The phone was ringing.
Zack groaned, and for a moment wrapped his pillow about his head to try to block out the noise. But it only seemed to get louder, and after a moment, he released the pillow and struggled to get out of bed to find the nearest receiver and shout at whomever had deigned to interrupt his sleep.
Not to mention the sleep of my guest! he groused. In his search he stubbed his toe against some unseen object, causing him to grunt and curse under his breath. He dug underneath a stack of papers for a moment before finally wrapping his fingers about the cordless.
He clicked the Talk button and put the phone to his ear, doing nothing to restrain his irritation. "Whoever you are, surely this can wait until morning, can't it?"
"Sorry, Zack, but I'm not so sure it can."
At that, he calmed slightly. "Monica?"
"No, Zack, it's the Tooth Fairy. I wanted to make sure your bowling ball head was off your pillow so I could actually lift it, take my prize, and leave a gold dollar."
"Sarcasm is a disturbing thing coming from you at... what the hell time is it, anyway?" He hit the glow button on his watch.
As his eyes acclimated to the sudden burst of light, Monica said, "Over here it's past two, so it should be a little bit after midnight there."
"Yeah, s'what it looks like. I'd ask why you're up so late but I get the feeling you'll come to that soon enough. What's so important?"
"Chubs just called me. He said he was sorry about losing his temper, and sort of got into how he knows I'm hiding... well, everything."
"Sorry to say but you're not that good at hiding things, Monica. Is that what you needed to know?"
"Hardly," she scoffed. "But seriously, I'm sitting here thinking he really needs to know the truth about what happened."
"Haven't we already had this conversation?"
"Yeah, but it's getting harder for me not to spill the beans. He's my friend. He's yours, too. Jade and I told you what happened and you were open-minded enough to listen... and you didn't even encounter any of the magicians. Chubs was in the thick of them."
"I don't have any particular emotional stake involved in the whole sordid tale. In his head, he's diminished the shield's value to nothing more than a trinket and he's diminished Kyle to a backstabber."
"All the more reason to tell him sooner rather than later. The longer we allow that to set itself in his head, the harder it'll be to turn him around."
"Yet he called you tonight to apologize for taking out his anger on you. He's figuring out that you're not to blame."
"That doesn't change the fact he's still blaming the wrong person for what happened."
"Well, things are still messed up in his head. And for the first time, sounds like he knows that. And if he knows it, he can work on it. Did he ask you to tell him what's really going on?"
"Zack?"
He turned and squinted across the darkness of his living room and kitchen. Jade was standing in the hallway with a blanket wrapped around her, looking bleary-eyed and more than a little annoyed. "Didn't business hours conclude before I got here? You're the manager, not 24/7 Mr. Fix-It."
Zack put his hand over the mike. "It's Monica. She doesn't want to keep hiding all the weirdness from Chubs. Care to offer up your opinion?"
"Zack? Who're you talking to?"
He sighed and spoke into the phone. "Just a second." He looked back up at Jade.
Except she wasn't there anymore.
He rolled his eyes. I really hate it when she does that. "Never mind." He rubbed his eyes. "Look... I guess when it comes down to it, you and I just aren't going to agree on this matter. Bottom line, I'm not going to talk to him about it. I'm not the one who should. Besides, as far as he knows, I still don't know any more than he does."
"That's not fair, Zack."
"Welcome to real life. But whether you talk to him about it or not, could you at least sleep on it? And let us sleep, too?"
"'Us'? Something I should know about?"
Zack clenched his eyes shut. Dammit. Here I am talking about discretion and I couldn't keep a handle on that. "We all have our little secrets, Mo. I'll let you know when I want to share mine. But for now... is there anything else?"
"Well... Valerie got invited to that closed tournament in New York. You might want to know to expect a flurry of ordering. Chubs might even have some interest in it, too. He said she's starting to motivate him the right way."
Zack raised an eyebrow. "And here I thought Valerie was still making her way through the amateur circuits."
"So did I. Guess she got up the ranks a lot faster than we thought she would. But if she got invited, I wonder if he did, too. He didn't say anything."
"Well, give him time on that. Just because he might be willing to hold a card again doesn't necessarily mean he's willing to play it."
"I know, I know. But he's getting close and I'd hate for him to miss out if he's been invited."
"So would I. Just take care in how you encourage him or else he'll get turned off it a lot faster than it took for him to come back to it."
He winced at a burst of static across the line, the electronic interpretation of Monica heaving a sigh – and that was a sure sign he was saying everything she didn't want to hear. "Okay. Sorry for waking you."
"No big deal."
"Liar. Talk to you later."
"Yeah." Zack deactivated the phone, then slumped back on his mattress and stared at the ceiling for a long moment.
"I'd rather you not make it public knowledge I'm here, if it's all the same to you."
He closed his eyes and rolled them behind his eyelids. "Letting slip that somebody besides me is here to one of my best friends hardly makes it public knowledge. I thought I saved it nicely."
