Fred (Book 6): Undeading Bells

by Hayes, Drew

  “Pissed as I should be, and I’m still pretty miffed,” Krystal clarified, “I have to admit, I’m starting to get over Director Waxwood stopping our wedding.”

  “This is a heck of a time for cold feet.”

  She swatted me in the arm with her free hand. “Not like that. Like… I guess tonight reminded me that no title defines a relationship. Married people break up all the time. But you and I have each other’s backs. We’re on the same team, and when shit goes down, we get through the thick of it together. Married or not, we’re in it for the long haul. Far as consolation prizes go, I can think of worse.”

  Our trek down the imagined aisle continued, the backdrop of foliage all that we could see. It made for a peaceful, serene setting, like we were the only two people in the world. Much as I would have loved for the walk to be observed by our loved ones, there was also something special about this stolen moment just for us.

  “I agree wholeheartedly, with one caveat. Even though we failed tonight, do not think for one moment that you have seen the end of my resolve. I know my nature where conflict arises, but on this subject, I will not yield. I’m going to keep trying to marry you, Krystal Jenkins, until you change your mind or we pull it off. If you’ll forgive a favorite job-related pun: you can count on it.”

  That earned a snort, which bubbled over into a chuckle as she laid her head against my shoulder. “Don’t expect any argument here. Also, you might be the only person I know who could sincerely make a joke that bad after the night we’ve just been through.”

  “No wonder you’re trying to put a ring on it,” I replied.

  Our solemn walk came to an end as we reached a modestly sized pulpit that had grown since our last visit. Clearly, this was where the one performing the marriage would stand, which meant that Krystal and I had arrived at our destination. Evidently, we weren’t the only ones to mark the arrival, either. All around us, the trees began to shift.

  It had probably been planned as effect for once we both were at the altar: the backdrop of foliage that the crowd would be facing began to part, revealing once more the breathtaking view of Boarback. Even knowing it was there, I was still taken back by the sight. That might have been due to the colorful smoke rising from the center of the town, or the flashes of light coming from within the forest.

  Then again, maybe I was simply awestruck by the sight of an enormous, copper-scaled dragon soaring through the night. My jaw quite literally hung open as I watched the creature that had to be Gideon float on the winds. I’d never encountered a dragon in its natural form, let alone one who held a ruling title. He was massive, with a wingspan that only added to his prodigious size. The long neck and tail meant that he had incredible reach, and that was without considering the massive magical capabilities Gideon was packing. Had he been so inclined, a single swoop and bite could have ended me, or almost anyone else in Boarback, with a few notable exceptions.

  A blast of wind washed over us as Gideon flapped his wings, slowing his momentum once he neared the newly formed opening in the trees. As he approached, he appeared to ripple with light, shrinking down to fit his landing space. Now, instead of blotting out a chunk of the sky, he was merely as large as a few buses lined together. With two more flaps that nearly took me off my feet, his claws settled lightly in the grass. Lowering his head, Gideon allowed his neck to rest on the ground. Only then could we see the seat rigged up just behind his head, keeping the rider safe from the winds and in easy earshot. With visible practice, Sally unhooked herself from the contraption and climbed down, looking around, confused.

  “Where is everyone?”

  “They got caught up in other business along the way.” I’d expected Gideon’s voice to sound different, but it was just the same as always, even if his gigantic mouth wasn’t moving. Then again, seeing him change size so easily, it was likely that his voice was the same, a setting that he could alter with minimal effort.

  At least I didn’t have to bother asking how he knew that; the aerial approach meant he’d have had an excellent view. “I’m sorry you came all this way—wait! Gideon, you have wings! Richard fell into a tree not long ago. Maybe there’s still time to fetch him.”

  That earned me a mighty scoff, all the more impressive on a dragon’s face. “He fell near two beings it would be unwise for me to trade blows with. Such altercations leave lasting damage, and while Richard is too weak to be of concern to them, I am not.”

  It had been a briefly lived hope, yet only when it was fading did I realize just how strong the disappointment was. Fortunately, Gideon wasn’t done speaking.

  “Aside from which, there is no need to fetch him. Richard has become unable to fulfill his duty, which means it falls upon me to complete. I’d expected at least you to have some appreciation for the proper meaning of words.”

  I was truly dumbfounded by that one; however, Krystal didn’t have such an issue, smacking herself in the head. “Son of a bitch, he’s right. When Richard offered to marry us, Gideon said he seconded. I thought he meant the idea, not in the literal sense.”

  Comprehension dawned at last. “Oh. Gideon was volunteering to be Richard’s second, like in a duel.”

  “Or a great many formal parahuman ceremonies where one might offer support to their long-term host. We’re nothing if not prepared for things to go wrong.” Rearing up, scaly head somehow looking more regal, Gideon stared directly at us. “Time is short. Do you wish to proceed?”

  Together, Krystal and I met one another’s eyes.

  “With pleasure,” I said.

  “Fuck yeah,” she declared.

  “Very well, then. Given our limited window, I will be holding a prudently abridged ceremony.” Somehow, the dragon’s face grew momentarily vexed. “There is only one issue to solve first. A ceremony such as this needs witnesses, and Sally’s youth means she doesn’t qualify. As I agreed to wed you, fixing that issue falls upon me.”

