by T. G. Ayer
As much as I wanted to tell her it wasn’t necessary, especially if it could get her in trouble, I took the selfish route and remained silent. I had to find Samuel and if Ash was prepared to break the rules for me, then she would be doing it eyes wide open.
Which only meant I would owe her even more.
I checked in on Saleem and found him dead to the world which honestly made me more worried about his health. How was I supposed to juggle all the urgent issues we had on our plates and still manage to figure everything out before one of us ended up dead?
My head hurt just thinking about it.
I message Nerina to check how far she’d gotten with her investigations but she didn’t reply as fast as she usually did. Another thing to add to my list of worries. The deathtalker hadn’t seemed like herself recently, and she was supposed to give me an update on her situation. Now I had to wonder if she was going to be a no show even though she’d assured me she’d drop by to update me.
But I couldn’t think about that for now.
I dressed and hurried downstairs, remembering the box and the strange object that had arrived for me. It had moved from the kitchen table and I’d figured Steph had dropped it off in the office. Which she had. The little box sat on my desk as though waiting patiently to be reopened and studied. It presented a mystery of course, since it had come without a note.
I opened the box and took a photo of the pale marble baton-like object, then sent it off to Natasha and to Ash, asking both to see if they can gather any information on it for me. Bonus points if they knew what the carvings on its surface meant. I didn’t have time to explain any further and I hoped they would be able to work with just the photo.
When both replied almost immediately with a variation of “Will check it out asap,” I let out a breath of relief.
I stared at the thing for a few moments, puzzled as to who would have sent it and why. I traced a finger along its surface but felt nothing. Not a hint of magic, not a buzz to say there was a spell or enchantment on it.
Finally, having gotten no closer to the truth of its origin or the danger it posed to me, I shut the lid of the box and jumped to the Elite Agency hallway where the agents’ mailboxes were located. I opened mine swiftly, grabbed the envelope left for me by Ash and then jumped back home to the office to have a look at the contents.
The bag turned out to contain a small vial of a shimmering topaz sludgy liquid labeled Coralin, and a note that detailed time and place of my meeting with the distributor. Ash explained that the UC wasn’t about to surface to meet me, and he’d arranged a meeting with the distributor himself. Which made it quicker for me to get in, meet the guy and get out.
Unfortunately, it did mean it was more likely that I’d have to use the potion. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the prospect of sporting gills which would take a few days to fade away. Guess there was always a price to pay for the things you really wanted.
But did it have to be gills?
31
I preferred to avoid the development of gills for as long as possible so I sank onto the sofa in my office and focused on the location that Ash had given me. Projecting to a place I’d never been before wasn’t an easy task, especially if I were to do it without something which belonged to the person I was tracking.
Thankfully, Ash had thought of that as well.
Inside the paper envelope that had contained the vial of coralin, was a small clear bag of what turned out to be a blood-stained piece of fabric. I was very glad that Ash had preempted my need for something to use to track the dealer—a guy by the name of Errant Sweeny—and she’d saved me time as well.
The woman was a godsend.
With the piece of fabric wrapped around my fingers, I settled back and focused on the energy the blood emitted. Though the blood was old, likely a few months from what I could tell, it still contained enough of a link to its owner’s essence which enabled me to follow the trail into the ether.
There I took a firm hold of the dealer’s lifethread and began to move forward, allowing his spirit energy to pull me toward him. I couldn’t deny that I was nervous to pop out into a realm I’d never been to before, which was why I’d kept my physical self firmly plastered to my sofa.
It didn’t take me long to reach Mr Sweeny, and even though I’d been fortunate enough not to arrive deep inside the ocean, I was most glad that I’d projected instead of jumped. The dealer sat waist-deep in a pool of water that sparkled turquoise and aqua and coral and gold.
A shock of jet-black hair, a tan most guys would kill for, and biceps that screamed too much time lifting weights. I could just imagine him with a patch on his eye, staring out at the ocean from the deck of a ship he’d just stolen.
He held a long thin crystal tube filled with a drink the color of blood. The unusual glass reflected a multitude of lights from every corner of what turned out to be a cave.
The roof and walls were dotted with glow worms which shed light in almost every color of the rainbow, including gold and silver, pulsing from light to dark in gentle waves. The place was gaudier than a brothel and more colorful than a kid’s birthday party.
And Errant Sweeny was lying back with his head against the stone, being treated to a neck massage by a topless blonde mermaid, while a second cuddled close at his side, holding a second glass of an obsidian drink to his lips.
The smile on the man’s face was ridiculous, and who could blame the guy. He was certainly living the life here in Melinus. I hovered unseen for a few moments, then wandered down the tunnel to get the lay of the land, scope out his protection.
At the cave’s entrance I found a small vestibule with a shimmering crystal door guarded by a bald burly dark-suited bouncer-type who stood hands folded over a bulky chest, and armed to the hilt.
Two strange-looking firearms, one at each hip, plus a pair of gleaming knives strapped to each of his thighs, and a bulky pair of crossed swords at his back with their gleaming handles popping up behind him like strange black and red wings.
