Chapter 37:
The wine was something she wasn't actually supposed to have. She was approaching sixteen, but she was a long way from eighteen. Her mother, if she was here, would have sent her to the dungeon for a few days just for having a sip. Right now, with her brother missing, her father doing his best to keep the kingdom from spiraling out of control, and gangsters running wild in the streets, Shoko was in a state of turmoil. She needed the wine to calm her nerves as she tried to figure out what to do.
Reasoning that the palace wasn't a safe place anymore if they could snatch her mom and replace her with a duplicate, the young princess had decamped to the observatory across town. The Royal Observatory, with its massive concrete-and-candy-steel walls was defensible. The laboratories and other facilities gave her access to the surveillance system that her mother had used to keep tabs on goings on around the city. Now she needed a plan of action.
Maybe it was her father's influence. Maybe it was in her DNA. The tall candy-person couldn't just sit here. She had to do something. Question was, what was she going to do? She was young, and she was a little naive. She knew that. Those were her deficits. She didn't have the depth of knowledge or experience her father had, and she hadn't yet learned the lessons in statecraft her mother had learned. She was intelligent, though. She knew most everything there was to know about how the kingdom itself ran. She knew where the food came from. She knew where the waste was dumped. She knew who took care of the roads, and she knew who swept the streets. What she was struggling with, just now, was how to exploit that knowledge to exert power over her enemies.
A knocking at the window startled the young woman. Frowning, the tall princess stared at the window in fear a moment. But then, she could hardly be sure she had heard that noise. Sipping at hot, spiced wine, the young woman continued her pacing, going back and forth in front of the fire. This place was a little creepy, and she had a constant fear she was being watched. She'd covered all the cameras and disabled the wires for good measure, but she still had that feeling.
The knocking came again, louder this time, and Shoko couldn't ignore it. The tall candy person found herself staring in fear at the window. Besides the chimney and door, it was the only opening in the room. It was an obvious vector for an attack. So did she dare go and look? Do I have a choice, thought Shoko. Just because she didn't go to the window didn't mean they couldn't get her. With a sigh, the tall girl put down her glass and headed over to the one window she had.
She saw nothing at first. Then a hand appeared, pointing up at the latch. With trembling fingers, Shoko unfastened the latch and stood back, adopting a karate-stance just in case. She didn't have as much occasion to practice it as her oldest brother and sisters, but she thought she could hold her own. Almost as if summoned by the thought, Star stepped over the window-sill and into her room wearing a large wooden box strapped to her back. "Took you long enough," muttered the wood-nymph. Shoko stared at her. She was wearing an all-black outfit, rather like a ninja. At her belt hung a badge, lacquered in black.
"Y-you were deputized," stammered the blonde. "Yup," muttered Star, as she shut the window. Moving to the table, she set down the box she'd been carrying. "Are you my bodyguard," asked the royal? "Nope," puffed Star. She was breathless. "Why are you out of breath," asked the royal? "Climbing walls and holding on by my fingernails isn't exactly easy," muttered the wizard, "and this box ain't exactly light." She sounded irritated, and Shoko quickly offered apologies. "I-I didn't expect you," said the princess. The older girl said, "dad's not exactly happy about you moving out here by yourself." "It's safer than being in the palace," replied Shoko. "It suggests you know something," retorted Star. "You were safer when they thought you were an obliviot." Shoko flushed. That wasn't really her way.
Moving on, Star pointed to the box and said, "there's your bodyguard. Open it when I've been gone ten minutes." Without another word, she moved back to the window. Opening it, she stepped up and over the sill, falling forward. Shoko rushed to the window in terror that her sister had fallen. When she looked down into the darkness, Star was gone. Sealing the window, Shoko immediately went back to the box, and popped the lid open. To her surprise, it was filled with nothing but fine-grain sand. That didn't make sense at all. Was this some kind of joke? Star had played pranks on her before–good ones–but this didn't seem like the time.
"Please step back and close your eyes," announced a voice. Shoko's head whipped this way and that in fear. "Trust me," said the voice. "Just step back." Shoko stepped back. To her shock, the sand began to flow out of the box, wafting through the air. At the same time, a blast of ferocious heat from her fireplace announced that something was happening. The young princess closed her eyes in fear. When she opened them again, she was staring at a dapper young fellow, who now stood before her fireplace. Tall and handsome, he had a face to stun, and that was all the more true because of his vibrant orange skin.
