The Wielder: Sworn Vengeance (The Wielder Series) (33 page)

I opted first for sleep. Sometimes dealing with
drama is best done well rested.  After rolling out of bed and cleaning up, I go to Shey’s room and knock on the door. No answer.

She’s in the woods.  She loves nature.
And goodness knows there’s miles and miles of woods around us. I remember when Dory passed.  Shey disappeared to nature then too.  It’s her point of comfort.

There’s really no tracking her down. But I can bring her to me.  And I do.
I run my finger along her glyphic and say “return.”  I feel spirit return into me with that familiar feeling that comes with the return of any of my summonlings to the "white."  Then, I run my finger along her glyphic again, this time saying, “Come to me.”

With a shimmer of the air, my fairy appears.  Petite, flowing blond locks, tr
anslucent wings and those pupil-less golden orbs of eyes.

“Is there something wrong? Or do you want me?
" she asks.

“Well
Shey, just looking to make sure you’re okay.”

That
remark gets me several blinks over her golden orb-like eyes – a reaction I’ve come to know as her thinking about things – seriously thinking about things.

“You know I have problems.  Everybody knows I have problems
… I am having some new problems… I don’t mean to cause problems. I am just... worried for you. And us. And me.”

Last thing I need to do is react. Shey will react to my reaction, then – oh boy. So I take a deep breath, try to think of the best words that won’t come back on me. “No problems Sheyliene
,” I say calmly as I can “You’ve caused no problems.  I just sense you are disturbed and some others do too.”

Blink. Blink. Blink.   Think. Think. Think.  Her wheels are turning.

She clutches herself and looks up at me. “He mourns.  They don’t mourn. Mourning is a loving thing. He’s not supposed to be able to love. They can’t love. They can’t be good. If they can be good…”

She turns around, her translucent wings facing me.

I think I get it. If Znuul can be good, why can’t she be evil? I’ve never been graced with all the details of her bondage under Maldgorath, but I do know that he totally subverted her and her character – basically made her into whatever he wanted her to be.  I could do that too.

I never would.

Her memories during Maldgorath's hold on her are of good times doing heinous things because he made her enjoy them.  She knows rationally what she did was heinous.  It’s a total mind-melting screw job and no wonder she’s not entirely right. I feel her conflict now.  If a demon – and to her the worst of them - can turn for the good, then why can’t she be as bad as she remembers herself?

Her black and white world just got introduced to grey areas. It’
s so much easier to judge beings by what they are as opposed to who they are.  And it’s even more of a bitch when it makes you question yourself on those same terms – who am I, really?

“Hey, somebody needs a hug
,” what else can I say to her?

She turns around, tears streaming from her eyes
; she is now openly crying. She crushes me with her hug.  I return it gently.

“What if I’m
really the bad guy Arthur?  You don’t know the things I did. I dream of them. They aren’t bad dreams until I wake up and know they're bad. I still taste my sister’s blood.  It tastes really good. What if I’m really the monster now? What if I become that monster? What if part of me really wants to be that – I had fun being that. What if bad me wins?”

I hold my sobbing, heaving fairy trying to think what to say.

“Hey, you are my Sheyliene.  Not his, not anymore. Yea, stuff happened. Yea, he made you like it.  But you are who you are now and who you’ve been for years now. Yea, you’re a little off at times, but I think you’re pretty special. So did Dorothy… remember? I know you and you are alright by me, even if you don’t see it.

Sobbing stop
s. Blinking at me starts again. Then she about breaks my back with her hug.

“I love you Arthur!”

“You’ll feel better once we’ve killed Maldgorath,” I tell her.

“
We’ll dance in his black blood!” is her sing song reply as she starts to whirl me around in some form of dance.

That’s my girl.

I’m a pretty good chess player.  After all, I’ve been playing
for more than a few years. That makes the thought of losing to Sil burn a little.  I just taught her the game a little over two weeks ago.  It’s not fair.  Still, all is not lost in this bout.  I just have to be very careful not to do something stupid or obvious.

I can’t even take pride in tutoring a great student.  She just caught on.

The sliding door to the rear porch opens and Karen comes out.  She examines the board and looks at us both, nodding.  “Quite the battle.  Arthur, Ahtsag and I need you in the office.  Sorry Silithes.”

I’m relieved. “No problem Karen – Sil, checkers tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

I get
up and follow Karen back inside and we make our way to Znuul’s office.

