by Obert Skye
“Good,” Rin said. “Because I don’t think Ray is going to want anyone else to see what’s about to happen.”
Rin walked past Susan’s desk and headed straight toward a set of large office doors. Susan jumped up from her seat and began barking words in a most unflattering way.
“You can’t go in there! You need to leave!”
Rin ignored her. He walked right up to the doors and pulled the left one open. There was another set of doors behind it.
“Stop this instant!” Susan insisted.
She reached to grab Rin’s robe, but the wizard spun in such a way that she was left grabbing at nothing.
“Wizards are hard to pin down,” he said kindly.
“Stop!” she shouted.
Rin looked at her as he held the doorknob on the second set of doors. “If you knew me, you would know that I’ve never been good at doing what I’m told.”
The wizard pulled open the second door and walked through it. Susan followed directly behind him, still shouting in a manner that angry secretaries don’t usually have to.
As Rin moved into the office, Susan managed to catch hold of the back of his robe. Four feet in, he stopped and took in the room.
“Wow,” Rin said. “Someone’s overcompensating.”
Ray’s office was large, lavish, and cold. It was a big, square room with expensive but ugly art hanging on the walls. Above the art were small stained-glass windows too high and too colorful to see out. The carpet in the office was a boring gray, but decidedly less offensive than the carpet near Susan’s desk. There were a few stiff chairs covered in yellow leather and a short wall of bookshelves that ran along the north wall. The shelves were filled with large leatherbound books and various small statues and awards. At the far end of the room was a massive desk made from dark glossy wood. The desk looked like the base of a great tree that had been chopped down and was now stuck like a large stump in Ray’s pompous office. Sitting on the desk was a large hourglass filled with white sand on a gold base.
Behind the desk was a short, fake-looking man with red hair graying around the edges and brown eyes as dark and hard as the desk he was sitting at. The large desk made Ray look like a diminutive elf hiding behind a stump in the forest.
Ray stood up calmly and glanced out across the room toward Rin.
Susan let go of the wizard’s robe and said, “His name is Rin.” She was angry and her red face proved it. “I’m sorry, but he just barged in.”
Ray waved a hand at Susan.
“It’s okay, Susan. You can leave us.”
“Yes, Mr. Dench.”
“Close the door behind you,” Rin told her. “I don’t want to see that carpet again.”
Susan made the kind of noise a person makes when they’re disgusted with someone but they’re still required to act appropriately.
“Hummf.”
Stepping out, she closed the door behind her, leaving Rin and Ray alone in the pretentious, stuffy, and void-of-joy office.
“Nice place,” Rin said kindly. “It really looks like the kind of room a cruel, power-driven individual might have. I know a man in Quarfelt who would love this place. Not my esthetic, though—seems anti-magic—but it fits what I know of you.”
“Where’s the bird?” Ray asked impatiently.
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t play dumb,” Ray said with an edge. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. I don’t want that bird surprising me by shooting out of your robe and tearing up my office or knocking me up side of my head.”
“I don’t think you need to worry about that,” Rin said. “I have no bird here. Clark disappeared a while ago. I can’t say for sure, but maybe he’s in Quarfelt.”
“Quarfelt?”
“Really?” Rin said. “You claim to be this know-it-all genius and you don’t know what Quarfelt is?” The wizard sighed in a way that let Ray know he was disappointed. “For your information, it’s a realm where magic rules. There’s a wizard near every pot. Quite a special place. One of the last times I saw Clark he was there trying to impress a sword he had fallen in love with.”
“So . . . no bird?” Ray asked again.
“As I just said twice, no. But if it makes you feel better, you’re welcome to search me,” Rin offered. “Seems unnecessary, seeing how the one constant in this world and the next is that wizards don’t lie.”
Ray blinked slowly. Under the fake light in the cold room it was clear to see that behind his dark eyes he was thinking. After a moment he spoke.
“Let’s get something straight,” Ray said seriously. “You’re not in Quarfed.”
“Quarfelt,” Rin corrected.
“You’re not in Quarfelt,” Ray said cruelly. “And you’re not a wizard. I want to put an end to that madness immediately. I’ve had people looking into you.”
“That’s flattering.”
“I’m convinced that you’re nothing but an unstable being who needs serious help. An unstable being who has caused me great inconvenience and aggravation.”
“What?” Rin asked, taking four steps forward. “It’s hard to understand what you’re saying. My ears are immune to certain words. But don’t worry, I’m not bothered. I’m aware that not everyone knows how to talk to wizards. I know a man in Quarfelt who always gets my breakfast order wrong. I do not like poached . . .”
Ray’s fake-looking face tightened. “Stop talking . . .” he paused for dramatic affect. “I don’t care about your breakfast order.”
“You should,” Rin said encouragingly. “You see, breakfast, or the foods of the breakfast, is very important to—”
Ray held up his hands to stop the wizard from speaking.
Rin took it upon himself to move closer. He stopped at the front of Ray’s desk and casually looked down and into Ray’s cold brown eyes.
