by Quinn Loftis
Myanin stared at it and then looked back at Wendy’s face.
“Wow, you really aren’t from around here. You shake it. It’s a greeting of sorts.”
Myanin took Wendy’s hand and then began shaking it.
Wendy’s eyes widened as her head started to bobble about. “Alrighty,” she said as her teeth chattered together. “That’s enough greetin’ one another.”
Myanin immediately let go of her hand. Humans were so strange.
“Now you tell me your name,” Wendy prompted.
“I am Myanin,” she said.
“Myanin,” Wendy said slowly. “That’s unusual. What’s your last name?”
Myanin frowned. “I have had no previous names. I have always been Myanin.” Did humans have multiple names in their life span? That seemed silly considering they lived less than a century. Why would they need more than one name?
Wendy laughed again. The sound was getting annoying. “You are a hoot. So, where you come from, which I’m assuming must be another country, far from North America, you don’t have a surname. Like mine is Rhodes. But my first name is Wendy,” she explained.
“We have the one name given to us by the elders,” Myanin told her.
“Okay then,” Wendy said as a woman walked up to them.
“What can I get you to drink?” she asked. She was the serving wench, Myanin realized.
Wendy rattled off something called a martini neat. Why she needed to specify that she didn’t want her drink to be messy was another odd custom Myanin didn’t understand.
The woman looked at Myanin expectantly. “I will simply have water and make it neat as well,” she added, not wanting to have a glass covered and overflowing in the liquid. The server frowned as her mouth opened and then closed. Was she confused? Or maybe she needed to be dismissed. “You may go do your task now.”
Wendy laughed again.
“Wendy Rhodes,” Myanin said, her voice sharp, “why must you laugh so much?”
The female sighed. “Life is just too darn serious. You can either laugh or cry, you know?”
“No.” Myanin said. “There are many more options than simply laughing or crying. For instance, you could simply sit quietly.” Which Myanin felt she would greatly appreciate in that moment.
A few minutes later, the serving wench returned and placed their glasses in front of them. Myanin hadn’t realized how thirsty she’d been and immediately picked hers up and drained it before the server walked off.
“Another?” the wench asked.
Myanin nodded. “Please.”
“Alright,” Wendy said after taking a sip of her drink. “You’re too interesting to not have some sort of story. Tell me about yourself.”
Myanin tilted her head sideways and narrowed her eyes on the woman. Wendy seemed calm and not at all put off by Myanin’s abrupt nature that seemed to frighten other humans. She was curious to know how the woman would handle the truth.
Myanin downed her second glass of water in two quick gulps then leaned back and began her tale. “It started with a man.”
“Doesn’t it always.” Wendy huffed and rolled her eyes. “Go on, let’s hear what the jackass did.”
And so Myanin did. She left nothing out, nor omitted the fact that she was from another realm or that she was a supernatural being. She didn’t filter the fact that she’d murdered her captor or that she had plans to kill the jackass who’d gotten her held captive to begin with.
“And I’ve been making my way across the United States since I escaped four days ago,” she said. “I discovered many things. Like your cities have stupid names. There is absolutely no security in any of the territories. Oh, and cotton candy. I like that best. Then I ended up here in Las Vegas, again, stupid name. I was curious about the bright lights and what was drawing so many humans toward them. Then I saw you, and here we are. I must be going soon, though. I still have things to do before Ludcarab decides to come looking for me.”
“Lud-crab,” Wendy said slowly, her eyes looking a little odd. “That’s the elf king?”
“Correct.” Myanin leaned forward. “Are you alright?”
“I’m trying to decide if you’re actually describing a book you read, if you’re on drugs, or if you’re crazy.”
Myanin sighed. Of course the human would not believe her. Humans resisted things that didn’t make sense to them. She’d learned that from Thadrick, the jackass. She smiled. She couldn’t wait to call him a jackass to his face. If nothing else, Wendy gave her that.
“I’m none of those things,” Myanin said as she stood up and pushed the chair under the table. “I am, however, grateful for the drink. Even if your company was slightly less than ideal, and I wouldn’t choose to do this again with you.”
Wendy stood quickly and held out her hands. “Wait. Are you going to be okay? I mean, no offense Myanin, but you are a few heifers shy of a herd. I mean, at first I was shocked, but now I realize you probably need some help.”
“The only help I need is to find the jackass, Thadrick, so I can put my blade through his heart.” Myanin started for the door, but the small female moved in front of her as if she could somehow stop her.
“Maybe we should call someone—a family member, maybe the hospital you escaped from?”
Myanin kept walking forward, causing Wendy to back up or get run over.
“Wendy Rhodes, I sort of liked you, a little, for a brief moment of time, but now you are becoming one of those humans that I want to squash like a bug.”
Wendy’s eyes widened, and she immediately stepped aside. “Yep, gotcha. You go, do your thing. I’ll just get out of your way. Don’t worry, I won’t call the police or anything. I mean, it’s not like you’re dangerous. Just a little crazy, and let’s be honest, who isn’t a little crazy these days?”
“Have a nice life, Wendy Rhodes.” Myanin pushed the door of the building open. “And maybe, in the future, be more careful about the purchase of drinks for strangers.”
