Beginner's Luck_An Urban Fantasy Adventure

by J. A. Cipriano

  I stared at the chest. “And that would be …?”

  “It’s a Tethered Trunk.” He wrapped his knuckles on the lid. “If you shift it to alterspace and activate the tethering spell, it will always be there waiting for you, no matter where you shift from,” he said. “You can store useful items inside for fast access, especially if they’re larger than you can comfortably carry.”

  I nodded and smiled, starting to see the potential for this thing. “That actually sounds kind of amazing,” I said. “How do I activate the spell?”

  “Once you’ve positioned the trunk where you want it, place your hand on the lid and say ‘tu esti al meu,’” he explained.

  “Really, that’s the spell?” I said. “You belong to me?”

  He cleared his throat and looked away. “It is a somewhat older model,” he said. “But the magic will hold.”

  “All right, then.” I shrugged and crouched next to the trunk, double-tapped the watch face, and then grabbed one of the trunk handles while the wheel spun. “Be right back,” I said.

  “Of course,” Golar said with a tuneless laugh. “Unless you land on zero.”

  I had time to think of a few colorful words in response before the watch stopped on twelve, and I vanished.

  A gritty, shimmering film washed over Golar and the pawn shop as the distant howl of wind muffled all sounds. Now that I knew I was in another dimension, I could just make out the suggestion of a flat, blasted landscape around me and a handful of semi-transparent tangled lines that were probably some kind of dead trees. They weren’t far away, so I dragged the trunk to the ghosts of trees, pressed a hand to the lid, and spoke the activation spell.

  I still had a few seconds, so I circled back and stood behind Golar until the spell wore off. And then I said, “Boo.”

  The height-challenged shopkeeper jumped straight up and turned in mid-air like a startled cat, wearing a shocked expression. When he landed with a thud on the floor, he narrowed his eyes at me. “I’d appreciate it if you never did that again,” he said.

  “I won’t, then. At least to you.” I grinned and headed for the door, waving over my shoulder. “Thanks, Golar. I gotta run,” I said. “There’s a big tournament signup with my name on it.”

  He grumbled something in response as he went back behind the counter. I couldn’t quite make it out, but it was probably unpleasant.

  Outside the pawn shop, I pointed myself straight toward the Chute and started walking. It was quarter to ten, and it wouldn’t take me more than fifteen, twenty minutes tops to get there from here. Despite knowing that all of Cayn’s victims were out there somewhere and might be looking for me, the day had started off pretty good.

  Until I walked out of the Dregs and came face to face with Joad Baylor.

  10

  Turned out I probably shouldn’t have worried about people who’d sold their souls, because Joad was plenty to worry about. As always, he was dressed in an expensive, perfectly tailored three-piece suit that informed everyone how rich he was.

  He also held a small, glowing sphere in one hand, which I was pretty sure was an Agony Orb. I didn’t have any experience with those things, but I’d heard they were just what the name suggested. They caused indescribable, incapacitating pain.

  And this close to the Dregs, there’d be no one around to prevent him from attacking me with it.

  “Hello, Wyatt,” Joad said. “I suppose it’s too much to assume you’re out here instead of at the Chute because you decided to heed my warning.”

  “Not a chance, asshole. I’m on my way there,” I said. “Do you want to tell me what your problem is with me entering the tournament?”

  His eyes flashed with the same lethal fury I’d glimpsed yesterday. “Not particularly,” he said.

  I was already reaching for my watch when the smug bastard blasted me with the Orb.

  The rumors got at least one part wrong. The pain wasn’t indescribable, because I could describe it just fine. It felt like I’d gotten stabbed a hundred times at once, and then set on fire.

  But it was incapacitating. I was writhing on the ground, half-blind with the pain and trying not to scream when Joad loomed over me like a malevolent skyscraper. “Did you really think I couldn’t stop you?” he said casually as he crouched down. “You were nothing without that damned watch, and you’re still nothing with it.”

