Marny

by Anthea Sharp

  She didn’t bother replying, but kept heading for the gleaming doors.

  “Not so fast.” The guard moved directly in front of them. “The boss wants to know what brings Onyx Spenser to Intertech.”

  Onyx, was it? She sent him a sidelong glance.

  Nyx wore an easy smile that made his face look even more handsome. He slipped his hand around her waist and snugged her up against him.

  Half of her wanted to bolt out of his grasp, but she went with it, guessing where he was going. And, though she was reluctant to admit it, he felt good—all lean, hard muscle. He smelled like coffee and salty skin, and she breathed shallowly, trying not to inhale too deeply of his scent. Something inside her flopped around like a fish at the end of a line, and she tried to ignore the bright and flailing sensation.

  “I had to come,” Nyx said. “I met this girl at my club, and she ran off like Cinderella, so I tracked her down. Lucky me, she agreed to come out for breakfast.”

  He gave her a warm smile, and she glimpsed the spark of mischief in his eyes. He was enjoying this! She almost pulled out of his embrace, but they had to continue this little charade until they got out of the building and away from the surveillance cameras.

  The guard narrowed his eyes. “She doesn’t seem like your type.”

  “And you seem like a judgmental ass,” she said under her breath.

  Nyx squeezed her in warning. “Sometimes, when you meet the right girl, you just know.”

  Way too sappy. She elbowed him a little, and his smile widened.

  “So,” Marny said to the guard. “Can we go get our omelets and coffee now, or what?”

  “There’s a great waffle place a few blocks down.” Nyx lifted his hand and smoothed her hair back behind her ear, like he really was falling for her.

  She resisted the urge to bat his fingers away. It was irritation she felt, not attraction. Right?

  “Sounds good,” she said. “Do they have fresh berries and whipped cream?”

  Her stomach gave an embarrassing rumble, which added to the veracity of their banter about breakfast.

  The guard glared at them and made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat.

  “Fine,” he said at last, stepping back toward the wall. “You two lovebirds enjoy your day.”

  He gave the word a sarcastic slant, and Marny pushed down her stab of annoyance. Was it really so unlikely that someone like Nyx would find her attractive?

  As they waited for the elevator, Nyx kept his arm around her. The doors slid open, and she stepped inside first. The warmth of his touch lingered, and she tried to forget how nice it had felt. Instead, she crossed her arms and leaned against the brushed metal surface of the wall.

  “Hey.” He settled beside her and nudged her shoulder with his own. “Don’t go all hedgehog on me.”

  “Do I look blue to you?” She slanted him a look, wondering if he’d pick up on the old game reference.

  He laughed and leaned comfortably closer. “Did you watch our Flail stream, that time we played Sonic and kept drowning for a week straight? That was so tweaked.”

  “It made me like you more,” she admitted. “You could fail and still laugh at yourselves. Not that I followed your stream all that much.”

  “Of course not. Watching two decent-looking guys play old-school games is so boring.”

  “Some of us have better things to do,” she said, as her cheeks warmed. “Although I guess that friend of yours isn’t too hard to look at.”

  She felt his laughter, but any reply he might have made was cut off by the ding of the elevator arriving at the lobby. The doors slid open, but before she could step out, he linked his arm around hers. It was just for show, of course.

  Damn the warm glow that filled her. She wasn’t supposed to react like this to a guy. She was Marny—strong, capable, independent. Not a girly-girl who was dependent on some man to make her feel good about herself. Pfft to that.

  “So your full name is Onyx?” she asked as they headed past the front desk.

  “Yeah. Named after a gemstone. My sister’s name is Emerald. Emmie.” His voice tightened.

  “What, are your parents mineralogists or something?”

  “No, but my mom’s name is Opal. I guess they decided to go with the theme.” He held the door open, then followed her onto the sidewalk.

  The air felt heavy, and Marny glanced up. Although the sky overhead was blue, clouds massed at the horizon. A storm was coming.

  “I hope you don’t mind a rain check on breakfast,” Nyx said. “I’ve got some fruit and stuff at the club. I know you haven’t had anything to eat.”

