I Fear No Evil- Complete Series Omnibus, page 80
part #1 of I Fear No Evil Series
Durand sneered. “Why bother with this farce? Why didn’t you pay them to kill me in my room?”
“You’re too good to get taken out by local thugs if you’re on your game. I knew this would only work if I gave you something shiny to focus on.” Shay pointed to her chest. “Like me.” She scooted her chair back and stood. “It’s been fun, Durand, but I’ve got an artifact to deliver to a client.” Her smile vanished. “Who’s the fucking rookie now, douchebag?”
Shay waved and stepped away from the table.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Two days later, Shay hummed as she reclined on a love seat in her living room. The delivery had gone smoothly, and she’d made sure to take pictures from various angles.
Look at me, humming? Satisfied and happy. Definitely gonna make James take me to a nice Italian place soon. Have a real date.
The tomb raider was now a million dollars richer and had gotten a nice boost to her reputation. She might not be willing to admit it to Peyton, but he’d been right. The job had soothed her ego after Russia, and her only regret was that she hadn’t taken a picture of the look on Durand’s face when he realized she’d outsmarted him.
So, what to do with some of my time off?
A little routine might not be bad. Going out running with Free-to-Move, maybe weekly dancing nights with the girls between tomb raids.
A life. When Shay had burned down her house she’d been running from what she thought was a life, but it had been an empty shell, devoid of real relationships or connections. That was why it’d been so easy to fake her death and walk away without ever looking back.
Her phone buzzed and she grabbed it, expecting Peyton or James. The text was from neither man.
NOT UNDERWOOD: I need to speak to you about a matter of mutual interest. I need you to come to me, but I won’t make you run all the way to DC.
Time and address followed in a separate text.
“What the fuck? That’s in an hour.”
Shay groaned and scrubbed a hand over her face. Correk might be the Fixer, but he wasn’t her boss. She didn’t like the idea of jumping whenever he snapped his fingers.
“Shit,” she murmured. “If he’s contacting me, it’s not gonna be for a friendly chat.”
Shay rose from the couch and grumbled.
“This is why I shouldn’t even bother trying to establish a routine.”
Shay pulled her Spider into an open parking spot on the street. This was the right address, but she didn’t see Correk. Several small restaurants and bars lined the street, and chatting people walked the sidewalks.
“Which damned building is it?”
She pulled her phone out of her pocket and clicked on her text messages to review Correk’s. There’d been a date, time, and address when the message was sent, but it’d disappeared. Apparently, in Correk’s Fixer library, there was a spell to make any text chat appear in an updated version of Snapchat.
“Cute, Correk.” She texted him.
I’m here. Where am I supposed to go?
Keep looking and you’ll find it.
“Thanks for the cryptic comment.” She gritted her teeth. “Elves.”
Shay stepped out of her car and looked around for anything obvious. She spotted an elf walking by himself. While not the only elf in the streams of pedestrians, he was the only one not dressed for a night on the town.
He turned a corner and slipped between two buildings. She sprinted across the street when it was clear and headed toward the elf’s last location.
When Shay turned the corner, she didn’t see anything but windows and a few stray wrappers lying on the ground.
“Disappeared?”
She spun around, half-expecting the elf to show up behind her like Durand in DC, but there was no one. The tomb raider turned slowly as she sought evidence of a hidden door.
Something was wrong. Shay shook her head and turned back and forth again, this time counting as she moved her eyes.
1…2…3…Wait.
Her eyes moved too quickly on one side. She focused where she’d been looking, and after a few seconds and a blink there was a narrow door.
Fucking magic.
Shay narrowed her eyes as she stared at the nondescript door. It took all her concentration for her gaze not to slide away and ignore it.
Fucking hate that type of spell. I swear, Correk, if this thing ends up wiping my memory, I will find you and kick your Fixer ass.
Shay took a few deep breaths and marched straight toward the door. The more she let her thoughts stray, the harder it was to keep her gaze on the entrance, but finally she pulled it open and stepped inside.
Darkness reigned, and strange smells floated through the air, some acrid, others fruity or herbal. Floating orbs provided light near the tables and the bar.
Magical light. Magical defensive spell. Huh.
A light-colored wooden bar ran along the back of the room. A Light Elf bartender dressed in a black silk shirt, and tie stood behind the bar with a smile on his face. Shelves containing dozens of bottles were behind him. Most appeared to be Earth alcohol, but others were labeled in Oriceran languages or glowing concoctions that obviously hadn’t been distilled in Kentucky. A row of stoppered and differently-colored small glass bottles, most likely potions, were on the top shelf.
A few people glanced her way before returning to their conversations and drinks.
Definitely not your average sports bar.
Numerous elves sat in the bar, and a few dwarves huddled in a corner. One of the dwarves puffed on a long pipe, eyeing her for a moment.
A gnome sat at the bar pounding back an opaque green drink. Judging by the wands hanging from belts or peeking out of coats, most of the people who looked human were witches or wizards.
