by Wyatt Kane
“They have people there. Informers. The Master was quite explicit. If I talked the police, he would know, and my father would die.”
“Who is the Master?” Dinah asked.
But Lilith shook her head once again. “I don’t know. I’ve only heard his voice. But he’s powerful. They’re all scared of him. Even Bain.”
To Ty, it was a disappointing answer. This shadowy Master had been after their devices since before Ty truly knew that superheroes existed. It would have been nice to know who he was and what his overall plan might have been.
“Do you know where they are keeping you?” Dinah asked.
“No. I get the feeling it’s underground, but they keep me blindfolded, in the dark. They don’t want me to know where it is.”
This time, it was Ty who asked the question. “Then how do you get back?” he asked.
“I told you. If I am familiar with a place, I can go there.” Then, for the first time since Lilith had turned away, she looked back at Ty. “What are you going to do with me now?” she asked.
Ty realized then that from Lilith’s point of view, they had defeated her. His baton effectively negated her power. He could shock her again if she tried to teleport or tear the building to pieces.
So, he thumbed the off-button and telescoped the baton back down so it was no more than a short cylinder of steel. “Nothing,” he said. “We’re going to find this Master. We’re going to figure out what he’s up to and put a stop to it.”
Lilith looked surprised, uncertain, and almost hopeful. “What about me?” she asked hesitantly. “And my father? You said you would help.”
Ty nodded. He wasn’t sure what to say, but knew that once again, he did want to help her.
But it was Dinah who spoke. “You haven’t given us much to work with,” the deerkin said. “What is your stepfather’s name? How do you know they even have him? Give us a starting point. Something we can verify. Otherwise, how can we trust you?”
The demoness nodded. Some of her determination had returned. “My father’s name is Porter. Porter Bentley. He’s in his seventies and starting to get frail. They have him, I know it. And others as well. When they first took me, I could see and hear them. But after they put the device on my wrist, nothing. I think they moved me so I couldn’t hear anyone else.” The demon woman shifted uncomfortably. “If I had to guess, I would say they’re holding me to the west of here. But that’s all I know.”
Ty glanced at Dinah. He knew that with her skill of information, if anyone could help, it would be her.
“Is it enough?” he asked.
The deerkin didn’t seem hopeful. “We’ll see,” she allowed.
Ty turned back to the demoness. As he’d done before, he gave his assurance. “We will do what we can,” he said. “But if you’re able to find out anything more that could help, let us know.” He considered her for a moment, assessing her bruised and disheveled appearance. “You should go now, before someone notices you aren’t where you’re supposed to be.”
Lilith’s expression was one of faint surprise. It was as if she hadn’t really expected him to let her go, despite what he’d said. Yet she didn’t hesitate. It took her half a moment to gather her energy, and then she winked out of existence with the familiar pop! and hint of ozone.
Dinah turned to Ty and looked him up and down. Her gaze lingered on the pillow he’d grabbed to cover himself, and she started to laugh. Ty felt his cheeks turning pink once again as he grinned in response.
Then he let the pillow drop to the floor. “Are you ready for round two?” he said.
21: Waffle Batter And Questions
By the time Dinah and Ty made their way downstairs, the New Lincoln sun had risen behind its usual layer of clouds.
“Just a little more milk, and it should be perfect,” the deerkin said. They were in the kitchen, and Dinah was instructing Ty in the art of making waffles. Gremlin had deigned to join them, and was sitting on the kitchen bench, watching Ty’s every move as if looking for errors.
Neither Dinah nor Ty had bothered with their regular clothes, instead opting to wrap themselves in the bed sheets, at least for the moment. Ty couldn’t help but think of the toga parties his classmates had attended at college. Ty had mostly avoided them, preferring quieter gatherings to large, noisy parties. And besides, he’d rarely had the spare cash to buy drinks.
