by Charley Case
“But she hasn't.” Hermin continued. “We can still lock on places she’s been in the past.”
Garret added, “Sometimes.”
Hermin nodded. “Sometimes. We think.” He mysteriously waved a hand. “It’s not an exact science. However, we have gotten multiple hits in Boulder.” He gave them a knowing look.
Finn frowned and looked around the table, the slightly confused looks from the others let him know he wasn't the only one confused.
“You’re saying she might be in Boulder?” Finn asked slowly.
The two Huldu rolled their eyes.
“No,” Garret said with forced patience. “We went to Boulder and looked. She’s not there. We’re just saying it’s odd that it keeps popping up. When a tracking spell doesn't work, you usually get a flurry of places, some stronger than others — that’s how we can tell if it’s a place she has been — but mostly it’s just random locations. For it to pop up in a place twice is rare, but for it to keep happening is something else. We just don't know what.”
Finn saw that Penny had a contemplative look on her face, tapping at her chin with a talon. “You have an idea?”
Penny shrugged. “Shiri, chi shee?”
Finn raised an eyebrow. “Would that be possible? Could it be a relative of hers?”
Garret thought it over. “It’s possible. It would have to be someone closely related. A sibling or a parent, maybe. But we don't know anything but her first name. How would we know who it is?”
Finn sighed and finished his coffee. He set the mug down, thinking things through. “I don't know if this information will help, but it can't hurt, I suppose. I have someone I need to talk to that might help. Preston might be able to do something with the Boulder angle, have you talked to him about it?”
Hermin nodded. “I spoke with him just before coming here. He said he would investigate. Who are you going to speak with?”
“Gwen,” Finn said, standing and going to the coat rack where his harness was hanging and put it on.
Garret raised an eyebrow. “The dryad? How could she help? Doesn't she run a food cart?”
Finn smiled. “Yeah, but she hears a lot, and we have a pretty good relationship. You want to come Mila? You can try a tooter.”
Mila shrugged. “Sure. Let me get a quick shower and change, though.”
He nodded, going back to the coffee pot and grumbling when he saw it was empty. “No problem. I need to make more coffee anyway.”
Finn and Mila stepped off the magical staircase that led from the alley and into the bustling underground Market. Penny was riding Finn's shoulder, but as soon as they were in the vaulted chamber, she gave a “Chi, chi!” of explanation and flew ahead of them to get a few tooters in before they arrived.
“She really loves tooters, huh?” Mila smiled after the small dragon as she shot over the various tents towards the center of the Market.
Finn laughed. “Well, they are a tasty treat. A bit like maple sausage and the white stuff in an Oreo wrapped in flaky pastry.”
Mila gave him a confused look as they fell into the flow of foot traffic. “I thought you said it was grilled meat.”
“It is.” Finn nodded and smiled. “Not all meat comes from a cow or a pig, you know.”
She smacked his arm. “I can't help that I grew up without knowing better.”
“I’ve seen you refuse lamb because they’re too cute to eat.”
“That’s different,” she said haughtily. “I stand by the idea that you shouldn't eat cute things.” She frowned. “Tooters aren’t cute, are they?”
Finn laughed. “Not even a little bit. Vicious little bastards if they ever go wild. For a long time, they were treated as vermin, and exterminated throughout the galaxy, until some desperate fool ate one. Then they were considered a delicacy and raised in farms.”
They meandered through the stalls, stopping when something caught their eye. Finn enjoyed talking with Mila. She was more knowledgeable than most people. She rattled off facts about the strangest things, yet always made Finn think she was happy he was in on it, unlike people who used their knowledge to make themselves feel superior.
Mila paused at a stall and held a small medallion up to get a look. Her face split into a smile. “Check this out. It’s a Roman coin. This is the face of Augustus. He rebuilt the Roman Empire after his uncle Julius Caesar was killed. A pretty important guy as far as history is concerned.”
