Upended Life (Artemis University Book 1)

by Erin R Flynn

  I glanced around the main room and took it all in. It was circular—even with the branches of hallway—the ceiling even a dome. There was a moving painting up there and I could have watched it for hours, the peaceful scene of boats on water and waves lapping against the rocks.

  “The scene changes to the customer,” Craftsman explained. “It’s for both you and the owner. She can read your state and it’s something you’d enjoy.”

  “I’m calm?”

  “No, you’re nervous as it’s your first time, so this sets you at ease,” a gorgeous woman said from behind the counter. “I’m Katrina Calloway, proprietor of this branch. Welcome to Veritas Portas, my dear.”

  “Thank you, Tamsin Vale,” I greeted, extending my hand to her.

  She gave me a good shake but then frowned. “Vale? I just had a… No, that was a Hale last week, forgive me.” She smiled and dropped my hand, waving away the mistake.

  But giving me a piece of a puzzle I was working on. She had a lot of traffic, enough that finer points would blend and with her discretion, this might be the most perfect opportunity I could get.

  She looked at Craftsman like she knew him but couldn’t place him. Even better.

  They greeted each other as I glanced around the large room. The coolest part about it was there was no merchandise. It was all nicely framed pictures with items and descriptions of what it was behind it.

  All tasteful but really, I understood why people said it was a bit like a gallery or showroom.

  “We need a reservoir,” Craftsman said for me when I was looking around. “As this will be Ms. Vale’s first, we came to you.”

  I let out a huff. “I get it’s your Friday, but do we have to get right to it? I can’t have five minutes to look around?”

  His eyes flashed shock at what I said but covered it up. “Of course you can look around. I simply wished to inform Ms. Calloway why you’re here.”

  “Why I got the chance to come here,” I muttered like I was being a brat to a teacher. I gave him a glance to trust me before looking at her. She was watching with interest and I worried my lower lip before glancing back at Craftsman. “Maybe you wanted to check out anything new?”

  He raised an eyebrow and nodded, getting his part. “Fine, but we don’t have all night.” He moved further into the room, checking out the wall-to-wall shelves with framed pictures.

  I turned to Calloway, noting she had amusement dancing in her eyes. “So my friends say you are the woman who can get everything and without drama.”

  “I am,” she assured me.

  I let out a relieved sigh. “There’s just so much judgment at school, you know what I mean? And fine, I know I’m an unknown and that’s rare and I already need a reservoir, so awesome, but could I have some fun with this? Like, I’m grateful someone thought I looked like a distant cousin and I got a killer inheritance but I’ve not really had a chance to enjoy it.

  “Well, besides the clothes.” I gestured to my outfit. “I think I’m doing her proud by wearing them right.” I let out huff without waiting for her to reply, channeling some of my inner Izzy for the character I was playing. “It sucks I never got to meet her though. I mean, it’s sad, I had family and they’re gone for like a decade but I’m thrilled I can go to Artemis and confused about being a supe.”

  She cut in and patted my arm. “It can be overwhelming for all of us. We all understand it, for sure. And yes, it’s nice to know your roots. Any family worth being family would want you to enjoy the perks of their estate.”

  And there it was, the predator came out that smelled a huge sale. Not in a mean way, as I could tell she truly was trying to reassure me I wasn’t alone, but she was a savvy woman who smelled dollar signs.

  “I hope so.” I worried my lip and glanced around. “Sorry, I don’t mean to ramble and take up your time. You’re probably really busy but everyone’s always watching and judging at school and it’s nice to just get to enjoy I’ve got magic and stuff.”

  She waved off the concern like any good businesswoman should. “Friday afternoons are slow. I pride myself in making sure every first visit to Veritas Portas is one to remember.” Her eyes continued to dance with amusement. “So where do you really want to start instead of a reservoir?”

  “Promise you won’t laugh?”

  “Of course not. I’ve known many unknowns and I promise you will not be the silliest or have the oddest questions.”

