by Jae Vogel
What right did we have to suck the life-force out of the Material Plane, like some vampiric parasite, desperate to maintain whatever half life had brought us to that position in the first place.
A shade grew over my disposition, and just like that, the depression was back.
“What are you so concerned about?”
The question caught off guard.
We had only been in the car for twenty minutes or so. He didn’t have that much time to get over whatever imagined chaos he had suffered at my hands back at his client’s house. I turned to him, my eyes still sour.
“Some of your inborn sensitivities coming out?”
I didn’t have to be so callous, but I had enough excuses to where it didn’t really matter.
“Just worry about making sure we get some food, and we’ll talk about the rest later.”
He nodded, and we continued down the forested highway.
“Look, I’m not sure how you did that back there, but if you’re really not trying to fuck me over then I owe you a bit of thanks. This place ought to do it.”
He turned off the right hand side of the road into a small cleared inlet, surrounded by trees.
’Heaven and Hearth’ said the sign above the building. It was broad daylight, so there wasn’t much spectacular about the building. In fact, compared to the rest of the forest surrounding it, the building itself was kind of an eyesore. The driveway to the building was nothing more than a dirt lot, worn down by excessive abuse by tires.
“I came here once a long time ago by myself — it was actually the night that I moved to this town. I always thought it would be nice to go here with someone else. I think you’ll like it. They have a lot of good food, but it’s all pretty high quality stuff.
The two of us got out of the car, and I looked grimly at the building. It wasn't that the building itself was problematic, it was the way my mood soured everything else I was experiencing. The passion was gone, and I didn't seem to have a way fo getting things back on track.
Erol led me into the building, and as soon as I entered, the first thing I noticed was the sound of stringed instruments playing in the background. The whole place was empty, but for some reason, there was an overwhelming glut of food everywhere.
There were cakes on the widow seals, and bowls of fruit on the tables. I remember seeing pitchers of water and juice everywhere, and then smelling some type of barbecued animal coming out from the kitchens in the back.
My senses were completely overwhelmed with decadence. The only way it would have been more incredible is if the cakes themselves had been served on Thane's naked body.
Gods, I thought to myself. I need to hurry up and get home. It's pretty obvious that I'm getting bored with this place. I've grown reckless here, and this new form is not helping my emotions whatsoever.
"Welcome to Heaven and Hearth. How can I help you?"
"Do you still have seating by the Hearth in the back?"
The woman smiled and nodded in our direction.
"Great, we'll go back there."
"Right this way."
We were lead through the rows of kitschy booths into a back patio area with rustic wooden furniture. There was an overhead canopy, so if it rained, the whole area wouldn't get soaked, and in the middle of the patio, there was a fire. The Hearth, as it was, was probably the most impressive component of the restaurant.
I felt like I was in a blacksmiths shop while they fired weapons of war. The fire was incredible, and all contained within a series of cob walls that held the flames at bay.
"They use the fire for roasting pigs, and making their oven fired breads. I remember the last time I was here, it really felt like a blast into the renaissance era or something."
The waitress just smiled, and the two of us took a seat at a comfortable distance from the hearth. Had it been nighttime, and a bit colder, the fire might have been more revitalizing. As it was, I felt more of a strange oppressive heat coming off from the flames. In spite of the lack of comfort, I couldn't quite take my eyes from off the center of the fire.
The waitress disappeared for a moment, and then came back shortly with a pitcher of ice water and several trays of frozen deserts.
"You're kidding, right?"
She simply smiled, and sat the tray on the table. I picked up a frozen banana, and put it to my lips. The feeling was soothing and refreshing compared to the heat of the day. My mind went blank as I sucked and nibbled on the tip of the fruit.
This isn't so bad after all...
The thought was in my head for only a moment, before I had to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Meanwhile Erol was busily sucking a strawberry, while daintily holding it between thumb and index finger.
"You've only been here once?"
"Yep. Just that one time."
He smiled and waved his hand around the table.
"No reason to treat myself to this level of pleasure on a regular basis. "
Just then, something drew his attention to his pocket. He pulled out a small phone, and opened it up while tossing the remainder of the strawberry in his mouth. I turned away from him once more to give my attention to the fire, and then to the woods beyond.
"Well, lunch has been taken care of."
I squinted at him like the sound of his voice was an interruption to some deep, private thought.
He shut the phone, and smiled at me, totally at ease with himself.
"That was Rita. Well, actually, that was the bank, but she made a deposit into my account just now."
I couldn't give a shit, but I gave him a response regardless.
"Good news."
"Yea, she usually takes forever to pay, but after this, I won't have to work again for some time. That means I'll have tons of time to devote to personal projects. Pretty neat."
He flagged down the waitress, and asked her to bring some smoked salmon and tonic water.
"Fancy."
"Things are really looking up I guess. You never know when something is going to just fall into your lap like that. Thanks a lot for the help."
"Don't trouble yourself."
"I'd love to share the cut with you. After all, you were the one that did all of the hard work. If you wanted to talk about splitting responsibilities in the future, I mean I guess we could talk about being partners."
