Red

  Red, Reggie, and Francesca lifted rock after rock, by hand, to open the entrance to the tunnel. It apparently would take them into an abandoned quarry but they weren’t allowed to use any magic. ESH left a trace that could be detected and allow their hideout to be discovered. So, rock after rock they dug their way out.

  It was hard work, but it wasn’t too bad to do some physical labor even with his sore shoulder. Red couldn’t remember the last time he had to do anything this physically difficult. And it wasn’t like he was doing it by himself. Francesca wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. She had taken her jacket off and rolled her sleeves up to reveal long sinewy arms that were no strangers to hard work. Being wrapped in those would be quite nice. No. He was married. Had been married for a long time. Sure, Lisa was a mindless Sov slave, but that would change. He would rescue her. And it would all be right. Someday. Hopefully someday. But damn if the scenery wasn’t nice right now.

  “What?” Francesca snapped. “Never seen a woman lift rocks?”

  Play it cool. Redirect. “No, I have, I just didn’t realize you would move more stones than Reggie is all. Then again, I shouldn’t be that surprised.”

  Reggie still panting and tossing rocks, barked, “Less flirting, more moving rocks.”

  Shit. Was he flirting? Was he staring? Was he that obvious?

  Francesca delivered a sly smile but kept up the pace until the three of them had finally moved several meters of rock and made it through, while also closing the ‘door’ behind them.

  The quarry had obviously been abandoned long ago. Broken tools and remnants of support structures braced the walls. The only light came from a glowing moss on the walls. After a short walk they came upon a wider tunnel for general use. The quarry they came out of was cordoned off with signs for danger and death if anyone were to venture in. Francesca instructed them to wait where they were. A few minutes later the rhythmic hissing distinct to a steam engine greeted them.

  Through the dim hue of the moss, a low-slung torpedo shape slithered up. The sparkly green car had thin chrome pipes puffing steam that accented the lean body. Hot and sleek just like the driver. Francesca waved for them to get in. Red slid in next to her while Reggie climbed in the back. The vehicle shot forward like it was on a catapult. They tore down faintly lit tunnels at incredible sspeeds,swerving and curving along the rounded tunnels.

  Red gripped the side of the vehicle nervously as Francesca guided it down the increasingly narrow tunnels. “How do you know the way is clear?”

  Francesca laughed. “No one comes out here and anyone who spends any amount of time out in the tubes has infrared vision or can echo locate. It takes time to learn, but it doesn’t take that much ESH. You’re lucky if there’s any light out here at all.”

  Red felt around for a seatbelt. There wasn’t one. Or he couldn’t find it in the pitch black. Very poor design choice. “Why doesn’t anyone live out here.”

  “Oh, they do.” Francesca jerked the car to the right putting the car up on the side of the tunnel wall as it curved sharply to the right like they were on an inclined racetrack.

  Red stifled a scream, grabbing the center, but accidentally grabbing her hand. She didn’t pull away, but he did.

  She continued, “People out here don’t want to be found. This is the edge where you can find ESH diamonds. They built all these tunnels, or the tubes, as we call them, but never lit them or occupied them. So, the only people here are those looking to stay away from the watchful eye of the empire. You’d be surprised how many illegal homes are built out here. The empire turns a blind eye because they aren’t causing any problems. But that could change at any moment of course, depending on the whims of that pinche pendejo Tonatiuh.”

  Red focused on his breathing to calm his nerves as the car rocketed through the black unknown. It wasn’t working. “So, what’s the plan then? For your great rebellion?”

  “Honestly? Not much of a plan. We do what we can. We help those hurt the most. Too many jaguars and eagles living fat off the empire. We’ve tried to get help from outside, but with communications shut off we don’t have a lot of options. We could always use the help of a mage or two. You know, once we find your friends.”

  Red didn’t take the bait. It was tempting, but he had his own problems. Maybe someday he’d be able to help. Unlike being a Wreckie, it would at least be something worth doing.

