grabbed Dana by the hand.

“We’ve got our own—”

“Please. This one knows how to color my asshole just right. It’s an art. She even brought my favorite chair! Do you think we hiked up here for no reason with it?” Lily had yanked Dana past the guard and they were now walking through the gate. “You all don’t have a golf cart or something we can ride up in, do you? These heels are killing me. Then again, I plan to have my legs in the air for about an hour, so maybe—”

“Yeah, hold on.” Mona’s fan ran around the corner and got into an electric cart tucked away behind the wall. He pulled up and patted the seat next to him. “Right this way, Ms. De Ville.”

“You can call me Mona.” She winked at him and got in. “C’mon, makeup bitch, let’s go.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Dana got in the back of the cart and stared blankly ahead. This was going to be easier than she thought.

Cyrus approached the service entrance of the Black Palace with a pair of buckets in his hand. Each bucket contained a pair of shears and some work gloves, and the others were milling about as if keeping busy. Their fake credentials as grounds crew had gotten them onto the property, but it was going to take a bit more effort to get in without causing a scene.

Tristan Edge had his own private security team. While they had expected this on their way in, he had been surprised to see a team of men who were not only armed, but also well-coordinated. There was little public information on Maximum Dragon, and he was now seriously concerned by what he saw.

Amida was holding a bag of fertilizer over his shoulder, and then looked up at Cyrus. “Cameras are down for fifteen seconds.”

The Order dropped their tools on the ground, and Amida tossed out a handful of spheres. Cyrus opened the service entrance and his team ran inside. As he clicked the door shut, he watched the illusion spell take hold. Phantom versions of his team continued to mill about outside as if nothing happened, which would keep anyone who was watching from worrying.

His team ran down the hall and slowed once past the final camera. The interior of the building wasn’t wired for surveillance to the best of their knowledge, and even if it was, it was likely that whoever could afford to rent the place wouldn’t want to be watched. The Black Palace was sometimes used for weddings or special events, but was largely used by traveling dignitaries who wanted somewhere comfortable to stay.

There were ten of them in all, and when they reached the supply room, they huddled about the door. A pair of mages sat in the center of the concrete floor and used a piece of chalk to draw some symbols on the ground. Once the runes were ready, the mages sat inside of them and entered a meditative state.

Out in the hall, someone walked by, and Tasia stood by the door, ready to handle them if they came inside. The stranger moved past, and she looked over to Cyrus and nodded.

“Speak softly,” Cyrus reminded the man and woman in the middle of the room. The meditating mages were scouting the home in astral forms, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to shout.

“The first floor is full of camera crew. A few women, and a large spread of food. Catering company on hand,” said the woman, an older woman named Gabrielle.

“Second floor is a security team. They are checking the windows often, as if watching for trouble.” The other mage, a man named Samuel, frowned. “Something isn’t right. The people upstairs are professionals, most likely ex-military. I count over fifteen of them, but it’s hard to tell.”

Cyrus frowned. What use would Tristan have for a private army? He paced back and forth, his thoughts on the Dragon’s Pearl. If the records were correct, then it hadn’t been in Tristan’s possession long enough for the metamorphosis to begin. However, they were also operating on limited knowledge of an artifact that hadn’t been seen in centuries. Was the army to keep someone else from taking the pearl?

He thought back to the succubus. If the Order had been in possession of the pearl, they would have lost it to her. Had someone already made a move on Tristan?

“What about the third floor?” he asked. “Any movement?”

Samuel frowned and shook his head. “I don’t see anything, but ... it’s all so fuzzy right now.” His nose was bleeding now and his face turned red. “I ... I see...”

“Enough.” Cyrus put his hand on Samuel’s shoulder. “If anti-scrying spells have been put in place, you will get noticed if you push any harder.”

“Yes, master.” Samuel wiped his nose with a tissue, then looked over at Gabrielle. “Do you see anything?”

Gabrielle’s cheeks had flushed, and her breath was coming in shallow bursts. “No, but I can feel him, somewhere above us. He feels so warm, as if he wants me to come to him.”

“Does he know we’re here?”

She shook her head. “No, it isn’t that. It’s a magic field, it moves around as he does.” Her eyes popped open and she looked at him. “He’s up on the top floor right now. I can’t see him, but I can feel the magic of the pearl.”