No one had mentioned that part of things to him at all, and some of the people had obviously traveled from a long way away for it, so this wasn't some kind of small thing either. In a panic Zack tried to call Lisa, but she didn't pick up, the call going to voice mail instead.
"Hi, um, we have a bunch of people here for a meeting? No one mentioned anything, so I have no clue what's going on? Help? I... don't know what to do." Which was just the truth. People were busily milling around, and occasionally looking at him as if he should have their full itinerary and was too stupid to realize it.
So he called Bob. He didn't want to bother the man at home, knowing that he still had his wife to deal with, but the man answered on the second ring and was just as baffled as he was about the whole thing.
"I'll... let me make some calls. In the mean time... I don't know, can you arrange for some refreshments?" It was a little short notice, but Zack nodded, realizing the man couldn't hear his head rattle.
"I'll come up with something."
"Good. One bit here..." At least Bob sounded troubled too. It was strange and while all the people seemed nice, they also seemed to be foreign. All of them. A few had kids with them too.
And kids liked frosty junk food treats, didn't they? He walked them over to Yoghurt World and handed Lenore two fifty dollar bills out of the store budget envelope. She smiled and started speaking to people in their own languages figuring out what the problem was in much shorter order than he did.
"Zack... These people are supposed to be in Vancouver
Canada
, not Vancouver Washington. I can see how the error happened, but it's a bit of a problem, isn't it?"
It was too. A huge one.
Bob, being good at his job, had already worked out where they needed to go, which was the Candles and More six hundred miles to the north. There was a full contingent there waiting to get them safely to the hotel where the meeting was. They had busses waiting and everything.
"I... we're going to have to find someplace for them. Perhaps we can arrange a chartered flight?" The older man didn't sound happy about it, but it really wasn't a problem. Not a huge one. Some of the people were a little big for him to carry himself, but as soon as his new porter woke up for the night he could get them all to the correct node easily enough. In the mean time he made some calls to the food court and asked for help. Begged really. Conrad spoke so seriously it sounded like he was ready to charge off into battle, instead of bringing in some tables and chairs for everyone.
The same Middle Eastern man in his nice suit came in with chairs and tables, doing it before Zack had even hung the phone up, moving quickly and as if he had a personal stake in the matter. Again the man didn't speak, but he smiled when Zack ran back to help him get the things set up, working as fast as his body would go. The other man was quicker by far, moving easily. Then he left, having done the whole thing silently.
The kids were happy enough with their treats for the time being, though at least one went back and got two of them, Lenore cutting the boy, who looked about twelve, off, scolding him a little in French. The food that came was a combination of things, hamburgers and fries, Italian dishes and garlic bread, as well as Chinese food. They managed a buffet style set up loading a table with silver serving containers in special steam units to keep it all warm. That and real plates and silverware as well as red linen napkins. For short order, it was a near miracle. The back room was turned from an empty space into a nice looking dining room inside an hour. The drinks had to be served from pitchers, and most of what was provided was water and juice, but no one complained overly, especially once Lenore explained that they'd accidentally gone to the wrong place.
Finally, when he asked if Barb could be gotten up any earlier than normal, she looked at him curiously, until he explained the whole deal they'd made.
"This way she can work on paying back that debt for Bey and offsetting any future things like that, so he won't worry. It seems to be getting to him more than it should. She also keeps hinting at having sex with me, but she wants me to point out that this isn't a deal for that, I think. Probably because she thinks you want me for yourself and doesn't want to openly challenge you on it." It made sense to him at any rate. Lenore made a face that wasn't very kind though.
"Oh? Do
you
think I want you?"
"I really don't know. Probably not. It's far more likely that I'm just a curiosity to you. Not that I wouldn't have sex with you anyway. You're hot. Plus, you've given me all that food, which sort of makes me like you." It was one of those times when he kind of wished he didn't just say everything that came to mind quite so honestly. She didn't growl at him at least, just smiling a little and turning away, looking at him from slightly over her shoulder.
"Well, at least you have good taste. I'll see what can be done as far as Barbara goes. She'll need to feed first, or it will be a problem with all these Mages. They're basically food after all. We don't want to taunt her with them."
