by JG Jerome
Marigold flies out the front of the box and zooms down to the floor. She’s in the open, so speed and cover are her top priorities as her papa and brothers taught her. She sees an exit and squirts through the opening over the heads of the humans and then up into the pipes overhead. She looks right, then left. To the left she sees two male figures pushing at a rush through the crowd. She moves that direction and is able to confirm it’s a couple of the Shadows heading through a glass door. Before she gets to the door, she hears a series of loud booms, and the glass shatters. She flies up to get concrete between herself and whatever is breaking the glass. When the booms stop, she drops back down and flies through the doorway before flying up into the air. She sees the curly blond hair of one of the Ravens getting into a pedicab and chases after them. After about a block, she drops down in front of the passenger compartment and identifies three Ravens. She makes a burn-in landing onto the shoulder of the dark-skinned one in the center. They freak, but she holds onto Solange’s hair and screeches, “I work for Jack,” as Solange gets her hand around Marigold.
“Really, little one? Who are you?” asks Solange, holding Marigold in front of her face.
“I’m Marigold. It’s actually my brother Acorn and sister Persimmon that work for him, but Peg said she needed me for a mission to help Jack. I followed the Shadows through the portal, and I don’t have a way to get back. I need to let Jack know what is going on. Do you have a phone?”
Solange shakes her head but looks to her teammates. They both shake their heads, too.
“Do you have money?” Marigold asks.
Solange grimaces and shakes her head. Charli and Marisol frown as they realize they are penniless, too. Solange sees the Sheraton Grand up ahead as the cabbie pulls into the Arizona Center. Pitching her voice to the driver, “This is good,” she says.
The driver pulls over. He turns and says “Twenty bucks” as his eyes are drawn to the glow.
Solange intones, “Listen and obey. Nod your head if you understand.” The driver nods. “Give me all your cash. I am giving you these two tasers in trade. You will put them into your pack and forget them until morning. You will sell them to get cash. If asked, you will say some lady in a cocktail dress left them in your cab when she stiffed you. You will describe an affluent, generic hispanic woman. You will not recall any of our faces, ever. Tell it back to me.” He does, and hands over his cash. He has $235. She gives him $100 back, and then they all get out.
“Marigold, stay on my neck. Try to keep your wings under my hair. When we get inside, I want you to find a cell phone that doesn’t have a locked screen and bring it to me.”
“Okay,” says Marigold as she takes her place.
Solange says, “Ladies, hotel bar.” She points to the Sheraton.
Ten minutes later they find seats in the bar in a small booth next to a large potted plant. Marigold hops out and into the plant. Checking to ensure that the lounge singer has everyone’s attention, she buzzes up into the ceiling. She finds a perch and watches the patrons of the bar. There are a couple of likely candidates. Knowing the security settings will reset shortly, she opts for the guy in the booth that is chasing his date around the table. She drops down and grabs it. Given her weight versus the phone, she opts to drop down to the ground and slide it under the feet of the people in the booths. She stops periodically to tap the screen to keep it live. It takes her about 20 minutes to get under Marisol’s feet. She checks the screen again, and then taps her leg. A hand drops down, and Marigold cradles the phone to her and lays it into the hand. Marisol sets Marigold on the seat between herself and Solange.
Solange takes the phone and pulls up the text app. She types Jack’s number in from memory, then types,
‘Solange here. Myra’s mom brought Shadows. Ravens in the wind. Request extraction. Please call this number.’
While she is typing, Marisol gives Marigold a drink from her glass and an olive from the appetizer they ordered with wine and water.
Solange changes the ringtone, so the owner won’t recognize the ring. She murmurs, “Marigold, you did an excellent job. I’ll work with you anytime.” She smiles at the Demi-fey for a moment before turning serious. “Well, now we wait to hear from Jack.”
Chapter 11 - Rescue Operations
(Jack’s condo in Phoenix)
“Well shit!” I say as I read the text from Solange.
I call the number to hear “Solange” as the response.
“This is Jack. Sitrep.”
