Metal Mage 6

by Eric Vall

  I grinned and slid my palm along the smooth curve of a fender. The finish was cherry red on my father’s version, but I liked the glint of the cold steel a little better. It gave the classic Mustang an angry glint that matched my mindset well, but I spent some time changing the surface quality in order to give the metal a sandblasted texture. Then I took another swig and gently placed the steel panels against the far wall of the workshop, and with a few shelves shifted to the side, most of the pieces were concealed from view.

  Once I’d finished the roof panel and both bumpers with the same slow and steady approach, I moved on to the hood and the trunk components next, as well as the compartment that would serve as the trunk itself. The first hood warped under the force of me shimmying it, but by the third try, I had it sturdy at half an inch thick with a gentle bevel along the edges. The entire top frame took only a few hours to create, and I grinned at Ruela as I tucked the last disassembled portion behind the vat of water in the corner.

  “Don’t tell Aeris,” I muttered to the wolfish beast. “He may know nothing about rifles, but he’s bound to notice there’s a slight difference in size going on here.”

  I stumbled on drunken legs as I moved to grab another chunk of metal and had just finished the grill, when I realized it would take a lot of time to create another engine large enough for the Mustang, and even then, I wasn’t entirely sure I needed it. I’d planned to cut several corners by relying on the power of the channeling gem to fill in the gaps, but if I wanted the classic growl of a Mustang, the gem certainly wouldn’t provide this.

  Then I groaned and realized there was a simple solution.

  I turned to eye Bobbie where she sat at the center of the shop, and my heart gave a dull ache, but I said a quiet prayer and shed a few drunken tears before I took a bracing gulp.

  The rest of the day passed in a blur of wine and steel, as well as a slightly feverish craze that kicked in around the last third of the jug. I didn’t know what time it was, but by the time the iron door of the shop slid open again, the courtyard outside was pitch black, and it occurred to me that I couldn’t see for shit.

  Me and my jug were slumped against the wall amongst a hoard of scrap and steel, and Ruela sat beside me.

  I didn’t bother to look up. “Finally bring me some lunch?” I asked the darkness.

  Then I heard Aurora chuckle. “There you are,” she said as she closed the door behind her and Cayla. The half-elf ignited her fingertips, and she sent her flames to the torches I hadn’t even noticed on the walls.

  When I squinted up, Cayla stood in front of me with her hands on her ample hips.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” I slurred. Then I noticed there were only two women in front of me. “Didn’t there used to be three of you?”

  The princess smirked. “Shoshanne’s with Deya in her suite.”

  I sighed as the two women shuffled some metal aside with their boots and joined me on the floor.

  Then Aurora raised her brows at the state of me.

  “So, Aeris locked you out with the dog?” she asked.

  “It’s fine,” I said with a shrug.

  “Mason … ”

  “No, seriously, it’s cool,” I assured the two women, “I got so much done. Watch this … ” Then I turned to the wolf beside me and raised my hand. “Ruela, high five.”

  Ruela raised her paw and left a heavy thud against my palm.

  I let out a chuckle. “Did you see that? We’re like one mind now.”

  Cayla giggled and scruffed the thick fur around Ruela’s neck, but Aurora sighed.

  “You could have just come back inside, you know,” the half-elf pointed out.

  “Why?” I asked with a snort. “In case I miss the show?”

  Aurora furrowed her brow. “Why did Aeris put you out here?” she asked. “You were asleep when we got back, and when we woke up you were already gone.”

  “Oh, you know, it’s the usual elven bullshit,” I told her. “I had my meeting with Aeris last night while you ladies were at the feast, and he didn’t seem very surprised to hear the head of House Syru had runes engraved on him. Now that I think about it, he seemed to care the least about that part, in fact.”

  “So … ” Cayla led, “how does that put you in the doghouse?”

  “Welp,” I belched. “Now, I get to hand over a hundred and fifty rifles, and if I’m a good boy he’ll talk to me about rune magic when I’m done.” I sent a pointed look in their general direction, but I was too drunk to tell if I’d gotten it right. “So obviously … I’m drinking and fucking around instead.”

