"Hey, miss. Saying hi, testing the waters is all. A man can't be too cautious now that all the weird things are coming back. You might be a mermaid," he joked. He had no idea how accurate his statement actually was.
The blonde leaned her head back, exposing full sun-soaked breasts that dripped with delicate drops of seawater. She looked to him with bright eyes that danced between blue and green. The man thought of the ocean, almost as if he had no other comparison to make.
"A wise man tests all waters before jumping in. I won't be here long. You should go enjoy another drink with your friends. I'm not a very friendly lady. I think you'll find these waters unwelcoming." Her voice was husky and her intonation off. It was almost as if she didn’t interact much with men. Or women.
"I see, well, before I leave you, may I at least get your name? So as to save some pride?" The man asked, defeated.
"My family calls me Fyelrath. Now go. Thank you."
The man walked away from the odd woman, shrugging at his friends. It was a valiant effort.
"You should be nicer to the humans," a small crab said to Fyelrath from a few feet away.
Now what is this? A speaking crab? What has Tesser been up to all this time he's been gone? "I keep my own counsel, crustacean. And how is it you've learned to speak? All my time in the ocean and you're the first crab with a burning desire for conversation in English?"
"I use what I can to speak now. My sister, it is I, Kaula."
By the tides, it is. Fyelrath sat up, luring out a bunch of open-mouthed stares from the bar junkies behind her. "Kaula, you've returned. How delightful."
"I cannot speak for long. You need to head to Tesser. He will need your help soon. Very soon."
"I will find out where he is," Fyelrath said to the tiny crab. The crustacean stopped for a moment, clicked its claws twice, and then shimmied sideways towards the white foam of the ocean's edge. Kaula's magic was gone. Fyelrath got to her feet and walked abruptly towards the men still staring at the bar. Her nakedness stood out even more robustly.
"I'm looking for a dragon. I know he's been on your news. Where is he?"
The same man who approached her mere minutes ago replied. The liquor he'd downed was hitting him hard now. "A dragon eh? Tesser, America's flying cunt. Crocodile with wings that one is. He was in Washington on the news a week ago. But I hear he's back in Boston. Starting a new tea party."
Why would he be so disrespectful? "Tesser is a dragon. A noble creature tasked with incredible responsibility. Were it not for him, you'd be nothing. More respect would be advisable."
"He's had nothing to say about my life, mermaid. Back into the ocean with you. Go find your Tesser."
"And so I shall," Fyelrath said with a whimsical smile. She turned and ran hard and fast toward the surf, and at the last moment she let free and shifted into the form she loved most. Fyelrath became a blue-green dragon, more like a sea serpent than the flying creatures Tesser and Kiarohn were. Her long body and shorter legs coiled powerfully and launched off of the white African sands and high in the air before she dove into the water, thirty feet offshore. Her long back slithered side to side in the waves as she swam out deep into the ocean, eventually slipping under the surface.
The men at the bar hesitated for a few seconds, and then one in all downed their drinks, and headed inland. The need to be on the beach had been drained away.
*****
Zeud, the red dragon, sat atop a cliff that overlooked the Aegean. She was wandering today, far from the area of the world that her family had decided was hers. I hate Asia. I hate the word, I hate all the damn islands, and there's far too much water for my taste. Why couldn't Fyelrath be assigned Asia? I wanted Europe. Far more rocks, and, cities. I would so love to set fire to one of their ancient forests as well. Perhaps the one that the seven stones are in. I wonder if they would burn under my breath now?
Through her dinner-plate-sized nostril, Zeud snorted out a javelin of flame into the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean. Steam erupted upwards where it hit. Zeud smiled. It thrills me to be this visible now. Ever since Tesser returned and went public, he's given us permission again to be revealed to his progeny. It has saddened me to watch their growth from the shadows without his tutelage. But now…
At the edge of her vision on the sea's horizon, she saw the white shape of a cruise ship come into view. There was no way they could see her from that distance, but she could see them clearly. Dragon eyesight was some of the world's finest. Zeud stretched her wings wide, allowing the cool sea breeze to buffet her wings fully and nearly give her loft. It made no sense according to man's science that a dragon could achieve flight. They were too heavy, their wings too small to gain enough lift.