She asked the man behind the counter how much, and he quoted a price, and she began haggling. Finn smiled when she began using her knowledge of ancient artifacts to point out that Roman coins were not all that rare, and she would be willing to pay the going rate, pulling out her phone and finding several similar coins for half the price he quoted. The stall owner relented and sold it to her at a fair price. She then slipped him an extra hundred and thanked him for the lively bartering.
She held the coin, looking at the preserved detail in it as they headed for Gwen’s stall.
“You really love old things, don't you?” Finn asked, making her look up and redden a little.
“Well, yeah.” She held up the coin. “Think of all the people who treasured this over the last two thousand years. The goods that were bought with it. This coin was minted in Rome sometime around year one, and somehow it ended up in a magical market under Denver. That’s incredible.”
Finn nodded, appreciating the coin more. “While that is pretty interesting, why did you buy it?”
She smiled and handed the coin to him. “Augustus was known for a few things, but the major two were that during his reign, his people experienced peace from large-scale conflict for the first time in a long time, and also he expanded the Roman Empire halfway around the world.”
Finn took the coin, hefting its weight in his hand.
“I thought you might like to keep it as a reminder,” she said.
Finn frowned. “A reminder of what?”
“A reminder that as a prince, your job is to bring peace to your people and provide for them what you can,” she said.
Finn raised an eyebrow. “But I don't have a people. I’m an exile.”
She smiled and waved a hand around the chamber filled with magicals going about their business. “These are your people. They may not swear fealty to you, but they need your help, even if they don't know it. You already started taking care of them when you bought our building and plan on letting magicals stay there as a sanctuary because they have nowhere else to go.”
“That’s just doing the right thing. It doesn't make me their prince.”
“You have the means and the will. That’s more than most people ever get from their leaders. There will always be people like the Dark Star, trying to take what they want or force people to bend to their will, and there will always be people like you who oppose them and seek nothing in return.” She leaned into him as they walked and wrapped both her arms around his sizeable right arm, hugging it tightly. “That’s one of the things I love most about you. You give a shit.”
They arrived at the food court in the middle of the Market. People ate food from the various food carts that lined the area, many standing, some sitting at multiple picnic tables. Finn spotted Penny and Gwen the Dryad chatting at her cart, the Dryad throwing her head back and laughing, her large tongs holding a blue-glazed tooter above a paper boat…which Penny was lying in. The dragon’s outstretched hands and her frustration at the out-of-reach tooter made Finn laugh.
Gwen lowered the tongs so Penny could grab the sweetmeat. “Sorry, darlin’, but that joke was too much for my old roots. You shoulda waited till I handed ye the fookin’ thing.” She saw Finn approaching with Mila on his arm. “Finn! Bout time you got yer sorry ass over here. Penny’s eating me out of house and fookin’ home.”
“We were looking at the stalls,” he said, slipping the Augustus coin into his pocket.
She gave Mila an appraising look. “Just lookin’, huh? Poor girl.” She winked at Mila, making her blush.
&nbs
p; Gwen held out a small hand and smiled, her pointed teeth making Mila do a double-take. “You must be Mila. Finn has been hemm’n and haw’n o’er ye fer as long as I’ve known ‘em. Good to see he took me advisement. Tooter?” she clacked her tongs, making Mila jump.
“That would be wonderful.”
The small woman pulled two of the blue treats off the grill and dropped them into paper boats, while Penny chomped down the last bite of hers and watched the boats pass over her.
“Thanks, Gwen,” Finn said, taking the boat and inhaling the sweet smell. “I came to see if you’ve heard anything from your tree recently.”
Gwen raised an eyebrow, her hands on her hips. “I hear from her every day, ye daft fooker. I’m a fookin’ Dryad.”
Finn chuckled. “I understand that I was speaking of the corruption it had pointed out a few weeks ago. Anything like that?”
