by J. A. Pitts
Once that was done, I put away the abrasive and got my welding gear on. “Here goes nothing.”
Bub held the first clamp while I used a long welding rod to secure it into place. I took my time, not wanting to use too much of the steel rod at one time, and not wanting to totally screw up the paint job. As I used the torch to melt the steel, I felt a flow from Bub, via the amulet and down my arms. There may have been oxygen burning and steel melting, but the weld was as much magic as chemistry. It was a strange damn feeling.
It really only took me thirty minutes to attach the three large clamps.
The design reminded me of how the old cowboys used to carry their rifles on their saddles, slung down to the side. Bub and I rigged the three clips to hold Gram in her sheath, along the side of the bike from the front of the frame closest to the forks, backwards below the gas tank and half under the edge of the seat. I could ride the bike and carry Gram with me. After the year I’d had, I wasn’t inclined to go around unarmed ever again. From giants running me off into the quarry yard a year ago, to the necromancer kidnapping Jai Li in the fall. Things didn’t go down when it was convenient for me.
Gram normally rode in the truck behind the seat along with my old saddlebags. But today, with the new rig in place, I’d be able to carry Gram on my newly painted beast. I could deliver an ass-whupping and still satisfy my need for speed.
I locked Gram in place and stepped on the bike. There was plenty of clearance for my legs, and the sword was nearly concealed unless you were looking for it. I notched that up to my budding maker skills.
I stepped back off the bike and stood back, looking at the handy work. It flowed, following the lines of the bike, and the calipers blended in with the paint job—camouflaged, as it were.
Bub went to fetch Gunther and Anezka who apparently hadn’t gone very far, just to the picnic benches beside the shed.
They came in, made appropriate noises about the sword mount, and helped me clean up. Once all the gear was put away, Bub disappeared for a few minutes and Trisha and her squad came into the shed carrying two large boxes. Frick and Frack trundled along behind them, hand in hand with Bub.
“Presents for you,” Trisha said. “These are from the squad for your help.” She paused, her eyes full of tears. “And for keeping Frick and Frack safe.” She hugged me and stepped back, wiping her eyes.
Nancy, Gary, and Benny stood with her, each of them smiling.
There were two large boxes. I had a good idea what they were.
Inside were two helmets. Each with a custom paint job. One had the crossed hammers and sword design that was similar to the original helmet that Gunther had gotten me. That one had been lost in the battle. It also matched the design on the new saddlebags. The second helmet was midnight blue with a guitar on one side, and a crossbow and short sword crossed on the other. That was Katie’s.
There was much crying and hugging all around. Jimmy and Deidre came out of the house to join in, and several other folks from the farm buzzed in to comment on everything.
I was overwhelmed and ready to collapse in a puddle of too much emotion.
I took the helmets into the house and sat with Katie for a long while. She needed a guitar in the room. That’s what was missing. I’d get her one as soon as I could. She never moved, but I had to show her what our crew had done. Had to let her know how much I missed her and that I was looking forward to riding with her again soon.
Eventually I had to get back to Circle Q and Jai Li.
I walked back out into the yard. Bub was off with the twins, and the rest of the crew were scattered doing their daily routines. Deidre and Jimmy saw me out of the house, passing hugs around, and leaving me to my leaving.
I attached the saddlebags, put on my helmet, locked Katie’s in place, and hit the road.
The bike roared between my thighs as I pulled out of the farm—the sound of the engine drowning out the voices in my head.
Thirty
Qindra called me after dinner that night. She wanted to get together and check up on all that had been going on—talk about the whole Fist thing. She’d also gotten some information from Mr. Philips on what they had noticed down in Portland when Katie had collapsed. The ripple effect had been noticed as far south as Salem officially, but they suspected it may have dispersed further than that. The waves may have diminished, but there was no reason to think anyone who was sensitive to such things wouldn’t have noticed all the way to Mexico and beyond. There was no official position from Mr. Philips, but Frederick had suspicions that it was somehow linked to JJ’s death. Go figure. I’d gotten there already.
