by Ren Ryder
Bell sighed. “Get ahold of yourself!”
I rubbed my cheek. “Why’d you slap me?!”
“I didn’t~” Bell denied vehemently.
“I wasn’t planning on getting involved, but this is too much! This wasn’t your fault, Son, and it certainly isn’t productive to keep blaming yourself for it!”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“F-Father…?!”
“Know many apparitions tied to a ruined chapel, boy?”
Clothed in priestly vestments ruined by blood and knife wounds, the ghost of the Father glowed with a pale luminescence at my side. A scythe flickered in and out of existence behind his back. His eyes were milky white and glassy, but he clearly had no trouble seeing.
“You look like hell, Father~”
“Ah. You can see me. Wonderful. It’s been ages since I manifested like this. Good to know I’ve still got it.”
“W-wha-what— h-how?!”
“God had a plan for me, I reckon. Most people can’t see me, but there are many wayward souls that can, and I’ve lent countless an ear over the years. It’s rewarding work, and not having a body can be oddly convenient.”
“You help lost souls pass on?”
“Something like that,” the Father said. He gave me a mysterious, mischievous smile. “You’ve got to let me go, Kal.”
I stood abruptly from the pew and confronted him. “What? Father, did you really just say that? You can’t mean that!”
Like I’d seen him do once before, the Father was smiling happily. “Good and bad things happen to people, that’s life. Sometimes it seems there’s little rhyme or reason to what goes on, viewed from our limited perspectives. That’s why it helps to have faith in something greater than yourself, in hopes of making sense of it all. For instance, I believe my spirit has remained on this plane because I retain a purpose that can only be accomplished here. I don’t know what His plan is, but I have faith there is one.”
I struggled to find the words I needed to express myself properly, but they just wouldn’t come. The Father put a hand on my shoulder, and even though I couldn’t feel its weight, I felt its warmth.
“Here, let me put it another way. In life, everyone makes their own decisions, whether conscious or otherwise. Actions taken based off these decisions have consequences, whether they be good or bad. The best we can do is learn how to live with the choices we make, and to work at making more good ones than bad. That’s what being human’s all about.”
With those words, Father Gregory’s form burst into motes of light. One moment he was with me, and the next he was gone. It was abrupt, and I found myself grasping empty air.
“I’ve got to get going,” Father Gregory’s disembodied voice said.
“Already?”
The Father’s laughter echoed around me. “Not forever, mind you. You can find me here, on occasion, though I can’t promise I’ll always be available. Little one, you take good care of him now, you hear?”
Bell saluted with a wicked, out of place grin. “Roger! You got it, sir!”
“Take care.”
With the last traces of Father Gregory’s presence gone, I was left with only the memory of his warmth.
It was enough.
With the Father’s ghost departed, I approached where the lectern had once stood and revisited my original purpose for coming to the chapel. It took some doing, but I dug a hole deep and wide enough to satisfy my needs. I tossed in all the weapons I had on me.
The work was hard and dirty, especially since I didn’t have a shovel. At least the seasons were on my side. I was much happier to be digging a hole by hand in Summer than I would’ve been in the dead of Winter, when the earth is harder to work with.
Once I was done patting down the dirt and tossing some dead leaves and other detritus over the spot, I sat in the dirt and rested my aching body. My shirt had soaked through with sweat and I’d long since shucked off my jacket, much to Bell’s chagrin, as she’d been resting within one of its pockets.
“Hey, Bell, how do you feel about iron?” I asked.
Bell shot a nasty look at the spot where I’d buried most of the weapons. “I mean, I don’t want to make friends with it if that’s what you’re asking.”
I snorted. “No, I mean… how does it make you feel to be around it?”
Bell thought on it a bit before answering. “Hmm… I guess, sorta twitchy I guess? Like I’m more on edge, but I don’t always know why.”
I hummed to myself as I thought over her answer. “I can see that I guess.”
Bell eyed me curiously. “Why do you ask?”
