I groaned upon waking, feeling the glorious thumping in my head that I'd grown sadly accustomed to. A voice, which was just as annoying as the severe head pain, sounded from the front of the vehicle, which I was slowly realizing was a van. By this point, I was getting rather suspicious.
"How the fuck is he waking up again? Is he like fucking superman or something? Christ." Oh, come on. Pug nose. Hell's Bells, my life sucks. I pulled the same fire trick as before and got the ropes off before I even sat up. I pushed the achy tiredness back to some distant corner of my brain, because I just wouldn't be me if I wasn't capable of being a dick to someone who kidnaps me. Fucking twice, the bastards. I toodled my fingers at the assholes again, because being annoying makes me feel better when I'm annoyed myself.
"We've simply got to stop meeting like this, guys. What is it this time? Did you find out I stole your wallet or something? Still, I'm disappointed. You didn't take my advice about the Boy Scouts." The really funny part was that pug nose actually started patting at his pockets, as if being certain his wallet was still where it was supposed to be. I snorted and rolled my eyes. "I'm kidding, dumbass. I still want to know why in the world I'm here, though." Pug nose sneered, or at least I think I did. All of his expressions are pretty much the same, to tell the truth, and none of them fix that face thing that's going on with him.
"We found out you got outta that auction we put you in before, figured we could get paid twice for a good looking thing like you." I snorted, because damn, those fuckers were lucky to get money for me the first time. It happening again was a near impossibility, especially since I wasn't all dressed up today. "I gotta wonder how you know the Gentleman, though, honey. You his or something?" I glared. I didn't belong to anyone, and I never would. Especially not someone like John.
"No. He didn't come there for me." The driver laughed lowly, the sound thrumming out threadbare from somewhere in his chest. I guessed he didn't laugh often.
"That's why he never took his eyes off you from the moment he came in, right? He might not have come for you, but that's damn well why he stayed. Maybe I'll give him a call, let him buy you. Sure as hell make it easier on him, since you apparently ain't putting out." I snarled. No one talks to me like that. I don't take shit like that, not anymore, not for years and years and years. Not since a whole different time, not since I made memories that no longer felt like mine. The magic was sparking in my hand before I could even recognize it.
"Hexus," I hissed angrily, and sent the magic willfully towards the van's dashboard. It sputtered pathetically for a few hundred feet, and then gave up and died. I kicked my way out of the back while the two men were still gasping in shock, and then I started to run. They were on me before I could even go a half mile down the road, pug nose's knees digging harshly into my back. I growled and bucked wildly, but the other guy kicked me in the temple and I went a little hazy.
"They said you could pull weird shit," pug nose said, pressing down harder, "They said so, but I didn't believe them. Thought they were just as fucking psychotic as you, but fuck, that's fucking weird, you little freak. Hey, asshole, gimme those cuffs they gave us for him." A pair of handcuffs I recognized intimately appeared on my wrists, and my thrashing came back tenfold as I attempted, instinctively, to summon my magic. Pain like nothing but fucking Thorn Manacles could replicate sparked from my wrists up my arms until I was immobilized. A soft whine fell from my lips, and pug nose laughed.
"Hell's Bells, fuck you. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you," I chanted, and his knee dug in even more harshly. His breath smelled awful when he leaned down towards my face, so I spat at him. The driver kicked me again, but it didn't really bother me much. I've had a hell of a lot worse done to me by things a hell of a lot scarier than those two guys. I supposed I should be worried that they apparently had contacts that both knew what I was and had access to Thorn Manacles, but sometimes, I get tired of worrying and fearing things I don't know. Nothing and no one had been able to hold me before, at least not for long. These assholes and whatever contact they'd come across wouldn't be the exception. Pug nose sounded pissed as he wiped my spit off his face, so I smirked, satisfied, at the ground.
"Little bitch," he said, "Like you're in any fucking position to be pulling that kind of shit. Shouldn't you be begging by now?" I opened my mouth and tasted dirt, but it didn't seem all that important at the time. I started attempting to work my thumb out of its socket, but it was being stubborn and protesting about it. See, it was a lot harder to use Lash's technique of blocking pain without her being there, but I could still manage it, when I was focused. I wasn't focused right then. I squirmed harder, and felt the bones shifting and pulling, but still they stayed where they were supposed to be. It hurt like hell, but I kept at it as I spoke.