  Now that they were out of the Intertech building, the urgency had returned to his voice. He leaned forward, scanning the street for a cab.

  “That’s fine,” she said. There were way more important things at stake than waffles.

  It didn’t take long for them to grab a cab and make it down to Club Mysteria. Nyx unlocked the door and Marny stepped into the hushed cavern of the warehouse. Dim sunlight sifted through the high windows, and without the strings of fairy lights and the flashing dance floor strobes, the place seemed almost drab.

  Especially since there was no sign of the enchanted forest.

  “Dammit!” Nyx’s shout echoed across the stained concrete floor and bounced off the blank walls.

  Whatever magic Club Mysteria had hosted was gone.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Nyx balled his hands into fists. He wanted to punch something: the walls, the bar, the empty air where the forest should have been.

  It was gone, and so was Emmie.

  Panic and self-loathing clogged his throat and he bent over, the pain of losing his sister slicing through him.

  “Hey. Breathe.” Marny put her hand on his back, and he realized he’d been making an ugly choking noise.

  With effort, he straightened and hauled in a breath.

  “I know it seems dire,” she continued, her voice steady and calm. “But your sister isn’t the first mortal to stray into the Realm.”

  “What do you mean?” He shrugged off her touch and glared at her. “You actually know of other people who have disappeared like this? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  If only she’d forced him to believe her, none of this would have happened.

  “You weren’t listening,” she said. “And all of the people I know who were sucked into the Realm returned and were fine, okay? We’ll get your sister back.”

  “How?” He waved an agitated hand at the empty warehouse. “You said we had to go in through the forest. And it’s gone.”

  “Then we start by re-conjuring it. You know how to do that, right?”

  “Yeah. I can. But what if it’s not the right forest?”

  Damn, he was sounding like a whiny kid. He closed his eyes for a second and let out a deep breath. Calm down, idiot. Marny was there to help, and she didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of a tantrum. No matter that there were good reasons for him to be on the edge.

  “Then we deal with that when we get there,” she said. “One step at a time. Now, what do you need to do to create the forest again? Cast a spell?” She wiggled her fingers.

  “It’s not magic. Not really. I have to go in-game and get some stuff.”

  “Get some stuff?” Her voice rose in surprise. “You mean, out of Feyland?”

  “Yeah. I know it sounds crazy—”

  “We’ve already established you’re not crazy.” She gave him a thoughtful look. “It’s not normal for players to be able to bring things out of the Realm. But it’s not impossible.”

  “There’s a lot I wish you’d told me, Marny Fanalua.”

  She opened her mouth to reply, and he held up one hand, forestalling her from speaking.

  “But you’re right,” he continued. “I couldn’t believe you last night. I’m sorry for that. And for freaking out on you. It’s just…”

  “I know. I’d be losing it, too. But we’re not in this alone. Those peop
le I mentioned that have gone into the Realm and come out again? They’re my friends—and my uncle, Zeg—and they’re called the Feyguard. Their job is to help with exactly these issues. Let me get ahold of them.”

  “Okay.” He clung to the thought that help would be on the way while Marny typed on her messager.

  After a minute, she tucked it away, her expression a little unsettled.

  “Are they coming?” he asked, not liking the look in her eyes.

  “I could only reach Roy and my uncle. They’ll try coming to help us via the game—but they haven’t gotten any alerts about anything going wrong, which may make it hard for them to find us. Not that it’s a perfect system, but still…” She gave herself a little shake and refocused on Nyx. “So—you need to enter Feyland. Where’s your FullD setup?”

  “Spare room.”

  He turned and headed for the back hallway, Emmie’s loss echoing through him with every step. Marny followed, quiet and light on her feet. Her steady acceptance of what was happening helped center him, and he pushed away the corroding blame. First, get Emmie back. He could deal with his own stupidity later.

  “Good thing I have two sim systems,” he said, holding open the door. “We can go into Feyland together.”

  She shook her head, her thick black hair bobbing. “No. I don’t sim.”

