by J. A. Pitts
I took a deep breath, smelling her, letting my heart settle a bit.
I didn’t fit into their cookie-cutter world of a wrathful god and his intolerant flock.
Katie smiled at me, knowing full well how I was feeling. “We’re almost done here,” she said, stepping back.
“Good. I’m wiped out.”
She kissed me quickly and dashed back into the living room. Trisha and Deidre were in full-on baby mode, and Jimmy was grumping down the hall, muttering under his breath.
“Be good, Jim,” I called to him.
He turned, looked back at me, and shrugged. “Overwhelmed by women,” he said.
I waved at him and zipped up my coat.
“Hey,” he said, remembering something. “You may want to talk to your buddy, Bub. He took a trip out to the homestead.”
That got my attention. The homestead was Anezka’s place—the one where Qindra was trapped. Bub was the kobold I’d inherited from Anezka. He was a creature from the plane of fire, and he could sorta teleport. It was complicated.
He stood about four feet tall, covered in fine red scales. His ears were little nubs on either side of his face, and his nose was two slits over a cavernous mouth. Think a cross between a komodo dragon and Kermit the Frog.
He was tied to the amulet I wore around my neck. For the last thousand years or so he’d been helping the amulet’s various owners, blacksmiths all, work their forges. The amulet claimed me when Anezka flipped her shit.
With the amulet came Bub.
I’m a blacksmith. It made sense. Anezka was supposed to be filling in on my education while my regular teacher, Julie, recovered from the dragon attack. Anezka had been well thought of in smithing circles. She was a bit of a recluse but knew her stuff. None of us knew that she’d gone over the edge. Well, to be fair, she was pushed.
I walked across the kitchen. “What happened?”
“Not sure,” he said, seriously. “Was gone three days. Looked like he’d been starved near to death. Ate a box of roofing tiles before we could get something less expensive into him.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I’ll ask him what’s up with that.”
“He’s here on your word, Sarah. So far he hasn’t done anything too far outside the norm, but I’m watching him.”
“Good plan,” I said. “I think he’s an ally, but it never hurts to be cautious.”
“It’s just…” He sighed, slipping his hands into his back pockets. “I’ve talked to him a couple of times. I think he’s lonely and homesick.”
That was the Jimmy I was used to. Concerned for Bub’s welfare. “Thanks, boss. I’ll check on him.”
“Good,” he said, brightening a hair. “Don’t want him moping around. Brings the whole joint down.”
He gave me a little wave and headed down the hall. I scooted out of the house and let the crisp cold wash over me. I limped to the edge of the deck and called down to one of the folks on guard duty. Another newbie. Young kid in his early twenties. Didn’t look as if he shaved often, or had a reason to. I’d seen better beards on goats.
Seemed Bub was hanging out in the old barn—the one the dragon burned. Had a place built up in the wreckage. I made my way over in that direction and called out to him.
I had to call three times before he poked his scaly head out of the ruins.
“Hey,” I said, shaking my head. “They make you live out here?”
He clambered up some charred boards and squatted down, practically eye level with me. “No, I just prefer it when I want to think. I’ve missed you,” he said quietly. “How was the hunt?”
“Not good,” I explained. He was sympathetic. By the time I’d relayed the whole story, he was nodding and craning his head around to the house.
“Babies?” he asked. “Troll babies?”
“Yes … is there a problem?”
He waved his clawed hands between us. “No problem, just thought it would be cool to have some others to…” He trailed off.
“Someone to play with?” I asked, smiling.
He shrugged again, not looking at me. “It’s hard to be different,” he said quietly. “They tolerate me, but not even Anezka has time for me these days.”
I watched him; there was something more, I was sure of it.
“I do not care for this Gunther,” he said finally. “He assumes too much, takes too much of Anezka’s time. She tires easily.”
There it was. Jealousy after all. It was cute, the little biter was missing his best girl. “Look, I’m sure Gunther is not bothering Anezka. He’s good for her. Isn’t that what’s most important?”
