And
so,
Beth thought as she spun the steering wheel of her airship, having
thwarted the plans of the impertinent Baron Von Spotnick, it was
onward towards their next adventure!
He had put up a challenge, but with the help of her loyal crew and
the dark and brooding masked rogue she knew only as Starling, she had
triumphed.
One
of her crew hurried up to her, pausing only to preen her whiskers and
munch on a stalk of celery. "Wheep?" she asked Beth.
"Where
are we going, Snootles?" Beth told the guinea pig. "Wherever
the wind and sky take us!"
"Captain..."
A slender masked young rogue dressed all in black strode up to her,
his dark hair drifting dramatically in the breeze, guinea pigs
swooning in his wake. "You had mentioned a reward?"
Beth
felt her heart race as Starling spoke. "I may not have much to
give," she whispered, "but there is one thing I would
gladly offer you, you dark and brooding rogue." She pressed
close to him and looked up into his dark and brooding eyes, which
were all she could see through his bird-like mask.
"My
dearest Beth..." Starling reached down and stroked her cheek. "I
am not who I seem to be."
"Not
dark and brooding?"
"Not
that." He pulled the mask off and cast it aside. Beth was
surprised to see who it really was underneath, and astonished that
she still closed her eyes, eagerly awaiting the kiss—
* * *
"Good
morning!" Michiko said cheerfully as she shook Beth awake.
Beth
sat up in bed and held her head in her hands. "Great timing,
Michiko," she grumbled. "I was having another airship
dream." And
she woke me up right in the middle of that kiss,
she added to herself, trying not to blush.
"You've
been having a lot of those lately." Michiko took Beth's glasses
from the bedside table and handed them to her roommate.
"Thanks."
Beth put her glasses on, blinking in the bedroom light. "You
know I've always loved airships. I can't stop thinking about them,
especially since you went to Faerie last month."
"Were
the guinea pigs there?"
"Yeah."
"How
about Starling? Did he finally take his mask off this time?"
Michiko grinned.
I
have got to stop telling her about my dreams,
Beth thought. "Never mind that," she said. "What time
is it?"
"2:00
AM."
"Do
I want to know why you're waking me up so early?"
"The
hobgoblins called," Michiko said with a sigh. "There's
another problem in their warehouse."
"And
they had to get us out of bed to help, huh?"
"You're
still in bed."
"Details."
Beth threw the covers aside and scooted out of her bed. "Is
there coffee?"
"I
just started a fresh pot."
"Thanks."
Beth smiled as she walked over to the door to her private bathroom.
"Give me ten minutes to get ready." She stopped in the
doorway and looked back at Michiko. "By the way..."
"Yes?"
Michiko said.
"It's
your turn to wake up Gregor."
Beth
closed the bathroom door, but she could still hear Michiko's
anguished shout, "Nooo!"
* * *
Tuesday
mornings at the Wonderland Diner and Tavern, the preferred choice for
hungry and thirsty Emigres, were very much not like weekends. Those,
especially Sunday mornings, were as crazy as it got in every
conceivable way. Tuesdays, on the other hand, were pretty much quiet,
which made it a good day to give an inexperienced waitress her first
solo shift.
Bianca's
feet and legs were starting to hurt two hours in, but the faerie
didn't let it show as she refilled coffee for the dwarves and cleared
Sam's table. She did pause to catch her breath and adjust her apron,
glancing over as the front door opened. Her eyes widened as the
Monkey Queen walked in. "Good morning, everybody!" Michiko
said.
Beth
came in behind her, smiling and nodding at the regulars. She glanced
around and saw the waitress. "Bianca?" she said.
Bianca
hurried over. "Michiko! Beth!" she said to them. "Good
morning! You're here on a Tuesday?"
"Surprise!"
Michiko said with a grin.
"Let's
get you seated." Bianca led Michiko and Beth to their usual
table in the center of the diner. "Did you need to see the
menu?"
"Nah,"
Beth said as she sat down, setting her backpack on the floor next to
her chair. "Just the usual for us."
"All
right," Bianca said as she pulled out a smartphone and checked
the screen. "That's...a big stack of pancakes with fresh fruit
on the side for Michiko?"
"Yep!"
Michiko said.
"And
for Beth, ham and cheese omelet with a sourdough English muffin, and
then a short stack of pancakes?"
Beth
nodded. "Mandy wrote that up for you, didn't she?"
"She
did. It's been very helpful." Bianca put the phone away.
"Coffee, right?"
"Please!"
Beth grinned.
Bianca
smiled back and headed into the kitchen. "He's working today?"