  After winding through an even longer maze of the tubes, the vehicle at last slowed to a stop. It would have taken who knows how long to have gotten here if it wasn’t for Francesca. Assuming they were somewhere useful.

  Red wasn’t going to be the first one to create light, but Reggie did. He formed a ball of light, and it cast a bright yellow light ahead and behind them. Francesca opened a cubby in the side of the tunnel using her dirt magic. She tucked the car in and with a little more pizzazz she covered it up. If you didn’t know where the car was there was no way you would ever find it. And even if you did know where it was, you would have a hell of a time finding it.

  “From here on, no talking.” Francesca handed her hat to Red. “People out in the tubes are good at hiding. So, while we know the tracks lead here, finding exactly where is the hard part. Just follow me and be ready. We don’t know who has them or what the situation is. If the shooting starts, I’m getting behind you two. I’m just the guide.”

  Francesca walked down the tunnel holding her hands out as if she were feeling her way.

  “Quit breathing so loud,” she whispered as she continued moving forward.

  Red tried not to breathe loudly, but he wasn’t sure if he was or wasn’t. Did he normally breathe loudly?

  After a few minutes she put her hand on the tunnel wall and spoke softly. “Behind here.” She pointed to a spot on the ground and whispered, “You stand here while I open it.”

  Red moved into position. “Why?”

  “In case they shoot first and ask questions later. They don’t know me and you’re a mage, so fire up one of those fancy mage shields.”

  And so he did. She moved her hand over the space on the tunnel and a dirt door dissolved revealing a long wide corridor full of planted mushroom crops.

  She closed the door. “Mushroom farmers. We’re close. Their home will be around here somewhere.”

  They continued to search for more doors. Each time they found one they repeated the precautions with Red standing up front ready to take any hits if someone decided to open fire. Each time all they found were more chambers for growing mushrooms, until the last one.

  The door opened. Orange and purple energy slammed into Red. His shield held but the impact spun him backwards. He regrouped, positioning himself out of the line of sight. The orange blast nearly split him in two. There was a mage in there. A strong one and they weren’t playing around.

  “Reggie, shield up!” Red yelled. “Francesca, stay down.”

  This was going to be tough. They had to advance through unknown terrain fighting at least one strong foe and countless others.

  Reggie cut his light and moved to the other side of the door. “Sizzle and shake?”

  Damn. That was perfect. It was like having the old Reggie back. He would fire several bright balls of ESH light while Red sent a wave of telekinetically compressed air. The bright light and loud sound would blind and deafen anyone for several seconds.

  “Perfect. On three.” Red slowed his breathing. “One, two—”

  “Red,” a familiar woman’s voice called out. “Good thing you had your shield up, because you sure didn’t keep your head down.”

  Red threw his hand up to hold. “Nina?”

  “Oh, thank goodness,” Reggie proclaimed like he had just seen the light. “You do not know how horrible it has been subjecting myself to this many days of Red in a row with no rest. It has been such a drag.”

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  Nina called back, “Reggie?”

  “Yes, darling, I’m coming in. Don’t shoot! We have so much to catch up on. Red and I had a heart to heart and everything.” Reggie sashayed past Red in through the door, arms outspread. “Give us a hug, darling. Lord knows I need it. And please tell me you have some moisturizer, you will not believe what the brute did with mine. Let me just tell you, he threw it out the window of plane while I was flying it. Can you believe that? I’m chauffeuring his ass across the empire and he tosses it out like trash. He’s so uncivilized. I can’t believe you lasted as long as you did as his partner. It’s been like two days for me but like fifty in dog years or something like that. It’s just been the worst.”

  Red followed him in to find Nina and Kae standing behind an upturned wooden table. Tension in Red’s shoulders and back released. They had survived. Reggie went to Nina and wrapped her in a bear hug. “Oh, girl, you are in need of a bath.”

  Nina giggled. “I need so much more than a bath.”

  Red nodded stoically to Nina. “Good to see you survived.”