  Gideon’s lavender eyes, so huge now in his new skull, flashed with copper light. Seconds later, a mist began to rise up around us, right where we’d planned for the chairs to go. I could catch shapes in there, nearly faces occasionally. It was so mesmerizing that I didn’t notice Gideon preparing to speak once more, which meant that his voice caused me to leap a foot in the air.

  “Attention residents of Boarback and all current visitors. I, Gideon, King of the West, do hereby call upon you to witness the joining of Fredrick Frankford Fletcher and Agent Krystal Jenkins in marriage. We ask the oldest magics to seal this unity, to bond your souls past the grip of even death.”

  The longer he spoke, the more I could feel the electricity in the air. My neck hairs were standing like I’d rubbed them with a balloon. I’d been warned that marriage was a magical ceremony for parahumans; I just hadn’t expected it to be so… potent. It was building, flowing all around us. Perhaps, in other venues, those not presided over by a dragon, this was a slower process. I had no objections to speed, though. Frankly, I was sick and tired of not being married to Krystal.

  “You have fought to stand here, in this place, harder than most could or would have been capable. Speak now your words to one another, your vows, your promises, the deepest truths of your heart.”

  Strange a situation as it was, this part was mercifully clear. The time had come for vows. In the original plan, Krystal had wanted to go first, and this one bit, it seemed, would actually go as intended.

  “Fred, for a long time after my change, I felt like reality itself was spinning. Losing my mom, learning what I was, getting betrayed… it started to feel like I had nothing real. I drifted through life, barely more than the job, afraid to let anyone in close. Then, I met you again, and for the first time in years, I remember what it was like to have solid ground underneath my feet. You are the kindest, most honest, most lovingly sincere person I’ve ever met. For all the amazing things I’ve seen in my life, your unwavering ability to see the best in people wows and humbles me to this day. I want to spend the rest of my life with
you at my side, growing together and making one another better.”

  What had started as ambient magic was now flowing through Krystal, winding its way around her in a series of infinite, invisible knots. It was an interesting tidbit, something I focused on largely because I’d suddenly discovered a boiling case of nerves at the prospect of having to speak. On this occasion, though, it was a relatively minor hurdle. After staring down tonight’s challenges, my own cowardice was a paltry opponent.

  “Krystal, I am a vampire, standing on a hill overlooking a town of supernatural beings, at a wedding being presided over by a dragon who is also a king, and by far, the most incredible thing about this moment is the woman I’m sharing it with. Your courage, selflessness, loyalty, and determination all inspire me daily. Being with you has shown me how messy, chaotic, dangerous, and fun life can truly be. Our time has changed me in ways that I’ll never be able to articulate, nor stop being thankful for. I want to spend the rest of our lives together, seeing the world through one another’s eyes, offering support in times of struggle and cheer in times of need. Not to mention, always having each other’s back.” I winked on the last line, which earned me a slight grin from Krystal.

  “Ride or die.”

  “Dying hasn’t technically stopped either of us,” I pointed out.

  “Guess we’re in for a long ride, then.”

  Tempting as it was to get lost in her eyes, I could feel the magic winding its way through me now, as well. It didn’t feel bad, really. Didn’t even have much of a feeling. It was more like noticing a breeze from a vent that had been blowing on you for hours that only just happened to catch your attention in the moment. The magic was primed and ready, waiting to be engaged.

  “By my authority as King of the West, I have heard your vows and recognize them. From this day henceforth, you shall be joined, two minds, two souls, two bodies, yet with a shared bond that unites what was once separate. Seal this ceremony with a display of love and connect your magics.”

  While the phrasing was a bit odd, I’d seen more than enough films and general pop culture to know what came at the end of a wedding. The magical part was interesting and made me wonder if perhaps humans had taken the tradition from supernatural ceremonies. It was an idle, short-lived curiosity, as I had far more pressing matters to attend to.

  Taking Krystal in my arms, I dipped her slightly, giving a dash of theatricality to our special moment. With no more delay than that, our lips met, and together, we shared the first kiss of our marriage. In some ways, that kiss actually was the marriage, as the instant our lips connected, all of the built-up magic came alive at once. I could feel the crackle along my skin, hear snaps and pops in the air, and I paid all of it absolutely no mind. In that moment, there was no magic, no dragon, no spectators, no woods, no town, none of it.

  For that brief moment, the world consisted solely of myself and my wife, kissing one another in triumph.

  13.

  The party was still going by the time we got back down to town. Outside of a momentary dragon-induced vision, it had never stopped. To the denizens of Boarback, all they knew was that someone had wheeled free refreshments into the center of town, put on a show, and then dropped a magical mist to put everyone in the festive spirit. The agents had either gotten out or been swept along in the celebration, meaning that all our conflict happened out in the woods.

  Part of me expected to be stopped as we rode down in Krystal’s truck, after it had recovered. Gideon and Sally left the way they came, not bothering to offer us a lift. I’d dealt with dragons enough to know that riding was an extraordinarily rare event, reserved only for dire situations and those they held in the highest of esteem.

