Relics and Runes Anthology

by Heather Marie Adkins

  “Why can’t you hold your sword, Bram? Does it turn you into a monster like them?” Chloe asked, pointing to the dust as it dissolved into the few rain droplets that teased at a storm. The mixture ran down the cracks in the street.

  “A monster?” he shrugged. “Perhaps. One of them? No.”

  “When I held it, Mary didn’t say it liked me; she said he.”

  “He has good taste,” Bram evaded.

  “What is he to you?”

  “Part of me. The part I left behind long ago. The part I can’t be, here with you. I won’t.” He said the last words as if they were a promise to himself.

  “Why not?”

  “Why would you ask that of me?” He seemed horrified by her question.

  “I don’t even know what I’m asking. You won’t tell me anything! I thought fae couldn’t lie?”

  “We can’t,” he admitted.

  “Why don’t I believe you?” Chloe began walking towards the dock.

  Bram followed her. “Ask a vague question, and I can choose how to answer.”

  “So, humans got the raw end of the deal all the way around.” She huffed. “Apparently, you can bullshit just like the rest of us!”

  “Where’s this coming from? What’s the problem?”

  “Your species is the problem!”

  “Male?”

  “Stop trying to be cute and answer me!”

  “Then ask the right questions!” He yelled unexpectedly, seeming to almost be pleading with her.

  “If you can’t, or won’t, be some powerful thing that we obviously need right now, then what the hell are we even doing here? Why did we come here for a sword you can’t even touch?” The prospect of having to greet any more packs of scabs made her nauseous, but the idea of killing their way to the dock was even less appealing after watching Gemma’s group butcher the last two. The Spree had been an oasis of serenity. She had even forgotten about the apocalyptic world outside, if only for a moment. Chloe resented Bram for showing her something so beautiful that she could never even hope to be a part of. And now it was gone to them forever because of her stupid recklessness.

  “For you!” Bram shouted a little too loudly. “I did it for you.”

  “What?” Chloe stopped walking. She’d been caught off guard.

  He walked towards her slowly, seeming to calm himself.

  “Scabs are harmless compared to the true evil that’s coming. The royals are unstoppable, indestructible evil that you are hell bent on blindly running towards without any regard for your own preservation.”

  She huffed in defiance. His reminder of their current lack of transportation, due to her decision to run out of the Spree, stung.

  “By the Gods, help me! But I admire that damn fearlessness in you!”

  Chloe was taken aback.

  “These weapons,” he said pointing to her favored silver spike, “are nothing more than cheap plastic toys against that evil.” He stopped right in front of her. His eyes fell on hers, and his anger seemed to melt in the small space between them.

  They were so close. Her heart started beating faster.

  “I knew he would protect you because I will always protect you. All of this is for you. Don’t you see?” His tone softened. “Because I’m an idiot who’d rather tempt a Spree Witch, and her very real threat of eternal damnation, than to ever see you harmed if I can stop it. Because I’m misguided, to even think I’m a match against three royals. But you asked, so I have to try.” Their lips were so close now. “Because I’m a fool, to think the bravest, most selfless human I’ve ever met could ever accept me, a monster. And yet, I stay. For you.”

  Chloe knew he wanted to kiss her. But, he didn’t. He brushed her cheek softly, instead, before twisting a lock of her dark glamoured hair between his fingers. He let it fall, almost as if the glamour she still wore were repugnant, conflicting with what he was feeling. Maybe he truly believed he was a monster, or worse yet, he believed she thought him one.

  “I care what happens to you, dammit. Because I care...for you, Chloe. Can’t you see that?” Bram asked. He didn’t wait for her response to his admission. Waving his hand over her once, he put her glamour back in place along with a shield from the impending storm. As he walked away, down towards the docks, thunder cracked one last time before the rains finally came flooding down.

