by S. M. Boyce
Fyrn sighed wearily and leaned on his staff, setting his forehead against the glowing orb on top. He seemed to lose himself in thought, his eyes twitching a bit as he no doubt racked his mind for an answer.
Several quiet minutes passed, filled with nothing but the sound of his breathing. The bubble must have also silenced the sounds coming into their space as well as those going out. She had never realized how much she enjoyed ambient noise until she was forced to listen to air shooting in and out her mentor’s nose.
Bleck.
“Fyrn?” she eventually said.
He groaned and smacked his staff against the floor again in frustration. “I don't know, Victoria. I last met an Atlantean over fifty years ago, and I can guarantee you he's long dead. He was basically a walking skeleton when I met him, banished from the kingdom for a crime he would never share, and I haven't heard from him since. The salesperson who sold her those crystals didn't even know what they were, or he would've charged five to ten times more than he did. Every lead I have believes Atlantis is long gone, and all I have learned about the culture is what I've gathered from books. I have nothing to go on. I'm not qualified to teach her.”
Victoria was in a bind, and she had to choose: owe this frightening creature a favor, or abandon her friend.
No contest.
She grimaced and chose her next words very, very carefully. “I understand the cost here. I understand what he's asking. But come on, Fyrn—you watched what happened today. She obliterated a massive creature I was having trouble handling by myself, and she made it look easy. What happens if we’re not there to stop her next time? Or worse, what if we can't? If we don’t help her learn to control herself, the next episode might be deadly. This guy wants a favor, and even a favor to a crime boss is a fair price to pay if it means I get to save my best friend. Don't fight me on this.”
Fyrn rubbed his temples, shoulders drooping in defeat. “I wish I had an alternative. I don't like this at all.”
“Neither do I.”
“We should set limits on the favor. When you say yes, he's going to magically bind you to your word. Whatever he asks of you, you will be forced to do it. But if we set limits before he makes the request, before he binds you to the favor, we stand a chance of this not backfiring on us.”
She nodded. “No killing.”
“Agreed. No killing. No prolonged servitude on your part. One favor. And no betraying those you care for.”
“Do you think that's enough?”
Fyrn shook his head. “It's the best we’ll get.”
Victoria tensed. With a tap of the staff against the floorboards the glowing bubble around them popped, and the moans and coughing from the drug den crashed into her like an ocean wave.
Fyrn gestured with his hand and the door opened on its own. Drefus was still sitting at his desk with his fingers pressed against each other, and he smirked as she entered.
He knew he had her. That bastard.
She squared her shoulders. “One favor, but there are rules.”
The gremlin shook his head. “I don't do—”
“Rule number one,” she interrupted, narrowing her eyes a bit for emphasis. “No killing.”
The gremlin stiffened, pinning his ears against his head as he scowled. “I don't do—”
“Rule number two,” she interrupted again, knowing she was testing her luck with this guy even though she had to. He needed to respect her. Anything less, and she risked him taking advantage of this favor. “No prolonged servitude on my part. You get one favor, and that's it.”
The gremlin huffed and stood on his chair as he shoved his finger toward her. “Now see here—”
“Rule number three,” she continued, her heart thudding in her chest at her own brazenness. “I will not betray those I love.”
He stood as tall as a three-foot creature could in a cushioned chair, his shoulders squared as he all but growled at her, “Those are some restrictive demands.”
“I'm sure you'll come up with some nefarious deed for me to do regardless.”
Fyrn tensed beside her, but who was he kidding? They both knew the gremlin would abuse this favor to the best of his ability. She wasn't planting any ideas in his head. Might as well be honest about it.
A slow and wicked grin spread across the gremlin's face, and dread shot clear to Victoria's toes. It appeared he had already thought of the deed he wanted her to do, far faster than Victoria had anticipated.
“Very well, Victoria Brie, I accept your conditions.” He lifted his hand and a large gold coin appeared in his palm. He flipped it over in his fingers and held it out for her to grab.
She gave Fyrn a fleeting glance, and he nodded toward the coin. “Take it.”
Victoria reached for the coin, never taking her eyes off the gremlin, and lifted it between her fingers. As soon as her skin touched it, she froze. It was as though her entire body had been encased in ice. A deep chill nibbled at every hair and pore on her body. She tried to break free, to summon her sword or do anything at all to protect herself, but she was utterly and completely immobile.
“I bind you to a favor based on the rules you provided: no killing, no prolonged servitude, and no betrayal of those you love. You're bound to this favor, and only when I return this coin will the spell be broken.”
