by TR Cameron
She barked a laugh. “So, no more late-night chases through the city?”
He gave a half-smile. “I make no promises. Now, I need to wait for the next thing to break.” His expression widened into a grin. “Speaking of break, how’s the arm?”
“Fine.” She growled in annoyance. “It was nothing a healing potion or two couldn’t fix.”
“Two? I’ve never heard of it taking more than one.”
“Apparently, I’m special.”
The dwarf laughed. “Oh, I’ll say you’re special. It means the formula isn’t quite right for you so you must have something weird going on in your genetics. We’ll get it dialed in.”
Cali looked at Tanyith. “Did he actually use a science word?”
“Yes, he did.”
Zeb sighed. “You know, stereotyping is hurtful. There’s considerable science in brewing. Tons.”
She raised her gaze. “Don’t talk to me about stereotypes until you’re not a heavy-drinking dwarf with a battle-ax nearby.”
They all shared a laugh at the familiar teasing. Zeb was the first to stop, and he looked uncomfortable when he spoke. “So, I have some information to share with you both. From the council.”
“Well, that’s an ominous start.” A frown immediately settled on her face.
Tanyith nodded. “Seriously.”
The proprietor didn’t smile, which ratcheted her concern up. “It was my hope that the others would agree to take a more active role against the gangs. But while there is definitely a consensus that a problem exists and must be addressed, the group chose what they felt was the most appropriate and expeditious option.”
Her frown deepened. “And that is?”
“Basically, letting the two of you run with it until things get worse.”
She slapped her palms on the top of the bar. “Damn it. That’s seriously shortsighted. What, they’ll take an active interest after we’re dead? Cowards.” The vehemence that surged through her clearly shocked her companions judging by the looks on their faces but did the same to her. Okay, chill out, Cali. “Sorry. It’s only…it’s stupid.”
The other person in the line of fire nodded his agreement. “Did they offer any help at all?”
The dwarf shrugged. “Essentially what they’ve done so far. Information without restriction and help where it can be done in secret.”
Cali growled in frustration. “So, they’re worried about getting noticed, is that it? What kind of leaders are they?”
Zeb patted a hand in the air in his long-standing signal that she needed to calm herself. Many customers had prompted a plethora of similar admonitions in the past. “They’re leaders who are afraid their citizens will wind up in the middle of a battle.”
She sighed. “Okay, that’s legit. But still. This sucks.” She shifted her gaze to Tanyith. “Can your girlfriend help us?”
“She. Is not. My Girlfriend.” He said it slowly, presumably so she’d understand. Yeah, that won’t happen, buddy. Now that she had a way to get under his skin so quickly, she wasn’t about to abandon it for anything silly like “facts” or “reality.”
“Sure, sure. The question stands.”
“Maybe. We’ve agreed to work together on Aiden, so we might be able to do more. But do we really want her involved? The fights you’re in and the stuff we’ve done aren’t exactly legal. I’m reasonably sure we’ve chalked up at least one fatality. It might not be a good idea to have a sworn police officer around us any more than absolutely necessary.”
Cali tapped her index finger on the bar and considered his words. While nothing he said was wrong, Detective Barton also seemed like a reasonable person. Mostly. If they were able to keep her at arm’s length on the fights—meaning I can’t use her as a backup plan anymore, which probably is a good idea, regardless—maybe they could at least share information. “Okay. We’ll let that ride as is for now. But if you find an opportunity to get any relevant info from her or if you think it’s safe to give away something we know, I’d say go for it. The same applies to me, although I would guess you’ll be the one she seeks out.” She wiggled her eyebrows in case her meaning had been unclear.
He rolled his eyes. “Sure.”
She turned to Zeb. “Congratulations. You’re now my primary backup plan for trouble. If I call you, can you muster people other than you and Valerie to come and help?”
The dwarf grinned widely and fluffed his beard where it rested on his chest. “In the very unlikely circumstance where me and my lady wouldn’t be sufficient, I think I could manage to find some folks. I’ll lay the groundwork now. It seems like the council ought to at least be able to commit to having backup on call.” She was sure she heard a note of disgust in his voice at the group’s behavior, which fit her opinion of them well.
It would suffice, for now, and she nodded. “Is there anything else where they’re concerned?”
He shrugged. “The gnomes are worried that the gangs will eventually expand to their doorsteps. A couple of others were behind starting a war immediately. The rest don’t feel it’s the right time and that things haven’t reached the critical moment where action is required.”
Tanyith finished his cider and held it out for a refill. “They’ll only see that point when it’s in the rear-view mirror.”
“That statement is sadly accurate, I think.” Zeb topped off all their ciders as he continued to speak. “But in their places, we might do the same.”
“All the others lead their communities,” Cali said. “I guess I always believed you were involved because this is a natural gathering place, but you’ve never mentioned another dwarf. Are you their leader?”
Zeb laughed. “We’re mostly not interested in what the others have to say, and there aren’t that many of us here, in the first place. We tend to be loners, except when we get together for a drink or a party. None of us sees the need for a leader, and it’s enough for them that at least one dwarf is included in discussions. I don’t presume to speak for the rest.”