I found it interesting that Mr. Philips wasn’t a witch or anything. He was just very well organized. After I’d left the restaurant the day of JJ’s funeral things had gotten a little strange, she informed me. She was sure they were hiding something but she had no proof. She had no reason to question the truthfulness of Mr. Philips’ replies, it just felt wrong to her. Frederick Sawyer hadn’t been outright deceitful either, but she had the distinct impression he was protecting something.
Qindra didn’t like things being out of sorts. Untidy meant more work for her and probably more danger for the thralls of Nidhogg. So she asked for us to meet for coffee. We made an appointment for the next day and left it at that. Hell, I coulda used some coffee right that minute, but she was a busy witch.
After I got the kidlet down for the night, I sat with Julie and discussed the bike mods and how it felt to be working with Bub. It was good to trade ideas with her. I loved the way her brain worked.
I excused myself earlier than normal and went back into the laundry room where I did a bunch of sit-ups and push-ups. I needed to get my edge back.
By the time I’d worked up a decent sweat and done some stretching, I thought it would be a good idea for a shower. As I padded through the house, Julie gave me a thumbs-up.
I slept well that night. Twice I dreamed about Katie. Once was just a dream, nothing more complicated. Once I could hear her somewhere. Her voice was muffled, but it was definitely her, talking with someone.
When the sun finally broke over the mountains to the east, I was already up and into my second cup of coffee before anyone else in the house stirred.
As for coffee with Qindra—Monkey Shines was my first choice, of course. Home turf. It still pained me to walk in and not see the regular barista Camilla there making the espresso and flashing her amazing smile. She’d been murdered by the necromancer in his attempt to get to me. Such a fucking waste.
I left Circle Q around nine-thirty, taking the bike, and headed into Redmond proper. Qindra arrived only a couple of minutes after me, so we grabbed our coffees and made our way back to the crowded seating area. I had my saddlebags on one shoulder, one hand looped through the full face mask of my helmet and holding Gram. In the other hand I had my coffee with a plate of scones on top of it. It was quite the juggling act. I had mad skills.
Most of the tables were full with business types on their laptops but there was one fairly good-sized table with only one young guy playing a racing game on one of those tablet thingies. I looked around. The only other available seats were at the counter along the windows. I turned to ask Qindra what she wanted to do, but she’d leaned in and was saying something to the young guy. Color me surprised when he nodded and began gathering up his gear.
“One of your people?” I asked as the guy picked up his tablet and coffee and moved to the far window seating.
“Just asked nicely,” she said, smiling. “Honestly, Sarah. Common courtesy often works. Maybe you should try it sometime.”
I sat my coffee down and flipped her off.
She laughed as she sat down across from me. “Your mother must be so proud.”
That was below the belt, and she knew it. She just grinned at me and took up her large mug of java.
I settled all my crap on the wide seat, the saddlebags over the back and Gram in her sheath on the floor under my feet. Qindra watched me with ra
ised eyebrows but didn’t say anything. Not yet, anyway.
“I heard an interesting rumor that a new dragon had been born,” I said, watching her as I settled back with my own chocolate infused coffee. “Not necessarily the best source, mind. But credible enough to follow up on.”
She was shocked. That surprised me.
“That’s news to me. Did you hear where? Surely not in Nidhogg’s territory.”
I shrugged. “South of here is all I know. Who’s south of us besides Frederick?”
Qindra tipped her hand to the side, ticking off her fingers. “Frederick controls Portland. Then there are dragons in northern California, Utah, Nevada, two in southern California, Mexico, and all the way down through Central America and South America. If you just say south, it could be anywhere, practically.”
“No skin off my nose,” I said, smiling. “Just thought seeing how territorial Nidhogg is, that maybe you’d want to check into it.” I loved that I knew something she didn’t.
