She sat and twisted her legs into a modest position. I thought she was using her dress as a shield, as some kind of support. I checked. She had added a magical touch; I was unsure of its target or intended impact.
“The floor is yours,” I said from my favorite chair.
“There’s—” She coughed, clearing her throat “—a couple of items.” She took a deep breath. Her blouse reacted as one would expect. “The first one is Alex Tomlin. I think he’s a spy.”
I sat up, startled. “What? Why?”
Dena bit her lip. “It’s the way he goes about exploring Finders’ business activities. Morwen and I have spent a week with him, now. His questions, particularly those about you—us—are way outside what I’d consider to be typical of someone trying to understand the operation of a business. Oh, he asks very relevant, sometimes penetrating questions about how Finders operates. He’s very interested in the board of trustees, the members, their locations, and so forth.”
“Thin.”
“I know. However, Morwen agrees with me. We’re worried.”
We were a close-knit quasi-family, so their worries were understandable. We’d developed a strong unit over the eight years since I rescued the three girls.
“Is there anything specific that triggered your worries?”
“He asked very detailed questions about you. Starting with your surname, your origin, your abilities, how long we’d known you, whether you supported us; the list is long. We gave canned answers. We ignored the surname question. If he asks again, we plan to tell him to talk to you. We said you were our guardian, and of course, as a family unit you took care of the three of us. He was interested about Morwen and me, why we’re identical, what happened to our parents, and so on. It has reached the embarrassingly intrusive stage. Far too personal for someone who is taking responsibility for managing Finders.”
I cursed. “I won’t tolerate that behavior. We’ll have to recruit a replacement.”
“Perhaps you could have a word with him? Tell him to back off or he’s out?”
“If he is a spy, I can’t allow him to remain engaged in the business. If he’s not a spy, he’s being bloody rude. Either way, he’s out.”
“We thought you would make that decision. We agree. We were apprehensive; we could be condemning the man unfairly.”
“After a week, both of you, given your abilities? No.”
Dena sat back, nervousness replaced with relief. “We were so worried.”
“Set up a meeting for later today, please. Topic is an interim review. You, me, Morwen, and Tomlin. Get the HR agency on the line and ask them to commence another search; on reflection, you’d better not do that until we’ve spoken with Tomlin. Oh, make sure Leopold joins us, too, just in case.”
Leopold must have heard the mention of his name. He entered the study, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
“Long night?” I said.
“Yes. Ogres. Dead. Hurian wounded. Unable to defeat shield.”
His summary was typically succinct. I instructed him to check my repair work and if he found weaknesses, to apply more strength. I also told him he might be needed at Finders and we’d be leaving shortly. Happy to help, he left, humming an odd tune. His departure was followed by Morwen hurrying into the study, apparently anxious to hear our decision on Tomlin. Dena’s other topic was lost in the rush.
Clara Bighams, the front receptionist, welcomed Dena and Morwen with genuine enthusiasm. Me, she was cautious about. Leopold, she didn’t see.
“Dena, Morwen, good morning.” She beamed. “Mr. Tomlin is already in the boardroom. I’ve set out your coffee and your favorite chocolates.” She whispered the last part; it was obviously confidential, between her and the girls.
Dena smiled. “Thank you, Clara. We’d better go on in.”
We headed to the boardroom, Dena in the lead. Leopold was last. Tomlin was seated at the end of the table, working at his laptop.
He stood when we entered. “Good morning” he greeted everyone. “I was summarizing our first week; I thought it would help with the meeting.”
Leopold guarded the door. Dena waited for me to sit and she and her sister sat next to me, on the side away from Tomlin. They wore serious expressions.
Tomlin frowned; he had caught the vibes. “A problem?”
“We’ll find out. Alex, I’ve been informed you have been intensively questioning Dena and Morwen. Your questions are personal and intrusive, and at the very least, rude. Why?” I accompanied my question with a small sigil; it would force truthful answers.