“It’s like magical Switzerland here,” the man said, “and you’re the prime minister.”
He grinned. “I prefer to consider myself as a builder of bridges between people. Who takes a percentage as they eat, drink, and connect.”
She frowned. “So you’re basically a fairy tale troll. Not the Tolkien kind but the live-under-a-bridge kind.”
“Trolls have been horribly misrepresented in your culture. Seriously, who would choose to live under a bridge? It’s xenophobia, is what it is. The person taxing travel was probably a human in disguise.”
“So, since you don’t do that, you’re what, Robin Hood?”
“Not hardly.” He laughed. “Although the idea of robbing the rich to give to the poor has some merit. It merely makes me a convenient go-between.”
Cali shook her head. “There is nothing convenient about you.”
Tanyith interrupted the banter. “Did they say anything about drugs?”
Zeb frowned. “No. Why?”
“Barton mentioned that the Atlanteans have a new product on the streets—one aimed at humans. Combine that with their magical one, and they’re making connections with all kinds of people. She thinks that the chances of it only being about money are very small.”
She nodded. “Yeah, they’re definitely up to something. They’re always up to something.”
“So. One more thing to worry about.” From the look on the man’s face, this one really caused him some concern.
The notion disturbed her as well, and she banished any hint of playfulness from her voice. “Okay, to paraphrase Bad Boys, stuff just got real. We have two weeks before the scumbags can force me to fight them again, as long as I don’t mess with them. Or, at least, mess with them in a way that they know it’s me.” Fyre gave a growl of support from behind the bar. “In that time, we need to find out more about the sword, what the situation is with the drugs, and where your ex-girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend fits into the situation. You might not want to mention
that part to Barton. I bet she gets jealous easily.” She couldn’t suppress the humor in her voice on the ending.
Tanyith shook his head. “You’re gonna keep doing it, aren’t you?” She nodded. “I need to go home. Too much time around you starts to melt my brain.” He pushed off his seat and wandered out to laughter from her and Zeb.
Cali turned to her boss. “I’ll need a third for the next battle. Do you want to bring Valerie out of retirement?”
He shook his head. “You have better options and I have to remain the go-between. But if you need help to find someone, I can do it.”
It was the answer she’d expected. “No worries. I’m on it.”
“So, will you go to the library tomorrow?”
She sighed, exasperated. “What is it with you people? No, actually—dojo, busking, and classwork tomorrow before I come in here. I’ll go to the library on Friday when I can devote most of the day to it before I report to my uncaring boss for another evening in the alcohol-mines.”
He laughed. “Good. It seems like you have your priorities mostly straight. Get out of here.”
With a final grin of affection, she headed to the basement and Fyre moved lazily behind her. Even with the guarantee of a couple of weeks of downtime, she didn’t want to tempt fate by walking home in the dark with so much going on. She sighed inwardly. I need to eliminate these bastards so I can get back to my old life.
Chapter Thirteen
Tanyith strode into the tourist bar and immediately cringed at the sounds of gleeful visitors spreading their happiness loudly and indiscriminately among their fellow patrons. He’d been glad when Dray had texted him with the location because it hadn’t been near his new apartment, which he wanted to keep off the radar from everyone. But meeting in the heart of the French Quarter on a Thursday night carried its own challenges, most of them drunk.
He pushed through the crowd and did his best not to offend as he squeezed through openings that were too small to navigate without touching. Ever careful, he tried to chart a course that didn’t force him to rub against anyone of the opposite sex, that being an all too common and neanderthal practice in New Orleans’ crowded drinking spots.
His contact waited for him in the back corner as he’d said he would near an opening with a neon sign proclaiming “restrooms” over it. Quick exit options, most likely. He’s still smart and probably more street-savvy than when I knew him. Dray was an old friend, but the discovery of his presence in a human gang with anti-magical tendencies was a surprise. Like Tanyith, his Atlantean heritage wasn’t easily noticed but the situation was, nonetheless, an unexpected twist.
The other man looked thinner than usual, the sharp lines in his face keen enough to cut. He wore an expensive suit with no tie and his shoes shined. He nodded at his approach. “It’s good to see you again. Nice work on the other thing.”
“That guy was an idiot.”
Dray laughed. “Yeah. But as an entrance exam, he was a useful idiot. I’ve made the case that you should be given the option to join us to those above me. They know about our shared past but I’ve convinced them you don’t care for the old gang any more than I do.”
Damn, way to strike to the heart of the matter, dude. He said, “I think I need a little more information about how you wound up in the…what, upper echelon of a human gang?”
The other man laughed. “Yeah, that’s quite a tale, to be honest, and much of it isn’t relevant. Quick strokes, though—when you were taken away, things went in a direction I didn’t support. I spoke up and the wench in charge sent a team to kill me. I decided to act against their interests whenever possible from then on because I’m petty and vengeful, and I did some solo work robbing their people after they’d picked up payoffs, things like that.”
Tanyith nodded. That sounded exactly like something the man he’d known would do. “And then?”