I shrugged. “No reason, I was just wondering is all.” I stood and dusted myself off as best as I could. “Now that that’s done, I figure we find a place to stay for the night and search for Sammie tomorrow.”
“What, you scared to see your sister? Of what she’ll say?”
“I’m not scared!”
“Mhmm, that definitely looks like the stance of a petrified animal.”
“Does not!”
“Yupppp, great job sounding super convincing~”
I stomped off. “It’s getting dark! We should go before all the inns fill up for the night!”
“What a smooth subject change. Let’s go then, Mr. Scaredy Cat~”
Chapter Twelve
We ended up choosing the first inn— they actually called it a hotel, but who’s asking— we’d come across in the Middle Quarter. It was luxurious in ways I’d never thought possible, let alone experienced.
There was this new thing called indoor plumbing, and it was glorious. I was currently experiencing its wonders firsthand. Who would’ve thought advances in technology would bring humanity such conveniences!
It felt like it’d been a lifetime since I’d taken care of myself, so I got into the shower vestibule to scrub myself with a sponge laid out for the purpose. It took some doing and my skin felt raw by the time I felt clean, but I felt better for it. I rubbed some soap into my hair and scalp and let it sit before I rinsed it out. I clipped my nails, conditioned my hair, and completed all the general grooming I could before hopping into the bath to soak.
I was currently sitting in a tub that filled with warm water by the simple twist of a lever.
“Ohhhhh yeah~” Bell’s voice came from somewhere beneath the sea of bubbles. “Kal, this is absolutely sublime! What do humans call this experience again?”
I had upended half a bottle of soap into the bath before I filled it up, and was positively ecstatic at the results. Whoever designed this luxury hotel had clearly been thinking, because there was a drain in the middle of the bathroom floor that would take care of the generous spillage that occurred.
Whoops.
With my body loosened up, I found my tongue following suit. “Taking a bath, you mean?” A smile slowly spread across my face.
“Ah, taking a bath— wonderful! With this, I’ll have to reassess my judgment on the uses of humanity! Hahahaha! Considering I have all the eats I could want at my fingertips, I might as well be lenient with the teeming human masses~”
I opened my mouth, closed it, opened it again. “… It’s good to hear you’ve come around to a more enlightened stance. So, I didn’t have the opportunity to ask before, what with all that was going on… but, daughter of the Lord of the East?”
“Yep!”
“That all I’m going to get?”
“Yep!” Bell made bubble angels while humming a happy, nameless tune.
“Hey… Bell.”
“Mmm… what is it?”
“Thanks.”
“Wa-wa-wa-wa-what did you say?! No wait, really, I couldn’t hear you! Could you repeat that?!”
I laughed good-naturedly. “I really do appreciate having you around, Bell. In spite of your antics,” I splashed her with water, which, I guess, relative to her size, was like hitting her with a tsunami.
“Awwwhh, I’m drowning! I’m going to die!”
I plucke
d her out of the water and put her on the edge of the tub. “Don’t be so dramatic. Look, you’re fine. There, see? All better.”
“You had to go and ruin the moment! It was getting good, too! Waaaaahh~” Bell was in tears. “I demand blood payment in exchange for all the emotional distress I’ve endured at your hands!”
Some damn fine crocodile tears, apparently. “Here, go ahead. A debt’s a debt, after all.” I stuck out my arm for her to sink her teeth into.
And sink her teeth in she did. “Ooh, what should I choose, the thumb, no, the pinky, wait, what am I thinking, it’s gotta be the wrist, the wrist! So tender, so juicy, mmm-mmm-mmm yum! Oh, Kal, you’re delicious!”
I shuddered and cradled my arm to my chest. “That’s über creepy. Can’t you enjoy yourself without the byplay?”
“Hey, I wasn’t done with that!”
I hooked a gnawed-on thumb to my chest. “No, but this guy’s done playing a piece of meat.”
Bell swayed where she sat tub-side, drunk as a skunk.