"I don't beg, bastard, especially not to pathetic dumbasses like you." He smiled, and his teeth were yellowed and crooked, a little sharper than normal but not enough to concern me about any supernatural influences. His gums were inflamed; dark with blood and swollen enough I thought they might pop.
"Everybody'll beg to somebody, honey. You had to have done it before," he snickered, his hand suddenly burrowed in my hair, grabbing hard enough to tear some out. My thumb popped free, and I carefully worked one hand free. I started working at the other.
"As if," I growled, even though that was maybe something of a lie. I'd begged before. I didn't like thinking about it, but I'd done it, once, to Lea, but I was young and stupid then, so I held that as the excuse and left it alone in that dark corner where it belonged. His hand grabbed at my chin and squeezed the hinge of my jaw.
"The Gentleman picks 'em good, don't he, Dom?" pug nose said, and there was something ugly, dangerous in his voice, something purely mortal. The Fay, they could do cruel, they were good at it, but they never did it without some perceived slight, same with most other supernatural creatures. Being cruel just because they could, that was a mortal skill.
"Yeah, yeah. You know I ain't into men. You might wanna deal with his hand though, fucker. He got one out, and he's working on the other." Stones. Pug nose sneered at me, and twisted down to look at my hand, my thumb limp and aching. He picked the limb up and dropped it on the ground beside me. The other man took that as his cue to stomp on it harshly. I didn't scream, though. I didn't want to give them the pleasure of it. Instead I just bit down onto my lip until it bled. Pug nose snorted.
"Give it up, Dom. He ain't gonna scream. Probably takes someone real special to do that. Bet Johnny's got loads of tricks to pry those pretty lips open." He slapped me lightly, enough to sting but not to hurt. "Just go grab the tape outta the back, and the cuff keys." The other guy rolled his eyes and stomped off, boots pressing heavy indents into the soft soil. Pug nose held my other hand so I couldn't work it free, and the other man was back shortly. My thumb was popped back into socket, and then put back into the cuffs. Pug nose taped my hands into fists so I couldn't get free again. I tentatively tried to gather my magic again, only to feel thorns the size of railroad spikes dig into my wrists again. Pug nose finally got off of my back and hauled me to my feet again, before he dragged me back to the van and tossed me back into the back none too gently. I felt my ribs protest vainly as they struck metal floor. I had the vague thought that maybe I should've just stayed with John as they slammed the door shut behind me. About an hour later, two other guys I recognized from somewhere I couldn't place in another van, into which I was transferred after they tied my ankles together. Pug nose sat in the back with me, poking and prodding at my body curiously, even as I snapped and growled, threatening his fingers with my teeth as though I was any threat bound in the back of a van without my magic.
"You're not going to be able to hold me," I hissed, "You're sure as hell not going to be the one to take me down." His fingers moved to grab the hinge of my jaw again, tightening until my mouth was forced open.
"I don't wanna take you down, honey. You're too fucking valuable alive. They offered us so damn much, you know that? After they heard about how we caught you the first time. You're gonna make us rich, pal. Filthy fucking rich." I thought hard about the men who'd come to get them, and realized that I did recognize them; mobsters, but not John's men, Torelli's. I'd seen them in the news, once or twice, generally after they tried to lead a coup against John and got crushed ruthlessly. The two I'd seen were Torelli's right hands. What the hell would Torelli have to do with any of this anyway? Did these two assholes work for him?
"Torelli," I said, "You guys work for him, right?" Pug nose seemed a little shocked.
"Yeah. How the fuck you know that? Johnny been talking business with you? That's a bad play. You don't talk business with the ass," he said, sounding as condescending as he possibly could.
"No. I've seen those two who came to pick you up in the papers before. You know, after John kicks their asses. I think I get it now, though; Torelli's got a human trafficking gambit going, doesn't he? You guys were scoping Zero for new people, and picked me out, for some stupid ass reason. That's why John knew about the auction, huh? I'd be surprised if Torelli could step outside without John knowing about it. That doesn't explain why you're going after me again, though. Who hired you guys to come get me? Who gave you these cuffs?" Pug nose dug his fist in under my ribs sharply, until I gagged.
"You ain't in no place to be asking questions. You're Johnny's bitch, nothing else. I ain't gotta answer nothing you're asking." I bared my teeth at him.