He rocked his head from side to side before answering. “Yes, she is mending and he has stopped banishing me.”
“That’s good, right?”
“She needs to be working,” he said at last. “Needs to bend steel, bank fire, twist the bones of the earth, and create something new and beautiful.” There was passion in his eyes then; flames licked along his shoulders and scalp. “She’s a maker. She needs to create something to be fulfilled.”
I reached up and patted him on the foot that had not yet erupted with flickering yellow flames. “Buck up, big guy. I think I have a cure for what ails you.”
He looked up, his face full of expectation. “Do we return home?”
Now it was my turn to be crestfallen. I felt a lump splash into the hollow of my stomach, dread, guilt, fear … “No, not yet,” I said, trying to sound upbeat. “Soon, I hope.”
The smile on his face slipped a little, making him look like a sad Muppet.
“What if we built a forge here?” I asked. “We could work on the farm and keep Anezka safe, and all three of us could work together.” I’d been thinking about it for a while now. Someplace controlled.
“Honest?” he asked, the smile beaming from him. The flames that danced along his arms flickered to a mellow blue. “I crave the forge, lament the dearth of hammers and fire.”
The beam he was sitting on suddenly flashed with flame. Bright yellow and orange tongues licked upward, dancing around Bub like a cartoon fanfare.
“Careful,” I said, stepping back.
“Not to worry,” he said. He made a motion with his hands, and the flames rushed up him, blanketing him in a halo of fire. Then, as quick as it had appeared, it vanished.
“Nice trick,” I said, smiling at him. “Gotta be careful with flame around here. Dragon fire burned this place down.”
“I know,” he said wistfully. “I can taste it in the beams and ash.”
“About home,” I asked, tentatively. “What’s this I hear about you disappearing for three days?”
“I could not stand it,” he began, shifting from one foot to the other on the beam. “I traveled there. It was difficult and exhausting, but there you have it.”
“I bet. What happened?”
“Nothing,” he said, falling into a squat once again. “There is a wall of force over everything. I could not get inside. There are dead things there,” he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I smell the hand of that bastard, Justin.”
Necromancer; ex-boyfriend of our mutual friend, Anezka; minion of the twice-dead Jean-Paul Duchamp; all around douche bag and psychopath.
“Yeah. He did something there, corrupted a ley line.”
He looked up quickly, scanning the dark behind me from side to side. “Do you mean the well?”
“Sure, it could be a well. Live wire, like electricity, almost. Solid feed of magic or power, take your pick. Runs right under Anezka’s house.”
He dropped from his perch, landing at my feet, and stood. “That is what happened to my Anezka. His interference broke her mind,” he continued, pacing around me in a wide circle. “That is the taint of it. It nearly drove me mad as well.”
“You could taste it?”
He shook his head. “Not taste.” He waved his right talon back at the ruined barn. “Not like here, where the essence is stirred with the lightest touch.” He patted a beam and dust r
ose into the air. “We settled at that place on the very edge of the broken mountains because of that well. It gave us both power, let us hide from those who pursued us.” He stopped, looking up as if he’d said something he shouldn’t have.
“Who pursued you?” I asked, turning to keep facing him as he paced.
“It does not matter.” He waved a dismissive claw. “Minions of another drake, one far younger and less powerful than those who rule here. It is a shame that you did not meet her first. I would be glad to see the world rid of that one. Spiteful and full of hate.”
Okay, mental note: Anezka was hunted by another dragon—a female. And they’d fled here to Nidhogg’s territory. Something to ask Anezka about later. Jimmy would want to know as well.
“Back to your little jaunt over the mountains,” I said, changing gears. “You couldn’t get into the house. Did you know the well was in a cavern beneath the house?”
“Yes,” he said, nonplussed. “I have been there many times. There is a cave you can get to, if you know the way. Or if you can travel as I do.”
