by S. M. Boyce
Beautiful.
Luak would have the city sooner than he expected, which would impress his master to no end. Fairhaven was an important chess piece in a far larger game, and important in ways not even the king fully knew.
CHAPTER 12
Victoria woke to the first rays of the glowing crystal overhead as day slowly spread across Fairhaven. She squinted at the city below, shielding her eyes with her arm as they adjusted to the underground version of daylight. Light glinted off the metal in her arm, and her body tensed as she studied it.
This thing was the source of so much stress, so much trouble. It was the reason they couldn’t find another mentor, and yet it gave her powers. It set her apart. Her father had entrusted it to her, and she would never dream of letting him down.
Beside her, Audrey stirred. Her lifelong friend rubbed her eyes, groaning as the crystals’ light danced across her face. “Ugh, what time is it?”
Victoria laughed. “No idea. Think they use our method of telling time? It’s probably blorg o'clock or something.”
Audrey chuckled, rubbing her back. “Let's find somewhere else to sleep tonight, deal?”
“No kidding.” Victoria cracked her back, fingertips brushing the roof of the small cave as she stretched.
They stared at the city for a moment, Victoria taking it in as she debated her options. They had no allies, no direction, and no clue how this culture operated. They did have a handful of crystals, but she wasn't even sure what they were worth here.
Basically, Victoria had nothing.
The good news: her dad had often called this kind of situation Ground Zero, and Ground Zero had never fazed him.
The only way out is up, he would say. When you start at the bottom, pretty much any move is a good one.
Jaw tensing, she lifted her chin in defiance. She could handle this.
Victoria needed a mentor, plain and simple. Somewhere in the city, there was a person she could trust, someone who understood what was in her arm and how to control it. Even though they had banked on that person being Fyrn, this was a vast city filled with magical creatures and people who understood the power she now possessed.
It was of utmost importance that she find an ally. She needed someone to teach her how to control her new gifts.
Her back ached, a rippling pain going down her spine, and she debated for a moment about what was most important. Maybe they needed a place to sleep now, and the mentor could come second.
That was it: a steady source of food and a bed, then a mentor.
Easy-peasy.
She leaned against the entrance to the cave, crossing her arms as her mind wandered and her eyes slipped out of focus. Bertha had mentioned another great wizard, Diesel something. Though Shiloh had warned her that she couldn't trust anyone since her magic dagger-thing made her into someone worth killing, perhaps Diesel would be more open to discussion than Fyrn had been. Maybe he would be willing to help her.
It was a life-or-death risk, one she didn’t like taking. She wouldn’t choose right this moment. Before she trusted Diesel with her life, she wanted to meet him and see what he was like. In the meantime, she needed to practice and stay out of public as much as possible. She had already destroyed a bathroom sink, but her abilities would have greater consequences here. If someone saw her accidentally summon the sword or shield, it could get her killed on the spot.
It could get both her and Audrey killed.
She glanced over at her friend, who stretched her legs on the hard rock floor as she stared at the distant palace. Her eyes scanned something, likely getting a feel for where they were. Audrey had a gift for directions, remembering how to get to a place after only being there once. It was an ability Victoria truly did not understand, but one she was grateful to have on her side.
But she couldn't ask Audrey to live this life with her—it just wasn't fair. Audrey had a knack for entrepreneurship. Victoria already knew that someday, Audrey would be worth millions and own several nationwide chains or online businesses or something. She had several applications out to the nation’s top entrepreneurship programs, and Victoria couldn’t steal her away from that life.
“Audrey,” Victoria said, hesitating as she tried to figure out how to word this, “you don’t have to stay. You didn’t bargain for any of this. I would understand if—”
“I’m going to stop you there,” Audrey said, cutting off the speech with a wave of her hand.
Victoria scoffed and gestured at the city. “But look at this. We have no home, no mentor, no clue what the hell this thing in my arm is. Up there, you have a life. A family. A future. College. Ambition. What do you have here?”
Audrey’s smile faded. She grabbed Victoria’s shoulders and held them until her bestie made eye contact. “I have you.”
Victoria couldn’t help herself—she grinned. “I thought I was the gooey, optimistic one. When did you get all sentimental?”
“Shut up. Ass.” Audrey laughed and let go, using her palms to stretch her neck.
“But your parents—” Victoria’s eyes slipped out of focus, and the flickering joy she’d enjoyed since she came to Fairhaven disappeared.
“They’ll be fine.”
“I know, but they’ll worry if you don’t check in.” Victoria tugged her cell phone out of her pocket, which had zero bars and a dying battery.
“Hey, listen. Mine’s not dead yet, so I’ll switch it off to save battery. I’ll check in next time we hit the surface. They know I’m taking care of you, and I’ll tell them I’m going to travel the world with my rich, sad friend.”
Victoria laughed. “Just don’t tell them the full story.”
“No way. And hey, it’s not a huge lie.” Audrey gestured to the vast city below.
