Chapter 16 — That has got to be Annoying

“How’s your cut?” I asked, fingering my own on my forehead as we reached the door to my room. My finger still came back red with fresh blood, and it stung. Headwounds bleed like crazy and I knew I had to look terrible.

“I’m fine. It’s not too bad,” Lana said. “Yours is worse.”

I nodded but inwardly disagreed. Any wound could get infected, and she had gotten this one on my account. I would do everything I could in my power to remedy that. Once in my room, I mulled over using a spell that would light all the candles at once. They lay in several spots across the room as my backup light source if I ever needed them. The light bulbs generally didn’t last long enough to be useful in my room and were a pain to change all the time. Fren took care of the ones downstairs. Shaking my head I groped in the dark on my dresser top for matches and accidentally knocked something off which bounced on the floor. I hoped I hadn’t moved them downstairs for Kate to use in the store since it had been weeks since I’d used them myself.

“Are you alright?” Lana asked softly.

“Yeah. I normally use magic to light my room and now I can’t find the matches and magic is still beyond me.” I felt exhausted. I could summon up powerful spells, more than others my age from what I understood, but my stamina was still that of an apprentice. I wasn’t sure how long wizards lived; it was one of those things they didn’t talk about much, but I knew it was a very very long time. I had a lengthy way to go until I could match anyone who had been around a century or two. With equipment and focus, the fight might have gone better for me, but I’d basically been brawling.

Wizards are not well known as brawlers in any medium for a reason.

The rough spells I’d used tonight were akin to grappling vs shooting a gun. They were inefficient at taking creatures out and took much more energy to work. Magical gear could have been a great equalizer. I hadn’t gotten around to making much due to expenses, time, and focusing on my shop. Magical gear was prohibitively expensive and took loads of work to prep, design, and then doing it all again to refine it. I had the knack for it, which I was grateful for. Few wizards had the inherent talent. Those who didn’t had to purchase their gear for even higher prices from the Tribunal or other supernatural groups.

My fingers stumbled upon the matchbox which was further back towards the wall than I remembered. I opened it and struck a match, the light revealing more of my room. I lit a few candles. Lana helped, grabbing a candle to light others, we both went around the room, lighting all that we could.

“You’ve got a thing for candles,” she said.

“I have a thing for reading at night and it’s really inconvenient when the bulbs go out,” I said.

“Makes sense, I guess. I assume you’re bad on electronics with the way the lights all blew out downstairs after you used magic. Is that the real reason why you don’t have a phone?”

“Yeah,” I confided. “But it’s still a totally cool reason.”

She snorted, then took out her own phone which didn’t respond to anything she tried. “Good thing I was planning on getting a new one.”

“Shoot,” I said with a grimace.

“Don’t worry it’s all backed up. I tried to call the police after the attack. Fren told me it would be best not to, but I wasn’t sure what to do, and you were unconscious. Then I didn’t have much of a choice because my phone was bricked.”

“Sorry about that. I’ll buy you a new one.”

“No. If this is the cost I have to pay to learn more about the world, I’m gladly going to pay it. I don’t need help.”

Her last words were definitive, and I saw a glimpse of who she truly was. She was a fighter rebuilding her life and she didn’t want handouts. I grinned, liking her grit. I didn’t like handouts either.

Once the room was set in a red glow, I ushered Lana into the bathroom. My bathroom was nice, plants grew where they shouldn’t have been able to without light, thanks to Fren. Everything was new, clean, and beautiful, except for one root which crept into the toilet under the seat. I’d told Fren to stop that, but he loved the porcelain water for some reason. Today he’d earned it, so I didn’t tell him off though I hoped Lana didn’t see it. I lit a few candles on the countertop. Lana tried the light switch, but nothing happened. That was a bad sign. Hopefully, I had not broken all the breakers, the water heater, and the coffee machine too. Though those were normally pretty resistant to my magic.

“That has got to be annoying,” Lana said, her brow creased with genuine concern.

“You have no idea,” I complained. “Flying is out, phones, computers, basically anything newer than the 1900’s. Combustion engines work alright but cars are getting more complex. If they eventually pass a bill for everything to switch to electric, I’m going to be riding a bike.”

“Wow,” Lana said, thinking through the complexities of everything that would entail in my life. “And it’s only going to get worse.”

“Yeah. I heard some of the younger wizards in my organization have tried pushing for change. Or to address concerns like that in the world before they become large individual problems, but they don’t have the clout or the seniority to get anything done about it. I’m sure when something truly inconvenient happens to the right ancient wizard they’ll pull some strings in Congress or something.”

