Authors: Scott V. Duff
I suppose it could have been arrogance on my part that I chose to work in their mode rather than simply make adjustments myself. Showing off. My thoughts were to learn more about them through their magic and the way they worked it. Druidic magic flowed easily in my mind. I don’t know why. It was just like every other form of field manipulation. Except the one Kieran slowly taught us and what the Twice-Dead God dropped on me.
That’s what idle time does–lets the mind wander.
“First, how’s pizza sound?” I asked the open air of the patio.
“Great! I’m starved. New York, okay?” Jimmy asked walking out the back doors onto the patio with Davis and Byrnes on his heels.
“Oh, can I get in on that?” Byrnes asked.
“I sent Mr. Edmington back to his office,” Davis said neutrally. “The building inspector came and First led him expertly through the house. Amazingly, he signed off on it. All we’re waiting for are the survey results and your signature.”
“New York-style is great,” I said as my phone rang. “Ted, would you send a couple of guys to get enough for everyone, please?” Instant excitement ensued, confusing me. They ate a hell of a lot better than pizza on a regular basis, but the whole platoon started clamoring. I went to the far end of the patio to answer the phone. “Yes, captain?”
“Mr. McClure,” Thorn said. “We’ve spoken with the British Foreign Office and arranged to have an assistant Deputy Minister sent to your address to handle the legal issues.”
“An assistant Deputy Minister? Will this person have authority over the law enforcement?” I asked, amused. “The title seems a bit low on the totem pole.”
Thorn chuckled and said, “We presume so. Since you aren’t actually attached to the Diplomatic Corps or the Pentagon in any official capacity, we downplayed your position to sort of an ‘in-training,’ nepotism-type thing. Didn’t even mention your name.”
“What’s this person’s name?” I asked.
“Jack Dunwoody,” Thorn said. “Minister Kingston said that he’d be there by two.”
“We’re an hour out of London,” I said. “That gives him less than twenty minutes to travel well over three times that. How is that possible?”
“No idea, but that’s what he said,” Thorn answered, his amusement evident.
“Jensen Thorn, you’re getting off on this, ain’tcha?” I accused him, almost laughing. “It’s not my fault the neighbors are pot-heads!” He finally broke down laughing.
“You have to admit it’s funny!” Thorn said. “Really! How likely is it to buy a house and find a marijuana field? I mean, who has this problem?”
“I do,” I whined. “Give me Kingston’s office number in case this guy doesn’t show and we’ll see you in the morning.” Thorn reeled off three different office names with thirteen digit telephone numbers and disconnected. I didn’t see any reason to get upset with him. This was a bizarre situation. If it weren’t for the neighbors’ face-off with Edmington and the survey crew, I’d just make the whole thing disappear and wall the neighbors out. Their monetary loss was not my concern, nor would any other loss they suffered as a result of their illegal activities. Morally I wanted to be against the drugs, but so much of Daybreak and many of my decisions lately have been made around the principle of choice and self-determination that it was hard to say their actions are immoral. The user has the choice to use, after all. “Choice” is not so easy a word.
Brushing the anchor gently, I found Ethan sitting on a hillside watching a German duo build a ward in the third sink
. Ethan, we’re going on a pizza run. Y’all want any?
Hell, yeah!
He answered, standing and trotting off toward the second sink.
Let me ask Kir’du’Ahn and Seth’Dur’an o’an what they want. So what have you been up to since you ran off in a snit?
Laughing my way through the absurdity of the whole day, I told the story of the last ninety minutes or so. He was laughing at me by the rise to the next sink.
You jumped from one sinkhole into another. Damn, he’d scared the crap out of them if they saw the work behind that.
Ethan stopped at the crest of the hill and linked the anchor to his senses as he watched Pete in the sink hold a large casting of the curse bugs. It was a huge multimedia presentation, like he was running it on a computer. He held live examples of all five variants that we knew about in pale green energy cylinders, staged in the air at different heights. In the center over his head was a huge display that followed his focus as he lectured about the bugs. The presentation and information flow was so smooth that most of the audience didn’t think about how massive the energy structures Peter was managing were. It was like looking at a Vegas casino sign close-up.
He’s very good at it, though,
said Ethan to me, then whispered aloud, “Seth’Dur’an o’an.”
“Yes, Ethan? What’s up?” Peter called from his podium, centering his attention on Ethan.
“Seth’s going on a pizza run. Want anything?”
Peter grinned. “Yeah, a large one. Surprise me with the toppings.”
