by Tom Keller
"Welcome to my world," I conceded. "As you might expect, it gets kind of old after a while."
"Expensive too, I bet," she said, pointing at my shredded clothes. "Are you hurt?"
"Didn't break the skin," I replied, reaching down to make sure. I was relieved when there was no blood. "Guess I need a new shirt though."
"I can’t help you there," she said as we began to walk to her car. "But I appreciate what you did. I'll get you what you asked for. You still need a ride?"
"Thanks, but they can take me," I replied, then nodded my head back in Mal's direction. "I'm sure you've had enough of me for one night."
"Well, you do know how to show a girl an interesting time," she said, opening her car door. "I'll get that file to you tomorrow. Where will you be in the morning?"
"Probably at home," I replied, reaching for my wallet to get a business card out. "I'm taking a couple days off. Here, let me give you my phone number and you can call me when you're ready to meet."
"That's okay," she said, raising a palm and chuckling. "I've already got it." She got into her car and then turned to face me. "You know I'm going to do a story on this. The attack part, I mean."
"I'd expect nothing less," I said, grinning. "I suppose you want a statement?"
"I don’t think that will be necessary… this time," she said, then closed the door and started the engine. I watched as she pulled out of the parking spot and then headed to where Mal and his partner were waiting.
"The rest of my team are on their way," Mal said when I got back to his car. "How do you want to handle this?"
"What do we know about him?" I inquired. "Other than he's got a pet Draco."
"He's the one that got away," Mal replied. "Don’t you remember? A powerful Dark Mage. We never got a name, but he was leading the group that fled while you were taking down Marissa at the warehouse."
"Oh, yeah," I replied, having no idea who he was talking about. Oh, I'd skimmed the reports about the raid on Marissa's operation. But reading a few lines on paper is a lot different than being there. Not that I could let Mal know that. "Sorry. I think I'm still a little out of it."
"That's understandable," Mal said, gesturing at the building. "You were in the hospital."
"Which is as good a time as any to say you're in charge until I go back to work in a couple days," I replied. "Although if I may make a suggestion…"
"Go ahead, boss," Mal said with a chuckle.
"Have your team sweep the lot," I began. "I doubt they'll find anything but we still have to document the damage to the cars. Then let the hospital know it's clear. While they're doing that you can give me a ride to the office. I need to get my car and they don’t need us in the way to do their job."
"You got it," he replied and then spoke with his partner as I got into the car. Within minutes, more units arrived and it wasn’t long before we were on our way to the City Hall basement where my car was parked.
"You think you'll only be out a couple of days?" Mal asked as he went down the ramp.
"Got a meeting with the Captain day after tomorrow," I replied as he pulled the car over next to my parking spot. "Not sure what's up yet but I'll brief you as soon as I find out what the deal is."
"Not a very long recuperation time for a guy that got stabbed by a Demon," Mal said, looking me over.
"They said I heal fast," I replied, opening the car door. "Lucky me. Besides, it beats the shit out of sitting at home. You got anything else going I need to know about?"
"Nah," he replied, turning and resting his arm on the steering wheel. "Same old shit so far. But I think I'll put some more feelers out on our Dark Mage friend. They've gone to ground but someone will have to have heard something. They're not very good at keeping secrets. At least not from us."
"That's true. But keep it on the down low," I said as I started to slide out of the seat. I turned back at him. "They're only after us, most likely just me. If we're lucky they'll try again."
"You want to act as bait?" Mal asked, smirking
"Who better?" I replied, trying to think like the Robert of this world would. "Let's face it, these guys suck. They might be good at moving black magic spells and artifacts, but when it comes to trying to play the revenge game, they're amateurs. These are the kind of folks that work in the shadows. They don’t know how to do things in the light of day. That asshole Mage came after me himself. Which means he's emotionally involved. If he'd been smart he'd have taken me out the second I walked out the doors. But no, he wanted to savor the moment and watch me squirm. As if… anyway, that's the kind of mistake we can capitalize on. Tell your guys what we're up against but let them know we want them to come."
