by RyFT Brand
it that time the Banderchek attacked us, it healed you when you should have died.”
“And I would have died if I hadn’t washed the stone in the jar. It doesn’t truly heal, it more postpones. The goop in the jar can absorb the damage, but if it isn’t washed clean, then the damage, all the damage, comes back on the user.” I stuck a thumb against my chest. “Namely me.”
Samuels’ eyes shifted to the side as if he could see the jar through the wall. “But the screaming, it was awful.”
“Yeah, it sounds pretty terrible, but it isn’t screaming, it’s just a noise, like wind through trees.”
He leaned forward, stared into my eyes, and lowered his voice. “Are you sure?”
I leaned across the desk, brought my nose very close to his, and met his gauze. “Yes, I’m sure,” I lied.
He leaned back and rested his chin in a hand, his eyes cast out the window in contemplation. “I don’t know Jazz, that’s an unregistered magical devise, if anyone ever found out—”
“They won’t,” I assured him although I had no good reason to. “Besides, it’s a lot safer with me than with the wizards’ congress, you know that.”
He shrugged hesitantly. “I suppose,” he said then fell back into deep thought. My head bobbed once, I wasn’t going to stay awake much longer. He had every right to haul my ass in and have the book thrown at me, except that he owed me a lot more favors than I owed him. At last he rubbed a hand through his close-cropped head of tight curls. “What are you working on anyway?”
I’d completely forgotten about Mrs. Guiles up until then. “One of the Wellmont elite hired me to go after a paleo-bear that ate her dachshund.”
Samuels laughed. “A paleo-bear ate her little-crap dog? That wiener wouldn’t even make a decent snack to a big old bear.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I know. But her chips were the right colors, the colors that pay bills. Besides, there were some similar reports of pets gone missing in the area, and the creature’s description matched a listed bond. I traced it all the way to Feyitshire, but there the trail ran cold.”
He picked at a fingernail with a thumbnail, which meant he was going to pry. “Odd for a giant-bear to come out of the wilds.”
“Odd, yes, but not unheard of.”
“Anything I can do?” Good old Adam.
“I can handle it.”
“I know,” he said eyes cast down.
“Oh, hey,” I said remembering, “Did you hear about any dragons being granted inter-dimensional bridge access?”
He stopped before the door. “Not since the Naumar massacre, why?”
I used a finger and thumb to hold my eyes open. “I ran into a red yesterday, I didn’t recognize her.”
He shrugged, but kept picking at his fingernail. “She could be from one of the dedicated islands.”
“Sure she could have,” I said with as much sarcasm as I had the strength to muster.
He dropped his hands and nodded absently. “I’ll look into it. Anything else?”
“DJ’s scooter’s still in impound, and there’s all those parking tickets...and a warrant for something…I think.”
He stood, thank goodness, and straightened his shirt. “If you need help with anything else, you call me. I might not be there the next time Smitty picks you up,” he said as he walked to the door.
“I will,” I said, as my head bobbed again.
He turned back before opening the door. “Clowntown, you have any Clown trouble?”
I shrugged as sincerely as I could. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.” He stared at me a moment and I debated about asking if he’d heard any reports of attacks on Clowns, as, officially, I was now working for them. But the question would lead to too many questions, and I didn’t want John Law there knowing I was working for the bad guys so I said nothing.
“OK, but call me if you need anything.” He opened the door and looked back. “Or just call me if you want to.”
“Thanks Adam,” I said.
“And stay out of trouble before you get me arrested.” As he left I heard Parry wish him a bad day.
Right after, Parry entered the office carrying the cloth covered jar. He set it in its place on the shelf. “You need a shower.”
“Yes, I do, right after I take a very long nap.” I stood and limped to reception. “Wake me in a few days, would you?” Just as I turned the corner something hit me in the face. I winced back, held my breath and closed my eyes as my face was attacked again and again.
Avoiding blows, I shook my head, and, after several grabs, caught the little bug-sized speck of light.
