by Alix Sharpe
“Green amulet?” Merlena said, rolling her eyes. “You are getting old.”
“Indeed, I am,” Pallas agreed, nodding calmly. How the hell did these two opposites deal with each other?
“What you Saw is correct,” Angeline said, extracting the amulet from her pack. She handed it over to Master Pallas. Or at least she tried to, until Olga the Obnoxious snatched it away.
“Where did you find this?” Merlena demanded.
“About 20 miles South of here,” Angeline said, “we found a body, a Salamander, her amulet was gone but we saw scorch marks from her fire. There was a fight. Elf left a trail of blood, but we think it probably made it out alive.”
“So the Elf took her amulet?” Merlena said, eyeing the green one in her fist.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Kyle said, “And this isn’t the first either. Couple days before I ran into the Captain, I caught the aftermath of a fight with a Diviner. I was too late, but I saw the Elves take his amulet. I followed them and took it back, but it got damaged.” He pulled the broken amulet from his pack and handed it over.
“Did you ‘damage’ the Captain’s amulet as well?” Merlena said, raising a pencil-thin eyebrow suspiciously.
Kyle and Angeline eyed each other for a second.
“Speaking of Diviners,” Angeline said, standing up a little taller. “I have critical information from mine.”
“What did Ms. Clearwater See?” Pallas said, default-smile fading for the first time. “I See darkness.”
“She’s been having visions, hordes larger than we’ve ever seen,” Angeline said.
“We knowww,” Merlena said haughtily. “You already passed that information down the Tower network. I personally dealt with the horde at Buck’s Lake.”
“Yes, I’m sure you ‘personally’ dealt with it,” Angeline said before turning back to Pallas. “But she had another, right before I left. A horde twice that size, destination unknown.”
“I’ll alert my Diviners,” Pallas said solemnly.
Angeline nodded and exhaled. “We also discovered a traitor in our midst. One of my own soldiers was working for the Elves. He’s dead now.”
“Of course it’d be one of your soldiers,” Merlena said, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
Kyle’s jaw twitched. Normally he’d let his tongue fly. The only reason he was making an exception was because the gigantic Master could probably obliterate him on the spot if she felt like it. Or, even worse. She might take it out on Angeline.
“We have reason to believe this wasn’t an isolated incident,” Angeline said. “Clearwater faced an Elven horde. They tried to recruit her as well.”
“You need to control your brats better,” Merlena said. “I’ve been considering demoting you as is, but this news only serves to back that conclusion.”
“Demote me?” Angeline said, voice strained. “I just crossed the entire 2nd quadrant to bring you this news. I know how important it is to the cause. How many Captains do you know who would do that?”
“And you lost your amulet in the process,” Merlena said, placing her hands on her hips.
“Again, I broke my amulet,” Angeline said, gesturing at the shattered one in Merlena’s hand. “Clearly it’s not that difficult to do.”
“Only those who have no regard for property,” Merlena sneered. “Shall we revisit how you came across The Veil, again?”
“That was a mistake,” Angeline said through gritted teeth.
“Oh, what’s that? You lost control, you little pyromaniac?” Merlena taunted.
Angeline balled her fists, knuckles white. Kyle watched as Angeline bent her knees slightly, dropping subtly into a fighter’s stance. “You—“
“The journey was long and tiring, no doubt,” Pallas said, swooping between the two Mages. Her small smile returned to her lips. “Captain Quintana, you must be exhausted. You and Mr. Kallen may retire to the North wing. There are plenty of open rooms there and you may take whatever you’d like from the kitchens. Master Merlena and I need to review this information. We shall discuss matters further with you in the morning.”
Angeline’s mouth dropped open. “But I—“
“Come on, Captain,” Kyle said, grabbing her arm. “You heard the Master.”
“Funny,” Merlena sneered. “The Rogue has more discipline than you.”
Kyle saw the flash in Angeline’s eye, the now familiar one that meant she was about to snap back. He swooped around in front of Angeline and blocked her view of the Master.