"I'm no one's bitch," I said, managing to raise my chin defiantly, "And I don't belong to anyone but myself. John's got no hold over me, I don't owe him anything," I said, almost more to myself than him. It was sort of an interesting revelation to me, too. I'd been legitimately enjoying his company for however long, and I'd already admitted that he wasn't an ugly man. Hell, I'd enjoyed that kiss at the theatre as much as him, and probably would've let him go further, if Murph hadn't walked in. Huh. I realized suddenly that we'd pretty much been dating since then. Whatever, I'd deal with that later, when I wasn't still sort of upset at him for prying into things I didn't want pried into. "Stars, I am not property, and I'm never going to be property, and so, go fuck yourself." I gave him a sweet smile to punctuate my words. He actually laughed.
"You got bigger balls than I figured, baby. Wanna take a break from Johnny boy and play with me?" His thumb traced my lips, and I actually managed to bite him. He slapped me again, and grabbed my ass, presumably just because he could. "I'd do a hell of a lot worse, but I might break you, and then I won't get paid."
"Tell me who you're bringing me to. I can't get away anyway, right? What's telling me who you're taking me to going to do?" He finally sighed.
"I don't know their names, honey. I just follow orders, nothing more, nothing less. I'm a fucking grunt. I just know it's some fucker in a black hood, sounds tough. Had a girl in the same kind of hood with him, once." Oh. Oh, hell. Cowl and Kumori. Oh, Stars and Hell's Bells Stones. Dangerous, not someone I was prepared to deal with right now. I think maybe pug nose saw something like fear on my face, because he laughed.
"So there is someone you're scared of. Who is he, huh?" I glared.
"No one important. Just a cockroach, you know? Dropped a car on him once, and he still didn't die. Been a pain in my ass ever since." Pug nose smirked, but didn't say anything else. In fact, he didn't say anything else until we pulled up to a warehouse and dragged me inside with the help of the other men.
"I almost wish I didn't have to do this, baby. You'd be a hell of a lot of fun, you know? But I need the cash, and Boss wants me to do this. Maybe I'll catch you later, honey." I sneered at him.
"Not if I can help it, bucko." He snorted, which had to hurt, with a nose like that, and tossed me through the warehouse door. The floor was cold and solid, and only made my uncomfortably sprawled body feel more uncomfortable. I saw the ends of a dark robe, and black booted feet step around me.
"Thank you, men. He is undamaged, I assume?" Yeah, there was Cowl's voice, unnerving as always. I flinched a little, instinctively, because generally that voice meant I was about to go through a lot of pain.
"Yeah, mostly. Had to smack him around a little to get him down, but he should be fine." I heard the shift of fabric as Cowl moved.
"Hm. Well, I suppose that's alright. He's nearly broken from the start anyway." I flinched again, this time for something entirely different, something instinctual inside me, ingrained so deep I hardly noticed it on most days. Broken. I'd been called that before. Broken, damaged, psychotic, fucked up. Bad, bad, bad, used up and nearly empty. I didn't like it. I was a little… not right, maybe, slightly used, sort of scuffed, but I wasn't broken, nowhere near. I had a lot left in me, a lot of time, a lot of will. I was as mentally healthy as could be expected. "Here, gentlemen, is your money," Cowl finished, and I heard bills rustling and feet stomping as the men left me alone with Cowl.
"Hey, old buddy. Long time no see, huh?" I started, and saw the feet come into my line of sight again as Cowl crouched down in front of me. His finger pressed against the center of my forehead, cold and bony.
"Dresden," he said, polite, "It is rather nice to see you again, after our last meeting ended on such poor circumstances. You're quite the difficult man to get a hold of, you know, at least through magical means. It was quite distasteful for me, to have to ask those pigs for help." I shrugged as best I could.
"Yeah, well, I try to make it my philosophy to be safe, but I was a little distracted, when they grabbed me in the park. I'm not paranoid all the time." Cowl laughed, the sound cracked as winter leaves.
"Perhaps you should be." I pursed my lips.
"I'm considering it now. What do you want with me, Cowl?" He cocked his head, some.
"Your service. I'm currently short an apprentice, you see, and your magic is quite similar to my own. Tainted, you understand. Dirty and stained, enough that the 'Glorious Council' will not touch it, yet not black. It is the stain one gains from killing, yet not out of malice. You've experience with that, yes?" I clenched my teeth. Of course he knew. Of course. What else was I expecting?