“It’s kind of you to stop me from talking,” Rin said. “Good conversations need time to breathe. And we don’t have time for chit-chat. We have some big things to talk about.”
Ray’s expression remained unmoving.
“I’ll go first,” Rin offered. “I know in the business world it’s a sign of weakness to speak first, but I don’t live in the business world. It’s a terrible place. All that filing and newspeak. Not for me. In fact, I have a hard time living in reality. But in Quarfelt, speaking first shows a strong upbringing and a great sense of decorum.” Rin stopped and waved his right hand. “Look at me going on and on about myself. Hashtag humblebrag.”
A blotchy redness moved over Ray’s face like angry clouds.
“Are you okay?” Rin asked. “You look uneven.”
“You should never have come here,” Ray said seriously.
Rin laughed. “You’d be surprised how often people tell me that.”
“This time is different.”
“Good,” the wizard said kindly. “I enjoy change.”
“Well, then, I think you are going to enjoy what happens next.”
“Good.” Rin clapped. “Next is so much better than never.”
“Do you always speak in such an infuriating way?”
“I speak like a wizard,” Rin said strongly. “If you find that infuriating, it’s on you.”
“You’re a ridiculous man.”
“Ridiculous wizard,” Rin corrected.
Ray tapped his fingers on his desk as he stared up at Rin. He was trying his best to stay calm. He had dominated and controlled truly powerful people in his life. He would not let some whack job in a bathrobe get the best of him.
“Enough.” Ray exhaled loudly. “You’re unaware of the stakes at hand. You talk like you have a say in all of this—like you know a way to affect the outcome. But what would you say if I told you that not only will you fail, but you are in grave danger?”
“Um . . . I would say, not bad, but I do
n’t find it believable. I’ve never liked the expression grave danger. Too on the nose. How about, ‘Things are getting ticklish.’ That implies that there could be some discomfort, but there could be some fun.”
“How about we stop playing games?”
“Never,” Rin insisted.
Ray closed his eyes and counted to ten.
Clark sat perched on top of the roof by one of the twelve gargoyles. The demon was crouched and staring down at the courtyard below. The gargoyle had stone wings and horns and was baring his teeth with an open, angry mouth. Chiseled at the base of the beast was the word vigilance.
Clark looked at the word.
“Your name is a bit aggressive. Can I call you Lance for short?”
Lance seemed fine with that.
Before landing near Lance, Clark had flown around the courtyard a few times, making sure to stay high enough as to not be seen. It wasn’t easy for him to keep away from all the gold-painted objects he could see in the lobby. The last time the bird had been here, the lobby doors had been hidden by falling snow.
“It’s incredible,” Clark said to Lance. “I don’t know how you sit here all day when just across the courtyard there’s all that gold.”
Lance said nothing.
“I get it,” the bird said. “I’m intimidating.”
Clark spread his wings and turned.
“I didn’t always look like this. I used to be a raven. But then I found out what a group of ravens are called. Do you know?”
Lance had no idea.
“An unkindness,” Clark tweeted in disgust. “Going through life with a label like that hanging over you isn’t easy. So, a wizard hooked me up with all this.”
Lance continued to bare his teeth.
“It is not dragon appropriation,” Clark insisted.
Lance was silent.
“That’s better,” the bird said.
In the courtyard, someone heavy jumped into one of the pools. Their splash made other people near the water holler.
“I used to go to the ocean with Ozzy,” Clark said longingly. “The water there makes those pools look like a joke.”
Lance had nothing to say.
“You’d like Ozzy,” the bird added. “He’s a little naïve, but . . . well, I’m not really sure what naïve means. Maybe it has something to do with how much he likes soda.”
Lance let the bird have a moment of silence.
“We’re here to help Ozzy,” Clark filled the gargoyle in. “I’m actually waiting for a signal. I probably shouldn’t tell you that, but I feel like since we have so much in common it’s okay.”
Lance looked angry.
“Thanks for agreeing. Hey, you wanna know something, Lance?”
Lance didn’t say no.
“I hate waiting for signals,” Clark admitted. “I’d rather just rush in headlong and see what happens.”
Lance bared his teeth.
“You get it.”
Clark reached his right wing out and tapped the end of Lance’s left wing.
“Can I ask you something else?”
Lance seemed cool with the request.
“Do you know where the electric box is to this building?”
Lance wasn’t talking.
Clark looked around as the two of them sat, perched on the roof, impatiently waiting for the signal.
Rin stood in front of the large wooden desk with the large gaudy hourglass, keeping his eyes locked on Ray. The red-headed, power-hungry jerk was standing behind the desk, trying to make his five-foot-six height look intimidating to a six-foot-three wizard who was wearing a pointed hat that gave him at least four more additional inches of height. If Ray had his way, he would have called his men in and taken the wizard by force. But he wanted more information, and he did not like the idea of someone so unhinged getting the best of him.
He looked at the wizard and saw a new challenge to dominate. Ray brushed the sleeves of his mauve dress shirt and regained his composure inside and out.
“Listen,” he said calmly, attempting to bring some civility into their conversation, “I think we got off on the wrong foot.”
