by Martha Carr
Leira was really happy she had come.
21
Correk stepped through the portal, looking around at the dingy and dirty alley he was standing in. He moved into the shadows, unsure of what he was about to face. Someone had put out an emergency call, but the only things he could see were buckets of grease sitting next to the back door of a diner to his right. The smell of burgers and fried food wafted through the air, but for the first time since he had come to Earth, the smell did not entice him.
A dark-haired woman stood to the right under the floodlight with her back to him. He could sense her magic, but he wasn’t sure whether to approach or let the scene play out. He waited there for a moment, running the options through his mind. When she spoke, her voice familiar.
“You gonna stand in the shadows all night or come out here and talk to me?” Brittany swung around, giving him a dead-fish look.
Correk cleared his throat and frowned, having seen that look many times before. It was Leira’s signature stare-down, only that wasn’t Leira’s face it was glued to. It gave him a funny feeling in his chest—like he knew this woman from somewhere, but nothing was ringing a bell. He stepped out of the shadows and slowly approached, waiting for whatever danger she was in to face him.
“Where’s the emergency?”
Brittany waved her hands in front of her. “Relax, there’s no emergency. I sent out the bat signal because there’s someone you need to meet.”
“You can’t just call me with a fake emergency. I was in the middle of something and came right away, thinking you were in danger. That is to be used only in the direst of situations—like, you know, when you are facing down over a dozen Japanese mobsters by yourself.”
“I’ve never been very good at following the rules. I like to make my own.”
Correk smirked. “You remind me of someone I know and love.”
“Really? I find it’s sometimes hard to love people like me. We tend to be smart-asses and rough around the edges.”
“Exactly why I love her.”
“All right, Thor, since you’re already here, why don’t you come inside and meet this man? I promise it will be worth your while. I wouldn’t have brought you here otherwise.”
Correk just stared at her curiously, not sure if he should jump back to the party or play along. Brittany sighed and put her hands on her hips.
“You are so stubborn… Sheesh! Just come in for five minutes, and if you aren’t intrigued, I won’t stop you from leaving.”
Correk took a deep breath, giving her a disapproving stare. It was true though—he was already there, and she had piqued his interest. He might as well check out whoever it was and maybe get a better clue as to where the hell he knew her from. He hadn’t been on Earth long enough to forget people he had met.
“All right, but if this is a waste of my time I’m sending you a bill.”
“Deal.” She laughed. “Come on, he’s inside.”
Correk looked up and down the alley before he followed Brittany through the back door into the kitchen. Several of the cooks looked up and nodded as if Brittany walking through was something that happened on a regular basis. She picked up a fry off a plate in the window and pushed through the swinging doors into the diner. There were several tables filled with mostly twenty-somethings grabbing a late-night cheap meal in a greasy spoon.
Correk followed Brittany to the back, looking down at the large sloppy burgers on people’s plates. He couldn’t help but think that maybe he was hungry after all. They stopped at a large round booth at the back and Brittany slid in, patting the seat next to her. Correk raised an eyebrow and sighed before sliding in and looking at the man across from him.
Brittany introduced him as Doctor F.J. Smite-Williams, a forty-two-year-old Professor of Historical Extra-Dimensional Engineering, which was a fancy way of saying he studied magical artifacts. Correk studied him while the man looked at his menu. His thick wavy brown hair was a mess. Correk had absolutely no idea why he would be meeting a perfect stranger in the back of an old diner, but his demeanor and the draft and a half sitting in front of him sparked his curiosity.
“Professor, this is Correk, the Fixer I told you about.”
The man looked up from his menu and gave Correk a once-over before offering a relaxed smile. The waitress approached the table and smiled sweetly at the Professor. It was obvious he had been there for a bit, and that it wasn’t his first time. Of course, the man liked to have a few drinks, and the glasses on the table weren’t his first of the day. He wasn’t a drunk, he just liked his beer.
“I’ll have my usual,” he told the waitress.
“You always look at the menu, but you never get anything different.” The waitress giggled.
“Go with what works, I always say.”
The waitress looked at Brittany and then Correk, who each put their hand up and gently declined. Once the waitress left, the Professor picked up his beer and looked at the two of them. He smiled again and took a sip.
“Nice to meet you, Correk. I hear you helped save Brittany’s ass the other day.”
“Well, it’s my job. She was facing some serious dark magic, so I had to help her get out of it.” Correk shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked at Brittany. “I’m sorry, but why exactly am I here?”
“This is my connection. The good Professor here has arrangements with a secure underground facility to store artifacts.”
“I see.” Correk leaned forward. “And what kind of professor are you?”
“I study magical artifacts, among other things,” he replied.
“So, you take Brittany’s artifacts, secure them, and run tests on them?”
“Some of them,” Brittany interjected. “The really powerful ones he studies, the rest he holds in the vaults for us. It keeps them out of the government’s hands, as well as the bad guys’. It’s a win-win, really. We magical folks can have access to our artifacts anytime we want and not have to worry about walking into situations like the one I was in the other day. It’s not that the Silver Griffins aren’t doing a good job, but I don’t want to give my artifacts up for good.”