"I like it," he replied, a shit eating grin on his face. I started to close the door but Mal spoke up again. "Tell you what, I'll have a couple of the guys keep an eye on your neighborhood. Just in case. Oh, I almost forgot. You hear about the Red?"
"No, what?" I asked. "Isn't it closing down?"
"Magic Board sold it already," he replied. "Want to hazard a guess as to who the new owners are?"
"Hmm…," I replied, putting a finger to my temple. "Wouldn’t be the Milagres, would it?"
"Got it in one try," Mal said. "They still have to go through the licensing process, but that's just a formality. Should be theirs in a month or two."
"I should have known," I said, closing the door. I gave him a thumbs up as he pulled out and then headed for my car. I popped the trunk and pulled out a shirt to replace the one I'd been wearing, tossing the old one in a nearby garbage can before grabbing the Thunder Hammer and a sword. I laid them in the front seat before starting it up and heading home. If I was going to be a target, I might as well be properly armed.
Not that the attack by the Black Mage should have surprised me. Things were playing like a twisted script from back home and it was eerily similar to the way Marissa's goons had acted after I'd sent her to Tartarus on my own world. Even as a human, I was better prepared for battle than those idiots were. It was nothing I couldn't handle. Still, it was best not to be too complacent. I patted the weaponry on the passenger seat. I had to remember that this was not my world.
I only had the rest of tonight and tomorrow to get a few answers before work got in the way again. I hadn’t forgotten about the Oracle's statement, and since it appeared I might be getting what I needed from Michelle, that was my next stop. But before I could do that, I needed a shower and a change of clothes.
The car in my driveway was a surprise. It was an Omega, just like my police car, but this one was sportier. Maybe a civilian model then. Since the guard hadn’t mentioned anything, I had to assume it was a regular visitor. Did Robert have a girlfriend I didn't know about? I turned into my driveway and pulled up next to it. Getting out and looking through the window, I noticed that the doors were unlocked. Quietly opening the passenger side, I stopped when I got a whiff of perfume. It was one I recognized all too well.
There was no doubt now that she knew more about her statement than she'd mentioned on stage. I went back to my car and grabbed the sword and Thunder Hammer. I hesitated only for a moment as I walked around the vehicle and placed them in the trunk. It might be wise to remember that this was not my Diantha and that she may not be alone. But even so, I didn't think I was going to need these kinds of weapons to deal with her, or at least I hoped not. Besides, I still had my gun and dagger. Not that I'd use those either. She was almost immortal, after all, but at least I didn’t feel naked.
I walked through the front door and down the hallway to the kitchen, the smell of fresh coffee in the air. She was standing next to the island counter, her hand near her purse. Wearing designer jeans and a red blouse, she looked exactly like my Diantha, even if I knew she wasn't.
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you're here," I said, walking around the counter to the coffee pot and pouring myself a cup. I started to pull another from the cabinet but she shook her head. "Since you're the Oracle, you would have known that I wanted
to see you."
"Why were there no wards in place to protect your home?" she asked, pushing an open scroll across the counter toward me. "I walked right in."
"Always hated using magic like that," I replied, trying to remain cool. I took a sip of coffee and leaned against the counter. "Makes you feel like you're living in jail. You know what I mean?"
"Read this word aloud," she said, leaning over the counter and pointing to the scroll.
"If you say so," I replied, looking at where she was pointing. "Prostasía." The wards snapped into place around us as I said it.
"Now we can talk privately," she said, closing the scroll. Then her voice changed, becoming low and melodic as she continued. "Place your weapons here on the counter and sit down, Lieutenant."
I'd almost forgotten that in addition to youth and beauty, Diantha had been given the power to sway men. I remembered hearing that tone when she first spoke to me through the door of the trailer I'd found her at. I'd been able to see the magic then. While I couldn’t see it now, there was no denying it was there. I felt it tug at my Soul. I wasn't sure if it was a carryover from being a High Fae in my world, or just my familiarity with my own Diantha that allowed me to fight it at all. Whatever the case, she repeated her command.