I smiled despite myself as I pulled the plug and extricated myself from the bathtub’s sudsy water. I toweled off and wrapped the towel around my waist before plucking the gurgling sylph from the water, where she looked to be making an inspired attempt at drowning.
“You really are a lightweight in the truest sense, aren’t you?” I shook my head as I swaddled the little faery in a hand towel and carried her into the main room.
I heard water gurgle and swirl down the drain from the bathroom as I padded across the bedroom. The centerpiece was the four-poster bed that dominated the space. I placed Bell, still swaddled up like a babe and mumbling unintelligibly, under the covers.
While Bell burrowed in, I dug through my pack and dressed in the pair of royal blue silk nightclothes the Duke’s steward had insisted I bring along. I’d protested fiercely at the time, but it looked like he’d been right that I’d need them. With all the tasks I could think of that needed doing completed, my curiosity won out over my sense of purpose and even my exhaustion.
I fiddled with the gas lamp on the nightstand, watching the light source flicker on and off at the simple flick of a button. I lost myself for a laughable span of minutes, entertained by the sudden shifts between light and darkness. Amazing stuff, technology.
If I’d heard right, this lamp was simply a miniaturized technology that had its power source piped in. I wondered at the fire risk, though.
Still, whoever had come up with the idea and managed to engineer the delivery system for residential and commercial use was a genius. I wanted to take everything apart to figure out how it worked, but I restrained myself.
I stepped out onto the balcony, yawning, and looked out at the glittering city. New London was still a beautiful city to look at. I was a bit miffed at the loss of some starlight due to the light pollution, but the conveniences outweighed the loss. My mind churned with the possible applications for such a magical invention, but I reeled myself in before I went off the deep end.
From the writing desk I took the chair and stuffed it under the doorknob so I wouldn’t be surprised should any late night visitors stop by. Luxury hotel or not, I wasn’t taking any chances with intruders.
We were on the sixth floor, so, likely as not, I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone coming in through the balcony window, but I locked that too.
When I ran out of things to distract me, the anxiety churning in my gut reared its ugly head. To avoid my looming problems, if only for the night, I dove into the bed and pulled the covers up over my head. The mattress was springy and deliciously soft, unlike anything I’d ever laid on. The comforter, full of feathers, was so plush that I could bury myself in it forever.
“Get up, get up already! How long do you plan on sleeping?! I’m bored to tears over here!” Bell yelled in my ear.
Cracking my eyes open the barest smidge, I swung wildly in an attempt I knew would fail to shut the sylph up. Midday light invaded my eyes, and I’d never felt less ready to tackle a day. Groaning bitterly, I pulled myself halfway out of bed to draw the curtains closed. Then I crawled back into bed and pulled the warm covers over myself, in order to engage their protective qualities.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Tiny attacks began landing on my shelter.
“Sleeping,” I grated out the single word with the greatest of efforts.
Bell invaded my territory and began poking me relentlessly. “Muahaha! Take that! And that! And some of this! How about that?!”
“Shoo fly, don’t bother me.”
I’ll copy Bell’s drastic solution and repurpose it in miniature. See if that shows her.
I poured loads of concentrated mana into the sigil on my chest, like an overflowing bathtub. The effects were quick to manifest. A concussive force blasted out from my body, sending furniture flying in all directions, indiscriminately— including, of course, Bell, but not the covers, which I’d held onto with stubborn intensity.
The villain screamed retribution as she was tossed out the shattered balcony windows. “Ooh, just you wait! I’ll get you for this, Kal!” Her screams were followed by a great crash.
I felt oddly gratified by the display.
I rolled back over in bed and drifted off towards blissful dreamland. Just then, a gust of wind notched up to gale strength hit me mercilessly, tearing away my veil of protection. Without my protection from the world’s cruelties, I was assaulted by light even through my closed eyelids. Curling up into the fetal position, I moaned pitifully and cursed the gods for their creation of a daily cycle.