Lana shook her head as we both considered ourselves in the mirror. My neck was due for a shave, my hair was cut short but disheveled. Bits of broken rock and straw which had inlaid many of the bins downstairs to protect the crystals were now sticking out of it. Blood was running down from my forehead to one side of my neck and staining my shirt. Lana was bleeding too, though it was clotting already. Blood ran down her sternum to her white shirt, staining the fabric red.

I gripped the countertop and sighed, “I’m sorry. I’ll probably be saying that a lot tonight.”

Lana looked down at her wound, “It’s not that bad.”

“It came from a knife and is deep enough to warrant stitches if you went to the ER,” I said. “But don’t. Later we can fix it. Fren has ability with healing and life magic. For something small like this, it shouldn’t be a problem or take long. Did the initial attack harm you, that pixie threw you across the store?”

“Scrapes and bruises, nothing worse than I’ve gotten training.”

I laughed, nudging her with my elbow, “Well not from today’s training.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

We grinned like idiots for a moment, then I went for bandages.

I opened a small drawer and pulled out medicine for my headache, taking two pills. Then I grabbed out a few Band-Aids and we got to work cleaning our wounds.

“So, those things were pixies?” Lana asked as she cleaned her wound.

“Yeah, from the dark court,” I said distractedly as I checked the bandage I’d placed on my cut.

“The dark court,” she repeated softly.

“The Fae is split into three factions, these were from the court of dark and shadow, bone and blood, death and finality.”

Lana met my eyes.

“They are a bad group, as you can guess from the name,” I said, reading her apprehension.

“Are they after you? You’re blooded too, right?”

“Yes and No. I’ve killed plenty but it’s not like they’re going to send anyone after either of us. Minions escape to our world and basically run amok. Outside the shop you might not have been able to even see them. They were limited in some ways by entering my sanctuary. It slowed their speed and restrained their magical abilities to shrink in size or conceal themselves entirely

Lana let out an exasperated sigh, “I thought pixies were cute little fairies.”

“They are fairies alright, but the Grimm fairy tale kind. Those of the light court might appear more like what you’re thinking of. In many ways they are just as vicious and bloodthirsty, but they don’t generally seek to destroy mankind…so that’s a win. At least from what I understand.”

“From what you understand? You don’t know?”

“How much do you know about what’s going on in the Middle East right now? Even with your father’s past occupation and all the people you’ve met.”

“Not much, it’s a mess.”

“What about here in America, do you know what all the politicians are scheming or what the military is concerned about, or the CIA is working on?

“No.”

“Exactly. Now imagine it wasn’t here close or an oil-rich nation and was literally part of another realm that was more than difficult to travel to, full of monsters, and ruled by two forces locked into constant battle that generally don’t like humans, wizards, or anyone else. Each has their own agents who are some of the most powerful creatures in existence.”

Lana shivered.

“It’s complex. News moves slowly. As good as I am with magic and as much as I know, I’m still young to all this too.”

“Good with magic?” Lana said with a chuckle, “Didn’t you just knock yourself out using it and destroy half your shop?” She was clearly being sarcastic, but to her surprise and my annoyance, all the plants in the room twitched with the plant version of mirth as they bounced up and down. Lana jumped at the sight.

“Don’t worry, it’s just Fren—Who said these plants were not used as sensory organs!” I said, my voice rising with each word. “I swear Fren, I’m going to make you live in a single, small pot, out back for a year!” Instantly all the plants fell still. “Not really,” I whispered to Lana, “but he doesn’t have to know that.”

She laughed and we stepped back out into my room.

I walked to my closet and took off my shirt, eager to get into something clean and get back downstairs. I was a little self-conscious about doing so while Lana was there, but she didn’t give any indication that she was going to leave, and I didn’t mind.

“You're stronger than you look,” she said. “I mean you put up a decent try at the gym but… well,” She paused, cheeks going red as if she hadn’t meant to say any of that. “I mean you clearly work out… and you’ve got a lot of scars.” She said the last clearly grasping at any straw to change the conversation.

I grinned; it seemed Lana liked scars. All the grueling hours Fren had insisted I exercise were now well worth it. That was until I tripped on my own feet while pulling a new shirt free from the closet and I had to catch myself on the rack to keep from falling. All the clothes swayed a little. I heard Lana laugh but I didn’t dare look back. Muttering about my stupid legs, I pulled on a new tee. “Wizard training is tougher than it looks. Injuries are common. Early on I didn’t have Fren to help heal the small stuff.”