“Damn right, I will.” She heard the woman say just before the door shut behind her.
Myanin took a deep breath and then started in the direction of the bright “Welcome” sign. That was the direction she’d been going when she’d stopped in this horrible city. When she made it out far enough from the lights that they were no longer giving her a headache, she pulled the phone from her pocket and clicked on the square that would pull up the map. She found Las Vegas then ran her finger across until she saw a state called California. It was the final state before the ocean. She had a feeling that it was going to be the last place she’d see before the elf king lost his patience with her.
She tucked the phone away and took off at a run. She’d be there in less than half an hour. Perhaps this California would have cotton candy. If they didn’t, she was tempted to start a war with the humans simply because of their lack of supply of the delicious food.
The djinn ran past the welcome sign and kept going. She decided she wanted to see the ocean. When she finally stopped, she was standing on ground that was covered in sand. Myanin had heard of sand. Thadrick had described it to her. She reached down and picked up a handful of it and let it run through her fingers. The grains were warm, even though the sky was dark, and the sun was no longer shining. She stood and looked around. Some people staring at her. Myanin noticed they were adorned in very small garments, very different from her own leathers. She must have stood out like a draheim in the mer-realm.
As she let her gaze wander down past the people, she saw a sign that read Venice Beach Boardwalk. She started walking toward the sign and past it, seeing small merchant stalls squashed in close to one another. Jewelry, food, and clothing that would not cover very much of her body was being sold everywhere. Myanin couldn’t imagine going into battle in such garments. She was nearing the end of the boardwalk when her eyes saw it. A large white cone with a pink cloud-like substance sitting on top of it. It wasn’t the actual cotton candy but a sign declaring what the shop sold.
; “Venice Beach, you are my new favorite territory.” She headed for the small cart.
Right before she reached it, three men appeared in front of her. One was the man who had given her the card for Ludcarab four days prior. The other two were fae.
“You’ve had quite a little vacation,” the vampire said. “Have you enjoyed your time in the human realm?”
Myanin looked past him to the cotton candy cart and then back at him. “I was,” she emphasized the word, “until you and your pet fairies got in my way.”
“Now, now,” the vampire chided. “There’s no need for name calling.”
“There’s going to be a whole lot more than name calling if you three jackasses”—thank you Wendy for that insult—“don’t move out of my way and let me get my cotton candy.”
The vampire glanced over his shoulder and then back to her. “Found out you have a sweet tooth? Well, come with us and we will make sure you have all the cotton candy you want.”
Myanin was tired of talking. Before they’d even realized it, she’d shoved past them and was at the cart. “Four cotton candies please,” she told the human male who was staring wide-eyed at the three men she’d just knocked over. “Not on the sticks. Just in the bags.” She removed some of the human money she’d taken from a man who seemed very eager to give it to her and paid the man. He was moving like a robot as he prepared her order and handed her the bags one at a time. Myanin pushed down the cotton candy so that she had enough length at the top of the bag to tie it around the belt at her waist.
Once the three were tied on, she opened the forth bag and dug into the sticky, sweet goodness. As she smacked and licked her fingers, she turned back to the vampire and pissed-off fae. “Now, what was it you wanted to discuss?”
The vampire crossed his arms in front of him and stared at her as if she were an errant child. “Ludcarab wants to see you. Now.”
Myanin hummed as she swallowed another mouth full of cotton candy. “Does he?” She tore off more of her candy. “The elf king has been around for a long time. Surely he has learned that we don’t always get what we want.”
“He does,” the vampire said. “We both know you want to speak with him. I can see it in your eyes. You have the same greed lurking in them that he does.”
She shot him a look, her cotton-candy-covered finger halfway to her mouth. “Careful, bloodsucker. I could rip your head off from one breath to the next.”
The vampire didn’t seem impressed. He either didn’t care if he lived, or he was actually tired of living and hoped someone would kill him. It happened to some supernaturals who’d been around for a while. They just got tired of existing.
They watched her. The fae seemed leery with their raised chins, and bodies tilted sideways as if to pull a blade on her at any moment, while the vamp just seemed bored, his stance relaxed, and a slight smirk on his face. When she’d finished her first bag, she tossed it on the ground, licked her fingers clean, and then straightened her pants to ensure the bags of cotton candy weren’t going anywhere. “Let’s do this.” She waited for the fae to walk over to her. They were brought so they could simply flash them to Ludcarab, not because they had a chance in seven hells of defeating her in a battle.
They moved cautiously, as if approaching a wild animal, while the vampire sauntered. “Don’t touch me,” she told the one who reached out his hand. “I will place my hand on your arm.” The fae nodded, and she gripped his arm, probably a little harder than necessary.
One instant they were on the Venice Boardwalk, and the next she was standing at the top of a mountain looking down over a valley and a city. Ludcarab was there gazing out over the land as if it were his kingdom.
“Myanin of the djinns,” the elf king said as he slowly turned to look at her.
She folded her arms across her chest, but kept her legs slightly bent, ready for anything. “Ludcarab, traitorous king of the elves.”
