The Strange Cases of Detective Warren Stevens
The Strange Cases of Detective Warren Stevens
Warren Stevens
Warren admires his coffee shop while reminiscing over a visit from Jonah & Arista. It's set before these events and then in the end we tie a moment from Uriel's Apprentice to the here and now. As Sam awakens and delivers a message.
This however isn't the only went being sent, being delivered.
The following podcast is a work of fiction. All characters are the creation of Peter Williams. Any resemblance to someone living or dead is purely coincidental. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02:I have heard that time weaves ribbons like memories. And in our story, there couldn't be more true, as certain people weave in and out of time, weaving a thread, connecting a moment until finally the tapestry becomes whole. Today, we get a glimpse of that as a spirit approaches a fire on an autumn night. Meanwhile, Warren seems to receive a lot of guests for someone who wishes to remain a hermit. But this meeting is further back. It's two years ago and sets up today's story, which of course, I do need to remind you may contain images of graphic violence, child endangerment, adult situations, and naughty, salty language. Now, let's grab a bowl of potato bacon and cheta soup. Hmm, sounds delightful. And listen in with chapter five.
SPEAKER_01:Warren Stevens. Warren Stevens, or I should say our old friend, Detective Warren Stevens, stood back to admire the face of his coffee shop. It wasn't that he particularly wanted to own a coffee shop. He was a detective at heart, but the years in between had taken a toll on his body. He looked closer to 70 than mid-40s. The only plus, he hadn't lost his edge. He was strong, sharp, and awake. His last job as detective had not been officially sanctioned. Jonah had come to him two years ago with his apprentice, if you could call her that. And like Warren, he looked worse for wear. He had lost his left arm in battle, and although friendly, Warren wasn't thrilled to see him. He had just settled into a burgundy-colored leather chair nestled next to the fireplace with a bowl of bacon cheddar potato soup when he heard a rap at the cottage door. Placing the bowl on a cast iron shelter attached to the brick so that his food would remain warm, he pushes the old Afghan blanket aside and opens the front door. Oh, it's you, he scoffs, and he sees the amorous-colored eyes of Jonah gleaming from beneath his heavily hooded robe. Next to him, how do I describe the girl next to him? Piercing blue eyes and silver-colored hair that came down to her waist. She was dressed in a light chain mill shirt and waistcoat. Under it he could see the white-colored gambasum, and on her right shoulder, a very distinct emblem of the sacred dawn. A red flame layered on the rising sun, a jewel-encase scabbard hung at her side, and a gold hilt lay atop. This wasn't the Aus Delection. He hadn't seen it or Sam since it had been used to unlock the passageway to the other dimension where Alex had waited. He had seen her a few times in his travels, but never partnered with her again. Once had been enough, but unfortunately the one thing they had hoped for, the death of Cassandra, had not been completed. Immortal. Perhaps she was right. Perhaps she was. I see you found the girl you were looking for, Warren states as he offers them entry. It reminded him of the day he first met Jonah, when Jack introduced Uriel and Jonah to him. Yes, this is Arista. Jonah nudges her and she looks up at Warren, her eyes beautiful gems of light. She bows and enters the home. She looks around as if seeing the layers of events that have unfolded here. She runs her hand over the coffee table before nestling down on the rug to enjoy the warmth of the fire. I have some potato bacon cheddar soup. I always make more than I can eat because I always seem to have unexpected company. Jonah Arista graciously accept, and a few minutes later, Warren returns with two orange pumpkin-shaped bowls filled to the rim. They eat mostly in silence, although Arista picks up the melody playing in the background. I recognize this, she says. This is Chopin's raindrop. Warren smiles. Yes. The raindrop prelude. It reminds me of a simpler time. I usually listen to it when I'm reading. My friend Lucy plays a piano. He loves this piece. Lucy. Warren asks. Jonah takes a deep breath. Luciana Ricci. Apparently Arista and him became friends while I was recovering at the tower. I see, Warren replies, and then they all return to listening to the soft melody before it moves on to Nocturne and C minor. Warren places his empty bowl down and holds his hands as he directs his attention towards Jonah. I know by that look on your face, Jonah. This isn't a simple Hi, Warren. How are you, visit? So tell me, what brings you to my door? I have a job for you, or I should say, we have a job for you. Terrence also asked me to seek your help. Oh and how is the old professor? Stry, sharp, and annoyed with me, Jonah responds. Warren smirks and replies with heavy sarcasm. Annoyed with you Who would ever Oh never mind? Jonah frowns, not really amused by Warren's snarkiness. Look, I need your detective skills to find something I lost. Not your arm, I hope. Warren twists the knife, just a little more to get his point across. Haha, funny. No. Jonah's face remains serious despite the remark. Sense of humor? Warren, please. Sorry. And finally, getting serious himself.
SPEAKER_00:It's not Maggie, is it?