“Okay, I’ve about had it up to here with you, mister! Like it or not, you’re getting up today!” Bell was livid, her skin flushed purple, her expression as firm and unyielding as stone.
I threw away my pride, got on my knees, and begged. “Noooo— anything but that! Please, pretty pretty please— all I’m asking for is five more minutes!”
“That’s it mister, playtime’s over!”
My chest warmed slightly as a solid wall of air formed beside the door. I gulped when I realized Bell’s intentions, and their implications.
“Hey, Bell, come on, we can talk about this—”
“Nuh-uh~”
“Look, I’m really sorry about earlier, you know, throwing you out the window and all… it’ll never happen again, promise!”
“Neneneneneener! I can’t hear you!”
I held onto the bed for dear life as what I suspected were purposefully, dreadfully slow preparations finally completed.
I recalled that we were on the sixth floor. And, unlike a certain sylph, I didn’t have wings.
“Think this through, Bell! You don’t really want to do this! There’s still hope for you, you can turn back before it’s too late!”
“Oh, I really want to! Watch me! Don’t worry, you won’t die, probably!” Bell devolved into maniacal laughter.
An unyielding wall of solid air crashed into the side of the bedframe and sent it skidding-tumbling-crashing-flying outside. I stuck to it like glue, eyes wide as I was treated with an upside-down view of the street below. I spotted a broken lamp missing its shade, a partway crushed nightstand and half a writing desk as we tumbled into the abyss.
“Out of the way!” I yelled hoarsely to the fast-approaching figures of people below.
I had just enough time to lament my fate, pray, and then count my lucky stars that the bed would land upright with me on it before it all crashed into the street with the sound of splintering wood. By the time I’d gathered my wits and most of my stuff, a large crowd had formed around our miniature circus act. Which was why I found myself getting dressed in Thorn’s old clothes to the tune of near a hundred curious onlookers.
“Someone get The Watch!”
Hotel staff had begun to filter out of the building to see what had happened. I hid my face as deep within my cloak’s hood as it would go and shouldered through the shellshocked crowd of onlookers before someone thought to restrain me.
“Hey, stop
that man!”
“You’ll pay for all these damages!”
I made it to another street and found an adjoining alley to use to make myself scarce. Partway down it, I tore off my cloak, replaced the green tunic I was wearing with my fine black shirt, and stuffed all the discarded clothes into my pack with brutal efficiency.
I kept the brown trousers on and left the jacket in my bag. Taking care not to look behind me or seem suspicious, I stepped out into the bustling lunchtime crowds going about their business in the Middle Quarter.
“That was cruel and unusual punishment,” I muttered as I tied Thorn’s yellow-gold bandana around my neck.
“Hmmph, you deserved worse.”
“I guess I should thank you for teaching me a new trick.”
“That’s right,” Bell nodded. “Now that’s more like it~”
I kept my head on a swivel, but settled down after I’d wandered up and down several streets packed with pedestrians. While on my meandering route, I picked up a feathered hat from a street vendor and stuffed most of my hair into it. I stopped short to look at myself in a shopfront’s window and hardly recognized myself, so I doubted anyone else would.
I caught a flash of flame-red hair in my peripheral vision, and I spun around to get a look at all the people passing by. I didn’t see who I was looking for, but the anxious, hopeful feeling stirring in my gut wouldn’t let it go at that.
I found the nearest stall and hopped up on top of the boxes stacked beside it. I ignored the vendor’s cries for me to get down while I raked my eyes back and forth across the crowd. My efforts were rewarded as I caught sight of a full head of fiery hair disappearing into an alley two blocks down.
“Sorry, sorry!” I yelled my apology to the irate vendor as I leapt off the stack of boxes and dove into the crowd.
“Hey, Kal, wait up!”
Like a man possessed I took advantage of the smallest of openings and drove my shoulder through innocent passerby that couldn’t get out of the way fast enough. Every second I spent pushing through the crowd was another spent letting that person get away.