  Chloe’s head was spinning. Too many emotions, too many questions. She didn’t know which end was up anymore, let alone how she felt about Bram amidst all the chaos. The heart-stone’s faint double-pulse around her neck beat in opposite cadence to her own heart as Bram walked away. The pommel of the bladeless sword attached to her thigh seemed to softly whimper, like a puppy whose master was leaving him behind, growing louder the farther Bram travelled. All of it seemed to reiterate the one thing she had to know. The one thing that had been niggling at the back of her mind from the very beginning of all the madness surrounding them. The one thing she had to hear him say out loud.

  Chloe pursed her lips and yelled after him. “Bram, I need to know. Are you one of them?” His possessions stopped thrumming against her skin, and all sound seemed to stop. Even the downpour was silent as she asked him point blank, “Are you a royal?”

  Bram stopped walking but didn’t turn around. He simply turned his head to the side briefly. Rain streamed down his face, and the amber-tinged sky gave his skin an eerie glow. It served as a chilling reminder that he wasn’t human. He seemed to have chosen not to have his glamour shield him from the weather, almost as if the rain from the heavens were baptismal and cathartic somehow. He started walking away again before he answered. “Yes.”

  8

  Ships That Pass in the Night

  They walked in silence the rest of the way to Coleman Dock, which suited Chloe for the moment. She was still trying to process the fact that Bram was a royal. Her flimsy hope Bram was a clever fae rogue who’d somehow lifted a royal pendant had been washed away by the rain.

  Thankfully, the constant downpour had kept the scabs away. She wasn’t sure if her sanity could take any more tributes from them. Unfortunately, it had done nothing to aid the scorched sky. Chloe should have known it wouldn’t be that easy to affect the fae’s spell, but, Mother Nature’s shower was a promise of hope. If it could still rain, the sun could still shine somehow, and things could still grow. Life would go on. The prospect gave her hope to cling to.

  She looked back at her beloved city as they reached the shore. Even under the darkened sky, she could see the scope of the devastation the fae had caused. Countless buildings were still burning from the initial lightning strikes, others were reduced to mounds of rubble. The Space Needle looked like a broken twig that had been snapped in half.

  “Shit!” Bram said.

  Startled, Chloe turned back around and walked right into Bram. He was a solid, unmovable mass who seemed to be staring down a threat. Without even thinking, she released Bram’s sword from its sheath. With a metallic shink the blade emerged. Ready for battle, the sword caught fire and illuminated their surroundings. Chloe looked passed the rows of empty cars lined up waiting to board the ferry, now abandoned. She didn’t see any signs of movement or lurking scabs.

  “Shit! Put that away,” Bram said in a hushed voice.

  “What is it?”

  “Everything’s okay. It’s just,” he said in a more relaxed tone, “I looked down every damn street trying to find a motorcycle, hoping to spare you from the scabs, and this is where we finally find one? On a big old ferry bound for Bremerton.”

  Chloe looked farther out into Puget Sound. There were only a few other boats in the area, but they were either floating out of the sound unmanned and too far to reach, or sinking. But the super-class ferry, the MV Kaleetan, was still perfectly intact, moored to the dock empty of all 1800 passengers and 140-plus vehicles, save for one lone motorcycle. The vintage looking cruiser was parked in the middle of the ferry’s flat boarding platform like it was being framed by the hull for a photo shoot. “It
figures.” Chloe shrugged.

  “Yeah, it does,” Bram agreed.

  “She’s all yours!” shouted a man’s voice from somewhere aboard the ferry.

  Chloe looked around for the source of the voice as she put the sword handle away. Bram tried, casually, to alter their glamours to more human features without drawing more attention to themselves.

  “Name’s Laszlo, and I won’t be a bother. What you are is none of my business. Seems like my odds of getting to Bremerton might increase from a trade with you folks is all.”

  “Shit,” Bram hissed. The hidden Laszlo had obviously been watching and listening ever since Chloe had wielded a sword whose blade magically appeared and caught fire.

  Laszlo came out of the shadows on the ferry’s platform and stood next to the motorcycle. He put his hands up in the air in surrender. “Just want to get back to my wife is all.”

  “That’s where we’re headed,” Chloe shouted back.

  Bram shot her a disapproving look.

  “What?” she whispered.

  “I swear you attract humans like they’re lost puppies or something,” Bram whispered.