Victoria put her hands on her waist. “This won’t be easy. Do you trust me?”
“To the bitter, gruesome end.”
Victoria rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t have to be bitter.”
***
Victoria would need to buy them cloaks or something. They got way too much attention in their dirty jeans and tee shirts.
They walked through the streets to Bertha’s, where they knew they could at least get some food from someone they could trust not to rip them off. Once again, hundreds of eyes watched her every step. It was worse today, far worse. Everywhere she looked, someone was already looking at her. The sensation of eyes on the back of her neck made the hair on her body stand on end.
She fucking hated it.
Taking a moment to pause and catch her breath, Victoria peeked in the window of a nearby shop filled to the brim with dresses. Gold, red, and green fabric lined the walls, and a mannequin in the window display modeled an ornate gown fit for a queen’s coronation.
In the glass, Victoria caught her and Audrey’s reflections. With tousled hair and smudged day-old makeup, they looked like shit.
“We look like we’re doing the walk of shame,” she said with a chuckle.
Audrey snickered and gestured for Victoria to follow. “Come on, let’s get going. I need some food.”
When they finally reached Bertha's, she already stood outside with the crate of lumpy pink fruit in her hands. As they neared, the aroma of mangoes filled Victoria’s nose. Her stomach growled on cue.
Bertha smiled broadly as they approached and set the box on the dusty cobblestones. “How are my favorite customers?”
“Hungry!” Audrey said.
Victoria smiled warmly, surprised by how happy she was to see the ogre who just yesterday had called them ugly. “How's your morning, Bertha?”
“Same as ever, I suppose,” she said with a smile and a sigh. “I love being here, but I certainly wish I could keep my crates outside without them getting stolen. They’re cumbersome to carry.”
“Oh, well, we can help you with that,” Victoria said.
Audrey nodded. “What do you need done?”
“Oh, I couldn't trouble you—”
“Nonsense. Order us around,
” Victoria said with a grin.
Bertha laughed and gestured through the door toward several barrels and crates underneath the front window. “Very well, little ones. Here's what needs to go out.”
Victoria and Audrey carried the crates out one at a time, grunting a little with effort as they helped her set up the outside display.
“Yikes, these are heavy,” Victoria mumbled.
Audrey chuckled, but didn’t reply. “What's for breakfast, Bertha?”
The ogre nodded at a crate filled with what looked like orange bananas. “These are some of my favorites. I have a few candied in the fridge, and I’ll let you taste them. I like to put them on snarx eggs.”
“Snarx eggs! I love those.” Victoria laughed, unable to bite back her sarcasm. This place was almost too much to take in.
Audrey rolled her eyes. “Smartass. Bertha, what the hell is a snarx?”
“Nasty creatures, snarxes. They look like basilisks or giant snakes, but they have a hundred stubby little legs like a centipede. Though the eggs are only the size of my head, a baby is ten times your size once it hatches, little one.”
Victoria shuddered. “Yikes. Do any live here?”
“Haven't heard of one in a decade, but don't go into the lower tunnels. You never know what you'll find in the Fairhaven sewers.”
Noted.
Audrey lifted the last crate. “They're huge, huh? What do they eat? Moss and stuff?”
“Trolls and pixies, mostly. They love little critters.”
“Trolls are little?” Victoria quirked an eyebrow.
“About five inches tall, yes. Annoying little pests. But you watch out for those snarxes, do you hear me? Steer clear. One of those will gobble you right up if you stumble across it. Teeth like daggers.”
“Ick,” Victoria and Audrey said together, shuddering in unison.
“That’s the last of the crates,” Bertha said, clapping her hands. She waved to a lumbering creature as he came out of the store next door. His round face and protruding snout reminded Victoria of a pig. He was one of the tall, armored-plated and barrel-chested beings Victoria had seen yesterday, though admittedly a bit fatter than those she had seen wearing armor. He wore nothing but a stained white apron and the blue skin he had presumably been born with. Thankfully the apron covered anything Victoria didn’t want to see, until he bent over and picked up a box by his shop door, exposing his bare ass to all the world. Victoria cringed, looking away.
“Rory, watch my stall, will you?” Bertha asked.
Rory grunted, lifting his hand in a lazy wave.
Bertha led the way inside, toward the kitchen in the back. “The least I can do is make you breakfast. Is that all you needed?”
“That and your charming company,” Audrey said with a wink.
Bertha chuckled, a deep rumble that filled the shop. “I think you’ll like these eggs. For something so vicious, they taste great.”
Victoria collapsed into a chair at the now-familiar table, a plate filled with bread rolls in the middle. She wriggled in her chair as she got comfortable, her back still aching from last night. “We could also use a place to stay. Do you know of any good inns?”
Bertha did a double take, eyes roaming Victoria. “Where did you sleep last night?”
“One of the caves in the cliff face.”
