Grave Dealings

by R. R. Virdi

  I had a feeling Lyshae knew that.

  Ortiz glanced at the Daoine, but her weapons remained trained on the Kitsune. “What happens if your boss dies?”

  His mouth twitched. “I’m free of my debt.” A large smile made its way across his mouth. He didn’t remove the barrel of his weapon from my head though.

  I took that personally.

  “Yes, he would go free, as in fact, would you.” Lyshae inclined her head towards Ortiz. “But poor Vincent would not.” She lifted a third finger, then a fourth, until all five digits were splayed. “You owe me three debts. One of those belongs to me.” She folded a finger back. “Two are in condition to be passed on.”

  My breathing slowed, and the front portions of my brain felt like a dry sponge crumbling to bits.

  Ortiz licked her lips, and her body tremored like she was fighting the urge to move and remain still. “She can’t do that, can she?” Ortiz’s gaze flickered to me.

  I wasn’t sure. Debts in the paranormal world weren’t much different from the mortal one. Except for the fact if you welched on one, it’d be a monster coming to collect out of your ass, not some guy with a Jersey accent. But, in principle, a debt could be passed on no different than in our world. Tabs were kept on who and what was owed—mostly between the two parties themselves. I don’t know how the mechanics worked in the Neravene, but I couldn’t count it out. If there was a possibility Lyshae could’ve sold my debts to someone else—knowing her, someone worse—then I had to take it as absolute fact. It was safer that way.

  “Kill me now, and your debts will go to beings that you do not want to be in service to, believe me in that, Vincent Graves. I know you. I know your sensibilities and the kind of man you are. And I know how to break you.” She gave me a cruel smile reserved for supervillains. Lyshae’s body blurred, and she stood several feet away from me. Her hands went into the air in a non-threatening gesture. The knife had vanished somewhere on her person faster than I could track it.

  The Daoine pulled away from me, stepping back to position himself behind me.

  Lyshae smoothed her dress like the entire situation was only mildly troublesome. “Now, shall we continue? We don’t want to be late.”

  We couldn’t have that.

  She gestured with a finger to her retainer. The Daoine fell in step as Lyshae moved down the field.

  I blinked and exchanged looks with Kelly and Ortiz before falling into jog behind Lyshae.

  “Wait!”

  I stopped and looked over my shoulder to see Kelly and Ortiz marching towards me with considerable effort. “Uh, why?”

  Ortiz looked at me like I was an idiot. “You want to try running in these?” She looked down at her pumps.

  I opened my mouth to argue but caught her glare and decided against it. Bands of leather hung in her left hand along with her revolver. I eyed it, then her. “What’s up with that?”

  She gave me another look, one that said I should know why she was carrying it. “You honestly expect me to go to a paranormal ball without my weapons?”

  “You’re carrying them.”

  “It’s a ball, with monsters. I’m no expert in your world, Vincent, but I’m sure they will be twitchy seeing a woman with guns.”

  I couldn’t argue that logic.

  Ortiz licked her lips and released a piercing whistle.

  Lyshae and the Daoine stopped in their tracks and looked back over to us.

  “Pretty boy, give me a hand?” Ortiz lifted the holsters for him to see.

  The Daoine looked at Lyshae before he nodded and moved towards us. He came to our side in a matter of seconds and waited for Ortiz to explain.

  “You wouldn’t happen to have a knife on you by any chance?”

  The Daoine bent, pulling at the cuff of one of his pant legs. A thin band of black vinyl held a sheathed blade.

  Of course Double-O-Douche had a hidden knife in his suit. I rolled my eyes.

  He pulled the blade free. It was made from a faerie metal that was a deep blue like twilight skies. The edge of the blade had patinated to carry a pattern of colors that looked like the Northern Lights. He flipped the weapon in his grip, offering it to Ortiz.

  She waved a hand to decline. “Here.” She passed her guns to me and fumbled with the holsters. With a quick snap of her hand, she brushed the slit portion of her dress aside, revealing a lot more leg. She pulled the holsters tight between her hands, stretching the material out. “Cut here”—she gestured with nod—“and here.”