Michiko asked.
"He
usually takes Mondays and Thursdays off," Beth said, "and
it's Tuesday, so any second now..."
The
kitchen doors swung open, and a tall male who, with his bat-like
wings, fiery red eyes and purple skin, could have been mistaken for a
demonic monster were he not wearing a chef's hat and apron strode
into the dining room. "You two!" he said in his deep voice
as he hurried over to Michiko and Beth's table.
"Good
morning, Aloysius!" Michiko jumped up and hugged the chef.
"Told
you." Beth grinned as she hugged Aloysius in turn. "Good
morning, big guy."
"Good
morning to both of you!" he said. "Is it Sunday already?"
"Still
Tuesday!" Michiko said as she and Beth sat back down.
"We
just needed a sanity break," Beth said.
"Rough
day already?" Aloysius asked.
"Rough
week."
"We've
had to clear up problems at the hobgoblin warehouse four times in the
last five days." Michiko grimaced. "And the last one was at
two this morning."
"And,"
Beth said, "my TAs seem to be competing with each other to see
who can treat me worse."
"And
Gregor," Michiko said.
"And
Gregor." Beth sighed.
"Is
he being difficult again?"
Beth
glanced over and saw a tall blonde faerie dressed in black walking up
to their table. "Good morning, Scylla!" Michiko said.
"Hey,"
Beth said with a smile. "We had to wake him up at 2:00 AM, and
he's still mad about it."
"He
does like his sleep," Scylla said.
"How
the heck do you get along so well with him anyway?"
"Maybe
it's because they have something in common," Michiko said.
"Misanthropy?"
Scylla smiled.
"You
said it," Beth said as Bianca set coffee cups in front of her
and Michiko. "I didn't."
Bianca
glanced at Aloysius. "I thought you were supposed to be in the
kitchen," she said. "You should go back to work."
"That's
our Bianca!" Aloysius said. "Even when she has to tell me
off, she's so sweet about it."
"She's
doing great so far!" Michiko said with a big smile.
"And
not a mean bone in her body! We're going to miss her when she goes
back to Faerie to open her pizza place!"
Bianca
blushed. "Thank you," she said.
"But
she needs to know how to get tough," Beth said. "Let me
show you." She pointed at Aloysius. "Get back in your
kitchen, you!"
The
chef rolled his eyes. "Meanie," he muttered as he walked
away. Michiko giggled.
* * *
"What
are you looking at?" Beth asked, taking another bite of pancake.
Michiko
glanced up from her smartphone. "Grandmother Fox just sent the
latest list of Thanksgiving invites."
"I'm
still on there, right?"
"Just
as long as you don't decide to spend the day with your parents
instead!"
"Oh,
please." Beth frowned. "Even if I wanted to, the airfare is
way too much."
"You
don't want to be with your parents for the holiday?" Michiko
asked.
"No,"
Beth said firmly. "Their idea of celebrating Thanksgiving is to
argue about where to get the precooked turkey. My senior year in high
school, they took too long to decide, and we wound up having to eat
tofurkey."
"I
like tofurkey!" Michiko said.
"You
would." Beth grinned and took the last bite of her pancakes.
"Mandy?"
Beth
and Michiko looked over at the front door. Mec was standing in the
doorway, glancing around desperately. "Is she here?" the
gremlin asked.
Bianca
hurried up to him. "Mec?" she said.
"Bianca!
Where's Mandy?"
"I
haven't seen her. I've been here all morning."
"She
has to be here!" Mec waved his hands. "I've looked
everywhere! She has to—"
"Mec."
He
turned and saw the Monkey Queen, standing and looking at him.
"Michiko?" he said, startled.
"It's
me," she said, her voice calm and firm and compassionate. "Come
over here. Sit with us."
Mec
walked slowly to Michiko's table and pulled out a chair. As he did,
Beth caught Bianca's eye and whispered, "We've got this."
The waitress nodded.
"What
happened, Mec?" Michiko asked.
"She's
gone," the gremlin said as he slumped down in his chair.
"Mandy?"
Mec
nodded. "I was working late in my lab, and I fell asleep at my
workbench. I went straight home when I woke up, but she wasn't there.
And she didn't leave a note or send a text."
"Did
you try calling her?"
"She
didn't answer. I checked some of her favorite places, but no sign. I
knew it was her day off, but this...this was the last..."
"Why
were you at your lab?" Michiko asked. Mec stared at the table,
saying nothing.
"Mec?"
Beth asked. "Were you two fighting?"
"We..."