  He paused and gave her a hard look. “I thought you were a serious gamer.”

  “Screenie only. Simming makes me claustrophobic.” She glanced at the two rigs in the room, and her shoulders hunched a little.

  “What if I get into trouble in there?” he asked. “What if everything has changed, or your theory about going through the enchanted forest is wrong, and I do get a chance to rescue Emmie?”

  Her mouth set in a grim line. “I really don’t—”

  “Please. I need you.” He couldn’t keep the desperation from his voice. Marny was his lifeline—the one person who knew what was going on, who had a clue how to save his sister. He didn’t want to go anywhere without her. In game, or out.

  Indecision was clear in her face, and he could see the flash of panic in her eyes when she looked over at the equipment again. She really was afraid of gearing up.

  Dammit. He wasn’t the kind of guy who’d force somebody past their comfort level. No matter how much he wanted to make her come. She’d already said no. He took a deep breath.

  “I’ll try going in by myself,” he said, though the words stung his tongue. “I mean, maybe your friends are on the way, right?”

  He didn’t want to game alone, especially since now he knew how dangerous Feyland could be. And he was half hoping that she’d relent, give him that rare smile, and say of course she’d come.

  But she stayed put as he went over to the sim chair and started pulling on the gloves. Her expression was tense, and her clenched hands were a dead giveaway.

  “I…” she began, then trailed off, her voice croaking a little.

  “It’s okay,” he said, though it wasn’t. “If I see anything strange, I’ll come back out.”

  She nodded tightly.

  Nyx flexed his fingers inside the gaming gloves, then settled in the chair. Swallowing the words of entreaty clogging his throat, he pulled on the sim helmet and carefully didn’t look at Marny. She hadn’t moved from her post by the door, and disappointment and anxiety churned in his stomach.

  Churned worse when he entered the game, the golden light triggering a bout of nausea he fought down. Then he was in, standing in a circle of white-spotted red mushrooms.

  The air smelled like dusty mint, and warm sunshine spilled into the clearing. The light danced off the silver-leaved trees, a bird sang nearby, and despite himself, Nyx’s clenched jaw relaxed. Not that he was completely safe, but he knew from experience that fear could tighten a competitor up so much they lost their edge.

  Time to focus on his main objective: get some leaves so he could re-conjure the enchanted forest and go after Emmie.

  Although if he caught even a hint of his sister in-game, or saw anything white moving in the forest, he was so going after that.

  One step at a time.

  He slipped an arrow out of his quiver and nocked it on the bow, then quietly stepped out of the mushroom ring. The path winding through the trees looked clear, but he didn’t trust it to stay that way. Feyland was a tricky place.

  Dappled shadows fell over the purple-flowered bushes and ferns growing beside the path. Ahead, something moved, and he halted, lifting his bow.

  It was just a branch swaying in the breeze. Nothing to jump at. Swallowing, Nyx kept going. Marny and all her talk of how dangerous Feyland was had really hyper-tuned his nerves. He passed a pile of sticks lying near the path, and couldn’t help glancing into the deeper shade under the trees. Had something white flickered there, between the pale-barked trunks?

  The scrape of wood on wood made him whirl. He raised his bow, only to have it whacked out of his hands by an oaken staff. The wielder stood before him—a twiggy creature with long limbs made of branches. Around its face was a halo of green leaves, and its eyes were dark and unfriendly.

  It lifted one gnarled hand and blew a puff of sparkling dust into Nyx’s face. He coughed, then whirled, searching for where his bow had landed in the underbrush. He needed to snatch his weapon, then sprint up the path for a clear shot…

  The path was blocked by another treelike creature on the other side of him, this one covered in green needles and carrying a pointed spear. Dammit. Nyx fumbled for the knife at his belt with suddenly clumsy fingers, only to have the first creature grab him and whip vinelike ropes around his torso.

  No! How could he have been caught so easily? He was failing Emmie.

  He scrabbled at the bindings, trying to find a spot he could wriggle an arm free. His body felt sluggish and unresponsive. Had that dust been some kind of drug?