  I hesitated for only a few moments and let out a soft, excited noise. “Tinker Bell is real. I mean, fairies are or were, I know they all went back to their world, but Tinker Bell was always my favorite, you know? And I’m dying to know everything. I have to know everything. Were there seasonal courts? Is that where Disney got the idea from? Did a fairy leak secrets?

  “Or were there Seelie courts? Wings? Warriors? Screw Disney princesses, Tinker Bell was her own woman and did it her way, right? I cannot believe she was real.” I got to the point when she opened her mouth. “Sorry, sorry, rambling again. Someone mentioned you have a way to get all the books. Like everything I could ever want and I want.

  “Someone said libraries or like geeks who control catalogs? But others said you were the way to get everything and I bet you know which ones to get that’s not like intro to fairies and oh, there’s a Faerie, but the good stuff.

  “I know I’ve got school and a ton to do but there’s always summer vacation. Not everything I can get is for now and who doesn’t love having a big TBR pile with books, right?”

  “I’m glad that you—”

  “Wait, are there unicorns?” I asked, moving my hand to her arm with a squee. “Please tell me there are really unicorns with the fairies. I would die, just die.”

  She burst out laughing, waving an apology when I frowned and let her go. “I’m sorry, I’m not laughing at you, my dear, just your excitement. It’s like seeing our world through young eyes all over again. It’s delightful.” She gave me a conspiratorial wink. “Unicorns are real and they did originate in Faerie, but there are several breeders on this world.”

  “I could own a friggin’ unicorn?” I asked, not having to fake my shock on that.

  “As long as you have the land for one as they need a lot of land.”

  “So cool,” I whispered, getting back into character. “The moment I graduate and not away all the time.”

  “That’s an expensive graduation gift,” Craftsman drawled as he moved along a shelf closer to us.

  I snorted, waving off the concern and playing the card he’d set me up to. “I plan on having my own gallery of everything fairy. I want all the cool stuff once I figure out how to get them. There’s got to be like a supe auction house if there’s friggin’ social media.”

  “There is and I bid privately for clients if I know their interests, so they’re not dealing with the distress of big names elbowing them out,” she told me, clearly saying I’d get eaten alive.

  It was a nice way to put it and nice of her to offer even when I knew she’d get a cut.

  “Yeah, no reason for anyone to laugh that I’m a Tinker Bell addict like people pick on those into manga or cosplay. I don’t dress up like her but fairies are real. Like, yeah, I want to know everything and see what I can.”

  “Of course you would,” she agreed. “Is there anything else you’re in the market for or do you want to start browsing?”

  I frowned. “Is it true that vamps that are really stressed have trouble with their bloodlust? Would that be a good gift for a friend who’s at Artemis and yeah, one of the best colleges ever so we’re all stressed out?”

  “Yes, and a very nice gift so I hope it’s a good friend,” she informed me, leading me over to a shelf on the other side from Craftsman. “It’s a simple talisman that one hangs on their bed, the magic helping them regain their center, if you will, while they sleep.”

  I saw the price of six hundred and about swallowed my tongue. This was going to be a costly trip, but if it got me what I needed and a good in for
more, it was worth it.

  Especially when I could go directly to the source. I trusted Edelman, Salzman, Geiger—and especially Craftsman—but I wanted more on my own. I needed to make sure I had options so no one could control the flow of what I found out.

  After I agreed to get that, she brought me down one of the halls to an extreme library. It wasn’t quite Beauty and the Beast but close and books piled all over as well.

  “I’m in heaven,” I whispered, glancing all around. “I swear this summer I’m going to do something I never have before.”

  “What’s that?” she asked, amused again.

  “Relax and do nothing but read,” I chuckled. “I was always working and I never really had a real summer vacation. I’ve got a pool and yeah, I need to learn to swim but a bunch of sunscreen and I plan to be by it reading my summer away.”

  “Sounds heavenly,” she agreed. “Let’s start stocking you up then. Is there anything else you’re interested in?”

