by Holly Evans
Ethan's contact hadn't shown up to greet us. Instead, we were met by a broad-shouldered bear shifter with an intricate tattoo running down the left side of his face. He didn't smile, he simply nodded at Ethan, turned, and expected us to follow him.
We were taken by the shortest route, past the gems and older tinker artifacts to the stone. Unlike the museum in Casablanca, this stone had been tucked in a corner alongside a number of other attractive and magical stones. It wasn't considered as spectacular here amongst the other expensive trinkets and artifacts.
Ethan gave a shake of his head within ten seconds. It wasn't what we were looking for. That left us with Dubrovnik.
I hated the feeling of failure that sank into my bones. It was a natural part of the job, but I had never learnt to live with failure. Success was the only option.
30
We couldn’t get a transport out of Oslo until the next day, so we decided to do a little sightseeing. We wandered through the wide streets and allowed our feet to guide us to wherever we felt like going. Everything about the city was pristine, but the clash of the aggressive magic and the comforting feel of the city began to grate on me after a couple of hours. We took refuge in a coffee shop and looked online for something more practical to be doing with our time.
There were no temples within the city, which struck me as odd, but everywhere has its own way of doing things. The Tinkers and fae seemed to make up most of the cities inhabitants, and the fae weren’t known for their love of the gods. I was surprised to find that there wasn’t really anything of use within the city. Given the number of fae, I’d expected there to be interesting shops, or at least some exciting nightclubs. If they did exist, they weren’t advertising them online, and we didn’t have the time to get side-tracked like that.
Once more, we retired to a hotel room and waited for the next air transport. That was the part of the job that bothered me the most. The mix of failure with the waiting. It was the in-between that bugged me, and I was in a state of pause. My nature was to be constantly moving forward, making progress.
Logan pulled me out of my reverie into a hard kiss. I lost myself in his embrace and the comfort of his strong muscles.
“We finally have a night to ourselves,” he said huskily.
Goosebumps formed down my neck as he brushed his lips over the sensitive part of my throat. His hands slowly wandered down my sides and hips. His teeth grazed my earlobe.
“I can take my time,” he whispered, his warm breath sending chills down my spine.
My heart skipped a beat and my breath caught. It was going to be a gloriously long night.
31
Once again, we were on an airship. I curled up in the seat and gazed out of the window, allowing the familiarity of the airship wash over me. I'd travelled so much over my life that airships had become like a second home, somewhere I could relax and allow the anxiety of the day to slip away. It was only a little ship with a crew of six and us as the only passengers. Ethan and Logan were sharing stories and laughing. Erin was stroking Wispy while she watched the guys with a smile on her face. I had good people with me. I was blessed in that.
We were over the middle of the dark ocean when something changed. The airship rocked and shuddered before there was shouting. I stood and pulled my kris blade, looking around for the problem. Another airship, a larger grey ship, ran up alongside ours, and a group of people stood up on the edges. They were going to board!
We ran out onto the main deck to join the crew in defending the ship. I'd heard of sky pirates, but they attacked vessels carrying things of value, not passenger ships. Perhaps the captain was hiding something valuable below deck. If so, I was going to demand a cut after defending her ship. A trio of Garou stared us down, their heavy muscles pressed against their tight robes. Their eyes had all ambered. Their ears took on points, and two of them grew long black claws while the other’s legs changed to become more canine. They leapt onto our ship as a group, with five air elementals close behind them.
We were out-numbered, but, by the gods, I wasn't going to give up that easily.
Ethan and Erin fought as a pair. Ethan's quick darting attacks complimented Erin's aggressive and agile ones beautifully. They circled around the largest Garou and kept him pushed away from the main group as they cut him with their silver blades. I found myself lunging at a pair of air elementals, who dodged and weaved while I tried to attack their joints and tendons to slow them down. If I could stop them from moving their hands, I'd drastically reduce their ability to use their magic. As it was, they were taunting and tiring me.
Logan took down one of the air elementals, not before another elemental and a Garou tore open one of the airship's crew. The airship lurched as its magic was thrown off. One of the aggressors tried to steady out the air magic, but the crew ganged up on her and suffocated her while Logan slit her throat. The airship shuddered and groaned as it fought to stay upright and afloat. The magicians buffeted each other, and small tornadoes whipped around the deck while I tried to take out one of the Garou's Achilles tendons.
Something hit me in the back and threw me overboard. I was plummeting towards the ocean at an alarming speed. There was nothing I could do. I had no alchemy to help me. The water below me seemed awfully calm, given my impending doom. A cluster of mermaids cavorted below me, apparently unaware or perhaps uncaring about my oncoming demise.
Suddenly, the air was knocked from my lungs, and I was shooting back up towards the ship. I landed on a bloody deck and coughed before gasping for breath.
"The ship is ours. You will aid us in our quest for the tears," a deep voice growled.
"Fuck you," I spat.
A large hand grabbed me by the back of my neck and wrenched me off my feet.
"Do as we say, or your friends will die long painful deaths," the Garou said.