But man's science didn't account for the magic inherent in the dragons. That made Zeud smile. They think they know everything, but my brother has shown them different.
"That he has," a soft voice whispered on the breeze. "Our existence requires you to find Tesser. You must move quickly."
Zeud leapt from her perch on the stones and soared over the water. She crossed the ocean impossibly fast, delighted at the sound of her sister's voice. She flew up to and over the cruise ship. "Kaula, my dear, I'm already headed. You’ve been gone so long. I miss you."
"I miss you as well. I wish I could speak more. I will see you soon."
Zeud's heart soared as she flapped her wings. She set free a rapid-fire burst of flames from her mouth. They exploded like comets against the sea's surface. She smiled like she hadn’t smiled in a long time.
*****
Ambryn was in dragon form below the city of Paris. The ancient catacombs below the city served as a quiet lair for him, and he appreciated the food above. He also felt better when he was able to chase down the teeming masses of rats under the city. Bringing balance to life was his duty, and when he rested under the city, it was satisfying to burn away legions of the little rodents.
Ambryn's pitch-black body was reduced in size to move through the tunnels. He was not much larger than a good-sized horse at the moment, albeit one with a long tail, neck, and bat-like wings. Ambryn slinked along in a tunnel almost a hundred yards below the streets above, hunting a particularly voracious army of rats.
Come here, little ones. There are a few too many of you. We just need to restore the balance for a bit. Don't make me cough up a virulent plague that will wipe you all out, because I will…
"Hunting rats now, Ambryn?" A hollow voice carrying on the wind in the ancient tunnels said to him.
Ambryn stopped his stalking and chuckled. "Kaula? Gone for a time and now returned. What say you?" Ambryn abandoned his hunt, sitting and listening for the faint voice of his sister.
"I have great need for you. Find Tesser. He will lead you to where I need you."
"As you wish, my sister. Might I ask what I'm required for?"
The air suddenly became stale in the tunnel, matching Kaula's thoughts on his answer. "Grave tasks, brother."
The dragon of death looked around at the piles of rat feces and exhaled in a frustrated way. Ambryn spat out a small glob of pestilent saliva on the dirty floor. The rats would test the flavor of his spit and die, and that made Ambryn happy. What his sister might need of the dragon of death did not make him happy.
Chapter Forty-Five
Tesser
Tesser sat at Mr. Doyle's dining room table. It was just after their dinner and all gathered were drinking tea or coffee. He wore a tee shirt that had arrived in the mail a few days prior. A gift. It had a logo for the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons on it. Tesser found it amusing. The government had been forced to bring in a team of special postal workers to sift through all the mail being sent to Mr. Doyle's home.
Currently, there were over a thousand letters and packages arriving each day from all around the world. Shirts, gifts, endorsement deals, inquiries to learn magic, scientific studies, and marriage proposals were the most common. A few letters containing potentially dangerous substances h
ad come too, but they'd done no harm.
Mr. Doyle, Abe, and Alexis sat around the table. The dining room window was open so Ellen outside could hear. She had somehow managed to relocate her face to a lower portion of her tree trunk and was actively watching and listening on their conversation. Alexis was staring at Tesser, still fighting the idea that he was actually the dragon he was, trying to find an errant scale or claw that might reveal Tesser's true nature. Tesser looked over to her and she blushed.
"Sorry. I'm just still struggling to get accustomed to all of what's happened. It doesn't seem possible. I don't mean to stare," Alexis said.
I know. "It's okay, Alexis. If you have questions, go ahead and ask."
Having been given permission, Alexis started to speak, but Mr. Doyle cut her off. "Tesser, I'd say that your performance was brilliant, though there are still a good many people out there who don't understand yet. You'll need to do many more public showings of proper behavior to convince everyone."
