by Peter Glenn
In hindsight, I wondered if I should have told him that part earlier. But he probably wouldn’t have believed that, either, so it was a wash.
“Two hours to Canada,” Rick said, eyeing his GPS.
I nodded, then sat back and closed my eyes. This whole thing would be over soon enough.
Around eight hours later, Rick pumped the brakes hard and roused me from a little nap.
“Hey!” he jabbed me with a finger. “We’re almost at the border. Just waiting to get through.”
“Already?”
I heard Rick groan again.
Under normal circumstances, it should have taken about two hours to get to the Canadian border from Seattle. But both of us had forgotten about Thursday traffic. It was always extra backed up on Thursdays. Plus, there’d been a major pileup that had closed the road down to one lane near Mount Vernon, and we’d stopped for another fill up and a bite to eat in Bellingham, much to Rick’s chagrin. Another thing he’d had to pay for.
Practically the whole trip had been stop and go traffic. Probably a nightmare for poor old Rick. He didn’t look like the type that enjoyed being stuck in traffic, and since he was driving, he hadn’t had the luxury of taking a nap.
Now it was a little past nine o’clock, and we were just about to pull up to the border crossing. Fortunately, border crossings were easy these days. Gone were any sort of massive walls or menacing structures, replaced with tiny stalls and open fields. The whole thing looked more like a loose collection of toll booths than anything.
Some Canadians worried about foot traffic across the border, but it was mostly nonexistent and not really looked for anymore. US and Canada relations had improved considerably over the past couple of years, and border crossing was all but a formality. Quickly scan your documents with an automated document scanner, and you were on your way.
“Whatever,” Rick scowled at me, shaking his head again. He sure was a grumpy dude. “Just get your passport ready so we can get this over with nice and easy.”
“Sure thing, Rick.”
Passport. I patted my pockets and rummaged around for a moment as a chill ran down my spine. Passport. Where had I last seen that thing, again?
Unlike a driver’s license, which was hard to come by, I did have a Chinese passport. Not on me, unfortunately, but I had one all the same. In my previous haste to save Rick from certain doom last night, I hadn’t thought to bring it with me. In my mind’s eye, I could still see it sitting in its little shoebox of important papers on the top shelf of my closet, well out of reach of me now.
“Umm… huh.” I flashed Rick a goofy grin. “Yeah. Passport. Huh.”
Rick’s eyes flashed over in my direction for a moment, and I heard him sigh again. “Let me guess. You left it at home.”
I shrank against my seat. “In fairness, I was trying to save your life at the time.”
Rick shook his head and groaned. “I can’t believe you, Damian. Now we need to go all the way back to Seattle, wasting most of a day, and for what?”
He started to turn the steering wheel and head for a nearby exit.
“Wait!” I urged him, putting my hand on one of his.
“Take your hand off me, please,” Rick said through gritted teeth.
I complied. “Just please wait,” I begged. “We can’t go back.”
Rick rolled his eyes again, but he stopped moving. “And why not, exactly?”
Because the world is going to be destroyed in two days if we don’t save my friend who you don’t even believe really exists, of course, and going back now would waste a whole day that we don’t have.
Yeah, that wasn’t going to sell it. I needed something else.
“Because… because it’s not safe back there,” I said.
“Not safe?” His eyes looked extremely untrusting, but he stopped trying to turn the car around. “Go on.”
“Remember that guy that attacked you? If his friends could get to your workplace, they could get to my apartment, too. They could be waiting there right now for us to show up. It’s not safe.”
“You killed that guy, remember?”
I pulled on my face. “Come on, Rick. You know he wasn’t acting alone. There’s bound to be others. Think about it. Who released the dobhar-chus after us if they were all dead?”
Rick’s expression looked grave, and I could see a small war playing out behind his eyes. After a few moments, he groaned again and pulled the car over to the side of the road and stopped.
“Fine,” he said. “You have a point. But if we can’t go back there, then what?”
