Other Places 1: Shortcuts

by P. S. Power

  "So, you have something you want from me?" It didn't sound mean, he didn't think, but a little flat, as if it were an imposition.

  "I... Shouldn't presume to inquire..."

  "But you're going to anyway, when you work up to it, so might as well do it now, right?"

  There was a long moment of absolute silence, and the tiny woman's face went red and looked ashamed. Finally she sunk to her knees, head bowed.

  "I have no right to ask, but if you are going to the lands of my people, the Elth, could... would, if it pleases your lordship... I have a letter. For my mother?" The words petered out then, as she hunched further down. It said something about her culture he realized, remembering what Conrad had said about just beating her if what she asked for was improper. She was bracing herself for blows, it was clear. Real ones.

  "Um, I suppose. I haven't been there at all. Wouldn't it be easier just to take you? I guess your brother too. I could drop you off, as long as we can find a node close enough to where you want to go, then pick you up in a week or two. Less if you want." They were both small enough it shouldn't be that hard to make a few trips. Then she could deliver her letter on her own.

  The diminutive lady shook her head sadly.

  "I couldn't sir. We cannot afford such luxuries. I have nothing to trade equal to the value of such a thing."

  Zack froze for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. Finally he nodded, Mirror Him taking over without warning. He braced himself for that part of him to be harsh with the woman, or call her names, something like that. Instead the voice that came out was sweet and gentle. A thing that he didn't know M.H. was even capable of.

  "It's Christmas. The tradition here is, this time of year, that we give gifts to our friends and loved ones. For you, my gift is one trip to your home and back. Conrad too. For that matter, any of your people that wish to go. So, this once, it's without cost. At least in getting there and back. That should work, don't you think?" He sounded pleased enough, but Zack waited for the tiny woman to shoot the idea down.

  "I thank you, that is a most kind offer, but wouldn't such a thing have to come from the Line Walker? As his shadow you don't have the right to bargain for him, do you?"

  That got Mirror Him to pull back, in shock. Zack blinked a few times himself and then nodded.

  "Exactly so, but this time I agree totally. It's a great idea. In fact we should give that to anyone here that's far from home and wants to visit. At least if they don't mind being tossed around a bit by a Vampire. You and Conrad I can handle on my own, I think, but some of the people around here are very large. Though, if they're willing to kind of jump a little, I think that might work. I should try that sometime..."

  That got some excitement from Merry, but also hesitancy. That part was simply that she didn't want the others of her kind to think she'd pressured him to act. That wouldn't be proper after all.

  "You mean other than by being all cute and shy like that? Because it did kind of push at me a little. Hardly on purpose, so I'll forgive you, this once." Probably the rest of the times too. It was just the way he was wired. That didn't get mentioned, since it was kind of a personal thing. Zack didn't want to teach her how to manipulate him after all. No doubt she'd eventually work out how to do it on her own.

  He headed back toward the rest of the mall with her, not knowing where they were going, having never gone that far down the main walkway. It was a little different than he expected, since the shops were of a different sort than the other places he'd been to. They had an herb shop for instance, one place down from a knife and sword concern that, if the noise could be trusted, made their products on site. There was a plus sized woman's store as well and one that sold trendier looking stuff called "Brand Village" That was the place the Shifters worked out of. There wasn't much else until they got to the food court, which had several places, six in all, three on either side of the central eating area. It had a lot of plants in it, making separate areas for each little table. He'd been in restaurants that weren't as nice.

  Zack had to hurry back to his shop and make sure it wasn't left untended, so he looked around until he found Conrad and told him about the upcoming present.

  "Just let me know when you want to leave and we'll work out the rest of it. It's for everyone here, so let them know for me? I should get cards or something... I just thought you should know." Then he walked away, because the man didn't say anything and it was awkward. Plus he really was in a hurry.

  He stopped and looked into the herb shop, seeing a familiar face.

