Dawn of Dae

by R. J. Blain

  At first glance, I couldn’t tell if the man seated behind the counter was a human or a dae, which worried me far more than the fact a war was breaking out behind me. It’d only be a matter of time before the combat reached me, and I wanted to be armed and dangerous before it arrived.

  “What can I do you for?”

  “I’m looking for a gift. A knife with a good blade and decorative hilt.” I paused and glanced over my shoulder. “Sharpened would be nice.”

  “Going to test drive it before you give it away?” Flashing a smile at me, he rose and headed into the back. “I have a few things that might work.”

  When he returned several minutes later, the ruckus across the store had intensified and a fire alarm blared. I tapped my foot, turning to watch the smoke rising from the other end of the store.

  “That dress could use one more accessory, and I think I have just the thing.” I spun in time to watch the man lay a katana on the counter. Fate or fortune had played a hand in the scabbard and belt. Golden dragons battled on the blade’s blue scabbard and belt. The blade was shorter than I expected, although I had never seen a weapon of its type in person before. I held my breath as he pulled the katana free of its sheath.

  Wavy patterns on the blade caught the light, and I sucked in a breath at its intricacy. “I can’t afford that.”

  Sometimes I hated myself for my honesty.

  The dae grinned at me. “I’ll sell it to you cheap. In less than five minutes, most of the stock will be scrap anyway. It’d be a shame to see such a beautiful thing melt.”

  I swallowed, glancing in the direction of the battle over women’s accessories. “Good point. What do you have for knives? It needs to fit up a sleeve of a suit, it needs to be as pretty, and it needs to be lethal.”

  Pushing the katana to the side, the dealer lined several half-foot long daggers and knives on the counter. Most were in plain black sheaths. A flash of silver caught my attention.

  While the design on the pommel and guard weren’t quite the same as my snake’s head tattoo, it was close enough my eyes widened. It was thin and narrow enough to fit up a suit’s sleeve, and with a little work, I bet I could rig straps for Rob’s arm. Pulling out the wallet, I checked to make sure the dae hadn’t made off with my cash.

  It was still present and soggy from my drenching. “How much?”

  “Three hundred for the pair.”

  I felt my brows rise. Three hundred was nothing for the dagger, let alone the katana. Something large and heavy crashed to the floor, and flinching at the thought of trying to fight anyone in a dress, I pulled out my cash, flipped through the twenties, and slapped the money on the counter with one hand. I snatched both blades with the other hand, cramming the dagger into my purse.

  I wore the katana around my hips, buckling the belt into place. Before the Dawn of Dae, I had learned how to defend myself with kitchen knives. I’d treat the katana as a very, very large kitchen knife with an attitude.

  “Top of the morning to you. Do try not to get blown up.” A moment after he spoke, he transformed into a winged squirrel, flicked his bushy tail at me and flew like a bat out of hell, grabbing the wad of wet cash on his way towards the door.

  When the dae in charge of the entire weapons section of Walmart was making a run for it, it was time to leave. Pulling out the katana, I secured my grip on the leather-gripped hilt.

  The weapon felt good in my hand, heavy enough to strain my arm and give it a sense of lethality. Could I stab with a katana? The tip looked about as sharp and lethal as the rest of the blade.

  I’d find out soon enough.

  Halfway across the store, I learned firsthand what happened when dae brawled. Explosions happened, but instead of death by fiery debris, a cloud of pink glitter blossomed through the store, shredding shelves to bits and scattering the goods that weren’t immediately destroyed.

  The blast caught me in the open corridor, flattening me to the concrete. I somehow kept my grip on the katana. My ears rang. When I cursed, I couldn’t hear myself over the rush of air sweeping by me in the wake of the explosion. When the pink glitter touched me, it flashed and vanished, leaving a faint golden glow on my skin.

  When the dae had dressed me up, the dress had been plain blue, elegant enough to masquerade among the middle castes, but nothing special. When the smoke settled, tiny blue stones encrusted the fabric. The golden threads binding the jewels to my dress shimmered.

  One day I’d figure out how magic worked—maybe.

  Once I wasn’t at risk of having my ticket punched by warring dae, I’d question why I wasn’t dead. I staggered to my feet, checked to make sure I hadn’t lost Rob’s new dagger, and secured my hold on the katana. I worried about my ribs, but they didn’t hurt, and deciding I could categorize my bumps, scrapes, and bruises after I got out of Walmart, I headed for the doors.

