“What’s wrong?” he asked, taking a big bite out of his slice of pizza.
“What do you mean? Nothing’s wrong.”
“Right,” he mumbled, chewing, “I walked out and you went from looking chill to frowning like you were pissed. What’s up?”
Allie winced, “Nothing. Really. Just tired and hoping that this works to get rid of whatever weirdness is going on.”
“Still having issues with customers?” Jason looked sympathetic.
She winced again, “They aren’t even customers. If they’d just buy something, it wouldn’t be as bad. But yeah, still getting people coming in who just want to talk to me about…about what happened.”
Jason stopped eating, struggling to find the right thing to say as Allie stared out the front windows. “It’ll get better. People are just curious. They want to know the details. Like last year after that old warehouse burned down and the newspaper ran the story about me – I couldn’t buy a coffee without getting the third degree. It sucks, but it does get better.”
“Yeah, I guess,” she said, “I just wish the paper hadn’t used my name and mentioned the store. I mean the last thing I want to do is talk about what happened and every day I get some idiot in here asking. And half the time it’s not even a local it’s some tourist. I guess I’m just really frustrated.”
“I get that but, I mean look at it from their perspective. A cop goes all crazy serial killer, kills all these girls in magical rituals and then kills a Fairy cop, then a human cop. Then kidnaps you and gets shot when you’re rescued – it was a huge story-“
“I know all that,” she snapped, cutting him off. “I lived it once. I don’t need to relive it for freaking tourists-“
“Whoa Allie, calm down,” Jason said, putting his hands up. “I’m just saying it’s not like they’re trying to upset you. It’s not real to them, it’s just a story.”
It’s real to me she thought taking a deep breath. “I know that. I’m just…I just can’t keep going back over it because random strangers are curious. So hopefully this cleansing will get rid of the energetic funk and bring in some fresh new energy. And I can move on with my life.”
Jason shook his head doubtfully, but then picked up the rest of his pizza slice and forced a smile. “Well, you know that old saying – April showers bring May flowers? Maybe in this case April smudging will bring May fresh-starts.”
She snorted. “It’s almost May already.”
“So maybe it’ll work fast. Now come on and eat your lunch so we can get on with this.”
She wasn’t hungry but dutifully lifted the pizza to her mouth and began eating. The lingering smell of sage was comforting and for the first time in a long time she felt hopeful that maybe things were going to turn around for the better. She didn’t want to let anyone know how bad her finances had gotten but the truth was she really needed to get the number of paying customers back up to what it used to be or she was going to have to start using her savings to pay her bills. And she knew too well that it was only a short step from there to going through the money she’d put aside over the years and having nothing left, which would mean losing the store and probably the house because Liz couldn’t handle the cost alone, not even with roommates to help. She counted on Allie to cover the property taxes every year, and if Allie couldn’t do that….She put the pizza down, afraid the little she’d eaten was going to come back up. “Come on, let’s get going on step two.”
Jason looked confused. ”You barely ate anything.”
“I’ll eat later,” Allie shrugged, pushing the plate away. “Come on. I made up a four thieves vinegar wash to use on the doorways and around the windows and on the floor.”
“More herbs?” Jason teased.
“Kind of,” Allie forced a smile and tried not to worry about all the problems the future was waiting to bring if this didn’t work. Picking up a bottle she opened it and handed it to Jason. “It’s a vinegar base with a mix of different herbs added in. Good stuff and I make it myself.”
“If you say so,” Jason shrugged. “Smells like salad dressing to me.”
“Well if there’s any left feel free to have it for dinner, but first splash some around the doors and windows while I mop the floor okay?”
“Yeah, no thanks,” he walked up and began liberally splashing the bottle’s contents on the front door and around the windows. “You realize that your store is going to smell like complete crap after this right?”
Allie sighed, “I’ll burn some pretty incense later okay? Just keep splashing.”
“Whatever you say boss, but go easy with the burning stuff.”
