by Peter Glenn
Fireball Chick, or Alyta, as she was called, looked straight at me. Her smile was straight up sinister, and she had an evil gleam in her eyes. “I have a score to settle with you, human,” she said, her lip curling upward to reveal a row of fanged teeth in her mouth. “But lucky for you, I have somewhere to be.”
She glanced at a third djinn that, up until then, had been hiding behind her. “Shayna. Kill this lout.”
The djinn known as Shayna bowed her head, then Alyta was off in the sky, heading in a different direction from Hera and Heta.
I, for one, was glad for it. One less fae for me to kill. Even if I really wanted to kill Alyta.
Shayna took a battle stance and glared at me, readying a fireball in her hands at the same time. I instinctively reached for my blade, only to remember that it was nowhere near me.
“Heh,” I muttered. “Hang on for a sec?”
Shayna didn’t seem content to wait for me to be ready. She sent the fireball hurtling through the air at me anyway. Bitch.
I dodged to the side and zig-zagged my way across the ground over to where Tacobeh and Yuri were standing, looking a little dumbfounded. Not shocking. Their job had been to stay away from the battle, and here they were in the thick of it.
“Do something!” I shouted at them as I sped past them. It seemed to rouse them from their stupor.
I reached Grax’thor a moment later and managed to wrench her free from the side of the totem pole she’d been buried in, then spun around to face the new threat once more.
One of the fae flew through the air, heading straight for Yuri. The poor thing never had a chance. Yuri took hold of one of its wings while it was still in mid-flight and twisted until I heard a loud crack. The fae crashed into the ground a second later, clutching its broken wing. I didn’t see much past that, but suffice it to say, Yuri put the thing out of its misery.
That left four flying fae and whatever our friends in hiding were. I was sure they’d come out eventually, but the longer they took to join the fray, the better. So I let them be.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw LaLuna locked in battle with another of the flying fae, and two more headed toward Yuri and Tacobeh. I left them alone, certain the two could handle it. That left just me and Shayna.
Another fireball came at me, but I managed to leap over it before it could do much of anything as I sped toward Shayna. I’d have fun dismantling her wings before I was done.
I made a high swipe with Grax’thor, aiming for Shayna’s chest. The djinn managed to dance backward, but not in time to avoid all the damage. I felt Grax’thor open a line up across Shayna’s chest.
A thick, reddish blood oozed out of the fresh wound as Shayna hissed at me.
“That’s what you get for assuming I’m a pushover,” I spat at her.
She came at me with an underhanded blow, which I was able to knock out of the way with practiced ease. I wasn’t sure who this chick was, but she wasn’t as able as her superior.
I saw a flash of fire form in her hands, then a wave of it blew past me as I managed to dodge out of the way just in time. The blast still managed to singe my sword arm, but I held fast to my blade.
I came at her with renewed vigor, a low swipe aiming for her fire hand. The blade sunk deep into her wrist, and I tore the blade away at an angle, ripping through skin and bone.
Shayna howled in pain and clutched at her injured hand, which was hanging on to her body by a small strip of skin.
She tried to summon another gout of flame to overtake me, but I was too quick. I slammed the blade upward into her chest, watching with grim satisfaction as it ripped right through her spine and out the back of her.
Fiery eyes looked up at me in defiance before the light in them finally went out for good. Her body slumped against mine for a moment, then I pulled out my sword and let her fall to the ground.
I looked around me. All of the flying fae lay dead at someone’s feet. LaLuna grinned at me and nodded her head. It looked like we’d won the day.
That was when the little people attacked.
And I do mean little people. They were each about three feet tall at the most, making me feel like a giant for once in my life. Hey, what can I say, being born in the eighteenth century in China didn’t grant you mythical height. Compared to most Americans these days, I was on the short side.
But not compared to these punks. They looked kind of like shriveled, ugly humans with skin that was wrinkled all over the place and dirt and hair covering just about everything. Each of them had some sort of weapon—mainly smallish spears—in their hands, and several of them sported tiny shields as well.
“Bring it on!” I shouted at them, holding Grax’thor high above my head.
The little freaks started in on us. I was pretty sure I could take on half a dozen of them by myself. Which was a good thing, because there were at least fifty of them, and they were everywhere.
“Don’t look in their eyes!” LaLuna insisted.
I frowned at her. “That kinda takes the fun out of it don’t you think?”
“You can’t look in their eyes, or they’ll kill you instantly! They’re Mekumwasuck; heralds of death.”
Heralds of death, huh? They didn’t really look like it. More like pygmies with a bad hair day. But still, LaLuna knew more about the fae than I did.
I tried to look at them without looking at them, and waited for the nearest ones to charge me.
The good news was, I definitely had the reach on them. The bad news was, it’s really hard to hit something that you can’t look at directly. I’m not sure if you’ve ever tried it, but it’s not fun.
One of the little guys came at me then, spear jutting out in front. I batted the spear away easily and swiped at the thing’s chest with Grax’thor. Thankfully, the blade bit easily into its skin, and the Mekumwasuck fae died quickly to my thrust.
But there were two more behind that one, and they both wanted me dead just as much.