  Sort of, at least he'd spent a few hours with the man. After a few seconds he walked all the way in, noticing that Wu-Li actually seemed to have clients. He didn't speak, just waving happily. Zack hadn't realized that the man worked so close by. Really he'd figured that the man had flown in to help out at the time. He came over quickly as if summoned, calling for someone else to come and wait on people. A man that looked about the same age came from the back. He was dressed in a similar outfit and had a mustache, but otherwise looked an awful lot like Wu-Li. Except that he was white, but other than that they were very similar. It was an energy thing, he realized. Their practices had shaped them both into a similar mold.

  "Mr. Hartley. Is all well?" There was a slightly worried tone under the words, but Zack started to say it was all fine, but then stopped.

  "Actually, I need a cure for pancreatic cancer, and if possible a way to help someone else get off drugs quickly. Um, something like speed I think." He didn't mention who either thing was for, but the man nodded slowly, letting the movement pick up speed as he thought about something.

  "I think I know who those would be for. I can help... Perhaps. I was asked, by.. .one of them, if it would be possible to correct the cancer, but at the time there was no way to access the needed materials. Some of them are not available in this world. If you would be willing to lend your own skills to such, I will gladly lend my own. As for the other, some Samsara root will work well enough, when she is ready. It is not a simple or pleasant cure, but it is the fastest way to restore a body that has been poisoned. I would... also like to examine you at greater length, if you have the time?" The way he said it didn't sound right for some reason. It made him suspicious. Still, it didn't feel like he was hitting on him, so Zack nodded.

  "Why not? So we can maybe do this? I'll help however I can."

  That got the man to hold up a single finger and then move quickly behind his counter, the other man looking at him as if this was strange behavior. He wrote for nearly a minute, in what seemed to be Chinese, and handed the small brown square of paper to Zack, smiling and giving a tiny bow.

  "If you go to the apothecary at the Swiss node center, the man there will fill this for you. It is a request for the Samsara. He owes me a small debt, so there should be no cost. It is worth more than its weight in gold, but it will not take very much at all. This way we will end with more than is needed, so I should end up with a tidy profit. After a fashion. Not many need such a things, thankfully."

  "OK. I can do that. If not I'll come back and take you with me. I might have to do this after work. I left the shop empty." He shrugged and left, waving a bit. It made him look childish, no doubt, but it worked and meant he was actually in his store when Lisa walked in, ten minutes later.

  "I'm so sorry! I was... out. Not in a good way either. I got your call and Bob's... What happened with the visitors?"

  Zack filled her in and pointed out that all the tables and chairs were still in the back and explained how Barb had helped him with the actual travel. There was no mention of Bob directly, but hiding things wasn't something he was good at.

  "So, anyway, I was talking to Wu-Li and he has this root for you to take. Samsara. I have to go to Switzerland to get it, but it will help you beat the drugs. From the way he said it the whole thing will also suck horribly, but you know, it's a thing you can try. When you're ready." He shrugged. "After that I think I need a couple of days off. He thinks that we can collect the spe
cial ingredients that Bob's wife will need to help with her cancer." It felt pushy to first imply that she was going to get clean and then demand time off, but Lisa just looked a little ill instead.

  "Samsara? That sounds like the kind of thing he'd give for a drug problem. You know that means 'the wheel of suffering' don't you?"

  Zack would have liked to nod and pretend to be wise, but he accidentally opened his mouth first, which was almost always a hindrance to that kind of thing.

  "Actually I thought it was a kind of T.V. Well, anyway, after we close I'm going to go and see if I can get that. Are you in? I already said I'd be going. By the way, I'm glad you aren't dead. Bob and I were worried you'd kill yourself. He said he was going to check your apartment, so when you find the door kicked down later, you'll know why."

  "Right. I... guess. I know I have to do something... I was thinking about taking a sabbatical. Go to a retreat. Maybe I should do both. Just getting the drugs out of my system isn't enough to fix it all, I don't think. This is mainly psychological. Even as I stand here, my life falling apart, there's a feeling like I can handle it, that all I have to do is get through the next day, or week and then it will all be alright. I really can't leave right now though, can I? There's no one to take my place."

