Chapter 70: Coffee Shop

Nighttime was just starting to descend. It was time for me to do my nightly hunt. I sent my magic out to the windshield of my car.
"Find Karma's magic," I said. I pressed my will behind my voice. Puffs of purple smoke popped up on the windshield, indicating all the places Karma was working her magic. I knew she was toying with me. There were so many dots. I followed an unusually large patch. As I got closer, the spot on my window grew larger.
I pulled into a parking lot of a coffee shop. It was one of those late-night ones that had live music on the weekends. The people entering had long hair and fedoras. It wasn't really my crowd, but Karma's magic was all over them. This was definitely a trap set for me.
I pulled my yellow smock off over my head. I let my long blonde hair down and wiggled into my jeans and a pair of short boots. I hope I looked pretty generic. I dabbed on a bit of make-up, just some eyeliner and mascara, then left my tote in the car.
"Hide," I said as I folded my car keys into the skin of my wrist with a small spell. I liked to go into these places empty-handed.
I locked the car on my way out, not that anyone would want anything to do with my car. I looked around. All the cars around looked to be either eco-friendly or expensive. Mine definitely didn't fit into either of those categories. A few cool cats stood outside the coffee shops sucking on those brown clove cigarettes. I kept my head down as I pushed through the front doors. Nothing to see here, fellas.
The coffee shop was dimly lit. There were couches and chairs spread all around with no order to them. It was like a ridiculous maze to get to a counter, one where you ended up invading other's personal space or sticking your butt in their face just to get through. The live music coming from the opposite corner was almost intelligible with the guitar drowning out any of the words I could have made out. I found a spot along a wall between two couples where I could look casual and watch. My eyes cast around the room. The purple smoke touched a dozen of the auras here. Now I just had to wait.
After three more brutal songs of gibberish, a bean bag chair near my feet emptied. I tried to sit down, but it was impossible to do it gracefully. I nearly fell out and on to a couple sitting near my feet. I smiled and waved a sorry as I righted the damn thing. The barista came around. I ordered a chi tea. After I suffered through another two songs, it finally arrived. I took the tea from my low position while slipping her a five. She frowned. I slipped her another five. She still left with a crease on her forehead. Who knew flavored hot water was so damn expensive? I knew Karma was jerking me around. This was the absolute worse torture I could think of. This was probably my own personal hell.
Just as the barista marched off, I caught a pink and purple tinge flood a nearby couple. A slightly see-though arrow stuck through the two of them. My eyes snapped across the room. There he was. All six-foot-four of him. His hair was cut short. He wore some sort of toga draped around his shoulders and waist. To top it all off, he had arrows with little hearts strung to his back. God damn it.
He started to turn away.
I struggled to my feet. The tea spilled as I battled the bean bag chair for my freedom. Half the tea spilled down my front, scalding my belly and thighs. I was just lucky I missed the people on the floor around me. I dodged the seated crowd as I ran after him. I only managed to hit three tables on my way out. Those bruises on my thighs were going to be pretty. I stumbled through the glass door into the night air. Just the pink tip of an arrow disappeared around the corner. I sprinted after it.
"Angie!" I called just as I turned the corner.
His wings spread just as he was about to jump. His head turned. The look on his face killed me.
"Run," he said. He sprang into the air disappearing with incredible speed.
I looked up after where he had been. A single white feather floated down towards me. It landed in my hands.
I crumpled down to my knees on the sidewalk.
"I'm sorry!" I cried out. "Angandriel, I'm sorry!"
The look on his face killed me. He was so sad, so broken. Karma had broken him. And it was all my fault. I had to figure out how to get him back. I had to beat her at her own game. I knew what she was doing, too. She was torturing me. This was her idea of fun. Now, I just had to figure out how to turn it around on her.
Motorcycles revved behind me. I squeezed my eyes shut. Not this again. Hadn't these guys gotten a clue? I couldn't help them.
"Hide," I whispered as I wrapped the feather into my skin. The outline of the feather appeared as a tattoo on my arm. I pulled my sleeve down. I turned my head to each side, stretching out my neck. This time, I wasn't going to rely on my magic for a quick escape. This time I was going to fight these suckers.
"Boss wants a word with you," a man said as a hand landed on my shoulder.
I grabbed his arm and flipped him over my shoulder. He landed on the concrete with the breath knocked out of him. He was a normal human. That was good. It probably would have just turned him on if he was an orc. I stepped to my feet and spun on my heel. Seven more guys were closing in on me. A few held blades, one had a chain, and a couple of others had brass knuckles. I was in for a nasty amount of pain.
I backed away. Two ran for me. I shoved my elbow in one man's face while I jumped to the side of his blade. The other, an orc, caught me in the side of the face with some brass knuckles. I padded the energy as best I could, but blood still pooled in my mouth. He recoiled for another blow as I caught my bearings. I dodged the next hit and kneed him in the balls. Another two men came at me with blades. I struck one in the throat. I struck the other with the palm of my hand right in the nose. I could feel the crunch beneath my hand. The second orc with the brass knuckles came at me again. I spun and grabbed his arm, then flipped over on to one of his companions who knifed him by accident.
I put some distance between the first pile and me while the second wave came at me. The giant with the chains stepped forward, spinning it this way and that. He grinned wickedly. His companions backed off.
"Reveal," I said. I flicked my hands out, summoning the blade from beneath my skin. My two daggers shot up my hip, down my arms, and slid into solid form in my hands. I jerked my left hand out to the side, and the Aurora Sword lengthened. I sliced it out in front of me in a quick motion. The chains cut in half, spinning off. They caught one man behind in the face.
The giant roared startling me. He hunkered down and ran at me like a rhino. He hit like a rhino, too. I was knocked off my feet as he ran, plastered to the front of him. I hit the wall like an egg. The bricks behind me crunched in. My breath whooshed out, along with a fresh spot of blood. I knew my injuries from the previous night weren't fully healed. This wasn't exactly a doctor prescribed activity. The giant stepped back. I stayed propped on the wall, cradled by the brick body imprint behind me.
The others gathered around the giant. They started laughing at me. The orc stepped forward. He slammed his fist in my face. My vision went blurry. I could feel hot blood trickling down a cut in my forehead.
"I said, the boss wants to talk to you," he snarled.
I spat at him. I couldn't really see him, but I was pretty sure I hit him. He smacked me with an open hand. "Bitch. I'd like a piece of that ass. You're tough for a human."
Hands wrenched me from the wall. I kicked and fought. I think I got someone in the knee, but I was quickly pinned down and tied up. I tried to scream, but someone gagged me. A man marched me along behind a few of the others. I pushed magic to my fingertips. Even though I was gagged, I could still get air out.
"Ignite," I mumbled through the cloth.
The pink magic flickered up. It was searing the rope. I broke the rest with a pop and took off. Three men ran after me. I tried to send the magic to my back. Wings, wind, even rocket propulsion, it didn't matter. I needed something to escape. I made it back to the entrance of the coffee shop, but everyone was gone. A boatload of bikes hung out around the motorcycles. I skidded to a stop. They looked at me. The group behind me closed in. A blow to the head took me out.