by Carrow Brown
Vainya huffed. “Read the book, Ghost, and make more friends. It will be good for you.” He turned to go once more. “Keep an ear out and let me know what else you hear concerning magic.”
“Sure.” I frowned as Vainya started to walk away. “Where are you going?”
He paused, turning his head in my direction. “To research. If I can deduce a solution for our dilemma with the Manor, with the waystones, with magic more generally, then I must.” His head turned away. “Otherwise, we are facing extinction.”
The chimera vanished into the hallway, leaving me with a box, a bottle of booze, and a horrible feeling about the future. “Fuck, I should have gotten a twin pack of vodka at Costco,” I muttered, looking down at my bottle. I pulled the cap off and took a drink before sitting on one of the chairs in the room.
Vainya meant well, and I knew he wanted me to go out and meet others. I used to have a good group of friends in the past, but I rarely spoke to them these days. Vampires, witches, dark elves, and tricksters tended to be my company of choice. They, like me, lived in a gritty reality where others hated us and blamed us for situations we didn’t cause. After my incident, I distanced myself from them and rarely associated with others.
Hey. He-e-y, Silence said. Can we go kill the guy now?
I closed my eyes and mentally counted to three before speaking. “Silence, read the mood of the room, please.”
I did, and I don’t care. Murder? Now?
Lifting the bottle up, I estimated about four more swallows left. “Why don’t you make another haiku while I finish this off?”
Silence let out a frustrated sound. Do I have to? Why are you making me do these again?
“Because I am tired of you acting like you don’t understand the meaning of my words to get away with shit. Writing poetry requires you to process the various meanings of the words and string them together elegantly.”
Okay, fine. I have a new haiku.
I closed my eyes with a long sigh. “That was quick. Hit me.”
Cut slash stab slice lots. Cut slash stab slice even more. Are they dead yet? Stab.
Rolling my eyes, I said, “I really hate you sometimes.”
Great. When are we going?
“Later.” I tucked my hand into the pocket of my parka. “After I meet the client for the deposit and—” My hand curled around the postcard. “Shit, I forgot to give this to Vainya.”
I pulled it out, and my eyes roamed over the postcard of the green countryside with the words “Gobnet, Ireland” stamped on the top. The postcard was addressed to me. I flipped it over and read the flowing handwriting with more loops in the purple letters than seemed strictly necessary.
Ghost. Call me. Now. Badb.
“Speak of the devil and she shall appear,” I muttered. “Well, we’re going out again.”
Cool. Can we—
“Ask me again and I am shoving you into a box.”
Silenced huffed, Fine.
The door to the Manor clicked closed behind me as I walked down the path toward the stream. I ambled down the road toward the waypoint but walked past it. My ears picked up the soft sound of a brook gurgling beyond the tree line of the woods. I couldn’t trust my usual method of travel until I knew what was wrong but hitching a ride with a water elemental was always a safe—even if wet—bet.
I approached the water and tapped it with my foot. Nothing happened. Sighing, I tapped it once more and waited. When the water elemental showed, it only peaked the top part of its head at me, see-through with a rotating tortoise for hair.
When it didn’t surface farther, I asked, “Can I hitch a ride? I’m willing to trade a favor for time used.”
It didn’t respond right away, its eyes peering at me from the water for the better part of five minutes before pushing its head out completely to look at me. Its head held some semblance of a face, but this changed continuously because of the flow of water. Clearwater, bubbles, and even a tiny fish swimming inside of its head made up the substance of its face and formed its expressions. Its voice sounded of gurgles, bubbles, and drips. “What can you offer?”
“Anything, depending on what you want.”
Its head dunked back into the water, and I tapped my booted foot as I waited several moments before it reappeared. “Sindhu has a plastic bottle issue. If you fix that, you may travel with me for a week.”
“Ugh,” I tilted my head up at the dark sky. “I can clean it up, but it will probably come back so long as humans live there.”
“That is fine. Any help will do Sindhu good.”
