I knew what had truly happened and I wasn't happy about it. I went down there after the tunnels were deemed safe and found patches of ice along with patches of heated rock near where they found Max.
I had barged in on Mab in Flame's pen on Friday having Myra drop me off on the Skin and leave me there. Then after her Sentinel ship was out of sight, I entered the hidden airlock on Beta-B to find the same type of illusionary world. And Mab was shocked to see me there.
Flame... was huge compared to Ember, but had that same sort of childlike curiosity about her as she virtually flowed over the magical landscape to see me. I wonder if I was the first person she had ever seen on the world outside of the Queens.
As Mab was calling out as she stalked forward, “What are YOU doing here? And how did you get past the wards?” I was pulling out a couple of apples from my pouches to offer to the inquisitive Firewyrm.
She happily chomped them down and allowed me to place my hands on her muzzle as I got much more intelligible flashes from her. Curiosity. Name. Flame. Happy.
I grinned at her and placed my forehead on her and said, “Hello Flame, I'm Knith. It's such a pleasure to meet you. I know your little sister, Ember.”
A lot of excited and happy impressions flashed. She missed her sister and liked hearing about how she was doing. I'm assuming nobody told her that they almost lost Ember recently.
Mab looked almost shocked to see me communicating with Flame, then she narrowed her eyes at me to start a tirade. I wasn't in the mood, a good man was dead, and every bone in my body told me the Queens had gone after him for endangering Ember. I also knew it would be futile to investigate it as they had already had the engineers sign off on the collapse, and unless I could prove the hot and cold areas were from their magics, it would likely be the end of my career.
I held up a finger as I gently stroked Flame's muzzle, and I said in a cold but pleasant tone as not to alarm Flame, “Don't even start with me. I'm not in the mood right now. Call your fellow nutcase queen, now. I've a few demands you need to address.”
She started to hiss out some sort of threat, but I took a single step, so we were eye to eye, and I whispered, “Does it look like I'm playing around right now, Mab?”
She took a moment, then hesitated as I glared at her. She didn't break eye contact as she made a motion with her hand. I could feel the magic pulse from her. A few moments later, Titania was stroking the side of Flame's face as she asked with concern, “What is it, Mab? Is Flame...”
Then she stopped and cocked an eyebrow when she started to turn and saw us. “This is interesting. What exactly is...”
I held a finger up toward her, refusing to be the one to break eye contact first. “I'll get to you in a second.”
She opened her mouth, looking incensed, then looked at Mab and me again and cocked her head like she was looking for something. Mab just huffed and took a step back, looking past me. “The enforcer says that she has some demands of the 'nutcase' queens.”
They chuckled together as Titania stepped beside her so she could study me more intensely. “My mark on her is fading already. How do you... wait, you reinforce yours from time to time, don't you? Partial magic immunity is dangerous. How have you allowed her to survive this long? So many of the magical races would have a target on her head if they learned of it.”
“My daughter has taken an interest in her. And I do find her interesting myself.”
I sighed and said, “Shut up, both of you.” They blinked at me in unison, as if I had just slapped them.
Mab said coolly, “Mind yourself, Shade, or you'll find yourself decorating my bedchambers.”
“Stow the threats, I know what you did. What little respect and fear I had for the two of you has evaporated into the ether.”
Titania started, “What is it that you think...”
I cut her off, “I don't think you did it, I know you did it. But what I know and what I can prove are two different things. So here we are. I just want you to know that you don't fool everyone. He was a good man who made a bad choice. And he was paying for that choice.”
They looked at each other with virtually identical scheming looks on their faces. I didn't let them start playing their Fae games, I just pushed forward, “This is what is going to happen. First, you are going to find the funding to implement all the changes that Commander Hardy had requested for the External Maintenance Crew. Including raises. Not just for his stack but for all four stacks.”
“He had good ideas, great foresight, and the good of the world in mind. Now we'll never know if he could have made up for his one moment of weakness.”
The Summer Lady was grinning now, “You expect us to find funding for...”
I stopped her, “I'm not done.” I pulled out a pad and handed it to them, Mab took it as they looked down at the contents displayed on it. “In all their wisdom, the department of finance took it upon themselves to bill me for the 'perfectly good antenna system' that I tore up to defend myself when I was investigating who had done this to Ember. You're paying for it.”
Mab started, “What makes you think...”
“Thumbprint.”
They looked at each other and their amusement was fading, then Titania slowly reached over and placed her thumb on the pad. I grinned and took it from them, and before they could speak, I continued, “And lastly, you'll adjust your wards to allow me and the Sprite, Graz, to visit Ember and Flame whenever we like. The girls are lonely and seeing only you, and I would assume one or two of your children, is not enough. They've been in isolation for five thousand years. They need more time to play and interact with others.”
They sat in silence looking at me, assuring themselves I was done before Mab asked tongue in cheek, “And what makes you believe we will acquiesce to any of these demands by a mere human?”
My eyes narrowed and I let all my rage and frustration and guilt burn in my eyes and they both actually took a half step back when I stepped up to them, “Because, my dear Queens. This mere human will make it her life's work to investigate not only the death of Max Hardy, but every shady dealing the Seelie and Unseelie Courts have ever had, and any questionable activity by any of the Greater Fae.”
“And from what Aurora tells me, my life has the potential to be very long, and I intend to be a thorn in your side for the full extent of it. And before you get any ideas... a Commander of the External Maintenance Crew can meet with an untimely death, especially one who was a Clinic Child who has no family, without many questions being asked.”
I gave them a predatory smile. “And it is an entirely different thing for a decorated Lieutenant of the Enforcer's Brigade who has been awarded the White Cross of the Leviathan to vanish without a trace. Especially if that same Enforcer had the forethought to keep a record of all my dealings and suspicions with the Fae royalty offsite somewhere in case of such a disappearance.”