Tesser shook his head. "I don't want to make that a priority, Mr. Doyle. We need to find Matty, and we need to find Legion. If we don’t stop the Veil-Born it won't matter if people like me or not."
Abe chuckled. "Tesser, as you made it out to be, this fucking guy lives in a hundred bodies or more all at once. Like a hive mind. How the fuck are we going to find him and kill him?"
Tesser agreed. "It'll be difficult. But if I can just get the scent of one of his bodies… I can track him down. It was foolish of me to kill all of them that night."
"And to be clear, you've gone on record and said that the only way to kill this Legion daemon thing is to destroy ALL of his bodies, at the same time? Isn't that like saying the only way to kill an ant colony is to kill each and every fucking ant? Isn't there a Queen Legion we can kill? A brain Legion?" Abe asked.
"There is an executioner's stroke that can be done. But it could be as much of a challenge as attempting to exterminate all of Legion's bodies."
"How would one perform this 'executioner's stroke?'" Mr. Doyle asked.
"No daemon may cross the Veil without being beckoned first from this side for a specific reason," Tesser said. "They must be summoned intentionally and willfully. That desire to have them here serves as an anchor. The more substantial the desire, the more power the daemon can exercise on this side."
Abe wrinkled his nose. "This side?"
"Creation. This plane of existence," Ellen added through the open window softly.
"Our reality. Our dimension. Existence. Whatever you wish to call it. For Legion to able to manifest so many bodies here and to be so established as to have vehicles, armor, and guns, it means he's strongly fettered to this world now. Bound. Contracted."
"Contracted?" Mr. Doyle asked, already knowing the answer.
"A written contract. Some form of physical document. Often done in blood or feces, most effectively on stone. Tens of thousands of years ago when humans were only barely taking their first steps with me my kind fought against the daemons periodically. The humans would trade something to the daemons for a service. To control the daemon and to give it more power, they would document the task at hand. Some of the ancient cave paintings your scientists are finding are actually daemonic contracts. Help my tribe hunt mammoths. Teach us how to make beer."
"No shit. So what's the killing blow?" Abe asked. "Destroy the contract?"
"No. Once written, the idea of the contract survives its destruction. It did exist; therefore, it still has some validity. It will weaken the daemon certainly, which is something still worth trying for. The true killing stroke is to remove the person with the desire. If we can find and remove the person who holds the other end of Legion's contract, then Legion becomes unfettered and must return across the Veil until able to return, and beckoned again. And I assure you, if I send him back across the Veil, it will be a good long time before he's able to return."
"So how do we find this person?" Alexis asked.
Tesser stood up and went to the window of the Beacon Street home. He and Ellen exchanged pained glances. They knew the stakes of the state of events at hand. The government cordon remained strong outside. Metal fencing blocked the street and heavily armed guards kept watch. Half kept their eyes pointed towards the home that Tesser stood in. They say it is for our protection, but I wonder what the real goal is? Here they hope to keep me contained, observed. They sleep better at night thinking that they have some control over me. They think asking me to stay here means they are safe. The path of every human civilization seems to be the same. They wish to control what they fear.
Headlights came onto the early evening street heading their way. The lights emanated from a large, dark-colored SUV, very similar to the one Legion arrived in. Tesser saw the plate and recognized it as belonging to the government. The men at the fencing spoke to the driver and front seat passenger, and after some credential checks, the gate was moved aside. The vehicle drove up to Mr. Doyle's home. A second SUV parked behind it and all eight doors opened. Men with suits got out. Tesser recognized one of them.
That's Sergeant Spooner. He looks good. Hurt still, but good.
Tesser turned and talked to his gathered friends, "Everyone prepare for company. I think we are to be visited shortly by Uncle Sam."
Mr. Doyle got up and looked out the window. "Yes. Those men are with the FBI, I believe. Perhaps the NSA."
"Spooks? Fuck. I have some real crazy shit on my laptop guys. They might be here for me," Abe said half-jokingly.
