Metal mage 5, p.13
Metal Mage 5, page 13
“You would do that?” I asked as I glanced to Onym.
The silver-haired elf wore the same deadly mask.
“Oh, certainly,” the leader assured me. “We would be willing to be the first House to vote in your favor, if you were to assist us. Then you’d only need five more to push your errand forward again.”
I nodded. “And what kind of assistance could I possibly offer?” I asked, and I worked to keep the sarcasm from my voice. “As you’ve already said, your warriors are the most powerful.”
The head of the house pursed his lips into an ugly smile of pride, and he gave a little chuckle. “It is true,” he agreed. “However, our tactics are of a combative style. That weapon of yours seems to allow for a different sort of … approach.”
I furrowed my brow, but didn’t respond.
“Tell me, can it be operated from far distances?” the green-haired elf asked. “It seems that with the amount of force it projects, it could potentially kill an elf who was say … several yards away.”
Now I did smirk. “May I ask who it is you’d like to kill?”
The head of the house cocked a brow as an amused smile came to his face. “Straight to the point, yes,” he said with a nod, “why not? We have trouble with a certain House that resides in the north east jungles. Not that our warriors are not more powerful than their own, of course. But it is not their warriors who trouble us.”
“You cannot be serious?” the purple-haired elf cut in. “You would give the task to a human when--”
“Silence!” the leader barked again before he turned back to me. “The head of House Syru is a plague upon these lands, but he is well guarded and has much metal at his disposal to bar his fortress. Frankly, I can’t be bothered with him any longer. With your particular abilities and your weapon, however, the issue could be swiftly dealt with.”
I nodded again. “You want me to assassinate the head of House Syru?” I clarified.
“Precisely.” The grin on the green-haired elf’s face spread into a devilish sneer, and I saw Onym took after his father quite a lot.
I could see the resolve on the three elves’ faces. Their request wasn’t what I expected, but it was admittedly less obtrusive than being asked to simply hand over the rifle.
Still, I wasn’t some gun for hire, and blind murder hadn’t really been on my to do list. So, I decided to be blunt. “Give me a better reason.”
The question clearly caught the leader off guard, and he looked like he didn’t much want to elaborate. When he spoke again, he waved his hands haphazardly as if to brush off the technicalities.
“The history of these lands is a bloody and convoluted one,” he assured me. “Safe to say the leader of House Syru is a venomous snake with no regard for the honor of the Elven Council nor the dignity of the elven race for that matter.”
I tried not to snort at the mention of honor and dignity. “I see … ”
Then the purple-haired elf slammed his fist to the table. “I told you my army could handle the task, and I would not fail you,” he insisted viciously. “I told you I would gladly--”
“You would fail,” the leader told him icily.
The words clearly cut the elf to the core, and his face creased in fury. “You would trust an animal-lover over your own army?” he challenged.
My eyes snapped to the elf, and my pulse quickened in rage, but the fucker continued.
“You’d trust a human who would breed with a filthy halfling bitch rather than--”
In the blink of an eye, I cocked the revolver and leveled it in the direction of the purple-haired elf as I spoke in a low voice to the leader.
“I suggest you silence your dog,” I said through gritted teeth.
The leader snorted. “Why?” he asked snidely. “You know what she is.”
I narrowed my eyes and looked to Onym, and as I’d expected, his greedy black eyes were glued to the gun in my hand.
The purple-haired elf hadn’t been at the meeting though, so he didn’t even know what to expect. Judging by the look on Onym’s face, I could tell he had made at least a few accurate comparisons.
The pissed off elf ignored the gun and continued on his shitty rant, and as the words animal-lover left his lips again, my eyes locked with Onym’s.
“Should we see what this one does?” I asked him, and before he’d even blinked, I pulled the trigger.
The bullet pierced the purple-haired elf right between the eyes, and the hideous lines on his face went slack as he dropped to the floor with a hollow thud.
The black-eyed elf’s hand swiftly grabbed his dagger, but by the time it was raised and poised to fly toward my head, the revolver was already aimed directly at him.
Onym froze.
“Tell me,” I said, and his serpentine eyes flashed as I grinned. “Which one do you think is faster?”
Onym’s lip twitched with fury, but after a long moment, he lowered his arm.
“I agree,” I told him with a nod, but I kept my aim in his direction as I addressed the head of the house. “I appreciate your offer, truly. But I’m afraid I’ll have to decline the help.”
The leader looked ready to skin me alive while I slowly backed toward the entrance, but I didn’t miss the twitch of Onym’s hand at his side.
“If you throw that dagger,” I informed the black-eyed elf as I neared the hall, “I can guarantee all three of you will be dead before it even reaches my skull.”
None of them moved, and when I reached the darkened hallway, I turned and headed for the large wooden doors. The guards were nowhere to be found, so I bolted across the bridge and didn’t slow my pace until I was halfway back to the house near the pond. Only a little ways along, a twig snapped loudly ahead of me, and I crouched and aimed the revolver into the dark.
Then I heard a familiar voice ask me what I was doing.
“What the fuck are you doing out here?” I hissed as Aurora stepped through the ferns.
“What?” the half-elf asked in confusion.