Two women with wings were at a table in a corner giggling over some video they were watching on a phone. Shay assumed they were Arpaks, but she’d never seen one up close.
Correk waved from a table in the center of the room. A wine glass sat in front of him.
At least he’s not drinking some weird glowing Oriceran thing.
Shay wasn’t happy that the Fixer had taken the least defensible seat in the entire room, but given the magical nature of the place, she doubted she had to worry about some rogue cartel survivor kicking in the door and shooting her in the back.
That would be kind of fun to see, but I’m not here for that.
The tomb raider slid into a seat with a grunt.
Been spending too much time around James. She snickered.
“Maybe next time you can give me a little more lead time for the meeting,” Shay suggested.
Correk shrugged. “I apologize. I don’t always have…a predictable schedule, so I meet with people when I can.” He offered her a faint pained smile.
“Whatever. I’m assuming it’s important. I’m guessing you didn’t call me out here to drink gnome grog.”
“Yes, and let me thank you for being on time, Miz Carson,” Correk told her. He took a sip of his wine. “That makes the rest of my night far less stressful. I’m glad you were able to find the place.”
“You didn’t tell me about the spell.”
“I did tell you to keep looking.”
“But you didn’t tell me about the spell to begin with.”
Correk’s eyes narrowed. “Consider it another test of your abilities. If you couldn’t find this place, you probably wouldn’t be worth working with.”
“Ouch. You still don’t think I have what it takes?”
“I think it didn’t hurt to check. We’re swimming together in mysterious waters. I need to be assured that you have a flexible mind.”
Shay rolled her eyes.
Correk put his wine glass down after taking another sip. “I’ve spent a long time dealing with dangerous magic and dangerous people. I’ve gained valuable allies along the way, such as Smite-Williams and Lei—” He sucked in a breath. “Other people, but I’m still deciding whether you’re a valuable ally or someone who’ll cause trouble because you know just enough to be dangerous.”
“Maybe I’m a dangerous ally.”
The elf chuckled. “Always a possibility, but I trust you’re satisfied with how I’ve tested you.”
“Maybe I’ll test you next time.”
Correk smirked. “Trust me, I can make it through the As Seen on TV aisle without trouble.”
Shay blinked, not following the elf’s logic but decided to let it drop. She wasn’t there to trade jokes anyway. “So, what’s the deal with this place? Some secret magic bar? I don’t get it. It’s not like Oricerans can’t drink in human bars.”
“Sure, but human bars are filled with humans.”
“That they are.” Shay pointed to herself. “I’m human, you know.”
“Let me be very clear. I’m not anti-human, it’s just that the bulk of humanity is still coming to terms with the full return of magic, and that can cause complications in my duties as the Fixer.” Correk gestured around the bar. “As for this place, in addition to the spells the owners put on the bar, I know I can use certain spells here without a problem. I wanted to make sure that no other humans overheard our conversation. As you’ve noted, you’re human, but you already are deep into the investigation. I’m more concerned about the government people looking into this matter. I don’t trust them, and I’ve had bad experiences with human governments before when it comes to sensitive matters.”
Shay snorted. “Not like most humans trust our governments either. You don’t have to convince me. I barely trust myself, and…” She furrowed her brow, wondering how much she should share.
“What is it?”
“I ran into a man working for the US government in Ecuador just a few days ago. They’ve got this specialist, Francois Durand. He’s been running all over grabbing alien-related shit. He’s probably the guy who got them their stone. He was in Ecuador to grab something that might have been alien-related.”
Correk arched a brow. “Really?”
“Yeah. I was recovering an artifact down there for a client. It was a little golden airplane-looking thing, but it was six hundred years old. Ancient airplanes, allegedly, or models of them, anyway.”
He nodded. “I’m familiar with them.”
“I took a bunch of pictures in different spectral ranges, but I couldn’t find anything unusual about it. No symbols, nothing. If it’s related to the aliens, it might be indirect. Or maybe it’s what people think it is: just something the Incas made after seeing alien aircraft.”
“Where is it now?”
“With the client.”
Correk frowned. “I see.”
“Hey, the guy paid a million dollars for it, and it wasn’t covered with alien glyphs or anything.”
“I have ways of recovering information that go beyond simple reading and translation. In the future, it could be helpful to our investigation if I could gain access to an artifact like that, if only for a short while.”
“Understood.” Shay stared at the Light Elf, wondering how much information she should offer.
Have to give a little to get a little. I’m not gonna get better help than the Fixer.
Shay sighed. “This Durand asshole beat me to an artifact in Russia. An aluminum tooth-wheel that may be three hundred million years old, so it’s got to be alien.”
“I see.” Correk picked up his wine and downed the rest of it. “I presume this item is now under the control of the American government?”
Shay shrugged. “As far as I know. This Durand guy might not be a Fixer, but he’s damned good for a human with no special magic. He’s gonna be a problem, but I’ll deal with him when he pops up.”
