by Tao Wong
I glared at the spear as I rubbed at my injury and parsed her words together. “Huh. I thought the Knights Templar were disbanded—something to do with the King of France? And initiate? Is that lower than a squire?” Now that she had finally introduced herself, I noticed the information above her head populate further.
Alexa Dumough (Knight Initiate Level 8)
HP: 80/80
Now that she’d hit me, she’d gained an HP bar. That wasn’t good. The only time Lily ever made that information appear was when she thought I would need it. Still, it did seem Lily was expecting me to have to fight Alexa, a factor I was not in favor of. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was a girl and had everything to do with the very sharp spear she held.
“I am… you, the ring! Give me the ring,” Alexa finally snapped, prodding the spear forward.
I jumped backward, my eyes wide as the tip nearly pierced my chest. “Are you insane, woman!” I snapped at her, my eyes wide as I reflexively patted at my chest. “You could have—” I frowned, feeling something wet and sticky on my fingers. I looked down, seeing blood slowly trickle down my chest. “Oh, you did.”
“I… I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to.” Alexa gasped, dropping her spear as she rushed forward. “Here, let me—”
“Stay back!” My hand raised reflexively as I called upon and cast a Force Spear, ensuring that I blunted the the newly upgraded version of my offensive spell. It hit her head on, and she stumbled as she tried to stop herself, the blow catching her on the forehead instead of chest as I had planned. The sickening crack and the sudden weightless slump had me wide eyed. I lurched forward to catch her but had to abort, the nerves in my chest finally sending me delayed pain signals.
Legs giving way under the pain, I sank to the ground and pushed back against the flowing blood. I drew a shallow breath, focusing on the Heal spell as I tried to slow my bleeding via magic and pressure. Damn it. She had barely even pushed the spear forward. How had it cut through me that easily?
The Heal spell formed and then faltered, fading away before I pushed back against the failing spell structure, reforming it in my mind. Mana flowed, more than I could use, spilling from my control as I channeled the spell into my body. I could feel my blood twist and shift, slowing and congealing while new cells grew, forming at the edges of my wound. Pain, subdued at first while I’d concentrated, exploded as my body worked to heal itself. My spell faltered and failed, and it took long, agonizing minutes before I could piece the stab wound together again. This time, when the pain came, I was ready for it. I rode the waves of pain, coasting along the edges of blanking out before the world resolved itself into a persistent headache and my mana depleted.
I pulled myself out, running fingers along the gummy and sore wound, glad to see it had stopped bleeding. It had not healed, but at least the wound had closed. Good enough, at least to get back. However, as I stared at my chest and the bloody mess that was my shirt and jeans, I had to wonder how the hell I was going to get back home. Thankfully, I had an extra pair of clothing on me, but still…
A slight groan near me had me looking up, frowning as the blonde stirred and reminded me I had another problem too. I slowly inched over to the girl, pushing the spear away from her hands before I patted her down, quickly locating a wallet with her ID and some cash and nothing else. I frowned, staring at the money and the blonde, brain turning.
***
Thank God taxi drivers had a tendency to not ask questions when you paid in cash. Of course, it helped that the illusion I cast on the spear helped reduce the strangeness of it all. Still, I was grateful when I finally got the blonde into my apartment. Her dead weight dropped unceremoniously on the floor, and I sagged against the wall.
When I finally came to, I found Lily sitting next to me and Alexa trussed up with some rope. I blushed slightly, realizing where Lily had found the smooth, silk rope, not that Lily seemed to have noticed. I might have been having a dry spell right now, but I did have interests outside of my books.
“Henry, why did you bring her back?” Lily asked grumpily.
“I couldn’t just leave her there unconscious!” Moving gingerly, I crept over to Alexa and cast the Heal spell on her, only to be surprised that she had almost fully healed with nary even a bruise. Weird. Still, I hoped that meant she would be fine and no permanent damage had been done by knocking her unconscious. Unlike in the movies, knocking someone out often meant you had given them a concussion, which in the real world had severe consequences. On the other hand, the way she had healed, perhaps we weren’t exactly in the “real world” as much. I was still working out how much the supernatural world changed the reality that I’d known before.