“Why? You worried I have a secret love of arson?” Allie giggled, quickly running the sponge mop across the floor. Jason was right about the smell, the vinegar was pungent. So maybe a nice rose incense is a good idea she thought and leaving the doors open all day…
“Don’t joke about that,” he said sounding serious as he moved to the last set of windows. “And no I don’t think you’ve taken up arson as a hobby, but you have some birds nesting above your back door. It’d be nice not to fumigate them to death.”
“I know. They’re wrens, I see them every day when I come in and leave. I can’t wait to see the babies fledging,” Allie smiled, genuinely happy at the thought of getting to watch the little birds growing.
“Now who’s being a dork?” Jason finished with the 4 Thieves and sat down on one of the couches near the windows. Allie had inherited the store from her grandmother, who had set up one side with a variety of couches and chairs for people to sit in and read before buying and Jason took advantage of the set up any time he was at the store. He smirked at Allie as he watched her mop. “I bet you named them all didn’t you?”
She blushed furiously and he started laughing. “Whatever,” she mumbled trying to find a way to distract him before he really got going. “So why don’t you want me joking about arson? Firefighters don’t find setting fires funny?”
He immediately became serious again. “Haven’t you heard?”
“Heard what?”
“There’s been two suspicious fires in the last…let me think…three weeks I think. One at an apartment complex over on Riverview, and another at a farm way out on South Gear road,” he shook his head slightly. “The apartment fire wasn’t too bad, but the farm one was gory. The house was a total loss and the barn burnt with all the animals in it.”
“Oh, that’s horrible,” Allie said, pausing in her mopping. “I’m sorry I was joking about it.”
“It’s okay. I’m surprised you didn’t know though. Everyone’s been talking about it and it’s been in all the papers.”
“Yeah, well,” Allie said, getting back to work with more effort than necessary, “I don’t read the papers anymore and I don’t really talk to anyone but you and Liz. And people in here only want to talk about old news.”
“Don’t you ever talk to Jessilaen?” Jason said, surprised.
“Well, he’s been out on an assignment in Fairy,” Allie replied. “And you know cell phones don’t work across the border – they barely work here most of the time – and he hasn’t called, I mean, I’m sure he will call when he has a chance. Now that he’s back.”
Jason gave her a long look, “Riiiiiight. So you haven’t talked to your boyfriend in how long exactly? Wait, can’t you just, you know, use your witchy-woo-woo and talk to him in his head?”
“Witchy-woo-woo?” Allie snorted too amused to be offended.
“You know what I mean. You said you could get in his head and that’s how he found you that night –“
“Alright, I know what I told you,” she ducked so he couldn’t see her face, knowing she probably looked annoyed at the subject being brought back up. Both Jason and her cousin had kept questioning her about the circumstances of her rescue until she had broken down and told them about casting the spell that had allowed her to speak into Jess’s mind, and the apparent permanent bond that had resulted. Liz went back and forth
between appalled and morbidly curious, but Jason was endlessly fascinated. Neither of them understood Allie’s own blend of feelings on the matter, something Allie herself wasn’t sure she could even articulate, but they both wanted to keep talking about it at any opportunity: Liz to convince her to either break it or find a way to use it, and Jason to ask over and over about exactly what it could do. “I’m not just going to show up in his personal private thoughts to nag him about not calling me.”
Jason laughed, “Honey I’ve got news for you, I’m sure you’re probably already in his ‘personal private’ thoughts pretty regularly. Probably daily given how horny elves usually are.”
“Gah, don’t be a pervert,” she picked up the mop and bucket glad she was finally done and hoping to change the subject, but Jason was having fun teasing her.
“Now there’s a good question,” he said with a wicked smile, “given how often and easily elves hook up do they even bother to jack off?”
“Ew! Gross,” Allie said, so distracted she tripped and splashed dirty vinegar mix onto the floor. “Seriously, what is wrong with you?”
