The Wanted Man

Chapter 6

The panther circled, its yellow eyes locked intently on the trio. It bared its fangs, growling a low, threatening growl.

"You sure this is Longfang's Channel?" said Alyson in a hushed voice. Her gaze frequently shifted from Mach's screen to the large cat which had tried to kill her.

"Hell I am," Bane confirmed. He knew Alyson was trying to dig up Panzer Longfang's file using Mach's magical connections to every wizard's computer in the world.

Mach beeped, signalling Alyson's search had just bore results. At that instant, the panther leapt forward.

Instinct kicked in, and Bane raised his gun. He jammed on the trigger; out of the nozzle flew a net weaved from silver thread. The net wrapped itself around the panther in mid-air, impeding it and throwing it to the soil.

The panther roared its contempt, scratching at the seemingly unbreakable, magic net.

Then, a purple aura covered the creature's body. The aura contorted into a ball, expanding, stretching the net to its seams. With a snap, the net burst apart, its pieces disappearing into wisps of light.

The panther recovered as soon as its hold had been broken. It roared, then produced a golden horn from the middle of its forehead. It charged fiercely, aiming for Bane.

The veteran mage countered with a gunshot to the earth, from which shot forth thin, threadlike vines that whipped around the panther.

However, this time, the beast was ready. Its physical form faded away, disappearing into the wind like dust. Then, from behind, it leapt at Bane.

Tobias acted swiftly. He flung out his staff, suspending the demon cat in mid-air. It growled contemptuously, scratching at nothing.

Stepping back, the three mages formed a circle around the panther, scruinizing it.

"It's amazing how an animal can be a Channel..." said Alyson, her voice distant with wonderment.

"He's no animal," a mellow voice said.

Everyone whipped around; out of the foliage and greenery stepped a balding man with blond hair and a rough beard. His face bore telltale lines that ran down to his nose. His sapphire eyes were extremely striking, and seemed to sparkle compared to the rest of his body. He wore a brown overcoat and faded khaki pants.

Bane recognised him immediately, for he had seen his face several times on 'wanted' posters in the Circle.

Panzer Longfang.

Very calmly, as if this were an everyday happening for him, he said to the entrapped panther, "Get down from there, Scarface."

The panther named Scarface laughed, a laugh which startled Alyson and Tobias. Bane would have jumped too, but he hadn't noticed. His senses were fixed solely on the criminal wizard before him.

As Bane stared daggers at Longfang, his hands tightening around his Desert Eagles, Scarface said in an icy, drawling voice, "Fools. They don't know who they're messing with."

Then the panther dropped to the ground on all fours, though Tobias was certain he was still holding him with his spell. The beast stared at him, then its mouth curled into a misshapen smile.

"Your lousy spells can't hold me, elf!" he sneered, then stalked to his master's side.

"I'm sorry for his rudeness," said Panzer, still with an air of nonchalance and calm. "You know how demons are, always talking as if they knew everything."

Scarface growled.

Before anyone could say or do anything else, Bane had whipped out a gun, pointing it straight at Panzer Longfang's head. His eyes were aflame.

Panzer just smiled. "What are you gonna do? Shoot me?"

Bane gritted his teeth. "Try me."

From out of nowhere, Bane felt a sudden pain in his gut. He felt the wind knocked out of him, and he tumbled backwards with groan. There was rapid movement.

Tobias had drawn an arc with his staff, and Alyson had jumped several feet away, typing furiously on Mach. Before Tobias' spell could take effect, Scarface's blurred shape had disarmed him. Then, suddenly, the whole forest was engulfed by complete darkness.

There was eerie silence. Then...

"Welcome to my world," boomed Alyson's voice. Bane closed his eyes; opening them would make little difference. He would let Alyson take over from here.

"Light is nothing to me...darkness fails to scare me..." came Panzer's voice, hollow and echoing. He said those words over and over again for several, gruelling seconds.

Alyson screamed, and the light was restored.

She fell, but Bane caught her just before she hit the ground. She struggled to speak, "He...countered... Used...dark magic..."

"I'm terribly sorry, but you forced my hand," said Panzer, his smile replaced by a frown. "You are mistaken about me. I didn't kill those kids..."

"Then how do you know about them?" snapped Bane. He did not notice, but Tobias had produced an energy blade.

Panzer said slowly, "I'm a drifter, and I hear things. Now, I'm just looking for my son."

"Liar," snarled Tobias, his blade positioned to kill. "You don't have a son. If you did the files would have said so."

Scarface countered, "Please. You think those Sorters of yours know everything?"

Sorters were members of the Circle who collected data on wizards all around the world, storing them in computers connected to the magical realm. Alyson was a Sorter.

"Look. Eight years ago I gave my son to one of the villagers. I was a wanted man, and I knew I could not risk taking him with me while I was on the run," said Panzer, his voice now possessing a tinge of grief. "He should have never been born...but his mother was so beautiful..."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you," said Bane, not caring one bit.

"Because...I can help you. I can help you find those kids."

"I don't trust him, Bane," Tobias said, his eyes still locked on Panzer.

Scarface growled, "Let's just kill them, Panzer. It'll be quick..."

"No!" said Longfang. He pulled out a white, transparent orb and flashed it at his demon panther. "Desist, Scarface!"

With a disapproving roar, Scarface was sucked into the orb. His body broke up into feathery bits of black hair, disappearing into the orb, which now glowed purple.

"Here, if you don't trust me, you can keep Scarface," Panzer said, holding out the orb.

Bane propped Alyson up on a nearby rock, walking towards the Chaos mage's outstretched arm.

"Bane, it might be a trap," warned Tobias, but Bane shrugged his words off.

Taking the Summoning Sphere from Panzer Longfang, he stowed it in his pocket, where he could feel its soft warmth radiating through his coat and shirt.

"Besides," smiled Panzer, "a Channel is merely a tool. True magic lies in here."

He gestured to his heart.