Solange sighs and responds, “We set up to wait for Megan’s mom to come around per the plan. I was up front with the door detail. I have Marisol and Charli with me. M-squares’ mom brought Shadows through a darkness portal and told them to destroy Trina. Myra pushed Trina and Daphne through a darkness portal of her own and closed it immediately. How can she do that, Jack? Only the Queen can do that!”
I ponder that a moment before I answer, “Think about that, Solange. You know the answer!”
“Oh! Duh! Queen of all Faerie. Okay. I’m freaking out. I was starting to get worried when I didn’t get an immediate response to the text. Sorry, my Lord. Sitrep includes Marigold followed the Shadows through. Peg sent her to observe and report, but she got caught on our side. She caught up to us as the police shot up the last two Shadows that were chasing us. We’re at the bar at the Sheraton Grand by Arizona Center.”
“Okay. I’m familiar with it. I’ll be there in thirty, forty minutes max. I’ll bring toys. Need anything else?” I say as I peel out of my tux.
“About $200 cash. I had to liberate some from a pedicab driver. I’d like to make it right.”
“Good girl. I’ll bring it. Anything else?” I pull on jeans and my leather car coat.
“That will have to do. Hurry, Jack!”
I respond, “Will do, my Love. Hang tight!” She disconnects.
“Tiphanae, you have security here at the house.” I transfer my pocket contents to my jeans and coat. Then I go to the closet and pull $200 cash out of my lockbox.
Then I reach under the bed and bring out two gun cases. One is an airline case to transport long guns. Inside are the assault 20-gauge shotgun, the 20-gauge slug gun, and a double-barrel, sawed off .410 shotgun. I hand the sawed off to Kristina, “Krissie, do you know how to use this?”
She nods, “Only pull one trigger at a time, and only when you mean to kill.” She cracks the action open and confirms it’s loaded.
“That’s right. Aim center of mass. It’s meant to be used up close. The shot will spread too much if you’re more than ten feet away to guarantee a kill shot. It works great if you push it into their abdomen before pulling the trigger, but don’t risk yourself to get into position. Birdshot is also a very effective psychological weapon.”
I pull out a smaller case and open it. There are three 9mms, a 10mm, and a matching pair of matte .45s insided. I pull out the pair of matte .45s - giving one each to Christie and Tiphanae. “Do you know what to do?” Both eject the magazines to inspect them, open the chamber to inspect it, slide the magazine back in and release the slide.
Christie nods, “I’m good, Jack.”
Tiphanae adds, “I’m set, Lord. I’ll probably rely on my own weapons, but it’s good to have backup.”
I give her a puzzled look. She responds, “Blades in my wing tips, pin feather darts that will penetrate thin walls and flesh, barb on my tail, and these.” She turns her back to me and flexes her wings to her front. Two handles stick up between her shoulder blades, with what appear to be 24” blades sheathed in her flesh. I touch the sheaths. “Yes, Lord. They are sheathed in my flesh. Elven blades that will cut through the engine of a car. I’ve actually done that.”
“Impressive. Tiphanae, you’re in charge of protecting all my ladies here and my home,” as I drop a hand to her small tight Sidhe ass. I give it a gentle squeeze. She turns to face me. “Listen to my Ladies if they offer advice. I’ll be in touch with Krissie by phone while I’m out. I will call before knocking on the door.” I close bot
h cases. I pull a box of ammo for each weapon from my desk and set them on top for the ladies. I toss two more boxes of 9mm, a box of 10mm, and a box of 20-gauge buckshot into a backpack. Then slinging it over my shoulder I grab the two cases and set them in front of the door. I pull out my iPad, and show the ladies how to check the hall cameras. Then I give each a quick kiss, grab the cases and head out the door.
Once I get to the garage, I call out “Acorn! Persimmon! Road trip! We’re going to rescue your sister and some Ravens.” They fly out of the wheel wells as I hit the alarm and pop the hatch. I set the cases in the back and pull the cover over to hide the contents. The little ones fly in while I’m doing that. “Do you have enough provisions?”
Acorn laughs, “For a week, Lord.” I close the hatch, and we’re off.
