Season of the Witch part 5

I could understand the logic behind her wanting me to be her champion.  Koschei’s home was probably heavily fortified against her and any other powerful magic user.  I’m not a magic user, so it would possibly be easier for me to slip inside somewhere.  I am also a detective from another country, with experience in sneaking in and out of tight places, so it might throw Koschei off a bit; since I was unfamiliar to him, it might be harder for him to trace me back to his rival.  He might even mistake me for a hero of some kind; they and Baba Yaga are the only ones who might be powerful (or stupid) enough to steal from him.  I could go off on a long rant about my opinion of heroes, but you’re probably not interested.  So back to the story.


The witch’s nostrils flared, and I saw her fingertips start to tingle with magical aura.  I realized that she was about to cast a spell of some kind, or at least contemplating it; I glanced at Calla, and inclined my head toward the door.
Time to go.
Even without reading my thoughts, she understood them.  I began mentally calculating how far we’d have to run until we could reach the nearest town; we were somewhere up in the Ural Mountains, so it would be easier if we flew.  Hopefully there’d be a place with public teleportation mirrors readily available.  I had a few universal tokens left in my wallet, so if we moved quickly...she was pretty fast in that mortar and pestle, I didn’t know if I could outfly her...maybe if we started out high, and then dived through the trees, it would be harder for her to follow...there was also the problem of how to get out of here alive, now that we’d snubbed her…


“Well,” I said, getting up with false cheerfulness, and pushing in my chair, “it’s been nice chatting with you, but we’d better get back home and not waste anymore of your time, so-”
A bright orange light burst from her fingers, splatting over the door and the windows.
“You are not going anywhere, Chernobyl,” said Baba Yaga through her iron teeth.
I glanced at Calla; to my relief, she had leaped up and was already trying to break open the seal that had surrounded the door.
“Ma’am, please,” I said, getting up myself and moving to shield her, “this isn’t a part of my job description.  I’m a detective, not a thief.  If you really want someone to steal the sword, I’d advise finding someone like that.  I can think a few people who’d be perfect for the job, even though they’re in prison at the moment-”
“I want you to do it.  And you are going to do it, unless you want me to keep your assistant instead.”
D___.


She smiled grimly at my expression.
“It’s a simple decision for you, Chernobyl.  The sword, or the girl?”
Even for Baba Yaga, this seemed a little ludicrous.  Calla, I saw in my peripheral vision, had paused in her work for a second when she heard what we said, but was now trying even more frantically to undo the spell.  The witch watched her work with a placid smile, making no attempt to stop her.  I knew she wasn’t worried; Calla and I could probably make a new way out of here, by smashing through the wall or something, but she would just follow us, or have a new spell set up to stop us already.  Even if we did get away, it would cost a lot of time and effort…
“Let me talk with Calla for a moment,” I said.  “In private.”


Baba Yaga allowed me to draw my assistant into a corner.
“Thoughts?” I whispered.
Calla created a small bubble spell so the witch couldn’t listen in, and answered, “I don’t want her to take me.”
“I know.  Any ideas about how to get out of this one?”
Her eyes widened.  “You don’t have any?”
“I have a few thoughts, I just wanted to know if you have any input.  I’m not the only one capable of thinking up brilliant schemes at a moment’s notice.”


Looking mollified, Calla glanced over at Baba Yaga.  The witch waved.  She turned back to me.
“Do you think you could find Koschei’s home and get the sword from him?”
“How do I know?  I know nothing about his hideout or what guardians he might have surrounding it.  Besides, are you willing to take that risk?  If I fail, she’ll probably use it as an excuse to keep you here forever.”
“Ask her about it first.  Maybe she’ll let you take three items or something like that to help you.  If so, I think you should do it.  Because honestly-” she paused- “I want to find out why she wants me.  It seems a bit deeper than just wanting to add me to her collection; maybe I can figure out what she has in mind.”


