by Logan Jacobs
“All good, thanks, Milton,” she squeaked. “Maybe tell Kalista not to yell like that. It’s very unbalancing.”
“I’ll mention it,” I promised before Canna zipped off down the hallway.
“Alright, let’s go, Hero Complex,” Ariette giggled, and our team set off toward the guild master’s office.
Just as the five of us hit the landing in front of Hasen’s office, his huge wooden door banged open, and an extremely angry Arendor burst through it. He swung around to stomp down the stairs and found himself directly in our path.
The elf paused for a moment as his dark green eyes appraised us, and I could see the frustration and anger he tried to tamp down as it blazed in his irises. His cologne was too heavy, as usual, and the sickly sweet chemical smell pervaded my nostrils. Kalista let out an audible cough and unabashedly pinched her nose when she caught onto the scent, which did absolutely nothing to ease the anger in the tall elf’s eyes. He ran a hand aggressively through his short black hair before a twisted smile spread across his face.
“You just think you can get away with anything, don’t you?” he asked me and stepped extremely close so he was in my personal space.
He was about a half a foot taller than me, and I knew this was meant to be an intimidation tactic. But the elf’s seething anger was almost laughable when compared to all I’d faced since I entered the guild. An angry elf with a God complex was definitely something I could handle.
“Arendor,” I sighed, “I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about half the time. Would you care to elaborate?”
“I saw you,” he growled out from behind gritted teeth, “leaving the tunnel with her.” He pointed an accusatory finger at Maaren, but the hunter just rolled her bright green eyes and huffed out an annoyed breath.
“Good for you, man,” I said jovially and clapped him on the back. He jumped back in surprise before he regrouped his face into a mask of danger.
“You went to see the dragon,” he spat out.
In the corner of my eye, I saw Ariette and Danira cast curious glances at Maaren and I, but now was not the time for explanations.
“Mmm, no,” I responded evenly. “You saw us come from the tunnels where the dragon’s cell is. But there are plenty of other prisoners down there, any of whom we could have been visiting. We’re on a secret mission for Hasen, you know.”
“But you weren’t,” he spat back, his eyes fiery. “You went to talk to that bestial friend of yours. Why?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I shrugged and looked at Maaren innocently, who gave me an equally ignorant look in return.
“I didn’t even know there was a dragon,” she gasped in faux shock.
“Stop lying!” Arendor spat. “What were you plotting about?”
“I told you,” I said calmly. “There are plenty of other prisoners down there.”
“I know quite a few from my Unseelie side,” Maaren piped up and raised a white eyebrow dramatically as she dared the elf to question her.
“But, you, I know …” Arendor fumbled for his words for a moment before he shook his head with an aggravated growl. “Whatever. Get yourself killed if you want. I don’t care.”
Without another word, he spun on his heel and stomped down the hallway in the exact opposite direction he’d originally been headed in. Surprisingly, he didn’t even spare a sickening nod at Ariette the way he normally did. He must have been really mad this time. He desperately wanted to be a part of our special ops team, but unfortunately for the haughty elf, he didn’t have the skills needed to be recruited. It almost made me feel bad for the guy. Almost.
“Sooo,” Ariette started, “the dragon, huh? I bet that’s why Hasen called us back.”
“Can we discuss it later?” I asked as I looked around at the gazes of my team.
Danira and Kalista shrugged an agreement, but Ariette said nothing, and instead put on a fake smile and threw open Hasen’s door. The rest of us shared a worried glance and then followed her in.
“Hello, sir,” Ariette said as soon as we were inside. “Did you come up with something new for the case?”
“No, I did not,” Hasen said as he stared down at a paper on his desk.
His pudgy belly was pressed flush against the wood, and a pair of wired glasses sat perched on his nose. He adjusted them once before he set the paper aside calmly and looked up at us to fix us each with an intense look that was somewhere between scorching and concern.
“We haven’t made any progress on the disappearances as of yet,” Danira started as she squared her shoulders and readied herself to get us out of here quickly.