I turned to find Lana taking her shirt off. I stared in open surprise. Probably gapping open-mouthed if I’m being honest… She looked… good.

“Quit stammering and give me a new shirt, you owe me one.”

I snapped my jaw shut and did as she said, tossing one that I knew ran a little small on me. It was still too big for her but fit better than others might have. She lithely slipped it on and with a sigh, I found myself regretting the change. Still, I hadn’t missed the bruising along her ribs and her left shoulder from being tossed along the floor by the pixie, or the blood staining her bra. I gripped a hand into a fist, wishing I had more of the buggers to eliminate.

“You, okay?” she said, hesitance in her tone.

I realized she’d just changed, and I’d been standing like a dazed idiot after, or a weirdo, with a fist clenched while thinking about killing more fae. I quickly relaxed. Her lips parted as a smile spread on her face and I realized another option, she thought I was speechless after seeing her changing. That was perhaps the best-case scenario, but it was still embarrassing.

“Nope. I’m good. Let’s uh… go downstairs.” I said, my voice hoarse.

I led the way and we carefully carried a few lit candles down to the store level for more light. I mean we’d just met, and she said she didn’t want anything more than a friend, but friends didn’t change in front of each other like that. At least not the ones I’d had.

But in truth, I hadn’t ever had many friends. I was the loner foster kid or the loner rural kid who lived miles out from anyone else. The one who came to school covered in bruises and cuts from my training. Clair was an amazing teacher, but the training was brutal. Normal people didn’t understand that. I’d heard rumors that I was beaten at home, but no one bothered to ask me. The school never did anything to help or assess my living situation. It was just the way it was.

I sat a few candles on a shelf and the shadows withdrew a little more. Fren returned, grinning sheepishly. I glared; he should feel ashamed after spying on us like that.

Thankfully my migraine felt like it was beginning to subside, and the medications were taking effect. The shop was in shambles, which made me want to yell in frustration. Instead, I sighed, we probably only had a few minutes before police arrived. “We need to come up with a cover story.”

“Why?” Lana asked, resting her candles on a cleared shelf a dozen feet away.

“Well, for starters I’m going to have to file an insurance claim to recover from this. My business is doing alright but now we have no product to sell. The more pressing problem is someone is going to have heard all that,” I gestured to the broken stones and woodwork.

Fren nodded, “People are already out, walking, looking, searching.”

“Robbery?” Lana asked.

“Yeah. Average height guy in jeans. They hit me with the butt of a shotgun and pushed you as well as some of the shelves over. One of the shelves did something to the electrical and the lights went out. He ran and his gun fired outside.”

“You came up with all of that in two seconds?” Lana said, folding her arms. “I’m mildly impressed.”

“It’s been on my mind since the fight ended,” I answered truthfully. “Plus, I’ve had to do this before. It’s another reason Officer Vance is suspicious of me.”

“Alright then,” Lana said. “That sounds good. What about the roof?”

I looked up and saw the roof for the first time. It was pimpled like it had been hit with about a million golf balls, or… a rock shop full of rocks… The iron sconces which held and protected the very expensive antique lights, because they worked a little better around me, were trash.

“Damn,” I muttered. “If they don’t look at the lights… well they can pass but clearly something happened to the roof.

“I can assist. But I will need to rest following,” Fren said.

“It’s probably best you do anyway and head downstairs. People will be here soon. Thanks, Fren, you were immensely helpful tonight.”

“I live to serve,” Fren said with a light bow as he lumbered towards the basement. In his garden he’d be able to connect with the earth and ‘heal’ the deadwood above, changing its shape and structure. In a short time, the wood wouldn’t show any damage.

I berated myself for losing my calm. Losing control that way. What if I’d blown out all the windows or taken the roof off the building? That may have killed the pixie, but it was a stupid way to use my powers. I recommitted to my training, meditation, and to making gear I could use to help focus my spells.

I glanced around the shop. The shelving on the walls was relatively spared but the middle sections of wood were tipped, and a few of the shelving units were shattered. Much worse than simply being pushed over would account for. Fren could fix them later, but not tonight.

“There were two assailants, and I tried to fight one in the dark, that’s why everything is broken. They ran out the back door.” I said the last as I unlocked the back door for the story.

“Why didn’t I fight them?”

I laughed, “Because you would have won, and I’m pretty bruised up from this morning, it will be more believable.”

Lana nodded and I headed to the door to start our plan.