“Oh, I’ll look into it,” she promised. “Right away.” She blew on her coffee and studied me. “Tell me about Jai Li.”
Now it was my turn to be surprised. I figured we go straight for Katie and the diary. Or maybe Gram, since I was carrying her around. Jai Li was not first on my agenda. But I had to remember that Qindra loved the child, and Jai Li loved her. She had a fair right to ask. I had planned to show her some of the pictures Jai Li had come up with, ask for her interpretation. I just didn’t expect that to be the opening round.
We discussed Jai Li’s reaction the night of Katie’s collapse, examined the drawings and discussed her initial insistence that Nidhogg was angry. That seemed to concern Qindra more than anything.
“She and her twin sister, Mei Hau, were gifts to my mistress from the Beijing dragon, Fucanglong,” she said.
I snickered, and she rolled her eyes.
“Don’t be childish,” she said, kicking my foot.
“Does he have a Fucang crown and everything?”
She kicked me again.
“We were discussing Jai Li?” She raised her eyebrows and sipped her coffee.
“Yes, fine.” I waved my hand in between us, clearing the air. “I’ll try and be a grown up.” I struggled not to grin.
She plowed on, the trooper. “We knew Jai Li and Mei Hau were special, definitely the favorites of the mistress.” She paused, lost in thought. “When the great mother raged in response to your actions—”
She meant me reforging Gram. Not something we discussed. Hard to know one of the thralls had a weapon built to kill dragons. Don’t ask, don’t tell.
“—Mei Hau was in the room with her.” She examined the pictures Jai Li had drawn. “Maybe their gift was to keep her calm.”
Interesting thought. “Together, you mean. When Nidhogg transformed into her true form, she didn’t seem to see Mei Hau as anything other than an hors d’oeuvre.”
Qindra grimaced, the pain naked on her face. “Perhaps it was Jai Li’s place to watch for danger signs.” She waved her hand in the air. “We are merely speculating. What’s done is done.”
“Sure, I suppose. But would the Beijing dragon know they had abilities beyond the norm when he sent the twins to Nidhogg?” It seemed a reasonable thought. “If Nidhogg was the mother of all dragons, wouldn’t they all have a desire to placate her?”
“It is possible,” she said, quietly. “But again, we are in the realm of speculation. It’s not as if I can call Beijing and ask.” She rifled through the pile of drawings and pulled out the picture I thought was Cassidy Stone and tapped it. “Do you know who this is supposed to be?”
I glanced down at the paper, stalling. “Not so much. Does the dragon in the picture look familiar?”
She looked up from the drawing. “I haven’t met all the dragons,” she said with a laugh. “I have attended one meeting away from this region that involved dragons. This one does not look familiar to me. Of course,” she shrugged. “They usually don’t go about in this form, now do they? I may have met this dragon in her human form and never known it.”
I highly doubted she wouldn’t have known a dragon when she met one, but I let it drop. I caught her meaning.
“Funny you said she,” I said, setting my coffee cup on the table. “What makes you say she?”
“Huh,” she grunted, holding the picture up to look at it. “Coloration, maybe? I’m not really sure.” She did look genuinely puzzled. “What do you think?”
I took the picture from her. Jai Li had a very distinctive style. This was fairly detailed for crayons. “Definitely female,” I said. “Though I can’t tell you why for any good reason than it feels right. It’s what Jai Li intended when she drew it.”
We both looked at the picture a bit longer, and then I added it to the stack on the table.
“She’s an interesting kid,” I said, finally.
Qindra nodded and we sat a few more moments in contemplation.
“There is one more picture,” I said, needing to get this out in the open. “Frankly, it scares the hell out of me.”
It was the picture of the man in the bowler hat.
Qindra stiffened as I slid the drawing around toward her. There was a moment of panic in her face, then it was replaced by her placid calm.
“How does she know this man?” she asked, her eyes darting to me for a brief moment, before returning to the picture.