  The Daoine severed the leather bands as instructed.

  Ortiz muttered a thanks and bent to fasten the strips to her leg.

  The Daoine knelt, offering a hand. “Let me.”

  Creep.

  Ortiz didn’t refuse.

  Jerk-creep.

  His knife blurred, splitting the ends of the band into thin strips. The Daoine fastened the holsters to either side of her thigh and bound their ends together. He looked up and smiled as he stowed his knife. “There.”

  “Yeah, thanks. How’s about you amscray back to your conniving, two-faced boss now, huh?” I jerked a thumb over to Lyshae, who waited patiently twenty yards from us.

  The Daoine’s mouth moved like was going to say something. Whatever it was, he considered, flashed Ortiz a grin oozing with faerie charm, and sauntered off.

  “Douche.”

  Ortiz looked at me then the Daoine. “Are you jealous?”

  “No, I’m not five.” I held up ten digits. “I’m this many.” I moved after the paranormal pair ahead.

  She snorted. “That explains a lot. He’s starting to trust me though.”

  I faltered a step. “What?”

  “I know he’s not human. I’m not stupid. You said they were manipulative. I may not know the supernatural world like you do, but I know how to game someone like him. He’s not on our side. I know that. But I can make him hesitate to try any funny business. He knows I’m a threat, and I think he likes me.”

  I grunted.

  She shot me a smile that was all teeth before nudging me. “Talk. What exactly is he?”

  I looked to my side and found Kelly lingering a few steps outside my reach. She was listening in silence, waiting for answers. They both deserved them. “A Daoine, it’s like a high faerie.”

  Ortiz blinked and threw a hand to her mouth to stop the sputtering laughter. “I’m sorry, he’s a what?”

  “A faerie, like out of the stories. They’re not all tiny specks with wings. The Daoine are the highest of fae. They look just like us, if we were perfect. That’s what makes them dangerous. Magic is as normal to them as breathing. They can glamour themselves to look normal, but they’re faster than us, stronger, and better at anything we could possibly do.”

  Ortiz sobered. “You make them sound like Superman.”

  I gave her a knowing look.

  “Oh.” Her jaw hardened. “How do you kill one?” Her gaze drifted towards the fae’s back, and I shuddered.

  “With a lot of luck and a whole lot of iron or steel.”

  Her lips pursed. “Like the Night Runners.”

  “Yeah.”

  She brushed her dress slit aside, running her hands over her guns. “Right. Got it. Anything else I need to know?”

  I shook my head. “Not that I can think of. If I come up with something, I’ll let you know.” I pointed towards the Daoine and Lyshae. “We should catch up. I don’t want to give her any more of a reason to be pissed at me.” I took a step before five bars of iron dug into my bicep. I looked back at Ortiz, arching a brow.

  “Hey, we’ll get through this. We’ll get you out.” She had a look I’d seen in her before, and I liked it. It was molten metal—fire and steel.

  “Thanks.” My voice was like smoke over gravel. I didn’t believe her just yet, but I wanted to. “Let’s go.”

  Kelly came to my side as we walked. She kept pace in silence, looking down to her phone then me.

  I didn’t prod her. She had a lot on her mind, and
if she wanted to let it out, I was going to give her the time she needed to sift through her thoughts. It’s never easy tackling the unknown. When the unknown happens to be demonic cat people, it’s even harder.

  “So.”

  I turned to look at her but didn’t slow my pace. “Yeah?”

  “Faeries. Cat people.” She swallowed and looked down at her phone again. “It’s not easy to believe.”

  “No, it isn’t. You saw it with your own eyes. Pretty sure you felt some things too. You tell me: what do you think?”

  “I don’t know. That’s not easy for me because my whole world is knowing things. It’s what I do, you know? I hack. I write. I research. I read. That’s my life. This”—she waved a finger at our surroundings—“doesn’t fit with what I know. It doesn’t add up. I’m trying to make sense of it, to make it work. It just doesn’t.”

  I remained silent.

  “Nothing—nothing—gives any shred of proof, or points to the supernatural. The things that do are blurry camera footage of unexplainable events or mythology.”