“Angeline,” Kyle whispered, eyes pleading, “Let’s go. Don’t waste your hellfire on this hag. Save it for the Elves.”
Angeline bit her bottom lip and nodded slowly.
Kyle gently grabbed her arm and led her towards the hall.
Just as they were about to round the corner, Merlena got in one last dig. “Better teach her to keep her flames tamed, Salamander, seeing as how she’s worthless as a Mage.”
CHAPTER 9 – ANGELINE
“That psycho, mermaid bitch,” Angeline shouted, throwing her hands up as soon as they reached the room.
Kyle cringed and shut the door behind them. “I think she’s more Viking than mermaid. But either way, she probably heard that.”
“So what if she heard? She fucking deserves it. She’s never even served in the field, she has no idea what it’s like. I doubt she could kill an Elf even if it were passed out cold.”
“Really? How’s she even a Master?”
“Politics probably,” Angeline said, pacing back and forth in the space of the small room, boots scraping furiously over the ragged brick floor. “She’s powerful, at least when it comes to parlor tricks, but she’s never used her skills for anything practical as far as I know. She could have done so much good for The Realm, but she’d rather stay holed up in the Castle like a Diviner.” Angeline rubbed her jaw trying to sooth the pain shooting up through her tense neck. “She’s the only damn Mage I’ve ever seen that can teleport objects. You know how goddamn useful that would be on the battle field?”
“Extremely.”
“Right. But she’s fucking selfish,” she said, voice shaking with rage. “She’d rather just sit back and give the rest of us shit, you know, those of us actually going out and risking our lives, watching people die all around us.”
“Sounds like most world leaders,” Kyle said, laughing a little through the grimace on his face.
The stabbing heat in Angeline’s chest flared. “Exactly. It’s fucking bullshit. I can’t take this, I—“
“Come here,” Kyle said, gently pulling her arm. He guided her to the edge of the bed and sat her down.
She ripped her arm out of his grasp and tried to get back up.
He stuck his arm across her legs and widened his eyes, wordlessly commanding her to stay put. “Let’s chill for a second. You aren’t wrong, that woman’s a witch with a capital B. Even Master Pallas gets it. But if you let yourself get worked up, she wins.”
Angeline huffed and crossed her arms, clutching at the oily blackness percolating in her stomach. “You don’t get it,” she said through tightly clenched teeth. “You don’t know how hard it is to be Captain. Every goddamn choice I make is the wrong one. People like Merlena, they’re all too happy to sit back and criticize, smug as shit. I have to be in control of everything, at all times. Do you know how fucking exhausting that is?”
Kyle rose to his feet and pointed at the bed. “Stay here.”
He was out the door before she could protest.
She slapped her hands on the scratchy blanket and grunted in frustration. Whatever. Not like she wanted to leave the room anyway. Risk running into Merlena and her stupid blue eyebrows? No thanks. That friggen hag was so insecure with herself that she had to match her hair to her amulet, just so everyone would know she was the top Mage. What was her problem? Taking out her own short comings on actual Mages… disgusting.
Angeline punched the bed again then flopped over and buried her face in the pillows. She let
out a primal scream into the pillowcase and gripped the blanket in her fists. Actual Mages. Like she could count herself among that group right now. As pissed as she was at that blue hag, she was more pissed at herself. She was so stupid to take off her amulet. Now she was powerless.
Her soldiers sometimes lost their amulets, or on a very rare occasion, broke them, but with the death rate what it was, they were usually issued the amulet of a fallen comrade the same day. The Castle wasn’t involved in these exchanges, nor would they care. But to be a Captain and have hers broken in the field. To have to beg for a new one…
But now that Elves were stealing amulets, magic was going to be a lot harder to replace. Yet another weight pulling her backwards, further and further from victory. How the hell was she supposed to hold it together? She flipped onto her back and stared up at the imperfections on the corroded, stone ceiling, letting her mind go blank.
The door swung open jolting Angeline out of her daze.
Kyle stepped back into the room, rucksack slung over his shoulder, a smile on his face. He shut the door and sauntered over to the edge of the bed. He lazily slid the bag off his shoulder and extracted a loaf of bread, two large brown bottles, and a beautiful slab of something golden.