My anger hadn’t remotely died down, and I probably could have reacted a little better, but my fear for the half-elf was incredibly raw at the moment. “You’re not safe out here,” I told her, “get back to the fucking house. Now.”
Aurora’s eyes flashed, and she propped her hands on her hips. “Excuse me?” she snapped. “Why don’t you get back to the fucking house?”
I grabbed the half-elf’s hand and broke back into a run as the words of the elves of House Natyr flashed through my mind, and Aurora yanked furiously at my hand, but I didn’t let go until we were only a few minutes from the pond.
When I released my hold, she dug her nails into my arm to whip me around.
I knew she was ready to tell me off, but when I turned, I caught her lips in mine and held her firmly against me as I delved my tongue into her mouth. Heat ignited between us, and I felt the force of our magic collide, and as my spine began to tingle, the half-elf finally went limp in my arms.
When I pulled away, her eyes were wide in the moonlight.
“What was that for?” she asked with a wonky smile.
She really was so beautiful, and I tried to return the grin as my gut clenched. “Nothing,” I said with a small shrug. “I just love you, that’s all.”
The same worried crinkle came to her brows, but I took up her hand and turned to walk back toward the house so she couldn’t read my expression.
We were silent for a minute before the half-elf spoke. “You went to House Natyr, didn’t you?” she asked.
I nodded silently.
“What happened?” she inquired.
“They want me to assassinate some guy,” I responded vaguely. “I turned them down.” Then I cleared my throat before I continued. “Oh, and they know about the revolver.”
“I thought you said you didn’t want to show all of our cards?” the half-elf asked.
“Yeah, I changed my mind about that,” I said through gritted teeth. “You can light all of the fuckers on fire if you want.”
“But--” she began before she suddenly grabbed my arm.
We stopped, and I turned to see the half-elf’s eyes dart around the dark jungle as she listened carefully.
Then she said, “There’s someone in the trees.”
Chapter 9
Blue flames sparked from Aurora’s fingertips the moment I cocked the hammer of my revolver.
“Mason Flynt,” came a voice through the trees, just before someone stepped out of the shadows and into a small patch of moonlight.
Rhys held his hands in plain sight to show he wasn’t armed, but I didn’t lower the gun. We all stood in silence for a long moment as the braided elf eyed Aurora’s flames. Then he looked at me and nodded his head in greeting.
“Mason Flynt,” he began again. “I come to--”
“How did you know where to find me?” I cut him off.
Rhys took a minute to respond. “I understand your unrest,” he finally said, “but please hear me. I have been sent by House Fehryn to offer you our council regarding the errand King Temin has assigned you. Travel seven leagues north of here and cross the River East when you come to Black Rock. You will find House Fehryn two leagues west of the bank.”
The blue flames still curled around Aurora’s fingers, and she turned to look at me as I considered the elf’s words.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I told Rhys icily.
This time, the elf didn’t hesitate. “Onym followed you from the hall, and I knew he would say anything to lure you to House Natyr,” he said plainly. “But I would advise against putting your trust in House Natyr. They will betray it, regardless of your actions.”
“And House Fehryn?” I countered.
Rhys smirked. “We do not betray those who do not betray us,” was all he said.
Aurora snorted to the words, and I was just about as convinced as she was.
“You are free to distrust us,” the braided elf replied. “In fact, I advise you to distrust every elf. You are human, and the presence of your half-elf endangers you beyond measure in these lands. You will be hunted here. Nothing I nor my House can offer you will change that, but we can help you in your errand.”
I considered Rhys’ frankness. I knew I would need at least six Houses to force a deliberation amongst the Council, and with the second elf in a day’s time stepping up to seek a meeting with me, a plan finally began to form.
“I will come under one condition,” I told the braided elf.
Rhys didn’t respond, so I went on..
“Tell me where I can make camp safely in Nalnora,” I demanded.
Rhys nodded. “You will be safe within half a league of Rhoemir,” he informed me.
I recalled the armistice of Rhoemir as I cocked a brow. “You expect me to believe the elves adhere to that?”
An amused smirk came to the green-haired elf’s face. “You are not an idiot,” he admitted. “Come to House Fehryn, and if you do not betray us, we will tell you where you can make camp. That is my final offer.”
Rhys turned and swiftly disappeared into the ferns, and Aurora let out an irritated sigh at my side.
“Let me guess,” she said as she extinguished her flames. “We’re heading north?”
I took the half-elf’s hand and quickly headed in the direction of the little house. “We can’t stay here,” I told her. “I killed one of Natyr’s elves, and they’re already looking for you in the forests.”
I could feel Aurora’s eyes snap to my face as we wound through the ferns, but I didn’t look over. I didn’t know if House Fehryn was a better bet, but if we stayed where we were, there was a good chance Onym would cut our throats before morning. I had no doubt they’d put a target on my back the second I left that hall.
When we arrived at the pond, Cayla and Shoshanne were still asleep, and I sent Aurora to wake them up while I uncovered Bobbie. Within five minutes, the house crafted for the night was nothing but an embankment, and the four of us were headed north with the half-elf’s flames to light our way. It was slow work to travel the jungle at night, and more than a dozen eyes flashed through the trees as we made our way toward Black Rock. They perched in the lower limbs and crouched beneath bushes, but they didn’t flee when we passed, and I wondered if any of them tracked us on our route.
