Disclaimer: Valdemar and concepts belong to Mercedes Lackey; this fic and original characters belong to their author.
"Zach" Notes: Let's talk about Zach so you guys can (hopefully) enjoy him on the same level I do! So! My friend Zachie is supposed to be the epitome of a Crime-Drama private eye/cop. He curses with the best of them, wears a trench coat over his Whites, has a nervous habit of playing with a lighter, is the kind of guy who has pictures of murder victims from his cases adorning his walls instead of pinups, has no family or friends to speak of, drinks by himself in a seedy bar, has a head that produces random sexist comments and probably chain smokes in his spare time. That is how he's supposed to be! That's how I designed him, that's how I want him, and (believe it or not) that's why I adore him. Because he's a living cliché in every sense of the word! What's not to love? lol.
A DANGEROUS PASTIME
Chapter One
By Senashenta
The figure, cloaked in a long coat and scarf, was gloating, proud as it walked down the bustling streets of Valdemar's Capital city—it had taken a chance and done something it had always dreamed of doing… and it had felt good. Very, very good.
Down the road, the swarm of Guards continued to mill aimlessly around the hotel. Now that the Herald had left, they seemed to have no direction. They were just waiting around for someone else to come and tell them what to do, and the person behind the masking scarf could only scoff at their utter and obvious stupidity. They couldn't do a thing without a Herald or two around to give orders: after all, that might require brain power and you couldn't use what you didn't have.
As intelligent as sheep and just as independent.
The thought was accompanied by a smirk, and a hand raised for sharp eyes to look down at long and nimble fingers. In a twisted imagination, the slick coating of blood that had been there only a candlemark before reappeared. Whore's blood, not the blood of an innocent, and that was a big difference. The deities above didn't condone the slaughter of innocents. But a street prostitute… she had just been asking for it, and she obviously hadn't been someone the Gods were all too worried about.
I did the world a favor by getting rid of her.
And it would happen again, too…
It had been a good day.
o-o-o-o-o
Zach slammed the door to his office with a bang and then kicked it for good measure, the sound echoing like a drum in the enclosed space. He had just come from a meeting with Herald-Commissioner Gallagher, and those never ended well—but what made them even worse was that they also had the unfortunate side effect of putting him into a very crabby mood, much like the one he was in now.
The sound he uttered as he dropped into his chair was not unlike an animal growl, and he felt Jaydan at the edge of his mind as the stallion attempted to decide if he was going to chance asking what the problem was.
:Chosen…:
:What?!: He snapped.
Jaydan winced. :What's wrong?:
:What the hell do you think?!: Zach spat, then sighed and shook his head, plucking a pencil from his desk. He twirled it in his fingers, watching the ridges spin, and brooded angrily. :Goddamn Gallagher's on my case again, and I've got about three minutes until my new partner arrives.:
The Companion sent the feeling of Rolling Eyes. :Why, pray tell, is Commissioner Gallagher "on your case" this time?:
:My lack of respect, the fact that I was late getting back here, the fact that I don't want a new partner at all.: Angry, he flung the pencil violently and it bounced off the bookshelves. :Take your pick, Jay. It's always the same crap, day in and day out.:
:You forgot your attitude.: Jaydan reminded him helpfully. :And you know, if you were a bit more—:
"Don't even say it, horse!" He growled out loud, making sure to Send his feelings very clearly in Jaydan's direction, and the Companion seemed to finally realize just how upset he was, wisely choosing silence over more commentary.
He'd had it mentioned, offhand but more than once and by more than one person, that it was a wonder Jaydan didn't repudiate him, never mind that he had been Chosen to begin with. And considering his temper, when he was in a contemplative mood, he was amazed by it as well. But beneath his inherently bad disposition and general snappishness, he loved Jaydan. In fact, the stallion was probably the only thing he had actually loved in years.
Gods. I don't even remember when my life went so far downhill.
Blowing a heavy breath out of his mouth, Zach leaned back in his chair and slammed his feet up onto the desk, then crossed his arms behind his head and stared broodingly at the backside of the door with no intention of moving unless it was under pressure from a loaded pistol, preferably being held by a complete maniac.
Or possibly Gallagher…
He'd just blow my brains out to get me out from underfoot.
An exaggeration, of course. He and Herald Gallagher didn't get along—hell, they barely managed to respect each other at all, never mind retain a shred of decency when in each other's company—but his boss was more than aware of his skills as a Herald and detective in general. Though he never boasted, as it wasn't in his personality to do so, Zach was the best member of the force and he knew it.
And so did Gallagher, which was the only reason he hadn't been fired already. Well, that and the fact that he was Chosen, so like it or not he was a Herald until he died, though Gallagher could have had him transferred to another city if he'd really wanted.
And then the number of solved murders in Haven would be cut in half. Zach thought with a bit of smugness, so I'm stuck here until my luck runs out or Jaydan decides he's had enough of me… though I doubt he'd want to put himself through that, even if he didn't mind doing it to me.
