Myths and Magic: An Epic Fantasy and Speculative Fiction Boxed Set

by K.N. Lee

  An hour and a half later when Edith made her appearance, her gray dress of Tuesday morning, buttoned primly to her chin, he thought nothing of it. AT least not until there was the inarticulate shriek. That had been enough to get his attention.

  "What?"

  "Thank you, Mr. Volun," she gave him one of her rare and prized smiles from behind her glasses. "I appreciate you giving me flowers."

  The window box, previously a scene of a depression, was a bloom with color and vigor he hadn't seen even when the plants were brand new to their home and eventual grave.

  "You're welcome, Edith," Connor said quickly and disappeared back into his office. The box had been varying shades of brown when he entered his office. Now it was blue and gold and red, little flowers happily cheering those around them. They even managed to throw their scent into his office he realized since he had opened the door.

  He didn't come out of his office again until lunch. His phone call conference with the boss had gone smoothly, but the idea of the flowers kept coming back to him. Connor kept looking at the ring on his hand, a certain species of certainty coming over him regarding the flowers and the ring, though he wasn't certain how he was certain. It simply was.

  The ring had brought the flowers back to life. Or awakened something inside of them which hadn't been quite dead yet. Either way, the ring had done something he had never expected. Something he had never considered would even be possible.

  "I'm going to take a walk for lunch, Edith," he said as he strode past her desk. She had settled into her daily routine, so all he got in response was a grunt as she tried to reconcile the schedule he had on paper with the one the office expected him to keep on the computer. She was better at that sort of thing than he was, thankfully. He never remembered to update the paper one and that was the one Edith used to keep from having to fight with the computer all the time to get things done.

  The world outside of the office was quiet, overcast just slightly, but still humming with an energy he hadn't really felt before. It was like there was a storm on the horizon except it wasn't that overcast. The pregnancy of the air was enough to make him take slow deep breaths of it just the same. He walked around the building to a small deli in the shadow of his office building. It was a local place, busy enough, but never so busy the wait was a problem. Nor was getting what he really wanted.

  He was walking along again, a fat turkey sandwich with spicy brown mustard and provolone cheese in one hand, seven minutes later. Connor moved to a small park, one of those attempts at making a office complex more inviting, and sat down on a bench to eat his sandwich.

  That was when he realized there was someone watching. He had nearly finished his sandwich and was in the process of looking around for a place to throw the wrapper when he noticed him. There was a man, at least he looked like a man from this distance, staring at him from across the busy intersection. Connor was fairly certain he had been there the entire time he'd been eating his sandwich, which was strange. One thing pedestrian traffic did was move. Those who stood like statues usually had buckets out in front of them begging for tips. Connor wiped his mouth with the napkin he had brought specifically for that purpose and found himself a trashcan to rid himself of his waste.

  When he looked again, the man in the gray suit was gone.

  It would be nearly a week before he saw the man in the gray suit again and this time he was standing in the lobby of Connor's building, watching him get on the elevator. Connor found himself shoving past someone to get out from under that gaze. The anxiety had been enough to drive him home earlier.

  He had gotten out of the cab in front of his home and was surprised and dismayed to see a woman standing in front of his townhouse. Without thinking, he turned and began to walk away. He was running when the first of the fireballs went over his shoulder. If others saw what was happening, they seemed to pretend they didn't. Granted, he didn't see much of anyone on the residential street in the middle of the day. Most people, like himself, tended to work during the day. He'd been surprised when he came upon a small knot of people. He hadn't even considered going around them, instead plowing right into them and grabbing onto them as he went. Out of altruism or a need to give the woman throwing fire some kind of target he didn't care, he just knew they were important. They were important and so he moved.

  Then the woman saved him.

  As they walked to where they could get a cab he said,

  "I'm Connor Volun."

  "Phoebe Camp."

  "Wonderful. Perhaps since you've been so kind up to this point, you might be able to tell me what this is?" He showed her the ring.

  14

  The Storm at Sea and the Leviathan

  The sun rose behind the cliff above the ship, leaving them in shadow until almost noon, but they were not idle during that time. Each member of the crew was busy about something. To Melina, it was simply a beehive of activity she had nothing whatsoever to do with. Lester found himself a part of the deck rail and watched with interest. She found a space in the Captain's bed which wasn't so moldery it would keep her from sleeping and proceeded to do exactly that. When the tide shifted out of the cove, they shoved off from the beach.

  Sitting at the edge of things, as out of the way as he could be given his size, Gergot watched the horizon with the interest of a long time sailor.

  "What are you looking for?"

  "Some sign of where we are," the gargoyle replied. "I know something about the waters around the lighthouse but only some, not enough to be considered a cartographer of the area. One thing I do know was confirmed last night."

  "What's that?"

  "There's a Leviathan in these waters," he said. His teeth set together with a click. "That was a nest we saw last night. They come up to land to feed before slipping back beneath the waves in daylight. Their scales aren't strong enough yet to protect them from full sun."

  "What do you mean when you say 'Leviathan'?"

