A large jolt of the train that shook me awake. I guessed I’d dozed off and quickly looked down to check the time on my phone. It had only been about 20 minutes, half the time of my journey back home. I noticed some more notifications from Cooper sending me some more replies. I tried to lean back and close my eyes and listen to the music. I was enjoying it for a good few minutes before suddenly it started to sound like digital noise. It was dropping in and out. I breathed out of my nose in frustration. The last thing I needed was my phone or my headphones breaking now. I couldn’t afford a new one of either of those. I opened my eyes again and removed my earbuds just as the far door to the other car opened and a far too large figure pulled their way in. I dropped the wireless buds to the floor as I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was an over six foot tall man in a trenchcoat and a bowler hat, but instead of a human head it had the face of a wolf with dark black fur. It sniffed the air and slammed the door behind it. It’s shoulders were skimming the roof and it hunched it’s neck forward. At the time I didn’t know it, but this was the second wizard I’d seen today.
Yes, that homeless man was a real wizard.
No, I won’t explain that to you yet. We’ll get there. Trust me.
“What the-” I began to say. Suddenly the wolf’s head snapped to look directly at me, it’s eyes burned like bright red coals. It began to snarl. It moved unnaturally fast as it dropped to all fours and was standing in front of me in a matter of seconds. I could feel it’s hot breath on my face as it sniffed me all over. It smelled a bit sulfurous, like rotten eggs. It moved up to look at me in the eye.
“I smell it on you. Do not hide, Magi.” It said. Was this wolf man speaking clear english? My head was doing laps. Had I actually fallen asleep? No, this was all feeling a little too real. Had it called me a Magi? What the hell that? It sniffed me again and snarled. “I smell something else. Putrid, but slightly sweet. He’s been here too.” This time the wolf man was calling to someone behind him. I was petrified, but in my peripheral vision I spotted another figure. It was a handsome well dressed man in a dark green three piece suit. He strode into the train car with an ornate cane in one hand. He smiled as he saw the scene and walked casually over to me.
Again, another wizard. A hat trick in one train ride.
“Can you calm down, professor?” He said. “You’ve been doing so well with your moderation.” His voice was thick with an upper class english accent.
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“It’s here. I know it. He’s got it.” The Wolf man was frantically sniffing me. I remembered the words of the homeless man and shot a quick glance to where he slept. He was gone. I carefully reached down and pulled the biscuit out of my pocket and held it up in front of him.
“Is this what you’re wanting?” I said. The Wolf man backed up and sat down like actual dog. I could know see a bushy tail protruding from his coat which was wagging furiously. His tongue began to lounge out and salvia dribbled out. The handsome man put his head in his hands clearly embarrassed.
“Gods…” He whispered. I moved the biscuit from side to side and watched the wolf man’s eyes, which were more like smoldering embers now, followed and focused on my hand.
“Go get it!” I yelled as I threw the biscuit down the length of the car. The wolf man bounded down to the end excitedly and snatched it out of the air. I hear a crunching sound as it gobbled it down. Then it lay on it’s back and began to rub it’s back against the floor. Both the Handsome man and I watched the large over 6 foot fearsome creature as it writhed on the ground. Then when it became a little uncomfortable for the only sound in the room to be the sound of the wolf man sort of giggling there I turned to face the man.
“Can you tell me what just happened?” I asked him. He turned to me with a somewhat disgusted grin on his face.
“You just ruined my partner’s perfect year of sobriety.” He said. I looked back to the wolf man and the reaction began to make sense.
“That was drugs?” I asked.
“For a hellhound, yes. For us it would have just given you the worst dreams of your life. Nasty things soul biscuits.” He said shaking his head. I felt sick. Had I just fed that thing a soul?
“Soul Biscuit? Soul like the music? Or…?” I asked dreading a response.
“Soul like human. A hellhound’s favorite and for them, highly addictive. Like I said, Nasty.” He looked at me and seemed to assess me fully for the first time. “They are incredibly rare too. Where did you get one?” I noticed he’d placed both hands on his cane tightly.
“Uh… Would you believe I won it in a magic trick with a homeless man?” I said sheepishly. He sighed and shook his head.
“Not again… Did he give you a Black playing card or a White one?” He looked at me deadly seriously.
“Black.” I said as I produced the card showing it to the man. I was ready to jump out of the way if he swung with that cane of his. Instead he relaxed and smiled.
“Oh thank the gods.” He said. “He’s chosen another one, Dos!” He called to the Hellhound, Dos. Dos had stopped thrashing on the floor now and just lay on it’s back staring at the ceiling.
“Is it going to be okay?” I asked. I really didn’t want to be held responsible for whatever it was falling off the wagon.
“HE is going to be fine.” The handsome man corrected me. “He’s just going to need a few minutes. Which is fine.” He sat down and rested his hands on the top of his cane, which I could see looked like it was made of two snakes and a set of wings. I had feeling I’d seen that somewhere before. He patted the seat next to him.
“It’ll give us ample time to talk.” He said. “My name is Professor Cyrus. How would you like to learn some real magic?”