“Is that butter?” Angeline said, momentarily shoving aside humanity’s impending plight as she sat up and gawked in awe.
“I thought you’d be more excited about these,” Kyle said, handing her a bottle. “I was a bit disappointed they couldn’t whip me up a Mai Tai--”
“Butter, and bread, and beer?” she said, popping out the stopper and taking a generous gulp. “I take back everything I ever said about you,” she teased.
“Well. Not everything. You can keep the bit about my precious bod and all the talk about my ass.”
“I’m going to drink this until you’re actually funny,” she said, taking another sip. She couldn’t help but smile with the bubbles dancing on her tongue, the relaxing effect already beginning to roll down her tired muscles. She couldn’t remember the last time she just kicked back with a cold one. Probably last time she took leave, which was over a year ago. Even then, she never could unwind entirely, not on either side of The Veil, not anymore.
“Can we just pretend nothing exists outside this room?” she sighed, taking another sip.
“I think I can do that,” he said, cocking a sly smirk. “I have a very vivid imagination.” He flipped a knife out of his armband and started slicing the bread.
Angeline resisted the urge to snatch the bread away, she didn’t really feel like eating traces of Elf blood. She could have merely asked him not to cut their dinner with his monster-slaying knives, but she knew she’d never hear the end of it, and bickering was the last thing she wanted to do. She just needed to relax, to let go.
“So,” he said, buttering a thick slice and handing it to her, “what are the rules of this newly formed alternate dimension?”
“No Elves,” she said, talking through the massive bite. “No boots,” she kicked off her shoes, letting them fall to the floor.
“I like it,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “No pants?”
“Pants are allowed.”
“But not mandatory?”
“Nothing is mandatory here,” she said, washing down the slice and reaching for another.
“Oh, straight-laced Captain gonna be okay without rules?”
“Hah. Straight-laced. If only you knew me before The Veil,” she said. “You wouldn’t even recognize me.”
“Try me.”
“You would have liked me better,” she said, flicking her eyes to the ceiling. “Total free spirit, like you.”
“Really,” he said, a look of surprise dancing across his handsome face. “For the record, I like you plenty, Captain. Probably more than you like yourself.”
“I liked old me better,” she said, shrugging as she took another gulp.
“Tell me more about her then.”
“She was an art instructor,” she said, smiling. “At a non-profit. And a vegetarian.”
“Oh a vegetarian huh? How exotic,” he winked. “So what caused the grand metamorphosis?”
“Setting that warehouse on fire.”
“I think you’re missing a few chapters. You gonna tell me why you burned down that warehouse? I know you said you were drunk, but in my experience most people don’t down a couple pints and pick up a blow torch.”
She stared at the half empty bottle in her hand, a stabbing feeling rocking in her gut. “I just lost control,” she said, unwelcome tears brimming in her lashes.
“That happens once in a while,” he said, voice heavy. “I know how that shit stings.”
“This wasn’t ‘once in a while’,” she said, voice beginning to tremble as the memories floated to the surface. “I spiraled for over a year. Bad shit.”
“Nothing leaves the walls of this room. It stays in this universe,” he shrugged, “if you feel like spilling.” He looked her firmly in the eye. “NO pressure.”
Angeline swallowed. She wasn’t sure why, but she had to tell him. Not just someone. Him. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but nothing leaves this universe.”
CHAPTER 10 – KYLE
“Stop interrupting me,” she whined, puffing out her cute bottom lip.
“But it’s so funny. You were a pot dealer?” Kyle laughed, sipping his beer. “Miss Big-Bad-Blunt-Dealer? That’s only mildly more exotic than being a vegetarian.”
“Laugh all you want, I know it’s legal all over the place now, but 6 years ago it wasn’t. I was small time, mostly dealt to fellow artists at the co-op. Them and a few locals at the shady taproom next door.” She paused, obviously waiting for him to jump in again.
