VoodooMoon Read Free

defenseless.
    As he took another step and raised his hands for another assault, I felt the smooth oak of my hanbo. I closed my fingers around it and brought the staff around, shifting all of the energy I’d been using to shield myself directly into the 36 inches of smooth carved wood, and out the end. Just as the mage was bringing his hands down in what would have been a knockout blow of energy, a bolt of lightning shot from the end of the hanbo and struck the boy square in the chest. He let out a pitiful cry and crumpled to the ground.
    Using the hanbo for leverage, I vaulted to my feet and hurried over to the boy. He was out cold, but still breathing. Lying there, he looked like a peaceful, sleeping child. He looked even younger than I first thought. Even in the dim light I could see the smooth skin of his face with no sign of facial hair. Was he even over sixteen?
    He would likely be out for a while, but I didn’t want to take any chances. I carefully wove a shield of null energy around the boy. It was a temporary measure and would dissipate in about an hour, but if he did wake up before I got him tied up and neutralized, he would be unable to use any magic.
    Exhausted I flopped down onto the ground next to him. For someone so young, the mage was strong and fending him off had taken a lot of energy. Add that to the power I had just expended to neutralize the little creeps and I could have gladly taken a long nap, even in the cold, wet mud. But, napping wasn’t a part of my job and the energy fields keeping them contained wouldn’t last forever. I gave myself a few moments, rose to my feet and, once again, wiped mud off my ass.
    I whistled and Mal calmly walked over to where I stood.
    “What happened to you?” I asked the horse as I rummaged through the saddle bags. “You couldn’t kick him? Or even warn me he was behind me? What kind of partner are you?”
    Mal stared at me silently, flicking his tail from side to side.
    “Okay, I get it, he wasn’t worthy of you unleashing your considerable badness on him.” I laughed as I retrieved a thick, strong rope and three hanging crystals from the packs and went on with my business.
    I used the dagger that rested on my hip to cut two lengths. First, I tied the mages feet and hands. Then, I tied two of the crystals to the bindings and looped the third around his neck. Each crystal was charged with a powerful binding spell. The ropes would keep him from running, and the magic in the crystals would keep him from working magic.
    With him secured I moved on to the other two. The first thug was awake and just starting to struggle against his magical bindings. Now that I had more visibility, I could see that he, too, was barely more than a boy. I had no way of knowing if he was a Shifter or not. He hadn’t shifted, but the magical bonds I had wrapped around him would have prevented the change. He glared at me as I tied him up.
    “What’s your name?” I asked.
    “Fuck you.”
    “Well, Mr. Fuck You, you are bound by law under my authority as an Agent of the Black Blade Guard under the jurisdiction of the Paranorm Council of Elders.” I almost felt sorry for him as the blood drained from his face. He was smart enough to realize the trouble he was in.
    It was apparent they had thought I was nothing more than a random traveler with a few fighting skills. He’d likely figured he could escape or bribe me into letting him go. Even if I were a Guard from Nash or one of the small villages in the area, sent out to hunt down the highwaymen that had been plaguing the travelers on the road for the past three months, the most they would face was a few months in prison or on a work crew. But the fact that I was a Blade changed their fate considerably. They would be taken into Nash City, but they would not be handed over to the City Guard there.
    The Blades fell under the jurisdiction of the Paranorm Council of Elders. The Council and the Blades took a much grimmer view on paranorm