Titania turned to Mab and said, “I may have just orgasmed a little. I think I'm in love with this one.”
Mab smirked at her and said, “You couldn't handle her, Tina. Besides, my Rory has a thing for the brash girl. But she truly is fascinating, isn't she? She plays the game like a true Fae.”
Then to me, she said, “Without admitting any culpability, we will accept your deal, Knith Shade of the Beta-Stack A-Ring. But heed our word that threatening the Summer and Winter Ladies is not something we can let pass, and we will rectify the situation ourselves if you feel the need to do it again. Are we clear on this?”
I nodded. “Crystal.” That's when my relief that they agreed caused my adrenaline induced courage to crumble. I was scared shitless at the way I had dealt with them, but it had to be done.
Mab nodded and said as she grabbed the back of my head, “Sealed with a kiss.” I gasped and stumbled, my body feeling as though it had been frozen from the inside out when she released me after searing my soul with her magic again.
Before I could catch my breath, the iron grip
of Queen Titania pulled me to her as she said, “Sealed with a kiss.” I was screaming into her mouth as she seared every cell with the hot fire of her magic. I could feel my lips were fire and ice, sizzling and one eye felt hot, the other chilled as she dropped me to collapse on the fake moss beneath us.
Titania just took Mab's hand and they took a step forward and were gone, the Summer Lady had teleported them away, leaving me there, a drooling mess in Flame's pen. The Firewyrm projected amusement as she licked the side of my head with her huge tongue.
I shook the memory out of my head. It had taken me almost an hour before I had the strength to stand and get myself out of there lest they return. Just the memory had one of my eyes icing over and the other flickering with magical fire.
It had been only a couple of hours after the showdown when an anonymous donor had quadrupled the budget for the External Maintenance Crews for the duration of the flight so that everything Max had wanted would be implemented, including raises. The staffing would double as well as the stipend to pay the day jobbers.
Mac was looking at me with concern. I smiled at him and shrugged, then said, “Ok... dealer takes two.”
… then sirens and warning klaxons started sounding. These were different than any I have ever heard as we all stood up from the table. I grabbed Myra's old goggles and put them on, asking, “Mother, what is it?”
She forgot to sound mechanical as she voiced in what sounded like a stunned tone, “Proximity alert. Unknown ships are on approach.”
I blinked. Ships? What? Mab's tits! We were literally in the middle of interstellar space.
Fuck me sideways and space me naked. May we live in interesting times.
The End
Novels by Erik Schubach
Books in the Worldship Files series...
Leviathan
Firewyrm
Cityships (2020)
Books in the Techromancy Scrolls series...
Adept
Soras
Masquerade
Westlands
Avalon
New Cali
Colossus (2020)
Books in the Urban Fairytales series...
Red Hood: The Hunt
Snow: The White Crow
Ella: Cinders and Ash
Rose: Briar's Thorn
Let Down Your Hair
Hair of Gold: Just Right
The Hood of Locksley
Beauty In the Beast
No Place Like Home
Shadow Of The Hook
Armageddon
Books in the New Sentinels series...
Djinn: Cursed
Raven Maid: Out of the Darkness
Fate: No Strings Attached
Open Seas: Just Add Water
Ghost-ish: Lazarus
Anubis: Death's Mistress
Sentinels: Reckoning (2020)
Books in the Drakon series...
Awakening
Dragonfall
Books in the Valkyrie Chronicles series...
Return of the Asgard
Bloodlines
Folkvangr
Seventy Two Hours
Titans
Books in the Tales From Olympus series...
Gods Reunited
Alfheim
Odyssey (2020)
Books in the Bridge series...
Trolls
Traitor
Unbroken
Books in the Fracture series...
Divergence
Novellas by Erik Schubach
The Hollow
Novellas in the Paranormals series...
Fleas
This Sucks
Jinx (2020)
Novellas in the Fixit Adventures...
Fixit
Glitch
Vashon
Descent
Sedition (2020)
Novellas in the Emily Monroe Is Not The Chosen One series...
Night Shift
Unchosen
Rechosen (2020)
Short Stories by Erik Schubach
(These short stories span many different genres)
A Little Favor
Lost in the Woods
MUB
Mirror Mirror On The Wall
Oops!
Rift Jumpers: Faster Than Light
Scythe
Snack Run
Something Pretty
Romance Novels by Erik Schubach
Books in the Music of the Soul universe...
(All books are standalone and can be read in any order)
Music of the Soul
A Deafening Whisper
Dating Game
Karaoke Queen
Silent Bob
Five Feet or Less
Broken Song
Syncopated Rhythm
Progeny
Girl Next Door
Lightning Strikes Twice
June
Dead Shot
Music of the Soul Shorts...
(All short stories are standalone and can be read in any order)
Misadventures of Victoria Davenport: Operation Matchmaker
Wallflower
Accidental Date
Holiday Morsels
What Happened In Vegas?
Books in the London Harmony series...
(All books are standalone and can be read in any order)
Water Gypsy
Feel the Beat
Roctoberfest
Small Fry
Doghouse
Minuette
Squid Hugs
The Pike
Flotilla
Books in the Pike series...
(All books are standalone and can be read in any order)
Ships In The Night
Right To Remain Silent
Evermore
New Beginnings
Books in the Flotilla series...
(All books are standalone and can be read in any order)
Making Waves
Keeping Time
The Temp
Paying the Toll
Books in the Unleashed series...
Case of the Collie Flour
Case of the Hot Dog
Case of the Gold Retriever
Case of the Great Danish
Case of the Yorkshire Pudding
Case of the Poodle Doodle
Case of the Hound About Town
Case of the Shepherd's Pie
Firewyrm Page 17