In any event, for Ty, making waffles in the kitchen with Dinah after having just enjoyed round two was far better than any party could have been when he was younger. Even though he’d never had much interest in cooking before, he was actually enjoying himself. Although that might have been more to do with the deerkin’s company than anything else.
He added the milk under Dinah’s careful eye, then whisked it all together. Dinah nodded her approval.
“Excellent. But what have you forgotten to do?” she asked.
Ty thought about it. He’d added the flour, the eggs, and sugar. He had melted the butter in the microwave and added that as well. With the baking powder and milk, and the few drops of vanilla essence, he thought he had everything right.
“I don’t know,” he said, slightly puzzled.
Dinah grinned broadly, and he knew she was teasing him. “How are you going to cook the waffles if the waffle iron hasn’t been turned on?”
Ty grinned in return. “That was a trick question!” he accused. Nevertheless, he reached over to the item in question and flipped the switch.
Again, Dinah nodded. “Add a knob of butter to the iron as well, to stop the batter from sticking. Some people use oil for that, but I think the butter gives the waffles a nicely crisped edge.”
Given Ty’s lack of experience in the kitchen, there was no way he was going to argue with any of Dinah’s suggestions. He placed the mixing bowl on the counter and did as she said, carving a small knob of butter from the stick.
“You can tell when it’s ready when the butter starts to sizzle,” Dinah said. “In the meantime….”
The deerkin didn’t finish her sentence, but instead dipped a finger into the batter. Ty thought she was going to taste it, just to see if he’d done everything right. But instead, she reached out and smeared the batter onto the end of his nose.
Ty stared at her in surprise. She stood there, grinning broadly, as if daring him to respond. So, he dipped his hand into the batter and came up with a significant glop. Dinah looked at it, and her eyes grew wide with mock fear. She squealed and leapt gracefully away from him in an effort to avoid whatever he planned to do.
Ty had no choice but to give chase. He did so, with unbridled enthusiasm and a spontaneous giggle, trapping Dinah in the corner of the kitchen. He approached with a broad grin and his hand stretched out to smear the batter on her face.
But the splicers who had worked their magic on Dinah had done their job surprisingly well. The deerkin’s changes were more than just skin deep. As well as the antlers, dear hooves, and of course her tail, she had the musculature of a deer as well.
To Ty’s complete shock, Dinah leapt high and sailed past him, to land six feet behind him. Nor did she slow down. With a peal of laughter, she charged out of the kitchen toward the main entrance. Ty was amazed and impressed, but still didn’t want to let her win.
He gave chase.
It was luck more than anything else that allowed Ty to catch her. Perhaps if she had tried her hardest, she would have kept away. Instead, she danced just out of his reach, teasing him with her unexpected speed and grace.
Ty knew he wasn’t as quick on his feet as she was. He just lunged at random, and if Dinah had zigged instead of zagging at just the right moment, he might never have caught her.
As it was, he got a hand to her sheet, and in moments they found themselves both on the floor, with Dinah’s toga in disarray.
For a moment, Ty worried that the deerkin may have been hurt in the fall, but she was still laughing. So Ty admired her partially naked form and wondered what to do with the glop of batter still in
his hand.
Before he could make up his mind, both his and Dinah’s devices sounded an alert.
“Truce!” Dinah cried out, her hands out as if in protection. “Truce! It’s got to be Tempest!”
Ty accepted Dinah at her word and paused as the deerkin, still lying on the floor, answered the call.
The blonde superhero looked exhausted as if her health bar was way in the red. “Are you going to let me in?” she asked.
Ty had brought one of the remotes with him, but had left it on the kitchen counter, next to his phone. “One moment,” he said, and bounded back to the kitchen.
◆◆◆
Ty had designed the remote so that every individual shield could be turned on and off as required. He thumbed the button controlling the shield at the main entry, and Tempest entered before he could return to Dinah.
The blonde superhero looked drawn and at least as tired as she had appeared over the hologram. Yet when she took in what Ty and Dinah were wearing, and that Dinah was sitting on the floor, she quirked a half-grin.