The meal took a while, since he tried to draw it all out, and managed to find some coloring books for the kids, or more to the point, the Middle Eastern guy with the tables did. New boxes of crayons too. He didn't know the man's name, but Zack decided he liked him. A half asleep looking Barb stumbled in, being half carried by Edom, who smiled about it all as if it were funny or something.
"Zack! I brought your girl in. She's eaten and will be ready to work in about fifteen minutes. About true sundown. Should I ask Lenore to help with this? I don't speak nearly as many languages myself, just three. When I was brought over it wasn't considered needful for a man of my color to know too much about the world." He didn't sound bitter about it, but there seemed to be a story there.
"Please? That would be great. Thank you."
Bob showed up just before he was about to start taking everyone through, his eyes a bit big when he realized that several Vampires were helping them. They went wider when he really got that Zack and Barb intended to take them all, one by one, through to B.C.
It was a bit boring, but working together they managed it inside an hour and everyone seemed happy enough with it, since it meant they were almost back on schedule.
True, it left him with a large mess to clean up in the back room, but that was just work. He had time for it. Plus, it wasn't like the shop was so busy he really had to stand in the front.
The older Mage shook everyone's hands as they left, including the children, greeting each in their own language, if only to wish them a good trip. When it was over he took Barb's hand and bowed over it a little.
"Thank you ma'am. We are in your debt."
That got a bit of a cough from Lenore, who shook her head and winked at the man.
"Not at all Bob. Barbara is working off a debt of ours with Zack. I have to say that was impressive though, both of you. Do you know how much that would have cost to do by more traditional methods? As a show of power it's... incredible really. Twenty-three people passed through the node in only an hour. I for one am most pleased. It shows a great joint effort, a closeness that shows true friendship between the Mages here and the Vampires."
Barb seemed happy with that too, so Zack decided it was a good thing. He was just glad that they didn't have a back room full of people he couldn't understand anymore. It had been hard enough to deal with that he'd had to lock Mirror Him in place, so that he didn't start cursing at people at one point. It wasn't something he wanted to mention, because bringing up that he wasn't right in the head just didn't help make him look very good. He really liked most of these people and kind of wanted them to like him too.
It was almost like having friends or something. Not exactly, after all, he knew what that was like, having Troy. But maybe, someday, some of these other people would be too. That got a funny look and crossed arms from Mirror Him, who didn't speak to him about it at all. No, he just huffed and became his regular reflection. It was what he did when Zack was thinking about things he didn't like, but knew were ultimately right.
It was kind of a warm feeling, that lasted for about six minutes, until everyone else left. Bob started to help him clean up, but the rest took off as if they were afraid he was going to enlists them against their will.
"Hey... have you heard from Lisa?" Zack said the words quietly, not knowing if people were listening. Really he had to figure they were all the time now, given everything. One way or the other.
The slightly older looking man that carried a tiredness about him like it was a cloak he couldn't take off shook his head.
"I tried to call her, but got her message box instead. We haven't been keeping in touch very well lately. Maybe I should swing by her apartment later? It's not like her at all to just not show up. She always has her phone on. It's part of the job." That got him to look a little guilty, a sadness taking him that he didn't bother explaining.
Even Zack understood it, as broken as he was. The man's wife was dying. He was a Mage and probably a decently powerful one, who clearly worked in healing at least sometimes, given how young he looked. And he was left powerless to help her. For some reason. Pancreatic cancer. It sounded tough. Horrible really.
"Well, um, I saw her yesterday and she seemed fine. I mean given everything. Drug addiction and her girlfriend breaking up with her over it. She might have killed herself, I guess. I hope not. I like her. Do you want me to go instead? In case..." He didn't know the man well, but the reaction wasn't a denial that she might do something like that, like he'd suspected, but a grim head shake that seemed a lot harder than Zack would have figured the man was capable of.
"No. I'll go. It should be someone close to her. I hope she's alright too. This... mess of hers, a lot of it is because of me. I shouldn't have left her alone for so long or expected so much from her. I should have let someone else have my post and not tried to hang on like I have. They wouldn't have let her go so far afield. I promise, if she's alive, I'll make sure she gets some help. We have places for Mages that need it. Retreats we call them. This kind of thing is a danger of Magic. We know too much about how to manipulate the world, and it leaves us all feeling invincible far too often."