“She’s an initiate with the damn Templars. And there was an illusion spell all around you that she certainly didn’t cast,” Lily said.
“Fine. I wasn’t exactly thinking that clearly. Something about getting stabbed…” I frowned and then turned to the spear. A few minutes later, some furious scrubbing and a liberal application of bleach had ensured the spear was clear of any blood. That didn’t help with the blood that had spilled in front of the hospice building, but at least this kept it out of her hands right now. Eventually, the blood would lose its efficacy as a link, thank God.
By the time I was done, Alexa had finally woken up and was sitting up. Surprisingly, after an initial struggle with the rope, she seemed perfectly calm, first checking her surroundings before fixing me and Lily with a serious look.
“I will warn you that I am trained to resist torture of all forms,” Alexa said calmly.
“Torture?” I said, dumbfounded before I shook my head. “Hey, I’m not the one who did the stabbing!”
“You just knocked me out and kidnapped me,” Alexa said.
“What? You’d prefer if I left you unconscious on the ground?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Told you so,” Lily said, smirking at me.
“Traitor,” I said to Lily before I fixed my gaze on Alexa. “Now, how the hell did you learn about the ring? And why you?”
I frowned as Alexa sat there in silence, glaring at me. While I waited, Lily walked back toward her computers, yawning slightly behind her hand. Alexa followed Lily’s movements at first before she turned back toward me and caught me looking her over.
“Stop that,” Alexa snapped at me.
“Sor—you know what? No. I’m not. You stabbed me,” I snapped back and crossed my arms as I glared at the girl. “And looking at you to make sure you aren’t going to stab me again isn’t something I’m going to apologize for.”
“You weren’t checking the ropes, and I can’t even move anyway,” Alexa said, jerking her arms and making her breasts sway slightly as she did so. “You were being a pervert. I can see it in your eyes. Sister Mary was right—all of you men are perverts!”
“Hey!” I protested, though she was right. I had checked her out, but hey, I was a man. And I wasn’t doing anything to her and wouldn’t either.
“Well, come on then, violate me already.”
“What kind of sick world did you grow up in? I’m not going to do that,” I said, shaking my head.
“Oh, yeah, that’s what you say now. Why else would you kidnap me?”
“I. Am. Not. Going. To. Rape. You,” I snapped at her.
“Prove it.”
“How?”
“Look into my eyes. I’ll activate a skill of mine called Lord’s Judgement, and it’ll tell me all the sins on your soul, including your dirty, perverted thoughts,” Alexa snapped back at me, and I growled.
“Fine!” I leaned forward, still making sure I was out of her reach and met her gaze.
“The Lord’s Judgement.” Alexa’s voice had changed, gaining a timber and depth that resounded through the room. For a second, she seemed to glow with that same golden light I had seen at the hospice building. Time seemed to stretch as our gazes met, my consciousness seeping into hers, before she bl
inked and said, “Ewwwww.”
“Wha…” I leaned back, dizziness slowly disappearing.
“Sister Mary really was right,” Alexa muttered.
“Really, we’re back to that again?” I asked, rubbing at my temples. “I thought your damn skill was supposed to tell you the truth?”
“Yes. It did. And I’m never doing any of that with you,” Alexa said, shaking her head and looking confused. “But… you’re not a bad person.”
“No shit,” I said and then frowned, my brain finally catching up with my emotions. “Wait, you just tricked me into letting you cast that skill on me, didn’t you?”
“Finally!” Lily said, smacking the top of her forehead with the palm of her hand. “You really aren’t very good at this, are you, Henry?”
“He really isn’t,” Alexa confirmed, smirking at me. Well, I guess I’d have smirked too if I was tied up, recently concussed, and still managed to trick my captor into… well, something. “I don’t believe he actually fell for the ‘innocent girl’ trick.”