Erin was fighting against the Garou that held her with everything she had. Blood dripped from her mouth, and I very much doubted it was hers. Logan stood tall, strong, and defiant.
"They know where they both are, Kit," he said coolly.
His face was expressionless, but I knew him. He intended to let them take us to the tears, and we'd take the tears as our own. It wasn't ideal, but it would save us some work.
"Fine," I growled at the Garou.
He dropped me onto the deck and commanded the remaining crew to lock us in the cabin.
Ethan paced around the free space while I checked Logan and Erin for injuries. I had a small medical kit on me, should we need it. Logan had a couple of broken ribs; Erin only had a few scrapes and bruises. I applied the healing paste to Logan's ribs and tried to pull my thoughts together.
"How the fuck did they know where to find us?" I asked.
"Don't look at me!" Ethan said.
I raised an eyebrow at him. He calmed himself and sat down next to Logan.
"Sorry," he said.
"We must have been tailed. Could any of your museum contacts have known what we were looking for?" Logan asked.
Ethan sighed. "Well, we weren't too subtle on that front. If anyone happened to know about the tears, they could have put two and two together."
"One of the airship crew didn't fight, either," Erin said as she glared at the door to the crew area.
I wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth without thinking about it. It was becoming too easy to touch her. I pulled back and sat opposite her to stop myself from doing it again.
"Do we have a plan, here?" Ethan asked.
"We behave ourselves," Logan said easily.
His eyes were hard. He stared Ethan down, warning him not to speak. Garou had good hearing. We couldn't risk speaking about what we were going to do.
Ethan nodded slowly and stretched as he calmed himself.
"How long until Dubrovnik?" I asked.
"Two more hours." Logan said.
"Then we'd best rest," I said.
There was nothing more we could do. We needed to make sure we were in the best sha
pe when the fight came, and it would come. I was not going to give up my prize.
32
The Garou had made some attempt at dressing normally. They each wore jeans and a dark t-shirt; not that it hid what they were, but they blended in a little easier than they would have done. They marched us off the airship out into old town Dubrovnik. The cream stone paths were worn smooth from centuries of use. The tall walls around the outer edge spoke of strength and resilience. Everything about the city was calming and comforting. I desperately wanted to slip into the magic. It whispered of happiness and secrets. I couldn’t help but smile as I enjoyed the gentle sun beating down on my skin and the silky press of the local magic. If I ever chose to really settle, then I felt as though Dubrovnik would be home. I could see myself sitting atop the city walls and watching the sunsets in complete contentment with Logan’s arms around me.
The buildings were a matching cream with thick sturdy walls and beautiful vines growing along the edges of the alleys. The wild magic was present in azure ribbons and gold twists as it merrily danced overhead and gave the people below it a show that brought a smile to everyone's face. If it weren't for the sharp point of a knife at my back, I would have thoroughly enjoyed the visit.
A storm built quickly as we climbed the many layers of stairs up to the edge of the old town. The little shops on either side of the staircases were all set back into the walls and each promised a small wonder within it. The flowers on the dark purple vines emitted a pleasant sweet smell that would have made a wonderful perfume. It was light, elegant, and feminine. The dark clouds crowded overhead and made the temperature of the air drop in the space of a few steps.
The Garou kept Logan and the others behind me, no doubt with knives at their backs, too. No one gave us a second glance. They were too busy in conversations as they sat on the steps and inside the dainty cafes within the buildings to either side of the alley. We were just more tourists coming to enjoy their beautiful city, and who could blame us? There must have been thousands of people who made their way up those well-worn stairs to the walls around the very edge, all in hopes of a view of the ocean or of finding a hidden nook with some treasure to return home with.
The Garou guided me around the edge of the city wall through winding and twisting paths that gave glimpses of the turquoise sea through archer’s loopholes in the ancient wall. He nudged me to the left towards a building with well-worn corners and a soft step into its warm and cozy interior. It was a tiny excuse for a museum, but each piece was displayed with great pride. Every inch of the space was pristine where someone had taken great care of it. An older gentleman watched as we walked in. His eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. It was for the best. I didn't want more blood on my hands.
The Garou held me by the back of my neck, and I held back my threats and curses. Ethan was pushed in front of me towards the glass case with the tear in.
"Place it in the bag," the Garou next to him growled.
"Why can't you do it?" I demanded.
The knife at my back dug deeper. I ignored the pain and glared at the Garou in front of me. His silver hair was flecked with reddish-yellow. He was the tallest and rangiest of the group. He favoured his right knee as he stood, and the scar on his cheek suggested he'd been in a good number of fights over the years.
"Our goddess does not wish for us to touch them," the Garou rumbled.
"And yet you're collecting them?" I asked.
He bared his teeth at me. "They are hers. They belong with her people.”
"If she felt so strongly about it, she could have moved them by now," I said sweetly.
The knife dug deeper into my back, and the hand clenched around my neck, making my vision swim until he released me some.