I blocked a spear thrust with my blade before it could get too close to me, but the other guy had more luck and his spear nicked my side. Hot blood spilled from the fresh wound as a small spike of pain shot up my side.
It was enough to make my next strike less true, and instead of skewering another of the little guys, my blade glanced off its shoulder instead. The thing still howled in pain, but it took another swing for me to take its head off, which gave his friend enough time to stick me again.
A sharp pain from the back of my leg told me that I was slowly becoming surrounded by these Mekumwasuck guys. And since I couldn’t look directly at any of them, that was a bad thing.
I swung my sword in a wide arc, cutting down at least two of the little guys and sending another one careening into his buddy just to get away from Grax’thor’s deadly tip. The motion gave me a little room to maneuver and get into a better position before more of the little guys came at me.
And come they did. I was beginning to doubt my earlier guess. There were probably more like a hundred of the Mekumwasuck out there. Or at least it felt like it.
With one hand draped over my eyes, I swung my blade freely, hewing through tiny fae bodies like I was cutting down wheat with a scythe. But they kept coming anyway, undaunted by the destruction I left all around me.
I felt another couple of pricks as two of the little suckers scored blows against the back of my legs, and another managed to slam their spear tip deep into my uninjured side. If I even had one of those anymore.
“Aah!” I howled as I swung my blade again and again, each time felling another of the Mekumwasuck. But there were too many of them, and I was starting to swoon from the pain and the blood loss.
I spun around to skewer another of them as its little dagger pricked my foot and slipped a little on some fresh blood, tumbling to the ground. Only belatedly did I realize that the blood was my own.
Little howls of laughter erupted from around me as the Mekumwasuck closed in. I saw half a dozen spears converge above my head and braced
myself for the worst.
The sound of a low growl broke through the air from somewhere behind me. It sounded like a massive, angry bear.
Whatever it was, it was enough to spook the fae around me. Their spears retreated just as quickly as they’d come, and I heard them start to run for it.
“That’s right!” I spat at them as I forced myself back up to my knees to see what was happening. “Run for it! You’re no match for me!”
Most of the Mekumwasuck were bolting for the nearest cover. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the shimmery outline of a massive bear roaring at them from over where Tacobeh had been standing the last time I’d seen him.
Was that... Grizzly Spirit? Was it real? And on our side for once? I could only hope so, as tackling an ethereal bear was not within my capabilities at this exact moment.
One of the little Mekumwasuck was standing frozen in front of me instead of running, shaking in fear. I chuckled a little, and my voice seemed to catch its attention. The guy turned his attention to me, and for a half second, our eyes locked before the glare of the sun glinting off Grax’thor’s blade made me blink.
A second later, the little fae was running from the Grizzly Spirit, too. I let out a shaky breath. That had been an awfully close call. Thank goodness for random sun glare. And in September, too.
Soon enough, the area we were in was completely clear of living fae, except for LaLuna, and the Grizzly Spirit had retreated once more. Tacobeh took its place, grinning at me.
“Good work, everyone!” I shouted through labored breaths, getting shakily to my feet and leaning on Grax’thor for support. My head swam. I think the blood loss was really getting to me. “Let’s take five and then head after that baby.”
The next thing I knew, LaLuna was racing toward me as I felt the gravel from the road slam into the side of my head, and my vision went dark.
“UGH, MY HEAD,” I MUTTERED as I gently rose from my spot on the ground. Only it wasn’t ground, it was a soft bed. Really soft. Way nicer than the ten-year-old spring mattress I had at my place.
So, not on the street, and not at home, then.
“What the heck happened out there?” I asked, though I didn’t see anyone around to be asking.
I took in my surroundings. There was a small nightstand next to my bed that had an alarm clock on it, though the clock wasn’t plugged in, so I couldn’t even tell what time of day it was. Other than that and the bed, there was only one other piece of furniture in the room; an old rocking chair that looked to be abandoned.
My eyes trailed to my abdomen, which the last I remembered had a couple spear shafts sticking out of it at odd angles from the Mekumwasuck. It looked remarkably whole. I could feel several bandages where there had been wounds, but very little pain coming from there.
I scanned my legs, too, and those were in a similar shape. Several bandages, but no open wounds that I could decipher. Someone must have used magic to heal me.
“There you are,” LaLuna said as she barged into the room a moment later. “Feeling better?”
“Indeed,” I told her, flashing her a grin. “Much better, thank you.”
“And my gratitude to you, as well, for all you’ve done to help save baby Grace,” she said, smiling back at me. “You were pretty awesome out there, facing down a fae guardian like that.”
I felt heat rise to my cheeks. “Aww, it was nothing.”
It wasn’t nothing, though. A couple times, I thought for sure I was going to die. But she didn’t have to know that.
LaLuna sat down next to me. “Not everyone is as brave as you are, Sir Damian.” She gingerly touched one of the bandages. “How is the healing going?”
“Umm...” I patted my sides. “Seems to be going okay. Tacobeh’s, doing, I presume?”
LaLuna nodded. “Yes. He communed with the spirits, and they agreed to heal you for your good deeds in the earlier conflict.” She paused for a moment, and her eyes looked distant. “Or at least, that’s what he said.”