  "Well, don't worry about that part. Bob and I will figure something out. For now..." He didn't know what to do with her, to tell the truth. She looked horrible, for her. Like someone had rolled her in dirt all night and not let her bathe. If there had been make-up on her face originally, it was gone now, except for some streaks that might have once been eye liner.

  It was also nearing eight o'clock. Normally he would have sent her home, but that wasn't an option at the moment, not since he really didn't think he could trust her not to drug herself into a stupor again. True, given her drug of choice it might take three days for a black out to come, but he really didn't think she could take a lot more. Not safely.

  "OK. Um, well." It wasn't brilliant at all, but finally he looked at the time and realized that there wasn't a lot else he could do but keep her there. It wouldn't work very well if she didn't want to however. "If you'll help me here, I'll go and get that Samsara and we can see what we need to do after that."

  It was a plan, even if not a great one. It didn't do a lot to fool the woman either, since she wasn't a moron, drug habit aside. At least she'd been smart enough to hire him, and had a job that seemed like it took something more than the ability to be a pretty face to get done.

  The trouble came at nine, when he stepped through the node, asking her to wait for him. It was easy to find Switzerland, since there was only the one major complex of rifts there, and not that hard to locate the correct shop, since it was in what seemed to be a castle as far as he could tell and there were guards all over the place. Dressed like old fashioned court jesters. Red and yellow outfits, like the Pope's Swiss guard in Rome. They didn't try to stop him when he stepped from the rift in space, one of them just nodding , as if he were expected.

  Then it was a simple matter of asking people, most of whom didn't understand him, where he could find the herb shop. Finally a woman that looked to be like the family he'd seen with Barb that one time spoke to him in perfect and nearly unaccented English. There was a thickness to it, but nothing that made what she said unclear at all. It was kind of surprising really, since she looked like she should be grunting and getting ready to hit something with a club. That was just him being narrow minded though, so he tried to forget about that kind of thing, so that he wouldn't accidentally say it out loud and insult her.

  "Are you looking for Master Yang? He is located three doors down, on the right hand side of the hallway. Here, allow me to lead you." She smiled, showing that her teeth were a lot heavier and more pointed than his own. "I take it that you're not from around here?"

  He started to shrug as the woman next to him, who was wearing a tan colored robe, practically flowed over the hard gray stone floor. Then he realized that might not cross cultures very well, so he used his words. It was something his grandparents had told him to do for years after all, especially if he was being sulky.

  "That's right. Running an errand for Wu-Li from the Washington node, in the U.S. Just popping in and then back as soon as I can." It was probably too much information and wouldn't make sense, but the woman seemed interested and looked at him with eyes that looked to lack spark and focus, but hid a lot.

  "I have family there. Are you a Demon then, to use the in-roads so? I mean no offense if you are." She seemed pretty humble suddenly and slightly nervous about the whole thing.

  "No, I'm just weird. I'm a regular person, other than a few skills like walking the rifts. Technically I guess I'm a Mage, but I can't do any magic, so... yeah." The he did shrug, not caring if she got it or not.

  There was a hand pointing to the correct door and a look that felt questioning, even though the face looked slightly angry, due to the heavy features.

  "Could I send a package back with you? If you're going that way anyway? Just some gifts for my family there. I can pay. Probably not what it's worth. I shouldn't ask." That seemed to be her final answer and she started to walk off.

  "OK, but I'm leaving as soon as possible, like I said, so, if it's not too heavy, I can do it. About ten minutes?" That was a guess, but if the current errand was faster than that he could wait. It couldn't hurt to help people out every now and then.

  The large being moved away faster than he could have run and he had a strange sense it wasn't top speed for her at all. She was nearly silent as it happened too. Going through the big, old fashioned looking door, he didn't know what to expect. It was pretty much like what Wu-Li had, except the counter top was polished stone and metal and had brass scales on it. Behind it was a man that... wasn't really. Not anymore. It was clear that he'd once been human, but what he'd become was truly unique, as far as Zack could tell.

