by Logan Jacobs
“Come on, Milton, we have to debrief and get to the ceremony,” she announced as she stalked past me proudly.
“Ceremony?” I questioned as I looked at Ariette and Maaren.
They both shrugged.
“Uh, yeah,” the dwarf called over her shoulder, “we saved the world! Or, well, the city, but that’s close enough.”
“But what about the lab? The prisoners?” I asked. “Our report.”
“Hasen is waiting for your report. Not that he really cares now that the situation is handled.” Kalista waved a hand dismissively. “Black ops is cleaning up. Now come on, hurry up!”
Besides Kalista, the rest of us trekked into the control room begrudgingly. All I wanted right now was my bed and a warm blanket, but that was not going to be in sight anytime soon.
Hasen waited next to Danira at the round table in the control room. Danira wore a huge smile when she saw us come her way, and Hasen turned around and gave us all a curt nod. Well, he wasn’t being an asshole, so I counted that as a nod that said ‘well done, team.’
“Good job you three!” Danira exclaimed when we approached the table. She beamed from ear to ear, and her black eye shone with pride. Then, she gave Hasen a pointed look.
“Um, yes,” the guild master said as he cleared his throat, “thank you for completing the task. My black ops team was having a little trouble, and you’ve done them a great service.”
“A little trouble?” Maaren scoffed as she raised an eyebrow. “Funny way to say they totally suck and we are awesome,”
“Yes, Ms. Euphry, I suppose you are right about the last part,” the guild master relented after a tense moment. “I would like to know how you took care of… the problem, though, seeing as my team was unable to.”
“Eh, it was easy,” Maaren shrugged with a smirk. “Milton here did all the heavy lifting. Ariette and I just gave him a helping hand.”
At that Hasen turned and looked me up and down. I locked eyes with him and stood straight. Finally, he gave me a nod and the barest hint of a smile.
“Thank you, Mr. Bailey,” he said as he stretched out his hand, “for completing the mission and stopping Fernell from murdering more innocents. We owe you much gratitude.”
I took the hand he offered and shook it vigorously.
“Anytime, sir,” I replied warmly. It was true. I was ready to take on another mission as soon as I got a good night's rest. I had never felt a high like the one that came from saving the world, or the city as Kalista pointed out.
“Well,” the guild master said as he smoothed an invisible wrinkle on his robes, “I will see you all in an hour for the ceremony. The High Court would like to reward you for your bravery.”
With that, he spun on his heel and walked out of the room.
“I think that’s the nicest I’ve heard him speak to anyone, ever!” Kalista laughed when he disappeared from sight.
“That’s nice for him?” I asked in awe. “Geez, remind me to never get on his bad side.”
“So do we think Tamber was working alone?” Danira questioned darkly, and the jovial mood soured instantly. “Besides his creatures and hired minions?”
Ariette, Maaren, and I glanced at each other. None of us had an answer.
“I don’t know,” Ariette finally responded, “but right now, I only want to celebrate a job well done and leave everything else for another day.”
Danira frowned but then considered Ariette’s words. After a moment, the commander sighed and rubbed at her brow.
“You’re right, Ariette. We did good, team. We should celebrate,” Danira said with a strained smile. “I don’t know how many lives we saved by preventing all those future attacks, but even if it’s just one, I’ll count that as a win.”
“There were definitely going to be more,” Kalista said with a shudder. “All that equipment and all those people…”
“What happened to it all?” Maaren asked.
“We brought it back here to examine,” Danira grunted. “If you’re wondering about the dark tests, black ops collected the book and brought it straight back here to put it back under lock and key. As for the rest, hopefully, we’ll figure out what Fernell had in his notebooks. Maybe he discovered something worth using.”
“You mean the guild might build some monsters of its own?” I asked incredulously.
“HC, if we can have a weapon like that in our arsenal, it might be worth it,” Ariette responded quietly. Her mouth formed a thin line as she spoke, and I wondered if she really believed that, but I didn’t push it.