“I am aware of that,” he replied calmly. “Milton here has been too busy paying our dear old friend, the dragon, a visit, is that right?”
He directed his eyes at me, and stared at me in silence, presumably waiting for me to say something in my own defense.
But I didn’t. If he was going to accuse me of something I’d actually done, I wasn’t about to deny it.
Ariette and Danira tensed, and I saw the muscles in their shoulders roll and tighten in a very similar way. Kalista just stared, wide-eyed and a bit excited, between Hasen and I, and her expression was akin to the expression she wore when watching a riveting TV show. Maaren just brushed her fingertips lightly up my arm and stood stock still.
“That is what I thought,” he said after a long, tense moment. “Did he give you any new information about the prophecy?”
A wave of shock rolled up my spine. I hadn’t expected the guild master to ask me so blatantly about the thing he was supposedly against. But instead of crumbling under his hard gaze the way I was sure he expected me too, I stood my ground and pulled myself up to my full height.
“He was really helpful, actually,” I answered calmly.
Hasen held my gaze for another long moment before he sighed and pushed his chair back to give himself some room to breathe.
“I’m not as blind or deaf as the members of this guild seem to think I am, you know,” he said, a bit hoarsely. “I’ve heard the whisperings of the Racmoth. I know that there are a great many people who believe in that prophecy.”
“Look, sir--” I started, but he raised a large hand.
“I also know you are the one they’re talking about, Mr. Bailey,” his tone shifted as he spoke and grew honest. “I will admit I tried to staunch rumours in the past and convinced myself that the Phobos were not about to make a reappearance. However, I have since realized just how wrong I was.”
The tension in the room burst apart at his words, and the five of us breathed a collective sigh of relief and shock.
“I am sorry for that,” the guild master continued earnestly. “I was wrong.”
“So you’re not going to try to stop us?” Kalista blurted out, which earned a surprised chuckle from Hasen.
“No, Ms. Gallude, I have no intention of stopping you,” he replied sincerely. “In fact, I would like to offer you my help, as much as I can give.”
Hasen reached down to his desk, slid open a drawer, and pulled out a small crystal ball that glowed softly in the electric light. “Unfortunately, at the moment, I cannot offer you many more resources than the ones you currently have at your disposal. Until we know where the Phobos are and what they want, I must keep my guild members here. However, I offer you this minymae. The moment you have eyes on the Phobos and know their plan, use it to contact me, and I will send as many operatives as you need.”
We all stood in shocked silence for a moment, and then Hasen urged Danira to take the minymae device. She did so gingerly and dropped the small ball into her chest pocket.
“Thank you, sir,” she breathed out. “Thank you for being on our side.”
“Commander,” he sighed, “I am on the side of good. The Phobos want to see that all destroyed. It was never a question of whether or not I was on your side, but instead a question of truth.”
“Right.” The commander nodded slowly as she contemplated his
answer.
I realized Hasen may not be the big asshole I’d always thought he was. It must be insanely difficult to constantly weigh the pros and cons in his mind and wonder if every decision was going to lead to someone’s death. He hadn’t been a disbelieving old grouch before, but instead a calculating leader who was unwilling to take an unnecessary risk and put his people in danger.
“You are free to go,” Hasen said sternly as he returned to the paper before him without another glance in our direction.
I let the women go ahead of me, and just as I was about to head out the door, I heard Hasen clear his throat.
“Mr. Bailey, one more thing,” he said when I stopped, and I slowly turned around to see an almost soft expression on his face. “I understand you may have formed a sort of kinship with the dragon, is that correct?”
I wasn’t quite sure what to say. I wouldn’t exactly call the relationship I had with Kajul a kinship, but I definitely felt a connection to the ancient beast. So I simply shrugged and gave Hasen a slight nod.
“Please understand, then, that there is a very good reason the beast is locked in a cell in our dungeons,” he continued sternly. “I trust you will leave that as it should be.”
It was more of a statement than a question, and I heard the warning in his voice. But I’d already promised Kajul I would free him from his prison, and I was not about to go back on my word.