“He’s a bit of a white knight,” Lily confirmed, shaking her head slightly as she continued to play on the computer.
“I’m surprised you didn’t stop it though, Jinn.”
“Just a spectator here mostly,” Lily said. “Anyway, you seemed to have things well under control.”
I growled at the pair, dragging their attention back to me. “Again, why the hell are you after the ring, and how did you know about it?”
Alexa frowned and coughed slightly. “Maybe I’d talk more if I had a drink?”
With a sigh, I walked toward her with a glass of water, keeping a close eye on Alexa. She took her time sipping on it, finally sitting back to indicate she was done. I put the glass away and sat back down to stare at her while she smiled at me.
“You wouldn’t be willing to let me go too, would you?”
“No.”
“Girl has to try,” Alexa said, smiling slightly. It was interesting that she seemed a lot more confident here, tied up, rather than when she’d held the spear to me. I’m sure it said something about her, but what I couldn’t say for sure.
“You going to answer? Or are you still playing for time?”
“Not completely oblivious, are you?” Alexa asked, and at my raised eyebrow, she shrugged. “Fine. An oracle we use learned about the ring being found. They saw you, the ring, and the city and said I had to be the one to come. And no, I don’t know why me.”
I grunted, keeping silent. I understood why; anyone else and they’d have been out of level and wouldn’t have been able to interact with me. If I had to worry about oracles and other seers learning about the ring in this way, I had a feeling I could expect a lot more visitors soon.
“So now what?”
“I thought that was my question,” Alexa said back, wiggling slightly in the ropes again to emphasize her point.
“Well, are you going to stab me again if I let you loose?” I said, frowning.
Alexa lips pursed as she turned away, her voice growing faint. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” I asked.
“Yes. Sorry. I didn’t actually mean to stab you yet.” Alexa raised her voice. “I’m sorry, all right? I, well, the martial track wasn’t my thing.”
“Martial track?” I frowned, and Alexa pursed her lips, shaking her head. Right, of course. Secret society so they obviously had their secrets. Still, I could guess easily enough—there were probably different ways to serve the society, and she was probably more administrative or social. Maybe magical? “So, stabbing is a no?”
“I…” Alexa paused, her voice firming. “My task is to ensure that the ring does not fall into the wrong hands. I will ensure that the scourge that is…” Alexa’s voice trailed off as she stared at Lily, the scourge of the earth who had a lock of hair in her mouth as she clicked away happily at her computer.
“Right, right. Stabbing still on the table. We’ll talk about untying once it’s not. Now, I’m hungry.” I stood and walked to the kitchen to finish my own meal. It was only when I had brought and set the plates on the table, rice and quick stir-fried beef bowls that were ready on the kitchen counter, that I realized one rather important issue: we didn’t have enough space in my bachelor pad to all eat—not at a table anyway. “Well, I’ll eat first then.”
“What if I gave you my parole?” Alexa asked, raising her voice.
“Hmmm?” I asked around a mouthful of rice, staring at the blonde.
“What if I gave you my parole that I wouldn’t run, attack you or the jinn. Will you untie me then?”
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” I asked after I swallowed. The look Alexa shot me could have sent me under if stares could kill.
“I swear in the name of the Lord and my hope of everlasting salvation that if I am released, I shall not attempt to escape, attack you or the jinn, or otherwise act against your interest for the duration of this night, so long as I am treated with the respect and care as befits a prisoner,” Alexa intoned. Again, she was sheathed in that golden light, and then it was gone, and it was just her green-eyed stare, fixed on me, waiting.
“Ummm…” I paused and looked over at Lily, hoping for some help. However, the jinn was studiously avoiding my gaze. Right—GM couldn’t give advice. However, in this case, a non-answer was as good as an answer since I knew Lily would have tried something if she really thought this was dangerous. At least, I believed so. “I’ll retie you just before we sleep. Deal?”
