Who was Mallory? What did he have to do with Arthur? I feel like that’s the fulcrum of the riddle. I roll out of bed and step lightly across the room. I had some noise complaints from the people in the room just below me already. My phone still sat on the table by the door, I pick it up and try to get it to turn on. It refuses. Goddamn it. The phone clatters on the tabletop as I toss it. Damn it.
I lean against the window and peek outside. Muddy water filled the potholes that pocked the roads and parking lot. Barely, I could see a large shadow approaching from down the street. It splashes through the heaviest of the puddles, and beelines straight to the receptionist’s office. A moment later it emerges and heads to one of the rooms on the lower floor. I lower the shutters, and head back to sleep; moving Clio from her spot in the middle of the bed, which she takes again once I lay down.
The riddle was still playing in my mind while I drifted off to sleep. My dreams are brief but vivid, of snickering, twittering birds and rabbits, and chattering foxes repeating the words of the riddle over and over again. Just as the sun began to rise I am awoken by three heavy knocks on my door.
I stir and roll out of bed.
“Hold up. Getting...getting a shirt on.”
“Take your time.” Came the reply from the other side.
I didn’t recognize the voice, so I grabbed the Kris on the table next to me as I slip on my shirt.
“Who is it?” I call as I slip the light blue polo shirt on.
“Names Shawn. Shawn O’Leary.”
“Oh, you must be the one that Ortega mentioned? I’m Lawrence Able.” I stick my hand out for a handshake. He ignores it and covers his mouth with his open hand.
“Yeah, yeah.” He yawns loudly through the door.
I finish getting dressed; slipping on a pair of not-so-dirty jeans, and tidy up a little before letting him in. Shawn is a large man. Not large like me, large as in muscular. He’s built like a train had a baby with a human. Wavy red curls fell over his chiseled face and obscured his blue gaze, and at the end of his pointed chin was an auburn goatee. He wore a tight-fitting gray t-shirt that enunciated his muscular form, and a pair of faded black jeans. Laced combat boots go up his shins. On his right arm was a wooden bracer that stretched from his wrist to the middle of his forearm. It looked to me more burl than lumber, or like a thing of twisted roots. An oval green stone was embedded within the bracer near the wrist. He isn’t much taller than me, but I couldn’t help but feel small in front of him.
He looks me over; focusing on the scars near the top of my forehead and the one pock on my skin, then down to the staff leaning on the wall nearby, and then down to my gut.
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“Something really fucked you up, didn’t it?” He spoke with a jovial laugh, “Do you mind if I come in? Had to walk from the airport last night.”
“Oh, yeah, uh sure.” I step out of the way, and the large man steps in.
“Mind if I take a seat?” He motioned for the chair across the room.
“Go ahead.”
“Oh, who’s this cutie?” He said as Clio crawled out from under the comforter.
He scratched the top of her head as he walked past to sit in the chair. Clio crawls into my lap and settles there; her short, stubby tail wagging.
“This is Clio,” I say while scratching her head. She hops off my lap and to the floor and walks over to him.
“So we’re going to be working together?” I say as she paws at his leg.
“We are. I figured we might as well get to know one another before going on our first foray together. What’s your specialty?”
“Elemental magic, I suppose.”
“Really? Who’s your patron?”
“My patron?”
“The god or spirit that is guiding you.”
“Guiding’s a strong word for it.” I say with a laugh, “I don’t know their identity, but they’ve told me that they’re a Folk spirit. Wouldn’t give me their name.”
“No name, eh? Perhaps it’s one of the fae, or something similar.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Do you really not know? Look, the world of mythology just came to life and you haven’t even had a little bit of curiosity to look into it?”
“I had a bit.” I lied, “But my phone’s broke, and I don’t have a laptop.”
“They’re called books.” He scoffed, “I’ll lend you a few when we settle into the compound, alright.”
“Sure.”
I find it hard to focus on his eyes. Though they didn’t seem to look at me with scorn.
“So what about you?” I ask while pulling Shadow up on my lap. Clio had already crawled into Shawn’s.
“What about me?”
“Who’s your patron?”
“Lugh. The Irish god of war.” He bragged.
“Really? So you’re more frontline focused?”
“Yes, he gave me this.” He motioned to the bracer on his arm, “It turns into a shield.”
“Really? I would like to see that.”
He picks up Clio and pushes himself off the chair. He holds his arm in front of himself and concentrates. The sound of breaking, twisting wood breaks the silence in the room, as the wooden tendrils unwound from his wrist and formed a round shield in front of him.
“This gem is what he uses to communicate with me.” He said, tapping it with his fingers.
“That’s your Shard?”
“Shard?”
“Of Bifrost.”
“Oh, no. This is a portion of the Lia Fail.” He said, “The original, not the one that’s apparently standing in Ireland. Only the patrons of Spirits got shards of the Bifrost, as far as I know.”
“Why? Have you had contact with others involved?”
“Of course. There’s a whole online forum dedicated to it. ‘War-Efra.com.’”
“Really? Huh.”
I couldn’t believe it. Why hadn’t I thought of the chance that others were trying to make sense of this whole thing as well and would have, naturally, turned to the internet?
“Yeah, made by some lady in Seattle. There you can buy potions, salves, and other things to help you fight.”
“...really.”
How much was I missing out on?
“I should buy a laptop.”
“You really should.” He laughed and ran a hand through his thick mane. “I hear they’re going to be partnering with the government to open up a market there as well. Some of the materials from the creatures in Efra are pretty handy if you know how to work them. Have you come across any of the black feathered serpents? Turns out their feathers are pretty good at channeling magic.”
“...really...”
“A few of the chosen of the blacksmithing and crafting gods have begun talking about setting up shop as well.”
“....really....”