  I took a breath and placed a hand on her shoulders. She tremored under the touch until I squeezed just a bit. My hand shook from her deep breathing, but she calmed. “Kelly, if a tree falls in the forest and no one’s there to hear it, does it make a sound?”

  She stared at me.

  “No, seriously, think about it? Just because something goes unseen or unheard, it doesn’t mean it’s not out there. Just because something doesn’t make sense, doesn’t mean it’s not real. Just because something doesn’t fit our narrative or desire of what we want the world to be like, doesn’t mean it’s not true.” I gave her a gentle shake. “Look, the thing is, there are lots of sources pointing to the paranormal. I’m not just talking about your local and dashingly handsome paranormal investigator here.” I pointed to myself and smiled.

  Kelly shook her head but smiled back. The look on her face said she was humoring me and nothing more.

  “Look back through human history, eh? How many times were new ideas put out there—ones that were right—only to be shot down because someone didn’t believe? Microorganisms were ignored for the longest time. Oh, the theory about the Earth being flat—how’d that work out once someone figured out it wasn’t? Hell, some dipsticks still think it’s a conspiracy. You ever go on a thing called the Internet?”

  Kelly snorted and rubbed a hand against her face. “Okay, you have a point. But still, how can people go so long without knowing about monsters? Where’s the proof?”

  I gawked at her. “Kelly, ignoring what just happened, where isn’t the proof? You’ve seen it all around you. Where do you think so many of those horror stories and folktales come from?” She moved her mouth to speak but I waved her off. “No, really, think about it. People are experts at burying the things they don’t want to see. It’s like skeletons in the closet, but for the mind. You’re the web guru. You tell me: you ever come across a monster or paranormal video?”

  She nodded. “Of course, they’re always horrible quality—fake.”

  I arched a brow and gave her a knowing look. “Why does horrible quality mean fake? You’re saying they should look like Hollywood blockbusters? Think about it. Most people recording a paranormal event are on the fly—not counting those goofs who go looking for trouble. People are likely using their cell phone, like how you were doing back there.” I gestured behind us.

  Her mouth parted before she shut it. Kelly licked her lips and looked away for a second. “That doesn’t explain why things aren’t clear. It’s almost as if people are trying to hide what’s happening so it can’t be analyzed.”

  I didn’t know if my eyes could open any wider. “That’s what bothers you, the darkness? I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but when do you think monsters are most likely to attack people? It’s in the dark, Kelly. How good’s your night vision, because most monsters I’ve run into have excellent sight in the dark. Think of all the apex predators you can. Most hunt at night. It’s nice when your prey can’t see you.”

  She looked away again and there was a light in her eyes I didn’t like. Kelly’s body shook once again. Maybe I needed to tone it down. Maybe not. She needed to know.

  I pressed her. “Kelly, do you remember what you were like when the Bakeneko ambushed us?”

  “I was shaking. I couldn’t stop.”

  “Now imagine you’re someone—not unlike yourself just a bit ago—and you’re encountering your first monster. You’ve got a phone on hand and you start recording. How steady do you think your hands are going to be when demon cat-people are jumping around with the not-so-groovy intent of eating you?”

  The young woman’s head sank. Invisible gears were likely turning in her head.

  I wanted to make sure they clicked into place. “Kelly, the thing about this world is that people have seen these things. That’s not the issue. Never was. They don’t want to believe in them. They just can’t. Why? Because no one else does. So, what do you do? You play stupid, denial, until your mind eventually comes up with a fiction that makes it believable.”

  “You’re saying we’re conditioned to lie to ourselves.”

  I nodded. “And we’re damn good at it. Our brain makes things what we want them to be—needs them to be. We’re looking for answers to explain the unexplainable. But we don’t always have them, or we don’t like the ones that we find. So, we come up with ones we do like. That’s what happens. It ain’t right though. Here’s the thing about this life, Kelly. It’s not up to us to always have the answers, and that’s okay.”

  She blinked like I spoke a foreign language. “How can you not know? Doesn’t your job revolve around knowing?”