“Anchovies it is, then,” Ethan yelled over his shoulder as he took off for the last sink and Kieran.
Did you hang around long enough to see Thomas yell at everybody?
Nah. I mean, I was here for a bit, but not paying attention. Fixed the druids’ circles then came out here.
He railed on for twenty minutes after you left
, Ethan sent through the anchor.
Dared ‘em to take on twenty elves much less the two hundred at Grammand. Then he informed them that they’d insulted a Lord of Faery and they damn well better read the Rules of Hospitality before you call another breach
.
I laughed, feeling the twitch of a smile on Ethan’s face.
Like he wasn’t irritated enough at those twits. Half of them are Marchand’s idiot brother. He’s got the patience of a saint
.
He deals with us. He needs it
, Ethan sent, laughing. “
Kir du’Ahn
,” he whispered, stopping at the top of the rise into the final sink. Kieran sat cross-legged in the grass watching members of Bishop’s security team show a large crowd different methods of defense against dark arts at close range. Ethan spoke softly this time, so he didn’t distract the two men tossing angry magic at each other in slow motion. “Kieran, Seth’s on a pizza run. You in?”
“Hell, yes, I’m starved,” Kieran answered softly. “I’ll take a large veggie and a large meat-eaters. Are we going to him or is he coming to us?”
“We’re going to him,” Ethan said smiling. “You wouldn’t believe what the dipshit’s got himself into.”
Hey!
I objected, nearly shouting into the anchor, not that I could get mad about it. A car pulled into the drive at the road.
There’s someone here, presumably assistant Deputy Minister Dunwoody. I’ll call when the pizza’s here.
Jimmy and Byrnes turned to the front of the house like they could see what was happening, which in a manner of speaking, they could. I started for the front door with Jimmy falling in beside me as I passed him.
“I ordered six large for y’all. That be enough?” Jimmy asked as we tromped down the hall.
“Oh, yeah. At least one veggie,” I answered softly without thinking. I was paying more attention to the limo pulling up to the house now. It occurred to me there might be a point behind the question. “Am I that predictable or could you tell I was talking with someone?”
“With the way you were studying and working over that stone?” he asked laughing lightly. “I know you well enough. You felt like crap for getting mad and you’re trying to make it up to them in some minor way. Or you were bored. Why would an assistant Deputy Minister need
two
assistants?”
“Ryan, have you ever met an elf?” I asked, looking out the side window from a discreet distance while three men in suits climbed out of the black stretch limo. Well, one man and two elves presenting themselves as men. Three Guard met them at the walkway and asked the same questions the Guard at the road asked the driver. Byrnes was stalling them through a double security check.
“Not personally, no, but I have been in a room with several under the protection of a veil,” Davis said starchly. “This takes a few minutes to perform alone.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, reaching for the door. “They’ll have much bigger problems than a druid if anything happens. This should be interesting, though.” I walked out onto the porch, throwing the door open for everyone else. Jimmy and Byrnes rushed around me, taking points about two yards out. I saw the benefit of a long path. It offered the opportunity to cover events involving two large men moving at inhuman speeds as an optical trick. This was a short walk.
“May I help you, gentlemen?” Jimmy asked politely, attracting the attention of the young, blonde man in the expensive Italian suit. Cheerful sort, he smiled wide with sun burnt cheeks and bright blue eyes. Slightly taller than average, Dunwoody was generally athletic with the beginnings of a paunch. Either the rich food of embassy life or perhaps a sympathetic pregnancy was getting to him.
“Jonathan Dunwoody, Deputy Minister, Foreign Office,” he told Jimmy boisterously with an outstretched hand. Being a good ol’ boy at heart, Jimmy took it and was nearly shaken to death for his troubles. “I understand we have a Pentagon diplomat trying to become a drug lord, yes?”
“Jack!” the right elf said sharply, eliciting the first emotional response of any kind from either elf. Till now, both elves looked idly around, looking faintly bored behind their glamours, which were attentive enough. The only oddity here was that each elf stood in opposition to the other, one Seelie and one Unseelie.
“What?” Dunwoody asked, exasperated as he turned to the faux-man. “They’re American! They can take a joke!” He turned back to Jimmy, smiling. “No sense of humor in the old Corps, what can I say?”
Both elves presented the appearance of men in their mid-forties so “Old School” didn’t quite make sense. Then it hit me what was happening here. I snickered, timed for Dunwoody’s joke thankfully. He was supposed to be me. Because of Thorn’s presentation of me, probably hemming and hawing through his description while trying not to say too much, he portrayed me as a rich man’s son and, sort of, an idiot. Dunwoody wasn’t exactly an idiot, but he played to the image well. The elves were there to make sure he did what the Foreign Office wanted. They didn’t really have any idea who we were.