He felt bad. He hadn’t meant to make fun of her. He really did want to know, more than he cared to admit. He straightened his smile and nodded for her to continue. “Okay, I’m done laughing, promise.”
She took a deep breath, her voice suddenly shaking as she started to speak again. “Then I met Jesse. An actual dealer, not just pot.”
Her eyes dropped to her lap, no longer looking Kyle in the eye. “He rode a crappy motorcycle and always had a gun tucked in the back of his pants. I was going through a stupid phase where I thought danger was sexy. So sexy, that I got sucked into his underground world real quick.
“Hard drugs, gun running, money laundering. It was like a bad episode of Sons of Anarchy. And I was just as screwed as those characters. Shit just kept getting worse and worse. I did whatever Jesse told me and whenever I thought of leaving, I couldn’t do it. I was totally powerless around him.”
“He’s the asshole you ran from the cops with, huh? After he punched the waiter?”
Angeline nodded, taking a huge gulp of her beer. “Yep. But that’s like the least awful thing he ever did. He did so much worse. He killed my dog.”
A wave of disgust swelled in Kyle’s gut, but he closed his mouth when he saw the pain twisting on Angeline’s face. This was hard enough for her already, she didn’t need him prolonging the memory by stating the obvious, that this guy was human scum. He subtly clenched his fists to subdue his anger and waited for her to continue.
“He was a Pug, super drooly, kinda fat. Okay, really fat. I named him Botero. Jesse said it was an accident, he hit him with his shitty motorcycle, but he hated that dog, and we’d been fighting. I knew.”
Her lip trembled.
“I was destroyed, and he didn’t even offer to stay. So I got wasted, alone, and finally decided to just make the Jesse problem go away. Thought I’d be doing the world a favor, I guess. I was so drunk I don’t really know what I was thinking.
“I went to the warehouse he was supposed to be doing a deal in that night and burned it down. You know how it ends from there.”
“Was he in the warehouse?” Kyle asked, “You said nobody got hurt, right?”
“No, he wasn’t there. I was so drunk that I didn’t consider what time it was. The deal was already well over and done with. I don’t thi
nk Jesse ever even put two and two together that it was a massively failed attempt on his life. I’m glad he wasn’t there. As much as I still hate him, I don’t want him dead. I’ve seen enough death.”
Kyle felt a heaviness settle in his chest. “You and me both.”
“So that’s who I was. Civilian Angie Quintana.”
“You went by Angie?” he grinned. It was a cute, oddly fitting name.
“Yep. Angie the Idiot who totally screwed her life up. Well, Angel to Jesse. He always called me Angel.”
Kyle winced. He never would have guessed the all-star Captain had gone through such a dark time too. Now he got why she was such a control freak. She was terrified at the thought of slipping again, of letting someone else run her world.
“But I’m still screwing things up,” she said, voice dipping back into a rhythm of frustration and anger. “Now I have to be in control all the fucking time.” Her voice started shaking harder. “It’s exhausting, Kyle. I’m so tired.”
Kyle sat up and pried the half empty beer out of her white-knuckle grip. He set it on the bedside table and scooted closer to her. Goddamn her hair smelled good, and they hadn’t even bathed in days. Oh, hell. What was he thinking? He needed to help her, not huff her. He shook his head and refocused.
“We forgot one of the rules of this universe,” he said. “Turn around.”
Her eyebrow ticked up in question, but she flipped around anyway.
“Well two rules, actually,” he said. “First, is that Captains get massages.” He swept a mass of her wild, sexy hair off her shoulders and started kneading at the knots. To his surprise, she didn’t argue. In fact, he felt her relax instantly under his touch. Now that he was touching her, however, he was doing the opposite of relaxing.
A swooping sensation fluttered in his gut as he ran his thumbs along her smooth, surprisingly muscular flesh. The heat of her skin pulsed up through his hands sending a tingling up through his arms down his core and straight to his cock. He exhaled deeply and tried to shake off the feeling. As much as he wanted her, she didn’t need to deal with his bullshit advances right then. But dammit his dick sure wanted him to grab her by the hips, flip her around, peel down those dirt-covered fatigues, and—