“I see you two have been enjoying yourselves,” she said. Ty found himself grinning uncontrollably. He reached a hand out to Dinah and helped her back to her feet.
“Whatever gave you that idea?” Dinah said blithely. Then the deerkin’s expression sobered. “But you look exhausted. Do you want food? Coffee? A vodka, perhaps?”
Tempest shook her head. “Just sleep,” she said. “After I fill you in.”
“Well, we’re making waffles. Let’s sit you down in the kitchen and swap tales there.”
It happened as the deerkin suggested. Tempest settled herself down at the breakfast bar, and when Ty moved to help Dinah with the waffles, she shooed him out of the way. “No. You’ve done enough. Sit next to Tempest so you can concentrate on what she says.”
“What about you?” he asked.
She flashed him a grin. “I told you before, cooking is my skill. It relaxes me. Helps me think better.”
Ty accepted defeat and did as she suggested, but not before washing his glop of batter down the sink and cleaning his nose.
Dinah checked the waffle iron and saw that the butter had melted to the desired point. As Tempest started the story, Dinah ladled the first of the mixture onto the iron.
“There isn’t much to tell, really,” Tempest said. “The officer in charge was someone I hadn’t come across before. I told him everything that had happened, that the mercenaries had approached the building with malicious intent and had opened fire without provocation.” She shrugged.
“It was like talking to a brick wall. Officer Pellham,” Tempest said the man’s name with a noticeable sneer, “spent an inordinate amount of time trying to turn everything I said around. It was like he was trying to find some way to blame the whole thing on me.”
As the rich, warm aroma of cooking waffles started to fill the kitchen, Tempest flicked a glance at Ty. “Us, really,” she continued. “Although I didn’t mention you were there. I spent the whole night playing nice. Answering his questions, repeating my story, and trying not to rip his face off. In the end, probably about four in the morning, I just stopped answering him and demanded to talk to his superior. I think at that point he realized who he was talking to. I was getting angry and might have banged my fist on the table. It stood up pretty well, but I don’t think they’ll be able to get the dent out of the metal.”
Normally, Tempest would have grinned as she said it said this, but her exhaustion was apparent. She couldn’t muster a smile.
“Five minutes with Officer Pellham’s superior was all it took. I knew the guy. He could scarcely believe that Officer Pellham had kept me there so long.” She paused, then looked at Ty and raised an eyebrow. “And then, when I tried to come home, I couldn’t get in. My way was blocked by an energy shield!”
Ty started to stammer an apology, but this time the blonde superhero did manage a grin. He realized she was joking.
“Very nicely done, by the way,” she said, and it was obvious how proud she was of him.
Ty could have basked in her compliments forever. “Did it stop you?” he asked. He didn’t know if even someone like her would be able to batter her way through.
“I didn’t try it out,” she said. “And I’m too tired to do it now. Maybe later, if you want me to test it.”
Ty nodded. His mouth was starting to water, and he was thinking about the waffles to come, but he needed to respond to something Tempest had said.
“This Officer Pellham–Lilith mentioned that the Master had people working for him in the police,” he said. “Maybe he’s one of them.”
Dinah nodded in agreement.
“Lilith?” Tempest asked.
“The demoness teleporter woman. She paid us a visit,” Ty said.
All at once, Tempest’s expression became thunderous. She looked about as if expecting to see Lilith nearby, and her intention was clear. To her, Lilith was an enemy.
Ty hastened to reassure her. “It’s okay,” he said. “She’s acting against her will. She’s a victim in all this.”
Tempest glanced at Dinah as if seeking confirmation. When the deerkin nodded, Tempest looked at Ty in confusion, but she wasn’t yet ready to let go of her anger.
“Something tells me you have a story to tell,” she said. “A more interesting one than mine.”