  Nina released Reggie and held a defiant hand up to Red that he stop where he was. “Stay right there and tell me what the hell is going on. Karen said you’re a traitor and gave up the location of the house. She said if I find you down here you were not to be trusted and that you would be leading the Sovs right to us. So, let me see what’s in your bag? And turn out your pockets.”

  Red sighed. Fucking Karen. “That would be the moisturizer that Reggie will not shut up about. Karen planted a tracking device on me while I was in the vault. It nearly got us killed. Care to back me up here Reggie?”

  Reggie looked back and forth between Nina and Red. “It’s true dear. They were tracking and trying to get us both.”

  Nina put her hand down. “But why? Why would she do that?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t imagine her helping the Sovs like ever and I don’t know why she would tell the empire about the tracking device.”

  Nina shook her head, “Well, the Sovs and empire are working together. We barely made it out of Arcilla in one piece.”

  Red checked the room and peered through the doorways but to no avail. “Where’s Evan?”

  Nina grabbed Red before he could avert the physical contact and hugged him. It was, unfortunately, nice. “Long story.”

  With the tension eased and confirmation that everyone was on the same side, introductions were made. All seven of them gathered around the table in the central room of the house. Even the dog, Zarg, awkwardly maneuvered his way into Kae and Tozi’s lap and proceeded to almost nap while receiving pets. Apparently, he had been a one dog wrecking crew responsible for several Sov limbs, plus a head. This was a good dog.

  Rosa served sweet tea and mushroom soup to everyone as the conversation continued.

  Nina refused to make eye contact with anyone opting to instead stare into her teacup as she finished explaining what had happened at the park. “I didn’t know what else to do. With Kae barely able to walk, I didn’t see how we would make it. We went to the garden to look for Evan, but it was swarming with patrols of jaguars and Sovs. I didn’t want to lead them back here. This is our only safe hideout. The plan was to wait a few more hours and hope the patrols lessen then go back to look for him.”

  The Sovs and empire working together was a bit of a surprise. Perhaps the disagreement with the Wrecht Order had tilted the balance in favor of the Sovereign Sect. Red could see how easy it would be for Mistress Kreeg to piss them off. Pissing people off was like a part time job for her. Regardless, it was a bad development. “After our last visit I am pretty sure the Sovs have the Root. Her rebels,” Red motioned to Francesca, who sat next to him dangerously close, “didn’t know what hit them. Standard Sov playbook.”

  Reggie flapped his hand about like swatting at imaginary gnats. “Relax, whatever Kreegy girl put on the Root will keep it out of their grey eyed clutches. If she isn’t worried, I’m not worried. You can’t just force your way through a spell like that. You have to understand it and know the key to unlocking it. Which only she will know. It’s like the keys to the nuclear football, ain’t no one cracking it but her.” Reggie slurped his tea with great flair. “Love the tea, Rosa, where can I get this?”

  Rosa beamed with pride. “I make it here. I cultivated a special mushroom varietal.”

  “I don’t know,” Nina said. “The Sovs are pretty crafty. Not to mention, some of the other wizards might know things she doesn’t. Isn’t it true that the sun wizard…” Nina snapped her finger a couple times. “…Aruna, does nothing but study magic like twenty-four seven?”

  Reggie twisted his lips in contemplation. “I suppose she might be able to crack it…maybe, but Kreegy would know that or at least consider that. But I don’t think we have to consider her, just before Red visited me, she was asking me all about Adelfried. I even mentioned the Root, but she couldn't care less. Well, her associate that is. I don’t think she cares about the Root or world affairs for that matter.”

  If the Sovs did have the Root, and they probably did, that would hinder finding Lisa even more. The Wrecht Order would be tasked with getting it back one way or another. Which meant it would probably end up in Red’s best interest at some point to help with that, if only to get Lisa back. “Either way, if we get the chance we should get it back.”

  Nina spoke up with more caution in her voice. “Funny thing. Karen told me to rescue Kae and Evan, but she didn’t mention the Root, at all. I just assumed because of the barrier, but you would think she would still want me to get the Root if I could. But she made a point to have Kae and Evan as priority. She didn’t say it, but, I got the impression she didn’t want me to retrieve the Root.”