I flashed him another grin. “We sneak across the border?”
“Really?” He shot me another glare. “That’s got to be your worst idea yet.”
That was a little harsh. Certainly, this wasn’t my worst idea ever. Chocolate sauce and guacamole, on the other hand? Now that had been a terrible idea…
“Got a better one?”
Rick shook his head and let out another sigh. “Fine. We’ll do it your way. Again.”
“Excellent.”
Rick put his car back in gear and followed the road up a little further until he found a resting area to park the car in, then we both got out. I grabbed my swords and the remaining pastries and followed after him.
“Again with the eclairs?” Rick scowled.
“Heh. They really are something else. You should try one.” I pushed the box under his nose.
Rick reared backward and shook his head, pushing the box away.
“Suit yourself.” I shrugged.
The ground near the border was fairly clear and flat, with very little cover available. Still, the grass was on the tall side, and there was some vegetation we could hide behind if it came to it. The sky was starting to darken, but it wasn’t really dark yet, so hiding in the first place would be tricky.
Thankfully, no one actually expected people to walk across the Canadian border this close to the highway. It was utterly moronic. Which was exactly why we were doing it, but that’s not the point. The point was, it was relatively easy going, and it didn’t take long before we were within range of the actual border.
That was when the trouble started. The vague scent of wine hit my nostrils again, stronger than it had the night previous.
True, the border between the USA and Canada was far more lax than the one with Mexico, but it wasn’t like border patrol guards to be drinking. No, something had to be off. I was sure of it.
“Hold up,” I said, putting my hand in front of Rick to stop him right before he took another step. We were a few inches from the floodlights that illuminated the crossing area.
“Ugh, what now? We need to beg a leprechaun for luck first?”
Now it was my turn to do the eye roll. “Come on, Rick. You know me better than that. Besides, leprechauns are Irish, not Canadian.”
“I know that, you twit!” He put his hands on his hips. “Can we just get this over with, please? I’m not really built for hiking.”
Hiking? If this was his idea of a hike, he had another thing coming.
“Just wait a second. Please.” I shoved the eclair box into his hands. “Here, hold these. Keep them safe. I’ll be back in a second.”
“The eclairs again, really?” Rick groaned. “What is it with these things anyway?”
“They’re delicious, of course.” I flashed him another grin. “And you’ll see soon enough.”
Rick sighed again, but he held onto the box and stayed put.
I gave him one last look, then crouched low to the ground and snaked my way through the tall grasses to get a closer look at the border gate. The oddly-shaped building came fully into view quick enough.
I inched forward a little more, and that’s when I saw it. Or rather, them.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge and my hand instantly went to the katana at my side. There they were. Half-Naked Guy and Lanky Guy, standing tall and seemingly without a care, posing as border guards.
My mind r
aced. How were they alive? How had they gotten here so fast? And why were they here, of all places? Did they know about my plans? But I hadn’t even told Rick what we were doing. How could they possibly know?
But that wasn’t the worst part. I now understood why I’d caught the wine scent, both in Seattle and here. A rather large, grayish hound stood at attention by their feet, lips snarling and pawing at something I couldn’t see.
“Well, shoot,” I muttered. “They have a failinis.”
The failinis was an odd creature out of Irish myth. It had the appearance of a normal wolfhound, but it was a magical beast that was a fierce fighter, and it was loyal to the last breath. Also, it could make wine out of water. Which explained the smell.
But the worst part about the failinis breed was they never lost and they never gave up. If that thing caught wind of me or Rick, it wouldn’t stop chasing us until we were dead or it was, and I don’t know about you, but my money was on the dog.
Slowly, I crept back to where Rick was standing. To his credit, he hadn’t moved like I’d asked him to.
“Bad news,” I whispered. “They got here first.” I pointed one finger toward the gate building.
Rick shook his head. “Who got here first? You’re not making any sense.”