"Nah. I had plenty of malice, when I did DuMorne in. I assume that's what you're referring to, anyway." I was pretty sure he smiled, but it was hard to tell. I could only see the vaguest outlines of his face under the hood.
"You're lying. You loved Justin DuMorne. You thought he saved you. And yet, when he tried to hurt you, and the girl you loved, you killed him, only because you had no other choice. Yet you still loved him. Now that you have discovered the wrongness of all he did to you, that love has faded, but there is no true hate, only disgust, and dislike. Perhaps some fear, as well, though fearing those so long dead is a foolish endeavor. I have killed in such a way as well, you see. You and I are one in the same. Not evil, but disowned by all those that claim to be good. Fighting for that which we feel is right from the shadows, from the moral gray. I'd like to have you as my apprentice." I've said before that Cowl's sanity is the most dangerous thing about him, and I hold to that. He's not crazy, so he makes good points. He's convincing. He paints a beautiful picture, of me and of himself, creates a pretty picture to cover the real evil of the dark side he so wants me to become a part of. I looked away from him.
"We're nothing alike. I'm not going to be your apprentice; I'm a big boy now." He seemed to smile again.
"I'll give you time, of course, time to think, to consider. Please, do consider it." Two of his fingers pressed underneath my chin to make me look at him. I saw the light of his eyes, but couldn't even tell so much as their color. He'd become proficient at using the shadows, obviously, at becoming a part of them. "Yes, as much time as you need. I'll return in the morning with food, Harry. Perhaps you'll be a bit more pliant by then." And then he left. I heard the click of a padlock shortly after he closed the warehouse door. The darkness covered me, and I couldn't help but feel that there was something else there, something evil and dark and dangerously unknown, but the room remained empty but for me. My reptile brain can be a big pain, sometimes, when he's trying to instigate a fight or flight response for me. I'm bad at those, you see, because I always just end up picking 'fight' out of pure contrariness. I stared into the darkness until I was finally forced into sleep by exhaustion.
Mortimer's POV
When I saw those men come up behind Dresden, I didn't think much of it, until I saw he didn't notice them, until I saw the gun slam down on his skull, until I saw him collapse like a bag of potatoes. I hadn't thought anyone could do that to him, honestly. Dresden has always been larger than life and dangerous as hell. I thought so even when we were friends, way back when, when he was hardly over eighteen and desperate to do something good for the world that had dealt him a shitty hand. I'd been a contact, for him, had a few ghosts go out and grab some basic information for him when he needed it, and he'd given me wards and companionship in exchange.
It didn't go to shit until a few years later, when I nearly got killed and dropped out of the business. He'd found out about how much of a coward I was, and been upset, tried to get me back in. I'd refused, and we'd drifted apart. I'd always kept up with what he was doing, though, who he was pissing off, what he was getting into. He scared me a little, now. It scared me to be around him, because I knew being around him was dangerous. Those monsters targeted his friends all the time, and I really am a coward. I know that. I lost a great friend because I was a coward. I'd never get that friend back because I was a coward, because I'd spent years taking advantage of people even though I could've just as easily helped them. Magic was dangerous, though. The Wardens were dangerous, and some of them pretty strictly believed that ectomancy was too close to necromancy for comfort, and watched me like a hawk. I didn't want them on my ass. I was a coward.
I was too much of a coward to run after the men when they carried him off. I was almost too much of a coward to go to someone I knew could help, but I do have something of a conscience, and Dresden's not a bad guy. He's a really good guy, actually. He makes bad choices sometimes, yeah, he messes up, but he's human. Being a wizard doesn't change that. I didn't want him to get hurt because I was too scared to talk, so I went to Marcone. Yeah, I know, that's kind of stupid, but I'd heard about how they'd been spending a lot of time together lately, and he could help, I knew he could, if I gave him a description of the two guys who'd taken Harry. So I decided to go to his office and talk to him, wary of him though I was.