  I snorted. “All of it. I thought I’d start with fairies, move onto dragons—because dragons are friggin’ real—then go from there.” I noted the way she glanced between Craftsman and me as if wondering if we were the same. “I’m staying undeclared. I’m not a fan of how everyone immediately cared only that I’m an unknown and what species.”

  She gave me a shocked look but then smiled. “Bravo.”

  “Thank you.” I preened and went over to the first shelf.

  “Now, I do have some books in Faerie which no one but fairies can read but you did mention you wanted to start a collection of fairy items and those are always a good item.”

  “Hmm, yeah, but maybe I should start with what I can read and like…” I slowly turned to her and gave her a hopeful look. “Tell me you have a fairy sword like Lord of the Rings. I know those were elves, but you know what I mean. Are we talking cool stuff like that?”

  She chuckled, shaking her head at my antics. “Yes, and powerful as they’re made of magic and meant to aid in protecting the fairy who wields it. I saw it once many years ago and the sword beams with light when a fairy holds it.”

  I felt Craftsman stiffen behind me. Yeah, I wouldn’t be holding that sword around people. But this was the sort of stuff I needed to know if I was to stay hidden.

  And I would be buying that sword. For sure.

  “You might have some of these items in your estates,” Craftsman reminded me under his breath as Calloway headed off in the direction of a shelf she said we should start at.

  I nodded I heard him and understood. I’d respond when we were alone. Yes, I could have the same but I didn’t have all the time in the world to sort through it all.

  Plus there was clearly a market for anything fairy so I could also sell anything I didn’t want later. Like a lot of the books in Townsend’s library written in Faerie, which I didn’t believe Calloway were such hot items.

  Yeah, they were cool but people wouldn’t put books they couldn’t read first no matter how cool or old. Top ten, sure, I could see that of fairy stuff, but not first.

  Katrina Calloway was worth the hype. The woman had the goods and knew where to get more. She also knew what she had, giving me a quick rundown of the books as she pointed them out as options.

  I kept nodding, grabbing each book and passing it back to Craftsman to hold.

  “What about how fairies are born?” I asked her. “I know it’s not actually the first time a baby laughs, but I read a reference in my intro book that they can’t have kids unless they want?”

  “That’s true,” she assured me, moving down the row. “A fairy cannot conceive unless willing and over… Thirty or forty, I believe. Ah, here.” She pulled out a book and handed it to me. “What are your other burning questions we can feed your curious mind?”

  “The courts,” I answered after a moment. “Were they seasons? They didn’t come here to handle the seasons, right? No, they’ve been gone for twenty years—is that global warming?”

  “No, that’s the people of this planet,” she chuckled. “There were two courts, light and dark. They weren’t responsible for the seasons but they were crucial in all that needs balance. Those of us older who remember them have felt the shift and imbalance in the world, even among supes. It’s sad, for sure, but I hope the scale doesn’t fall over until I’m long gone.”

  “Yeah, me too,” I muttered, taking a few more books from her on the monarchies of Faerie and more.

  “Something interesting I don’t think taught anymore now that fairies are gone but we’re all descendants for them,” she told me as she switched to a shelf behind her. “It’s believed that all supes have some amount of diluted fairy blood in them. The legend is when they first came from Faerie and found a new species some fell in love and had children with the humans.

  “And those children were the first vampires, shifters, witches, and dragons, depending on the families of the humans. From there more and more, and that touch of fairy blood always stayed to be passed on. I’m paraphrasing but the full story is beautiful even if maybe mythology. Ah, here it is.” She reached down and plucked a book off a shelf. “This is the full origins along with some other stories of the sort.”

  “I think you have enough for now,” Craftsman drawled when I handed him the book.

  I glanced back and burst out laughing as he was completely loaded to the gills, Calloway joining in. “Does this count as teacher abuse?”

  “Yes,” he grumbled. “I’m putting these on the counter. Don’t buy the store, please. I’m one man.”