22: An Unexpected Call
Ty took his cue and filled Tempest in. He took care to include all the details that he wanted to say earlier. That it was Lilith who had warned him about the impending attack. That her father–or stepfather–was likely being held hostage. That he could see no other motivation for what she had done aside from coercion.
Tempest listened to everything Ty said, but it was obvious she wasn’t yet willing to extend trust Lilith’s way. From time to time, she asked questions or made comments.
“She hit you pretty hard with that talent of hers during the fight,” she said.
Ty nodded. “She did.” He could have told Tempest that Lilith had apologized even before she did it. Instead, he chose a different direction. “What would you do if Bain or the Master had a knife to Dinah’s throat, and there was no way to rescue her right away? Would you rob a bank if he told you to?”
Tempest didn’t answer, but her antipathy toward Lilith softened. Her expression gained an aspect of doubt.
After that, Ty spoke of his efforts to secure the building, and described what he and Dinah had done to set up the shields. “It didn’t stop Lilith, though,” he added ruefully, going on to describe the demon woman’s appearance in Dinah’s bedroom.
“Her power is substantial,” Tempest murmured. “Did you figure out what it is, exactly?”
It was a good question. If Ty had thought of it, he would have asked to see Lilith’s character sheet. But he hadn’t, so he shook his head. “No. Sorry,” he said. Then he described how he’d brought Lilith down with the police baton.
Even though Ty still felt guilty about doing that, Tempest obviously approved. She seemed to swell with pride as Ty described what he had done.
“And that’s pretty much it,” Ty finished.
Tempest nodded. She was silent for a moment, just absorbing everything Ty had said. “So,” she said finally. “We may have a spy in the enemy camp. Although we can’t count on any active assistance from her. It’s a start, at least,” she said.
As they had been talking, Dinah had been quietly working away in the kitchen. By the time Ty finished his story, the deerkin served up the first plate of waffles. Somehow, she had conjured a side of strawberries and cream with a sprig of mint in the center. She had also dusted the waffles in icing sugar and tipped one single corner of each in melted chocolate.
The whole concoction looked more like a desert than a breakfast, but Ty wasn’t complaining. It looked delicious. Yet Dinah placed the plate between him and Tempest and spoke to the blonde superhero first.
“Are you sure you won’t stay for waffles before heading to bed?” th
e deerkin asked.
Tempest stared at the waffles with such desire that Ty had to stifle a laugh. If it had been him, he would have wolfed down the waffles without a second thought. But he always knew Tempest was stronger than he was.
She shook her head. “I’m too tired to eat,” she said. With that, she stood to go.
Then she changed her mind. “What the hell,” she said. She plucked one of the waffles from its companions and took a bite with obvious relish. “Good night,” she said as she headed away.
Ty imagined Tempest’s flagging health bar already showing new life.
◆◆◆
Ty couldn’t stuff the waffles into his mouth quickly enough to satisfy his hunger. He had never eaten so well in his entire life before meeting Dinah and Tempest. In his mind, staying with them came with a legitimate threat to his waistline.
If Dinah kept serving up food like the waffles–and everything else she made–Ty would get fat.
He took another huge bite of a chocolate and sugar-sprinkled deliciousness and savored the richness of its flavor. He didn’t understand how Dinah had done it. Ty knew for a fact that there was nothing particularly special about the waffle recipe. He had put it together. Yet somehow, by the simple fact of her being part of the process, Dinah had elevated them so that the result was luxurious.
And yet, despite Ty hoeing into them as if he was starving, Dinah barely nibbled on hers.
“Tempest will probably only sleep for an hour or two,” the deerkin said as they ate. “She’ll be back to her normal self when she wakes. I think I might spend the time looking into our friend Lilith a bit more. If it really is her stepfather that she was talking about, I should have caught it before.”
The way Dinah said it, she sounded disappointed with herself. Ty might have tried to reassure her that she had done her best, but his mouth was filled with waffles and cream at the time.
“If I can find something, it might even lead us to figuring out who this Master is, and where he and Bain might be.”