The rangy Garou smashed the glass case when he tired of Ethan trying to carefully remove it. Ethan glared at him but said nothing as he picked up the tear and placed it into the silver bag the Garou held out. The bag was tied to the Garou's belt. My tear remained in my backpack, and I had no intention of letting go of that pack. I didn't want to risk having the tear out in view, though, even if it was in a bag. That was a temptation for a would-be pickpocket or similar.
We were marched out of the museum, from which the older man continued to watch in abject horror. He didn't dare move, which I was thankful for. Blood was trickling down my back where the knife had dug into the muscle. It was my own fault, but I wasn't going to roll over and make it too easy for them.
33
Once again, we were on the airship.
"Where are we going?" I called out.
"Shut the fuck up!" a female voice shouted back.
"I'm not familiar, can you give me a better location?" I shouted.
A string of what I assume were curses came from through the door. They were in a language I didn't know.
"Malaysia," a male finally said.
"That's not very specific..." I replied.
"The Danum Valley, now shut the fuck up and behave," the male shouted.
I wracked my brain for what I might know about the Danum Valley. It was a dense rainforest with an interesting array of wildlife and plants.
"We know some elves there," Logan whispered in my ear.
I grinned. We did! I knew the name, I just hadn't been able to place it. We had gone there on one of our earlier adventures together. We'd gotten into trouble with a particularly vicious group of naga, and the elves helped us. They'd been having problems with a mystery illness that was causing great harm to their clan. Logan and I had helped them find the source (a traitor in their ranks) and they had given us the honour of being friends of their clan in return.
Now, if we could somehow make contact with the elves, they would surely help us out of this sticky situation. I whispered the information to Erin, who in turn whispered it to Ethan. We had some hope. I knew we were going to win, it was just a matter of how.
We curled up together and got some sleep on the long ride to Malaysia. The Garou didn't feel the need to offer us any food, despite the fact that they ate well themselves. I wasn't surprised, I was just irritated to find myself becoming less aware and more sluggish than I'd like. We didn't know quite what we were getting into, and we needed to be as sharp as possible. Of course, that was likely part of their plan, but that didn't mean it irritated me any less.
The landing was bumpy and accompanied by some shouts and sounds of something cracking and breaking. I peered out of the windows to see dense green foliage and a cluster of angry-looking parrots perched on a branch glaring at us. How dare we interrupt their night?
Wispy felt the same as he hissed and growled. I stroked the edges of him through the cage, but didn't dare let him loose. I didn't know quite what it would take to kill a wisp, and I didn't want to find out. The ship lurched to one side, sending us sprawling. It rocked and swayed heavily before it steadied out and remained on its side. I looked through the window, trying to see how high up we were - only a few feet.
"We can't escape here, Kit, we need their tear," Logan whispered.
I knew he was right, and we didn't know where the third tear was. I sighed and waited for the fucking Garou to come and retrieve us. My lower back ached where the knife wound was. I wasn't looking forward to that again.
They shouted and growled at each other before they threw the door open and demanded we go out onto the deck. I was thrown over the shoulder of the rangy Garou and carried down the tree, at the base of which he dropped me unceremoniously. The others were treated to a similar experience by the Garou and the lone air elemental who remained with us. I brushed past the air elemental and touched his bare skin. He was a tier three, if my touch was right. That meant he had about as much air magic as Logan had earth magic. He wouldn't be whipping up any tornadoes, so we probably wouldn’t have to worry too much about him in the fight later.
Erin sank her teeth into the elemental's hand when he tried to brush her cheek. The youngest Garou with black and red hair laughed heartily as the elemental yelped and
jumped back.
"Rabid little bitch," the elemental snarled.
Erin grinned proudly.
The Garou soon tired of that amusement and began poking and prodding us to make our way through the dense jungle. It was hard going. No one had a machete or other tool with them to hack through the vines and bushes, which made our movement slow. We had to fight for every foot we walked. The vines tried to wrap themselves around the Garou's throats, and the bushes lashed out and clawed at their legs. I smiled when I noticed that they didn't touch me or my friends. I glanced around, trying to see the elves. They couldn't be too far away.
The elves had a deep connection to the jungle and could speak to the plants within it thanks to their magic network. They didn't control it, they worked in harmony with it. That was their place within the jungle, keepers and protectors of the balance. The jungle gave them food and shelter in return for safety and protection from land developers and other such beings that would wish to harm it.
The more the Garou tried to tear the vines out, the more the plants bit back and attacked them. Soon, it was too dark to see in front of us, and we had no choice but to climb a wide-trunked tree and try to rest for a few hours. The Garou spoke in growling tones about things I couldn't pick out. Their language was strange and didn't match any of the languages I knew. I closed my eyes and curled into Logan in the crook of the branches. Had it really been so recently that I'd been excited to meet my first Garou? Now look at me, plotting how to kill the assholes and steal the tears back from them.
34
The jungle never really quieted. The insects continued to buzz, and judging from the growls and complaints that came from the Garou on the branches below us, said insects bit quite hard. Rustles came from all around us as various nocturnal animals moved around, no doubt looking for a nice easy meal. My stomach growled in sympathy, and Wispy whined softly. I stroked the edges of him. He wasn't shining as brightly as he had been.