That left the man torn, wanting to go and take care of that immediately, but not wanting to leave all the clean-up to Zack. It was nice of him, but after a few minutes of stewing on things Zack suggested he go do that, since it was a lot more important than cleaning up pasta from the floor. The room was a little crowded with all the tables, but not too dirty. He just had to clean up the plates, scraping them off and then finding a way to get them all washed, then return the tables and chairs. Plus, somewhere in there take care of the linens and find out who to pay for everything. Most of the kids had taken both the coloring books and the crayons for instance.
Except for one, a picture of Santa Claus that had been well colored and torn out very carefully. It was signed too. Bridgette. Who that was Zack had no clue, but her work was going to be put up on Lisa's door. Finally, not knowing what to do with all the plates and silver, he broke down and called Conrad at the food court, who chuckled and told him that they'd handle it.
"I'll send Merry down to collect them shortly. She has a question to ask you at any rate. She won't say what it is, so it's probably improper. If so, feel free to beat her for a while before you send her back. Don't want her to get uppity or anything." He chuckled. "She's my sister. Unmarried. You wouldn't be looking for someone, would you?" It was blunt, but friendly sounding.
Zack tilted his head into the phone, thinking about it, but spoke as if he already knew the answer.
"Not really. I mean, I love sex, but I'm not exactly a good candidate for dating. Insane you know. I'm sure she could do better." He really needed to stop saying things like that. Conrad laughed again, sounding happy enough.
"Ah, she'll do well, in time, she's young for one of us, only thirty. I worry about her, that's all. I fear she's a bit... I think the term your people use is 'homesick'?"
Zack nodded, knowing how that could be, after a fashion. It reminded him that he needed to call his grandparents soon. After all, they were his family and it was the season for things like that.
Merry, who turned out to be the cute, and very tiny, redheaded woman he'd seen a few times before, normally bringing him food. Her arrival didn't take long at all, coming with a cart for the plates. Between the two of them it took only a few minutes to get everything loaded on it. She even had a separate cloth sack for the linens, having thought ahead.
"Sir. If it's fine, sir, I'll have someone in to cart away the tables and chairs, sir." These were the first words she said to him and sounded so earnest and soft he nearly cried for some reason. It was just that she was so painfully shy sounding that he didn't know how to respond at all.
"Please, call me Zack. Conrad said you were called Merry?"
"Yes, sir. Short for Meredith." The tiny woman looked down at the floor, her hands clasped nervously.
He didn't go over the part where he was Zack again. If she was around him enough she'd get it eventually and if not it wouldn't matter. He did remember something else that Conrad had said, that she had something to ask him. It was hard to figure out what she might want from him. After a few seconds of trying to figure it out, the woman not moving much at all, he just asked, being too blunt, like he normally was.
"So, you have something you want from me?" It didn't sound mean, he didn't think, but a little flat, as if it were an imposition.
"I... Shouldn't presume to inquire..."
"But you're going to anyway, when you work up to it, so might as well do it now, right?"
There was a long moment of absolute silence, and the tiny woman's face went red and looked ashamed. Finally she sunk to her knees, head bowed.
"I have no right to ask, but if you are going to the lands of my people, the Elth, could... would, if it pleases your lordship... I have a letter. For my mother?" The words petered out then, as she hunched further down. It said something about her culture he realized, remembering what Conrad had said about just beating her if what she asked for was improper. She was bracing herself for blows, it was clear. Real ones.
"Um, I suppose. I haven't been there at all. Wouldn't it be easier just to take you? I guess your brother too. I could drop you off, as long as we can find a node close enough to where you want to go, then pick you up in a week or two. Less if you want." They were both small enough it shouldn't be that hard to make a few trips. Then she could deliver her letter on her own.
The diminutive lady shook her head sadly.
"I couldn't sir. We cannot afford such luxuries. I have nothing to trade equal to the value of such a thing."
Zack froze for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. Finally he nodded, Mirror Him taking over without warning. He braced himself for that part of him to be harsh with the woman, or call her names, something like that. Instead the voice that came out was sweet and gentle. A thing that he didn't know M.H. was even capable of.
"It's Christmas. The tradition here is, this time of year, that we give gifts to our friends and loved ones. For you, my gift is one trip to your home and back. Conrad too. For that matter, any of your people that wish to go. So, this once, it's without cost. At least in getting there and back. That should work, don't you think?" He sounded pleased enough, but Zack waited for the tiny woman to shoot the idea down.