So I lied through my teeth.
“Of course, sir,” I said and bowed my head slightly.
Then, I turned to leave the room to find the four women outside.
We had a dragon to free.
Chapter Eight
“You went to see the dragon, and you didn’t invite me?” Kalista exclaimed as she leapt over and put her hands on my shoulders. “What did he say? Was he still scary? Did he breathe fire? I always wished he would have breathed some real fire while I was there, maybe charred somebody, you know, all the cool dragon stuff.”
“No, he didn’t char anybody, Kal.” Maaren rolled her eyes heavily at the dwarf’s overzealousness. “But, he did have some pretty interesting stuff to say to Milton.”
Instantly, I felt the entire group turn its focus on me. The rest of the team waited patiently for me to say something, but I simply nodded over to the corner of the hallway.
“In here,” I commanded and pulled them all into a small alcove.
The sun was shining through the stained glass windows, and our faces were illuminated with brilliant shades of blue, red, and green.
I debated heavily for a moment about whether or not I should tell them it was all going to come down to a one-on-one battle between the Phobos leader and me. Maaren knew the situation, but she wouldn’t tell anybody if I didn’t.
I also knew she was the only one who’d be able to let me go on my own, if that’s what needed to happen. The lone hunter understood the idea of a one on one battle. The rest of the team, on the other hand, would definitely not be so quick to let me leap off into what could very well be my own death. I knew with absolute certainty that Ariette would follow me anywhere, even if it meant she died in the process.
And I couldn’t have that.
And yet, I had never kept a secret from my team. I sure as hell didn’t want to start now, especially if I was going to meet my maker at the hands of the Phobos leader. If I had to go, at least I would go with a clean conscious.
“Well, first of all, he told me the Phobos are a danger, but the prophecy isn’t exactly about them as a group,” I started slowly and watched everyone’s reactions. “The Racmoth is meant to stave off the evil of the Phobos leader. Whoever that may be.”
“I kind of got the feeling there’s more to the story,” Maaren interrupted me, deep in thought. “Kajul didn’t want to say much more about it, though.”
“Kajul?” Danira grunted. “You’ve named him?”
“No, actually, he always had a name,” Maaren shot back bitterly before she caught herself and put a hand up in apology. “Sorry, Danira. That was harsh.”
“Kajul sounds like it should totally be a fight move,” Kalista said excitedly. “The next time I take down an enemy, I’m going to holler ‘KAJUL!!!’ right before I knee him in the gut! Yeah, that’s cool, that’ll work.”
“What if you’re fighting in the vicinity of the dragon?” I shot back in an effort to lighten the mood. “That’d get confusing reeeaall quick.”
Kal shrugged. “I didn’t really think of that,” she admitted. “I guess if the time comes, we’ll cross that bridge.”
“Anyways,” I tried to continue calmly, “Kajul also told us that in the end, it has to come down to me and this guy. Just the two of us, and no one else.”
I heard Ariette’s breath hitch audibly, and her ocean blue eyes shot up to my face as she shook her head vigorously. Kalista and Danira were silent, and I could feel Maaren’s strongly supportive presence next to me.
“No, no way,” the blonde elf breathed. “HC, that’s crazy. You can’t face this guy alone. Especially when we don’t even know who he is. For all we know, he could be the most powerful being in all of creation.”
“If facing him alone is the only way I’m going to stop evil from reigning, then I’ve got to do it,” I said coolly. “This is a path you can’t follow.”
I made sure my tone was strong and left no room for argument. Ariette bit her bottom lip until I saw it turn a bright and unnatural shade of red, but she said nothing else. It wasn’t an agreement, but it was good enough for the moment.
“He also said we should check the scroll about the Racmoth prophecy,” Maaren added when the awkward silence grew too long. “He mentioned its ‘partner’? Do you know if there’s another scroll, Kal?”
“I haven’t seen one,” the dwarf shrugged, “but I was never looking for it either. Totally possible.”