“You can’t tell me you never wondered about that.”
“Yes, I can. I have never wondered about that,” she shot back, edging around the sales counter as she moved towards the kitchen.
“Oh come on Allie. You have a window into your boyfriend’s head and you never once got curious about how often he gets friendly with his hand?" Jason spoke louder to be sure she’d hear him in the back room and she hurried to set the mop and bucket down and get out to the front. The last thing she needed was for a customer to come in and overhear his ruminations about elvish sex lives.
She limped quickly back out and sat down in the closest seat in the reading area, an overstuffed loveseat that was probably older than she was, relieved to be off her bad ankle. “No. Not once.”
“Allie-“
“Did it ever occur to you,” she snapped, “that maybe I don’t want to know if he’s thinking about someone who isn’t me? I mean how awkward would that be ‘Hi sweetie, just stopping in to eavesdrop on your sexual fantasy, sorry the reality disappoints you so much…”
She cut off as her eyes filled with unexpected tears. Jason got up and moved over to sit next to her, crowding into the small seat and putting an arm around her shoulders. She could feel his concern and regret swirling around her, “I’m sorry. I was just teasing I didn’t mean to get you upset. I never thought about it like that. And he’d have to be an idiot not to see how hot you are. And if I’m saying you’re hot you know it must be true.”
“You really are an idiot,” she said leaning her head against his neck. “Just ignore me my emotions are all over the place today and honestly I just don’t like thinking about him being with anyone else – which he hasn’t been by the way – and I know he hasn’t, but then I feel bad about that too.”
“Why?”
“Because like you said, elves hook up all the time, so it’s not natural to have one who isn’t enjoying himself at every opportunity. From their point of view it’s actually really deviant, and I worry that I’m messing up his life,” she sighed.
“It’s kind of funny that what they find deviant is what humans find a good quality and vice versa,” Jason mused. “But don’t feel bad about his choices. It was his choice Allie, that’s what you said. When you didn’t want to move in with him he was the one who decided to go all celibate except with you.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better about it.”
“Yeah well…”he hesitated” you know I like him and all that but maybe that’s part of why he’s doing it. To make you feel bad enough to reconsider his offer.”
She groaned. “Ugh. Next time I’m stupid enough to try getting into a relationship with an elf remind me to take a page out of your book.”
“My book?” Jason said, bewildered.
“Yeah, Mr. I-hooked-up-with-a-totally-hot-elf-and-then-moved-on-with-my-life. No worries, no attachment. No drama,” she smiled and he smiled back.
“Nope, just dirty sweaty fun. Which reminds me, maybe I should look Brynneth up again and see if he’s in the mood for another one night stand.”
“What about Tony? Or is that back to off again?” Allie hoped not, she really liked Tony and thought he and Jason were good together, if they could just get on the same page.
“Still on again, but he wants to explore the whole open relationship thing. So maybe seeing me ‘open relationship’ with someone else will change his mind.”
“Well don’t look at me for relationship advice, I got none to give you,” she sighed.
“Maybe not but at least you have a clean store. I mean it reeks like salad dressing and smoke but other than that the energy’s clean…”he grinned at her and she mimed smacking him in the head.
“Alright, alright, I’ll go light some nice incense, okay?”
“Just don’t smoke out the birds,” he laughed.
“Enough with the smoke already!” she laughed with him, pushing herself up out of the chair. “Oh, hey before you leave can you help me hang something over the front door?”
“Sure, I’m not in any rush. I’ve got…” he glanced down at his watch “another hour before I need to leave for work.”
“You’re on second shift today?”
“Yup. So you’re on your own for dinner; don’t forget Liz has that new play rehearsing all week.”
Allie repressed a momentary shudder at the idea of being alone in the house. She wasn’t about to let anyone know how much it bothered her or how nervous she was about being by herself. She was almost 40 for the Gods’ sakes and yet she felt like a child jumping at shadows and needing a night light. “Thanks for the reminder, maybe I’ll grab some take-out on the way home.”