  He was yellow for one thing and very thin. His skin was wrinkled, but his eyes were nearly black. There were no whites showing at all. This was offset by some fantastic bushy eyebrows and pointed ears that flopped over slightly at the top. The strange thing was that the fellow was clearly a human being. A very, very old one.

  "Hello, I have this? It's from Wu-Li?" Zack knew he didn't sound confident, but he handed the paper over anyway, which the man took so deftly it almost didn't seem like he'd moved at all. It was a thing he'd seen Bey do too, which might mean it was a trick learned by the very ancient. An economy of motion that was nearly a power in and of itself, but a learned thing. After reading it for a while, obviously more than once, the very old being started working, folding thick paper into an envelope and making up a half dozen other things as well, not just the root which he pointed too, smiling.

  Then he put them all in a small brown sack. It was made of cloth and felt heavier than he would have expected, when the man passed the whole thing to him.

  There was a smile with it and a deep bow, but no words at all. It was an eerie thing. People generally talked to one another when they met. Unless they couldn't. The man was obviously bright enough however. It was just possible that he didn't care to speak at the moment. Who knew what a person that old would end up being like?

  "Um, thank you."

  Then he left, since the man was making him uneasy. There was something too ancient about him. Wu-Li felt old, but this man seemed to be from the beginning of time itself somehow. Worse, it was like he'd seen far too much of the Universe and that doing so had hurt him on a very deep and fundamental level. How Zack knew this he wasn't certain, but it felt right.

  Outside the door there was a very large, brutish looking woman that held a large box. One nearly the same size he was. He'd mentioned a weight limit, but then, she was holding it with one hand, pretty easily. It was a very finely crafted thing, made of unfinished sanded wood.

  "It's for my great niece, Hildegard. A kind of... adult present? A thing given to girls when they become old enough to seek a mate. Some blankets and fo
od preparation supplies. I hope she will enjoy it. I missed the actual celebration last year, being so far away." She handed it over carefully, and winced as he nearly went down under the weight, grabbing at it to keep it from crushing him. "And it is too much for you to take, isn't it? Perhaps I can take some of it out... It will seem I stint her if I do." There was enough sadness that Zack sighed, feeling pressured. He didn't glare at her, but it was a bit of a pain in the rear, since he was a little busy. Still, it actually seemed important to her, even if he didn't get the idea.

  "Wait. We'll just have to do this a different way."

  It took nearly twenty minutes for Barb to be located, and he had to go and get her from the club, where she was helping to redecorate the inside, then go back to get the package from the giant woman, who he found was named Sigrid. There was a lot of bowing from her, which looked totally out of place. She was just far too big for it to look right.

  "OK, we should be able to do this now. Are you here a lot? In case they want to send a message back, or, I don't know, visit?" They could jump, right? If they were from his Mall he could work with them for a while until they got the timing right. If they wanted.

  "I live here. Please do come again. I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

  "Oh, my fault. I'm Zack Hartley and this is Barbara. Um..." He didn't have cards or anything, but did know the phone number for Candles and More, since he'd gotten bored and memorized it. Once that was given to the giant, who assured him she'd remember it, they left, ending up back at his shop, with Lisa standing and staring at the back room. She jumped a little when they came in.

  "Please don't tell me that I have to be locked in a box for my treatment. That seems like a bit too much right now." The tone was playful at least, like she mainly knew that wasn't going to be the case.

  He explained the whole thing then, and gestured to the case.

  "So, a kind of present for Hildegard. She's a... Trolleinkein?" He hoped he got it right at least. "Barb and I can take it to her, after we drop you at Wu-Li's." He didn't know if they needed to set up treatment or what, but just getting everyone on the same page was a good start. If he had to he could take Lisa home with him for the night. Sleep on the sofa and give her his bed or something.