“Justin knew the way,” I said. “He placed a corrupted shield in your well, spoiling the ley line, drawing the vilest spirits to that place like a beacon.”
“Things had gone bad before that,” he said, quietly. “Justin did many vile things there, things my Anezka did not know about.”
“But she could sense them, right? She was sensitive to his dark magic.”
Bub nodded, wringing his clawed hands. “Yes. As was the third who lived there for a time. The kindhearted Flora.”
I knew a bit about Flora. Justin’s first lover. She and Justin had moved to Chumstick to be with Anezka, lovers in a triad.
Bub stopped pacing and looked back at me. “I liked her, as did Anezka,” he said. “Flora was a maker in her own right. Not one such as I would love, but she had her skills.”
Wood carver, I knew. Damn excellent one at that. I’d seen the carvings she’d done at the house. Anezka said they were to protect her from the nightmares she’d been having. Neither of them realized they needed protection from Justin’s dark magic.
“How’d you get back here?” I asked.
“Traveled as I could,” he said with a shrug. “There are many vehicles traveling the roads. I just found my way upon one of them, or several, actually.”
“If we go back, do you think you can take me to that cave?”
“No,” he said. “I am sorry. It is inside the magical dome the witch maintains. I cannot go there.”
Well, that was almost too good to be true. “We need to find a way in, a way to rescue Qindra.”
“He will also want to find his way inside,” he offered. “The necromancer will need to reconnect with the well. That is power too strong to forego.”
“Good thought,” I said, thinking hard. “I should have Jimmy put a guard out on the house. Let them keep an eye on the place in case Justin makes an appearance.”
“If he does, I’d advise cutting him down before he knows you are there.”
Good plan. “We’ll see how Jimmy wants to handle it.”
“He is a good man,” Bub said. His confidence seemed to have returned. “He is a good leader. Firm but caring. There is much that preys on his mind, something that is keeping him distracted. I have seen it before. My first master often had that look when something vexed him.”
“I’ll see what he’s up to,” I said. “I’m gonna go back inside and mention sending a squad to keep an eye on the house.”
“Will you stay the night?” he asked, looking up at me.
I stepped to him and bent a little to hug him. He was surprised at first, but the gesture was not unknown to him. After a moment, he leaned into me and rested his head against my chest. “I’m tired and hurt,” I said quietly. “But I will come back and visit you, I promise.”
For a long moment he said nothing, just leaned against me, breathing through his mouth, like a broken teakettle. “There are troll babies,” he said into my side. “Do you think they will let me see them?”
“Sure,” I said, patting him on the back. “Why don’t we go in now, and I’ll introduce you.”
He stepped away quickly, a look of anxious joy on his face. “Truly? You do not think they will fear me?”
“They’re trolls. I’m sure you’ll fit right into their worldview.”
He took my hand and turned to the house. I wobbled along as fast as I could, but still he practically pulled me up the stairs. Guy just needed some friends.
Four
Katie was at the back door, putting on her coat, when we burst in. She gave me a look but stepped aside as Bub dragged me into the living room. I introduced him all around, even though he knew all the adults already.
He sat down in front of where the babies were lying on the floor, careful not to touch the blankets.
Trisha sat beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder and pointing out the differences between Frick and Frack. I guess the names were sticking for now. I couldn’t tell them apart, but Bub seemed to be seeing all the little clues that Trisha had already discovered.
Deidre rolled her chair out into the kitchen, parked it beside me, and looked back into the living room. “He’s cute when he’s not so damn scary.”
I gave her a hug. “He’s just lonely. I’m sure he can help out around here. I think he really wants to be a part of things.”
“We’ll take care of that,” she said, patting my hand. “We’re turning into quite the menagerie.”
“It’s a good place to call home,” I said. “Makes you feel welcome.”
That made her happy. I excused myself and went down the hall, calling to Jim.
He came out of the back drying his hands on a towel. “Thought you’d gone?”