Persimmon watches the passenger window for side threats, and Acorn watches our six. I call Kristina enroute and update them all on what I know. We agree with Christie’s thought that the killing Trina plot smells heavily of her sister’s influence rather than the Dread Lord. Kristina rightly picks up that I’m blaming myself for not staying to deal with Ariana and tries to talk me out of my guilt. Tiphanae and Christie join in on that, but I’m not done berating myself yet. It’s a good activity for driving through a dark city. We hang up, and I hurry downtown.
This is the longest 30-minute drive I can recall in recent history. I have Persimmon call Solange back, so I can watch the road as we pass Roosevelt. By the time we are pulling onto Fillmore, Solange is shepherding her charges out the front door. They are waiting for me as I pull up to them on 3rd Street. I stop. Acorn calls out ‘Clear,’ and I get out of the CRV. I give each of the ladies a hug and a quick, passionate kiss.
The doorman approaches as I lift the hatch and roll the curtain back. “Sir, you can’t park here.”
I pop open the small case and grab a Glock and a Sig that matches mine. “Not staying long.” I tell him. Then to Solange, “9-mils. I have a 10mm Desert Eagle too, plus the two shotguns you’re familiar with.”
The doorman’s eyes pop out of his head, figuratively of course. As he quickly backpedals to the safety of the door. Solange says, “9-mils all around. I’ll take the assault gun. Put the slug gun in the back seat between my ladies.” About that time I am washed by a wave of despair from Trina.
I take a big breath and then shake it off. I nod and hand out the weapons. “Where is Marigold?” I ask.
I see her face peek out from under Solange’s hair with a big smile, “Here, Jack!”
I smile back. “OK then, mount up ladies.”
Everyone gets settled, and I pull carefully away from the curb as I see a patrolman running up the sidewalk toward us with his firearm drawn. We take off south on 3rd street as Solange’s eyes light up. I think we’ll find him if you take a left at the next street.”
I turn left on Monroe when she says, “Stop. Give me the cash, Jack.” I pull the wad of bills out of my coat pocket and hand it to her. She hands me the shotgun and jumps out, leaving the door open. She runs back towards symphony hall, where there are a couple of pedicabs sitting. “Hey!” She yells, she points at one of them, and then makes a ‘come here’ motion with her arm holding the cash. He checks for oncoming traffic and then rolls up next to her in the street. Her eyes glow and I see him pull a backpack up. He withdraws two tasers, and she trades him the cash for them. Then she leans in, kisses his cheek, and runs back to the SUV.
She jumps in saying “Go.” I pull out as the door closes with the pedicab hot on my tail. I see the running policeman arrive at the corner of 3rd street and Monroe behind me, so I turn right on 7th Street and take it down to Buckeye. I then head west to 7th Ave, which then lets me get back on I-10 to head to SR-51 and then home.
I hear the little ones in the back quietly talking.
“Is everyone okay?” I ask.
I hear a chorus of six ‘yes, lord’ responses. I pull my ‘top secret’ phone out and hand it to Solange. “Please text the number for Trina and ask her to check in.” She looks at it with a funny expression, then does what I ask.
Before long I hear a ping. Solange reads it, “We can’t talk now. We’ll text when free. - D.”
“Okay. Please text the number for Peg. Tell her ‘We have Marigold, and she’s safe.’ Also tell her the Ravens were attacked and the Princesses were lost.”
Solange sobs at that, but nods and does as I ask. We hear a ping before long, and then Solange reads the response, “Aye. Crazy shit going on here. I’m hiding. Will contact you when I can.”
I frown before responding, “Well, crap. Okay, that’s about all we can do for now.” I use the car’s phone app to call Kristina.
“Jack! Are you okay?”
I smile at her concern. “I’m fine, Krissie. I have Solange, Charli, Marisol, and Marigold with me. I took Acorn and Persimmon with me, too. We’re all safe and sound. I’m worried about everyone else. Megan may have been playing a deception plan for her mother.”
I hear Christie’s voice, ”I texted Megan, Jack. She said she can’t talk right now. Nothing else. That’s definitely out of character.”
“Thanks for checking, Sweetie. We’re about 15 minutes out. I’ll text you from the garage. Love you all.”
I hear a chorus of ‘Love you too’ chime through the speaker. That causes us all to chuckle a little bit. It’s good to lighten the mood a bit as I ring off.