  At least, I headed in the direction I thought the doors had been. The haze limited visibility to less than five feet. The air reeked of perfume, and I wheezed from the stench of it.

  Why couldn’t I have good luck for a change? All I had wanted was a dress and a knife for Rob. Instead, I got a taste of delicious vampire, a dress worth more than I was, a katana I didn’t know how to use, a headache, and the dagger. If I didn’t get my head back in the game, I’d probably lose it in the crossfire.

  Another explosion rocked the concrete beneath my heels. I spun in the direction of the blast in time to see a dark shape dart towards me out of the pink haze.

  Every vampire I had ever met hissed before feeding, and the one after my neck was no different. I squealed and swung my katana like I would a baseball bat.

  Maybe my luck was bad, but I had moments of dumb luck, too. Instead of having a set of sharp teeth rip out my throat, the edge of my sword sank into where the vampire’s shoulders and neck met.

  In the movies, intrepid heroines yanked their swords out and kept going without missing a beat. My katana was stuck, and while the vampire slumped to the ground, oozing glittery goo all over the place, I couldn’t pull my blade free. Wailing my dismay, I braced my foot on the vampire’s shoulder and jerked with all of my strength.

  The weapon popped free, and I fell backwards. A pair of arms slid around my waist, circled my stomach, and hauled me back. My back thumped against a warm chest. Before I could do more than gasp, Rob laughed in my ear.

  “Whatever are you doing, Miss Daegberht?”

  “Damn it, Rob!” I shrieked, getting my feet under me so I could kick back at his shins. I missed, but with him, I usually did. He shifted his weight, turned, and set me down out of the twitching vampire’s reach.

  “You went to a party without me. I’m hurt, Miss Daegberht.”

  Dae. Couldn’t live with them, could definitely live without them, but since there was nothing I could do about that, I sighed my surrender. Of course Rob would think a battle in a Walmart was a party.

  Why couldn’t the dae, for just once, act like normal, sane people?

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. Did I forget your invitation? How rude of me,” I muttered while I went to work wiggling free of Rob’s hold on me. If he didn’t want to let me go, I wouldn’t escape, but after letting me struggle for a few moments, he released me.

  “You’re so mean. What, pray tell, are you doing here? I’ve been hunting for you for hours.”

  “Mommy!” my macaroni and cheese roommate declared, slapping against my bare leg in greeting. I shuddered at the wet, squishy texture of its cold noodles pressing against me.

  “Shopping.”

  “Shopping? In a war zone? Have you taken complete leave of your basic common sense?”

  “It wasn’t a war zone when I arrived! Anyway, Colby deserves apples,” I stated, shifting my grip on my purse so I could check I hadn’t lost the dagger for Rob. It was still there, and I shoved it deeper into my purse. “I wanted to try on a dress, too.”

  “The dress is almost as lovely as you are. You could have asked me to take you to any shop you wa
nted, and I would have gladly done so, especially if it involved watching you change.”

  I glared at Rob, deciding I had taken a complete leave of my common sense by feeling the need to buy him a present. “How did you find me, anyway?”

  “I asked Colby very, very nicely, and I owe him a bag of apples, too.” Rob wrinkled his nose, took hold of my hand, and pulled me in the direction of the door. “Shall we get out of here before the building collapses?”

  “It wasn’t my fault!”

  Colby glared at me. How a macaroni and cheese casserole could inflict such scrutiny without eyes was beyond me, but I was learning not to question things. I never liked the answers.

  Rob dragged me out of the store.

  The pink dust settled on Walmart’s ruins. I shook my head, marveling at the mass destruction. “A herd of those three-headed giraffe and a pack of vampires brawled over women’s clothing and accessories. Who would have known cheap baubles could be worth so much?”

  I leaned against Rob’s car, ignoring the way my dress’s tiny stones jabbed me. Sitting comfortably would prove a challenge, especially if I wanted to remain clothed on the trip home. Without my street shoes, jeans, and shirt, I’d either have to hike home in heels or accept Rob’s offer of a ride.

  The dae in question cleaned my katana, shaking his head at the glittery goo covering the blade. “There are better ways to kill a vampire,” he informed me, wrinkling his nose.

  “Invite them for dessert?”

  The glare he leveled at me made me giggle. “That is so rude, Miss Daegberht.”