Alex Tomlin was not as magically inept as he’d hoped we assumed. He fought the sigil, and I had to reinforce it. Leopold straightened, alert. I sensed Dena adding to my spell.
“Tomlin, stop struggling. Rest assured you’ll fail. If you continue, I’ll hand you over to Leopold and you’ll end up so far away it’ll take your remaining lifetime to find your way home. Your choice.” I didn’t mention there was a probability his remaining lifetime would be relatively short.
Tomlin stilled. He smiled and relaxed. “I’ll grant you, you’re powerful. I have my doubts you’d win. However, your tame Tgrendling has more raw power than me, though. I’m yours.”
“Answer my question.” I pushed the spell, forcefully. I used less than one percent of the full power I could apply. I’d explore the identification of Leopold’s genus later.
Tomlin paled. “Hmm. I could be wrong, I suppose. Very well. I was hired by the Tir-Kiran Embassy. They suspect Finders is a criminal outfit.”
Dena said, “They’re fools.”
I raised my hand, cautioning Dena. “Tell me more.”
“Well, you almost established the truth of their claim when you fired the top executives for their criminal activities. I reported your actions, of course. They instructed me to investigate you, to determine whether you are some kind of criminal mastermind.”
Morwen spoke this time, “I agree with Dena, they’re fools.”
Tomlin frowned. “I can see both sides of this. The Tir-Kiran were angry when the two young girls were kidnapped, they believe in protecting their citizens, and the kidnap of the two girls was something they had to revenge.” He indicated Dena and Morwen and continued, “You, of course, are obviously innocent of any thought of criminality. Zed is another matter, entirely.”
I had to restrain both girls and my own anger. “Let’s not get vindictive; well, not yet. Tomlin, I take umbrage at your comments. If I ever see you again, anywhere near Finders, our employees, or near Dena, Morwen, or Victoria, your life will be forfeit. I won’t use my Tgrendling friend. I’ll carry out my threat personally. Understand?”
I used a force spell to pin Tomlin to his chair. He struggled, unsuccessfully, as he slowly lost consciousness. I released him moments before Death would have claimed him.
I waited for him to recover. It took a minute for his coughing to stop. “You think you’d survive?” I asked.
“My apologies. I didn’t realize you are a master mage. I promise, I will never purposefully come near you, your family, or your organization again. Will that suffice?”
“Yes. I intend to meet with the Tir-Kiran ambassador. He, too, needs to understand I will not accept his behavior. Do you have his contact details?”
Tomlin paled. “Fuck, man. Don’t you realize who they are?”
“My enemies, if they continue this nonsense.”
“You’d take on an entire civilization?”
“To ensure my name, family, and reputations are protected, yes, indeed.”
“I understand. I’ll talk with them, if you like.”
I wondered at the conciliatory tone. “You’re welcome to do whatever you wish. In any case, I will meet with the ambassador, whether he wants or not.” I held my hand out for the information and Tomlin handed me a business card containing the ambassador’s details. “You can tell him Finders has an update on the recovery of the ransom funds.”
He said, “You have? That’s marvelous. They�
��ll appreciate the gesture.”
“It’s not a bloody gesture. Finders should have a communication today, confirming the deposit of fifty percent of the original ransom. The remainder will be paid to Finders within the next sixty days. The company will transfer the funds as and when received. Now, if we’re finished here?”
Tomlin looked chastened. “I understand. I have a couple of personal items I’d like to collect, if I may?”
“Leopold, escort Mr. Tomlin to his office, allow him to collect whatever personal items he wants, and escort him to the elevators. Tomlin, give me your door pass. Go with your escort.”
I waited for them to leave the boardroom before I spoke further. “Sorry for the flash of temper. I won’t accept anyone sullying our reputations.”
Dena reached over and took my hand and squeezed it. “I agree.” Morwen added her support.
I smiled, only partly with humor. “It’s an interesting life. Thank you, not only for your astute observations, but also for bringing your concerns to me. Always, always, continue to do so.”