“Tight game
,” she says.

“She learns fast.”

That earns me a giggle and she opens the door to the office for me.  At the very least Karen is a gentleman.

Znuul is standing, looking at the multitude of TV screens in his
office, all on mute.  He turns around to his chair.  I take my place at one of the plush seats in front of his cluttered desk.  Karen plops herself down into the other one rather unceremoniously.

“Time for us to make some decisions
,” she blurts out.

Znuul looks at her for the briefest of moments, then back at me.  Yes, she stole his thunder. “Well, lead on, fearless one
,” he says with a smile.

Karen’s smile is a mile wide.  “Poor alpha male, he has to deal with an alpha female.”

This is cute, but I know we have serious things to discuss – most likely where to stage our ambush of Maldgorath. “Yea, it’s horrible Karen.  So, time to make a move.  We have three to four likely areas, right?”

Znuul’s laugh resonates throughout the room.  “Cut to the chase – I agree. My vote is Houston, what say you sister red witch?”

She scrunches her face at him for the sister remark. “We have the greatest number of opportunities in China – 2 to 1”

All eyes are on me now. “I’m not sure we’ve tracked him enough, but China seems the most likely place for him to be.”

Znuul’s eyes turn from me to Karen and back again a few times. “That’s two to one. I can abide by that, but may I have opportunity to explain my decision?”

“Of course not
,” Karen shoots back at him with a wicked smile.  Translation: go on.

“She is such
a ball-buster,” Znuul says looking at me shaking his head.  Here’s why I choose Houston.  First, in either China or Hamburg we have issues with governments and therefore potentially being identified.  Visas, permits, false identities – we can be flagged.  If we choose Houston, we can’t be tracked coming in.  No customs issues, we are invisible.  Sure we may have to wait longer, but, he won’t see us coming, once he is there.”

With that he shoots one of those fake smiles at Karen.  Me, I’m sold.  So I say so.

“Sold to the Irishman from North Carolina.”

Karen is taking great amusement, I can tell. “Well, since it’s two to one, I can abide
by that,” she says. 

I chuckle at the fact she didn’t admit defeat.

“Then we are agreed – Houston is where we will meet our prey,” comes Znuul’s booming voice. I break my look from Karen to Znuul, who is leaning over his desk now towards both of us.

“He does like to have his way doesn’t he?”
Karen adds.

I realize they always banter like this, so I don’t say anything. This is their way –
juvenile as it seems.

“So, we’ll need to have a more detailed determination of his position in Houston
,” I say breaking their little fun.  “Arix says he can do that, once the bastard returns there, providing we have an appropriate map.  So the question is - go to Houston now or figure it out in advance?  Given the world apparatus is here, I’d say figure it out in advance from here, then go when we know exactly where his landing point is and where he moves to.”

Karen looks at Znuul, “He likes to have his way too, doesn’t he? You two are no fun.” She looks back over at me
, “You both are right.  Let’s dial it in and do this by the numbers. Get Arix what he needs for Houston. Once he lands there, let’s get a good profile.  Good thinking, both of you.”

“Arthur mostly, of course
,” she adds meeting Znuul’s smile with one of her own.

Znuul
returns the smile, reaches over and pulls out a large cylinder from a stack of six of them.  “Give this to Pffiferil. He’s already started working on a mechanism for smaller maps.”

It was
six days before Maldgorath landed again in Houston. Once he did, we rousted Arix and had him track his movements in detail using the smaller mechanism on the Houston map.  His landing point appeared to be in an industrial area near the shipping channels at Manchester Street.  He didn’t roam far at all. He stayed at that location for a good nine hours before he blinked out.

We reinstalled the crystal into the world map and
found him in Iran. Have dragon – will travel, I guess.

No fanfare
follows. Karen and I meet with Znuul in his office after and he simply offers - “I’ll plan for accommodations… be prepared to move and pack lightly.”

That’s when Karen thr
ows a monkey wrench in it.  “Your plaything asked me if I was giving you something she called ‘morning pleasures’, because apparently you haven’t been taking them since I arrived. She was very nice about it, worried about you I think.  I assured her we aren’t doing anything of the sort.”

Znuul’s face d
oesn’t belie a thing, “Sorry if she bothered you. I’ll have a talk with her.”