"Erol..."
"I'm sorry,” he continued, “for giving you such a hard time earlier. Who am I to question your methods? As long as nobody gets hurt, and my clients are satisfied, then I don't see much of a reason to--"
"Erol."
"What?"
"There's something in the fire."
I could feel his attention change immediately.
The air was definitely getting warmer by the second, though chills ran down the center of my spine. My pupils dilated, and my body grew tense.
Just then, I saw the telltale sign of faerie magic drifting through the flames of the hearth. The sign was small, and could have been missed by anyone who wasn't intimately familiar with their meaning.
Without wasting another moment, I stood up so quickly the table flipped in front of us. While the table was in mid air, I grabbed Erol and dove backward on the ground behind us. As we fell, the table burst into flames, the waitress screamed and our drinks fell to the ground.
Still grabbing ahold of Erol's collar, I twisted him in my direction and stared straight into his eyes.
"Stay out of my fucking way."
Chapter 10
Before I could say anything more, and before Erol could respond, another blast of energy cracked the table into pieces, leaving us exposed and on the ground.
I rose up and took a knee in front of Erol.
Flaming bolts of energy shot past my face and around my person. Magic had begun to emanate out from within me. All I could hope for was that I might be able to provide the two of us with enough passive defense so I could figure out who it was that was attacking us. For a person to take a stand and attack two targets in br
oad daylight meant that they didn't care who saw, and they were not planning on leaving any witnesses.
I really feel like we might have fallen then and there, had it not been for the mandatory safety installations that the county had required the restaurant install prior to providing operation permits.
A thick haze sprayed out from hidden dispersal points within the cob structuring of the hearth. Within moments, the fire was smothered, and the whole area was covered in a thin white layer of chemical flame retardant. I stood up, my body still pushing the chemicals away from its surface. The reasonable thing to do would have been to wait, and maintain some sense of composure, Draw the attacker out, and then engage on my own terms.
The only problem with that approach was that while I may be able to defend myself, Erol here was as defenseless and trapped as he had likely been in his entire life. Knowing that now was one of the few moments I would have when the environment itself dictated the favor of the battle in my direction, I took action.
My movement into the cloud was incisive and acrobatic. For a moment, I felt the thrill of being in battle once more. The way that my mind executed mastery over my body was addictive. I had already plotted out the most likely trajectory between the fire pit and Erol's position. My body was in place quickly enough, allowing me to meet the attacker head on.
For my bravado, I was rewarded with a glancing knife blow to my upper thigh. The cut stung, but I was in motion, and the damage was more superficial than not. As soon as I made contact, I positioned myself as closely to the attacker as possible. I wanted to be inside of the range of any blade, and more persistent in my attack than any magical assault. The aggressive nature of my attack was necessary in my mind, in order to determine just how bad the odds were for us getting out alive.
Landing on the balls of my feet, I bounced, and drove my injured thigh upward to catch the assailant between the legs. The attack was deflected with a downward strike. I felt the hilt of the weapon clang against my kneecap, and gritted my teeth through the pain. Through the fire in my nerves, I forced my elbow downward, meeting the arm that held the blade head on. The blow was solid, and though I felt the searing heat of yet another cut, the strength holding the knife had been compromised.
Another sequence of hits followed as my shoulder connected with a nose, and my free hand worked around the back for a low end kidney punch. The sound of the dagger falling to the floor gave me strength, so I jumped into the air for an aerial attack.
The attacker dove forward at the same exact moment, and the crotch of my leg wrapped around the neck of the assailant. My weight fell down upon their back squarely, and the two of us collapsed onto the ground below. Immediately on landing, I allowed my instincts to push me forward. A simple twist of my torso thrust my weight down toward one side of the attacker. My thigh and knee retained their tight hold on the neck of the fighter. As I fell, the satisfying crack of my enemy's neck reverberated through my legs.
I stood up once more, as the dust from the fire extinguisher finally cleared.
"Oh my God!"
I ignored the sound of Erol's vomiting in the background, as well as the cries of the waitress from inside of the building. The tree line was my primary concern, and where we stood, we were completely vulnerable to attack. A glance behind me showed me where Erol was sick on the ground, as well as a nearby table that he was unsuccessfully trying to hide under.
With a quick move, I kicked the legs of the table inward, causing the table to fall at a diagonal to the ground. With Erol protected, I took an immediate dive toward the central hearth. At that moment, the best coverage I could find was behind the protection of the cob walls which surrounded the extinguished flames.
Even as I dove, arrows sank into the ground behind me. The same volley had peppered the table where Erol was hid. The arrows were coming from the right hand side of the woods. There had been about eight total. A skilled Fae archer could use a multiplication spell on the arrows in flight, but that did not mean that the they could achieve a spread of multiple targets. A quick evaluation of circumstance, led me to believe that there were at least two more attackers hidden within the woods. I glanced down at the fallen assailant, and immediately cursed.
Gods be Damned!