Outside, a twin to the first guard waited, this guy a little taller and paler. Sweeny certainly knew enough to protect himself to the hilt although their weaponry did look a bit like overkill. More for show than anything that would ever actually be needed to take an attacker down.
I returned to the pool and considered my options, deciding it was best not to waste any time. Arms folded, I shimmered into view although I ensured I wasn’t entirely solid with this projection. Didn’t need the trouble of having to deal with ethereal injuries.
The topless mermaid let out a soft gasp which had Sweeny sitting up and looking around almost instantly. His gaze fell on my expressionless face, folded arms, and a stance that screamed I don’t have time for this shit.
He blinked a few times then began to stand.
I cleared my throat, glanced pointedly at his waist, then met his eyes. The man’s face went pink and he plopped back into the water with a soft grunt.
“You the one Jerry sent to see me?” he asked, gaze flicking in the direction of the exit.
I clicked my tongue. “Of course, I am. You’re were notified well in advance that I’d be coming to see you. Now, we do need to talk because I didn’t come all this way for a chit-chat. You get to decide whether it’s with or without your clothes on. And of course, if you wish to do this in the presence of witnesses.” I flicked a finger at the two merwomen who remained still as statues beside him.
He glanced at the women, then waved them off with a grunt. The mermaid inside the pool dove into the air then sliced through the surface of the pond, her turquoise tail flicking water into my face as she disappeared under the waves.
The second merwoman eyed me up and down, her dark blue eyes quite deadly. Then she shimmied to the edge of the pool on her scaled rear end, did a little flip of her gleaming hair over her bare shoulder, then she too dived into the pool and disappeared.
“They haven’t gone far, so please let’s make this quick. I have places to be. People
to see.”
“Of course, you do.” I tapped my foot, waiting, arms still folder, poker face still in place.
He threw his hands in the air, sending a cascade of multicolored water droplets into the air. “I’m not getting out of this pool unless you want a nice view of the goods, so ask me what you want and then be on your way. I don’t have the time for this nonsense. Honestly, I don’t even know what Jerry was thinking sending you here.”
I shook my head, lips pursed. “I’m looking for a buyer. The person to whom you sold a vial of Hennya?”
His eyes went wide, oddly enough just like that of a goldfish. Then he sputtered, “What the hell are you smoking, lady? I can’t tell you who I sell to. You think I’m crazy? That’s a sure way to get a guy killed, not to mention decimate a bloody lucrative business.” He shook his head and laughed dryly. “I’m sorry. I can’t help you.”
I smiled darkly. “I asked nicely, Sweeny. Now, I know a whole lot of people who would pay handsomely if I managed to serve them your ass on a platter. I don’t want any trouble so maybe just give me the information and I’ll be gone in a flash. Otherwise, I may just have to reveal the location of your little…den to everyone who has a hard-on for you. I believe you have a list of enemies a mile long. Interesting fellow you turned out to be. Lots of enemies too.”
Sweeny blinked at me, made a show of tilting his head to think it over for a few moments, then began to shake his head.
I raised a hand and he froze as I pointed a finger at him. “Look. Do us both a favor and help me out, okay? Less trouble for both of us. And I’ll be gone in two flicks of a mermaid’s tail.” I smirked at the phrase and even managed to draw a smile from the dealer.
He nodded, dark hair plastered to his sweaty brow as he studied me, expression more intrigued than irritated now. Then he grinned. “Good one. You seem like a pretty smart chick. What do you want? I can’t help you until I know the details.” He waved a hand airily at me.
Eyes narrowing now, I said, “I’ve already told you I need the name of the buyers you sold Hennya to in the last year. And stop stalling. You won’t like it when I get angry, Sweeny, so play nice.”
He sighed a little too melodramatically, and then slipped down into the water until his shoulders were submerged. “Fine, lady. I have the info in my rolodex. Let me go get it for you, okay?” His grin was wide as he gave a deliberately over-the-top wink and then dove into the water so fast it took me precious seconds to understand what had just happened.
Crap.
I’d been hoping to avoid this part of the interrogation at all cost, but the asshole hadn’t given me any choice. And to be honest I’d kinda already know it wasn’t my luck to avoid it altogether.
It was time for the gills. Yay.
32
Watching the asshole Sweeny disappear into the pool had pissed me off but I had no choice now but to follow. Now choice but to use the damned potion. I pulled the little vial of blue liquid from the string around my neck, downed it in a quick gulp, tossed the bottle onto the stone beside me and then dived into the water.
I didn’t even hear the crash as the vial hit the rock.
I hadn’t given much thought to how long it would take for the potion to work, how long for my body to adjust and for the gills to develop. And I was already too deep into the water to turn back.
I had to just hold my breath for as long as I possibly could. A voice in my head nagged about what would happen if the potion didn’t work, or if Ash had given me the wrong vial. Still, I could always pull out of the projection if my life was in danger but that would mean I’d lose Sweeny, and as slippery as the asshole was, I’d likely never be able to find him again.
So I had to cross my fingers and pray to the goddess that the potion would work and that this trip wasn't a waste of time, especially when it meant I’d be half-fish for a good few days.