“Yeah, those shamans are a bit of a crafty lot, all right. Always blaming spirits for everything.”
LaLuna chuckled a little and moved in a bit closer to me. I could feel the warmth coming off her. It felt... right in a way that I couldn’t quite describe. But I knew she didn’t feel the same about me. She’d never even noticed my attempts to flirt with her. So I backed away ever so slightly.
The move seemed to disappoint her, and her slight smile turned into a frown instead.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Not at all, LaLuna.” I flashed her another grin. “You’re just fine.”
“Very well, Sir Damian. I shall trust you.”
There was the “sir” business again. See? No one that calls you “sir” likes you in that way. It’s just not how the world worked.
“Sounds good,” I said with a nod.
I felt a little deflated, but I kept it to myself. We had bigger problems to contend with at the moment. Like Elden and baby Grace, and Alyta the Fireball Chick. All of them were connected, though how, I wasn’t sure just yet. It would help to know just why Grace was so important to everyone, but that wasn’t an answer I was going to get anytime soon.
“So,” I said a moment later, “how do we go about getting the baby back?”
“Don’t worry about that right now, Sir Damian,” LaLuna said. She placed a hand gently on my shoulder, and it was all I could do not to swoon against it. “You just rest and get better.”
“Nonsense!” I fired back. “Elden has her, and we need to get her back. I made a promise, remember?”
“Indeed, I do.” LaLuna bit her lip slightly. “It’s just last time I was hasty in trying to retrieve her and... I almost killed you, Tacobeh, and Yuri over it.” She lowered her head, her cheeks a bright crimson as her hand fell off my arm. “I am sorry.”
“You were just doing what you thought best,” I told her. This time, it was my turn to put my hand on her and comfort her. “I hold no ill will toward you over it. It’s all good.”
Her head perked up until her eyes were gently peeking out, looking at me. “You... you don’t?”
I could sense the confusion in her tone, and I waved a hand dismissively. “Of course not!” I put my other hand on her other shoulder and turned my torso until I was looking directly at her. “Look, I knew this contract would have its dangers. All of them do. Of course something bad could happen. I could even get killed. But that’s just part of what I accepted when I promised to look after you two.”
LaLuna sniffled a little. I thought I sensed a small tear in her eye. “Really?”
I nodded. “Really. It’s no trouble.”
Okay, so maybe that wasn’t completely true, but the part about me accepting there would be danger was. I scooted just a little closer to her until I thought I was almost too close. The heat came off her in waves, and it was all I could do not to try and move in for a kiss, but I held firm and did nothing.
“Now, let’s go find baby Grace, okay?”
LaLuna looked up, and her eyes met mine straight on. There was sadness there, but also a grim determination. Her lips curled upward just a little. “Okay.”
“So, any idea for how to actually find the baby?” I asked her.
LaLuna bit her lip again. “Unfortunately, no. Elden teleported away from the conflict. There are those in the fae order who would be able to track his magic, but I am not among them.”
“Hmm, that’s a toughie, then.” I rubbed my chin mindlessly.
“I suppose we could go back to the fae elders...” LaLuna started. Her voice trailed off as a shudder passed over me at the thought of going back to either of the courts for more information. “Yeah, I suppose that’s not a good idea,” she added after a time.
“Well, we’ll keep it as a last-ditch idea, but even if we could track where he’d teleported to, it’s probable that he would have moved from there again anyway.”
“True, Sir Damian.”
; “So what does that leave us with?” I asked.
LaLuna shook her head. “I am not sure. Elden could be almost anywhere by now.”
That’s when it hit me. “But that doesn’t really matter, right? Because we don’t even know if Elden still has her. Alyta’s crew could have her by now. But it doesn’t matter. We don’t need to track Elden, we need to track baby Grace. And I know just the person that might be able to find her.”
“Really?” LaLuna’s whole visage brightened.
I nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
I felt around in my pockets for my phone. Thankfully, it was still on me, and still had power. Only thirty percent or so, but that would be more than enough for a couple small phone calls.
“Just hang on a second.”
I rifled through my contacts, looking for the one I needed. There it was. I called the number.
“Come on, pick up,” I said as the phone rang.
“Yes?” a woman’s voice said from the other side of the line.
My expression warmed. “Sheila! How nice to talk to you again!”
Sheila was a blood mage. She used blood magic to find things and cause general mayhem. She was up in Canada, which was a drive, but if I asked nicely, maybe she’d come down our way and help out.
“Oh, Damian. It’s you,” Sheila said. Not exactly the welcome I’d hoped for. “Look, if you’ve come to ask me about your love life, I really can’t help you.”
“Love life?” I glanced at LaLuna and felt a little heat rise to my cheeks, then quickly looked away. “What are you on about? No, nothing like that. Remember a few months ago when you helped me find Mei and her kidnappers?”
“Of course I remember,” Sheila said. “It’s hard to forget almost dying and all. Thanks for the reminder.”
“You’re not... mad about that, are you?”
There was silence on the other line for several seconds. “Nah, I’m just pulling your chain.”
I let out a huge sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness.”