“They’re not?”
“Some legal mumbo jumbo about duress and threats.” I shrugged indifferently.
“Have you actually been to court?”
“To testify? A few times. Colonel Willard has learned to pull strings to keep me from being subpoenaed.”
“Are you an unreliable witness?”
“I’m a sarcastic witness. I’ve been held in contempt of court three times.”
“How many times have you been in court?”
“Three.”
“I can’t believe you said I’m the surly one who shouldn’t be hand-selling my wares.”
“I’m pretty sure I just implied you weren’t quite as cute as the box of puppies next door.”
“Who is?”
“Nobody.”
Sindari came to sit by my side, his shoulder reaching as high as my shoulder. Please tell Dimitri good evening. And let him know he may pet me if he wishes.
He may? Like it’s an honor for him?
It is certainly an honor. We have discussed my status and importance among my people, and that I am essentially an ambassador here.
Ambassadors get assigned by other people, not summoned through charms.
You’ll find that, as you travel to different worlds and learn different languages, the definitions of words are nebulous and imprecise.
Are you sure? I think the definition of bullshit is universal.
That’s because you are unworldly and untraveled.
“Is he talking to you?” Dimitri looked from me to Sindari and back.
“Yeah. He says he wants you to scratch behind his ears.”
Sindari narrowed his eyes at me.
“Also that you should feel honored when you do it.”
“I always do. He’s soft.” Dimitri stepped to Sindari’s side and rubbed his ears.
Soft? Assure him that I am made from fang and sinew and akin to the hardest metal alloy your people have discovered.
“He likes belly rubs too,” I said.
I am thinking of chewing your arm off.
I need my arms to wield my weapons. Chew off something less vital, please.
A kneecap?
I’m partial to those too.
You are a difficult handler.
I know.
Sindari pretended aloof indifference to Dimitri’s behind-the-ear rub, but I caught him leaning in for better access. While this was going on, Nin came out, her face smeared with soot, her shirt torn. Her eyes were moist with tear tracks streaking her dirty cheeks. Her forlorn expression made me want to beat the crap out of the brothers’ minions again.
“Thank you for coming, Dimitri, and Val.” Nin hugged me and then hugged Dimitri. She paused and looked at Sindari. “Does your tiger like to be hugged?”
Sindari lifted his chin. She may embrace me.
“He says it’s okay.”
Nin hugged Sindari, who was looking quite pleased by all this attention.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get here in time to do anything,” Dimitri said. “I was way up in Woodinville.”
“Is the farmers market not over for the week?” Nin asked.
“Yeah, but I’m forging a new business relationship with Zoltan.”
“You will become an alchemist?”
“No. I’m assembling something for him, and he’s teaching me about building a following on social media.”
“I could teach you about these things. Your cactus shot one of my enemies in the scrotum.”
I blinked. “We usually just say balls, Nin.”
“That is imprecise. Also, it was the word yesterday on one of my word-of-the-day apps. Once I use it five times, it will be mine forever.” She nodded with the determination of one seeking to master the entire English language, including the anatomy part of it.
“What kind of word-of-the-day app pops up scrotum?” Dimitri asked.
“It is medical-themed.” Nin pulled out her phone. “Do you want the sample sentence and definition?”
“No,” Dimitri and I said together.
Outside the compound, police lights flashed, and I glimpsed a fire truck pulling up. With the spell cocooning this place lifted, the authorities must have finally learned about the incident.
“I’ll take a look at your truck while you talk to them, Nin,” Dimitri said. “I’m sure you have insurance, but I’ve done some bodywork. Maybe we can get things up and running again quickly.”
“That would be wonderful.” Nin touched her hand to her chest and smiled warmly at him. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to find a way to keep the brothers from attacking you yet, Nin,” I apologized softly. “This is unacceptable. I’m going to do something tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Val. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you. Like paying you.” She raised her eyebrows.
I held out a hand. “No payment, but I could use some magical armor if you have time to work on it. There are officially more days in the week now where I’m being shot at than when I’m not.”
“Oh yes. I would be pleased to make you something. Lightweight, yes? That is important.”
“Very much so.”
“I have some prototypes, but I will design something new for you.”