  Okay, that kind of pissed me off. First of all, I’d been doing just fine before I got the watch. I sure as hell had a lot more respect around here than he did. And second, there was no way in hell he’d keep me from entering the tournament.

  I wanted to say all that to him. But at the moment it hurt too much to speak all those words, so I settled on the one word that’d do the most good and gasped out, “Convoca.”

  Smoke rose from my chest. My vision was still too blurred to see Joad’s reaction, but I heard him curse just as Princess started to growl. He scrambled away, and I focused on breathing, on getting control of my body again as the tiger’s growl escalated to a roar.

  Just as I pushed up to a seated position, there was a flash of light in my peripheral vision, and Princess screamed in pain. He’d hit her with that damned Orb.

  “Son of a bitch!” I gritted my teeth and lunged to my feet, riding the edge of my own scream as I pivoted toward Joad. He looked surprised that I’d managed to get up, but I was just too pissed off to let crippling pain stop me. He’d hurt my Princess. “You’re gonna pay for that,” I ground out.

  Joad recovered from the shock and laughed as he aimed the Agony Orb at me again. “As if I wouldn’t be prepared to stop that mangy beast of yours,” he said. “By the way, this will kill you with a few more blasts.”

  While he was babbling, I touched the sigil on my palm to recall the dice. Couldn’t take the chance on using the watch right now, since I hadn’t tried to summon Princess back while I was shifted yet. I had to make sure she was safe first. I rolled the dice, and Joad glanced toward the sound when they clattered to the pavement and landed on six.

  “What the hell are you—”

  It was all he got out before I blasted him with six green bolts, one after another, hitting him in mid-air a few times as the force of the attacks lifted him off the ground. He flew back and smashed against a building across the street.

  Ignoring the gawkers that had started to stop and gather, I rushed over to Princess. She was lying on her side, panting rapidly and foaming at the mouth with her eyes rolled back to the whites. “Can you hear me?” I said hoarsely as I knelt next to her, keeping half an eye on Joad. The bastard was already getting to his feet. “Will you be okay if I summon you back?”

  Yes. Her voice was a weak scrape of sound. I can rest.

  I nodded and stroked her gently. “Intoarcere.”

  As Princess unraveled into fog and returned to me, I pushed back to my feet. Joad was up and running, charging his Orb to a streaming brilliance as he smoldered in six places from the hits he’d taken. “You ruined my suit, Wyatt!” he screamed. “I’ve ended people for less!”

  I double tapped my watch, held my breath. And the stupid thing landed on three.

  Cursing silently as the world turned grainy around me, I rushed at Joad, who’d faltered a little when I vanished. Three seconds wasn’t nearly enough time to get away, but I could still hurt the bastard. I nailed him with a fist to the jaw, and as he sagged with the invisible blow, I circled behind him and brought an elbow down between his shoulder blades. He dropped to his knees with a snarled cry.

  By then I was visible but still behind him, with three minutes until I could try the watch again. So I recalled the dice and rolled. This time they came up five.

  Great. Five minutes of enhanced speed and reflexes weren’t that helpful, especially when I was still in agony with normal movement. But I only had to last for three.

  Mentally reminding myself to set up some kind of timer system so I’d know when these effects wore off, I went after Joad hard with fists and feet. Maybe I coul
d keep him down long enough to disappear. But he was just as much of a brawler as everyone else down here, and even with my magic-enhanced skills, he managed to block most of my moves. Probably because the pain kept me from using the ability as well as I could.

  He lurched away, rolled once and sprang to his feet, trying to get a shot with the Orb. I managed to knock the thing out of his hand, but he dove for it immediately. Even though I hit him on the way down, he slid across the sidewalk and grabbed the sphere, and then fired another jolt at me.

  The bolstered reflexes let me avoid taking another full blast from the Agony Orb, but it caught my arm, and the fresh pain that surged through my body knocked me to my knees. I shook my head fiercely as my vision swam and doubled, trying to glare at the little knot of lookie-loos hanging at the corner, watching me get my ass kicked. Whoever they were, I’d settle up with them later.