As quickly as it had come, the paralysis passed. The coin sprang from her hand and settled into the gremlin’s open palm. He snickered as she sucked in several deep breaths and staggered backward, hand on her chest as she stared at the coin. He studied it, a worrisome smile still on his face, and gestured lazily to the thug behind him. The giant ogre grabbed the scroll from the chest once more and tossed it to Fyrn, who caught it effortlessly. He unrolled it, eyes darting over the parchment almost too quickly, and rolled it up once more. “Very good.”
“Pleasure doing business with you, as always,” Drefus said with a smirk.
Fyrn feigned a smile in response, but Victoria didn't bother with one at all. She watched the gremlin warily as they left, only taking her eyes off the crime boss when the door shut behind her.
“We should leave immediately, for her sake,” Fyrn said, most likely referring to Audrey. They were no longer in their bubble of silence, and they would have to play the pronoun game until they were in a safe area again and could speak freely.
“How do we know that's real?" Victoria said with a nod to the scroll in his hand.
“It is,” Fyrn said.
She shot him an incredulous look, but he gently shook his head. She was beginning to understand Fyrn's mannerisms, and this one seemed to mean, Trust me.
“Fine,” Victoria said. Truth be told, she was grateful he had such concern for Audrey, but she knew in her heart he was more worried for the city. The power Audrey contained was not to be underestimated. It could kill hundreds, if not thousands, in one go. Hell, it almost had.
This wouldn't be fun.
CHAPTER 11
Later that evening, Fyrn slouched in his chair at home with the lights off. His mind buzzed with terrifying new fears. There was not only a Rhazdon host living in his home city, but also an untrained Atlantean with powerful magic that could kill half the populace in a single unrestrained moment.
But greater than his fear for his city was his fear for Victoria.
Victoria and Audrey had a connection, one no mortal could ever destroy. They were more than friends. They were sisters. Partners. He had seen it from the start, from the way they supported each other in their Berserk games to the way Audrey had sacrificed everything to protect Victoria against the snarx.
They relied on each other and trusted each other, but the Atlantean blood in Audrey’s body would test their bond. As Audrey discovered her heritage and true nature, the Atlantean girl would either build Victoria to greater heights or destroy her completely.
They would either inspire each other to become the most powerful humans alive, or they would implode—together—and perhaps take Fairhaven with them.
/> The floorboards deep in the house creaked, and he sat at attention as his ears craned and twitched at the sounds. An elf’s footsteps would be light as a feather, but this person slapped his shoes against the ground without caring whether anyone heard. The steps originated from the back of the house and were creeping toward the front, and a thin beam of light broke into the living room from the hallway.
Fyrn stood, shoving aside his concern for Victoria as bubbling anger at an intruder festered in his chest. He was in no mood to be merciful, and the thief would die.
As the burglar rounded the corner, Fyrn lifted his staff to attack. A beam of energy through the intruder’s heart should do the trick.
But then the thief stepped into a ray of light coming through the window, and Fyrn recognized the suit.
He groaned and relaxed his shoulders, sighing a bit as he shook his head. The black suit and earpiece looked familiar—too familiar. It had to be a human from some sort of government agency. Fyrn had been ignoring summonses from the United States government for months, so apparently they had chosen another means to share their message.
Fyrn snapped his fingers and the lights in his home blazed to life. “Breaking into my house in the dark wearing a suit? I get that your superiors have a flare for drama, but this was a little unnecessary.”
“We figured we needed to get your attention,” the man said, turning off the flashlight with a flick of his thumb.
No longer in shadow, the man in the suit looked like every other man in a suit who had ever come to fetch him or greeted him on any of his government assignments. Same black cloth. Same short haircut. Same aviators tucked in the front pocket. Fyrn understood the need for a dress code, but this was just comical.
“The United States government needs your help, Mister Folly,” the man in the suit said.
“I don’t give a snarx’ shit. Please leave my house.”
The stranger shook his head. “You misunderstand. We are not asking.”
Fyrn laughed. It began as a soft chuckle, but it grew until it shook his very shoulders. Imagine, a human government commanding a wizard as if he were at their beck and call! It was too ridiculous. He wiped a tear from his eye. “I can't tell you how much I needed that. You, commanding me? Do you want to die?”
“I would rather not,” the man said, crossing his arms.
“Then get the fuck out of my house,” Fyrn said, his smile dissolving.
“Look, Mister Folly, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm at the bottom of the totem pole. That's why I was chosen—if I died, no one would miss me. But if I do die, if I don't return and check-in, it’s going to set into motion a certain series of events I can guarantee you don't want.”
“Such as?”
“First you should know there is a rampaging creature tearing up the Seattle Underground, killing people and compromising the foundations of several buildings that are key to the city's history. We need a wizard we trust to handle this discreetly. My superiors have forgiven your past mistake, and they want you to help us with this problem.”
“Why do you think I care? Honestly, get out before I throw you out. Final warning.”