I leaned against the wall. “Wanted to talk to you about an idea we had.”
He looked past me, sizing up the room, then nodded. “By we I assume you mean you and Katie?”
“Yep.”
“Does it involve working for Nidhogg?”
I grinned at him. “Oh, no. This is much cooler. You remember the elves? Skella and Gletts? The mirror children?”
He nodded. “Not sure I like where this is going.”
“It’s a good plan, honest.”
He sighed. “Do I get an actual vote here?”
“Of course.”
“Fine. What’s this plan?”
“Hire Skella. Let her take a squad out to the house in Chumstick to keep an eye on things. We could set up a camp across the road from the house.”
He looked at me, thinking. “Interesting idea. I’ve been thinking how we could keep watch out there. Don’t want any surprises.”
“That’s why I agreed to help Nidhogg, Jim. Keep things on an even keel until we can figure a way to diffuse the situation out there.”
“Ask her,” he said. “But we’ll pay her. We’re not like the dwarves she and her brother worked for.”
That made me smile. “Oh, she’ll love it,” I said. “Hell, I’m willing to bet she’d do it for nothing, if it meant she had something interesting to do.”
He rolled his eyes at me and motioned to the living room. “Run it by Deidre. She’ll have to agree on the salary, but I’ll work out the schedule with the squads.”
“Excellent. Thanks, Jim.”
He walked away, shaking his head.
I grabbed Katie and we boogied. Things were coming together. I liked that we had a plan. Now I wanted sleep and a return to my normal routine. I needed to work with horses soon. The power of them and the grace, that’s what kept me going back. I loved their gentle hearts. Gave me something to look forward to.
Five
Of course, we got home to a message from one of my regular clients: Jude Brown. He wanted to postpone my coming out to Broken Axel and shoeing his mules until Wednesday. Something about his sister extending her stay past the weekend.
So I figured to sleep in Monday morning. And I gave it a yeoman’s effort. Unfo
rtunately, the image of the troll mother kept intruding into my dozing. That and the wound in my leg throbbing like a hammer on an anvil. I gave up, figured it was a good time to head over and see Nidhogg. She wanted a full report of what was killing the sheep, and I wanted some answers of my own.
If I had to work for a dragon to rescue someone like Qindra who’d been nothing but kind to me, I’d make good use of that time. I’m sure there were things I could learn that I’d never dreamed of. Maybe clear some of the unknown that plagued me.
Katie went off to school dressed in that way I loved so much: hair pulled back, long skirt, frilly blouse. Total kindergarten-teacher chic. I puttered around the apartment for an hour or so longer, giving the tepid sun time to really rise. I’d be taking the Ducati into Seattle, and I’d be cold, no matter what I did. Maybe I needed to buy some heated pants or something. I loved the bike, but, damn, it got cold riding in the November rain.
The guard at the gate to Nidhogg’s property knew me by now and waved me through without even having me take off the helmet. I’m not sure that’s a good thing.
Zi Xiu, the head of Nidhogg’s household staff, met me at the front door. For an old Norse dragon, Nidhogg sure had a lot of Asian people in her employ. I’d met Zi Xiu on my last visit. She was in her fifties and from Hong Kong originally. She’d been raised in Nidhogg’s household and assumed her current position when she was in her thirties. The last matron of servants had met an untimely end at the same time Qindra’s mother had passed. No one would give me any more details, but I speculated it was Nidhogg going on a rampage, just like she’d done in the spring after I’d forged Gram.
Dragons were funny creatures. Nidhogg looked like she was eighty, but was surely several thousand years old. She represented an order of dragons that wanted to keep control of us poor, misguided humans—help us maintain our upward trek to prosperity and comfort, while keeping to the shadows and not letting us know where the real power lay.
Her last broodling, Jean-Paul, had ruled the Vancouver area. I never got a clear idea of his territory. I just knew it was above the Canadian border. Nidhogg ruled the entire state of Washington, more or less. Seattle was her home base.