Bertha smacked her fist against the counter and shouted something in a language Victoria didn’t understand, but she knew the tone full well—cursing. The great, big ogre slapped both palms flat on the table and stared at Victoria, brows furrowed in anger. “Are you trying to get killed?”
“What? Why, are the caves bad?”
“Bad? Bad? Child, do you know what lives in there?”
“Take a wild guess, Bertha.” Audrey grabbed a roll from the center of the table and shoved it in her mouth.
“Bandits! Thieves! The pickpockets who steal in our streets! Not to mention the nasty beasts that prefer the deeper caves. Never go in those again, do you hear me?”
Victoria quirked an eyebrow, mind racing. If few ventured there, maybe they could find a cave with no thieves or bandits in it so she could practice controlling her new magic. After all, she would need isolation to learn to wield the thing in her arm.
Bertha yanked open a silver cabinet, and a huff of cold air leaked into the room. She plucked a bowl from within and viciously stirred it with a spoon from the counter. “You humans, honestly! So reckless.”
“Where can we stay? We have a bit of cash, so we can pay,” Audrey said.
“Cash?” Bertha looked over her bumpy shoulder.
“Money,” Victoria said.
Bertha stared at her blankly.
Victoria reached for Audrey’s pack, pulling out a few of the crystals from the drawstring pouch her parents left her. She spread her palm, showing Bertha. “These.”
“Ah, denni. Our currency is called ‘denni.’ And never you mind, girls. If you help me out in the mornings, I’ll make up my spare room for you. It’ll keep you out of those caves.” She clicked her tongue, shaking her giant head.
“Oh, Bertha, thank you!” Victoria smiled and wrapped her arms around the ogre’s waist. They didn’t fit all the way around.
The shopkeeper patted Victoria on the head. “Of course. I’ll have a friend of mine make you some clothes as well. Those human rags won’t suit you here. Now, eat up. You two are pitifully thin. I can’t do much to fix your strange little faces, but I can at least fill out those figures.”
***
A few hours later Victoria carried a basket of apples out back, wearing a fresh outfit that reminded her of steampunk cosplay. Between the boots and the corset over her white blouse, she loved it. At least Fairhaven had decent fashion. She carried a basket of apples on her hip and rifled through them in search of a ripe one. She couldn’t always recognize the strange and magnificent fruits, vegetables, and meats that Bertha prepared, but at least these were familiar. They were also, unfortunately, unfit for consumption according to Bertha. These were set aside as feed for the local farm animals, but Victoria snuck a bite anyway.
As the sweet juice of the bright red apple filled her mouth, she surveyed Bertha’s yard. There wasn't much to it: a large shed with a lock on it, a small space paved with bricks, and a wooden fence that blocked most of the view beyond. She could only see the roofs on the second or third stories of the nearby houses, and of course the crystals glowing far overhead.
She still expected to wake up at any moment, to shake herself and realize that none of this could be happening. And yet, with every passing second she fell more in love with the crazy city filled with people who kept calling her ugly.
Something hissed. Body tensing, eyes darting over the yard, Victoria tried to find the source. In the corner, a strange cat-like creature with pink fur and two sets of ears pawed at the dirt. Its fluffy tail curved like a snake, drifting back and forth. Victoria set her basket down and peeked over the cat’s shoulder, only to find a small person with wings waving his hands and squeaking unintelligibly.
The cat lifted its paw to strike, but Victoria smacked it on the butt. It screeched, jumping in the air and spinning to face her. It hissed, forked tongue darting through its razor-sharp teeth and hackles raised as it tensed to attack. She yelped in surprise at the hideous-looking creature. It pounced. Surprised, she lifted her hands to catch it, but a shield appeared instead. The cat landed hard against the metal with a loud clang that echoed around them. The shield disappeared as quickly as it had come, and the cat-like monstrosity stumbled across the yard, eyes crossed. After a few seconds of stumbling, it shook its head and ran off, shooting her a nasty glare before it jumped over the fence.
Victoria scanned the nearby houses, but no one watched her. She had gotten lucky, but her luck might not hold. She would need to be more careful.
The little creature the cat had attacked whimpered. Victoria knelt, stretching her hand toward the little guy who cowered on the dusty brick, his back pressed against
the wooden fence. He wore a brown tunic with a tiny rope drawstring, thin metal cogs fused with his delicate wings. He watched her through gaps in his fingers, trembling.
“It's okay, you tiny thing,” she said softly.
He stopped trembling and stood a little straighter, hands pressed against the wooden fence for support as he examined her. His gossamer wings reminded Victoria of the fairies and pixies in the stories her mother used to read to her when she was a child. But this little pixie had clockwork pieces that clicked in a circle embedded in his shoulder, and another in the middle of his chest. One of his arms ended in a metal claw. He flitted upward, his wings humming as they beat the air, and he flew close to her face. He squeaked, his voice high-pitched and unintelligible, and hugged her nose.