Correk set his glass down and folded his hands in front of him. “I thank you for being so honest about the information you’ve uncovered, Miz Carson. Since you’ve been so forthright, I will be as well.”
“Oh, you didn’t call me here to hit on me?”
Correk gave a soft snort. “Don’t think so highly of yourself.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re no fun.”
“No, I’m not—not when it comes to my duties.” Correk made a few precise movements with his hand while he sang, or at least that was the closest word that Shay could use to describe it. What emerged from his mouth wasn’t a simple voice, but a complex, layered sound that should have required instruments.
A full-color three-dimensional image of a pitted and cracked rock winked into existence above the table. It rotated slowly.
“Do you know what this is?” Correk inquired.
“Looks like a rock to me.”
“Close enough. It’s a meteorite.”
“You mean, it’s a space rock.”
Correk chuckled. “Yes.”
Shay nodded. “Something special about meteorites? Sky iron or something like that for powerful magical metal-working?”
“More to the point, there’s something special about this particular meteorite. A magical gentleman I helped out of a difficult situation gave it to me recently. He’d had it in his family for thousands of years, along with a family legend about it being a blessing stone from an ancient god.”
“Huh. Any way to verify that?”
“Partially. Being the Fixer does have its advantages. I’ve examined this meteorite using various powerful spells, and I’ve determined several important things. It is indeed a meteorite, and it has magical biological residue on it.”
He moved his hand, and glowing green lines appeared on the meteorite image.
Shay tilted her head as she examined the lines. “Was this some sort of attack, or a colonize-the-Earth-with-alien-spores thing?”
“I can’t be sure, but I don’t believe so.” Correk shook his head. “There are limits to even my magic, but I was able to determine this was part of a burial of some sort. A funeral offering. I was also able to verify that this meteorite doesn’t originate on Earth or Oriceran, but it was discovered on Earth.”
“Okay, so our boys had an interstellar Viking funeral. That’s not a super-concern, not that I don’t want to dig deeper.”
The elf waved his hand, and the image rotated to reveal several symbols. Shay’s heart rate kicked up. She didn’t recognize most of them, but one had already been seared into her brain as she spent hours looking at it on a picture of James’ amulet.
So, he is linked to all this shit. Damn. That means that Durand asshole might start snooping around him eventually.
No, wait. It’s fine. He doesn’t wear it where people can see it. There’s no way the government will ever know to go after him as long as I keep him far away from all this shit.
Shay forced a smile. Exchanging information with Correk didn’t mean he needed to know everything. For all she knew, the Fixer might decide that James was a threat who needed to be eliminated. The less he knew about James Brownstone, the better.
Correk gestured toward the image. “When we talked before, you mentioned translating the phrase ‘Already here.’”
“Yeah, that’s all my people have been able to ascertain, but you said we didn’t know what that means. That it could mean all sorts of things.”
“True, but you’ve mentioned six-hundred-year-old artifacts and three-hundred-million-year-old artifacts. The stone you collected for the Professor wasn’t that ancient, but it was still very, very old.”
“Yeah? I sense a ‘but’ coming.”
Correk pointed at the spinning meteorite. “This meteorite is mere decades old, not thousands or millions.”
“Shit.”
“Indeed. I’m glad you appreciate the implications.” The elf flicked his wrist, and the image vanished. “So, they, whoever they are, are already here. They came here some time ago, and I believe they’re still here.”
Shay exhaled slowly. “But who are ‘they,’ exactly?”
Is there some other person like James out there? Even if there is, everyone would just assume they are magical. Or maybe James was sent here to escape them?
Correk frowned. “I’m not totally sure. My analysis tells me they possess some unique abilities. They leave a trail like magic, but it’s not quite magical.” He shook his head. “I honestly can’t be sure. The only thing I can be sure of is that Earth is a lot more interesting than anyone on Earth or Oriceran realizes.”
Shay leaned back in her chair with a frown. “If the government has any clue about this, it would explain why they’ve hired people like Durand. This isn’t some history lesson to them. They might be thinking there’s an invasion going on.”
“And they might be right. It’s not like Earth and Oriceran have a monopoly on evil people.”
“Or it might be nothing, or just a few alien tourists.”
James isn’t a fucking invader. A crying and scared kid doesn’t invade a planet, but maybe he was a mistake? Maybe his parents were supposed to come with him. A bunch of amulet-wearing assassins might be running around planning to take out all the major world leaders, for all I know.
Shay shook her head. She couldn’t be sure of anything other than that she would protect James from both Correk and himself if necessary.
I guess this is what love is—protecting your alien boyfriend from some Light Elf responsible for helping all magical beings on a planet.
Fuck, this is complicated!
“It doesn’t matter what the truth is,” Correk commented softly. “It only matters what the government believes.”
“That’s what you think the government is really trying to stop?”
“Yes. Good luck kicking out the actual aliens.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Shay kept both hands on the wheel as she pulled away from the meeting, every muscle in her body tense. She’d originally gotten involved in the alien mess only because of some chance information Peyton had found about a missing tomb raider.