If the potion worked.
I caught sight of a flash of Sweeny up ahead, his bare shoulders lit briefly by the glow of a lamp outside an underwater bar. A full roar accompanied by a low throbbing emanated from the place and through the windows looking out onto the street, I could see people bobbing to the music.
The fact that there were streets, actual cobbled roads too, was odd since everything that wasn't fixed to the ocean floor floated around here. And the area the dealer had disappeared into appeared to be a small village complete with roads laid out in neat little grids, as though an EarthWorld town planner had been in charge of the city build.
I followed Sweeny, passing a variety of strange buildings, and eatery, a hotel or two, then a ramshackle building with a faux-thatch roof that resembled stables where half a dozen giant-sized seahorses bobbed their heads and pulled at the bits around their mouths.
With no time to enjoy the fascinating sights around me, I tried to shut them out and focus on the bubbles trailing in Sweeny’s wake as he zipped down one narrow lane and up the next.
The guy moved fast, I had to admit. And for a few moments, I was sure I had less than a hope in hell of catching up with him.
Then a low rumbling sounded from up ahead, a sound that seemed to resonate within the ocean itself. I surged forward, hung a left and swam down the next street to find an overturned seahorse and its rider floating along. The merman appearing to be unconscious, the creature stunned, and the contents of the cart it had been pulling--a collection of pumpkin- and turnip-like sea vegetables--bobbing around them like lost balloons.
Sweeny had paused only long enough to register what he’d done, then opted for a hit-and-run, speeding off into a nearby alley.
Heartless cad.
The alley was darker than the rest of the roads I’d traveled through so far, shadows of baby blues and greens so deep they could easily be mistaken for black. I barely managed to catch sight of the dealer before a flash of color caught my eye and Sweeny sprang from a spot of shadows to my left, then sped off again without a backward glance.
Though I was slowly tiring, muscles burning with the effort, I pushed myself ever harder to surge ahead, swimming at top speed through the water as though I’d been born under the sea. And then registering that I was now breathing comfortably too.
The potion had worked. Thank the goddess.
Then a thought struck fear into my heart and I stick my hand out in front of me to scan my fingers, swearing under my breath that I’d better not have also been given webbed fingers. Ash hadn’t mentioned anything about webbed fingers either but there was no way of telling if she’d had previous experience with the potion. Or if she would have conveniently left that out thinking it either irrelevant or hilarious.
Thankfully, my fingers were web-free.
I followed Sweeny’s trail, keeping up with him even though the man was damn fast. In the end, I had to resort to using my ethereal tracking to follow his lifethread simply to keep myself linked to him or I would definitely have lost him. This was his town, his home turf, which gave him an endless advantage over me.
The streets had begun to slowly grow wider, the glimmering homes made from opalescent shells and jagged rocks were gradually replaced by elegant houses carved from gigantic crystals and precious stones, all inlaid into what appeared to be solid glass.
Iridescent colors shimmered along the streets and I had to force myself to focus or I’d become too distracted by the beauty around me. Up ahead, Sweeny slowed and took a right, swimming down what appeared to be an alley behind a multi-storied mall encapsulated within a dome of shimmering ruby glass.
The alley was shadowed by the height of the mall and contained plenty of dark spots to provide cover for the sneaky dealer. But he hadn’t counted on my tracking skills.
Sweeny had hidden himself behind a large egg-shaped object that looked like a very fat stalagmite which was bleeding a glowing coral liquid. I headed straight for him, reached into the darkness and grabbed him by the hair.
“Ow,” he yelped as I pulled him out, fingers digging into his scalp, the sound somewhat
garbled but still understandable. “Let go.”
“Fat chance,” I replied, almost choking when I heard my own dull tones fill the water around me.
Still, I maintained my cool. It wouldn't do to tip the guy off that this was my first time chasing someone underwater, not to mention actually breathing and talking.
I glared at him and said, “I told you I didn’t want to waste time but you didn’t listen. And now I’m losing my patience.”
Sweeny shook his head hard, as though he believed the movement could actually free him. I gripped tighter and he squealed again, his face contorted in what appeared to be pain, but I couldn’t tell because I’d already figured out that he was an excellent actor.
I sighed, at a loss as to how to force the guy to talk. A sudden current of cool air passed by, lifting my hair and Sweeney’s dark locks as it attempted to take us along for the ride.
And that was when I spotted them.
Errant Sweeney had gills.
But not my potion-induced, low-grade type of gills. No. Sweeney was a legitimate mershifter, able to live both on land and in water, and privileged to choose the form of man or mer at will.
And the fact he’d had gills right at this moment meant I could use his species to my advantage--however distasteful the idea was to me.
Mer-shifters took time to shift from their piscean form to fully human. Their transition didn’t work the way a standard glamor did. Instead, the mer body shifted the way a skinwalker would, bones and skin and flesh all rearranging themselves to become something different, at least from the waist down. In addition, their gills and lungs also went which meant he’d been at my mercy the moment we got to dry land. Probably only for an hour, which meant a sudden transition would give the guy the equivalent of the bends.