“That reminds me,” Maaren said as she pulled out the tiny bag she had used to collect the hair samples. “Thought we could use some DNA from some crazy monsters.”
Kalista ran up to the hunter and snatched the bag from her hands as she stared at the hairs.
“What are these from?” the dwarf asked.
“One’s from some weird lion woman, and the other’s from a sort of troll-looking thing,” I answered.
The dwarf looked up at me with a mixture of awe and disgust on her face.
“Dude was crazy, but he had a seriously good imagination,” she muttered as she wandered out of the room with the DNA samples.
Maaren looked at the three of us in confusion.
“She’s going to go analyze those things, tear them apart, do some other sciencey things with them,” Ariette volunteered with a wave of her hand.
“You are an interesting bunch,” the hunter said with a chuckle and a shake of her head.
“Hey, Danira,” I interrupted as I thought about the lion woman, “what happened to the prisoners? Kalista said black ops was cleaning up but…”
“You’re asking about Jessa,” the commander said with a knowing smile. “She is as fine as can be expected. We sent her to the human hospital in Jefferson, and her family has been notified. The girl was shaken and starving, but there was no irreparable damage.”
“Thank God,” I said with a sigh of relief. She deserved some joy in life, especially after what she had gone through.
“The conquering heroes return!” Ekador exclaimed as he swept into the room with four sacks in his hand. He tossed one to each of the three of us and then looked around in confusion. “Where is Kalista?”
“She’s off doing something very scientific,” I told the wizard with a wiggle of my eyebrows.
“Well, I’ll just have to find her later,” he laughed. “I’m looking forward to seeing her face when she realizes she’s got enough for that jacuzzi tub of hers.”
I weighed my own sack in my hands and made a mental note to ask Ariette exactly how much was needed for that tub. Hot water and jets on my back sounded perfect right now.
“Well,” Danira said as she clapped her hands together, “we have a ceremony to get ready for. Off to your rooms, all of you, go put on some clean clothes. You’ve got an hour until the ceremony starts.”
The commander waved her hands at us, and we left the room to head down the hallways. As we did, one elf stopped us. She was young looking, probably around Ariette’s age.
“Excuse me, can I get your autograph?” she asked hesitantly as she pulled out a pen and paper.
“Um, sure,” I said with a glance at Ariette, but she only hid a giggle behind her hand and shrugged. I signed the piece of paper for the young elf, and she looked up at me with shining eyes.
“You are my total inspiration.” she blushed before she ran off down the hallway.
“Woooowww, HC,” Ariette said as she and Maaren laughed, “you are, like, a total inspiration. That is so cool!”
“Hey, you don’t have to mock me,” I replied as I shoved her shoulder. “I can’t help it if news of how I saved the day is inspiring the next generation of agents!”
“I think she’s a bit more inspired by your muscles and good looks,” Maaren shot back at me as she shook her head and continued down the hall.
“I will take that as a compliment,” I called after her as she turned down an adjacent hal
lway while Ariette and I continued in the opposite direction.
“I hope this ceremony goes fast so we can get to the food,” the elf muttered as she stared down another young intern who was about to stop us with a pen and paper in his hand. The intern quickly closed his mouth and walked past us.
“Hey, I’d be fine with just the food, if it was me,” I replied with a shrug. I reached out and grasped Ariette’s slender hand in mine, and she gave me a light squeeze.
When I walked into my room, the first thing I saw was my bed. At some point, some magical being had come in and made my bed perfectly. The covers were tucked in and smooth and looked much more inviting than the rumpled mess I had left behind yesterday morning. I resisted the urge to dive under the sheets and sleep for the next twelve hours and instead turned to the uniform that sat on top of my dresser.
It was pure white with thin gold detailing around the edges. Gold embroidered thread adorned the hem of the shirt and the sleeves with swirls just like the ones on the front door of the guild. I picked up the shirt to find a pair of smooth gray slacks folded neatly underneath. Both items were silky soft to the touch, but I put them back down so I could hop in the shower.
