Devilish Christmas Read online

  A warm sheen lit up the office making the mahogany desk gleam as if the wood were dripping with blood. The soft leather of the armchair slid under Jerry’s new suit as he sat down in front of his destiny; he couldn’t stop shivering and every nerve of his body was about to snap.

  “Do you know who I am, boy?” his destiny said.

  “Of course. You are Mr. Johan Herzmann, the best mystical lawyer in Europe and…”

  “You know what I am, right?”

  “Of course, Mr. Herzmann, I am aware of your peculiar nature.”

  Johan Herzmann laid his hands on the armrests and stared at that young man.

  “Very well,” Johan said, “have you been informed of your purpose here?”

  “Yes, Mr. Herzmann,” Jerry answered tapping his right foot on the Persian carpet, “my mother has been involved in case of murder of a supernatural creature, you took care of her defense but… my father tried to kill you… instead of paying you. You spared their lives and took me, their only son, as a compensation without involving the authorities.”

  “And why do you think I let them live? Kindness? Stupidity? Boredom?”

  Jerry felt some of the tension leaving his body seeing a chance to show his competence. He was just dying to make a good first impression, he couldn’t tolerate to be sabotaged by some stage fright. He was there for a reason and he had to go on and fulfill his duty like the confident lawyer he pictured every day in his mind.

  “Well, sir,” Jerry said keeping his voice low and steady, “you are clever enough to know the consequences of a similar act of vengeance. Supernatural beings caught killing humans would have to face the Tidssons, this means…”

  “I know what it means, boy. I’m surprised, I didn’t think you were so informed.”

  “As you might recall, we moved here from Scotland when I was five years old; my mother used to work in a pub and she was allowed to keep me with her sometimes. She has seen strange things over the years, I’ve met some Tidssons’ representatives too but I’ve understood their role only recently, when they analyzed us all during the trial. Also, I just passed the final exam and I’m officially registered as…”

  “Blah blah blah, that’s for human laws, I deal with mystical laws, you’ll have to pass our specific bar. I’ll train you because I need an assistant. They just die on me when I need them the most. However, I cannot guarantee you’ll survive and, in case of unsatisfactory results, your parents signed a contract that allows me to dispose of them as I please, Tidssons or not. Are you fine with that?”

  “Yes, I am, sir.”

  “It’s not like you have a choice anyway; the document has already been approved.”

  “I know, Mr. Herzmann. I still want to thank you for this chance, I really appreciate the opportunity to learn from you. Law is fascinating, mystical law… 90% of the population doesn’t even know that it exists. So… I’m grateful Mr. Herzmann, being here is a privilege and not a punishment for me.”

  Johan grinned and stood up. His skin was so white, that it almost reflected the light and his eyes seemed carved from the same wood of his table.

  “As I said: I cannot guarantee you’ll survive.”

  Jerry nodded and stood up as well.

  “Now I’ll show you to your office, I don’t want you lurking around my desk. You have to look impeccable at any time, day or night, it doesn’t matter: you will not embarrass me with carelessness and wrinkled clothes. Am I understood?”

  “Yes, Mr. Herzmann.”

  Johan walked past Jerry and his shoes hardly made a noise passing from the carpet to the black marble floor.

  “We’ll see.”

  Jerry followed him through the door and across the atrium where his daytime secretary was waiting for her substitute for the nightshift.

  “Good evening, Mr. Herzmann,” she said.

  “Good evening Hanna. Anything I should know?” Johan asked.

  “No, sir. You’re free until 10.00pm, just as planned.”

  Johan smiled at her and opened a door on the right side of the atrium. They stepped inside and the automatic lights revealed a small but elegant space with a window, a semicircular white desk, a comfortable chair, a phone, a smartphone, a laptop and a 27’’ desktop computer. The walls were covered with shelves full of ancient books, some looked thick with yellow, fragile pages and others were just covered with dust.

  “You might want to clean this up, it’s been a month since my last assistant.”

  “Of course, Mr. Herzmann.”

  “That smartphone is your new soul. Fail to answer and you’re done. Today’s password is noob, you have to change it every day. Take the laptop whenever we leave the office, keep everything up-to-date to the second. I don’t give second chances.”

  “One will be enough, sir.”

  “One is all you get. There’s a door hidden behind that cabinet: that’s your room and bathroom. You’ll work for me every waking moment and you’ll think about my clients in your sleep. Is this clear?”

  “Yes, Mr. Herzmann.”

  “Hanna is here from 8.00am to 6.00pm. Greta comes from 6.00pm to 8.00am. If for any reason their desk is left unattended, you will answer the phone. It must never ring more than three times. Every call needs to be taken, no exemptions.”

  “Yes, Mr. Herzmann.”

  “Your life belongs to me now. My secretaries will bring you food and water when you run out: leaving this office is not a good idea. Am I understood?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Jerry coughed and almost chocked swallowing his own saliva. He was a bird trapped in a cage guarded by a tireless cat. Did vampires sleep? Jerry wasn’t sure, but he thought that Johan didn’t, his boss didn’t seem the type that wasted time dreaming.

  “Mystical law starts with the Tidssons; they have digitalized most of their archives and everything you have to learn is in that computer. However, the books on that wall are not in the database yet,” Johan said pointing his finger to the left, “they were originally written in Old Norse, we have an English and a German translation, they might not be modern enough for you, but you’ll manage. If you don’t, we’ll have a problem and you won’t like the solution.”

  “I understand, Mr. Herzmann.”