“Thank you.” I would still insist on paying her for her time and the materials, but I didn’t mention it now, since she looked relieved to have something to trade.
Another vehicle rolled up outside the gate, and a car door slammed shut.
I patted Sindari. You better disappear before the police see you.
Your people need to learn to accept that there are many beings that exist beyond those native to your world.
Yes, they do. But not tonight.
As he faded into nothingness, I braced myself for the inevitable questions. I was tempted to disappear as well, but I wanted to make sure they didn’t give Nin a hard time about anything. She had a permit for the food truck, but my understanding was that one couldn’t get permitted for selling magical weapons since the government didn’t admit that magic existed. Everything in the back compartment of her truck was hush-hush.
I endured the police questioning with a minimal amount of sarcasm. It wasn’t their fault they had shown up late. The sorcerous dark elf had been the problem, and it worried me more than a little that she’d been working with the Pardus brothers’ thugs.
Tomorrow, I vowed, I would figure out how to deal with them. One way or another.
17
As soon as I left Wilmot Gateway Park in Woodinville, jogging along the trail toward the section looking across the river to the Pardus brothers’ mobile-home park, I activated my cloaking charm. A bicyclist heading in my direction swerved, face screwing up in confusion as I seemed to disappear to his eyes, but shrugged and continued past. I ran to the side of the paved trail so I wouldn’t be in anybody’s way.
Freeway traffic zipped by to my right, but my attention was focused to the left, across the water. I hadn’t wanted to risk driving through the neighborhood—the charm would only camouflage me, not my Jeep—and this would make it more difficult for the shifters to give chase if they somehow detected me. They would have to come after me on foot and go for a swim first.
As the house came into view, half hidden behind brush and trees in the little lot’s back yard, I sensed the auras of the brothers and… eight more magical beings. My shoulders slumped. What were they doing? Running an Airbnb for shifters?
After last night, I ached to take those two jerks down, but I couldn’t fight that many shifters, and definitely not on their own turf. By now, the brothers had to expect me, and they’d likely added magical fortifications.
I could still sense the aura of a magical being in the mysterious basement that shouldn’t have existed, but it seemed weaker now. The memory of the plaintive call for help came to mind, and I longed to go over there and rescue whoever was down there. If I’d spotted a window or entrance to the basement, I might have tried sneaking in, but there wasn’t anything visible to indicate there even was a basement. The entrance had to be in the house.
A spotted leopard wandered out the back door and onto the unkempt lawn. I didn’t know if he’d been assigned patrol duty or was going out to take a leak, but the shifter’s presence deterred me from thoughts of rescues. At least for the moment. I had to figure out a way to even the odds first.
The spotted feline, easily three times the size of a normal leopard, wandered to the river’s edge and sniffed the air. I wasn’t moving, but I stood even stiller. The charm should mask my scent and hide me from view, as well as camouflage my aura, but it was always possible someone would see through it someday. I was encouraged that it had worked on Zav that day we’d first met in the wyvern cave, but there were all sorts of magical tools and trinkets scattered across the realms. I might one day run into someone carrying one that nullified stealth magic.
The leopard scanned the trail, eyeing a couple ambling along and pushing a stroller. They were oblivious to the potential threat across the river.
I dropped a hand to Fezzik, ready to attack if the shifter decided it would be worth getting wet to prey on a couple of humans. I wished he would. Then I would be justified in attacking him, in whittling away the brothers’ houseguests one by one, until I only had to face them.
The leopard crept closer to the bank, eyes focused on his potential prey.
Do it, I thought, as if I could telepathically send the message. I pulled Fezzik from its holster.
The leopard’s tail swished and he crouched, preparing to spring. He was in the shadow of a tree. The couple didn’t see him. But I did. I leveled my gun at his eyes.
Someone called from inside the house—it sounded like Kurt’s voice. The leopard’s tail stopped swishing and he glanced back. He looked torn, his gaze turning back to the couple.
My sights were focused on his head. It would be easy to shoot, to take him out before he could return to the house. If I were to tell the authorities that he’d been in the middle of attacking the couple, who would know the difference? A clean shot could end his ability to tell anyone otherwise.