I didn’t have much time to appreciate the comfort of the hot water as I lathered soap on my dirty body and scrubbed hard at the thick layer of sweat and grime that coated me. Saving the city was a dirty business.
When I was clean and changed, I made my way out of the room and followed the crowd of guild members as they swarmed down the stairs to the main level. Ariette and Kalista caught up with me when I hit the bottom.
“Alright, let’s go get honored for being amazing!” the dwarf exclaimed. She and Ariette wore outfits similar to mine, and I missed their own uniforms a little bit. These white shirts were a bit loose for my taste.
“Oh relax, Milton,” Kalista giggled when she saw me glance at her breasts, “they’re still there.”
“I think I’ll require proof later,” I shot back with a smirk.
“Oh, I think that can definitely be arranged.” The dwarf smirked and tossed a wink at me before she spun on her heel and continued to follow the crowd. “After all, a hero deserves a proper reward, don’t you think?”
“Oh, I agree,” I said with a nod.
I could barely think about anything else as we walked through the first level and entered a huge room that reminded me of the food hall. Benches lined the wide open space in three neat columns, and a small stage sat at the front with six seats in the middle of it. The seats were huge and made out of molded gold, and one of them was set slightly off to the side next to a table that held a glass case of medals.
I took in the mix of Fae with awe. It was still a really cool sight to see all of them in a single place. Even though they lived alongside us in the human world, human and Fae interaction was pretty limited. And here I was, the only human in a room full of magical creatures. This was what the rest of my life would be like, and my heart swelled with excitement and joy.
“Come on, HC, stop gawking,” Ariette said as she tugged me toward the stage.
“Wait, we get to sit up there?” I asked as we walked down the aisle to the stares of young Fae.
“Uh, yeah, we’re the ones being honored!” Kalista responded with a grin as she dashed up on stage and plopped into one of the center seats. She surveyed the other Fae with a gleam of pride in her eyes, and I spied a few tears clinging to her lush eyelashes.
Within minutes, Danira and Maaren had joined the three of us. Maaren was using her magic to change her hair and skin color to look the way I had first seen her, and I was about to say something to them in greeting, but then a hush fell over the entire room. All the Fae quickly seated themselves as Hasen stepped through the doorway, followed closely by a second elf. The other elf looked older than Danira, and I guessed he must be the second in command. The guild master walked tall and with a raised chin as he made his way to sit in the sixth seat next to the glass case. The other elf came to stand behind a microphone that was situated at the front of the stage.
“Hello, Jefferson Guild,” he said into the microphone. His voice was deep and rumbly, and it reminded me of the voice of someone who had chain-smoked their entire life.
Simultaneously, every single Fae stood up, and I quickly followed suit. They turned and bowed in Hasen’s direction and then bowed toward us.
“That’s Magdon,” Ariette whispered in my ear, “he’s Hasen’s vice-master.”
“Welcome,” Magdon rumbled into the microphone once everyone had taken their seats. “Today is a glorious day. Our elite team has completed an amazing feat: they have caught and killed the scientist who created the monsters that have been terrorizing Jefferson City. We are here to honor them and their bravery. And now, Master Hasen would like to say a few words.”
Magdon turned from the microphone with his back to the audience and gave Hasen a pointed look. The guild master rose slowly and reluctantly, and he peered out at the crowd with his dark eyes as he approached the microphone.
“Thank you, Magdon,” he announced as his protruding belly tapped the podium and jostled the microphone stand. He cleared his throat and took a step back. “I would like to thank these brave souls for undertaking a mission of such magnitude. And I would like to reassure all of you that the Unseelie who caused this mess will no longer be an issue as he has been disposed of permanently.”
“Um, Fernell Tamber was not an Unseelie,” I muttered as I leaned toward Kalista. Her hair tickled my cheek and released some of it’s beautiful scent as she shook her head.
