by S. M. Boyce
“Deal.”
“I’ll talk to Fyrn in the morning and see if he has more ideas. For now, get some rest.”
“If you say so, boss.”
Victoria smirked and threw a pillow at her. Audrey deflected it and sat back on her bed, staring at the dimly glowing crystals that served as her stars.
Wait for the murderer to plan his attack. What could possibly go wrong?
***
“You want to do what?”
Victoria cleared her throat and jogged to catch up with Fyrn as he entered the tunnel that would take them to the training cave. “I want to play Berserk. It sounds fun.”
“You have a painfully skewed idea of what constitutes ‘fun.’”
“C’mon, you know I’m much better already. I can control the sword and shield. I don’t summon them anymore when startled. It would be good to practice in a public setting so I can get used to being around people again.”
“I see right through you. You’re trying to sell me on this.”
She blew a raspberry. “Look, I could just go play without permission, Grandpa Grump. I asked first not to get your blessing but to get your honest opinion. Do you think I’m ready to be around people?”
He hummed a bit to himself, stroking his beard as his staff tapped the rocky ground with every step. “I think you are, yes.”
She grinned, grateful she hadn’t overestimated her progress thus far. She jogged ahead, even more excited for today’s sparring.
***
Victoria huffed, chasing after a little golden fidget as it careened across the field. Eyes on her prize, she dove for it and grabbed the little critter in her hands. Hoisting it over her head, she grinned triumphantly. Bertha and Audrey cheered on the sidelines.
“That’s your third fidget in five minutes!” Edgar shouted, hands on his head in apparent disbelief.
She bowed. “Shall I keep going?”
“No, I’ve seen enough. You two are definitely on my team. Who knew humans were so talented?”
In unison, Victoria and Audrey snorted in annoyance.
Ogres.
CHAPTER 23
In the dark and twisting tunnels beneath Fairhaven, Victoria followed Fyrn’s lead as he lit the way back to the city. Weeks had passed, and she grew stronger every day. She trained with Fyrn during the day and played Berserk with her fellow Plits at night.
She shook her head at their stupid team name, but she loved those jocks anyway.
Styx sat on her shoulder, humming to himself as he kicked his legs and enjoyed the free ride. Victoria, however, wasn’t enjoying herself quite as much. She stared at the back of Fyrn’s head, debating how to word what she considered to be a very important question, the answer to which she didn’t think she would like.
“Why are you staring at me?” he asked without turning around.
Freaky. It was like this guy had eyes in the back of his head. “You’re not going to like it.”
“I’m sure I’ve encountered worse.”
So be it, then. “What did my parents catch you doing? You said they badgered you, but I know them. They would only have done that if you deserved it. What did you do?”
He sighed, stopping in his tracks and resting his full weight against his staff. “I suspect you'll hear about it eventually.”
“Tell me. Please.” She waited, arms crossed as she studied him. He moved slowly, as if he had suddenly donned a great weight, but he never once turned around.
“Various governments in the human world used to recruit me occasionally to take care of magical creatures and the odd rogue wizard who made it their way. Most of the human world knows nothing about Fairhaven or magic, and the Order of the Silver Griffins prefers it that way. But some, those in power, have just enough of the knowledge to protect the humans from the true dangers magic can bring.”
“And you helped them?”
He nodded, looking just a bit over his shoulder at her. “I was called to your capital in D.C. to exterminate a swarm of trevor beetles that had nested under the Capitol building. They’re attracted to lies, after all. They’re nasty, flesh-eating bugs that travel in swarms and eat people alive. If I didn’t do something, hundreds would die bite by bite, alive and screaming the whole time.”
Victoria whistled. “Wow, that bad?”
Fyrn nodded. “This nest was massive, easily a hundred or more, and something had to be done. I was called in, but about a dozen escaped. They made it to the surface and caused enough trouble that it was deemed a terrorist attack. Biological warfare.”
“Yikes.”
“Yikes, indeed. It was horrible. In the end, forty people died and hundreds were injured. To stop the creatures from killing anymore innocent people, I had to perform magic in front of humans. That's punishable by death.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “How did you—”
He silenced her with a wave of his hand. “I erased their memories and made them think it was terrorism—the alternative was to expose mankind to magic, and that would be far worse. Because of my experience, my history in the kemanas, and my knowledge of magic, I was granted a one-time pardon but was stripped of both my rank and title. I survived, sure, but the guilt weighs on me. I have never in my life failed so completely at any task. And your parents…” He gritted his teeth, grip tightening on his staff.
“What?” she asked softly, almost afraid of the answer.