  “Remember all the times you’ve yelled at me over wasting delicious blood?” I pointed at my katana. “That’s what you’re doing. You’re wasting it.”

  Halting in his work, Rob stared at me, his mouth open although he didn’t say anything.

  “Mommy?”

  The worry in Colby’s voice drew my attention to it. “I’m fine, Colby. It’s not like I asked for the vampire to spontaneously erupt into cotton candy goo. He got all over everything.”

  “You’re not wheezing,” Rob observed, watching me with narrowed eyes. “You didn’t eat a vampire.”

  “I did. I so did. I took my suppressants before I went to Walmart. I did good. I can be a good girl sometimes.” I sniffed and lifted my chin. “I don’t answer to snobby elite dae.”

  “You took your medicine without me forcing it down your throat? Amazing.” Shaking his head, he went back to work trying to clean my sword. “It’s a very lovely dress. The sword, however, makes me concerned for my health.”

  “Good.”

  Rob scowled at me, and after he got all of the vampire goop off the blade, he offered it to me hilt first. “I was not aware you fought with swords as well as guns.”

  I sheathed the weapon, careful to avoid cutting myself on the edge. “I do now.”

  “Dare I ask?”

  “Liquidation sale.”

  Rob glanced at the Walmart and snorted. “Cute.”

  I thrust my hand in my purse, grabbed the hilt of the dagger, and yanked it out, sheath and all, holding it out to the dae. “Speaking of tricks up your sleeve. Here. This is yours.”

  Maybe one day I’d figure out how to give someone something without coming across as a complete idiot. I sighed when Rob stayed where he was.

  “What is this?”

  “You’re supposed to wear it up your sleeve and stab stupid people with it.” When Rob kept staring at me without moving, I shoved it in his suit’s pocket. “It’s for you.”

  “Whatever for?”

  While I liked his smile the best, Rob’s puzzled expression and tone made it worth the trip into Walmart. Startling the dae didn’t come easily for me, and I smiled my satisfaction. I shrugged, turning my attention to the smoldering building. “I felt like it.”

  “Women are mysterious creatures, Colby,” the dae muttered.

  “Mommy,” my roommate agreed.

  “Well, then. Thank you for the lovely weapon. I’ll think of you when I stab someone with it.”

  “You’re welcome,” I mumbled. Maybe I should have settled for Plan B. Cuff links or some new ties couldn’t cause me trouble, could they?

  Then again, the dae had a way of making messes of my plans, no matter what I did. What harm could it do arming him with a dagger and my hopes he’d stay safe? I guessed I’d find out, probably sooner than later.

  I could live with that—probably. Maybe.

  I watched the Walmart burn and decided it would be best for everyone if I just stayed home and limited my sphere of destructive influence.

  Thanks for reading! The next installment of the Dae Portals series is Unawakened, which will release sometime in 2021. Like Dawn of Dae, Unawakened will undergo significant editing and some rewriting work prior to its rerelease.

  I hope you’ve enjoyed the expanded edition of this book, including the epilogue, which had started its life as a short story.

  Upcoming releases:

  Taken: a Royal States Novel (July 21, 2020)

  Booked for Murder: Magical Vigilante Librarians Book One

  A Chip on Her Shoulder: A Magical Romantic Comedy (with a body count) (September 1, 2020)

  The Flame Game: A Magical Romantic Comedy (with a body count) (October 27, 2020)

  Outfoxed: Fox Witch Book One (November 3, 2020)

  Dirty Deeds: an Urban Fantasy Collection featuring all-new stories by Faith Hunter, Diana Pharaoh Francis, Devon Monk, and R.J. Blain (January 12, 2021.)

  About R.J. Blain

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  A complete list of books written by RJ and her various pen names is available at https://books2read.com/rl/The-Fantasy-Worlds-of-RJ-Blain.

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  RJ Blain suffers from a Moleskine journal obsession, a pen fixation, and a terrible tendency to pun without warning.

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  When she isn't playing pretend, she likes to think she's a cartographer and a sumi-e painter.

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  In her spare time, she daydreams about being a spy. Should that fail, her contingency plan involves tying her best of enemies to spinning wheels and quoting James Bond villains until she is satisfied.

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  RJ also writes as Susan Copperfield and Bernadette Franklin. Visit RJ and her pets (the Management) at thesneakykittycritic.com.

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