  “Is that what all this is?” Aurora asked, and she nudged a lump of steel with her boot.

  My heart gave another dull ache, and I decided to drink rather than respond.

  “What does he want with so many rifles?” Cayla asked uneasily.

  “To protect Nalnora, of course!” I assured her sarcastically. “To help me out, really. Not for his own agenda or anything … just the good of all elves.”

  Aurora snorted. “He didn’t say that.”

  “Pretty much,” I returned. Then I raised the jug for another swig, but the half-elf suddenly caught it and took it away.

  “What’s our next move?” she asked.

  “I’m working on it.”

  “I’m serious,” Aurora persisted. “We came here hoping Aeris would help us, but if all he wants is an arsenal, shouldn’t we move on to the next house?”

  “Not right now,” I told her, and I snatched my jug back before she could react. “I’m not convinced I’ve wasted my time yet.”

  Cayla cocked a brow. “What makes you say that?”

  “A pretty little room I found this morning,” I said lazily as I finished off the last of the jug. My stomach protested immediately, but I swallowed it all down and dropped the empty jug to the workshop floor with a heavy clank. “Lemme think it all over when the room stops spinnin’ and we’ll sort it out, alright?”

  My eyes had slid shut, and the women didn’t respond. After a minute or so, I heard them scooch across the floor to sit on either side of me, and I strained to lift my arms. I slipped one around Cayla’s waist while my other hand tucked itself around Aurora’s inner thigh. The feel of my women in my arms slowly brought me down from the haze I’d spent most of the day in, and I began to drift back to reality despite the alcohol flaming in my gut.

  “By the way,” Cayla muttered, “a message arrived from House Pree this afternoon. They’re one of the Elite near the western border of Lyralus. They asked for Deya to come for a feast tomorrow in honor of her visit to the capital. She wants us to go with as her guards.”

  I groaned and instinctively pulled my hands away to rifle them through my hair. I’d sacrificed damn near every inch of my liver to keep Deya’s words at bay. Now the jug was empty, so I could only scruff my head as thoroughly as possible in retaliation.

  Cayla continued anyway. “Deya told us about the conversation you two had last night,” she informed me bluntly. “We talked about it this morning after you left, and I don’t care what you think or what laws these elves think they claim, that woman does not want to nod politely and do her duty.”

  “Gods,” Aurora mused. “That sounds so messed up.”

  “Right?” I scoffed and forced my eyes back open. “I mean … what the fuck? That’s all I can say. What … the fuck. All night and day I’ve been stuck with that conversation on loop, and I still can’t come up with anything beyond that. There are no words.” I shrugged and let my head go limp against the wall.

  “Exactly,” Aurora said and nodded her agreement. “Mason, we have to help her.”

  “Yeah, there’s that,” I slurred, “but then there’s the hitch about every House. You got that part, right? Every fucking House has a claim on Deya. How many armies is that?”

  “All of them,” Aurora muttered.

  I nodded. “Uh-huh. So, if you think about it, she’s more than spoken for. She’s practically owned by Nalnora.”

&
nbsp; “She’s owned by no one,” Aurora countered, and her lethal tone caught me off guard. “Who are you again?”

  “Her dog sitter.”

  I glanced hazily between the two women with a lopsided grin, but even through drunk eyes I could tell they weren’t amused. So, I let out a long sigh.

  “Defender Flynt,” I finally answered. “Order of Lenelelta.”

  “Elementa,” Aurora corrected.

  “Lemon … lemonelta,” I tried again. Then I shrugged. “It’s there somewhere, my tongue’s kinda numb.”

  The half-elf rolled her eyes. “It’s alright, the point is, you’re Defender Flynt, Metal Mage and Terra Mage with three bad bitches in tow, and there’s no way we’re--”

  “Hey,” I cut in. “I thought I made myself very clear on this. I don’t wanna hear about any bitches, alright? How many times do I have to spell it out for you?” The room tilted slightly as confusion clouded my mind, but I squinted hard and tried to find the right sequence of events. “Wait a minute. Was that Thrungrir? Or rather Der … Drungrir?”