“He won’t say that. It’s too scary for the whole guild to know,” she breathed back to me. “It’s not like it matters so much now, anyway.”
I shifted back in my seat and looked out at the crowd of Seelie below us. They stared at Hasen with adoring eyes and slack jaws, and I knew the hacker was right. Any mention of Fernell’s Seelie status wouldn’t matter anymore. All they needed to know was that he was dead, and the monsters were gone.
“Now, I would like to present each of the members of Commander Danira’s team with a Persean Medal,” Hasen continued. “As you know, this is the highest level of honor to be bestowed upon one of our own. They will wear it with pride as they have earned their medals and your respect.”
As Hasen finished his speech, Magdon opened the glass case and picked up the velvet stand the five medals sat on. I gazed at them as he carried it over, and then Hasen motioned for me to stand and approach the microphone. The hall was so silent I could hear the sounds of shallow breathing that came from the front row.
“Milton Bailey,” the guild master announced as I came to stand before him. “Though he has only been with us for a few short days, the human with the Hand of Blood has proven himself.”
Hasen picked up the medal closest to him. It was a beautiful silver circle encrusted with diamonds on the side. In the center was a three-dimensional design of an elf astride a horse that had risen up on its hind legs. The medal hung on a thin strand of white string that I recognized as elven twine, the strongest substance on earth.
I met the guild master’s eyes and caught a hint of appreciation in them. He actually smiled at me as he placed the chain around my neck, and I smiled back. Again, every Fae in the room stood and bowed at me.
“Efharisto,” they all said at the exact same time. I threw an inconspicuous glance back at Ariette when they finished, and she mouthed, “thank you.”
“Efharisto, Mr. Bailey,” Hasen repeated into the microphone, “our newest adept.”
My head snapped up when he said that, and to my surprise, the guild master smiled at me a second time. I walked back to my seat full of excited pride. I was officially an adept.
As I sat down, I saw Kalista look at me with glowing pride, and then one of her hands surreptitiously reached out and squeezed my thigh, very close to my balls. The dwarf looked up at me from under her thick lashes, and there was no mistaking the fire in her eyes.
“Congra
tulations, Milton the adept,” she whispered in my ear. Her hot breath tickled the outer rim, and I swallowed hard as I placed my hand on hers and gave it a light squeeze.
Maaren rose to stand next to Hasen as her name was called out, and I noticed a few of the Fae in the crowd give each other confused looks because they didn’t know who she was. She graciously accepted the gift and then gave me a wink when she walked back to her chair.
For the first time in days, the weight of everything lifted off me, and I was left with a deep appreciation of where I was now. If I could go back in time and tell myself what my life would look like at twenty-four, the old me would have laughed in my face. I had never thought of myself as someone who could fight crime and save cities, much less possess a shit ton of mana and have a badass Hand. And yet, here I was with a medal around my neck and a cool new job. A few hours ago, I had killed an evil scientist and saved countless lives. I was the hero I pretended to be when I spent my days as a package delivery boy.
The rest of the ceremony was a bit of a blur. The adrenaline that pumped through my body didn’t slow down until Danira sat back down in her seat and the crowd of Fae below us rose one last time.
“Efharisto,” the crowd repeated in unison as they gave one last bow. Then a wave of applause and cheers filled the room, and I had to stop myself before I blushed at the grandiose attention.
Danira rose from her seat, followed by Maaren, Ariette, Kalista, and finally me. We exited the room behind Hasen and headed straight to the food hall. The delicious aroma of roasted chicken and buttered vegetables wafted into my nostrils as soon as the doors opened, and I followed my team as we piled our plates high with meat, fresh bread, vegetables, and thick slices of gooey chocolate cake.
The moment the meal finished, we dispersed to collapse in our rooms. Kalista trailed down the hallway behind everyone else, and I hung back a little until she caught up with me.
“Feeling sad that you chose the cheesecake over the chocolate?” I asked as I nudged her shoulder.
She looked up at me from under her lush black lashes and bit her lip slightly.