  "Sea Dragon. Sea Serpent. Destroyer of Ships. That part on the edge of the map that says "here there be dragons". You don't know much mythology, do you, Lester?"

  "It never really interested me, truthfully. But I guess these days it would help if I knew more," the young man admitted sheepishly. "This magic thing is sorta new to me, despite the fact that my Father says we're touched by Love."

  "You are, though I can't always say that's a good thing. Love is not always good for stability." The gargoyle observed. "One thing you do need to know about Leviathan, they are not fond of light or fire. They are sea monsters who spend most of their lives in darkness, that's what their eyes are adjusted to. Heaven forfend we run into one, but if we do, keep that in mind."

  "You make it sound like there is a very real chance we'll have to face one."

  "One's close enough that its nest hunts on that island, which means we are well inside its territory. Females develop territories, usually that grow exponentially with age. Males are migratory. Both are highly predatory and aggressive. Leviathans have one natural predator, themselves. They are better avoided, if you can. If you can't, you injure it enough to make it not chase you."

  The gargoyle huffed at the shocked look on Lester's face.

  "If you don't shut your mouth, you'll start catching flies."

  He shut his mouth hurriedly.

  "I just don't see how any of this is real."

  "You're standing on the deck of an antique three mast crewed by zombie pirates receiving a lecture on mythological creatures from a gargoyle while traveling in the company of a young lady who has all the powers of the Immortal Death, please, tell me again how your conventional idea of real has anything to do with this?"

  Lester shut up, straightened his back, and walked away.

  "Thank you," Gergot said and went back to his contemplation of the horizon.

  Noon came and went. Melina finally rose as the sun lowered on the far horizon. She stretched as she came out of the Captain's cabin to find Lester sitting on the deck with Gergot not far awa
y.

  "I miss anything important?"

  "Just Gergot giving me a lecture about Leviathan and chiding me for not knowing enough mythology."

  Melina sat down with them, her eyes on the crew moving around them.

  "Anything I might need to know?"

  "They don't like light. If we can, blinding them seems to work decently."

  Gergot only nodded when Melina looked at him to confirm.

  "Reconsidering this trip?"

  "Way too late to cuss out my travel agent," Lester said. "I'm scared. I mean, even if we do get to where we're going, what's the chance she can actually help us with what we're up against? And while we're gone, how do I know my Mom and Dad are okay? I mean, how are they tracking us in the first place? Should we be looking over our shoulder hoping they don't appear somewhere behind us?"

  "Worrying won't help, so I would suggest quitting while you're ahead." Melina patted him on the shoulder and moved to lean up against Gergot. "Any idea how long it will take us to get there?"

  "I'm not entirely sure how far away we are, but since we can see the lighthouse itself, I would suppose no more than a day or two at most. Granted, that only gets us on the right island. We still have to make the climb to get there."

  "Oh so much more to look forward to."

  "Stow the sarcasm, Lina. We're doing the best we can with what we've got."

  "I know, doesn't mean I have to like it."

  The moon rose slow and heavy into the sky above the sea and below another round object appeared, this one blood streaked silver. The monster owner blinked once, feeling the darkness above the water in its cold blood. Its scales grated against the edges of the cave where it had slept away the day. It moved with slow undulations out of the hole and into the open water. Tiny fish scattered in every direction before it. Already the pearls of its babies were floating toward the surface to be carried along by the waves to the nearest island where they would find food. It rose with the water as well, heading for the surface.

  The sisters had not made their choice when they disrupted the portal, choosing only a great evil near to where the children would come out. They had not wagered on the great wave of power waking the Leviathan lying in the water near the island, but it had. Now it rose in the shadow of the ship, circling higher as if caught in a whirlpool. When its face broke the surface, the man in the crow's nest screamed,

  "SERPENT!"

  He screamed again and the sound was taking up by his fellows as the monster reared up into the air, it's head at level with the Crow's Nest itself. Then it dropped its weight to one side, raising a wave that threatened to swamp the ship.

  "Get below," Gergot yelled at his charges, holding onto the deck with his claws leaving deep scratches in the wood.

  Melina and Lester were both running as the ship was hit again, from the opposite side, by the creature's tail. It threw them both off their feet and they slid. The crash and splinter of wood took over the world for a moment. Melina went deaf with it. Lester grabbed her hand and dragged her to her feet, and they made for the deck hatch. Again the ship was rocked, water spilling over the railing. A man screamed as he was swept overboard and the pair hit the deck again, sliding away from their destination.

  The first mate was organizing resistance, shooting at the creature now rearing up over the ship. Gergot had launched himself from the deck and at the great serpent's face. It roared at the smaller creature and snapped at him with its great jaws.

  The ship listed hard to the right and Melina lost her grip on Lester.

  "Go," he yelled at her even as he slid away.

  She did what she was told, shivering - from the cold water. Lester hit the railing hard enough to drive the air from his body, yet he managed to hold on even as the ship moved further to one side and threatened to leave him hanging in the air. Melina made it to the doorway and stood in it, bracing to keep from falling herself. She was holding her breath as Lester pulled himself bodily back on the ship. Then the ship was hit again.