  “Dragir?” Cayla asked.

  “Boom! Nailed it.” I raised my hand and let it waver in the air until the princess finally gave me a high five, and I could hear her fall into giggles once more as I continued. “I told Dragir about bitches, and I told you about nothing. Sorry about that, please continue.”

  Just then, Cayla shifted, and I noticed a little metal glint in her hand.

  I grinned. “Stan, my man! You too, buddy. Up top.”

  The metal man gave me a hearty high five.

  “See, you’ve got the right idea,” I told him. “Look at you, hanging with the ladies all day. That’s what I should’ve done.”

  Ruela let out a low growl, and we all glanced over.

  “It’s true,” I shot back. “You’re a good dog, but you’re a terrible drinking buddy. Stan keeps me focused. He’s proactive.”

  Stan gave a modest shrug.

  “And what would Stan have you do, then?” Aurora asked with a chuckle.

  I sighed and thought this over. “Probably tell the elves to go fuck themselves,” I finally decided. “Fuck Aeris and the Elite. Get out of Lyralus and keep on kicking ass. Am I right, buddy?”

  I reached over to let Stan climb into my palm, and he settled his hand on his little metal chin while he thought this over. He nodded his agreement, but then he pointed to Ruela and motioned like he had long hair he needed to smooth out.

  I cocked a brow. “What? Deya?” I asked.

  Stan nodded vigorously, and the two women laughed.

  “Very good point,” Cayla agreed. “Fuck the elves, keep Deya.”

  I sighed once more and scruffed my beard. “These are great points,” I admitted, “but I’m unfortunately not in the mood to be murdered by the fucking elves.”

  Calya looped her arm in mine and leaned in close to my ear. “Then don’t get murdered,” she purred.

  I raised my brows. “Yes ma’am.”

  “Come to bed,” Aurora chuckled, “but tomorrow we’re coming up with something a little more concrete than ‘don’t get murdered.’”

  “Mmmm … agreed,” I slurred. “A man with no plan is a dead man, and I’m not dying in fucking Nalnora. That’s non negotiable.”

  “See?” Cayla said, and the two women pulled me up to my feet. “This is why you’re the perfect person to save Deya.”

  I snorted as I swayed a little with the change in altitude. “Obviously … but first, I’m gonna throw up.”

  Chapter 11

  My head felt like a pile of dog shit the next morning. Even the knock on the door sent an extra surge of pain through my skull, and I nearly threw up before I made it over to open it.

  “Good Morning,” Deya said sweetly.

  I tried to pry my eyes open, but they wouldn’t budge. “Hi,” I mumbled. “What’s up?”

  Deya didn’t respond, so I rubbed my eyes to force them open. When a sliver of light finally slipped through, I saw the beautiful elf slide past me and duck behind the door. Before I could ask her what she was doing, Aeris appeared out of nowhere, and I jumped at the severity of his expression.

  “You should be working on the arsenal by this time,” he informed me coldly. “Right this w--”

  “Nope,” I interrupted. I knew there was something I had to put up with today, and somehow, it wasn’t Aeris’ bullshit. I furrowed my brow for a long moment with my weight propped on the door, but I couldn’t seem to remember what it was. Then I felt Deya’s slender finger give the lightest tap on the back of my hand, and the evening came flooding back to me. “That’s right, Deya.”

  Aeris scowled in confusion. “What about Miss Deya?” he challenged.

  “The message,” I sighed. “Something about a House and a feast. We’re doing that, apparently.”

  “Ah yes,” the head of House Aelin said scornfully. “House Pree and their summons, well I don’t mean to be rude but surely they do not require Miss Deya as immediately as that. You can finish the arsenal first--”

  “Nope,” I interrupted again. “Duty and all that, gotta do the thing with the House and the feast … ” I trailed off and shut the door in Aeris’ face, and as I braced my pounding skull against the wood, I turned to find Deya beside me.

  Her violet eyes shone up at me, and she mouthed the words “thank you.”

  I nodded and turned back toward the bed, but just before I collapsed there, I registered the three naked women tangled together in the sheets with a nice cozy opening in the middle for me.