Her visitor was an elemental.
Striding towards her, he said, "I'm Randy. The King of the Flame Kingdom sent me. I'm going to be your bodyguard." Shoko stared at him. She knew Phoebe. Phoebe the Flame King had held her when she was a baby. She'd played at the Flame King's feet, and even gone along when her mother visited the Fire Kingdom. She'd never met an elemental as handsome as this one though. Moving around the room, the young man took a good long look at the walls and ceiling. "Flammable," said he. There was a whole lot that could burn here. It wasn't exactly safe.
"I-I...," stammered Shoko. "Why would an elemental say that?" He gave her a frown of puzzlement. "Y-your folk love to burn things..." Nodding in acknowledgment of that, he reminded her, "but you're not an elemental..." Shoko blushed. As he studied the room, she studied him. That was how she realized that he was wearing some kind of uniform. "A-are you a soldier," she asked? "Yeah," said he. "We should get you out of here. Do you have a conveyance?" "I... no... I don't have my license," she replied. It was one of the great ironies of her life that her mom considered her old enough to run the Candy Kingdom's Social-Welfare Dept, but too young to drive. She knew it was about the appearance of obeying the law, but it still annoyed her. "Hmm," said he. "Taking you out of here on a fire-wolf would attract attention. I could fly you out, but someone might see..." "I can't leave," retorted the tall princess!
Randy gave her a look that suggested she was crazy. Calmly, he said, "this place isn't safe for you. Your father can't defend you openly. The minute it looks as though he's protecting you, this gangster-woman will start killing your entire family." Stubbornly, Shoko said, "if I leave, she may do that anyway. I've made my bed. I've got to make this work."
The tall princess began to pace. Skirts swishing with every step, she paced up and back under the elemental's watchful eyes. "I need to go on the offensive, Randy," said she. Randy frowned at her. "My dad's overwhelmed," said the princess. "He's so busy protecting everybody, he can't hit back. We'll never get rid of this bitch at this rate. My dad need's me to pull my weight. Like Star..." Folding his arms up in front of him, Randy said, "you don't have an army. Right now you can't even protect yourself..." In sweet tones, she said, "I have you." That made him flush.
Glancing away, Randy told her, "if I leave you, you'd be defenseless..." Shoko walked up to him and said, "but you can travel through fires..." Randy calmly reminded her, "this woman knows your father's allies. If I was seen even once, it would be disastrous. Besides, it would be pretty obvious if I started killing them." Shoko put on a wheedling smile, applying all her feminine wiles. She tried to run a finger up his chest and jerked it back when she very nearly burned herself. As the young princess rushed to the sink in the corner, Randy rolled his eyes. If he lived to be a hundred, he'd never understand girls.
Following the young woman over to the sink, he lay a fire-shield spell on her before taking her hand in his. "It does not appear serious," said he. "Keep applying water." Glaring at him, Shoko asked, "what are you going to do?" Stepping back, the elemental said, "this is a laboratory, is it not? There should be safety and healing equipment here." As Shoko watched, he scrounged around and located a pair of fire-resistant mittens which he turned inside out. With the mittens on, he located the labs first-aid kit, then came back and packed the injured finger in burn-salve and gauze.
Shoko was astonished. "H-how did you learn that," she asked? With a shrug, the young soldier admitted, "my cousin is King of the Fire-Kingdom, but she spent a year on her own in your land. She learned things..." She'd had to with a boyfriend like Finn the Human. More to the point, Phoebe had awakened curiosity among her people. A lot of young elementals hungered to see the outside world. It was why he volunteered to come here. Moving on, he said, "don't think of doing anything rash, princess." "Like this," asked Shoko, as she threw her arms around his neck. "Thank-you for helping me." Randy blushed but said nothing. Stepping back, Shoko said, "I need to think." She went back to her chair, sat down, and started looking at all her assets once more, this time adding Star and Randy to the list.