At her confirming nod, I released Alexa, who immediately stood and headed for the washroom. I felt a twinge of panic, knowing there was a window she could escape from that I’d forcibly pushed down. If she left, it might actually be for the best. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to do with her as a prisoner anyway.
“Lily, magic question. I keep seeing this golden light whenever Alexa invokes something. I’m assuming that’s another form of mana or magic? Faith magic maybe?” I asked.
“Bingo.” Lily smiled at me. “Faith magic uses a different power source than your spells—the power coming direct from the gods they believe in.”
“So, God is real?”
“Real enough to power her spells. Though that could be said the same for many others,” Lily said.
I opened my mouth to ask for more clarification, but the door opened, and Alexa walked to the table to grab her bowl. Not ideal, but at least I had an idea about what she had done.
Dinner, not surprisingly, had been awkward. Attempts at conversation—or interrogation, as Alexa had called it—failed spectacularly, crashing like a burning blimp. In the end, I ended up spending the last few hours of the evening reading through my spell book while Alexa ran through a series of stretches before submitting to being tied once more. A simple ward spell on the rope helped satisfy me that she would not be removing it without alerting myself. Then, I dealt with the next problem—bedding for the night. A few quick reconfigurations, and I was on the floor next to the door, my sleeping bag rolled out while Alexa slept on my bed and Lily played on the laptops.
As I tossed and turned on the floor, I kept returning to my new problem - what the hell was I supposed to do about Alexa? I couldn’t exactly release her since she’d be coming back to try to take the ring from me. But I certainly couldn’t just hold her prisoner. If nothing else, my bachelor apartment was going to get extremely crowded rather quickly. Even as I drifted to sleep, no answers came to me.
Who would have ever thought that among my problems after becoming a mage would be the care and handling of a prisoner?
Chapter 11
“For the love of all that is holy and unprofane, get her a toothbrush and let her bathe,” Lily whined the next morning, a hand held over her nose.
“I—”
“I give you my parole as I swore last night but for the day. Please, hurry. I would like not to soil myself,” Alexa said, eyes wide as she crossed and uncrossed her legs again and a
gain.
“Okay, okay,” I said, stumbling over to let her loose. Once released, the woman shifted her body so fast I could have sworn she had a spell on her. The got-to-go-to-the-potty spell. While Alexa was busy cleaning herself up, I set to getting breakfast ready. Which in this case was a pot of coffee and three-day-old bread toasted and covered with butter and jam.
“Decided what you’re going to do yet?” Lily asked as she looked up from the laptops. I shook my head as I brought a cup of coffee for Lily, who gratefully took it and handed me back an empty cup in return. I grimaced as I deposited the used cup in the sink and leaned against the cupboard, thinking over my options once again.
There really were only four: kill her, imprison her, let her go, or get her to give up her mission. The first option was a no go for obvious moral reasons, and well, imprisoning her was just a delaying tactic. I had to let her go really, if I couldn’t convince her to give up retrieving the ring. The question was, how? That thought consumed me as I finished breakfast, a never-ending series of inane ideas—bribery, blackmail, logic, and blackmail.
“Will you stop staring at me?” Alexa asked finally, exasperated.
“Sorry. Just thinking,” I said.
“About me?” Alexa perched on the only other chair in the room while I sat on the bed and Lily clicked away. “Decided that your best option is to kill me yet?”
“Seriously, what kind of training did you get?” I asked, exasperated. “I was trying to work out how to convince you to give up on taking the ring.”
“Not going to happen,” Alexa replied, shaking her head. “That ring—the jinn—is too powerful to be allowed to go unchecked.”
“Yeah, because Lily over there is really dangerous. I think she just about cracked level eighty with her sub,” I said dryly.
“That—” Alexa grimaced and shook her head. “She might be contained now but only because the ring constrains her power. If she were to be set free to do what she wants—”