That attitude really surprised me for a second.  Seeing it in my face, Calla added, “It might be handy to understand what she wants.  You’d probably want to find out if it were you.”
Well, yes, I would...it was just that, in my experience, Calla wouldn’t.  She was the slightly-more-sensible one, the one who worked with Xen to warn me when I was getting a little out of control and doing something stupidly daring.  Of course, there was that time when she had attacked the leader of a pack of Ghuls to get them to let us go free, but that level of boldness didn’t happen very often with Calla…
Maybe it was a bizarre time for me to see it, but I suddenly had a glimpse of how very grown-up Calla was becoming.  I mean, yeah, she was almost twenty, so she was already grown-up, but I mean in the emotional sense.  She was no longer just the terrified, traumatized girl I’d rescued from the remains of her house.  To an extent, that girl was still there, but she had become more independent, and with her own brand of courage.  And I felt a warmth in my heart to see how strong she had become.
So it was that I gave Calla the signal to dissipate the bubble, and then stepped forward, asking Baba Yaga, “Where does Koschei live?”

TANSTAV part 32

Chapter 9 part 3

I think he expected us to gasp in horror, or applaud him (though how we could do so tied up was beyond me), or something like that.  Instead, Xen asked incredulously, "What?", Calla inquired, "Do they not exist?", and I said, "Dude, you are even crazier than Colin Newman."

(Colin Newman: our fourteenth president, and an alchemist.  Was in charge at the same time as Abraham Lincoln was for the humans, though lasted a great deal longer than he.  Nearly impeached in 1865 for trying to create zombies using the corpses of Civil War soldiers.  Though in the name of science, his actions were voted to be unethical, as people thought it best to let the dead rest in peace.  His wife finally persuaded him that what he was doing was a really bad idea.  That, combined with the fact that his experiments nearly resulted in two of his children being electrocuted to death, caused him to suffer a nervous breakdown, and retire before he could begin his second term.  Also passed two bills before leaving the presidency: one making necromancy illegal, the other allowing any monsters to do experiments with science and magic, as long as they were not harmful to other creatures.  All in all, not a bad guy, but maybe too obsessed with dabbling in the secrets of life and death. Has his face on our five-dollar bill and penny.)

Fleming flushed with anger at my slight to his sanity.

"Newman was a coward and a failure!  He didn't have the courage to press on with his work!  I, however, shall succeed where he failed!  For I have actually discovered the secret of instilling life in a dead man, and creating a vampire!"

Like any really psycho villain, Fleming could not resist the opportunity to tell us his evil plan, and how he had come to think of it, in complete graphic detail.  Despite the precariousness of the situation, I found myself rolling my eyes.  He continued, "It is fitting that you should mention him, actually.  About a year ago, I was visiting his old house, and by chance, wound up in the attic.  It was there, amongst the exhibits, that I discovered the original spell he had been using to try and give his creations life!"

He reached behind the altar, and withdrew a large, glowing ball of light.  It was definitely magic, but it was the sorriest piece of magic I'd ever seen; a sickly shade of green, going black and white in some places, and barely with any glow to it at all.

"You'd think he'd want to reabsorb the energy he'd emitted doing that," I murmured.

"No," called Xen, "He didn't want that back in his body, he felt so guilty about what he'd done.  It was part of the reason why it took him so long to recover from his breakdown."

"Huh.  Wonder why he never destroyed it, then.  And nobody noticed that you'd taken it?"

"Nobody.  I used many concealment spells; you may have realized my great skill with them, Wormwood."

"Yeah, I did.  But wasn't Newman trying to create zombies?  Won't that mess with your idea?"

"Not at all!  I'm going to adjust it to accommodate with my desires!"

It seemed like this guy had an answer for everything.  He was still in a talking mood, which also seemed to be stalling him from his goal, so I finally asked the big question that had been gnawing at me: "Why, Fleming?  What are you trying to prove?"

"Haven't you realized, Wormwood?"  Fleming stared at me, his eyes protruding even more than usual.  "I'm doing this for the benefit of monster kind!  After this, we won't have to hide anymore, because the world will be populated by nothing but monsters!"