"You were awfully grumpy and you practically told her there was a member of the opposite sex here. I don't call that particularly graceful."
"There's no way for her to know you were that member."
"I see. And how many other girls have spent the night here?"
"Until tonight, you were among that unanimous population."
Jade almost guffawed. "Now that was graceful."
"Like your exit just then." Zack rolled onto his side and opened his eyes; she was again standing in the hall entrance, wrapping her blanket a little more tightly around her. "If you didn't want to give an opinion you could've just said no and that would've been the end of it."
"I don't have any say in the matter one way or the other. You two are like a couple of parents arguing in front of their kids."
"Monica thinks Chubs deserves to know why what happened to him happened at all. I'm in line with that, I just don't think she should be telling him."
She tilted her head to one side. "You don't need to repeat the conversation to me. You made it clear what you think and she made it clear what she thinks. But did either of you ever stop to wonder why Kyle kept it all secret?"
At that, Zack had to hesitate. "I... assumed it was because we'd all have thought he was out of his mind."
She moved into the living room; a ray of moonlight spearing through the kitchen window caught her face and he could see her furrowed brow. "It's more than that, Zack. That shield gives him abilities I can't even begin to grasp and it's being pursued by evil sorcerers who want him dead. Beyond them, how many other people out there would love to get their hands on an artifact like that? You can't tell me you wouldn't want one."
"If I knew the baggage that came with it, I might not," he said, but he felt himself falter even with that defense.
"Nice try. But Kyle gets to run around and play hero because he has something we don't. How many times have you caught yourself fantasizing that critical moment where, in the right place, at the right time, with the right tools, you saved lives and beat the bad guys?"
Zack harrumphed. "We've all done that, but I'd like to know what your point is."
"Knowing what we know saddles us with the burden of trying to keep his secret."
He frowned. "I don't have any illusions that it's a big secret to keep. But what makes you think we'd blow something this important?"
Jade looked pointedly at him. "You're sitting here having a horrible time trying to hide from Monica that you have a female houseguest. You're also doing only a mediocre job of trying to hide your attraction to that houseguest."
Zack felt blood rushing to his ears. Just ignore her even having said that... "Just because I'm not terribly practiced in social interaction does not mean I can't hold my tongue when it comes to Kyle, the shield, Theoris, and what have you. Who would believe any of us anyway?"
"More people than you might think. Zack, ever since we met, you've demonstrated a certain smug satisfaction at being in the know. I'm well-qualified to judge – I do the same thing when I know what most others don't. And people like us tend to flaunt our possession of that knowledge, if not the information itself. In that regard, we are absolutely the most dangerous friends Kyle has."
He narrowed his eyes. "If that's what you think, why did you and Monica decide to tell me everything?"
"I can't speak for Monica. For my part? Chalk it up to temporary insanity, if it'll help you get back to sleep tonight. Speaking of which, that's where I'd like to be right about now." She turned and headed back into the hallway.
Zack scowled into the darkness – and his mouth was open before his brain could censor it. "The least you could do is turn me down."
She halted in the entryway. A long moment passed... and when she spoke again, her voice was much softer.
"I don't want to."
He blinked in astonishment.
And she was gone again.
–
The Next Day
–
Chubs was decidedly thankful he'd had the foresight to grab a coat and hat before leaving the house. He was feeling chilled even beneath those items; winter was most definitely on its way. His hands were stuffed deeply in his pockets. His right hand fingered a wad of bills – he'd dropped by the bank earlier to cash in his coin jar and was quite happily rewarded with far more than he'd expected. More quarters and fewer pennies will do that, I guess...
"How much further?"
He turned and blinked. "You're from New Hampshire. You're not accustomed to this kind of cold?"
Valerie whined. "New Hampshire's not part of the Arctic Circle, Cody. I hate blistering winds. Why couldn't we have just taken your car?"
"I need the exercise. But if you prefer, we can turn around and go back home."
She scoffed. "Let me guess – we're more than halfway there?"
"Does it matter? This is an errand you wanted to go on. If you can't take a little brisk weather while on the way to buy things..."
"You're a butt."
"Well, thank you." He turned a corner and took her across the street. A block away the sign could be seen: ABCD – All Boards, Cards, and Dice. When Chubs gestured at it, Valerie scoffed.
"That's about the cheesiest sign I've ever seen. And I've seen some doozies."
"Don't let that fool you," Chubs advised. "He only does part-time here, usually when the manager's not in. Today is one of those days, which means he'll be in here and he'll have his stash available for inspection."
"Who?"
Chubs adopted a half-smile. "You know how I always said 'I've got a guy'? This is him."
When the door's bell sounded, Zack looked up from the counter and blinked. "Well, well... the prodigal son returns."
"Maybe not quite yet," Chubs advised, and he stood aside to let Valerie in. "But he's got another up-and-coming trainee for you. She's got a lot of promise, too."
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Valerie remarked.
"On the contrary, it gets me a lot of places I might not otherwise be," said Zack. He smiled. "I'm Zack Sawyer."