  “He was on the ship first. And we’re no better than anyone else trying to survive this mess,” Chloe hissed back. “I don’t care if the world has gone to Hell, or you think it’d be easier to just get rid of him somehow. Being a decent human being still means something to me. It has to!”

  Bram grumbled something under his breath about going alone but didn’t argue.

  “Lucky for you, I’m the bosun of the Kaleetan and can navigate these waters with my eyes closed, even with all the debris out there. Just can’t get the girl running, been tryin’ for days. Seems like you folks may have a magic trick or two up your sleeves though? But again, none of my business.”

  See! Chloe gestured towards the ship without saying the word out loud.

  Bram gave a final huff of defeat, shook his head, and chuckled. “Laszlo, I think it’s all our lucky day.”

  Chloe and Bram made their way down to the Kaleetan’s platform and were greeted by the weathered, grey-haired man.

  “Name’s Laszlo. Sorry. I said that already; didn’t I?” He shook Chloe’s hand eagerly as he helped her onto the ship. “Just damned glad to finally see some friendly faces around here.”

  “I’m Chloe, and this is Bram.”

  Laszlo waved once to Bram who nodded. Apparently, Laszlo could tell the fae wasn’t in any hurry to shake his hand. “Well, welcome aboard,” he said.

  “Is there anyone else on the ship?” Bram asked coolly.

  “Nope, just me.”

  “How?” Bram crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Ship was down for repairs the day before all hell broke loose. I came back early, prepping her to return to duty. That’s when, well, I don’t know what to call it, happened. Been stuck here ever since, watchin’ those things tear people apart. But they never came any closer to the ship. Felt like a sitting duck waiting for the end. Guess I have a guardian angel or somethin’.”

  “It’s the iron,” Bram interjected, “and the water.”

  Laszlo took in what Bram said and nodded. “Figure you’ll want to see the engine room? It’s this way.”

  “There’s no need. I have to ward the ship first, though.”

  “Whatever that means, if it gets me to my wife, I’m good with it.”

  “Meet you on the bridge? We won’t be long,” Bram stated, letting Laszlo know he wouldn’t be leaving Chloe alone with him.

  Laszlo nodded. “I’ll stop in the galley, fetch some coffee and food for the road.”

  “That would be very nice, Laszlo; thank you,” Chloe said. She gave Bram a dirty look as the old bosun walked away.

  “What?” Bram finally asked as he started warding the perimeter of the ship. He waved his hands, periodically creating spheres of amber light the hull absorbed.

  Chloe followed behind, watching as he sprinkled things from multiple vials as they walked. “What do you mean, what? You have a problem with Laszlo. What is it?”

  “I don’t know. It’s just…I don’t trust him.”

  “Why?”

  “He’s lying about something.”

  “Well, I guess he’s in good company then,” Chloe snapped.

  Bram stopped suddenly and looked at her. He appeared to be ready for another fight, but, he let out his breath and seemed to deflate as their eyes locked, instead. “That’s fair,” he said unexpectedly.

  Chloe felt triumphant, albeit a little guilty, about the jab she had landed. “So, is he going to murder us in our sleep or something?”

  “No. I can’t explain it. It’s just…Something is off, and he’s hiding something.”

  “Well, we’ll just be careful, make sure we aren’t followed to Hadley’s. I don’t see a downside to all of us wanting to reach Bremerton.”

  “Agreed. For now.” Bram started walking and warding again.

  Chloe knocked on the door and stepped onto the bridge. “Moor lines are loose, and wards are up. We’re all set. Here,” she said, handing Laszlo a small golden coin. “Bram said place it on the helm, and she’ll start right up.”

  Laszlo turned the shiny coin in his hand and harrumphed skeptically. “Coffee?” he offered. “Sorry; it’s cold, but it’s still caffeinated.”

