Broken Quill

by Joe Ducie

  “Mate, she was dressed as a slutty pumpkin. I was the handsome zombie. It’s like we were destined to be together.”

  “I think I’ve heard this story before.”

  “We had an awesome night. A really awesome night. She was great. Just… just lovely to be around, you know?” He sighed. “Her name was Amber, and she was killed the next day in a car accident, just off Leach Highway. Drunk driver.”

  “Are you comparing the night of broken twilight when I forfeited my shadow and Tal’s soul was blasted across the endless realms of creation, forcing the Degradation and my exile, to a slutty pumpkin? Or the day Clare was torn apart by a horde of undead on the Plains of Perdition, to a dalliance you had a year ago at a children’s party?”

  “I…” Ethan snorted. “Yes.”

  “I’ve killed men for less.” But was I being fair to the lad? No, not really. “Have you ever heard of a man named James Thorn?”

  “Thorn?” Ethan shrugged. “No, can’t say that I have.”

  “I didn’t think you had, no. He was a soldier—a Knight Infernal—during the Tome Wars. Bit of a prick, but a loveable prick.”

  “Thorn. Prick. Nice.”

  “We were at the Infernal Academy together, started in the same year, at the Fae Palace. He was a funny guy. Born in Zambia, in this world. Black as the ace of spades and always smiling. Always. Could do some really impressive tricks with bands of concentrated Will: hide entire ships in cloaks of invisibility or reinforce armor plating until it was damn near indestructible. You could fly those ships through the heart of the sun without melting the ice in your scotch.”

  “Is he…? He’s dead, isn’t he?”

  I clapped my hands together twice and pointed at him. “Got it in one, Reilly. Yes, he’s dead. Anyway, growing up, he was always laughing about how one day he was going to steal an Eternity-class cruiser—think of a spaceship, like the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars—and become an outlaw in the Uncharted Realms.”

  “Uncharted Realms?”

  “The thousands upon thousands of worlds in Forget that have never been explored but exist as sparkling jewels of the Story Thread nonetheless.”

  “Oh.”

  Sophie should have long since returned from the washroom. She was giving Ethan and me our moment. “Yeah, he had a dream. Handsome space pirate. I think James just liked the idea of flying through the unknown, world to world, universe to universe, away from the Knights and the Renegades and the Tome Wars. We all had something we’d rather be doing, back then. For me, that was Sophie’s sister.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “He never made it beyond Voraskel.”

  Ethan turned the word over on his tongue. “Voraskel? I almost don’t want to ask…”

  “One of the worst battles of the Tome Wars. Best left forgotten, you know. They’ll still be burying the dead there long after we’ve moved on. A lot of friends died, and died hard. My point is bereavement, Ethan, the demise of someone, death, passing away… everyone deals with it on their own.” A curious thought occurred to me then. “And it’s okay to be afraid, you know.”

  Ethan fell silent, and a moment later Sophie returned. It took her all of half a second to judge the silence and sigh.

  “What are you boys talking about?”

  “Nothing helpful, I guess.” Ethan turned his palms toward the ceiling and paused. A knock on my front door shook him out of his reverie. “I don’t know where I was going with that Halloween story, Declan. Sorry.”

  I stepped across the shop, navigating the maze of books once more, under the evanescent chandeliers. The sun hadn’t set, but the sky visible through the tall windows was burned orange and darkening fast.

  Annie Brie was at the door, looking tired but standing strong in her brown leather jacket. A pair of sunglasses hung from the collar of her blouse.

  I flipped over my ward sign, unlocked the door, and tried to look chipper. “Detective Brie, three times in one day? Don’t tell me something else has happened.”

  I stepped aside and let her cross the threshold of my shop. She looked around, mildly interested, at the near-impenetrable stacks of books, haphazardly strewn about the place and along the bulging bookcases. As most did, she took a deep breath and enjoyed the scent of leather-bound tomes.

  “No. I’ve just come from the latest crime scene in Osborne Park. It was…” She grimaced. “It was messy. Detective Grey and I believe you may need police protection, given the events of the day.”

  “Oh?” I chuckled. “You believe it, but Grey wasn’t so easy to convince, was he?”