Jimmy and Byrnes chuckled along with Dunwoody, covering my snicker well enough. “No worries, Jack,” Jimmy said easily. “Why don’t you come through the house and we’ll show you what we’ve come across.” Jimmy led Dunwoody between Byrnes and me through the front door of the house, so I followed them. A complicated but swift dance occurred behind me involving Byrnes and the three Guard, catching the two elves just outside the door, politely blocking their entrance. I stopped to watch, motioning Ryan to keep going.
“Excuse me, gentlemen, but we didn’t get your names,” Byrnes said sweetly to the surprised elves. The Unseelie recovered faster.
“Effram Frobisher, assisting Minister Dunwoody,” he said in a middle baritone voice, soothing and trustworthy. His aura sparked in bright red and blue, an obvious lie. Kieran was right—you can tell immediately with an elf.
“Isaac Beauchamp, also assisting Minister Dunwoody,” the Seelie elf echoed, a little higher and breathier. Another lie, but this one had a little magic behind it, trying to push Byrnes into a more pliant man.
“Oh,” Byrnes said, feigning hurt feelings. “An outright lie and a half-truth. Sorry, gents, can’t let you in the house for that, but if you hurry around to the patio you can get there just as we do.” Then he shut the door in their very surprised faces.
“Ted, that was just mean,” I said grinning at him as he caught up with me and we headed for the patio again.
“Well, they shouldn’t have lied to me,” he said almost petulantly. “Worth it, though. Did you see their faces as the door slammed?” Our laughter echoed down the empty hallway. It
was
funny.
The elves burst around the side of the house at a full run, slowing immediately to a fast walk. They were seething mad under their perfect glamours and just a little perplexed and scared. In their eyes an absolutely normal man had just seen through their perfect disguises. Byrnes stood beside Jimmy on the steps as he described to Dunwoody what happened, while Ryan and I watched from the back patio table. For once, I was being ignored. I liked it, too.
“Did we miss introductions?” Effram asked, smoothly entering the conversation at a natural break in Jimmy’s story.
“Yes,” Dunwoody said, drawing the word out in agitation.
“That’s okay, Mr. Frobisher, no prob,” Jimmy said with a small smile. “I’m the boss’ first assistant. You can call me First.” I watched the elves send a sensing into Jimmy as he shook each of their hands and felt their reactions as their magic told them “man.”
“And I’m Commander Ted Byrnes of FirstGuard Security,” Byrnes said. “We were called in to contain the situation until the authorities arrived.” The elves were even more suspicious of Ted, but their magic still said “man.”
“When do we meet your boss, Jimmy?” Dunwoody asked cheerfully turning back to the neighbors sitting on the lawn.
“Very shortly,” Jimmy answered. “He’s working on a project with another employee, but we’ve ordered out for lunch and it should be getting here in a few minutes.”
Project? I looked down at my hands and found I was still playing with the lodestone. Except it wasn’t a lodestone anymore. It still contained the energy of one, but now it was a sphere, translucent for the most part but with lines etched along the interior at seemingly random points. It didn’t look complete to me, but I couldn’t tell what else to do to it. Pulling it into my cavern, I went back to the conversation.
“So what do we do about this problem, Mr. Dunwoody? Just call the police?” Byrnes asked.
“Actually, it’s already happening,” Dunwoody said cheerfully. “The police are obtaining warrants now to raid the homes on either side of you. They should be arriving there within the hour. If evidence is found strong enough to convict them, we’ll simply remove the field and lab without a mention in the reports. If not, we’ll quash your boss’ identity through means of national security. Either way, we’ll leave you uninvolved.”
“Okay, fine with us,” Jimmy said. “Boss just wants to play it by your book.”
“I’m surprised you even saw the lab from here,” Dunwoody said. “It’s pretty far back on the property.”
Several Guardsmen walked from the side of the house carrying tables. That started a small but constant flow of men setting up for lunch on the lawn on the other side of the patio. Ice chests, from our forced stay at Jimmy’s while the FBI toiled over the Morgans’ house, appeared and were shoved under tables. Soft drinks and urns of water, cups and plates, and forks and knives filled the tabletop. The elves became increasingly agitated that they couldn’t pierce whatever magic was being played over them. They were so busy looking for veils and camouflage that they completely overlooked the Guardsmen winking in and out of existence beside the house. I’m so glad my cavern has a floor to roll around on when I’m laughing my ass off.