“The queen’s men. The guys I killed. They’re here.”
“What?” Rick growled at me, but his eyes had a hint of fear in them. Was his resolve starting to crack? “Are you sure your head is on straight?” He looked down at me and humphed. “I’m going back to the car.”
“No, wait!” I yelled. “It’s not safe.”
Rick stopped, but for once, I don’t think it had anything to do with me.
A long, low growl filled the air, chilling my blood and making my skin crawl. The failinis. It had heard me. Or one of us, at least.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw the beast standing tall, nose pointed in our direction. Lanky Guy and Half-Naked Guy, who was wearing a uniform and no longer half-naked, by the way, were chatting amongst each other and looking at where the dog was pointing.
“Rick?” I said in a voice barely over a whisper, tapping him on the shoulder. He looked straight at me, face ashen. “Run.”
I didn’t have to tell him twice. He bolted, making far more noise than I would have thought possible. I sped after him, sparing glances at the guard post all the while. So far, no one had moved, but I could sense it was only a matter of time.
I rummaged around in my pockets for something I could use to keep the dog off our trail, and my hand clasped around a small, oblong disc.
The muting charm. Yes, this was just the thing. If I could muffle our noise, then the dog wouldn’t be able to hear us. It was a bit of a shame. That thing was expensive, and I hadn’t wanted to use it like this, but what choice did I have? Rick was practically screaming as he ran. I needed to do something and fast.
The failinis’ ears perked up and it took a few steps in our direction right as Rick let out a strange wail.
Damn it all! I was out of time. I threw the disc, letting it shatter on the ground between us into a hundred little pieces.
Rick’s wailing dropped off straight away, and he stopped right in the middle of the lit ground. I gave him a heavy shove, stealing back the eclair box in the process, trying to get both of us back under the cover of the semi-darkness. A few more hurried steps, and we were through.
Behind us, I heard the failinis growl a few more times, but then the noise stopped altogether, and the dog went back to his half-annoyed sitting position, pawing mindlessly at the floor.
I let out a huge sigh, which I didn’t hear. We were through. We were safe. At least for now.
Rick pointed toward the guard station, arms flailing about and lips flapping, but no noise came out of his mouth. He was obviously flustered by the whole thing, but I found it mildly hilarious, so I watched the whole thing with a bemused expression, slightly shaking my head.
Once he’d calmed down a bit, I pointed my free arm behind him, and he seemed to understand. We went back to our march, leaving the enemy guards well behind.
I smiled. We had made it into Canada. Not the way I’d been hoping, perhaps, but we were there all the same. That was one more obstacle down and one step closer to seeing Mei again.
10
About thirty minutes after the failinis incident, the muting charm finally wore off, and my brooding companion was once again full of words.
“Did you see those guys back there at the border?” He was talking fast, and his eyes were wild.
“Uh huh,” I said, nodding. “I was there, too, remember?”
“But… the tall, lanky guy. You… you killed him.”
“Yep.” I mean, granted Rick was always a little slow on the uptake, but the whole thing really seemed to have shaken him. “At least, I thought I did. Who can be sure these days?”
“But that’s impossible,” Rick droned on. “I saw you kill him. He was lying on the ground in a puddle of blood, not breathing. I saw it happen. The scene is burned into my skull!”
I shrugged. “Sure, I guess. But he was still there at the gatehouse, too.”
“There’s got to be a reasonable explanation for all of this,” Rick insisted. “Maybe he’s got a twin brother or something.”
“I suppose it’s possible.” I rubbed my chin gently. “Doesn’t really explain the mythical failinis with them, though.”
Rick stopped and spun around to face me. “Failinis?” There was a vague look of recognition on his face again, like his resolve was starting to crack, and he was starting to believe in all of this stuff for once. Then it was gone again.
He shook his head vigorously. “No. It was just a wolfhound. A rather large, scary wolfhound, but one just the same.”