“And what do you get out of it, Professor?”
The man sat up as the waitress set his plate down in front of him. She placed an extra napkin, a glass of water, and a bottle of ketchup on the table and smiled. He smiled kindly back and waited for her to leave before speaking.
“I get to study the artifacts, have them at my disposal, and do a good thing for my friends.”
“I’m sorry to be a bit suspicious, but one thing that is no different between here and Oriceran is most people don’t put themselves in danger like that without getting something out of it.”
“The Professor wants to understand the magic in them—be able to tell the good from the bad, figure out ways to extract different magical powers, and dispose of the dangerous ones if need be. I can promise you he is legit. He isn’t looking to screw us in any way.”
“I apologize, Brittany, but you have to remember that I don’t know you that well either. We met once in a hailstorm of magic fire, then poof—you and your artifacts were gone.”
“I had to get them to safety.”
“I could have arranged that for you.”
Brittany stared at Correk for a moment and smiled. She knew he was apprehensive, and she couldn’t blame him. She had called him for a non-emergency, dragged him to some greasy diner, and introduced him to a man he knew nothing about. It wasn’t really the ideal situation, but Doctor Smite-Williams was a simple man when it came to things like that. He felt the more secret you made a meeting, the more people paid attention to what you were doing.
Correk leaned back and eyeballed the Professor as he picked up his greasy three-patty double-cheese mushroom and bacon burger, leaned over his plate, and took a big bite. He put his napkin in front of his mouth as he chewed, and Correk was relieved the man had some kind of manners. Still, he couldn’t peg him. He felt like there was something about h
im not being said, but at the same time he wanted to know what he had to do with everything.
“Not to sound rude, but what exactly am I here for? It’s obvious that you are doing your own thing and are not in any danger.”
The smirk on the Professor’s face intrigued Correk enough to hear the man out. He didn’t have a bad feeling about him, but he couldn’t figure out what the Professor’s angle was. Correk was used to people who wanted the Fixer’s help, but he wasn’t sure he could get involved in anything like this. He couldn’t exactly take artifacts from the Silver Griffins, and he wasn’t interested in picking up an extra gig of hunting for them. He had done that with Leira before, and though it fell into the realm of responsibility for him on occasion, it really wasn’t on his favorites list.
Brittany put her hands in her lap and glanced at Correk, waiting for the Professor to say something. Smite-Williams was formulating his words in his head carefully like he always did. He knew the Fixer was on edge. That wasn’t his intention, but he couldn’t just blurt it all out within five minutes of meeting him. With the way the world had been recently, he had to make sure before he approached someone about his setup with the artifacts and their studies that they were working for the right side. It wasn’t as simple as light or dark, either. He knew Correk wasn’t dark magic. There were other factors in play like loyalty to government, organizations, and to the magical community as a whole.
“Let me tell you a little bit more about what I do.”
Correk nodded and leaned in, listening intently while the Professor spoke about his studies and the safehouse vault where he kept these artifacts. Brittany let the Professor take the lead, happy to be in a place where she didn’t have to do all the explaining. She had known from the moment he let her leave with her artifacts that she could trust Correk. There were those out there who would have insisted she turn them over to the Silver Griffins, but as long as she was alive she was keeping her things. If they took her artifacts she’d be left almost powerless, and that was a road she had sworn she would not go down.
22
“Thanks, but I think we’re are good with the vaults we currently use. The Silver Griffins may have had a break-in, but they do an exceptional job of keeping them out of the wrong hands. In fact, I’ve seen them lay down their lives to protect those artifacts. That is more than most people would do for a magical umbrella or teapot.” Correk was a little irritated. Moreover, he still wasn’t sure what they wanted with him.
Brittany glanced at Correk and shook her head. “We aren’t trying to put the Silver Griffins down, so don’t take offense. This is just a separate opportunity. Another resource for the magical community to take advantage of.”
“I work for Turner Underwood, the last Fixer, who has seen and done everything that has to do with magic on this planet. I’ve studied and studied, read every magical book available, done spell after spell, and worked directly by his side, not to mention that before that I worked directly for the Queen and King of the Light Elves. My magic has been bent and moved and changed to be the Fixer that I am. I have resources at my fingertips, so this isn’t me bragging. I’m explaining why I am not jumping at this opportunity. I have both the feds and the Silver Griffins to take dangerous artifacts from me, ones that shouldn’t be in some secret vault. As far as magical folks, if they are in possession of artifacts and are not threatening to use them in a dangerous way I don’t force them to turn them in. Those are personal items, but they do need to be protected in the best manner possible.”
“But sometimes their security or their organization can be compromised.”
“Which one can’t? Look at the Oriceran council. They had one of the most powerful witches sitting among them for decades—longer than that, even—and no one had a clue that she was there until she revealed herself. Your security vault is no different. Sometimes the bad men get in, no matter how hard you try to keep them out.”