  “I told you the mortal would be easy pickings, Pinebough,” the first creature said in a voice that creaked like branches rubbing together.

  The needle-covered creature gave a slow nod. “Not much of a fight in it.”

  “Not supposed to fight it. Just capture the human and bring it to the court. Simple.”

  “Simple—if you cheat,” Pinebough said. “Nightshade dust is for cowards and puny brambles.”

  The first creature narrowed its eyes. “Are you calling me a bramble bush? I’ll poke you.”

  Pinebough’s needles rose, puffing up his size. “Everyone knows your grandmother was nothing but a briar rose. Barely worthy of being called a spriggan.”

  Nyx blinked sleepily. Part of him knew the argument was a perfect chance to try and escape, but somehow he couldn’t get that part of his brain to talk to the rest of his body. Idly, he noted the bushes beside the path moving, though there was no breeze. The ferns dipped and swayed, as though something had just walked through them.

  “You poked me!” Pinebough glared at his companion and raised his pointed spear. “Prepare to battle!”

  The first creature shoved Nyx behind him and lifted his staff. “I’ll scatter you to the winds, rootbrain.”

  Nyx stumbled, his feet feeling like they were stuck in cement. Something grabbed his elbow, steadying him.

  “Who…?” He blinked, his vision blurry, but couldn’t see anything.

  “Shh. I’m going to cut you loose, but as soon as I draw my blade, I’ll become visible,” a soft voice whispered in his ear. “Get ready to grab your bow. I think we can take them out.”

  “Marny?” Relief rushed through him, clearing his mind a bit. “I’m drugged—not sure I can shoot.” Or even walk.

  “Crap. Okay, let’s figure out plan B.”

  He could hear her breathing, could faintly sense the reassuring bulk of her body next to him. Part of him was embarrassed that he needed rescuing like some damsel in distress, but mostly he was profoundly glad she was there.

  The branchy creatures were still fighting and paying no attention to Nyx, but judging by the amount of needles an
d twigs littering the path, their battle would be over soon. Then they’d get back to taking him to the court, whatever that was. It didn’t sound good.

  “Start moving toward the clearing,” Marny said. “Hopefully the spriggans won’t notice for a bit. Go slow.”

  He nodded. Slow was about the only setting he could manage.

  “What about you?” he whispered. It went against his instincts to leave the fighting to Marny and just run away. Besides, she was his only ally. What if she got captured, too?

  “As soon as you’re at the faerie ring, I’ll join you,” she said.

  Carefully, so he wouldn’t face-plant into the shrubbery, Nyx began shuffling away. He’d made it about halfway back to the clearing when Pinebough let out a shout.

  “The human is escaping!”

  Nyx broke into an awkward trot, biting his lip hard so the pain would clear his head. Don’t fall. Don’t look back. His job was get to the mushroom ring, and trust that Marny would make it, too.

  His pursuers clacked after him, and then he heard a thud.

  “You tripped me,” the first spriggan cried. “You underhanded spawn of a thistle! You think to deprive me of my fair share of the bounty?”

  “I never touched you,” Pinebough replied. It lifted its pinecone-like nose and sniffed. “I smell another presence! Some sneaky magic is at play. An invisible foe stands in our way.”

  Nyx heard the sound of thrashing branches, and then a grunt of pain. Marny.

  “Aha—the rogue is discovered,” the first spriggan said.

  “Another human. Our bounty has doubled.” Pinebough’s voice was full of glee. “Grab her, quickly.”

  “I don’t think so,” Marny said. “Nyx, run!”

  It was hard, with his arms bound against his body, but he forced himself to go faster. Ahead, the mushroom ring glowed scarlet in the sunshine. Almost there.

  He stumbled over an exposed root and lost his balance. No, dammit. He went to his knees, and then Marny grabbed him and hoisted him to his feet.

  “Cut me free,” he gasped.

  She glanced over her shoulder, then used the knife already in her hand to slice through his bindings. Blindly, Nyx reached out and tore a handful of leaves off a nearby bush.