The young princess was at it for several hours that night before finally packing it in. Crawling into her nightgown, the Shoko got out the cot she'd brought and laid herself down. Randy, who had turned his back while she changed, watched her as she slowly drifted off. Then the handsome prince walked into the fire and lay himself down to rest. As he drifted off, he found himself finally understanding his cousin. Shoko was kind of cute for a bag full of water.
Morning found Finn staring at the ceiling feeling the sting of regret. He'd crossed another line. He'd gone full bore with Cherry, and it felt like Emeraude all over again. He liked it. There was no amount of lieing that would change that. He liked getting it on with this beautiful woman. He enjoyed the sex. He enjoyed the mystery. But she's still going to whack you, he thought. Even if she wasn't, how could he live with what she had done to his family–was still doing to his family?
Cherry stirred in his arms. Yawning and stretching, she sat up. Turning to face him, she said, "I have to take another trip. Will you join me?" "When," he asked? With a sigh, she replied, "end of the week." Reaching out, he cupped her chin in his hand. He could feel her tense. Somehow this did matter to her. "Ok," said he. Relieved, Cherry leaned over and kissed him. They both had work, and the sexpot got up and hit the shower. When she got out, Finn took her place. He came out to find her slipping into yet another of her endless array of sexy outfits, and he almost couldn't help watching. It was all fascinating. The little rituals around getting the stockings on straight. Hitching them up to attach the garters. Fitting her bra around her body before slipping her boobies into the cups. It was fascinating and arousing, and if he didn't get busy, they would be late for work. Shaking himself, he quickly got into his own clothes. As the two headed for the door, she casually informed him, "there're some small time hoods knocking in the doors of elderly people on the East Side..." "What," asked Finn? "They not pay their tax?"
Cherry turned to face him, and he half expected hot words. Chuckling, she straightened his tie and said, "everyone has limits, Finn. We all have those things we can't accept. For you it's kids. Probably because you were an orphan, and you know what happens to kids with no family. Mine is the elderly. I buried my parents six years back. I know how the young take advantage... Do what you do, honey. Take out the trash..." "Ok," said he. Standing on her toes, Cherry kissed him. Then they separated. She got in that limo, and Finn watched her drive off.
When the Boss of Bosses was gone, the Captain of the Guard went up the street to his truck, climbed inside, and drew out his phone to check his messages. Star had done what he'd asked, helping Phoebe's cousin get into Shoko's new digs. He'd been very worried about his youngest child. Shoko had been all on her own. She was a target just as much as Bonnie was. Finn was under no illusions that his evil girlfriend meant to murder Bonnie's whole family. This was revenge, and everything was on the table when vengeance was in your heart. Finn had done his best to tip-toe around and avoid being seen near the young princess, hoping that Cherry would leave her alone for a while. Now the problem was solved. Shoko was safest of all his kids.
Finn fired up the truck, pulled into the street, and headed off to work. As he drove, his mind went in circles. Things were pulling further and further apart. Cherry was pulling him closer, which made it very hard to do anything that was against her interests. He had Star working for him now, but Star's authority was rather limited. She didn't have the power to just lay hands on anybody in the Candy Kingdom. Not even Finn had that right. That was something only Bonnie had, and Bonnie was missing. They couldn't just messily kill everybody in Cherry's gang. That would attract all kinds of attention that they didn't need, and it would eventually occur to his evil girlfriend that her boy-toy was pulling the strings. On top of that, he had to be aware of what came after this was all done. If he broke the Candy Kingdom's laws, he was just as bad as Cherry was.
It was as he was making the last turn to go to Banana Guard HQ that Finn saw what he had missed. Ironically, it was seeing his lieutenant, Spike, going into headquarters that made him see it. Bubba and Shoko were Bonnie's deputies. They'd been raised almost since they were born to be Bonnie's understudies. If things went south and something happened to Bonnie, they were supposed to take charge of the Kingdom. It was written into law by Royal Decree and witnessed by half a dozen princesses.
Finn pulled into the garage under the HQ, parking in his spot at the far end near the entrance. Instead of going inside, he took out his secret phone and began typing a message. He wasn't going to be in town. He was going to be wherever it was that Cherry was going. It was time for Star to get her hands dirty, and it was time for Shoko to grow up a little sooner than she'd expected.