It nearly pulsed with negative energy. The thing made my stomach hurt.
“I’ve met him once,” I said, explaining about the night in Chumstick when I’d visited Qindra when she’d been locked in the dome.
“I saw him,” she said. She had her hands crossed in her lap, and her knuckles were white. “I even looked into him right after Katie and Stuart freed me …”
She trailed off, a mix of emotions racing around her face. It was the way she said Stuart’s name. Almost wistful. Odd.
“Did you learn anything?”
She shook her head. “No. It wasn’t a very in-depth search. Just a cursory look.” She sighed and sat back, taking her coffee with her, distancing herself from the picture. “The necromancer spoke with him several times. I took it he was a serial killer of some infamy, but I didn’t find anything.”
We both stared at the drawing for another few seconds before I covered it up, sliding the whole stack back into my saddlebags.
“I think he’s hunting Katie,” I said, explaining about the trips to the Sideways.
By the time I finished describing what had been going on, my coffee was cold and Qindra was dry.
She went up and got us both fresh coffee, and we resumed the conversation.
“One could assume he haunts this area because he died here,” she said. “And with the bowler hat, he can’t be older than the Victorian era. Gold Rush, maybe?”
“Lot of people coming in and out of Seattle at that time,” I mused. “May just be a good time to be a serial killer.”
“Let me do some research,” Qindra said. “No promises. You are delving into realms I’ve never plumbed, my sister. Areas where my experiences are only hearsay and rumor.”
That was not the most happy-making thought.
“That’s me, going where angels fear to tread.”
She just shook her head, not amused. Things grew quiet as we both fell into our own thoughts. I know I was missing something. Some connection.
“What of the diary?” Qindra asked after a few minutes. “I’ve watched for further indications, further disruptions.”
I looked up, very glad for the distraction. The train of thought I was following with the Bowler Hat Man was not pleasant.
“I’ve actually got it hidden someplace I’d rather not discuss.”
She nodded. “Prudent. I would still like to interview Katie when she recovers.”
I could’ve kissed her for the way she worded that. “When she wakes up, I’ll ask her,” I said, really not wanting to have that discussion. “Not likely to happen anytime soon, though.”
“I’m worried about the number of magical objects in your orbit,” she said cutting to what I figured was the real purpose of our meeting.
Can’t say I was surprised, frankly. I knew it would happen sooner or later. “Which objects are you interested in?”
“There are three that concern me at the moment,” she said, folding her hands on her lap and leaning back in her chair. “The sword, the shield, and the book.”
For a moment I thought that was the beginning of a really old joke. She didn’t mention the amulet, so I didn’t correct her.
“Well, I’ve already told you, the book is hidden away. I can’t risk anyone else getting their hands on that. Especially with Jai Li around. That girl is curious like a cat.”
She smiled at the image and nodded. “I assume the sword is equally off the table?” She casually waved her hand toward the floor near my feet.
I just looked at her. Was she kidding?
“Of course,” she said. “That leaves the shield.”
The shield. That was intriguing. I’m not sure how I felt about the shield. Justin, the necromancer had done some crazy shit with that, soaked it in his and the dragon’s blood only after my own had been soaked into the leather and the wood.
“I can loan you the shield,” I said. I’d really like to know what it was capable of. “But it is a loan, you understand?”
Qindra sipped her coffee and shrugged. “But of course.”
We continued to discuss Jai Li—her education and well-being. I was starting to feel like a real parent. Not just a babysitter.
Now I just needed to start thinking about getting our life back to what resembled normal these days. This was nice, just chatting with her. Oh, there were a few raw spots, but I was going to like this aspect of the whole Fist of Nidhogg gig. I liked feeling like I belonged at the grown-up table for once. And Qindra was great to bounce ideas off of.
“I’ve asked Stuart to accompany me down to Portland,” she said, setting her coffee cup on the table and folding her hands in her lap. “He’s hesitant, as you may imagine.”