Jason shook his head, “You have got to stop eating so much fast food. That stuff is so bad for you.”
He meant it as another teasing joke but Allie met his eyes seriously, “Really Jason, thanks. For helping me with all of this today and for being such a good friend.”
He reached out, suddenly awkward, and patted her arm, “I know how much you miss her Allie. I miss her too.”
She looked away, trying not to think about Syndra. “Right well, let’s get this last bit done and then hopefully I’ll get some good business in here…”
*************************************
Zarethyn, mage and captain of the Elven Guard at Crannuiane Outpost, was in no mood to deal with anything that did not directly concern his duties. He had ten squads, a total of forty elves, who answered to him and served as the lawkeepers for both Queen Naesseryia’s Realm and the denizens of Fairy who chose to live in the Bordertown of Ashwood. He had often thought 40 was too many, and yet in the past week he had found himself wishing he had twice that number. Both the Fairy Realm and the town were plagued with minor crimes and complaints that should have been simple and yet kept requiring more time and focus than anticipated. The only good turn the week had taken was his brother returning with his squad after successfully finding the Clurichauns who had been smuggling human alcohol into the Fairy Holding. That investigation had proved difficult and frustrating but at least had ultimately been a victory for the Elven Guard. And, Zarethyn thought to himself, rubbing his temples, I have four more Guards at my disposal to handle these nonsensical petty crimes….
When he was called away from his desk to handle a disturbance in the lobby it did nothing to improve his already sour mood. The lobby served the dual purpose of allowing a citizen of Fairy to contact the Guard to report a crime and of a place for those seeking to pass into or out of the Queen’s Realm to handle paperwork. The Outpost itself served the primary purpose of a border crossing between the two realms of mortal earth and Fairy, and was situated at the far eastern edge of the border area of mixed land created by the Sundering a hundred years earlier. When the force that separated the two realities had mysteriously failed it had done so in an apparently random fashion, creating large areas
where one world or the other dominated. The only way to pass between the two worlds, despite their physical joining, was to either use very high level magic, or to pass through the towns and inhabited places trapped in the areas where the two realities overlapped when the Sundering had occurred. Ashwood was one such place, and the only one within nearly a hundred miles in any direction. On a slow day the Outpost saw hundreds of merchants and tourists passing in both directions; on a busy day during high traffic seasons like summer people were turned away and told to try again the next day.
He arrived in the lobby to find a human woman clutching the arm of the lobby Guard, one of his youngest recruits who turned to him looking utterly perplexed. He obviously had no idea how to handle the woman and Zarethyn kept his face carefully blank, anticipating a plea for some exception or other to the passport requirements. Instead the woman, perhaps sensing his greater authority, released Natarien and turned on him, bursting into a plea for help, “Please, you have to help. You have to. No one is listening to me, but I know something is wrong…”
She kept going but Zarethyn couldn’t follow what she was saying. With typical human rudeness she hadn’t even introduced herself or bothered with any politeness. He felt his teeth clenching at the presumption. As soon as she paused for breath he interjected, “What exactly do you think the Elven Guard can help you with?”
The woman reached into her purse and dragged out a bedraggled photograph of a younger woman. He glanced at it: pretty girl, red hair, green eyes. “This is my daughter. She’s missing. I need you to find her.”
He looked at the woman in disbelief. Surely she didn’t think the Elven Guard was part of the human police department. “You would be better served, ma’am, to report her missing to the Ashwood police department.”
“I will! I mean I did. That is I went there, but they won’t listen to me. They won’t help, and no one else seems to care!” The woman looked like she might cry and he found himself quickly losing patience with her. He took a deep breath and tried to remind himself that he must be diplomatic in handling such situations, but he very much wished the woman was elven and he could simply order her away and have her actually go.
Lost in Mist and Shadow: A Between the Worlds Novel Page 3