Once we reached the banks of the river, we decided to cross before we could have a run in with the grove of Raxis, and I was honestly a little stoked to do it in the dark this time. The crazy wave that rolled over us had looked awesome in the daylight, but with the Ignis Mage’s flames beneath it, the spray back shone like dozens of silver stars flying by.
The terrain opened up a little along the banks of the river, so we travelled more quickly. Aurora sent her orb out above the surface of the water, and its light illuminated the trees on either side for several feet as the glassy river flowed beneath it. We nearly flew right past Black Rock, but the half-elf’s sharp eyes caught the looming shadow across the river and alerted me just in time. I circled back a ways and brought Bobbie to a stop beside the river.
As the orb of flames drifted to the opposite bank, it illuminated a rock that rose up even taller than the embankment I climbed and looked like it was covered with thick patches of black lichen. We decided to travel northward a mile and make camp there so we could try to rest.
I created another simple dome for us to sleep in, but I couldn’t rest. My nerves were on high alert after the night I’d had, and every snap of a twig reminded me how exposed we were in these lands. Rhys had tracked us without Aurora hearing him, Onym had caught me with a glaive at my back, and I’d woken up with three sphinxes ready to eat all of us.
Too much had already slipped, but I wouldn’t let it happen again. My mind raced through the things I needed to address, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep, so I moved to get up.
Cayla was up like a shot the moment I shifted in our bed.
I chuckled at the sharp blue eyes that narrowed at me in the moonlight. “I’m not going anywhere,” I told her as I brushed her cheek. “I just want to make something real quick.”
“Make it in here,” Cayla whispered, and I didn’t miss the tension in her voice, so I gave her my word before I opened the rock and stepped out into the jungle. Then I uncovered Bobbie, dug a few chunks of gold out of the sidecar, and returned to the dome.
Cayla’s face relaxed into a soft smile as I closed the rock behind me, and I laid a kiss on her cheek. “Go to sleep,” I chuckled. “Stan and I are gonna hang out over there.”
I scooped up Stan from the princess’ mossy pillow, and we made our way to a patch of moonlight on the other side of the bed. Then I set the little metal man on the ground in front of me and placed three chunks of gold between us.
Stan climbed to the top of a lump of gold and turned his head up toward me.
I put my finger to my lips and sent the little man a wink. “It’s a surprise,” I muttered under my breath.
Stan gave a conspiratorial nod and leaned forward to watch me work.
I took a deep breath as my magic sparked to the surface of my palms, and a feeling of relief came over me as I felt the lump of gold fuse with it. It rose up in front of me, and a grin spread across my face.
There really was a disgusting shortage of metal in these lands.
I took a few minutes to mold the gold like putty between my palms just to get back in the swing of things before I split a piece off and flattened it into a four-inch disc. Then I carved out six points and a small hole in the center so the disk looked like a small golden sun.
I couldn’t help but think back to the look on my adoptive mother’s face when she walked into my room and saw the computer screen. Some guys got scolded for porn, but thirteen-year-old me got a hell of a tongue lashing for studying ancient Japanese weaponry. Now, I kind of wished I could go back and tell her it actually was useful knowledge, thanks.
I held it up to the moonlight and watched closely as I focused on the edges of each point. Slowly, they beveled out and sharpened like a razor’s edge, and I grinned at the glint of the metal, but it needed just a small touch more. With a last tweak, the tips of each point curved gently, and a deadly notch formed midway down each spike.
Once I’d finished the first piece, I held it out to Stan, who leaned close to study the glinting golden edges. Then he turned to peer around me toward the women who lay sleeping on the moss bed, and I sent him a nod.
Stan threw his arms up in a huff, and I chuckled.
“Yeah, I know,” I agreed. “It is about time.”
When the sun rose, I had forty identical pieces stacked neatly in four piles with the little metal man propped and dozing on one of them. The poor guy hadn’t made it past the first twenty, but I was still wide awake when I’d finished, so I moved on to a carrying case.
My intimate knowledge of the Aer Mage’s thighs made it easy to form the metal into a subtle curve that would rest comfortably against her skin. I kept the gold as thin and sleek as possible, and then I added a slender latch so only a flick of her finger would be needed to lift the hinge.
By the time the women began to wake up, I was too psyched to wait another minute, and I crawled to the moss bed to nudge Shoshanne.
“Hey,” I muttered, “I made you something.”
The warm brown eyes fluttered open, and a smile curled on her lips. “Is it deadly?” she asked sleepily, and a giant grin spread across my face.
“Of course,” I replied. “Let’s go try it out.”
I lowered the walls of the dome, and Aurora let out some sort of grumpy string of words as she buried her face in her arms. Then I helped Shoshanne up.
The early sunlight streamed sideways through the trees and glittered on thousands of tiny dewdrops that clung to the vines and ferns around us. The air was already heavy with heat, but the dampness of it was refreshing after a night of focused tinkering.