  I held up my finger to Calloway to hold her off until he walked away then leaned in to whisper. “I heard he can make new runes. Do you have any books on that? Making new magic? How cool is that?”

  “A very rare talent and one that could put the person in danger so not something you should ever tell anyone,” she warned, waving off my worry. “Not me, I’m a steel vault of information. I couldn’t be in this business if I wasn’t, but just so you understand.”

  “No, thank you, really, I’d hate to get someone hurt. I need to learn this sort of stuff and fast,” I admitted, not hiding how much that worried me.

  “That I can also help with,” she promised. “Once we finished with the books. It’s expensive but it’s a good idea if you don’t have family to guide you and the money to protect you.”

  Color me intrigued.

  She found two books that she promised would answer my basic questions of how runes and spells are formed and the difference between using the runes I would learn in school and the process of originating new ones. Cool.

  “Anything else?” she asked as we headed to the front and she caught me glancing back at her library longingly. “I will think on any other books and send you some recommendations when I have down time to not overwhelm you.”

  Awesome. I thought about what she asked and sighed.

  “I want to see that fairy blade for sure, but are there like dragon artifacts?”

  “Many,” she chuckled, giving me a curious look.

  “My best friend is a dragon.”

  “She’s a Rothchild,” Craftsman sighed, glancing at me like he might strangle me.

  Calloway blinked at me and nodded. “Is she keeping with her clan’s calling?” She chuckled when I frowned. “It’s a weapon.”

  “Yes, I want that,” I purred, rubbing my hands together evilly. “Oh, and something for my witch roommate.”

  “Really?” Craftsman drawled. “You didn’t go on vacation and are bringing back trinkets as gifts. This isn’t expected for a trip like this.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “I could spend a few million dollars here, pay all the taxes on the properties, and insurance, and still not make a dent in the estate’s interest earned every year. Not even close.”

  He didn’t hide his shock well, his mouth falling open. He shook himself out of it and leaned in. “You are spending probably a few million with the list you gave her.”

  I shrugged. “So be it.” I sighed whe
n he opened his mouth to argue. “Please don’t stomp on my fun. I’ve only bought what I needed, using clothes I found in her closet and linens from there not to waste money. I needed a computer. I needed books. Please, please, just let me enjoy learning I was a supe and have some magical and maybe over the top fun.”

  “Fine,” he groaned.

  I got a bit miffed he acted like I was being a pain. “I was explaining to be nice but you’re not actually the boss of me, just my professor.” I spun away from him and focused on Calloway. “Can I see the fairy and dragon weapons, please?”

  “Of course.” She led the way down another hallway and leaned in. “Always best to put the men in their place early. Never forget that, my dear.”

  “I really like you,” I giggled, absolutely meaning it even if I said it like the character I was playing.

  She showed me the dragon ones first. I whistled when I saw them. They were matching… Well, they were hard to put into words.

  They sort of reminded me of a mezzaluna knife, that Italian curved one for chopping. Except it was more, longer, and definitely deadlier. The blade was a full semicircle that curved over the hilt so one went in each hand and could do some real damage.

  I almost whistled again when I saw the price, but when I read how they had belonged to the Asian dragon royals and were blessed by some fairy queen I was brimming with excitement. I glanced at Craftsman.

  “Yeah, those are aces,” he agreed. “And legit as you’re thinking. Nothing’s ever bolstered here or how you’re used to human pawn shops. This is like shopping at the finest museums if that was an option.” He narrowed his eyes and then swallowed. “And that’s not an inflated price.”

  “Certainly not,” Calloway agreed, clucking her tongue. “I would never. I understand you’re explaining it for her, but I would know a fake and tear into any who tried to sell it to me. And no thefts either. These were gifted by a prince to his bastard child when born. The child died in an accident and others of the family agreed to sell them as they could use the money and knew the value.”

  “We don’t take kindly to stealing in our world,” Craftsman told me firmly. “It’s not like humans where people might turn a blind eye for cool stuff. It’s across the board to stop it as all of us could be victim.”