Lord, we’re about five minutes away from delivery
, Byrnes sent across the geas.
Ethan, five minutes
, I sent through the anchor.
Do I need to come get you? Peter knows the house.
Nope, Pete can get us there,
Ethan answered.
Soon as I can drag your brother out of this sink. Be there in a minute.
He flashed a brief image of Kieran wading through the magic of the third sink, poking at some of the structures to make them work.
I stood up, still laughing a little at the elves. “Thanks, Ted,” I said moving to toward the steps. “E-ffram. Is-saac.” I exaggerated their fake names, grinning as I spoke and having fun with it since it was about to end. “My friend and I were wondering about the veracity of a rumor we’d heard that you might shed some light on.”
Alarmed by me in general and my lack of aura in specific, I felt their thoughts fly together as their eyes met: druid veil. My grin didn’t waver an instant as I fell on the floor of my cavern again, laughing. I love my cavern.
“My friend believes that your respective races are currently at war with his particular kind,” I said cheerfully. “I’ve been told on good authority otherwise. So, what’s the truth there, Seelie and Unseelie?”
“I did not break it!” Kieran said, walking out onto the patio from the back door of the house.
“We’ll see when we go back,” Ethan said behind him, laughing and challenging him. “It’ll either work or not!”
Peter stopped in the door, staring at the tableau just as Kieran and Ethan stopped, too. “Front row seats, this time!” he exclaimed, darting around them to Davis’ table for a chair. He leaned back and, in a stage whisper, asked Davis, “Whad’e do this time?”
“Who are you?” Frobisher asked me, alarmed and scared, pulling in energy for either a fight or a retreat.
“Now, Effram,” I said, chastising him, “I still have a question on the table and you’ve yet to answer one truthfully. Let’s work on you two first.”
He gulped so hard it showed through the glamour. “No, sir, Seelie is not at war with the druids.”
“Nor is Unseelie,” Beauchamp added quickly.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling brightly again. “You see, Ryan? No worries.”
“Pizza!” a Guard yelled trotting up the steps carrying two wooden paddles with large pizzas on them. The patio became a madhouse of activity as more of the Guard rushed forward with platters and plates for us. A caravan of men rounded the house with more paddles loaded down with various styles. Dunwoody cornered his “assistants” while our lunch turned into a free-for-all and men from the perimeter started transferring in by shifts to eat. The survey crew and their security escort showed up and ate, too.
Dunwoody wasn’t happy with his assistants and whatever they told him. They stayed in one corner of the patio while he stormed off to the pizza buffet table. Before long, though, he was chatting up a storm with everybody about nothing, but I heard tons of glowing references to “boss” and “chief” without a single use of my name. The Guard was working the elves over in the most hilarious fashion to keep them off our backs for lunch. Every time they made a move to talk to one of us, a Guardsman would offer a slice or a drink and a wave of laughing, loud-talking men would walk through and interpose themselves in some way. Either Jimmy and Byrnes were working overtime or my men didn’t like the elves.
“That… was truly excellent pizza,” Peter said, dropping his napkin onto his plate. “Where’d you get it?” Jimmy grinned slyly at the next table.
“My guess would be the brownies and several of the Guard made them,” I said leaning back in my chair. “Seeing as it’s barely nine o’clock in New York right now.”
“Hey, Ted!” Jimmy called across the patio, half-rising out of his chair. “He figured it out. Told ya!” A chorus of laughter followed the proclamation.
“Speaking of the time, we need to get back,” Kieran said.
“Aww, and miss all the fun?” Peter whined, glancing over at the elves.
“’Boss’ has it under control,” Ethan said with a grin and a chuckle. “C’mon, Pete, let’s go mind the children.”
Tapping his ring on the table as he stood and grinning, Peter said, “I really thought these things would be more obvious. Late supper at my place with Gordon and Thomas. I promised them, so be there.”
“See ya later, guys,” I called after them as they disappeared into the house and out through a portal. The echo of druid wards was strong until Peter closed it. The patio cleared out as the Guard returned to their tasks. The elves waited a few moments, though, before pouncing on us, weary from repeated attempts.
“Mr. Dunwoody,” I called, standing and walking to the steps with Ryan on my heels. “The police are at the back gate.”
“Damn it,” Beauchamp muttered and hopped over the railing to the lawn. Frobisher started to follow, stopping with one leg over the railing and looking at me.
“Sir, what is your name?” Frobisher asked again. At least he was polite this time.