The Professor chuckled and put his hand up to Brittany. “She is young, and she thinks she can take on any criminal.”
“I know someone like that.” Correk chuckled. “In fact, she’s just like that. Stubborn, too.”
“They should meet. They’d end up taking down all the dark magic.” The Professor laughed, sipping his beer and lightening the mood a bit.
Correk glanced at Brittany, who looked less than entertained at being the topic of conversation. Every time he observed her he could feel an intensity in her magic he had only felt in one other person. It was strange, but he tried to keep his focus on the conversation at hand. Brittany leaned forward and cleared her throat, changing the subject back.
“It’s not just the thousands of artifacts that were stolen when the Silver Griffins’ vault was destroyed.”
“That’s right.” The Professor sighed, leaning forward. “It’s the thousands that were never found and are still there today. Seventeen thousand is the best guess.”
“I’m well aware of that problem. We were tasked with getting to those artifacts when the corporations were racing to collect them. Once people started to disappear or die, they backed off and so did we. It isn’t that the task lacks importance, but there are a lot of things going on right now and they have to be prioritized. Finding the artifacts just isn’t on the list for the Fixer, nor is it on the list for Leira. I’m sure people from the feds or the Griffins are still searching.”
“But with so many, a few people searching isn’t enough,” Brittany interjected. “These artifacts need to be under lock and key, and at the rate it’s going the gates will be closed again before a dent is even made.”
“Okay,” Correk replied. “And what is your suggestion?”
“Us,” she stated plainly. “You’re gonna need help finding them, and I’m the help. We can work together, the three of us, and get these artifacts faster. I don’t fall under anyone’s control or regulation and can get in and out of tight spots pretty well.”
“I ask again, what do you two get out of this?”
“The Professor gets a lot of artifacts to study, and I am doing something good. On top of that, I can get the Yakuza off my tail.”
Correk chuckled. “And piss off an entirely new group of dark magic beings.”
“Maybe,” Brittany replied. “But at least they won’t be using the artifacts against me. I have a nose for this and I have a scavenger heart, so I am positive that I will find these things ten times quicker and they will go into storage where there is no infiltration by the dark magic folks. We can’t say that about the Silver Griffins, or at least not anymore.”
The Professor nodded his agreement to everything that Brittany had said and Correk sat back in thought. In a way, she had a point. He was too busy to strictly hunt artifacts, and since the dark families and the Japanese mobsters had started coming out of the woodwork, the search had fallen by the wayside. Someone who could focus on just that might just be extremely useful. It seemed like they were running a tight ship with few people helping, and Correk knew they could use all the help they could get.
“Artifact hunting is a dangerous job,” Correk warned. “And working freelance means you don’t have backup at the tips of your fingers. You can’t just call me away from other jobs any time you want. I have a responsibility as the Fixer.”
“I can handle the danger, no problem, and I do better working alone.”
Correk stared as Brittany tilted her head and gave him a crooked smile, forcing questions into his mind. That smile was very familiar, but it didn’t make any sense to him. He shifted his attention to the professor and sighed, putting his hands on the table.
“So, what kind of alliance are you looking for?”
“Someone to keep an eye on things and an ear to the ground and be there to help when you can. Also, when you confiscate an artifact, bring it to Brittany or me instead of the Silver Griffins.”
As the Fixer Correk didn’t fall under anyone’s jurisdiction, but it had been an unspoken agreement between the Fixer and the Griffins to
play by each other’s rules. He had pushed the Griffins aside before, taking care of the riff-raff on his own, but he had never gone behind their backs like that. Correk tapped his fingers against the table, staring at his hands. He didn’t know what to do at that point, but the Professor and Brittany had valid points.
“The first part is easy. I have no problem being there to get this one out of sticky situations—”
“Hey!” She pouted.
“But the latter part of it, hiding this from the Griffins—I don’t think I can do that. We can work on getting the artifacts to you, but if I am asked the question, I can’t lie to them. I came here on royal orders, and technically am still here on those. I have to tread lightly in that area.”
The Professor nodded. “That seems fair. What do you think, Brittany? You’re the one going out there, not me. You have to be comfortable with the agreement as well.”
“As long as you don’t leave me high and dry I don’t have a problem with it.” Brittany stuck out her hand. “Shake on it?”
Correk chuckled and shook her hand. “As long as you don’t go pulling any crazy stunts I’m good. I don’t want to walk into a shit show and not be able to get myself out of it—or you, for that matter. We’ve lost a lot of good people over the last year, and I am trying not to add to that count.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. I got this. You are going to have to deal with my annoyance for a very long time, Light Elf.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” Correk stood and nodded at the professor. “I look forward to this, and I look forward to eventually seeing your vault.”
“Of course,” he assured Correk, smiling, and raised his beer. “I’m assuming Brittany knows how to get ahold of you?”
“Oh, yeah.” Correk chuckled. “But make it minimal if it’s not an emergency, please. I do have a life outside of being a Fixer.”
“I can’t promise anything,” Brittany teased. “You want me to walk you out?”