SPEAKER_01:Jonah closes his eyes and places his hand on his empty sleeve. A look of pain crosses his face. No. Maggie is alive. She just didn't want you to see her. She's uh slightly embarrassed that she's back to being a crow. She's keeping her distance and watches over the two of us as we travel. I see. Then what? Do you remember Ben Cullen? Of course. I still have nightmares about that house. And Devin Winters. When I confronted Devin, I had to use the apostles. Yes, I remember. You used them to encircle and entrap him. Yes. But Cassandra managed to steal one. Wait, what? How? A creature like her should have she used Devin's unique mix of human and demonic form to pull the apostle Peter into the abyss with him. It's been missing since that day. We didn't catch it at first when Terence realized he stealed the demonic one away, but that one got stolen. Which leads me to the second part of the mission. He hands Warren a picture. It's a girl, roughly twelve, by the look of the picture. She has dark, chestnut-colored hair and fierce, piercing green eyes. This is, Jonah begins, Alice Maxwell. Yes. I know her. Warren frowns. Quickly, tell me all you can. Jona fills him in, and I can't tell you what he said. I do have a book to write and sell. When finished, Warren gives Jonah a sour look. He hands Jona back the picture. How long has she been missing? Three days. Caitlin thought she might have snuck away to visit Grandma Sherry in New Hope. Warren smirks. He thinks about it. It was the flaw of her training. The more exceptional she becomes, the more likely a target, and Emilus desperately wants revenge. You'll cover all my expenses. Yes. Okay, but I do have one additional fee. Jonah raises an eyebrow and Arista slightly smiles as if knowing something ahead of the time. Warren gets up and hands him a bundle wrapped in brown paper and string. What's this? A gift from my former partner. I'll need you to bring that to him at McCluskey's. Jonah frowns. So I'm a delivery person? You want my help, right? I can't let Detective Donaldson see me. At least not yet. Jonah accepts the package, and he and Arista step back out into the night. Warren spies Maggie in crow form in some branches just above the driveway, well, more like dirt path. Keep watch over them, Maggie, he calls out. The next few years will be critical for him. He wanted to say for them, but he couldn't give Maggie more to worry about. Arista could take care of herself, but Jonah and Maggie had it rough. In the next few years, all of this would conclude. Of course, news stories and people will take stage, but for his group, his friends, Twilight was upon them. And now, here he was, owner of the Wayward Brew. He wanted to name it the Gumshoe Coffee Shop, but Alex thought it was a little silly. All in all, it was his detective skills that had brought them here. Jonah didn't know that his little mission, to find the apostle and Alice, would lead him here. And to Cassandra. Her name made him shiver. Even the most stout-hearted person would feel their knees either buckle or give in. He was the rare person to be able to stand against her. How was she alive? Even Warren didn't have a clue to that. He just presumed it had to do with Ekmalak. She was even mocking them, mocking the Sacred Dawn and mocking Maggie with his faux tea shop. It was more a magical gate and it could take the shape and form of a tea shop. Instead of using dark passages or deep wells, it could transport itself to wherever Cassandra needed, and she needed Zack. The Kedric Order had concluded that if they could grab a demon eater, at the moment of birth they could fill him or her with Ekmalak. They had seen from Jonah that there seemed to be no limit on what a demon eater could do or hold. It was why they had gone after Aristotle. They just never caught on to her divine nature. Only Warren knew, because he had been in her presence. I wonder if Jonah has figured that one out yet. He asks himself as he unlocks the shop door and wipes the etched glass clean, the Wayward Brew Coffee Shop, selling heavenly coffee and baked goods. He checked the clock. He still had a few hours before Alex returned home from school, and judging by yesterday's taste test, she wouldn't be bringing tidings of joy when it came to Zack. The coffee, because of its special powers, did not sit well with someone who had been transfixed or possessed. Worse still, if they had sampled any of Cassandra's tea. Maggie herself had lived on that stuff for 14 years, not knowing it was made from Cassandra's own blood. The problem both he and Alex would have is a lack of weapons. He could never wield Sam again, and for Alex, Sam was currently unavailable. Instead, he had a new weapon forged that it wasn't for him. It would be the third such blade made. The first was Macau's, the original. Then his grandfather's, the Aos Deluxion, and now he opened the wooden box he placed behind the counter. Red felt lined the inside of the case, only enhancing his frosted silver steel with a rose at the top of the hilt as a handguard. This blade was a little different. It was named Spiritus Day, or Breath of God. He was told not to ask how it formed, but if he was right. It was a blade that purely existed by thought. He was also told not to tell that to Alex, and to do what the patriarchs of the church did, go and trust. So he went and well, here he is looking at the marvelous blade. He closed the box and wrapped it with a red bow. It was to be an early birthday present, one he hoped he'd still be able to give her in person, but he had a rat to hunt. And if things go sideways, he taped a letter onto the case and placed the box and sword on his desk in his meager office, just in case. Now for the hard part. He opens up a small closet and puts on his old trench coat and fedora. He double-checks himself in the mirror, even donning a new tie where he proudly displayed his own sacred dawn pin. Everything looked way too big on