  I shook my head. “No. Knowing helps. It’s power. My job revolves around figuring things out—learning. There’s a difference, and the latter leads to the former. But to do that, you have to have an open mind. And you need to know that it’s okay not to have all the answers all of the time. When you try to have that, you end up forcing the wrong answers to be right. That’s a dangerous game and can lead to more trouble. We have to carry on the best we can in the face of danger and the unknown. It’s not a great gig, but it’s part of being human.” I put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

  She locked eyes with me. “That doesn’t make this any easier, you know?”

  “I know. But it’s not supposed to be easy. Trust me when I say that was never part of the deal.”

  A light similar to one I’d seen in Ortiz’s eyes flickered through Kelly’s. “For the record, your deal sucks.” She smiled.

  I returned it. “Yeah.” I dropped my voice so only I could hear it. “And I have a feeling it’s going to get worse.” I looked to Lyshae.

  “What was that?”

  I eyed Kelly, keeping my smile up. “Nothing. Do me a favor; hang by Ortiz.”

  She tilted her head, staring at me, but she complied.

  I thanked her and picked up my pace, leaving her behind. Lyshae had let some things slip, but I still didn’t know why she wanted this piece of the Neravene. As far as I could see, the place was worthless. I remembered an old adage: Looks can be deceiving. My pace doubled and I came by the Kitsune’s side, throwing a quick look over my shoulder to ensure Ortiz and Kelly were okay. I didn’t want any more surprises.

  Lyshae kept her gaze ahead but acknowledged my presence. “Yes?”

  The trickster spirit was adept at spotting when someone was fishing for info. I’d have to be clever. “So, uh, nice field, huh?”

  She didn’t say anything, but I had the feeling she thought I was stupid.

  “I mean, if you were going to claim a field, might as well pick this one, right?” See. Clever.

  Lyshae let out a breath but remained silent.

  I let out a low, long whistle. “Prime real estate, I hear it’s a buyer’s market. Needs some landscaping. Place is a bit sparse. Then there’s the cat problem. Though, think we took care of that. Pests are a pain.” I gave her a stupid grin.

>   The muscles under her right eye twitched.

  “Ayup, and you got the place pretty cheap. I mean you can’t beat free land. It’s the one thing they’re not making anymore. Though I guess in the Neravene, it just keeps on growing. Huh, that going to devalue what you’ve got?”

  “Do you remember when I slapped you?” Lyshae stopped in place, turned, and stared at me. Her chest heaved just enough to be noticeable, and her gaze was frozen daggers.

  I blinked and looked up to the sky, putting a finger to my lips. “I think so. I remember you kissing me too.”

  Her hand twitched, and I felt a sudden urge to step to the side. She smiled. “At this particular moment, I feel that it’s going to be a slap—a hard one.”

  “Heh.” I gave her a weak smile. “Don’t suppose you’re going to tell me why-oh-why you wanted this here piece of the Neravene?”

  Her smile widened. “Why, of course.”

  Both of my brows shot up. “Oh?” I wasn’t expecting Lyshae to be forthcoming. It wasn’t in her nature. Then again, just when I thought I had her figured out, she’d throw me another curveball.

  “This is one of the few paths in the Neravene that can lead to many places on foot. As you know, there are some places one cannot simply open a Way into.” Her teeth gleamed. “This allows me to work around that problem. And it’s mine.” She sounded hungry. “This is the first of many domains I plan to take, Vincent. I aim to be a lady of the Neravene.” Her eyes glowed with a light I couldn’t name. It was the sort that took hold of men and women gone mad with power or worse—a crazed gleam.

  My insides felt like they were being squeezed by rusted and frozen chains. It took me a second to catch my next breath, and the back of my tongue felt like I’d swallowed a lump of ash. I couldn’t come up with a response.

  Lyshae waved a hand ahead of me. “We’ve arrived.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  She wasn’t kidding. I don’t know how, but the scene ahead wasn’t the same as the one behind. The stalks of grass had vanished, replaced by an untouched field of snow. Stones as large as my head raced along either side to create a strip of snow in between that looked like a path. My muscles shivered on impulse. Something felt off.