“Here's where the series of events comes into play. If you come with me, you'll be paid handsomely for your efforts. If you don't come with me to the surface tonight, certain information about the whereabouts of this city and its location might leak to the general American public. Certain videos of your past exploits. Certain filmed conversations we've had with you about certain creatures that aren't supposed to exist might find their way to the Web.”
Fyrn's face burned with hatred. “Those were to never be recorded. How dare you threaten me!”
“I am deeply sorry, Mister Folly. It's not me, I promise. I'm a grunt. I came expecting to die tonight, to be perfectly honest, and I wouldn't blame you. But if you love this city and want to protect it from that kind of classified information getting out, you'll come with me.”
Fyrn was tempted. He was deeply, painfully tempted to obliterate this man before him, but the temporary justice wouldn't be worth it in the end. He would need to have a talk with this man’s superior, but for the moment his hands were tied.
“I have certain things to attend to before we leave,” Fyrn said.
“I'll be happy to accompany you.”
“You will stay here.”
“But—”
“What am I going to do, disappear? You have my hands tied. Shut up, sit down, and wait until I return. And by God, don’t touch anything. Melzzie!”
The fairy flitted into the living room, prompt as always. “Yes, sir?”
“Make sure he doesn’t touch, read, or eat anything in my home. Zap him if you have to.”
He had taught her how to channel her fairy magic into an electric attack, and the little fairy loved to zap anything and everything he would let her touch. She grinned and saluted. “Yes, sir!”
The man gaped for a moment before sitting down on the sofa. A cloud of dust rose around him, and he coughed.
Fyrn only had a few short hours to put everything in order for Victoria's trip before this government grunt got impatient and left without him. Stalling wouldn’t work, and now Fyrn had no way of joining Victoria in Atlantis.
Time for Plan B.
He swallowed his pride and headed out the door, not altogether fond of what he was about to do.
CHAPTER 12
“You’re leaving? Is this a joke?” Victoria leaned both hands on her dining room table, bewildered by what Fyrn had just said.
“My hands are tied, Victoria. My choices are to let the American government expose Fairhaven or run their little errand for them.”
“So we wait for you to come back, or better yet, let me help you. I want to talk to this superior and give him a piece of my mind. He can't blackmail you to do everything he wants you to.”
“I agree, and after I run this errand for him I'll be sure to have a word. I need to put this man in his place. However, I know how these types work. I won’t see him until after it’s done. But you don't have the luxury of time, so no, you cannot join me. These projects often take weeks, if not months, to complete, depending on how bad the infestation is. Oftentimes the humans don't even know what they're looking at, much less where to look in terms of giving me an accurate idea of what's actually happening. If people are dying, this is far worse than they think. It's probably more than one creature, which is nothing I can't handle, but the last thing we need is Audrey going off the rails again.”
“I can hear you,” Audrey said from her place at the head of the table.
“The fact of the matter is, you have to go without me,” Fyrn finished without acknowledging Audrey.
Victoria sighed. “We shouldn't go alone.”
“You won't.”
“But—”
Fyrn set his head in his hands. “I've arranged for Diesel to accompany you.”
Victoria's mouth dropped open, and for a moment she couldn't speak. “You didn't.”
Audrey burst into laughter, holding her sides as the realization hit her. “Oh my God, he totally did!”
Fyrn leaned back in his chair. “We don't have many options, Victoria. Diesel is the logical choice, even if you aren't very fond of him.”
“Not very fond of him? I can't get a word in edgewise without him thinking I want him to autograph something!”
Audrey winked and pointed to her pants. “And by something, he means your—”
“Audrey! Not now!” Victoria could feel the heat in her face, but she couldn’t tell if she was blushing or furious. Maybe a bit of both.
Fyrn leaned back in his chair. “Diesel is still a powerful wizard.”
“But you're more powerful, and I actually like you.”
“Really? I thought I was a grumpy old fart.”
“I mean, you are, but you’re still way better.”
Fyrn chuckled. “You're not getting out of this, Victoria. Diesel is going with you. You need a guide who is ex
perienced with magic. As much of a hassle as he is, Diesel is the second-best wizard in our city and one of the top hundred in the world.”
Victoria couldn't suppress her smirk when Fyrn declared he was the best. Her mentor had confidence, even if he didn't have the public relations ability or charisma Diesel possessed.
She shook her head. “Please don't make me do this, Fyrn. There has to be another way.”
“As I mentioned before there are always choices, but I don't like any of the ones we have here. Either Diesel goes with you or you wait until I return. I have no idea when that will be, so it doesn't make sense for that to be the choice. Besides, I'm making this one for you. You, Audrey, and Diesel leave first thing tomorrow morning. He's already been notified.”