I let out a long sigh and patted Rick on the shoulder. “Look, you don’t have to believe in magic and all that if you don’t want to, Rick, but it sure seems to believe in you.”
Rick gently brushed my hand off his shoulder with a look of disgust in his eyes. “Yes,” he said slowly. “Well, we’ll see.” His eyes darted around a bit, and his expression soured even further. “We’re going to need a new car if we’re going to reach Vancouver anytime soon. Any ideas?”
I gave that some thought. “Hmm. Car rental agency, maybe? There are usually a few of those in places like these.”
Rick shrugged. “It’s as good an idea as any. Any idea where we could find one?”
I pulled out my phone and pulled up the maps app. Fortunately, I had international data roaming on my device, so it worked just fine in Canada. It was one of those expenses I considered essential with all the traveling I did for my job.
A few moments later, I had a destination pulled up on my phone. “As a matter of fact, there’s a Bert’s Rent-A-Car about twenty minutes that way,” I said, pointing off to the left.
Rick threw up his hands. “Sounds great. Let’s get going.”
I held out my phone in front of me and started walking. “Look on the bright side, Rick,” I said as I passed by him. “At least the eclairs are still safe.” I peered into the plastic container. The two leftover eclairs looked to be okay, but the creme puffs had seen better days. Their cream had all melted and they looked mushy. Not good eats.
He shot me an icy glare. “Really? Again with those damned eclairs of yours. Are they even good after being out in the sunlight all day?”
I flashed him a big, toothy grin. “Why, you finally want one?”
Rick punched me in the arm and scowled.
“I’ll take that as a no, then.”
I heard him mutter something under his breath as we kept going, but whatever it was, I let it drop. It didn’t really matter. Before long, he’d have to get hungry. Then he’d be happy I’d managed to save a source of food. Even if it was probably getting a little stale.
“Hey, wait for me!” I called as I raced to catch up to him.
Several minutes later, we were at the gate of the rental agency. The
re were a few lights on inside and a lone sales agent manning the counter, but no one else that I could see. It struck me as odd, but I shook it off.
“All right, Rick, go rent us a car,” I told him, patting him on the back.
“Me?” Rick’s eyes almost bulged out of his skull. “Why am I getting the car? This is your trip, remember?”
“I left my card at home, remember?” I put my hands on my hips and tried to mimic his stance and his tone as best I could.
“Ugh!” Rick shook his head and patted his back pocket. “Fine, I’ll go rent the…” His voice trailed off mid-sentence.
“Rick? Something wrong?”
For a moment, I wondered if the failinis had finally caught up with us, and I glanced behind me, one hand on the hilt of my katana.
“I, uh…” Rick flashed me a grin. “I seem to have left my wallet in my car.”
A broad smile crossed my lips. “So he is human after all!” I quipped, smacking him on the shoulder. “I knew it.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Rick’s cheeks were a bright crimson. “Look, it could have happened to anyone, okay?”
I nodded. “Uh huh. Sure.” I patted his arm again. “It’s okay. You look after the eclairs and I’ll go see if I can smooth things over with the rental salesman. Be back in a jiffy.”
“What are you going to do, exactly?” Rick asked, eyes narrowing. “Nothing illegal, I hope?”
“Don’t worry, Rick!” I waved my hands dismissively. “I’ve got their app on my phone. I can use it to pay.”
It was a lie, but it seemed to mollify him for the moment.
“Okay, well, hurry back!” he demanded, his voice shaking.
Was that a hint of fear I detected? Was Rick still shaken up over the two near misses in the past day? Was there a chink in the Rick armor? One could only hope. He’d been getting kind of dull of late with that attitude of his.
I flashed him another grin and turned around, his odd moods quickly forgotten. Rick was right about one thing. We needed a car. And without money, that wasn’t going to be easy to come by.
For a brief moment, I considered trying to woo the desk clerk with my amazing Asian charm. It was a lady, and I’d always had decent luck with the ladies.