None of this made any sense, and it most definitely didn't bode well for things to come. The entire experience here was an awful reoccurring flashback to my time as an active service member. The problem here was that for reasons unknown to myself, I was no longer fighting with the same allies as before. In the past, our side had fought for freedom from oppression. The Wild Fae had decided to help in their own way, and had then retreated back into obscurity.
Looking down at the body of the fallen, I recognized the Crest of the Wilderness.
The fallen attacker had been a Wild Fae Assassin.
Now that I knew the identity of those who were attacking us, my job was supposedly easier. I could likely deduce the methods of attack, set up responses, and with a bit of luck, I could win the battle. The unfortunate reality of the situation was that now that I knew whom I had killed, I actually felt sickened.
The Wild Fae had been some of my strongest role models throughout the course of the War. I admired their skill and ethical philosophy. I even found myself longing for the aesthetic of their homes after going back to the Capitol.
The Capitol itself was stale, and grotesquely artificial in my own mind. There was a certain vivacity to the Wild Fae that I felt the rest of the populace missed out on in their return to the Capitol.
In all likelihood, if I examined the body of the assassin closer, I would undoubtedly recognize who they were. I would have trained with them, and eaten smoked rabbit over a small campfire with them. No doubt it was the same for the archers hidden in the wood. .
With tears welling up in my eyes, I reached my hand into the fire pit. My hand clasped around an ember the size of an apple, and I pulled it out from the ashes.
Ignoring the searing pain on my fingertips, I cast a spell on the embers, and threw it as far across the field of battle as possible.
I didn't throw the ember at the archers, but in a line perpendicular to their position. As the ember soared through the air, a wall of flame spilled out from inside of the coals, and connected with the grasses below. The flames would not last for more than a minute, because the ember itself had not contained that much potential for heat.
A minute was all that I needed.
"Erol, get up! We're leaving!"
He was unresponsive so I slapped him across the face and grabbed ahold of his collar. While staring into his eyes and willing him to be present with me, I fished the keys to the truck out of his pocket.
"Follow, or die."
The words were spoken with a grit in my teeth. I had no interest in having him die, but I absolutely was not going to kill any more Wild Fae in the name of Thane's pet mission.
Something about this whole situation had gotten incredibly fucked up, and I needed space in order to figure things out.
I left at a run, opting to go around the side of the restaurant, rather than through it. The wall of magical flame provided cover, both visually, and by incinerating the shafts of the arrows as they passed through the blaze. Even as we passed along the side of the building, the deadly arrowheads buried themselves into the wooden siding of the restaurant. However, the shots were all based off of an estimate of where we might be, as opposed to a straight on, vulnerable kill shot.
We were lucky, and I had no desire to press that luck any further.
The car was unlocked, and the keys were in the ignition before the firewall had been extinguished. To his credit, Erol didn't make any sort of bother about my driving his truck. I knew the police would be en route, but we were far enough away from the city to where I didn't think it would be too much of a problem. I put the car in gear, and we accelerated through the dirt lot and onto the highway once more.
As a matter of course, I knew the battle had to be over.
There was no reason that the Wilder Fae would leave their fallen on the Material Plane, regardless of their reasons for staging the attack. Among everything else that they stood for, honor to the fallen would be respected if nothing else. The way that the humans dealt with their corpses on the Material Plane was a process of chemical preservation and, dissection, autopsy and cosmetic beautification.
The process made me sick just to think about, and I didn't have half of the sensibilities of the Wilder Fae. There was no way in the Hells that they would tolerate that level of barbarism, enacted toward one of their fallen.
For the moment, we were safe once more.
As we passed, the one-mile mark away from the cafe, a police car approached, siren's wailing in the distance. I pulled respectfully over to the side of the highway and slowed in order to make room for the car. While pulled over, I cast a glamour spell on the two of us. For convenience sake, I transformed myself into Rita's Daughter, and Erol into her boyfriend. I had seen both of them naked within the last few hours, and it was easiest to bring their images to mind.
The cop car sped past with only a slight slow and glare in our direction. I smiled in response, and the cop continued on his way to the restaurant.
As soon as the threat was passed, I dismissed the spell. The implications of spending any more time in that young woman's skin than necessary was completely and totally undesirable to me. Not to mention that Erol, in spite of himself, was more attractive in his natural form than that young stud Rita's daughter had been wrapped around. At least Erol had a brain. He would have figured out where the ring was, sooner or later.
We just didn't have time for deductive reason.
I looked over to catch a glimpse of him, and to his credit, he was doing better now that we were on the road, and the coast was clear. He was still a bit visibly shaken up, but I didn't blame him too much.
"First time you've seen somebody killed?"
He nodded and looked out the side of the car.
I recognized this pattern of behavior from myself during basic training. The idea that you can take a life in the moment of battle is very different from actually taking the action. When someone does that on your behalf, you're often caught between an overwhelming sense of gratitude, and a total repulsion at the character of the person who has undoubtedly been labeled a killer in your own mind.