  Brie opened her mouth to speak but then caught sight of Sophie and Ethan and fell short. “Miss Levy, Mr. Reilly. How are you?”

  “Right as rain,” Ethan said. “Clean bill of health from the hospital. We were just leaving, actually.”

  Sophie and Ethan linked arms. “Yes, off to make dinner and see a movie.”

  “Be careful out there,” I said and meant it. “You can stay here tonight, you know.”

  An unspoken warning laced my words. Sophie and Ethan heard it well. Brie looked confused, her eyes darting among our small little group. She sensed what we weren’t talking about.

  “Probably safer away from you.” Sophie chuckled. “Story of my life, right? Good evening, Declan. Detective.”

  Ethan waved his goodbye, and Sophie gave me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before they departed back to the university campus and their shared accommodation.

  After they were gone, I looked at Brie and shoved my hands into my pockets, rocking back and forth on my heels. “So you’re here to protect me?”

  “Yes.”

  “From what?”

  Brie blinked. “Seriously? You were shot at today, and someone is killing people to taunt you. In the law enforcement business, we call that a reasonable concern. I’m with you until midnight, while a uniform rotation is worked out; then you’ll have two officers on protective detail until we catch whoever’s responsible. Sound good?”

  No, that did not sound good. I needed room to work, to direct my attention on whomever or whatever had targeted me. Again, I could flee to Forget—there were plenty of places to hide along the Story Thread, the nerve center of all creation, but even then the Knights or the Renegades would find me eventually. They had their ways. And if I fled True Earth… damned twice.

  “I’m going to call you Annie from now on.”

  “Detective Brie, please, Mr. Hale.”

  I nodded and shrugged into my waistcoat, holstering a copy of Midnight Steel by Issac Groust, a former king of the Knights Infernal. Annie looked at me funny but said nothing. “Dinner time, I should think. Care to join me at Paddy’s Pub, just down the road?”

  “For your own protection I think we should order in—”

  “Nonsense. It’s steak night at Paddy’s. My kingdom for the half-kilo rump steak, medium rare, Annie Brie. With pepper sauce, of course.”

  I stepped outside, holding the door open for Annie, and flipped my ward sign back over to “Closed.” An invisible shimmer of power rippled across the storefront, making us both shiver.

  “What was that?”

  “Magic force fields. Come along now, I’ll lead the way.”

  Chapter Five

  Emissary

  The atmosphere in Paddy’s Pub was always one of merriment and a taste of wild abandon. I think the same could be said for Irish pubs the world over. Something about tables squirreled away in little nooks, pretty bargirls, and strong, warm walls adorned with aluminum drink placards, for Guinness and Bulmer’s and good, strong Jameson’s, that sat well with the soul.

  “I’m getting the steak,” I said and pushed the menu aside without even opening it. Annie and I sat at a table for two on the edge of the dining room across from the bar. Soft shadows danced along the wall from a dozen tea light candles scattered across the tables. “Good steak here. Scotch fillet for around thirty dollars. With pepper or garlic sauce. Or both. None of that heal
thy salad nonsense, either; just a stack of chips or mash.”

  “I’ve not been hungry all day. Especially after what happened.” Annie inhaled a deep breath of the warm air wafting over from the kitchen. “But right now I could eat enough for three.”

  “I recommend the steak.”

  “Yes, I get that. But let’s pretend for a moment I don’t want to eat a half-kilo of meat. Anything else you’d recommend?”

  I thought about it. “You know… I don’t know. I’ve always gotten the steak.”

  “What about the gnocchi?”

  I flinched. Last time I’d brought a woman here, she’d gotten that particular dish. And a few days later killed me. No, that wasn’t fair. I’d already been dying. She’d just made sure of it.

  “Gnocchi’s a brave offering for an Irish pub, don’t you think?”

  Annie folded her menu and played with her tall glass of lemon, lime, and bitters. “Perhaps the vegetable pie.”

  We ordered and made small talk until our food arrived. A nothing-conversation about wine, books, and the merits of fine scotch. Topics best avoided until after dinner included the grisly murders, the attempt on my life, Annie’s shooting, and the weather.

  “You’re engaged,” I said, gesturing to the modest white gold band on her ring finger, as we were finishing our dinner. Time had flown by, as it often does in good, warm company.