I call towards the back, “Acorn, do you want Marigold with you on your post? I’m thinking it might be good to have her in the apartment to be able to run messages back and forth. Same terms for her contract as you and Persimmon if she agrees. I’m assuming you have to negotiate for her since she’s not quite an adult yet.”
“That sounds good to me, boss,” his high tenor voice responds. “I’ll take her up to the apartment to show her how to use the vents like we do. Persimmon will be in charge of the car while I’m gone.”
I smile as I notice how he is really taking to his team lead role.
We pull into the garage, and dismount the vehicle. Acorn and Marigold take off immediately. I text Kristina as Solange hands her pistol to Marisol before putting the shotguns in their case. Marisol returns the pistol to Solange and grabs the pistol case. Charli grabs the backpack and slings it over her left shoulder, sticking her pistol-toting hand under her left armpit. I lock up the CRV as we walk to the lift. We make it into the condo without any further drama.
Chapter 12 - Trina’s Adventure
(Sedona, Arizona - Winter Court Compound)
Trina and Daphne stumble through the darkness to arrive in...darkness. There’s a slight glow from a computer monitor in screen saver mode. It’s enough light for Trina to figure out she’s in Myra’s office in Sedona.
“Shit!” exclaims Trina. “You okay, Daphne?”
“Yeah, Trina. You?”
“Yeah.”
Daphne asks, “Do you know where we are?”
“Yeah, this is Myra’s office in Sedona. Leave the lights off if you don’t need them.”
“No, I’m good. Why do I feel like I’m in enemy territory in my own home?”
Trina chuckles, “Because you are. I think the bitch wants me dead! Besides, you’re not part of the Winter Court anymore.”
Daphne responds, “Huh? I don’t know what you mean by that, but I think your right on what she was trying.”
Trina chuckles again, “You don’t know what I mean? You have one of these, right?” She touches the bite scar and it glows as she concentrates on her connection to Jack.
Daphne shows a huge grin as she also lights her commitment to her man and her lord. “I wonder if that’s why she wants you dead. Maybe she can feel it.”
Trina frowns as she ponders that. “I don’t think so. Somehow, I expect she was behind the explosives and sending Silk after me. I barely knew Jack then. I still don’t know why. I suspect we’ll find out before too long.”
Daphne asks, “Okay, so we’re in enemy territory. We need to get ba
ck to our lord. What’s the plan?”
Trina thinks for a moment. “We go pack a bag with whatever we can’t live without and change into battle togs. We take my Yukon down to Phoenix and join Jack and figure out how to rescue the rest of the ladies.”
Daphne nods, “Works for me. Go together? Or meet afterwards? I don’t have much. Maybe a roller bag.”
“I’ll meet you in your room. My packing will take almost no time at all. Ready?”
“Let’s do it.”
Trina opens the door and walks out with purpose. Daphne follows her out and starts towards the elevator to the residential level for staff. Trina pulls the door shut and follows. They take the lift down three levels to the staff dormitory. Trina’s room is three units past Daphne’s on the other side of the hall.
Daphne grabs Trina’s hand to stop her. She kisses her, and tells her, “I love you Tee. Be careful, okay?”
Trina smiles at her, “I love you too, Dee. See you in a moment.”
They part and Daphne goes into her apartment. Trina hurries down to hers. Getting inside, she reaches into her decolletage and pulls out a cream cloth swatch that matches her dress. She unwraps it to reveal a black brownie bag. Opening it, she pulls her pistol and her phones out of the bag and lays them on the bed. Then she pulls down her gown’s zipper under her left arm, and slides the single strap off her left shoulder. She peels herself out of the bodice and then hangs it back on the hanger. She pulls her duffle bag out from under the bed and puts the ‘armoire’ brownie bag on the back of the door, opens it, and puts the dress inside before closing it and folding the bag back to to inside the duffle. She pulls out the laundry drawer and pulls out a clean set of cargo tights, stretch tank, and socks. She pulls them on and then sits to put on her tac boots. She puts her dress shoes into another brownie bag. She picks up her headphones, iPad, a large binder of piano music, and a small needlepoint throw pillow. Setting them into the empty laundry drawer, she takes another look around the little apartment.