“And there was one last thing,” I started slowly and braced myself for the onslaught of anger I was sure was about to come my way, “I sort of promised him--”
“We promised him,” Maaren cut in quickly as she shot me a nod.
“Right. Well, we told Kajul we’d free him from his cell tonight if he helped us out. And he did, so we need to make good on that promise,” I spilled out quickly. I winced while I waited for Danira to yell or Ariette to snort and tell me I was crazy.
But neither of those things happened. Instead, the silence grew louder until it was a monstrous roar in my ears. My Fae hearing picked up the tiniest sounds until I could hear the molecules of the guild building as they vibrated fast, like an earthquake. I watched the colors pass over Ariette’s porcelain skin as the sun hid itself behind a cloud and she was covered in a dark grey shadow. I didn’t blame the sun for hiding out. This tense silence was almost worse than the bellowing I’d expected.
And just like that, the sun came out again, and Ariette’s face was bathed in a brilliant red. I thought that fitted the moment fairly well.
Finally, Danira inhaled a sharp, deep breath that seemed to last for hours.
“He promised me he wouldn’t help the Unseelie,” Maaren said to break the tension. “He gave me his word. A dragon’s word is unbreakable.”
Danira’s coal black eye danced between the two of us, and there was a mixture of frustration and admiration. Kalista had an expression of absolute excitement on her face at the thought of something so drastically against the rules. And Ariette, well, she looked like she was either about to kill the two of us or burst out into a bout of raucous laughter and tell us we had pulled a really good prank on her.
But, deep down, she knew we weren’t kidding around.
“This isn’t some harmless creature in a zoo, you two,” Ariette finally ground out through gritted teeth. “We’re talking about a beast that could easily take down this entire guild with one fiery breath. Do you honestly think he won’t want revenge on us, especially after we’ve kept him captive for centuries? We’ll be the first target on his list, word be damned.”
“He doesn’t
want revenge, just freedom,” Maaren insisted, her voice sad. “How would you like it if someone kept you chained up for so long? And for what? The crime of existing?”
“I’m not a dragon, Maaren, I can’t answer that,” Ariette spat back.
Maaren shook her head and stepped back as she shot me a look. I was a bit rusty with my reading of facial expressions, but this was definitely a look of “you handle this before I start a fight.”
Ariette, on the other hand, stood her ground as she bared down on me with her ocean blue eyes and waited for my response. Danira and Kalista said nothing, but I could tell from Danira’s hard expression that she was in agreement with Ariette.
“Look, you guys, I don’t want us to start fighting amongst ourselves,” I started diplomatically. “That helps absolutely no one. But we made a promise. We have to keep good on it. Besides, how cool would it be to have a dragon on our side when we take down the Phobos. One breath, and BAM! Their whole army gets demolished.”
“Come on, Ari, that would be our coolest victory yet,” Kalista urged the elf. “I could even shout ‘Toasty!’ and everything.”
I glanced at Danira to see where she fell on all of this. She was deep in thought with her head tilted to one side as she considered the possibilities. Her single eye flicked up to meet mine, and I could see her defenses had already crumbled. Maybe she thought having a dragon would be too badass to pass up, as well?
“If you made a promise, you made a promise,” Ariette finally sighed out. “But you’re sure he gave his word that he wouldn’t help the Unseelie or harm us in any way?”
“Absolutely,” Maaren affirmed with a vigorous nod. “All he wants is his freedom.”
“Alright, fine, let’s break a massive dragon out of prison,” the elf responded with a hint of sorrow.
“Yes!” Kalista exclaimed as she pumped her fist in the air. “I’ve always wanted to live dangerously, you know, on the edge of the law.”
“You do that every time you drive, Kal,” I chuckled and gave her a wink.
“So how do we do this?” the dwarf asked aloud as she put her hand against her chin. “I mean, we can’t just walk him out through the guild doors, after all, that would probably be pretty suspicious. Also, I’m not sure he’d fit. Maybe we could dig through the pit, you know, create a tunnel. Hmm. What do you think, Milton?”