“Sounds
like she needs more than a talk Ahtsag,” Karen interjects, “Don’t use me as an excuse for becoming bored with your toy.”

This jab
gets Znuul’s goat, which I guess is Karen’s intention. His jaws clench. “I am not bored with her. She is not a toy. I am preoccupied with our quarry. Perhaps I have not taken her needs fully into account. I can fix that.”

Karen’s smile
is ear to ear. “Just funny you became so preoccupied upon my arrival.”

“Circumstance can be unpredictable
.”

There
is a pause and in that time I can tell the matter is settled.  Znuul would make sure Kitten didn’t bother Karen and Karen would be happy not to be involved. 

“So Kitten and I will go buy a house for us to stage in
,” Znuul proclaims. “She likes house shopping.”

The fact he’s
just up and buying a house isn’t lost on me - in Houston, no less.  “Buying a house?” I exclaim.  “Are you just made of money?”

“Your Silithes got 'T
he Lion' to cough up all sorts of bank codes, remember?  I’ve cleaned out over 800 million dollars from Maldgorath’s accounts meant for payment on religious terrorism.  I’ve been buying up property and other goodies worldwide.” 

H
is gaze turns back to Karen, “Speaking of money, when this is done, you and I will need to settle up on father’s hidden accounts he gave to me.  I know in my heart he’d want you to have half.  You know this also.”

Karen me
ets his gaze and without a hint of emotion and lets him know her feelings. “I could give less of a damn about the money. It won’t bring him back.”

They nodded at each other and
then turn to me in a totally strange, synchronized way. Znuul speaks for them. 

“
Nothing’s bringing back your son either. Best we stay focused on our target.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Znuul left us with Kitten in tow.  He said it would be about four days until a place was secured.  Day to arrive.  Day to look. Day to advise of intent.  Day to close.

I don’t see it happening that fast, personally.

T
hree days find themselves in familiar routine – me training in swordplay/combat with Vets and Sil in the morning.  Sil continuing to train afterwards, only in magics with Karen.  Pffif lounging and poking fun.  Arix scoffs at us all…

This afternoon finds me on the sofa after a
particularly vigorous workout with the sword.  Vets is scrounging for food in the kitchen and Hjuul is basking in the sun on the back porch. I don’t bother to turn the TV on.  I know what it has to say – things are bad and getting worse.

It says that a lot nowadays.

There’s a sound of a loud explosion outside. Normally, that would have me jumping but I know it’s just Karen showing Sil how some evocation works.  Karen was kind enough to offer to let me join in the training fun too.  I declined because basically I suck at evocation –“bang magic.”  I’ve beaten my head enough against that wall.

Healing tends to be my bag.  That and “dark
er” magic, the stuff Arix was teaching me, but I don’t mess with that anymore.

The rear door opens,
Karen and Sil enter, with Hjuul following in behind them. Sil and Karen are looking particularly pleased.  “Did you hear that?” Sil asks, straightening herself in pride. “My first real fireball!”

“A right conflagration it was
,” says Karen patting her on the back and making her way to the sofa opposite me. “Worthy of a battle mage.”

Somewhere Arix is harrumphing
at that, I can know.

Sil saunters over to my sofa and basically collapses into it landing with her head in my lap and eyes looking up at me. “Feed me daddy, Karen’s been making me use so much energy.”

“Oh please…” is Karen’s response.  Her half smile indicating that there’s no real exasperation.

Until recently it u
sed to be “feed me” was an euphemism for intercourse.  Now it just means what it means.  And I don’t mind at all.  I concentrate and mutter the words to my most basic healing spell and release it with a wave of my hand over her head.  That elicits her closing her eyes and making happy wriggles and “mmm” sounds.

“You are such a
silly tart” is Karen’s response to Sil’s little show.  She is.

The fun is broken up by a buzzing sound from one of Karen’s pockets.  She pulls out one of the disposable phones we use and answers it.  She gives a few affirmations and gets up to continue the
conversation outside, excusing herself with her eyes.

I’m guessing we have a base of operations – and a day early too.
Znuul works fast.

Karen blows back inside and announces
, “We have an address, sale happens tomorrow” then she makes a bee-line to Znuul’s office.

Sil looks at me seriously from my lap and sits up. “I’ll get the others packing.”

That’s a good idea and I tell her so – after all we’re facing down 14 hours of drive time.