Marcone's POV
Finding the cab Harry had escaped in was simple, but finding Harry himself was not. The park where the cabbie had said Harry had been dropped off lacked any trace of him, and his apartment was empty. I also couldn't find him at any of my residences. I finally broke down and called his companions, only to discover he wasn't with them either, and have Raith tell me he was coming over with his dog to help find him. Much as I hated the man, I'd be grateful for any help, because something had to have happened. He wouldn't do this, disappear without telling a soul. It wasn't in his nature. My heart pounded worriedly, and my head pulsed in time with it. My eyes were growing blurry. Hendricks kept attempting to get me to calm down. I was having none of it.
"Hendricks, I want you to find out where Tony and Marco fled, now. Get them here no matter what, even if they're incarcerated. I don't give a damn. I want them here. And have Gard get together a search party and attempt some sort of tracking spell on Harry. I want him back here by tonight." Hendricks shifted, almost nervous, but nodded.
"Of course, Boss. I'll have status reports for you every hour." He hardly ever took the tone he was using now with me, the one that said he was talking to a business associate instead of an old friend. I didn't want to consider how I looked just then.
"Thank you," I said, and waved him off as I began to make phone calls to my supernatural contacts. It seemed none of them knew anything, and the status reports Hendricks sent back kept coming up nil on both fronts. The Vargassi family had dropped off the map, and every tracking spell Gard did just bounced back. She said that meant there was a good chance that he was dead. I told her to stop being foolish and keep trying. Time passed, and Thomas called again to say he'd gotten caught in traffic and would be a bit later than he wanted to be, said that I'd better do everything I could or he'd skin me. I'd assured him I was doing what I could, although I think my voice may have broken. He'd seemed shocked, and his voice had changed to something the very generous may be willing to call gentle as he bid me farewell. I was beginning to grow a bit discouraged, however, when one of my men brought a visitor into my office.
He was a short man, and stout, with a mostly bald head and decent clothing. A scar stood out prominently on his scalp. He seemed familiar, somehow, but I couldn't recall his name for the life of me.
"Hello?" I asked, a smile small and polite on my face. Politeness was always key, truly. Being polite had gotten me far. It had gotten me onto Chicago's throne. I'd use it as a tool for as long as I could, especially with men like this, men I didn't know. He shifted his weight to another foot, and stared at the ground.
"I'm Mortimer Lindquist, Mr. Marcone. I came to tell you I know what happened to Harry." He suddenly had my full attention, my gaze going solid and sharp, my polite smile turning into a tightly drawn frown. My fists clenched under the table. It this man had been involved…
"What?" I asked, before I could stop myself and formulate a better question.
"He got kidnapped out of the park by two men. I didn't recognize them, but I thought you might. One of them was pretty short, and his nose had been broken a lot, because it was crooked and pugged up. He had short blonde and blue eyes, and he was short and overweight, with bad teeth. The other guy was taller, and skinnier, but still about seven or eight inches shorter than Harry. Had longer, greasy black hair, dark eyes." My eyes narrowed at him. If he'd been that close, why hadn't he done something to prevent it? I asked him as much, and he produced a dark, bitter smile. "I'm a coward, Mr. Marcone, and I always have been." That made little sense. I was widely known as one of the most powerful people in Chicago. Those that were easily frightened simply did not come near me.
"Then why are you here?" His smile turned a bit less bitter.
"Harry and I were friends, once upon a time. I don't want him to go out like that. He's a good man." I stared, my lungs tight and uncomfortable in my chest, almost as though they didn't belong there.
"You are no longer friends?" I asked, and my voice was dry and stiff.
"No. Like I said, I'm a coward, and knowing him is dangerous. He's got good friends, now, friends that aren't afraid of the things that go bump in the night."
"Gard, come here," I called, because the man was a bit worrying. Harry wasn't the sort to abandon someone simply because they were afraid; he simply doubled his protection of them. There was something else about this man, something odd I couldn't place. Gard entered the room calmly, and Mr. Lindquist took a step away from her, something few did unless they knew what she was." Her eyes traced over him coolly.
"He is no threat, Mr. Marcone. Why have you called me? Do you not want me to continue my search for the wizard any longer?"
"Is he a practitioner?" I asked. She nodded.
"A weak one, yes, but not one that often uses his gift. You are an ectomancer, are you not?" Lindquist nodded worriedly, looking at her with wide eyes.