Mec took a breath. "Both of us have been under a lot of stress
lately. I got mad about Cog and took it out on her. She hid in the
bedroom, and I walked out, and now..." He covered his face with
his hands.
"Oh,
Mec," Beth said. She laid a hand on his shoulder, trying to
comfort him.
"Mec?"
Michiko asked. "Was anything missing?"
He
looked up. "Her favorite acoustic guitar was gone," he
said. "And its case."
Michiko
nodded. "That could mean a lot of things, but I don't think
waiting around to figure out what they are is a good idea right now.
Beth? Are you finished?"
Beth
gulped down the last of her coffee. "Now I am," she said.
"Mec?
Do you mind if we search your apartment?"
Mec
raised an eyebrow. "Everything's where it should be there,
except for the guitar."
"Maybe,"
Michiko said as she stood up, "but I'd rather be sure."
"Michiko?"
Scylla set down the old book she'd been reading. "Could you use
an extra pair of eyes for your search?"
"You
bet!" Michiko grinned.
"Some
misanthrope," Beth said as she reached for her backpack.
Scylla
smiled. "I'm out of practice."
* * *
The
old apartment building had been slated for demolition at one point,
and to all eyes, it had been; there was nothing there but a vacant
lot behind a tall, imposing brick fence topped with barbed wire.
However, those who knew the trick knew where to slip past the complex
seemings and what path to take to get inside the renovated building
that housed pixie and gremlin Emigres.
The
search went quickly, and Michiko shook her head as she and Scylla
finished up. "I couldn't find anything," she said. "Did
you notice anything missing besides her guitar?"
"No,"
Mec said. "Everything else was there."
"And
you're certain that she didn't leave a note or anything?"
"Positive.
No texts, either. I've been checking my phone every few minutes."
"Okay.
Let's try another approach. Beth?"
Beth
nodded and began to look around the living room, not in the same way
Michiko had, but looking past the surface, checking for any illusion
spells that might be disguising a clue. Seeing through seemings was
Beth's rare talent, what they called "second sight", and it
was what had led to her first meeting with Michiko and their
subsequent partnership.
Her
search came up clean until she glanced at the front door. She blinked
once, twice. "Michiko?" she said. "There's something
going on here."
"With
the door?" Michiko asked.
"Yeah.
There's some sort of seeming in place, but I can't see past it or
dispel it."
Michiko
scowled. "How does that happen?"
"I've
heard," Scylla said, "that there could be devices crafted
by gremlins that could have that effect. They regenerate the seeming
the instant it's dispelled."
Michiko
examined the door. "Beth, are you sure?"
"Positive."
Beth stared and blinked. "I can barely see something, maybe for
a fraction of a second, before it goes away."
"But
we've already searched the apartment," Scylla said.
"Not
all of it." Michiko opened the door and stepped into the hall,
followed by Beth. She looked up and said, "I think I found it."
"Where?"
Beth asked.
"There's
something at the top of the door frame." Michiko squinted. "I
can't quite see it."
"Try
knocking it down with your staff."
"I
would, but breaking it could be a bad idea." Michiko grinned.
"You can get it down."
"How?"
"With
a boost. Stand over here."
Beth
moved close to the door; Michiko stood behind her and took hold of
Beth's hips. "Careful with those hands!" Beth said with a
smile.
Michiko
giggled as she lifted her partner up. "See anything?" she
said.
Beth
spotted the flat gray metal casing right away. "Yeah, there's
something here," she said. "And it's not dusty, so it
hasn't been here long."
"Can
you get it down?"
"The
catch is doing it safely." Beth shook her arm, and the sleeve of
her jacket slid over her right hand. She touched the casing gingerly
with the cuff, her left hand hovering near the top button of the
pocket on her right arm, ready to activate her emergency force field.
Nothing happened. She gently took the device in her jacket-covered
hand and said, "Got it."
Michiko
carefully lowered Beth back down. "No traps?" she asked.
"Not
yet." Beth held out the device as Scylla and Mec joined them in
the hall. "Looks harmless enough."
Michiko
looked at the device. "Mec? Scylla? Thoughts?"
"There
is some magic about it," Scylla said. "Not sure what,
though."
Beth
flipped the device over. "What's that symbol?" she asked.
It was a small engraving on one corner on the back, an ornate "G"
set in the middle of a gear.
Mec
looked at the symbol. His eyes narrowed. "Lord Gimcrack's mark,"
he said.
"Gimcrack?"
"One
of the greatest of all gremlin craftsmen. This isn't his usual style,
but I'd know that mark anywhere."
"Doesn't
Mandy have some...history with him?" Michiko said.