Gwen narrowed her eyes. “Goin’ after her, are ya? Well, I can't say I don't blame you. Someone needs to take care o’ her, and the Earth knows it ain’t goin’ to be those useless Huldu. Barely keep the place runnin’ as it is without havin’ ta fight off the random world-dominatin’ megalomaniac.” She huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her large eyes. “But, no. My tree’s been quiet on that front. Why?”
“We can't find her. We know she’s hurt, but no one can get a bead on her.”
Gwen considered, clacking the tongs a few times. “I dunno what to tell ye, big feller. Could probably ask the Dirt Elemental. If you can find ‘em, anyway.”
Finn frowned. “The Dirt Elemental?”
She nodded. “Big bastard made of dirt and shit. The elemental’s kinda like a…” she weighed her words, “a titan for Earth. Or, I guess you could call him the Earth’s hands. The problem is he kinda does whatever he wants, but if the shit really hits the fan, he might show up.”
“How do I contact him?” Finn asked, hearing a crunch and looking over to see a surprised look on Mila's face as she bit into the crispy larvae.
“Iss is amazing!” she said around a mouth full of sweetmeat.
“Told you. These things are a delicacy. And Gwen here makes the best,” Finn said, with a sly look Gwen’s way.
Gwen smacked him with the tongs. “Don’t ye be tryin’ to butter me up. Besides, I don't know how to contact him. No one does. He sorta shows up. And don't go askin’ around, not many people e’en know about him. It’s a bit of a secret if ye know what I mean.”
Finn had no idea what she meant, but he nodded.
Mila held up a chunk of meat. “What part of the tooter is this?”
Gwen raised an eyebrow. “It’s the whole thing.”
Mila cocked her head at Finn. “I thought you said they were some kind of varmint.”
“Yeah.” Finn took a big bite of his and continued with his mouth full. “Unce eh eu-pate.”
“Pupate?” She looked at the blue thing in her hands with a closer eye. “This is a larva?” Her face turned slightly green.
“Ye wouldn't wanna eat ‘em once they’re adults, dearie. Poison taints the meat.”
“P…Poison?” Mila rushed to the closest trashcan and lost her lunch along with her breakfast, and maybe even a little of the previous night’s dinner.
“Kids these days,” Gwen said, shaking her head.
Penny let out a huff of flaming disappointment when she saw Mila had wasted a perfectly good tooter.
Chapter Three
Finn followed Mila and Danica as they walked arm-in-arm down the sidewalk, huddled together for warmth, and whispering to one another. They had dressed for a night out, Danica taking special care to pick something that would show off her arm so she could practice her concealment spell in public before returning to work the next day.
Mila went with black ankle boots and leggings under a dark blue skater dress and her waist-length leather jacket for a bit of warmth in the chilly winter air. Danica wore black ankle boots and leggings, and her red dress came to a halter neck, exposing her shoulders and arms; although, on the way to the Refinery, she wore a thick and fluffy white poncho.
Penny was snuggled in her hammock, attached to the back of Finn's harness, hidden under his bomber jacket, playing a game on Finn's phone. He could hear her growling as the game got the better of her.
Finn took a few quick steps, going up the short stairway ahead of the ladies so he could open the door for them. “After you,” he said with a smile.
“Such a gentleman.” Danica teased, stepping to the warm a lively bar. Finn followed, and the sound of live folk music and conversation hit him with a warm, familiar feeling.
Danny, the Scottish born bartender, was behind the bar, slinging drinks to a full house. He gave them a friendly wave when he spotted his regulars and signaled he’d pour them their regular beverages in a few minutes. Finn gave a nod of thanks and followed Danica as she searched for an open table.
Danica led the way to a high table that opened up after a few seconds, and they claimed the limited seating. Danica and Mila hung their jacket and poncho on the hooks attached to the underside of the table then settled onto the high stools. Finn pulled the small service animal vest out and handed it to Penny when she climbed out of his jacket.
The small dragon rolled her eyes but slipped the vest on before grabbing a handful of peanuts the previous patrons left on the table.