"Yeah, I am. I used to help Dresden with cases, use the ghosts to help him get information, and sometimes help him fight, but he started digging into something bigger, and the Wardens started in after me, so I stopped using my magic to get it to go away. I started doing séances instead, for money, and Harry didn't like it. I told him to stay away from me, because he was going to get me killed, so he left. He's only come back once or twice, to try and get me to help him. I can't do much for him, okay? I'm just trying to find someone who can help him, and if you can't, I'll just go to his boyfriend." Boyfriend? What boyfriend?
"Who the hell are you talking about?" I questioned. He raised an eyebrow, looking confused, and then realization dawned.
"Oh. Oh. Shit, sorry. Uh, that vampire guy, the one who owns the salon? Harry's around him a lot, so I just assumed that… well, he is a Raith." I gave him a sharp smile.
"You assumed incorrectly. Now, I would like you to tell Ms. Gard what you told me about those two men. They sound familiar to me, but she will be more likely to know their identity for certain." He repeated what he'd said, his voice a bit shaky, and Gard nodded.
"They are two of Torelli's men, Mr. Marcone, the ones that patrol clubs. I suppose that they are the ones that took Harry the first time, and are now trying again." I shook my head.
"They couldn't have gotten another auction together this quickly." Gard nodded.
"Indeed, but do you not remember what I have been telling you? The tracking spells are not working. He is either dead, or someone has cast some sort of spell on him to prevent him from being tracked in such a way. Torelli has, perhaps, found himself a supernatural friend who'd like Harry to cease being a bother." My head pounded angrily. I'd long known that Torelli was a problem, but he'd been far from the largest issue in my life, recently. There hadn't been time to take him out of the game. I regretted that now, hated that I'd ignored someone so blatantly against me and my rule simply because I didn't think him a threat. Now, if something had happened to Harry, it'd be on my hands. I didn't know if I could handle that. My office door suddenly smashed open again, and there was Thomas, his back straight and his eyes blazing mercury-bright. He actually appeared threatening, with that sword on his hip, half hidden by a designer jacket, and the bulge of a sawed off shotgun barely visible beneath his shirt. Mouse sat beside him, the fur around his neck standing on end, his jaws open to display long, white, razor teeth.
"You ready to go?" he snarled, looking like an animal, a demon hardly able to pass for human, with the way his face twisted. Mouse bumped his legs, and he took a deep breath, heavy and slow. Some of the silver faded from his eyes, but flecks were still bright in the gray.
"I don't know where he is. The tracking spells aren't working," I said. Thomas' face drew up tightly, suddenly, and the devastation was so obvious in his face it made me have to look away. Perhaps… perhaps the man truly did love Harry as well. Perhaps he did simply want what was best for the man.
"Damn it! Damn it all, Empty Night, damn it all! Get that guy out of here, now!" He yelled, pointing a shaking hand at Lindquist, who ran out of the room.
"Gard, have someone keep him in the building. He's coming with us. Why did you want him to leave, Raith? He was attempting to give us information." Thomas dropped down limply to lean against the dog.
"So I could say this: use my blood, Marcone. I'll give you some, so you can find him. We're brothers, so it'll work." He dug his nails harshly into his arm, pressed down harshly, with no care even as I saw something inhuman behind his eyes, saw his arm strain to pull away, but it stayed, it stayed until pale pink blood flowed freely. "Hurry up," he snarled, "Hurry, damn it. It'll heal soon." Gard was quick to pull a vial from a bag she had over her shoulder, and to collect the blood from the wound.
"I will return it when I am done with it," she said. Thomas nodded and removed his nails from his arm, their ends now stained pink. The wounds knitted themselves back together neatly, but his arm remained stained. Mouse nuzzled the man's chest. Thomas laughed softly, and scrubbed at the animal's ears.
"Thanks, Mouse. You're a good dog, huh? You know he's not… you know he isn't gone yet. You'd be able to tell, right?" A tiny grumble came from the dog's chest. I ran a hand through my hair, feeling an uncomfortable amount of relief fill me up. "Yeah, I thought so," Thomas said, seeming to join in some of my relief. "Hey, Marcone?" I turned to look at him.
"Yes?"