Looking back to the elemental, I sighed. “All right, deal. Once things quiet down on my end, I’ll go out there and pick up what I can.”
A thin tendril of water reached out toward me. “Where?”
My hand grasped it. “Gobnet, Ireland, please.”
CHAPTER SIX
Guy in a Ghillie Suit
Water exploded from the surface of the river in a rush. It engulfed me, pulling me off my feet and tumbling me around and around until I wasn’t sure which way was up and which way was down. I held my breath as flashes of landscape passed by faster than I could register them. Just as my vertigo started to make me cross-eyed, I found myself flying. I landed with a wet smack on the side of a riverbank.
Getting to my feet, I shook myself free of the water. It was nighttime where I surfaced from the river, the woods about me dusted with snow. I pushed wet hair from my face, checked the time and nodded. Two AM wasn’t a bad time to call a tri-goddess of war and death.
I freed my phone from its plastic baggy and let it find the local network before punching in the number. I expected it to ring several times, but it picked up on the first to a frantic voice. “Badb?”
“No, Ann,” I drawled. “It’s Ghost. You asked me to call?”
“What? Ghost? No, we didn’t.”
“I have a postcard in my hand saying otherwise.”
“It must’ve been Badb. Have you seen her? She’s gone missing.”
I drew a breath in through my nose. If Anann was worried, it meant Badb had been gone for longer than normal. I kept my voice calm. “Did you really lose her? You know it’s bad luck to lose soothsayers.”
“Bite me, bitch.”
I grinned. “When I feel like stringy wolf, I’ll take you up on it.” Turning, I looked up at the moon. “I’m in Saint Gobnet’s Wood. I’ll prowl about and see if I can find her frolicking somewhere.”
There was a sigh. “Yes, please. Call us if you find her.”
“Will do.” I ended the call and tucked the phone away. “If I was a slightly nutty goddess, where would I hide?”
“Behind you.”
“Fuck!” I whirled around to find a young woman standing there. “Dammit, Badb!” I took a breath to steady my heart and looked her over before asking, “Why are you naked in the woods in the dead of night?”
“I am not naked,” she responded, her tone of the bluest nobility. “I’m skyclad. It is very fashionable.” Her pale skin glowed in the moonlight, her black hair flowing like silk as she moved. Physically she didn’t appear older than fifteen, her body of a petite teenage girl about to mature into womanhood but never would. Her expression was one of wonder, always seeing things for the first time.
“Various people will argue that you’re jailbait and frolicking in the woods.” I took off my jacket and tossed it to her. “Put it on, please. I can’t take you seriously when you’re naked.”
“You take me seriously?” She pulled on the garment over her shoulders. The parka covered well below her knees and reminded me of when my foster daughters tried to wear my clothes when they were children. “Did you get my postcard?”
“Yeah, hence why I am here with your naked ass. Can we walk and talk, or do we have to stay here?”
She looked up at the sky, her eyes mirroring the starry night. “In my vision, I was here with your jacket. So, we must stay.” Badb turned her head to me, her eyes black with stars twinkling within. �
�I can never see you in the visions.”
“Fascinating,” I said with false interest. “Why are we talking in the middle of the woods instead of at your cozy cottage? You know your sisters are worried for you, right?”
She shuddered, pulling the jacket tighter around her slim form. “I had a dream. A terrible dream.” Her head jerked back to me, wide and unfocused. “Beware your dreams. They are looking.”
There’s cryptic and then there’s bat-shit crazy, Silence said. Why are you friends with her again?
I grunted at Silence, keeping my voice soothing. “I’ll beware them. Can I take you home now?”
Her arms spread as she spun in a circle, head tilted up to stare at the moon. “In the end, there is the beginning with one the same and the other different. The deaf will hear the screams of those ignored.” She stopped moving, her eyes locked on my face. “And the end will become the beginning.”
For a divine being, Silence said, his mental expression mirroring my own skeptic feeling, she needs to be a patient somewhere with padded walls and color therapy.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “You know I hate the cryptic shit, Badb. Why can’t you speak plainly?”