“You tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine,” I said, smirking. He growled at me, so I laughed.
“This is a game to you, isn’t it?” he asked.
“Only because you’re making it one,” I answered him as he jumped.
“What are they doing?” Jimmy asked me, watching Frobisher pass Beauchamp at the prisoners and head for the road to meet the police vans entering the estate. He wasn’t hiding his speed either.
“I would guess that Effram is delaying the cops so that Isaac can muddle our drug lords minds enough that they will barely remember you,” Dunwoody said, reaching a hand out to me. “You must be the boss. Jack Dunwoody.”
“That’s me,” I said, shaking his hand. “Seth McClure.”
“Hiding in plain sight. Bloody brilliant,” Dunwoody said, flashing a fantastically white smile. “Did everyone know but us?”
“’Fraid so,” Jimmy said, grinning.
“You gave me your name easily enough. Why give my assistants so much trouble about it?” he asked.
Shrugging slightly, I answered, “They aren’t quite who they seem.”
“Elves generally aren’t,” Dunwoody said quietly. “But they do a decent job.” I cut my eyes over at him, seeing the slight smirk on his face. “And it’s not like everything here is on the up and up now, is it?”
“Actually, yes, Jack, it is,” I said, turning to face him. “What’s happened here has been the absolute truth and totally ‘up and up.’ From us, anyway.”
“I’ve known Isaac and Effram for two years, but you say that’s not their names and they act panicked,” Dunwoody said. “And now they’re showing their elven nature? You’ve rattled their cages more than I’ve been able to.”
“Have you ever confronted them over it?” I asked him. “Better yet, how do you know?”
“I’ve been detailed to keep them out of trouble,” Dunwoody answered.
Jimmy and I broke out laughing. “But… you’re human,” Ryan said stuttering.
“Most definitely,” Dunwoody said proudly.
“So what is it you do with them?” I asked, choking back laughter to the point of tears. The post on the railing was helping to hold me up now.
“They are known, low-level spies. I just limit their information opportunities,” Dunwoody said. “And I’ve been fairly successful for the last two years, too.”
“How well do you keep up with the magical community?” I asked.
“Not at all,” Dunwoody said. “Except for these two, I don’t have any interface there except for emergency contacts. Why?”
“I believe you’re about to find out,” I said, laughing again as Isaac turned away from my neighbors to us and stalked forward as menacingly as a mid-forties bureaucrat could. My Guard watched as the men stood and formed into lines for the police vans. Effram was doing an excellent job of delaying them, though I couldn’t imagine why.
With a flourish of his right hand, he tossed a spell at us to freeze us in place, then started a complicated magic to bind mine and Jimmy’s will to his. He was confident in his power. The elf didn’t even look up to see if his first spell worked before beginning his second.
“You really shouldn’t have done that, Unseelie,” I said loudly. He looked up in time to see Jimmy’s alabaster staff slam into his head.
“Boo-yah!” shouted the Guardsmen with the neighbors, pumping fists sideways in congratulations, jumping and gesturing crudely at the elf as he rolled five, seven, then ten yards off, ending up splayed face up in the grass. The police vans, three of them, appeared around the bend in the road, advancing slowly. Picking the elf up on a platform of Stone energy, I moved him to the side of the house and called Byrnes to put a few men on him.
“Well, I guess I’m up now,” Dunwoody said and walked down the steps to meet the police and Effram.
“I think my adrenal glands have burned out,” Davis muttered.
“What?” I asked confused.
“Not even a full day with you and I’ve gone through enough fear, shock, and awe that my adrenaline glands have burned out,” Davis said again. “I haven’t had this much excitement in my entire life.”
“You should get out more, Ryan,” Jimmy said deadpan. “This has been a slow day.” I agreed with Jimmy, slow and aggravating. It took minutes to load the docile men onto the police vans while we watched. Effram must have manipulated the cops so that they wouldn’t question the zombie-like way the prisoners acted. It was freaky to see. With the vans pulling away and Jack and Effram walking back to us, I sat down on the steps and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon with the Grimes kids in a park or something. Jimmy glanced at the house.
“He’s awake. They’re bringing him back now,” he said.
“Elf,” I called forcefully. “Come here.” Frobisher nearly ran, stopping ten feet out. Two Guardsmen rounded the corner of the patio with Beauchamp hanging between them limply.
“He’s faking it,” Jimmy told them and they rolled out from under his arms, shoving him forward faster than he could react. He stumbled, but caught himself before running into Frobisher.