"Valerie Garron." She tilted her head. "I've heard your name before."
"Not surprised. It tends to get spoken by those who have cards they love." He chuckled. "Speaking of which, I'm assuming that's why you're in here. I'd heard you were on your way up the ranks but I didn't realize how quickly."
"Not quickly enough," she sighed. "The tier system is going to reset in less than two months. Come January I'm back down at the bottom again."
"So's everyone else." Zack shrugged. "Doesn't mean you can't show everyone what you're made of now. Give 'em something to look forward to when the new year arrives."
"Well, for that, I need some souping up for my deck. Cody tells me you're his guy."
"Yeah, well, don't tell anyone about the engagement, or everyone's going to want ringside seats for the wedding."
"Very funny," Chubs scorned. "Let's see the stash."
He expected some good-natured ribbing; what he didn't expect was the strange look that crossed Zack's face. "Careful with who you tell about that... I don't want just anyone to come in here hunting for them."
Chubs frowned. "Valerie's hardly 'just anyone', Zack. You're the one I trust to show me the best available stock. I think she's worth trusting to keep it all on the lowdown."
"I hope so. It may not be my primary source of income but I do like working here." Zack looked at Valerie; his expression did not change. "How about you? Can you keep this secret?"
"Um, yes?" she said, starting to feel strange about being here.
"Hey, c'mon, Zack," Chubs interjected. "It's already been established. Where's all this coming from?"
The other man hesitated a moment – looked as if there was something he wanted to say – but then he shook his head. "It's nothing. Sorry, didn't mean to weird you out." He turned back to Valerie and smiled again... notably, the expression was only half-hearted. "Your first impression of me must not be all that great. Let's see what I can offer you to make up for it."
He turned and withdrew his binders.
–
The doctor approached the nurse's station. "How's the mystery patient?"
"No change." A pair of nurses seated behind the round desk were busying themselves with other paperwork; it was the elder of them that answered. "Did you expect any differently? Hasn't been responding to any stimuli. It's rather a miracle his organs were functioning at all when he was brought in."
"About dry as a bone," supplemented the younger nurse, whose eye seemed to be caught on something.
The doctor arched an eyebrow at that. "I trust everyone's been making sure his bones are sufficiently moist?"
"Hm?" Her attention was clearly on something on the desk.
He frowned. "Might I ask exactly what I'm distracting you from?"
"Oh." She flushed slightly. "I'm sorry. He was wearing this when he was brought in." She held up the object in question.
He took it, turned it over in his hand, and narrowed his eyes at it. "Odd... I could swear I've seen this somewhere before." He glanced back at the nurse, his eyebrow again raised. "If he was wearing it then, why isn't it with his personal effects now? It's not polite to sit around dazzling at trinkets belonging to others... particularly without their permission."
"Sorry, Doctor," she mumbled. "I'll put it with his effects."
"Please do. And let me know if his condition changes... the others put together a pool going on when he'll wake up."
The nurse stood, her head slightly down, and she shuffled up the hallway, silently chastising herself for letting the necklace distract her. Certainly there were more important things to worry about, but there was something about the way the light caught it... even in shadow, it glimmered.
She entered the room. The quiet hums and beeping of the machinery within was almost harmonious. She'd grown to enjoy it – and indeed, it was much better than the alternative, complete lack of noise while a patient lay within one of their beds.
Speaking of which... She approached the bedside and looked down at the sleeping man's face. His hair was long, stringy, and unruly – he'd clearly not showered in some time. He also had a fair degree of scruff covering the lower half of his face. What skin was exposed was terribly sunburned. When he'd been brought in, he'd been about as close to death as she'd ever seen anyone suffering that degree of dehydration. His symptoms all were conclusive of having spent far too much time in the desert and not nearly enough near a source of water.
But he'd been found in a shaded fruit kiosk. And it was during shopping hours, so dozens of witnesses would have seen him collapse there, yet it was only the proprietor of the stand who noticed this man who, he claimed, was literally not there one moment and there the next. No identification, no money... no shirt, no shoes. Only a pair of badly torn pants and some strange jewelry. Clearly not a native, but until he awoke, he wouldn't be answering many questions in that department, and he didn't match any regional or even continental missing persons reports.
She pursed her lips and slipped the necklace into the bag perched on the nameless patient's bedside table. If she were religious, she might have said a prayer for him.
There was no doubt in her mind that he could use one.
She stepped back out of the room, and returned to the desk.
–
The doctor restrained a smile. That's right. Just leave it there for me...
He saw her leave the room; she left the door open. Again he held back his elation at his luck. It'll only be a moment now...
He stepped swiftly through the door. Admonishing her about playing with "personal effects" had given her exactly the idea for redemption he'd intended to plant – to put it in the bag. Psychology wasn't precisely his field, but it didn't hurt to know that proper keywords would trigger desired responses.
He pulled the top of the bag open, reached in, and removed the shield-shaped pendant.
The Millennium Shield. He smirked. Got you.