"Oh?"  I glanced over at my comrades, who looked as shocked as I was.  Even without looking in Calla's eyes, I could read her thoughts: this guy was a loony.

"Yes!  When my vampire comes alive, he will feel a raging thirst for blood, and will go out into the world, drinking that of any human he sees; either they will die, or they will become vampires like himself.  Then they will make more of their kind, and more, until soon, the entire world will be covered with vampires!  Don't you see?" he pleaded (yes, that was the right word for it, oddly enough), "We won't need to hide!  No more concealing ourselves from humans, because there will be no humans left!  We shall be free!"

"Except for me, Xen, Calla, and these other nice people you're holding prisoner," I pointed out.

"Well, yes.  In fact, because this spell is going to drain your life force to contribute to the creation of the vampire, it will undoubtedly kill you.  But your cooperation will be duly noted, after I become supreme ruler of the world!"

TANSTAV part 21

Chapter 6 part 2

When I finished, Xen asked, "If he's getting out, do you think his cronies have been getting out, too?"

"I haven't seen any evidence of them.  But I wouldn't rule it out.  Would you mind if I reinstated your bodyguard?"

The look she gave me needed no interpretation.

"Xen," I pleaded, "it's for your own safety!  I don't want him getting his hands on you again!"

She still looked unwilling.  I leaned my forehead against hers, staring deep into her eyes.

"Please?"

She rolled her eyes, but I followed the plea with a kiss.  When it ended, she muttered, "I'll forgive you.  Eventually."

I chuckled at the running gag statement.  Then I asked, "How's Calla been?"

"Very quiet.  I checked her a few times, before I dozed off, and she's still sleeping.  I put some sweat on her bruises, so they should start healing up quickly enough.  But the real trouble is in here," she pointed a claw at her head, "and here."  She pointed at her heart.

"I know," I sighed.  "Believe me, I know."

After snuggling for a while longer, Xen made dinner, we ate, snuggled (among other things) some more, and then she went back to her apartment.  She needed to go to bed, and I needed to think.  It was now 8:05 pm, and I could feel the backs of my eyes stinging, begging for sleep.  I went to the bathroom, and woke myself up more by splashing water on my face.  Then I retrieved a notepad and pen, and made a list.

Things I Know

• Jessup has gotten out of prison at least once, as is evident by the tracks on Senator Skald's lawn, and the pieces of grass and dirt on his feet.
• Mrs. Skald was not faking her distress; therefore, her husband must really have vanished.

I wondered whether to actually count that point, since it was based on guessing, but since I think myself a pretty good judge of character, I was sure it was genuine.  I wracked my brain for another certainty, but came up with nothing.  So instead I wrote questions.

• Was Senator Skald kidnapped, or did he go into hiding, or did he leave of his own free will?
• Why has nobody reported seeing him vanish, other than his wife?
• Has he been taken by a political enemy?
• How did someone take him, anyway?  Even if he’s an old troll, he’s still got to be pretty strong.
• How did Jessup get out of prison, and back in, with nobody noticing?
• Why would he be involved in the senator's disappearance?
• What do those bits of magical residue do?

I groaned inwardly when I saw all the things I would have to find out, but steeled myself.  I had taken on this case of my own free will; I owed it to the clients to get the answers.  Besides, a detective's got to do what a detective's got to do.

I looked at the kitchen table, where I had placed the evidence baggies so they wouldn't interfere with my Xen-time.  In order to distinguish the ones with the magic from each other, I had used different colored markers to place a dot on each.  The one I had found on the senator's property had a pink dot, the one in the elevator a blue dot, and the one in Jessup's cell had a black dot.  Other than that, the magics looked about the same.

If only I were a mage or an alchemist right now! I thought.  Then I'd be able to figure out, just by holding them, what they-  I stopped, and looked over at the room where the girl slept.  It was worth a shot.  I was desperate.  The odds of her being able to help weren't thoroughly high.  But I'd be turned to stone and smashed before I asked that irritating Fleming for help.