  He gave the coin a little tap on the dash, possibly for luck, before laying it down flat. “Okay, here goes nothing.” Laszlo held his breath as he turned the ignition key and pushed a small circular button. Bright amber symbols radiated up out of the coin before floating down and soaking into the helm. The ship started right up, and Laszlo quickly shut off all the dash lights, as well as the lights around the hull. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  On a hunch, Chloe flipped the switch on the hot plate the cold pot of coffee was sitting on. She smiled when the little red square light lit up. “Yes!” she said, holding up her coffee cup in victory.

  “Nice!” Laszlo agreed. “I take it the plan is to keep the ship at a crawl across the sound with no lights. The less we’re seen the better, type of thing?”

  “Yep.”

  “Copy that, Captain.”

  Chloe giggled. She quirked her head as the warming coffee’s scent filled the small space. “The coffee smells wonderful but different. What is that?”

  Laszlo raised his chin. “Oh, the lavender. I always put a few buds in with my coffee grounds. Find it soothing.”

  She took a sip. “It’s lovely, very relaxing.” Chloe took another sip and thought of the Spree. “It reminds me of a wonderful place we had to leave.”

  “You don’t say?” The old bosun stated, as he steered the ship away from the harbor. “And, still some wonderful places left in all of this, I hope?” He looked at Chloe.

  She nodded and gave a sad little smile as she reminisced about her wonderful experience in the Spree.

  “Good to know.” Laszlo turned back around and they began their journey. “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, and it’s in complete contradiction to your appearance, but you look like you’ve been through hell.”

  “I kind of feel like it, too,” Chloe joked, looking down at her perfectly-coiffed Famke glamour.

  Laszlo shook his head. “Sorry; that wasn’t my place. It’s just… I was a bartender for over twenty-five years, and reading people is a hard habit to break. Wife and I are able to spend half the year on Bremerton now to get away from the Texas heat. That’s how I came to be the bosun of the Kaleetan here. But I’ll always be a bartender at heart. I just get a vibe from people is all.” Laszlo nodded to himself. “You’ve been through hell,” he stated again, matter-of-factly. “Count myself lucky, being stuck on this ship, spared all you must have seen out there.” Laszlo knocked on the wooden captain’s wheel with his knuckles.

  “Yeah.” It was all Chloe could muster to convey all she had seen, all she had done.

  Bram opened the door, then, and stepped onto the bridge.

  “Nice cup of hot coffee?
” Laszlo offered with a seasoned bartender’s inflection.

  “Yes, actually. Thanks,” Bram said sincerely.

  “Anyway, from what little I saw, it looks like hell out there, and at this speed, I reckon we have several hours before we reach Bremerton. The captain’s quarters are just off the bridge here. Has a nice hot shower.” Laszlo shrugged. “Figure if this little trinket is powering the engine and hot plate like normal, that that should be working as well. If anyone was interested?”

  “Oh my God, that would be amazing!” Chloe beamed and looked at Bram. “Can you…?” She mimicked taking the glamour from her face. “I’d like to shower in my own skin.”

  Bram looked at Laszlo, but the bosun was sitting in the captain’s chair concentrating on the task in front of him. Bram gave Chloe a disapproving look anyway.

  “We’re on a warded ship being powered by an enchanted coin. I think Laszlo’s been sufficiently inducted into the magic-is-real club. He’s not going to care what I really look like.”

  “Not my business.” Laszlo focused out the front window as he steered the ship. He waved one hand in the air nonchalantly, not looking back at them as they argued.

  Bram huffed under his breath but did as Chloe asked and removed her Famke glamour entirely from her body.

  “Thank you,” she said. Staring down at herself, she touched her fragile-looking dark-blonde hair which had returned, almost feeling as if the Famke glamour was somehow a protective shield she had just lost. Un-glamoured, she noticed her trench coat was crusted in scab blood along with some of their residual dust. Gross! she thought. Yes, a hot shower is most definitely what I need right now.

  “Lost and Found’s two doors down from the captain’s quarters. No promises, but you might find a fresh set of clothes in there.”

  Oh my God! Chloe couldn’t believe what a luxury it was to get to use an actual working toilet. After running out of the Spree, she had been mortified when she’d had to finally duck behind a car and pee, reluctantly, while Bram waited far too close by. At least it was raining, she thought.