"That's
the polite way to put it." Mec gritted his teeth.
"Why
is that?" Beth asked.
"Five
years ago, he met Mandy by chance and was smitten on the spot. He
made some rather creepy moves on her." The gremlin grimaced.
"How
old was Mandy?"
"Fourteen."
"And
Gimcrack?"
"Seventy-eight."
Beth
shuddered. "Yeah, that ranks pretty high on the creepy scale."
"She
rebuffed him quite thoroughly, and Gimcrack didn't take it well. Her
family had to emigrate here for her safety."
"I
never knew that," Scylla said.
"She
doesn't like to talk about it much," Mec said. "I think
she's still a bit worried about him finding her here."
"He
may have." Michiko took the device from Beth. "Scylla?
Should I just smash this?"
"Please
don't," the faerie said. "Gimcrack does enjoy his traps."
"Got
it." Michiko set the device on the ground and backed away. Beth
and Scylla moved next to her. Mec knelt by the device; Scylla
gestured, and a protective shield went up around him. The gremlin
took a screwdriver from his tool belt, popped the casing open, and
went to work.
A
few minutes later, the device was in pieces, the power crystal had
been safely tucked away, and Mec was putting away his tools. "No
traps?" he said. "Gimcrack's getting soft in his old age."
"Or
he didn't have time to build one in," Scylla said as the shield
vanished.
"But
the door still looks the same," Michiko said.
Beth
faced the door, looked below the surface, and blinked. "Not any
more," she said as the seeming vanished. The doorknob had
clearly been broken out of the door and clumsily repaired, with wood
that didn't match.
"Would
Gimcrack have stayed on Earth?" Michiko asked.
"No,"
Mec said. "He hates being here. He's probably back in Faerie by
now." He gathered the pieces of Gimcrack's device and stood up.
Michiko
nodded. "No time to waste, then."
"So
when do we leave?" Mec asked.
"Mec..."
Michiko looked sadly at the gremlin. "It's probably best if you
stayed here."
"What?"
Mec's jaw dropped.
"We
need someone to let us know if we've gotten things wrong and Mandy
comes home. If anyone can come up with a way to do that, it's you."
"You're
saying I'm not good enough?" Mec shouted. "You're saying I
can't handle this?" There was a gleam in the gremlin's eye.
"No,
I'm—"
"That's
what Cog would say! He's wrong, and you're wrong! I'm not going to
let you—"
"Mec."
Michiko stared calmly at the gremlin. "Stop and listen to
yourself for a moment."
The
hallway fell silent. Finally, Mec nodded. "I understand,"
he said. "I just don't like being told I can't help when Mandy's
in trouble."
Michiko
laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's for the best."
"If
she's not back soon—"
"I
know," Michiko said. "But we'll do everything we can to get
Mandy home. I promise."
Mec
exhaled. "I know you will. Thanks." He went back into his
apartment, softly closing the door behind him.
"Let's
go," Michiko whispered. She moved quickly down the hall, the
other women following.
* * *
"Wow,"
Beth said as they left the apartment building. "I've never seen
him so upset."
"Me
neither." Michiko sighed.
"Are
you two familiar with 'gremlin madness'?" Scylla asked.
"I've
heard of it," Michiko said, "but I've never seen it."
"I
think we just have." Scylla glanced around as they passed
through the hidden door in the fence, whispering to activate her
human seeming before she continued. "Sometimes, when gremlins
are stressed or working on a difficult project, or both, a certain
anger-fueled obsession takes over. You did a good job of diffusing
it, Michiko, but I worry about it affecting Mec again."
"I
just hope he doesn't do anything rash."
"So
what's next?" Beth asked.
"We
need to go back to our apartment," Michiko said. "Scylla?
Can you watch Gregor for a few days?"
"My
pleasure." The faerie smiled. "I just downloaded a few
smartphone apps that will hopefully keep him from complaining too
much."
"Wait,"
Beth asked. "Aren't you going with Michiko?"
"Too
risky," Michiko said.
Scylla
nodded. "If either of you get caught, at least you might be able
to escape before they collect the bounty. But Wrexham's standing
orders are to kill me on sight."
"Wait
a minute. 'Either of you...'?" Beth stopped, her eyes slowly
widening.
"She
finally figured it out," Scylla said with a smile.
"Yep!"
Michiko grinned. "Beth, you're coming with me to Faerie."
Beth
nearly sprained an ankle jumping for joy.
* * *
© 2015 Robert Dahlen. All rights reserved, except for those granted by "fair use" laws in your region.
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