He shrugged. “This group noticed what I was doing and asked if I wanted to think a little bigger. We agreed that I’d never have to go up against any magicals other than the Atlanteans and that they’d do the same. It’s been good since then. Sure, we have the occasional douchebag recruit who needs his or her prejudices beaten out of them, but the group’s commitment to our deal has been solid.”
“Wow. It’s hard to know what to say to that. Are you allied with the Zatoras?”
“Nope. We’re independent.”
He shook his head. “Now I’m even more amazed. How have you pulled that off?”
Dray laughed, but his body language conveyed tension. “We’re too big to be swallowed easily and too small to be a threat. Also, we work hard to ensure we correctly map the edges of their activity and stay on the outside. When they target someone we’ve had a relationship with, we fade and find someone else to tap. It’s the same with territory. It’s a vast city and neither of the two big players is too concerned with the smaller parts.”
He frowned as he finished, and Tanyith had the sense something was amiss. “Trouble?”
His companion nodded. “A group of street soldiers trying to avoid notice at the front. It looks like four.”
“Atlanteans?”
“The hoodies would suggest so. But the fact that they haven’t come in means they’re probably not alone.”
He looked at him in confusion. “Why?”
The man chuckled. “There’s been action on the streets over the last few nights. Both gangs travel in larger numbers and are far more conservative when they make a move. A week ago, they would have sent the four in after me without a thought. That it hasn’t happened means they’re waiting for something. Or someone.” He stiffened. “And they must have arrived. Let’s move.”
Dray led the way through the opening at the back of the bar, past the restrooms, and to an unmarked door near the rear of the building. It claimed an alarm would sound if it was opened, but he pushed through without a reaction. Magic, maybe, or cheap and lazy owners. It led to an alley with an asphalt surface, about eight feet wide and as long as the block. Tanyith peered right and located three men in hoodies who stood and waited. He moved left, only to see two more come from that direction.
His companion muttered curses under his breath. “They seem to have planned this one reasonably well.”
“What do you have in mind?”
The man turned, raised his hand, and sent a wide cone of fire at the trio to the right. “Same as always. Attack.”
A quick glance showed that their foes had summoned shields to protect them from the blaze, so an easy end to the situation was clearly not an option. He conjured a force wall to block the duo that raced forward from the street in front of the bar, mentally attached it to the buildings on either side of the alley, and extended it as high as he could without using too much power. They immediately began to batter it with their own magic, and he gasped at the intensity of the attack. “They have skills.”
The flame dropped and his old friend ran past toward the three nearest them. “Yeah, I see that.”
Tanyith ducked and rolled as one of the trio fired a shadow blast at his head and came up in a run toward the Atlantean. Ahead, Dray had angled toward the other two and used two small force shields, one on each hand, to deflect the shadow magic they discharged at him. His skills were impressive and again, he was forced to acknowledge that the man in front of him was not quite the person he remembered.
In the instant before he had to focus on his own problems, his companion performed a nifty spin kick that caught the center opponent in the stomach and propelled him back. That was all the time he had to watch his friend before he was forced to block another shadow bolt with his own small shield as he closed and dispatched a kick at the other man’s groin. He intercepted it with both hands, which left his face open, and Tanyith snapped his head forward and drove his forehead into his opponent’s nose. It gave with a satisfying crunch and the one-two punch combination that followed felled the man, who lay moaning.
He turned to assist Dray, but his help was unnecessar
y. His ally pounded the man’s face into the brick wall of the building opposite and dropped an elbow on the back of his neck. The Atlantean gangster fell like a stringless marionette.
His magic surged and flowed out of him with a suddenness that made his knees wobble. Four men now battered his barrier with their power and the sustained attack drained his ability to maintain it much more rapidly than the two before had. He exchanged looks with Dray, who seemed to understand the situation without words. The other man said, “Can you hold it for thirty seconds?”
“Twenty. Maybe.”
He nodded. “Let’s run.”
They sprinted toward the other end of the alley. Three-quarters down, four more Atlanteans appeared to block their path. They skidded to a halt, and Dray laughed. “Sometimes, the only way to go…”
Tanyith remembered the phrase from similar situations years before and finished it. “Is up.” He let the shield fall and blasted the ground with force magic to thrust himself upward, slightly below and to the right of his old friend.
Their enemies had followed quickly and after a short pursuit, they’d dodged around an obstruction and discovered a place to hide. They wriggled hastily under a huge piece of machinery while the stones and debris beneath ground into their stomachs and the metal above pressed ominously on their backs. Tanyith concealed their position while Dray cast an illusion of them running, and the Atlanteans raced after the decoy. He managed to get a closer look as they went past and saw the small earpieces they all wore, doubtless how they coordinated their activities.
He heaved a sigh of relief when a minute had passed without their return. Five minutes later, they finally dared to leave the cover of the HVAC equipment and survey their surroundings. Everything seemed safe but then again, so had the inside of the bar.
Dray asked, “What did you do to tick them off?”
He laughed. “Me? What did you do?”
The other man shrugged. “Honestly, it could be anything. They might have been after either of us since you’ve made enemies among them from what I hear.” Tanyith nodded. “Or maybe I ticked someone off. Like I said, we try to keep our activities on the fringes, but every now and then, there’s an opportunity that’s too good to pass up.”