  I squinted sidelong at Deya with her back against the door.

  “It’s okay,” she said quietly, “you should sleep, I’ll just … ” Deya looked around and eventually decided on the desk beneath the window. “I’ll sit there. We don’t have to leave right away.”

  I raised my brows as Deya tiptoed to the desk and perched herself on the edge of the chair. Then she sent me a small nod, and my skull pounded an extra measure when I nodded back.

  I crawled in between the women with a heavy sigh, and as I looped my arm over Shoshanne, the healer let out a light moan in her sleep. My head still spun from my encounter with the jug of wine the day before, but I couldn’t seem to fall back asleep. I sensed I was being watched and did my best to ignore it, but Deya’s presence in the room was impossible to ignore. I finally propped myself up on my elbow with Shoshanne still sleeping under my arm.

  The beautiful elf had apparently been staring at us, and her violet eyes flicked to the corner of the ceiling the moment I looked at her.

  I chuckled and was about to say something when Shoshanne let out a sigh and pressed her backend against me.

  “Me first?” she moaned in her sleep.

  I quickly slid my hand over Shoshanne’s mouth and leaned in close to the woman’s ear. “We have company,” I told the healer.

  Shoshanne’s eyes snapped open, and she pulled the sheet up to cover her breasts. “Yes, we do … ” she muttered. Then she sent me a wide-eyed glance over her shoulder and struggled to sit up against the bed frame.

  I joined her there, and Shoshanne sent Deya an apologetic smile.

  “Good morning,” the healer murmured.

  “I’m sorry to wake you,” Deya snickered. “Aeris wants me to walk through the garden with his sons, so I thought I’d hide in here instead.” The beautiful elf gave a little shrug, and I couldn’t help but grin at the glint in her eye.

  I reached over and shook Cayla a bit by the cinch of her waist, and as the princess let out a sigh and rolled to wrap herself around me, her eyes slid open and fell on Deya.

  Cayla gasped, and I admired the jostle of her breasts as she jolted upright. Then I casually handed her an edge of the sheet.

  The princess sent me a coy smile. “Thank you,” she said and tucked herself under my arm before she turned to talk with Deya across my chest. “Are you alright?”

  “Perfectly,” the elf assured her.

  Cayla nodded and let out a yawn. “So … �
� she sighed, “what were we saying last night?”

  I sent the princess a pointed look and hoped she’d stop right there. The last thing I remembered was being told I was going to help Deya avoid her duties, and I definitely didn’t want to revisit the subject right now.

  Cayla’s blue eyes sparkled with amusement, and she sent me an innocent smile. “Something about a room?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Right. I found a library yesterday, and it gave me an idea is all.”

  “What idea?” Shoshanne asked curiously.

  I eyed the sweetness of Deya’s smile while she listened in on the conversation. “We can probably talk about it later … ”

  “You can talk about it now,” the elf assured me. “I love books.” Her cheeks flushed the moment she said this, and I recalled the night Deya had caught me and Shoshanne against the wall while she was trying to read.

  I decided to look at the sheets instead. “Okay … well, I found this library, and Aeris is a pigheaded prick, so I figured maybe we could side-step him and find some information in the books he’s got stashed in there.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Cayla agreed. “Should we go this morning?”

  “That’s the problem,” I told her. “There’s a very cranky old elf guarding the shelves, and I doubt he abandons his post often.”

  Aurora let out a grumpy sigh, and as she sat up, she pushed her wild blue braids back to scowl at us. “Why are you awake, and why are you all talking so loud … oh, good morning Deya.”

  I smirked as the half-elf’s tone immediately softened, and she curled herself against the princess.

  “Sorry about that,” Aurora muttered. “What’s going on?”

  Cayla giggled. “Mason wants to steal from Aeris’ library, but there’s a cranky elf in the way.”

  Aurora nodded. “Well, I could distract him,” she pointed out. “He’ll get plenty cranky with me, and you two can sneak in and--”

  Deya cleared her throat lightly.

  “I don’t know what you’ll look for, though,” Aurora continued. “The books are probably all in Elvish.”