"I thank you, that is a most kind offer, but wouldn't such a thing have to come from the Line Walker? As his shadow you don't have the right to bargain for him, do you?"
That got Mirror Him to pull back, in shock. Zack blinked a few times himself and then nodded.
"
Exactly
so, but this time I agree totally. It's a great idea. In fact we should give that to anyone here that's far from home and wants to visit. At least if they don't mind being tossed around a bit by a Vampire. You and Conrad I can handle on my own, I think, but some of the people around here are very large. Though, if they're willing to kind of jump a little, I think that might work. I should try that sometime..."
That got some excitement from Merry, but also hesitancy. That part was simply that she didn't want the others of her kind to think she'd pressured him to act. That wouldn't be proper after all.
"You mean other than by being all cute and shy like that? Because it did kind of push at me a little. Hardly on purpose, so I'll forgive you, this once." Probably the rest of the times too. It was just the way he was wired. That didn't get mentioned, since it was kind of a personal thing. Zack didn't want to
teach
her how to manipulate him after all. No doubt she'd eventually work out how to do it on her own.
He headed back toward the rest of the mall with her, not knowing where they were going, having never gone that far down the main walkway. It was a little different than he expected, since the shops were of a different sort than the other places he'd been to. They had an herb shop for instance, one place down from a knife and sword concern that, if the noise could be trusted, made their products on site. There was a plus sized woman's store as well and one that sold trendier looking stuff called "Brand Village" That was the place the Shifters worked out of. There wasn't much else until they got to the food court, which had several places, six in all, three on either side of the central eating area. It had a lot of plants in it, making separate areas for each little table. He'd been in restaurants that weren't as nice.
Zack had to hurry back to his shop and make sure it wasn't left untended, so he looked around until he found Conrad and told him about the upcoming present.
"Just let me know when you want to leave and we'll work out the rest of it. It's for everyone here, so let them know for me? I should get cards or something... I just thought you should know." Then he walked away, because the man didn't say anything and it was awkward. Plus he really was in a hurry.
He stopped and looked into the herb shop, seeing a familiar face.
Sort of, at least he'd spent a few hours with the man. After a few seconds he walked all the way in, noticing that Wu-Li actually seemed to have clients. He didn't speak, just waving happily. Zack hadn't realized that the man worked so close by. Really he'd figured that the man had flown in to help out at the time. He came over quickly as if summoned, calling for someone else to come and wait on people. A man that looked about the same age came from the back. He was dressed in a similar outfit and had a mustache, but otherwise looked an awful lot like Wu-Li. Except that he was white, but other than
that
they were very similar. It was an energy thing, he realized. Their practices had shaped them both into a similar mold.
"Mr. Hartley. Is all well?" There was a slightly worried tone under the words, but Zack started to say it was all fine, but then stopped.
"Actually, I need a cure for pancreatic cancer, and if possible a way to help someone else get off drugs quickly. Um, something like speed I think." He didn't mention who either thing was for, but the man nodded slowly, letting the movement pick up speed as he thought about something.
"I think I know who those would be for. I can help... Perhaps. I was asked, by.. .one of them, if it would be possible to correct the cancer, but at the time there was no way to access the needed materials. Some of them are not available in this world. If you would be willing to lend your own skills to such, I will gladly lend my own. As for the other, some Samsara root will work well enough, when she is ready. It is not a simple or pleasant cure, but it is the fastest way to restore a body that has been poisoned. I would... also like to examine you at greater length, if you have the time?" The way he said it didn't sound right for some reason. It made him suspicious. Still, it didn't feel like he was hitting on him, so Zack nodded.
"Why not? So we can maybe do this? I'll help however I can."
That got the man to hold up a single finger and then move quickly behind his counter, the other man looking at him as if this was strange behavior. He wrote for nearly a minute, in what seemed to be Chinese, and handed the small brown square of paper to Zack, smiling and giving a tiny bow.
"If you go to the apothecary at the Swiss node center, the man there will fill this for you. It is a request for the Samsara. He owes me a small debt, so there should be no cost. It is worth more than its weight in gold, but it will not take very much at all. This way we will end with more than is needed, so I should end up with a tidy profit. After a fashion. Not many need such a things, thankfully."