Chapter 9
“There is one thing a person needs to know when making deals with the devil. Okay, two things. First, don’t make deals with the devil. Second, if you ignore the first thing you need to know, then be prepared to lose everything.” ~Ludcarab
* * *
Myanin had never met the elf king, but she’d seen him in Lyra’s mind when she’d taken the elders' knowledge. He was handsome, with long platinum hair and green eyes. A tall, slim build that showed his sinewy frame. But Myanin saw past his good looks to the man who lurked beneath the surface. He was evil. And even though she was quite possibly going to help him achieve his goals, she still saw the ugliness his evil brought out in him. Maybe the fact that she could see that ugliness meant there was still a chance for her to get off her own dark path and find something different. She shook her head at the thought. She’d killed one of her own. There was no coming back from that. Not to mention that her heart had been broken beyond repair. She wanted vengeance, and sometimes the only way to get that was to fight dirty. She could worry about the fallout later.
“I’ve heard you’ve had quite the adventure since you came into the human realm,” the elf king said, his voice full of amusement.
“Humans are foolish and bizarre, but they have created some things worth experiencing.” She noticed him eyeing her cotton candy. Myanin uncrossed her arms and rested her hand on the unseen dagger at her hip. If he even moved slightly in the direction of her treasure, she would cut off his hand. Yes, she was that serious about her fluffy goodness. A woman scorned needed her vices while she plotted revenge schemes.
“I can agree with that,” Ludcarab said, nodding. “But they are still inferior to us in so many ways that it is ridiculous we walk in the shadows as if we should fear them.”
“The human realm is not ours,” Myanin pointed out. “We don’t have to live in the shadows in our own realms.”
“And the wolves, vampires, trolls?” he challenged. “Should they live in the shadows in this realm?”
“They are where they were created to be, and if that is in the shadows, then perhaps there is a reason for that.” Why am I arguing with him? It’s not like I care for humans. The ones I’ve encountered have been annoying and ignorant. They have no self-preservation instincts, and they place dumb names on all of their things. That alone is reason enough to put them beneath the supernaturals.
“And what about the weakening magic?” Ludcarab countered.
He’s got me there. Most of the supernaturals believed the magic drain had something to do with them being in the human realm, but it was actually the opposite. The magic in the other realms was leaking into the human realm. While this weakened the supernatural realms, it strengthened the power in the human realm. No one seemed to know why this was happening. Even the djinn had noticed the magic in their own realm weakening, but the elders, no matter how much they searched in their history, could not come up with an answer as to why. And like most of the other supernaturals, regardless of the fact that their magic was weakening, they didn’t want to leave their homeland.
“Evolution?” Myanin suggested. “Perhaps it’s time for the supernaturals to slowly die out. Maybe we have served our purpose, and now nature is simply trying to do away with us.”
The look of horror on Ludcarab’s face was so comical she had to cough back a laugh. Apparently, the elf king did not like the idea of his own mortality.
“We can stand here and disagree for decades,” he said, apparently deciding to ignore her comment. “What I want to know is if you will join The Order of the Burning Claw?”
“Why should I? It would be foolish to blindly follow a man who obviously cares little for anyone other than himself.”
“You would be foolish not to look out for your own best interests,” he corrected. “Never make a decision that won’t somehow benefit you and, if possible, benefit you above the others with whom you might be entering into an agreement.”
“Do you want to be my mentor or something?” Amusement filled her voice because she found that idea to be ridiculous.<
br />
Ludcarab’s eyes narrowed. “I want to know if you will join us. If you do, you will not have to live in hiding. You won’t have to worry about returning to your realm and living in a place where you will eventually become as weak as a human. You will be able to live in the human realm and be what you were created to be. It will no longer be necessary to hide your powers here. And you won’t have to be subject to your elders.”
She shifted slightly, her hand still resting on the blade at her hip. “But I would be subject to you?”
He shrugged. “There has to be some leadership or chaos would reign. Chaos amongst supernatural beings could get messy quite quickly.”
“Who else is in this Order of the Burning Claw?”
“We have representation from almost every supernatural race. There are three other leaders who have helped run it over the decades. Alston, the high fae, Sincaro, the vampire king, and one of his powerful coven leaders, Cain. Though it is I who has been the official leader for centuries.”
Myanin watched his chest puff out at this declaration. Super humble. “And everyone is on the same page?” she asked. Regardless of his answer, she would know the truth once she saw them all together. The dynamic would reveal itself, and she could determine who was truly in charge and who was simply waiting to be picked off.
“We all want the same thing,” Ludcarab confirmed. “And we all are willing to give up anything it takes to accomplish our goal.”
Myanin looked at the city laid out before them. Arizona was a beautiful territory...state, she mentally corrected. She was going to have to get used to the human way of saying things, or maybe after the supernaturals were in control they could shake things up, change the really stupid names to something more sensible. “Alright. If I am to join a potentially sinking ship, then I want to meet the others before I make my final decision.” She narrowed her eyes on him as he gave her a smirk. “And don’t think that it’s not my decision. There is only one person you’ve named in your Order that could rival my power, and it isn’t you.”