“I’ll take these up,” Mila said, gathering some empty glassware. “Does anyone want anything other than the usual?”
“Chi! Shiri chi.” Penny said around a mouthful of peanuts.
Mila raised an eyebrow. “An old fashioned? Really? Okay, you got it. Anyone else?”
Finn shook his head. “I’m good with a beer and whiskey.”
Mila laughed. “So, the usual?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“I’m good with a G&T. Though if you could grab another old fashioned, that would be great.” Danica smiled and turned a little red. “Phil really likes them.”
Mila, Finn, and Penny all gave her a look.
“I invited him,” she confessed. “We haven't seen each other in two weeks, and I wanted to see if he noticed the arm.” She held up the prosthetic, looking like her natural skin, with the concealment spell wrapped around it. “I know the spell will fool people, but I have to make sure he can't feel it.”
“The spell will do the work,” Finn assured her, reaching out and taking the artificial hand in his. When he concentrated, he could feel the elaborate material but only because he knew what to look for. To anyone else, it would feel like skin, maybe a little on the solid side, but the spell would coax their mind into feeling what they expected.
Danica gave a smile and nodded. “I have to admit, I’m a little nervous. And to that end, I’m going to go pee before he gets here.” She hopped off her stool and headed for the back.
Mila leaned in and gave Finn a quick kiss. “That was nice of you, reassuring her.”
He smiled at the attention. “I was stating the facts. Danica will be fine. Especially when we get a gin and tonic in her. Besides, when you come up against trouble, it’s never half as bad if you face up to it.”
Mila laughed. “That’s wisdom.”
“That’s who Danica is,” he said, watching the tall elf weave her way through the crowd. “She doesn't turn from a challenge. She’ll be alright.”
Mila nodded in agreement, watching Danica go as well. “I’ll be back with the drinks. You stay here and watch the table.”
Finn and Penny sat and watched the local band on stage while they waited. It was a duo act, the guy playing the violin and the girl an acoustic guitar and singing. The song was good, something about finding love while running from the devil, but the melody was catchy, and their musical talents really shined.
“I always like live music, man,” a deep voice rumbled.
Finn hopped off his stool, and Penny was on his shoulder in an instant, inflating with dragon fire.
Rolf was in Danica's stool, drinking
seltzer water. “Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you.” The old stoner gave them a big-eyed smile.
Finn relaxed. “Rolf. How the hell do you do that?”
“Do what?” he asked, reaching out and snagging a few peanuts and tossing them in his mouth.
Penny was so shocked, she didn’t even protest.
“You just pop up out of nowhere. Is it magic?” Finn frowned.
Rolf laughed. “No, man. I’m just quiet.” He gave Penny a wave. “You must be Penny. I’m Rolf. It’s nice to meet you.”
Penny gave him a hesitant wave, and Finn felt her relax on his shoulder. She climbed down to the table and slid the bowl of peanuts to the other side of the table, out of Rolf’s reach. She tossed one in her mouth and crunched it up, watching the old soldier as he unraveled his long red scarf.
“So how did it go fighting that crazy witch?” Rolf asked, pursing his lips and settling on one of his elbows.
“How did…” Finn shook his head, “doesn't matter. It went okay, I suppose. I was able to use my magic while in a rage.”
Rolf’s eyes widened. “Really? So soon?” He huffed. “Took me a good year of practice to do it the first time, man. I can't believe you bust it out in a few days.”
“Well, I had a tenuous grasp on the magic at best, but I was able to cast a few spells,” Finn admitted. “I really need to ramp up the abilities if I’m going to be fighting people on the Dark Star’s level. Do you have any new steps for me?”
Rolf sucked at his teeth then took a long drink of seltzer. “Yeah, there is, but to be honest, you need to keep going with the breathing and mantra. Those two things are a foundation for the rest of the techniques. You might be able to cast, but as you said, it was tenuous at best. You don't want to build a house on sand, man, you need a good solid foundation to build that place. When you can cast without trouble during a rage, we can move on.”