"OK. I can do that. If not I'll come back and take you with me. I might have to do this after work. I left the shop empty." He shrugged and left, waving a bit. It made him look childish, no doubt, but it worked and meant he was actually in his store when Lisa walked in, ten minutes later.
"I'm so sorry! I was... out. Not in a good way either. I got your call and Bob's... What happened with the visitors?"
Zack filled her in and pointed out that all the tables and chairs were still in the back and explained how Barb had helped him with the actual travel. There was no mention of Bob directly, but hiding things wasn't something he was good at.
"So, anyway, I was talking to Wu-Li and he has this root for you to take. Samsara. I have to go to Switzerland to get it, but it will help you beat the drugs. From the way he said it the whole thing will also suck horribly, but you know, it's a thing you can try. When you're ready." He shrugged. "After that I think I need a couple of days off. He thinks that we can collect the special ingredients that Bob's wife will need to help with her cancer." It felt pushy to first imply that she was going to get clean and then demand time off, but Lisa just looked a little ill instead.
"Samsara? That sounds like the kind of thing he'd give for a drug problem. You know that means 'the wheel of suffering' don't you?"
Zack would have liked to nod and pretend to be wise, but he accidentally opened his mouth first, which was almost always a hindrance to that kind of thing.
"Actually I thought it was a kind of T.V. Well, anyway, after we close I'm going to go and see if I can get that. Are you in? I already said I'd be going. By the way, I'm glad you aren't dead. Bob and I were worried you'd kill yourself. He said he was going to check your apartment, so when you find the door kicked down later, you'll know why."
"Right. I... guess. I know I have to do something... I was thinking about taking a sabbatical. Go to a retreat. Maybe I should do both. Just getting the drugs out of my system isn't enough to fix it all, I don't think. This is mainly psychological. Even as I stand here, my life falling apart, there's a feeling like I can handle it, that all I have to do is get through the next day, or week and then it will all be alright. I really can't leave right now though, can I? There's no one to take my place."
"Well, don't worry about that part. Bob and I will figure something out. For now..." He didn't know what to do with her, to tell the truth. She looked horrible, for her. Like someone had rolled her in dirt all night and not let her bathe. If there had been make-up on her face originally, it was gone now, except for some streaks that might have once been eye liner.
It was also nearing eight o'clock. Normally he would have sent her home, but that wasn't an option at the moment, not since he really didn't think he could trust her not to drug herself into a stupor again. True, given her drug of choice it might take three days for a black out to come, but he really didn't think she could take a lot more. Not safely.
"OK. Um, well." It wasn't brilliant at all, but finally he looked at the time and realized that there wasn't a lot else he could do but keep her there. It wouldn't work very well if she didn't want to however. "If you'll help me here, I'll go and get that Samsara and we can see what we need to do after that."
It was a plan, even if not a great one. It didn't do a lot to fool the woman either, since she wasn't a moron, drug habit aside. At least she'd been smart enough to hire him, and had a job that seemed like it took something more than the ability to be a pretty face to get done.
The trouble came at nine, when he stepped through the node, asking her to wait for him. It was easy to find Switzerland, since there was only the one major complex of rifts there, and not that hard to locate the correct shop, since it was in what seemed to be a castle as far as he could tell and there were guards all over the place. Dressed like old fashioned court jesters. Red and yellow outfits, like the Pope's Swiss guard in Rome. They didn't try to stop him when he stepped from the rift in space, one of them just nodding , as if he were expected.
Then it was a simple matter of asking people, most of whom didn't understand him, where he could find the herb shop. Finally a woman that looked to be like the family he'd seen with Barb that one time spoke to him in perfect and nearly unaccented English. There was a thickness to it, but nothing that made what she said unclear at all. It was kind of surprising really, since she looked like she should be grunting and getting ready to hit something with a club. That was just him being narrow minded though, so he tried to forget about that kind of thing, so that he wouldn't accidentally say it out loud and insult her.
"Are you looking for Master Yang? He is located three doors down, on the right hand side of the hallway. Here, allow me to lead you." She smiled, showing that her teeth were a lot heavier and more pointed than his own. "I take it that you're not from around here?"