Alexis slapped him on the arm. "Freak."
"Half of it is there because you put it there. Who's the freak now?" Abe said bluntly. Alexis turned an even brighter shade of red.
The men made their way to the door of Mr. Doyle's home and knocked. The British sorcerer was waiting for them. He pulled the door inward on the second knock. The last time I saw that door open a daemon was on the other side. Ironic that a government agent stands there now?
"Good day, gentlemen," Mr. Doyle said. "What brings you to the Back Bay this evening?"
"Mr. Doyle, I'm Director Roger Fisher. I work with a department in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We were wondering if we could have a few hours of your time?" Director Fisher was average in height and wore a blue suit. His hair was dark brown with flecks of gray, and was slicked to the side in a style that seemed more fitting for the 50's. He had wrinkles at the edges of his eyes that gave away some of his age.
"A few hours, Director? Don't you people normally say 'a few moments?' Being upfront more than usual tonight?"
The Director smiled a real and good smile. I like him. He has sincerity. "Mr. Doyle, this is a new day. Things have changed. I don't want to waste your time any more than I have to, but we do have some interesting things to go over with you and these folks who are staying with you. Tesser most of all, as you might imagine."
Tesser was in full view of the Director and stood with his arms crossed. Mr. Doyle turned back to the dragon and with a nod of his head, Tesser granted permission for the audience.
"Come in, gentlemen. But be warned. I've prepared wards against treachery. Should you attempt to mislead us in any way, you'll find yourself paying a price for it."
The Director looked at Mr. Doyle like he thought the sorcerer was kidding, but when the Brit didn't flinch or smile, the Fed simply nodded and came in. On his heels was a cane-wielding, suit-wearing Spooner.
Tesser grinned and walked up to greet the injured cop. "Sergeant. I thank you for all you've done. I am in your debt." Tesser stuck his hand out to shake Spoon's.
The limping cop took Tesser's hand and shook it firmly. "It's not Sergeant anymore. I left the force. I'm with the Bureau now. Well, sort of. I don't know what we're calling it yet. I'm federal. For how long is up to you, they tell me."
"Up to me, eh? That makes me feel like I have them by the short hairs."
Spoon chuckled as more suit-wearing feds poured in. "You have the world by the short hairs, my friend. I need to go beat up some assholes in an al
ley too. Apparently it pans out for you."
"I don't know if all of this could be considered 'panning out.' There have been repercussions since I came to beneath this city. People have suffered. People are suffering."
Spoon nodded. "I'm here to help you do something about that."
"I'm listening."
Chapter Forty-Six
Matty
"You will be a mother soon," Kaula said softly, stroking Matty's hair. Matty had her head in Kaula's lap. The two were on a bed of soft green grass in a meadow. It was night in the dream world they shared and the air was still warm. It felt like a perfect summer evening.
God that feels good. "How long? I feel like I just found out."
"Many months still. You need to get fat with the baby first. That time will pass fast, so long as everything falls into place," the amethyst-haired woman said. A warm breeze came through, rustling their hair.
I suppose she's right. "What things need to fall into place?"
"I've summoned my brothers and sisters. They will be arriving soon. After this, I'll use what's left of my magic to summon Tesser. I've almost none left. But we were fortunate. Something very useful has managed to fall into our laps. It has spared me enough energy to have this last conversation with you. I'm very thankful."
"Is Tesser coming to rescue me? I mean, rescue us?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes, to both of your questions. But I need some help from you for all these things to happen, Matilde. I've an important question."
I hope I can manage the answer. "What is it?"
"I'll be sending for Tesser soon, but I've no way to tell him where to go to find us. Is there someone I can tell him to seek out to find where we are? Someone we can trust?"
Well, the only person who might know is Alexis. "I assume we're at the Amethyst building. They drugged me before I got here. If not, then I think sending them to that place would be the best place to start. Tesser might have to face Mr. Host, or Alec, but worse things have happened. I think Tesser can handle himself," she said optimistically.
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