  “Yes.” Annie smiled. “My fiancé, Brian.”

  “Brian. He a policeman, too?”

  “A paramedic, actually. Drives an ambulance for St. John’s.”

  I nodded—a fine job. Men like Annie’s Brian cleaned up the awful messes I made.

  “How about you, Mr. Hale? A girlfriend?” She eyed my waistcoat. “Or boyfriend?”

  I chuckled and swirled my scotch around in the glass, rattling the ice. The new girl on the bar didn’t know I took it neat, when I took it at all... “Neither, but I do tend toward women when the mood takes me. So yes, single—not really looking.”

  “Afraid someone’s going to take a shot at her?”

  Now that hit close to home. The last, and only, two women I’d ever been involved with had both died in my place: Tal Levy, Sophie’s sister, to the Everlasting Oblivion five years ago, on the eve of the Degradation; and Clare Valentine just a few short months past, to a horde of undead on the Plains of Perdition.

  “Let’s not talk about that nasty business,” I said.

  “If you don’t tell us what trouble you’re in, we can’t help you.” Annie leaned in close across the table. The precious stone in her engagement ring sparkled as she pressed her fingertips against the back of my hand. “Declan, you can trust me—and the police. We can protect you.”

  I stared into her kind, jade-green eyes and sighed. “You got it backward, sweet thing. I’m protecting you.”

  “From what?”

  “Emily,” I said and almost choked on a sip of scotch.

  Annie frowned. “Who’s Emily, and why do I need protection—?”

  “Sorry, no.” I was gazing across the restaurant at a woman standing near the specials board—steak and nine-dollar pie and pint night—looking fine and smiling a smile just for me. She had caught my eye and took that as invitation to join us.

  “Emily,” I said, as she drew level with our table. Memories of this woman dressed in red, her lips pressed against mine as she slipped a dagger between my ribs, harvesting my blood to traverse the path to Atlantis, danced through my mind. “Oh, Emily.”

  “My, my, my, Declan Hale, at a loss for words? Come now, you’re far more charming than this.”

  “You look well.” Emily wore a devastatingly gorgeous dress, cut off just above the knee and strapless, exposing a soft canyon of cleavage. Her auburn hair hung in gentle waves down over her shoulders. She was glowing, of course, and the bump in her belly was the reason for that. She was pregnant—heavily so. “Radiant, gorgeous, beautiful. Graceful. Like a fine wine, you just keep getting sweeter.”

  The Immortal Queen of the Renegades laughed—an honest laugh, happy and true. “Oh, much better. Who’s your friend, Declan?” She smiled at Annie, her eyes alight and teeth oh-so white. “I love your hair. So dark and straight.”

  “Thank you.” Oblivious to the truth, my young detective fell that much closer to Forget. “I’m Annie. Congratulations on your pregnancy.”

  Emily wrapped her arms around her baby bump. “Thank you, Annie.”

  “How far along are you?”

  “Close to six months.”

  I edged the steak knife off the table and closed my fist around it. Emily Grace had good reason to hate me—I had killed her husband, King Morpheus Renegade. She had returned the favor and killed me, as well, but I hadn’t had the good grace to stay dead.

  “So, are you two here together on a date?” Emily asked. That friendly glint in her eye turned sharp. “You’re wearing a lovely ring, Annie. Don’t tell me you managed to make Declan commit. From what I know of him, he’s a hard man to tie down.”

  I laughed. “Depends who’s doing the tying, I suppose.”

  “No, no. Declan and I have only just met this morning. I’m a detective with the WA Police and he’s... he’s consulting on a case for us.”

  Emily looked positively chuffed. “Is he now? Always such a helpful boy. Not in any trouble, are you, Declan?”

  “No more than usual, ma’am.” I shrugged. Annie was watching me carefully. “So how long are you back in town for, Em? I’d heard work was keeping you quite busy. Didn’t you recently get promoted?”

  “The sole queen of my own little kingdom, yes. I’m actually leaving tonight, but I thought I’d see if I could surprise you first.”

  “I am somewhat surprised to see you, yes.”

  Annie’s pocket rang. She pulled out her phone and frowned at the screen. “It’s work. Excuse me for a minute.”