  “Goodbye, Wyatt,” Joad said from behind me, right before a foot slammed into my back and punted me forward. “Honestly, I would’ve preferred to beat you at the poker tables, but I’ll be just as happy this way.”

  I double-tapped the watch face, hoping the three minutes were up. Nothing happened. “Why do you care about the tournament so much?” I said, trying to push past the pain again and get up. It wasn’t working so well this time. Speaking wasn’t doing me any favors either, but I had to try something. “You already won last year. Who gives a fuck whether you do it again? It’s not like you couldn’t buy yourself all the goddamned luck pendants you ever wanted if you felt like it.”

  “I have my reasons,” Joad said. This time I detected a hint of fear in his voice. Interesting. Maybe he could buy every luck pendant in existence, but this one had to be won. There must’ve been something special about it.

  Which meant I really needed to win the thing.

  “I can be reasonable, you know,” Joad said as he grabbed my hair and wrenched my head back. “Just decide not to register for the tournament, and I won’t hit you with this again.” He held the Agony Orb in front of my face.

  I couldn’t take another blow from that thing, and I knew it. But I peeled my lips back into a snarling smile. “How about you fuck off, and I don’t hunt you down after I beat you?”

  Joad released me with a shove and stepped back to point the Orb at me. “I did try to let you live,” he said a little too loudly. “Everyone can see that.”

  Now, why the hell would he say something like that?”

  I tapped the watch face frantically, hoping the stupid thing would work. This time the wheel blurred into a spin. As it ticked slower, Joad thrust the sphere forward, and the glow inside the Orb brightened, about to discharge a whole lot of pain and probably death.

  Then the little silver ball inside the watch dropped into the 42 slot, and I shifted into alterspace.

  I could still see Joad through the grainy shimmer, see his face contort with rage as the crackling bolt exploded from the Orb and passed through nothing where I’d been a second ago. I felt an echo of the attack, not nearly as bad as a full blast, but enough that I had to press my mouth shut so I wouldn’t scream as I dragged myself away. Forty-two seconds wasn’t forever, but it was plenty of time to make sure he wouldn’t find me.

  At least, until I was ready to be found.

  I stumbled about half a block and walked through the outer wall of a Chinese restaurant, headed for the restroom where I could shift back without anyone noticing. I wouldn’t be able to spare much time to collect myself, but at least I could wash up a little.

  Then I was heading straight for the Chute to sign myself up for the Four Skulls tournament. Mostly because Joad didn’t want me to. I still intended to win, but it was a good thing the event didn’t take place right away.

  Today just wasn’t my lucky day.

  11

  I got to the Chute with ten whole minutes to spare, and I was pissed.

  Joad Baylor had made himself scarce. I wasn’t surprised since it’d been a big enough risk for him to attack me near the Dregs where there wasn’t much of an audience. The crowds were too thick on Casino Row. We might’ve been separated from the rest of the world in the UV, but we still had laws against murder.

  When I walked into the big casino, the noise level seemed to drop a few decibels as everyone within sight of the front doors stared at me. Yeah, I knew I looked like hell. But I wasn’t paying attention to any of them as I plunged through the bustling lobby until I caught sight of a familiar figure pushing people out of the way as she made a beeline toward me.

  “Seth, where have you been?” Arden said as she approached. “I waited here, then I went back to your place and — oh my God, what happened to you?”

  “You mean who happened,” I said. “Where’s the damned signup? I’ll tell you on the way.”

  “Come on,” she said, grabbing my hand and practically dragging me past the rows of slot machines. She pulled a small vial of clear liquid from her inside pocket and pushed it into my hand. “It’s lifewater. Drink it, and tell me what’s going on.”

  Lifewater was a fairly common, generic healing potion sold in just about every shop in the UV. You could drink it or pour it onto an injury, and it’d put out most types of magical flames. It also tasted like ass. But it wouldn’t do me much good to apply the little vial externally since I hurt all over. So I yanked the cork out with my teeth, spat it on the floor and tossed the potion back.