“They filmed the entire ordeal. There, on camera, was irrefutable evidence of magic. They threatened to expose me if I didn't tell them what they wanted to know. I tried to erase their memories and destroy the tape, but they made copies. I couldn’t find all of the evidence, and they set up failsafes to expose me if something happened to them. My hands were tied.”
Heart heavy with the guilt of what her parents had done, Victoria couldn’t look him in eye. She studied the ground as if it were interesting, ashamed of her parents’ choice even while understanding that as journalists they often felt they didn't have the luxury to choose. They did what they needed to do to expose the truth, even if it meant putting themselves in harm's way or making demands that others felt were unreasonable.
“They never would have actually done it,” she said softly.
He shrugged. “I know that now, and that's why I dismissed them in the end. For a time there, however, I told them far more than I should have. I felt as though I was without a choice. You can understand why I wasn't excited to see you.”
She nodded. “I'm sorry.”
He shook his head. “Water under the—”
“No,” she interrupted. “I'm sorry for what they did. It was wrong. I loved them dearly, and I miss them with all my heart, but I can admit when something is wrong. They strong-armed you, and that was not fair, especially considering that the act they were blackmailing you for was so—”
“Shameful,” he said softly, his grip tightening on his staff.
A knot formed in Victoria's throat, and she ran her thumb over the Rhazdon Artifact in her arm to distract herself. “Did you help my dad get this?”
Fyrn shook his head. “I don't know where he got it, and most of me doesn't want to find out.”
Fyrn resumed their trek back to Fairhaven, and for a moment Victoria stayed put and watched him walk away. Styx flitted overhead and settled into her hair, chattering softly.
He was shaking.
“Hush, you’re okay,” she said, running a finger over his back to help calm him. For the first time, that technique didn't help at all. He trembled harder, staring at something over her shoulder.
She followed his gaze, a flicker of anxiety igniting in her chest. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and the sensation of being watched grew stronger with every second that passed.
In the shadows, deep within the tunnel they had just walked down, something slithered.
“I saw it too,” Shiloh said, suddenly beside her.
She cursed and jumped a good foot in the air, hand on her heart as
she pressed herself against the rock wall. “For Christ's sake, stop doing that!”
“No. I’m starting to enjoy your reaction,” he said, examining his cuticles. Faster than she could complain, he disappeared.
That damn ghost.
The adrenaline fading, she once again surveyed the dark tunnel. Ears straining for any sign of the slithering entity, she heard only the steady drip of water hitting the floor somewhere close by. Her body lit up with nerves, and she didn't fully understand why. Whatever it was, whatever had just passed, she knew in her gut it was bad news.
“Victoria, let's go,” Fyrn said sharply, his voice echoing a bit.
She jogged over to him. “I saw something slither by.”
“Not surprising. That's why you need to stay close. Lots of things live down here. These monsters keep everyone else away, which makes this a prime place for you to train safely.” He continued walking down the tunnel toward his cabin, and Victoria spent most of the trek looking over her shoulder.
The dread that clung to her didn’t make sense. She didn’t care what Fyrn said; whatever that thing had been, it was more than just another animal living in the tunnels. Every fiber of her being told her that she never, ever wanted to see it again.
***
Victoria sat on her bed, staring at the ceiling as night fell outside. She couldn't shake the image of the slithering tail, and the more she thought about it, the more she panicked. She did her best to alleviate the anxiety with lots of deep breaths, but it only got worse.
“Chill the hell out,” Audrey said from her spot by the window. “You're starting to freak me out, and I don't even know what you’re upset about.”
Victoria rubbed her face. “I was trying to be subtle. Is it that bad?”
Audrey laughed. “You only sigh this much when something's wrong. You're as transparent as glass.”
Victoria blew a raspberry. “I saw something in the tunnels. Something bad.”
Audrey sat on Victoria's bed, frowning. “What was it?”
Victoria shook her head. “That's the problem. I'm not sure yet.”
“What if—”
The stairs creaked heavily, sighing and cracking under the weight of someone rather large. Bertha, probably.
Sure enough, a few seconds later Bertha opened the door with a smile and a handful of crystals. “Audrey, you've been doing so well that I wanted to give you a little something so you two could buy yourselves something nice. It’s good to treat yourself to the finer things on occasion.”
Victoria smiled. “Thank you, Bertha.”
“You're very kind,” Audrey said, giving her mentor a hug as she retrieved the denni. Victoria grabbed the pouch her parents had given her out of Audrey's bag and set it on the bed. She untied the string and opened it for Audrey to slide them inside, exposing the contents to Bertha in the process.
Before Audrey could add the new crystals, the ogre seemed to choke, eyes wide as she stared at the bag. “Good heavens, little humans, why are you working for me?”