I had Moxie hanging upside down from her little flower-petal skirt. Her four tiny wings beat at a hummingbird rate and sprayed iridescent dust in the air. She glowed so brightly she looked like a super-bright LED in yellow-gold. I gave her a little shake, sending a shower of sparkling dust particles falling. “Moxie. Moxie, calm down.” But, like an overzealous puppy, she didn’t. So I hooked a finger behind my thumb and let it go, shooting her across the room. She left a little glowing spot on the wall where she hit it, and a line down to where she slid behind the couch.
“Jazz!” Parry shouted, ran over and pulled the couch away from the wall. Moxie slowly and erratically flew back up into the air, her glow was much softer. But, upon seeing me, she brightened, flew straight at me, and gave my nose a tight squeeze, though her arms were stretched wide to do it. I grabbed her flower petal skirt and plucked her off, holding her up at eye level. “Hello Moxie,” I said to the upside-down pudgy face.
Moxie gave me a smile and a wave.
“Are you going to be calm?”
She nodded adamantly, spraying more glowing dust.
I let go and she turned upright, hovering in front of my face.
“She was worried about you,” Parry said. “You could be more patient with her you know.”
“She’s a pain in my ass you know.”
“Hey!” Parry ran over and covered the flower fairy’s ears between his finger and thumb. “Don’t say that in front of her.”
“Why ever not?” I asked.
“Because you’ll hurt her feelings, come on.”
“I want to hurt her feeling because I want her to leave me alone.”
Parry caught Moxie in his cupped hands and moved her out of earshot. “She loves you Jazz, you should be more appreciative.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “She doesn’t love me, she’s bound to me, it’s different. And she’s nothing but trouble.”
“Just because she’s bound to you doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you.”
I set a hand on my forehead. “She’s a flower fairy Parry, a very simple life form, they don’t feel love like you and I.”
Parry opened his hands and Moxie flew over and sat on my shoulder; I felt her energy-charged lips kiss my cheek.
Parry crossed his arms. “Sometimes I think you don’t feel love at all.”
I shook my head again. “Just give me the messages.”
“Humm, let’s see,” he began rifling through his nearly empty desk. “How will I ever find them all, oh yes, here it is,” he said holding up a scrap of paper. “Mrs. Guiles called and said if you’re not going to catch her monster she wants her money back—that would be the money we all ready spent.”
“Thank you, that’s all for today Parry,” I said as I picked Moxie off my shoulder by her wings. “And back in your shoe until I call you little spirit.” Moxie hung her little curly-haired head. When excited she looked like a little ball of light, but calm and up close she looked like a little Mae West with wings. “And put a leaf on, you’re going to hurt someone flying around topless all the time.”
Moxie crossed her arms and gave me a curt nod of defiance, then whirled behind Parry’s desk and disappeared in the candy apple-red stiletto she called home.
Parry crossed his arms. “You could try to be nicer to her.”
I walked behind Parry’s desk, picked up the shoe and slid a drawer open. “T
his is me trying to be nice.” I let the shoe fall in then shoved the drawer closed with my knee. “Just hope you’re not around when I stop trying.”
Parry stared at me, willing himself to stay angry, but he relented and let his arms fall to his sides. “Look, are you sure you’re OK?” You look pretty banged up.”
I shrugged. “I’ll be fine, I just need some sleep.”
“You could crash at my place, it’s closer than yours,” he said, his electric-blue eyes filled with puppy-dog wanting. He was cute, I’d give him that, especially the way his ruddy-brown skin and coifed, black hair framed his bright eyes. But Parry was a pup, through and through. “No, I’m going to sleep here; I’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
“What can I do?” he said sounding disappointed.
“First go pick up DJ. Run her home, she can change and pick me up some fresh clothes. Then you two go by the rail station and collect Ship. He needs to go to Uncle’s”
“You owe Uncle money.”
“So pay him.”
“With what, fairy dust?”
“DJ has some chips. Give Uncle the least you can though, we’re going to need to replace lost supplies, oh, and we need to get my bike out of impound.”
Parry’s brow wrinkled. “Where did DJ get chips?”
I was so not in the mood for this. “A client.”
The creases in his youthful brow deepened. “Client? What client?”
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “A clan of Clowns hired me to look into some attacks. It’s just a recon job, easy money.”
“Clowns! We’re working for Clowns? Have you lost your mind?”
“Parry!” I shouted and clapped my hands together. “I am