  It went back the other direction on a see saw and Lester lost his grip. Melina lost sight of him as he tumbled into the dark water.

  "LESTER!"

  Gergot heard her scream and though he could barely see her, he dove for the water. Lester disappeared beneath the waves as he watched. The serpent dove past him, its face parting the water like a knife. With an easy motion, it swallowed the man whole and renewed its attack on the ship.

  Watching from relative safety, Melina felt fear even colder than the water crawling across her skin.

  Lester was dead. Lester who had trusted her enough to come on this voyage, who had just risked his life to save hers, was gone. It was all her fault.

  No it wasn't. It was that damn monster's fault. Fear slipped into anger so easily it was hard to believe the first had been there at all.

  Gergot rose to keep fighting and Melina staggered out onto deck, her hands clasped together. The gargoyle dove to her, hovering over the deck.

  "Get to safety."

  "No," she flatly refused. "I want that thing's head." She slid across the deck when the ship listed, but she made her way back to her feet. "COME GET ME!"

  It might have been nothing more than a stupid monster, but its hearing was better than decent. Melina could feel its gaze settle on her.

  "Yes, come here. I have a present for you."

  The bullets from the pirates had bounced off its scales. The cannons were impossible to fire accurately with the ship rocking in the churned sea. But when it dived directly for Melina, it's jaws open and eager, she brought the scythe around inside of its delicate mouth with a speed which made it seem as if it were a single ball of metal. It reared back, thrashing and churning the foam in its pain.

  It retreated into the depths, disappearing as if it had never been. Melina hit the water nearby and bobbed there until Gergot brought her a rope and helped her climb back aboard. The crew was once again a beehive of activity, but now it was to find out the damage the creature had done and the pump out the water the ship had taken on in order to stay afloat.

  "It ate Lester," Melina said, feeling the calm which came with her use of the ring as a pleasure. The pain would come soon enough. For now, she would rather the numbness to the pain.

  "It did," the gargoyle agreed. "That changes nothing. We still have to make it to the lighthouse."

  "Do you think he survived?"

  "You would know better than I would, child, after all, you're the one bearing Death in your every motion."

  Melina limped to the Captain's quarters and collapsed on the bed. By the time she felt sleep once more attack her limbs, she was in tears. She had failed Lester, even if he might still be alive. She had let him get eaten by a giant sea monster. Great job.

  Inside the Leviathan was all darkness and stink. Lester woke up caught on a piece of metal which as he swayed snapped under his weight dropping him even further. He found himself floating in a pool of some combination of sea water and something else. He didn't want to think about it a whole lot considering he was inside a monster. Thankfully he had missed the express elevator down into the creature's stomach.

  "Now I have to get back out of here," he said whispering for no reason.

  15

  Ring of Life

  Cassandra stumbled as she reappeared and rubbed her chest from the rising pain there.

  "Bitch," she grumbled. "She isn't supposed to have any powers."

  "They have to have gone back to the house. She doesn't know anywhere else to go." Canenda replied.

  In a heat shimmer, they left the Garden District. They would have that ring.

  Grimm had watched the short fight between Phoebe and Cassandra with a sheen of sweat over his face. He knew those bodies. Knew those powers. His own hands had warmed at the sound of the word 'Fire', as if it were reacting to something he'd forgotten. When the woman took the man with her and left, something else welled up inside him, hard and inscrutable. Jealousy. He was the one who should be with her. He
shook the idea away and came around the wall to look at the place where they fought.

  Then he followed the pair with his eyes.

  He needed to talk to her again. She had known him. Unlike everyone else he had talked to since waking, she knew him, called him by a name he almost recognized, and even seemed disappointed when he didn't respond in kind.

  Did she have the answers he needed? Probably, but now where was she going?

  He ducked back into his hiding place as Cassandra reappeared this time with someone else, another figure he was certain he recognized. They were there and gone so quickly it might have been imagination, but he didn't imagine it.

  The certainty about the woman grew stronger until it crushed all opposition to the thought he needed to find her, but how?

  A trace of heat scorch on the pavement drew his eyes and he knelt down to run his fingers through it. The soot coated his fingers and he suddenly he could see, the owner of the power was moving away from him, the scenery passing her rapidly. He pressed harder and could see it, a house in the country, a tall rambling place where there was more power, it radiated with it, strong and sure. A place of safety. Grimm let the impression wash over him. He could find it. He could find her. Peace and safety.

  Connor Volun and Phoebe Camp rode through the sparse traffic of Sun City in silence. Connor was, perhaps understandably, still back at the grand display of fireball throwing which had occurred nearly within touching distance of him. Phoebe, on the other hand, was considering the problem of Alion Grimm, or the man who looked like Grimm but didn't seem to know her. She felt broken and devastated, but there was little time to dwell upon it.

  Not when there was a creature trying to kill someone who had obviously come to her for help.

  The taxi driver, one of those who had been doing his job for long enough to recognize the difference between an unrelated pair of people who are sharing a cab and a married couple managing not to talk to each other while they are in a cab together, was actually silent as if he too could understand completely how much they each needed to be in their own minds for a moment.