“Maybe you did,” Rin replied. “Not me—for wizards, both feet are right.”
Ray shook his head. “You honestly expect people to believe you’re a wizard?”
“I expect people to believe whatever they want,” Rin said. “I know people who don’t believe in gravity. That doesn’t mean gravity isn’t real.”
“I don’t know why I’m surprised by any of this,” Ray said. “Jon told me that you could be difficult.”
“Is Jon the friend you used to aggressively chase after and intimidate two teenagers?”
“I object to your characterization.”
“I object to the lack of fans in here,” Rin said casually. “It’s stifling. I find a little moving air makes a place much more tolerable and pleasant.”
“Could we talk about things that matter?” Ray snapped.
“I thought we were.”
“Listen,” Ray said, trying to sound like a human, “seeing you actually makes me happy. I’ve been wanting to talk with you.”
“Let’s say it was magic that’s now brought us together.”
“You’re incredible.”
“Thank you.”
Ray growled. “That’s not what I mean by incredible. You’ve been a thorn in my side for a while.”
“I can be irritating,” Rin said with a smile. “But you’ve been more painful to Ozzy than I’ve been to you.”
“Ozzy has something that belongs to me.”
The wizard shook his head. “I really thought you’d be easier to understand.”
Ray bristled. “I speak perfectly.”
Rin shrugged. “If you think so. I guess I just prefer my villains to sound clear and clever when they talk.”
“I’m a villain?” Ray asked briskly.
“In every sense of the word.”
Ray did not smile. “You’re much more annoying than I was led to believe.”
“I guess it’s nice to hear that you believe in anything,” the wizard said, congratulating Ray.
“What happened to Jon?”
“Who?”
“You know who,” Ray said. “You just mentioned him. He was . . . assisting me in Oregon.”
“Oh, him,” the wizard said happily. “Last I saw of him he was standing on a boat just off the coast of Oregon. He seemed upset.”
“He seems to have dropped off the map.”
“Well, if I see him, I’ll say hi.”
“I don’t care if you see him.” Ray was slowly growing angry again. “I’ve got other things to think about besides you two meeting up. Let’s stop talking nonsense and you can tell me why you’re here. Why you think you can just walk into my office and take up my time?”
The wizard locked eyes with Ray as he stood behind his desk. After a few moments of silence, he spoke.
“It’s nice outside,” Rin said matter-of-factly. “But your office is not.”
“Your comfort is not my concern.”
“Mine either,” Rin replied. “Of course, being a wizard, I’m usually comfortable. Once you understand magic, very little upsets you. I slept comfortably on a futon once.”
“I don’t care how you sleep, and I don’t believe in magic,” Ray insisted. “I’m a man of science and technology.”
“And you don’t see any magic in science?” Rin said with disgust. “Have you never used a microwave?”
“Please be quiet,” Ray said with a sigh. “Please. Let’s stop talking nonsense.”
“I wasn’t. I was just commenting on it being nice outside.”
“Why are you here?” Ray asked abruptly. “You know I’ve been looking for you everywhere, and you just wal
tz in and start talking about the weather.”
“It affects everything.”
“Please,” Ray insisted. “Act like a grown-up and answer me—why are you here?”
“Okay,” Rin said seriously. “I’m here because I have a job to do.”
“And what job is that?”
“I was hired to find Ozzy’s parents.”
Ray laughed.
“Good luck, they’re long gone.”
“I believe otherwise.”
“Trust me,” Ray said. “Even if they were alive, you wouldn’t want to find them. Why do you care about Ozzy? This shouldn’t be your concern.”
“This is my only concern,” Rin said. “I was hired to find his parents, and I’m not going to stop until I have done that.”
“They’re dead,” Ray stated.
“Maybe.”
“They disappeared a long time ago!” Ray was getting agitated. “They were sick.”
“I’m aware of that,” Rin said. “That’s why I need to find them.”
Ray sighed a deep sigh. “Let’s sit down,” he suggested.
Ray sat down, but Rin continued to stand.
“Okay, stand if you wish. But I was hoping we might start over a third time.” Ray spread out his hands in a gesture of peace. “I don’t mean to insult you or cause any unnecessary trouble, Rin. In fact, I think you and I are both after the same thing. I would love to find Emmett and Mia Toffy alive. I know they tried for years to re-create the Discipline Serum, but they couldn’t reproduce it. And when they failed, well, I think it was too much for them. Now Ozzy is the only key to what they once created. What he has inside him could change the world. Think of all the problems that formula could solve.”
“Right,” Rin said. “Not to mention how wealthy it could make you.”
“Sure,” Ray agreed with a thick tone of false modesty, “it will make some people very rich. In fact, I’m sure there’s money enough for you in it. We can change the world in a way that will make a real difference.”
The wizard stared down at Ray, his dark hair hanging over his left eye.
“You’ll have all the money you’ve ever wanted,” Ray said, smiling. “I just need to talk with Ozzy. You bring him to me, and you’ll never have to worry about money again. It’s simple. I’ll have a little discussion with him and then he can go. In the end, Ozzy will be fine and we’ll both be rich.”