  I shuddered as it went down, already feeling slightly more alive. “Thanks,” I said. “Anyway, I ran into somebody out by the Dregs. Last name rhymes with smug bastard. Or maybe tailor, one of those.”

  “Joad?” Arden gasped as she steered us left past the slots and through the blackjack tables. Now I could see the sign on the door to one of the big poker rooms: Four Skulls Tournament Signup. “So, what he said last night …”

  “Yeah, apparently he was serious about wanting me not to enter this thing,” I said, almost running into Arden when she stopped abruptly and yanked the door with the sign open. “The bastard had an Agony Orb. He hit Princess with it.”

  “Holy shit,” Arden said, finally slowing her pace as we entered the room. “I’ve heard those things are awful, that they can kill you. Screw the tiger, what about you?”

  I am fine, by the way, Princess whispered in my head. She still sounded weak, but at least more like herself. Please thank your girlfriend for her concern.

  I smirked and shook my head. “I’ll live. As long as I get registered for this tournament,” I said as I looked around the room. They were obviously winding things down, with two people off to the side clearing promo materials and stacks of papers off a conference table while four or five casino employees were moving the poker tables and chairs back into place on the main floor.

  “Hey,” I called, waving a hand in the air as I rushed toward the people at the table. “I need to sign up for the Four Skulls.”

  One of them, a blade-thin man in a white polo shirt and rimless glasses, sniffed and glanced at the thick metal watch on his wrist. “Cutting it a little close, aren’t we?” he said with a look at his co-worker, a pretty middle-aged brunette in a black hostess dress. “I’m not sure we should allow any more signups. Especially for street punks.”

  “Jeremy, dear,” the woman said. “Would you kindly run to the restroom and remove that stick from your ass?” As the man huffed and folded his arms, the woman extended a hand to me and smiled sweetly. “Hello, there. I’m Tiffany, and we’d be happy to register you for the tournament.”

  I took her hand. “Thank you. Sorry, I’m late, but it’s been a rough morning.”

  “I see.” She looked me up and down, her expertly made-up eyes widening a fraction as she took in my disheveled state and the bruise Joad left on my face. “Do you need medical attention?”

  “Nah, I’m fine. Just walked into a street pole outside,” I said evenly. I didn’t want the hassle of trying to report Joad to the casino for attempted whatever they wanted to call it. There’d be an investigation, th
ings would get messy, and I might not get the chance to beat the bastard in a fair game. “So, what should I do, here?”

  “Well, first I’ll need to see your registry card,” Tiffany said, all smiles again. “Just so I can verify your qualifications.”

  I fished the card out of my wallet and handed it over, and the hostess glanced at the mostly bare table and frowned. “Jeremy, where is that scanner?”

  “I put it away an hour ago,” the accountant-type guy said with a huff, unfolding himself to rummage through one of the boxes stacked behind the table. “You know, when people stopped showing up to register?”

  “Really, Jeremy. The rules clearly state that entrants are allowed to sign up until noon today,” Tiffany said as Jeremy handed her a magelight scanner, similar to the one the bouncer outside the Mandolin had. “And 11:55 is clearly not noon.”

  “Yeah, well it’s 11:58 now,” Jeremy muttered. “Since we’re going to be pedantic.”

  Arden and I exchanged a glance, and she giggled. These two were something else.

  Tiffany ignored her co-worker and scanned my registry card, then handed it back to me. “Congratulations, Mr. Wyatt, you meet the qualifications to enter the Four Skulls tournament!” she said with forceful enthusiasm like we were suddenly on a game show or something. I half expected confetti to start falling from the ceiling. “The registration fee is one thousand dollars, cash only,” she continued. “If you’re unable to pay the fee—”

  “I’ve got it,” I interrupted, returning my card to my wallet and pulling out the cash I’d grabbed that morning. “I hate to push, but maybe you could hurry this up?” I said as I handed her a thick stack of fifties. “I don’t want to get disqualified because my name wasn’t on the list in time.”