:Don't think that.: Jaydan's voice snapped suddenly, :don't ever think that.:
Surprised, Zach blinked for a second before scowling. :You know I don't mean that, Jay!:
Jaydan snorted, fading again, and the man went back to studying the back side of his door sourly.
A pain in the ass boss, a sarcastic horse and a blinding white uniform. He thought with a mental snarl, what else could I possibly want?
o-o-o-o-o
:You're Jaydan, aren't you?:
The voice was unfamiliar, but then there had been a lot of Unfamiliar Voices out across Valdemar to accommodate the city's growth. The Field just kept getting smaller and smaller.
Blinking, Jaydan turned to look at the speaker, who was watching him from a few feet away with intelligent crystal eyes. After a pause, during which he unconsciously sized her up—a habit he had picked up from Zach, no doubt—he flicked his ears and replied; :yes, I'm Jaydan, and you are—?:
:Najila.: The mare supplied, bobbing her head in greeting. :My Herd leader told me to speak to Rolan when I got to Haven, and he would tell me who I was to be partnered with.: She blinked, nodding back toward the main Field where the bulk of the Haven Herd was either grazing or socializing amiably. :Anyway, Rolan says it's you.:
It didn't take Jaydan long to realize Najila's Chosen would be Zach's new partner, and the sudden understanding made him take another long look at her. She was a little shorter than the average Companion, thin and graceful looking, and certainly healthy. Quite the lovely mare.He noted, then flicked his tail restlessly. :What Herd are you from, if you're not of Haven? Forchin or Endercott?:
:Forchin.: Najila took his pathetic attempt at conversation as a welcome of sorts and wandered the few steps between them to stand beside him. :I was born there, too… one of the first Official births in the New Herd after it split off from Haven.:
:Native to a New Herd, then.: Jaydan nodded, :you're of a relatively sparse breed, Najila. I'm of the Haven Herd, myself. I've lived here all my life… the only time I've been elsewhere was when I went On Search, and when my Chosen received his Whites.:
She was silent for a long moment, gazing off at the Palace. It rose, majestic spirals up in the sky, obelisk white, silver and blue against the backdrop of Companion's Field. The Palace was the only part of the Old Haven that really existed anymore. The rest of the city was townhouses, apartment buildings and shopping centers. Even the Collegium had been changed: because of space complications the Bardic and Healers Collegiums had been moved to other cities, namely Forchin and Endercott respectively, to coincide with the creation of the New Companion Herds—and the White Winds school had been exiled to the outskirts of Haven years before.
:Do you ever get bored here?: She asked eventually. :I mean, there's not a lot of room and there doesn't seem to be much to do…:
Jaydan gave a mental Raised Eyebrow. :Boredom isn't an option when you're Soul is super-glued to the most trouble-inviting Herald in existence.: A huge sigh. He couldn't help it. :When I'm not dancing on eggshells to keep Commissioner Gallagher from hanging him from the nearest tree, I'm running off to save his ugly rump from random arsonists, thugs, and even the occasional mass murderer.:
Najila blinked at him. :You weren't in on that South Side Massacre, were you?:
:Hock deep.: Jaydan informed her dryly, :Zach decided he didn't need backup… which, by the Unwritten Rule of the Cosmos, meant that there were three of them, all armed to the teeth, and he knocked over a trash can on his way into the building.:
She was still giving him a slightly skeptical look, :a trash can?:
:Well… two trash cans.: Embarrassed, he made a funny coughing noise, :and a stack of cardboard boxes.:
:Oh.: Najila's nose twitched and when Jaydan eyed her suspiciously, she rolled her eyes skyward, flicking her ears with an innocent air. :I'm pleased to say that my Faith isn't that clumsy, even if she's just as headstrong.:
So Zach's new partner was named Faith. The stallion stored that bit of information away and lapsed into silence, reaching his mind out to see if his Chosen was a bit calmer, or if he was still in his "raving lunatic" state of mind. A tentative touch didn't end with Zach snapping and him reeling, so he assumed the man had managed to rant himself through his anger at Herald-Commissioner Gallagher.
Which could be either good or bad, depending on Zach's current state of mind. He tended to bottle up his emotions if he didn't want to deal with them. Usually, it was things like angst and grief that he shut up, but rage snuck in there on the occasion as well. Either way, Jaydan wasn't about to go sorting through his brain to find out.
Of course, he already knew that Zach was thinking about getting himself repudiated. Or about being repudiated. Or that everyone else thought he should be repudiated—
The Companion found himself getting annoyed and stamped a hoof restlessly. No one outside of the pair of them seemed to understand the nuances of their relationship, and that statement didn't just include the other Heralds and the general Guard. In fact, the other Companions didn't understand why in the hell he had ever Chosen Zach to begin with either, and everyone and their brother—with the sole exception of Rolan—had told him before that he had wasted his Choice.
Wasted his Choice!