"You really were worried, weren't you? I don't like it, but you were. That wasn't fake. I know emotions, you know? Better than I want to, sometimes, but I know them. That was real grief, all the way through to your bones. You were hanging on by a thread when I came in. This doesn't mean I trust you, but… you really do love him, right? It's not just lust. There is definitely a hell of a lot of that, though. You love him. I don't like it, but you love him. I still think he needs better, though, because I bet you're really weird about love, aren't you?" I raised my brow at him. I supposed he'd noticed something similar to what I'd seen, then. I supposed we'd have to work out another arrangement, then. Perhaps I could get some type of contract written up.
"I could say the same for you." He didn't reply, so we sat in silence for a while, until Gard returned. She spoke at the look I gave her, but the news wasn't good.
"It did not work, I'm afraid. It came closer than all else I've tried, but I still do not have a fix on him. The most I have been able to find is general direction." And that, of course, is when I heard something knocking on my window. My theory is that being around Harry often enough allows his propensity for illogical luck at the most improbable times to rub off on you. Although, it could have just as easily been another threat, but Thomas seemed happy when he saw it, and even opened my window to allow it inside. Besides, I didn't think he'd yet grown to hate me enough to create a plan to kill me convoluted enough to involve one of the Little Folk.
"Hey, Toot," Thomas said, smiling kindly. The little Fay's chest puffed out, and I noticed it was wearing some sort of armor made of trash, and wore a box cutter encased in orange plastic at his hip. The letters 'pizza or death' were scrawled across the thing in black magic marker. The thing's little dragonfly wings fluttered, and his lilac hair fluttered like a dandelion from beneath the little coke-cap helmet. It was taller than most of the pixies I'd seen as well, almost a foot. It had to know Harry in some way. It was too ridiculous not to.
"That's Major General to you, Raith! I am not here to converse with you anyway. It is the 'Za Lord's Lord to whom I wish to talk." Raith blinked.
"'Za Lord's Lord?" The fairy nodded.
"Yes, Baron Marcone, my Lord's Lord." Thomas sneered.
"Why the hell are you calling him that?" The little thing shifted impatiently.
"The 'Za Lord bares the Baron's mark upon his finger, doesn't he? That's not what matters now, though, if you wish to dispute his claim, later would be better. The 'Za Lord has been taken by the Council of the Black Robes, we must go fetch him!" I stepped closer to the tiny Fay who Thomas had called Toot.
"The Council of the Black Robes?"
"He means the Black Council, Marcone. Harry's had suspicions about their existence for a while, but nothing concrete. He thinks they're the ones behind everything that's happened recently, even that werewolf thing he told me about." My eyes narrowed.
"And they've taken Harry? How do you know, Toot?" He put his hands on his hips and glared up at me.
"Because they did, Lord of my Lord. I can take you to them, and you can save him!" I sighed.
"I will not follow you if you don't know for certain where they're keeping Harry." The little thing's wings fluttered again, and I took it as a sign of it being annoyed. Its face, I noted, seemed like a shrunken version of any Fay Lord's, beautiful and fair, much like a doll's. It was now set in a tight frown.
"I swear, Baron, that the 'Za Lord now lies, bound by the Thorns, in a warehouse." Confusion battered at me. I had no idea what 'bound by the thorns' meant, nor did I know whether I could trust the little creature.
"I believe him, Marcone. Harry gets information from Toot all the time, and it's all been good before. He's the one supplying him with pizza, and even if he was willing to let the source of his pizza die, he's a Fay, so he can't lie." The logic was sound, although I had no understanding of the bit about pizza. I supposed the fairy liked that particular product. Perhaps it was where Harry's apparent title ''Za Lord' came from.
"Fine. Take us to him, then Toot." The fairy nodded, dandelion hair bouncing fluffily in the process as he jumped into the air and took flight. It seemed his tiny dragonfly wings were having a bit of trouble bearing his weight, though, so he was quick to settle onto the top of Mouse's head as we left the house. I tried to have Gard gather some sort of army, but she said not to, that anyone with the power to orchestrate the recent events would have far too much power for any of my men to have even a chance of coming out alive, and I didn't want to risk their lives. I even forced Hendricks to remain in my office, so that if I died, he'd be able to take my place. All that came were myself, Gard, Lindquist (who tried to leave many times, saying he'd be of no help and whatnot, though I forced him to remain), Thomas, Toot, and Mouse. I snorted under my breath, too quietly for my companions to hear. I felt a bit like how Harry must always feel, rushing into something with few allies and no idea what I was getting into. I couldn't figure out why he seemed to enjoy it so much.