Eyes bright and grinning wide, she placed a finger to her lips with the purest conspiracy as she whispered, “Secret.” Badb let out a giggle and skipped through the falling snow. “I picked a new avatar! He is nice, tall, and smells good. He’s done much, but what he will do is what matters. When I saw his future, I was able to see him with you.”
I felt my forehead crease, adding pressure to the dull headache at my temples. “That’s not consistent. You said you don’t see me in your visions and now you do?”
Badb stopped prancing to glance at me with unfocused eyes. “I know. It is the first time.”
“Tell me what you saw. It’s not uncommon for a foretelling to go astray, even from you.”
Badb sniffed. “I saw you two in the dark, facing off against a magi and an Outer One.”
A shiver ran down my back at the mention of an Outer One. There were creepy things looking to eat your face off and then there were them. “You’re completely certain? You’re not mistaking any of it?”
“I am not. I consulted the bones and the many paths. They all led to that moment. I had to fetch him quickly or the window would close and then there would be no success for us.”
“Success of what?”
Her eyes flashed red. “Life.”
“Whose life?”
Badb’s eyebrows drew together. “I’m not sure now.”
“Okay.” I stepped over and wrapped an arm about her. “I am taking you home.”
“No.” She struggled against my hold, and I released her. “You were a mistake.”
I sighed. “Well aware, Badb. I have a daily reminder called a mirror.”
“You’re killing us every day!”
That logically doesn’t make sense, Silence said. We would’ve killed them all by now.
Shaking my head, I said, “You know that’s not true, Badb.”
“It’s a slow death. Everything is wrong. This is not how things should be.”
“Then how do we fix it?”
Her gaze met mine. “It must start anew. The soil is tainted by the plants that grow in it.” She shuddered and then shook her head. In a moment she’d moved, her small hands holding me in a death grip. “Listen!” She shook my shoulders frantically, eyes wild. “Don’t listen but listen.” Her small hands pulled me closer to her until our noses were touching. “They’re speaking and you are blind, deaf, and mute!”
I rested my hands on her forearms. “All right, who am I listening to?”
“The one shouting. Do you not hear it?”
I paused, listening to the area around us, and kept still as I tried to pick out anything that didn’t belong. “I don’t hear anything.”
“Just listen, please. Keep listening.” Her young face aged and eyes drooped. “I’m so tired. I want to go home.”
“Your wish is my command.”
Her eyes shone in the dark from unshed tears. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean it. You are my friend.”
I grunted. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
Badb’s gaze traveled over the surrounding wood. “I worry about many things.” She blinked, and her expression became one of joy. “Have I told you about my new avatar? I got him a few days ago. He is so new—still has that new-person smell!”
Her shift in mood formed knots inside my stomach. Badb, although in the form of a teenage girl, wasn’t prone to abrupt mood swings. A little loopy sometimes, but never serious to joyous in a single breath.
She leaned toward me. “I can’t wait for you to meet him.”
“Yeah?” My lips pulled back into a smile. “When do I get to meet the guy?”
Pain exploded in my right shoulder as the crack of gunfire filled the air. Biting off a curse, I rolled and placed my back to a tree while Badb danced in the moonlight. “Dammit, Badb,” I snapped. “What are you doing?”
She pulled my jacket about her frame as she faced me, eyes sparkling with mischief. “I told him to incapacitate you, so no killing him, okay?”
Another crack of gunfire cut off my retort, and a part of the tree above me splintered outward. “Not cool, Badb!”
She wagged a finger at me. “This is for your own good. You’ll see.” Before I could say another word, she pranced off and disappeared into the trees.
Another shot thundered, and the side of the tree exploded by my head. Splinters flew and a stinging sensation spread over my cheek. Facts whirled in my mind—right shoulder shot, dominant arm, the same arm I’d handed my jacket over with. I pressed a hand to my deltoid and tensed the muscle. It hurt, but I couldn’t feel the bullet anywhere.