him. Turning towards his desk and opening a drawer, he pulled out another box. This one was 12x5 by 10.25 by 4.35, his pistol security box. Unlocking the combination, he pulls out the old Colt 45 he received as a birthday present from Geraldine Hicks. Loading it and double-checking the safety, he places it under his colt and into his holster. He was ready. Grabbing the Apostle Peter that Terrence insisted he take and shoving it into his coat pocket, the detective exits out the back door and into the alley. Yes, he had a rat to find, and the alley offered him the best cover that fit his mission. But before all that, he had a message to send. He couldn't chance Alex seeing it. She had a role to play, and so did he. It was a high-priority message, and if, God forbid, Alex gets caught, it would only make matters worse in regards to Zack. He whistles like a bird, and a few minutes later, a bright red cardinal lands on his forearm. He looks directly in its eyes and says, Now is the time. It's urgent you come. Immediately. The cardinal nodded and took off. But the cardinal wasn't the only bird that received that message. Warren caught a glimpse of black feathers as a crow darted off as well. Damn it, Jonah! Don't get involved, Warren growls. Like it or not, soon he'd have help and unwanted company. Arista had gone off on her own while Jonah was healing at the tower. Of course, she'd check in on him from time to time, but without him, and at the time Alice Kuchma wasn't ready yet, she had to fill Jonah's role. She returned to his side briefly when he was finally ready to go forth again, but it had become a bad mix. She was no longer an apprentice, and that became evident very quickly. It was about a year ago she and Jonah were camping. It was late autumn, and she was carrying the Aeos Delektion. Jonah had his hood pulled over his face and was meditating on his next move. And then she sensed it. A spirit approached them, and the sword lit up like a torch. Arista presented it to the darkness, and a very unsure spirit emerged at the edge of the camp. It was and wasn't Sam Kozlova. Arista turned to Jonah and he pulled down his hood, his eyes ablaze, but upon seeing the fiery girl, they cooled and returned to a deep amersynth. Well, Sam, it's been a long time.
SPEAKER_00:You know me?
SPEAKER_01:That's right. The order of things are a little disjointed of you. I remember correctly. You just woke up and you're at the Cafe Solfecio. Sam's eyes flashed the way they always did when connecting herself to herself. She was in the sword, she was playing in the field with Mr. Alistair at the tower, she was guiding a young acolyte, and she was also here. Anyway, I believe you have a message for me.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. Gorshin wanted to let you know that an ancient evil that you thought you had killed has appeared in the abandoned town of Galena. I see.
SPEAKER_01:Then it's almost time. Sam didn't answer him. She couldn't. She did find it curious to see the very blade she was attached to in the hands of Aristotle. That's okay, Sam. I know you can't answer, but I do have one favor. When you get back to where you're going, you're going to meet a young man just outside the town of Rift. Stick with him. He'll need you. That Sam faded and returned to Jonah in the past. For her, it was just beginning. It made Jonah a little melancholy. Mr. Alistair, Caitlin, Terence, and all the things they did together. The next day, Jonah and Arista made haste to Galena. After doing a little research, they found out exactly what was going on. A crew of ghost hunters had entered the town to be more specific, its abandoned sanitarium. They were young, arrogant, and didn't really believe in the spiritual realm. They got more than they bargained for, and now he and Aristotle would have to deal with it. Ichalantros. Jonah grumbled, a big, powerful, yet stupid monster from the waste. Jack Stevens had killed it, banished it to the waste, where it escaped once again to attack Jack's great, great, great, and I could say great a few more times, grandson Warren. Now, he had arisen once more. We should probably come at it from both sides. That way we could corner it. Sounds like a plan, a thunderous voice echoed from over his head. What are you doing here? You're being hunted, Jonah. And it's not safe for you here, McCal says. So what? I have Aristotle back me up? Yes. But honestly, she doesn't need you here. Are you benching me? Not benching. Something is coming. And I suspect you need to go back to the tower. And when the time comes, you'll know. Cal, please! No, Jonah. It's time to hand over the reins. Just for now, and trust me, this may also be best for Maggie. Jonah listened, and poor Echantros. If he thought Jack or Jonah had been bad, Arista pasted him. But that was then this was different. Now Arista was bathing in a deep pool amongst some old runes. Although cool, the air and the water were just warm enough. Stepping out of the pool, she stood in the gleaming moonlight. It caressed her, illuminating her so that if you did see her, she'd appear more like a fragment of light standing by the pool itself. A light breeze kicked up and her eyes turned towards its direction. A red cardinal flew on the wind, and she extended her hand out and it landed on her index finger. Hello, little friend. I believe you have a message for me. It peeked and bobbed its head as it relayed Warren's message. I see, she replied. It was a sad message, an important message, and she would need to heed its call. But first, she had a friend and some children to visit.
SPEAKER_02:Arista. Still mostly an unknown in these stories. Even though we had a whole story just around her name. Go figure. She replaced Jonah. She has kicked ass and taken names, and now, now she's being called someplace she doesn't want to go. Why? What is it that she sees that holds such sadness? Maybe we'll get a better idea with chapter six Luciano Ricci.