  “You have four days from now, we are not going to meet again until then; my secretaries will answer your practical questions. I will summon you and ask you three questions, if the answers do not please me there will be consequences.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Johan turned around, left the office and closed the door leaving Jerry petrified in the center of the room. He checked the huge clock above the door and smiled: it was time show his worth. This was going to be the hardest challenge of his life and victory was the only outcome he was willing to consider. He moved the cabinet to see his bedroom and found his luggage already opened on the floor. The room wasn’t big, but it looked well equipped for a prolonged stay: a bed with blue sheets, a nightstand, a table with a chair, a wardrobe, two lamps, a mirror, a fridge and a cupboard stuffed with food and energetic drinks, a microwave, an electric kettle and a white door that led to his bathroom. Everything had a simple design and Jerry didn’t need anything else, he even had enough provisions to survive for one week without ever leaving his new prison.

  He made a cup of coffee with extra sugar, extra milk and caramel syrup and carried it to his desk burning his fingertips. He took off his jacket and hanged it on the back of the chair trying to avoid as many wrinkles as possible. The steamy fragrance rising from the cup stimulated his brain to enter in a state of full efficiency as he sat down and changed the password. The desktop only had three alias folders: Knowledge, Current Cases and Past Cases. The background was black with bright golden letters forming his boss’ name: Johan Gerhardt Herzmann. Jerry clicked on Knowledge and an endless list of folders flooded the screen. He kept scrolling down, but the mass of folders wasn’t diminishing; somebody had color coded them by areas of interest and only after the third full screen scroll he managed to get out of the purple section, the one related to the Tidssons’ Archives, aka his current duty. Jerry took a sip of coffee and opened the top folder.

  Mystical law dated back to the first Vikings, who had operated verbally until the creation of runes. Only then Gunnar Tidsson, the first founder of the great and powerful Tidsson family, had started to use the hidden meanings and secrets of the runes to practice and spread mystical laws. Supernatural creatures had always been a concrete reality and the Tidssons had been chosen as guardians of the balance and executors of justice in the matters between humans and the supernatural world, protecting them both against each other. In time, humans had become less aware of the non-human creatures among them and the Tidssons had encouraged this behavior favoring secrecy and discretion.

  The governments of the human world knew the truth about vampires, fairies, werewolves, witches, gargoyles, demons and all the rest, but nobody was allowed to discuss about it openly. Nothing moved without the Tidssons’ approval; the coexistence of humans and non-humans was strictly regulated and kept under control by their organization based in Stockholm, the Tidsson Forskningbyrån, better known as Tidsson Research Institute. The Tidsson twins Hilde and Arne, who unofficially held the weight of fairness on their shoulders, currently represented the authority of the family with a façade of scientific fairs and initiatives ranging from medical breakthroughs to energy supplies. They looked like Barbie and Ken in the pictures, but Jerry wasn’t ready to make fun of them, not after what he had discovered about their lives. The Tidssons had bushy, long roots in every field and he could only imagine the difficulties of such a responsibility.

  He glanced up at the clock and held his breath; he had spent two hours on a single document studying a summary of the hi
story of the Tidsson family from Gunnar until Hilde and Arne. He was still amazed by what he had learnt, but he had no time to sit and wonder about the Tidssons, he needed a battle plan to get through all the material in four days. So, he searched for an index of the Tidssons’ Archives and divided the workload calculating an hour of sleep for every five hours of study. He also analyzed the old books and decided that they couldn’t be so vital if the Tidssons hadn’t digitalized them yet… however, Jerry couldn’t bring himself to be sloppy on purpose, so he made space for the books in his infernal schedule. He was no stranger to hard work and giving up wasn’t his style.

  From the same author:

  “Playing with Daggers”

  – Blood vs Loyalty –

  A “Tidssons’ Archives” novel

  Danger, death & explosions: nothing new for Karl. He’s the best at what he does and it’s no wonder that Hilde Tidsson has chosen him for this mission. A family of dealers has to be saved while keeping the balance between the human and the supernatural world. Karl is tough and brave… but who is going to win his loyalty when things get personal? A secret is chewing his heart, for how long can he lie?

  For how long can he avoid the woman he loves?

  Karl Sternklar is a man of action; Hilde Tidsson is a powerful woman with a proud twin brother; Kara Schwert is someone neither

  one of them should be messing with.

  “Playing with daggers” is about the young special agent Karl Sternklar.

  Note: explicit content.

  From the same series:

  “Law kills” and “Sorcerer for sale”

  From the same author:

  “Sorcerer for sale”

  – Embrace your power –

  A “Tidssons’ Archives” novel

  Kara Schwert is woman with overwhelming ambitions;

  Jerry Goodfellow is her vampire lawyer and lover;

  Gottfried Schwarzkleid is a scared young man with an odd request…

  will Kara’s thirst for power save or doom the poor Gottfried?

  What can you do, when you know you are a mighty sorcerer but your powers are locked? Luckily for Gottfried, the answer is clear: contact Miss Kara Schwert, ruthless criminal, problem solver and smoking hot.

  She must have a solution… right?

  “Sorcerer for sale” is about the young sorcerer Gottfried Schwarzkleid and it’s focused on Kara’s insatiable need for supremacy.

  Note: explicit content.

  From the same author:

  “Trusting Darkness”

  – There is no shame in picking life over death –

  Captain Ella Dorsh is tough, skilled and… screwed.

  She is pretty sure that the enemy is leading the game and that war is going to reach the surface very soon, but humans are not ready yet.

  The Underkingdom is impoverished and its population of dark elves wants to conquer the world and rule. Ella and the other “Reborn Divisions” are the only real chance to fight the enemy on the same level: elves against elves to spare precious human lives. However, nothing is as simple as it seems and darkness hides more than Ella had ever imagined.

  The story is set in our world in a near future.

  It has some sci-fi and dystopian elements

  and a strong female lead that will kick your ass!

  This novel is about Elvish soldiers caught in the middle

  of something too big to avoid and about

  dangerous secrets that will change life and history forever.

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