  We almost literally ran into Richard not too far down the hill; he’d been chasing after us since getting thrown and was cutting a good pace until we nearly crashed into his torso. Thankfully for the truck, we swerved just in time.

  He hopped in as we started to explain what had happened, until Richard told us he’d gotten a magical view of the whole ceremony—as much of the town likely did also. None of it had surprised him, anyway. Unlike us, he’d clocked Gideon’s original meaning from the start; evidently, the King of the West frequently acted as Richard’s second as a part of their alliance. It made challengers even more hesitant to try to tackle the alpha therian, because success only meant a dragon would be waiting instead.

  Passing through the swath of woods where we’d met Sheriff Thorgood and Director Waxwood was surreal. Neither was anywhere to be seen, but what remained terrified me to my core. An entire section of the woods was devastated: shattered trees, huge grooves cut in the earth, mini-craters like a blast had gone off. Even stranger, the destruction was perfectly contained in this one area, with zero spillover. This was no full-on brawl—we were seeing the results of playful sparring, at best. I was finally beginning to appreciate why Krystal always felt at ease in Boarback as I gained a greater grasp on the sheriff’s capabilities.

  Arch’s team was also gone by the time we arrived, a more traditional battlefield left in their wake. I could understand things wrapping up quickly; once Gideon showed us getting hitched, there wasn’t anything left to fight about. We continued down through the woods, past where Deborah and Claudius had been waiting, out onto the actual streets of Boarback.

  Most of the mist had cleared, lost to either lungs or the winds, giving everyone an unimpeded view as we approached. Doing some quick movements, we had Richard take over the wheel to act as a sudden chauffer, driving us to where the bulk of the crowd was gathered. I had no idea if we were walking into our own arrests or a strong talking to. Either way, we’d take the consequences head-on. Whatever the cost, it was worth it.

  As it turned out, we were greeted by a thundering cheer the moment Krystal set foot outside the truck. I’d almost forgotten that she spent years here; to the townsfolk, Krystal was one of them. That set a firm standard for the night’s mood. Even the few agents I spotted sulking around seemed to register that this was going to be a party. It was either that, or be set against the entire population of a supernatural town, including their sheriff, and the agents were all much too smart to make that basic an error.

  Stepping out of the truck, I was relieved to see our friends had also joined the revelry. Neil and Albert were standing with June, talking to a clustered group of other agents. Though I was sure they’d just been facing off in the woods, everyone seemed animated and cheerful, clearly enjoying the conversation. Something told me the Agency had gotten a taste of what those two could do, and the recruiting attempts were about to get serious.

  Amy and Bubba were manning the makeshift bar, Bubba doling out drinks that Amy would “spice up” with a few drops from an array of bottles, depending on the parahuman in question’s needs. I spotted Gregor with a few other blocky fellows, recognizable as fellow gargoyles once I knew what to look for, chatting with the most excited expression I’d ever seen on that stoic face (which is to say, he looked mildly interested). Al had turned back into her larger form and was hunkered down with a bunch of locals, playing what appeared to be a dice game, only the kinds I knew of didn’t call forth miniature illusions.

  I also spotted many of our older friends, people who’d come to town for the wedding, only to find it all happening a day too early. The Clovers were having a chat with Cyndi not far from where a familiar pair of satyrs were chewing the fat with a small cluster of goblins. I even noticed Sheri, looking far more composed than at our last meeting, talking to agents I suspected were fellow vampires. Who I couldn’t find was the only one that might shed insight into what came next. My eyes kept probing as I stepped out of the truck, searching the crowd that mobbed Krystal.

  The smell of smoke from behind me worked better than a theatrical cough could have. Arch was there, stamping out his cigarette in the ash box he always carried. “You look like a man with too heavy a mind for an occasion this happy.”

  With all attention on Krystal, I took the opportunity to mo
tion for Arch to follow. Together, we walked a bit out from the crowd, putting the truck between us and them for a small modicum of privacy. There was really no getting around potential eavesdroppers—parahumans in open air just inherently came with that risk—but we also weren’t going to be talking about anything exactly secret. The entire town had just seen what happened; they all knew we’d bucked an order from the Agency.

  “I suppose my main question is what sort of fallout should we expect? Even if we didn’t break a law, we disobeyed Krystal’s boss. I know there’s going to be retribution.”

  “Unquestionably, though most of it will fall on her,” Arch said. At my expression, he seemed to realize his choice of wording and mercifully added some clarification. “She ignored a directive, if not an order, and ours is a system that punishes such actions. Part of the job. Don’t worry about it—not Krystal’s first or last time. The punishment is annoying, not painful. Worse jobs, extra shifts, maybe a few weeks training with me if you’ve really pissed somebody off, but they’re not going to hurt her. We still have an HR department.”

  While I wasn’t in love with that response, I also didn’t see many avenues for protest. Short of becoming an agent myself, there was no way to share in her punishment, and that gesture would open far more problems than it solved. Also, it ignored the fact that I’d never make the cut, because I was in no way suited to such work. If all we got in payback for our marriage was Krystal having crappier assignments for a while, then that was manageable.