The two sisters nodded. Dena said, “Thank you. We were worried we were way out of line. It could have been simply our wild imaginations.”
“Always have wild imaginations. They’re the best kind. Now, you have another problem?”
Morwen had a questioning expression. Dena turned a light shade of pink and said, “Later.”
“Very good. Please check if anyone has sent a message about payment and a contract and let me know. Remember to contact the HR agency. When Leopold returns, I’m heading home. You both can come with me, if you wish. I want to explore this soul stealer infestation Lucifer mentioned.”
Dena said, “We’ll stay. I want to keep the wheels turning here. If there’s no head, the body will wither. Come on, Morwen. There’s work to be done.”
I watched with interest as Dena and Morwen headed out of the boardroom. They were both eager to help. For some reason it gave me a feeling of satisfaction.
Our return home was uneventful. I let the pixie drive the vehicle; we were in one of those fast, sleek automobiles I had observed on the highway those eight years ago, except more modern. I used some of the time to review details on potions we were experimenting with. Leopold was sitting quietly in the corner of the passenger seat.
Something prompted me, and I asked, “Leopold, are you a Tgrendling? Can you give me more information?”
Leopold looked disgusted. “Numquam. Never. Not Tgrendling. Don’t know words—”
He frowned, looked away and apparently was not intending to add to his short statement.
I said, “Leopold, if ever you need help to find your world, tell me. If there any of your kind who wish to work for me, also tell me. Understand?”
“Yes. Some might. Will tell.”
That’s close to the longest conversation we’d ever had. I continued studying my papers.
oOo
Chapter 7
Later in the day Dena returned and reported in. “The funds came through as Lucifer promised. We transferred it all to the Tir-Kiran Embassy as per our original contract. We didn’t mention any further payment; I thought it best to have it in hand, first. We sent the contract to our legal people and they said they’d clear it by tomorrow.”
“Good. Anything else?”
“We’ve two interesting assignments close to acceptance. There’s a report in your file.”
“The HR people?”
Dena hesitated. “Contacted. Can I add them to the issues list?”
“Certainly. Do you want to discuss now or later?”
“Later. I want to remove the geas from Hurian, now, if you can arrange his presence?”
“Easy. Let’s head to the basement. Another topic—what about your training? You don’t want to miss today.”
“Oh.”
I doubted she had forgotten. I laughed. “Go change into your training gear. We’ll do some attack-defense stuff, unarmed, followed by katana practice. Short wooden swords will suffice. Your sisters should join in. What about Hunter?”
“I’ll check. They’ll be horrified, of course.”
“Tell them to be in the gym in forty minutes. Join me as soon as you can, and we’ll sort out Hurian.”
“I’m on my way.”
She was out the door before she finished her sentence. I headed to the basement with Leopold in close company. Dena arrived shortly afterward, puffing slightly.
“You need more exercise.”
She frowned at me. “I hurried.”
“We’ll add jogging tomorrow.” Leopold’s sigh added to Dena’s. He was not built for jogging or running. “Relax, Leopold, I’ll go with them.”
Dena sat on the same chair next to the pentagram. I sat on the other one and Leopold stood behind us, not too close, but ready to act. The sigil to call a named demon was complex and Dena fumbled the first two attempts. The third one worked.
The demon arrived, cursing his head off. He brought fire and sulfur with him, none of which reached past the outlines formed by the pentagrams. The pentagram space meant he was squashed. He stopped his stream of curses when he saw me.
“What’s your problem, Zed?” He wiped an unidentifiable mess from his lips. His tongue flicked out; this time without catching anything.
I said, “I promised Lucifer we’d remove this last geas.”
“Please, please do.” His tongue flicked out again, with the same empty result.
“You tried to enter my property last night. You sent two ogres to divert attention while you attacked our shields. No, don’t try to deny it—I can replay an image of your activities. I might even send a copy to Lucifer.”
“I’m within my rights,” Hurian whined. “They were strays.”
“You caused their deaths by sending them against Leopold.”