"Mind if I finish my coffee first," I asked, fighting the urge to do as she willed. It was risky. Diantha was unpredictable at times. But since she'd come alone and hadn’t tried to kill me yet, I figured it was worth showing a few cards of my own. "Hate to see it wasted. I mean you did make it for me, didn't you? Even if it was just to set me at ease when I walked in."
"As I suspected," she replied. She moved her hand from behind her purse and pointed the gun she held at me.
"Is that a Henry Deringer?" I asked, seeing the percussion cap derringer with a wood grip and ornate engraved script on the barrel and handle. "Don’t see too many of those around anymore."
"It began its life as one," she admitted, waving it at me. "It has, of course, been modified. I would prefer not to use it. Please do as I say and place your weapons on the counter."
"As you wish," I said, raising my hands and showing her my palms. I slowly reached behind my back and took out my gun and dagger, placing them gingerly on the counter before raising my hands again. "Satisfied?"
She nodded and I went ahead and sat down at the kitchen table, the small gun in her hand following my every movement.
"It's your show," I said, taking a sip.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I kind of figured that was obvious," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "This is my house we're in, after all."
"Is it?" she asked, grabbing her purse and taking the seat across from me, her gun hand never wavering. "I do not know who you are, but you cannot be Robert Hoskins. At the very least, you have possessed his body. Whatever you are, your reasons for being here are unclear. I must be sure that it is not me you are here for. I have not lived for over 3,000 years by taking risks."
"3,175 and a half, give or take, by my reckoning," I replied, assuming that time was the same here as it had been on my own world. "But who's counting."
"Robert Hoskins would not know that," she said, taken aback by my response. "Which only proves my point." She motioned once more with the gun. "I will not ask you again."
"Sorry to disappoint you," I replied. "But I really am Robert Hoskins. As to anything else, I expected more from you. It was your vision, after all."
"Visions can be difficult to interpret," she said, reaching into her purse with her free hand and pulling out a small leather bag. She held it up for me to see. "But there is one way to be sure. This is an ancient spell. One I have used before."
"Knock yourself out," I said, bracing myself for whatever she was about to do.
"Emfanísou!" she proclaimed, then turned the bag over and blew a grey powder toward me.
"Damnit!" I cried out, sneezing several times. I jumped up and waved my hands to clear the air and looked over at her. "Was that really necessary?"
"I do not understand, "she said, sounding flustered as she moved back. "That spell is foolproof. There is no way to counter it. Who are you?"
"Think, Diantha!" I replied, poking my temple with my index finger. I tossed the now ruined coffee into the sink before rinsing the cup out and pouring myself another. "You just said the spell is foolproof. It does work. I'm me! I'm just not the me you think I am."
"That does not make sense," she said, moving to the table to sit down. "You cannot be the same Lieutenant Robert Hoskins. Humans do not cross the veils between worlds. Other than travel between Fae and Earth, not even the Fae have that ability anymore. There are none left that can do such a thing, except perhaps the Keres, and they only visit the Underworlds."
"What about the Goddess?" I asked, taking a sip.
"The Goddess?" she repeated, her eyes wide. "But she has not been seen for thousands of years. I had heard they had named you a Hero of Gaea but there was no word that she had reappeared. Has she? Did she send you after me?"
"Oh please!" I said, sitting back down and placing my cup on the table. I was tired of playing games. If there was one person I thought would have figured it out, it was her. "Don’t you know your own visions? Look, you want to shoot me? Go ahead!" I waited a second before continuing. "I didn't think so. Put the gun down. Trust me on this. Gaea knows I would never hurt you. She didn’t send me here for you. It was me she was angry with."
"What an odd thing to say," she replied, lowering the barrel of the derringer a bit. "How is that possible? You do not even know me. We have only seen each other in person a few times."