Victoria’s gaze shifted between the ogre and the money. “Is it a lot?”
“I—is it—yes!”
“Oh, sorry. We didn't know,” Audrey set Bertha's payment back in her massive hand.
“Why are you running around with that much money in a backpack?” Bertha snapped.
“Bertha, we don't understand the value of your currency yet,” Victoria said.
Audrey shrugged. “I've been starting to get a feel for what prices are on food, but that's about it. Think about it. We haven’t even bought our own clothes yet. We’re still wearing what your friend made us. We didn’t know how far this bag would take us in terms of housing, clothing, and everything else we need. We also didn’t know how long you would let us stay here. Besides, what is there, a bank we could put this in?”
“Yes!” Bertha shouted.
“Oh,” Victoria and Audrey said in unison.
Bertha set the money in Audrey's palm and clicked her tongue in disapproval when she tried to protest. The great big ogre lifted a massive finger and waved it in her face. “First thing tomorrow, we're going to the bank. I'll teach you how to be proper citizens of Fairhaven yet!”
***
Victoria wouldn’t make her training with Fyrn today. She had tried to sneak out in the morning, but Bertha had awakened early, likely to stop Victoria from bailing on the bank visit. No amount of protest had worked on the ogre, who said she would lose her mind if all that denni remained upstairs in her guest room. It apparently made them a target for bandits or even murderers, and Bertha wasn't having it. To top it all off, she demanded they buy a proper wardrobe and—gag—a gown or two while they were out. Out of respect for her host, Victoria obeyed. At least Bertha had sent a cryptic message via a mail clerk to let Fyrn know Victoria would be unavailable, so he wouldn’t wonder.
Skipping practice to bank and shop. Fyrn wouldn’t like it, but Victoria had to admit that a moment or two of relaxation sounded nice.
Bertha led the way through Fairhaven’s streets, Victoria and Audrey in tow. This was a section of town they hadn’t seen before, filled with ornate red and black buildings that towered far overhead. The bricks pulsated with a pale glow, and immense stained-glass windows let in light.
“Ah, this is it,” Bertha said, gesturing to a tall silver building. “The only bank worth using.”
They entered to find a massive main hall with a central crystal chandelier as large as an RV. Aside from the three of them, there was no one in the building.
“I guess others don’t find it as wonderful as you,” Audrey said.
Bertha lightly smacked Audrey on the back of the head. “Hush. There are magical protections in place so that no one knows who enters and who leaves. It allows you to protect your valuables and wealth.”
Victoria grinned. “Nifty.”
Two footprints glowed on the floor. Underneath, a row of symbols kept changing, fading in and out until finally they said, “Stand here.”
“Which of you has the pouch?” Bertha asked.
“Me,” Victoria said with a gentle wave of her hand, the pouch in her palm.
“You first, then,” Bertha said.
Victoria set her feet on the moss-green footprints, her size-eight shoes dwarfed by the massive outline that told her where to stand. She waited, expecting something to happen, but nothing did. Confused, she peeked over her shoulder to ask Bertha what else to do.
No one was there.
In the blink of an eye, the brilliant white foyer faded to black. One by one, pinpricks of green light appeared in the darkness, surrounding her until a gentle light revealed that she was now in a small room, perhaps ten feet by ten feet at the most. She bit back her panic, not altogether happy with the idea of being transported somewhere without her knowledge or permission, but she gritted her teeth and stood a little taller to make herself feel braver.
A glowing handprint appeared in front of her, easily four times the size of hers.
“Verify your identity,” a woman's voice said. It was as beautiful and melodic as a song, and Victoria was momentarily mesmerized by the mere sound of it.
It took a moment for her to regain her composure. “How?”
“Set your palm against the handprint,” the voice said.
Well, Victoria was already in it this far. She might as well go all in. With a shrug, she obeyed.
“Hmmm,” the voice said.
The handprint disappeared. Behind the wall, several gears clunked and ground against each other. The heavy rush of wood sliding over metal, muffled by the wall, suggested something would burst through any minute. Victoria waited, not altogether certain she would like whatever happened next.
Where the handprint had been, a silver door appeared. It slid open, and a wooden treasure chest came through. It rotated, as if handled by invisible hands, and the top popped open.
The chest was filled to the brim with crystals. Large and small, there were more than she could count. If B
ertha thought the pouch had been full of riches, she would probably lose her shit just from looking at this trunk.
“I think this must be a mistake,” Victoria said to the mysterious woman helping her.
“You are listed as an accessor of the account for Michael and Alison Brie. Do you know these humans?”
“Yes,” she said softly, staring at the chest in bewilderment.