Hurian attempted to return to his Underworld base. Unfortunately for him, Dena had strengthened the spell holding him in place and her restraints tightened.
He moaned.
Leopold said, “Kill. Send body. Lucifer.”
Wow, I thought. Leopold normally didn’t express value judgments. “Hurian. You heard my adviser. What do you offer in return for your life?”
The demon whined some more. He ran out of words. I waited. His tongue flicked at nothing; it was totally out of control.
“Dena, remove the geas as we promised Lucifer. Hurian can stay here until he recovers his senses. I’ll release him once he agrees to his punishment for the attack last night. Hurian, you must announce your own punishment. I’m adding a spell to force you to do so when we return.”
Dena completed her task without effort, and the demon’s tongue stilled. Leopold wanted to remain and guard the demon, and I agreed. His presence would continue to aggravate and unnerve Hurian. We had training to do.
The next hour was exhausting. I worked the three girls through their routines and spent one on one time with Dena testing her responses to various attacks, unarmed and armed. She was improving and more than capable of sending any human attacker to hospital. Dena still was uncertain of her ability to mix in magic, which she would need if she wanted to succeed against would be mages. Full mages were a different matter. Her magical abilities were still developing and required more time and exercise. Morwen’s magic was faint, not yet available to her, while Victoria’s magic was almost nonexistent.
Hunter, the possible music mage, was a surprise. While he was younger than Morwen, he displayed exceptionally strong indicators that he would grow into a powerful mage. I had set him and Morwen to spar with wooden katanas. It was Hunter’s first experience of sword use, and he was both clumsy and inept, as was to be expected. Morwen penetrated his defenses a number of times in a quick sequence and to our surprise Hunter began to sing. It was totally tonal, without words, and progressively increased in power and volume. We were all startled when the notes became visible, spiraling around his body and growing. Within seconds Hunter was surrounded and Morwen was unable to strike him n
o matter how hard she tried. It was a unique display of natural magic.
I instructed Morwen to stop. “Hunter, that’s amazing. Did you know you had that ability?”
“No, not really. I sometimes think I can see notes when I play an instrument or sing. No one had ever attacked me with a sword before, though.”
The girls laughed. Morwen said, “I might not try again. If you lashed out while you were shielded with your notes, you could do some damage.”
I checked the time. “Let’s adjourn. Morwen and Vic, show Hunter the track around the perimeter. The three of you can spend an hour jogging. Dena, Leopold, and I are going to see what the demon has decided and later this afternoon we’ll visit a certain embassy.”
Hurian was glaring at Leopold and he in turn was totally ignoring the demon. I chuckled at the impasse. “Well, Hurian, have you reached a decision?”
“What do you want, Zed? My blood?”
“Not really. I want something valuable. What can you deliver, without restraint, without trickery?” I trusted the demon about as far as I could throw him with one hand and no magic, which wasn’t very far at all.
Hurian was a whiner. I suspect it’s a common trait of bullies. “I can get you a bucket of gold coins, genuine. Perhaps a dancing girl, or for Dena, a dancing man—” He stopped when he saw Dena’s glare. “I might have something more valuable. There’s a book of spells—it’s ancient. It’s not a forgery. Someone gave it to me many years ago.”
“What’s the title? Did you check any of the contents? Do the spells work?” Dena was interested.
“You don’t know? I can’t read.” The answer was a snarl.
“Oh? I’m sorry, Hurian. You’re correct, I didn’t know.”
The demon mumbled.
I said, “Sight unseen? Hurian, it could be a collection of nonsense verses and thus absolutely useless.”
“You take a risk. It’s all I can think of.”
“One old book of spells. Plus, one day of work from you if I call for it. It must be genuine effort on your part.” I was building a bank of benefits to draw down in an emergency. Lucifer’s words about the soul stealers were causing me to worry and I had an outstanding task to search for them.
Soul Mayhem: Zed's Chronicles of the Parallel Universe Disruptions Page 5