They seemed to have decided he was completely daft. Or, they had decided that about a year after he had brought Zach back to the Collegium, when he had managed to alienate every one of his schoolmates and most of the Heralds in the compound. He didn't have friends, he didn't visit his family, and the only person he spent any significant time with was Jaydan—and even then they just kind of stood together.
Jaydan would admit that he and Zach didn't have the same kind of touchy-feely relationship that most Herald-Companion pairs had, but they were the best of friends and he was the only real family Zach had.
:Jaydan—?:
He jumped, shaken out of his wayward train of thought by Najila's somewhat unexpected voice. He had forgotten about her, in all his internal muttering. :I was just thinking…: tipping his head, he looked at the mare with more than a little doubt, :your Chosen… she isn't the overly-emotional type, is she? Likely to cry much?:
:I don't think so.: Najila gave the impression of a Raised Eyebrow. :Why?:
:You have to have a thick skin to work with Zach,: Jaydan explained, :he's already driven off half a dozen partners… I was just wondering.: With a sigh, he sniffed and shifted his tail, :hopefully she can handle him, because I don't think I want to switch partners too many more times. It's starting to get frustrating.:
The mare nodded, :I can imagine.:
o-o-o-o-o
Zach sulked.
He tended to do that a lot. Indeed, it was one reason why he kept the door to his office incessantly closed. He'd learned long ago that his mood swings put the other Heralds on edge. Tension was at an all-time high whenever it was open, though keeping it closed drew a certain amount of curiosity from the younger and inexperienced members of the force.
He could still feel Jaydan in the back of his head.
Of course, he could always feel the stallion to one extent or another, but what he was feeling now was that Jay was having a conversation with someone else. Probably another Companion, he figured, since Jaydan didn't make a habit of Bespeaking people randomly (like some Companions he knew.)
Still muttering to himself, Zach moved his feet off of the desk and dropped them to the floor before heading over to retrieve his pencil. He'd snapped at Jaydan, and though he did it often enough, he always felt a bit guilty afterward.
The Companion certainly had his hands full, when it came to him, Zach decided with a sigh.
Probably, he's as tired of my mood swings as I am.
And yet, somehow, he couldn't get himself to grow out of them—and considering his age, it was becoming a slim possibility anyway.
Stooping, he picked up the pencil from the floor and dropped it onto the desk, then slumped down into his chair once again, closing his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest and tipping his head toward the ceiling.
…if he hadn't been Chosen, what would he have done with his life?
Has father had been a lawyer and his mother a psychiatrist… both science oriented, but he'd had no interest in those fields. For a while when he was young, he had toyed with the idea of being a psychologist—him! A Psychologist! It was a laughable idea, really, considering his temper general lack of patience.
Most likely, had Jaydan not danced himself into his life, he'd have joined the Guard anyway… he just seemed suited to do something that required a bit of combat now and then—or, as with his own track record, a lot.
It wasn't that he went out of his way to get himself and Jaydan into trouble, exactly. It was more that trouble had a way of pouncing on him at the most inopportune moments—and quite a bit more often than with any other Herald, at least any other Herald in Haven. He couldn't say for sure about the rest of Valdemar, as he was and always had been stationed at the Capital.
Hell, my Circuit was less exciting than half the things I've been in on since.
Granted, he'd had Herald Harlen and Myyr to keep him out of trouble then, but considering first Circuits were normally the most dangerous part of any given Herald's life, he often found it surprising that his had been as terribly uneventful as it had.
And then he'd been assigned to the Homicide division of the Collegium and things had become interesting.
:I could be worse,: Jaydan noted vaguely, still obviously engrossed in something else, :you could have a desk job like Gallagher. Besides, you're about the luckiest S.O.B. that ever lived. No one else could've survived half as much as you and I.:
:Vanyel did.:
:That was centuries ago!:
:Still, he did.:
:Fine.:
Finally, he cracked a smile. Winning against the stallion always lightened his mood—
—and then his door banged open.
"Hoffner!" Gallagher snapped, hand still on the doorknob, "your partner's arrived."
"Fan-bloody-tastic." Zach replied with a semi-contained glare, "so?"
Gallagher raised an eyebrow and then turned his head, "if you please, Miss Kaden."
"Um, sure." A bit of nervousness in the youngish voice, and a woman brushed past the Herald-Commissioner to stand just inside the doorway.
Blonde hair, pulled into a half-ponytail.
Pristine new Whites, which she tugged at uncomfortably.
And sparkling emerald green eyes, which met his without fear or hesitation—
Gods. His throat felt frozen, and he cleared it without thinking. She's…
A Goddess? He couldn't say that! Not only was it blasphemy, but it would have Gallagher laughing hysterically for the next decade and she was a good half his age. Besides, he had to work with the girl for the next who-knew-how-long—at least until she decided she was sick of him and his attitude in general. He had to keep himself in check, no matter how lovely she was.
She offered a tentative smile, "heyla… I'm Faith Kaden."
Gallagher was smirking, damn him.
"Zaccheus Hoffner." He grunted shortly, and left it at that.