  I made to rise as she left the table, but she was gone in a flash, outside into the courtyard. Emily trailed her hand across my shoulder and along my back, before sitting down in Annie’s chair.

  “You like her,” she said, resting her chin on her palm and smiling. Her lips were full, red, and damnably inviting.

  I sat down, placed the steak knife back on my plate, and adjusted my waistcoat. “She’s engaged.”

  “Even so. I watched you for a good long while before you noticed me. You smile when she smiles, and I know you only bring your favorites to this charming place.” Emily reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “She even looks somewhat like that girl you lost in Atlantis. What was her name again? I fear you’re setting yourself up for more heartache, Arbiter.”

  “Tal. Her name was Tal.” Her soul and essence, scattered across the Void, had been ensnared by Lord Oblivion, one of the fabled Everlasting—old gods and old sods. “Even if I was looking for dating advice, I don’t think the woman who killed me is a fair and unbiased source.”

  “Oh, why do you wound me—”

  “Can I have my Roseblade back?”

  “—when I’m here to save your life tonight?”

  I tossed back the last of my scotch and swallowed hard. “And why should I believe that, Captain Fantastic?”

  For the first time Emily looked something less than radiant. Her smile faded, and I saw a glimpse through one of the many masks she wore so well. The Immortal Queen was terrified. “Forget has changed in the last few months, Declan. You’ve not been back, have you? Jon Faraday did not rescind your exile for unmaking the Degradation and killing poor Morpheus.”

  “I’m too much of a threat to his lordship for that. Half of Ascension City, the half that doesn’t want me dead, wants me on the Dragon Throne.”

  “Well, my exiled king, given my late husband’s betrayal in Atlantis, Faraday and I are currently not on speaking terms either, which suits me just fine; however, there are rumors… rumors he’s made an alliance.”

  “An alliance? With who? After the Knights, you and your Renegade armies are one of the greatest thre
ats in all Forget. Hell, you could level Ascension City with the Roseblade.”

  “Not a who—a what.” Emily looked out the window and into the night, at Annie in the courtyard. “And Declan, my dear, your diplomacy skills are sorely lacking. A king should know better.” She offered me a wicked grin. “It’s an ugly fault of yours. We’re not at war anymore, thanks to you. This is peacetime. Stop thinking in absolutes of destruction, and perhaps fewer people will die around you.”

  “Point.” I suppose. “An alliance with what then?”

  “Atlantis’s return has changed things… so many things. Forget is in flux, and the Story Thread trembles. Declan, Faraday has forsaken True Earth in exchange for clemency against what you know was hiding in Atlantis.”

  I scoffed, but a sliver of fear squirmed in my gut. Tal... you wouldn’t let It. “That’s absurd.”

  “Which is why I’m here telling you. Why you’re needed once again, to embrace and fight the absurd. The Shadowless Arbiter, a madness to be reckoned with, yes? All the Knights across this world, guarding the waypoints through the Void, have been recalled to Ascension City. Earth has been abandoned to at least one of the Everlasting, and any Knight—or Renegade, for that matter—will be slaughtered by Emissary. Such is the nature of King Faraday’s bargain.”

  Emissary? “Good thing I’m not a Knight or a Renegade then.”

  “I think, in your case, Emissary will not make the distinction.” Emily gazed out of the window again and shivered. “It’s coming, Declan. If you weren’t so blind, you’d have already seen the signs. It’s here. I’m leaving True Earth as soon as our conversation is done. Can’t you feel it? It’s coming for you tonight. Now.” She leaned forward and cupped my cheek. “Hey, sweet thing, didn’t you used to be someone?”

  “How’s it know where to find me?”

  Emily almost laughed. “Are you serious? It’s never lost you. Shadowless as you are, your very existence is a blight upon the face of the world. Creatures such as Voidlings or Emissary are drawn to you. Can’t you feel it? Or has that disgusting drink you’re always sipping dulled what little sense you possess?”

  “I—” I could see that Emily believed every word she was speaking. Every damn word. Either that, or the scotch had dulled my senses—mayhap why I drank so much of the stuff—and I was being played. Perhaps both those options were true. You didn’t rise to the head of one of the largest armies in existence without thinking a few steps ahead, and Emily, for as long as I’d known her, had always been more than a few steps ahead of me.