Pulling out my Glock, I glared in the direction Badb had gone. “We’re having words after this.” Bracing myself against the tree, I readied myself to leap across the open space, but came up short due to the tremble in my legs.
That grandma soul isn’t enough for battle, Silence said as I crouched down. Let me help you.
“He’s human. I’ll be fine once I get started,” I whispered. Adjusting my weight, I made a move to my left. The tree on that side shattered.
And now we’re pinned down.
I reached for my bag and grasped at empty space. Too late. I remembered I left it along with all my wonderful items like grenades and additional magazines at home. My Glock had nineteen bullets, so charging into battle and firing wildly wouldn’t work.
Pulling in a breath, I assessed what I knew. If he has a sniper rifle, then he ought to have thirteen rounds, assuming he hasn’t modified it. He’s fired four, which leaves him with nine. He can’t move in without exposing himself. I need to close in on him.
Holding my breath, I ignored the thudding in my ears and listened for anything behind me—a snapped twig, a grunt, anything. The wind blew, causing the limbs of the trees to creak. In the distance, I picked up the barking of a dog. The burble of the river. Not the sounds I needed to find my opponent.
Silence yawned, and I pictured him lounging about holding a drink with a little umbrella. I can cut all the trees down and maybe one will fall on him.
I looked up, taking in the size and width of the trees. I turned and let one hand and my feet morph into claws and talons. Ripping cloth filled the quiet air as my boots stretched and shredded under my feet. Using appendages meant for climbing and clawing into things, I scaled the large tree, my gun still held in one hand. My shoulder still hurt from the bullet wound, but I worked through the pain. After the fight, I could do something about it.
From my vantage point, I peeked around the side and tried to locate my shooter. He had a gun, so my eyes sought out a glint of metal or a shape that didn’t belong.
I’m not seeing him, Silence said. Maybe you should look magically?
Grunting, I made to do so when a bush to my far left lifted and moved toward me, aiming the barrel of a gun in my dir
ection. I launched myself up into the air, aiming for a neighboring tree. Another shot fired, and the branch I grasped shattered.
I snapped “Shit-fuck!” as the ground rushed toward me. A tree branch slapped into my side, knocking the air out of me while tearing at my clothes. Another cut into my hip, gouging into the flesh. I clenched my teeth to keep from screaming as the last branch connected with my collarbone. I righted myself in time to land on my claws, the impact rattling my bones. Glancing up, I spotted the figure better as he rose to his feet. I couldn’t make out his features through the suit composed of grass, twigs, and other camouflage.
It’s a guy in a Ghillie suit, Silence said. He’s got a sniper rifle, barrel gun, and a fucking Ghillie suit. Where did Badb find this guy? This is awesome!
He threw down the rifle and pulled out a compact-looking, single-barrel shotgun. With a growl rumbling in my chest, I charged at him, trying to close the distance. Badb didn’t want me to kill him, but I was pissed enough to crack a few bones.
He walked backward, barrel still aiming at me, which should have been a clue to me, but I was so frustrated and angry that it didn’t register as a concern until a clicking sound happened under my foot.
Pain erupted from my leg, making me roar—even to my ears, my cry lacked any resemblance to human tones. I looked down to see the teeth of a bear trap buried into the fleshy part of my calf. Glaring up to the figure, I hissed, “When I get my hands on you—”
He lowered the barrel a fraction and pulled the trigger and something flew toward me. It landed a short distance away from me and as smoke seeped from it out of it. Another landed a few yards to its left, and in a moment, the entire area was a haze.
I covered my face with a hand, but my vision blurred and the inside my nose burned. Holding my breath, I pulled Silence out and struck at the trap, slicing it off my foot.
Silence snickered. That gun isn’t useful against tear gas, is it?
“Not now,” I said. Shaking the trap off my foot, I darted to the side away from the tear gas. Something immediately slammed into my chest, knocking the wind out of me. I stumbled into a tree and my bad hand slid over my front to check for injuries, but other than the shoulder, nothing bled. My eyes searched the ground and I easily found a small white bag on the dark soil.