"That's where you're wrong," I said, placing both hands on the table and leaning into her. "I know more about you than you can ever imagine. Diantha, I know this will sound crazy, but Gaea didn't just send me across the veil of worlds, she sent me from another universe."
"I will admit that I did not know what to expect from you when I came here, but my vision did not prepare me for this," Diantha confessed, pressing her lips together as she threw the derringer on the table. "If you are not here for me, then what? I do not dispute your claim, but I cannot understand how such a thing could be possible. Gaea has not been seen for over two millennia. You say she sent you here because she was angry. I have seen her anger. You are but human. Why would she send you to this place? It would be so much easier to just kill you and be done with it if you displeased her so. That is what the Gaea that I remember would do. Were it not for the spell Apollo cast, that is what she would have done to me. Perhaps there is a different Goddess in the place you claim to come from."
"Nope. Same Gaea," I replied, trying to decide just what all I should tell her. I'd laid a few cards on the table but I wasn't ready to let her see the entire deck. "I checked. The early history is identical. She had Ouranos castrated by Cronus, after that, she let Zeus overthrow him and the other Titans. Then she let them all die in The Fall. I'm not sure exactly where the timeline diverged, but the old history is the same, except for the part about showing herself. She's not afraid to make herself known back home. As for everything else, it's different, yet still familiar. Of course in my world, magic is hidden from most humans, but that's obviously not the case here. There's something else as well. I'm not exactly human back home. I'm a Fae, although that's where it gets a little complicated."
"Complicated!" she said, leaning back in her chair. "That is an understatement. Some would consider it a fate worse than death to be human having been once a Fae."
"I guess it's a good thing I'm not one of them," I replied with a sigh. "Trust me when I tell you that Gaea has a sense of humor. The only problem is that it's not always easy to tell if she's joking or telling you the truth. She said this was her way of teaching me a lesson. Although I can’t for the life of me help but think she has something else up her sleeve by sending me here. Believe it or not, I was actually going to visit you tonight, but you beat me to it. I was hoping you had some insight, but it looks like I was mist
aken."
"I am curious," she said, tilting her head to the side. "What type of Fae were you? What did you do to anger her so?"
"A Dryad," I replied, deciding to keep it simple. "You might say I was a warrior. Truth is, I was her troubleshooter." I started to chuckle. "That Gaea's Hero thing? That's what I was. Only I guess I got too cocky. She called me a reluctant one. Said I questioned her motives once too often. That's when she sent me here."
"A Dryad warrior?" she repeated as her posture stiffened.
"Yeah… why?" I asked, seeing her reaction. "That mean something?"
"Not in itself," she answered, hesitantly, then relaxed a bit before continuing. "But it is unusual. Especially for one to claim they argued with the Goddess yet still live. But I have never met a Dryad male. It is said they do not often leave their realm."
"Not too many venture out on my side either," I agreed, not totally believing her response. Something about being a Dryad had unsettled her, but she clearly didn’t want to say what it was.
"An interesting tale," she said, closing out the topic. She tapped a finger against her lips. "But there is still one thing you haven’t told me. You mentioned that Gaea knew you would never harm me. Why is that? Here, I only know of you because of your work. Are we close in your world?"
"You could say that," I replied, thinking carefully before continuing. I couldn’t tell her exactly how we met, that would give me away, but I didn't want to lie too much. I had a feeling she'd see right through that. "You were keeping a low profile when I first met you. You were living in Pahrump and I convinced you to come back to Vegas. You went to work at the Neptune giving private readings. You did quite well. Eventually, you had a show like you do here. Like I said, magic is kept secret there, so you're billed as a mentalist act. Anyway, my human cover is a Vegas P.I. You helped me out on a lot of my cases and believe it or not, you're probably one of my closest friends."
"How close?" she asked, leaning forward. She clasped her hands in front of her. "Tell me something no one else could know about me. Something only a close friend would know."