  Red shifted in his chair uncomfortably. He was ready to have a nice long talk with Karen about all of this and especially the present she left in his bag. There would be talking and a lot of pumping as much ESH into her wrinkled hide as he could. “Doesn’t matter at this point. We just need to get Evan and get out of here. We can sort it all out later. I think it’s time we go back to the garden and find Evan. We have three mages now. The jaguars will have to amass in large numbers for them to be a threat. But let’s talk about—”

  The young girl, Tozi, timidly raised her hand as if she were in school.

  Red paused his train of thought.

  Reggie said delicately, “If you have something to say, deary, go ahead. You don’t have to put your hand up.”

  Tozi put her hand back down and wrung her hands uncomfortably. “If this Kreegy person put magic around this Root, couldn’t Evan just absorb it? I think he killed our heating element without realizing it. It’s just a magical barrier, right? Doesn’t he just absorb magic?”

  Reggie flapped his hand again. “No, you see, deary…” His face twisted in concern. “It’s not that…” His face showed the same uncomfortable realization Red had just come to. “Shit.”

  Shit was right. Evan could eat that barrier without even realizing it. If the Sovs had both—

  “Someone’s coming!” Rosa gasped.

  “Back to the table!” Nina yelled as she rushed out the room. “Kae, stay in the kitchen, the three of us got this.”

  “Four,” said Francesca rising from the table.

  “Five.” Kae said with determination. “My ass is on the line here, too.”

  Everyone rushed to the front room picking out spots behind the table. Red stood next to Francesca. “This isn’t your fight, you know. You don’t have to get involved.”

  “Ay, no seas tonto. These are my people. This is just as much my fight as it is yours. Besides, you think they’re going to let me go after finding me here with a bunch of topsider mages?”

  Red shrugged. “You could say we captured you.”

  “You, capture me?” Francesca slid her hand down his arm playfully. “In your dreams.”

  Reggie forced his way between the two of them. “Now is not the time for flirting. And I should remind you, Red. You are a married man. Just wait till Lisa hears about this.”

  Why was Reggie so infuriating? “I am not flirting. I’m trying to protect her.”

  Francesca laughed. “A little flirting. But it’s okay, I was enjoying it.”

  Someone banged something hard against the front door of the home. “Open the door in the name of the empire.”

  Nina started laughing. “Oh my god. Red flirting? I didn’t think he knew how. When did this happen?’

  “Girl!” Reggie sang out loud. “We have so much to catch up on.”

  Again, someone slammed something hard against the door. “This is your last chance to open the door, or we will use force.”

  Red barked, “Is now really the time for this?”

  “Absolutely,” Reggie howled with delight. “It’s going to take them several minutes to get through the enchantment I put on that door.” The door glowed as ESH pounded against it. “I mean unless they have a wizard or something.”

  The door exploded inward, spraying them with chunks of hard clay.

  Through the dust, Adelfried stormed in leaving a wake of glowing neon blue ESH.

  Jim marched in behind, holding a sidearm. “Where are Kae and Evan?”

  “Daddy!” Kae rushed to Jim, almost sobbing with joy.

  Jaguars rushed in behind them, macuahuitls drawn. One screamed “Everyone down, on your knees. Hands where we can see them.”

  Adelfried held his hand out. “Stand at ease. We are in no danger.

  Kae fell into her dad’s arms, crying softly. “I’m so glad to see you.”

  After a second, Kae pulled back from the hug. She leaned left and right and touched Jim’s earlobes. “Are your…ears pierced?”

  Jim let out a grunt. “Ugh, I don’t want to talk about it.” He wrapped his daughter up in another hug, being careful to avoid her cast. “What happened to your arm? Are you okay? Where’s Evan?”

  Before anyone could reply, Adelfried gripped Red, Reggie, and Francesca in a curtain of icy blue ESH, pinning them against the wall. “Explain yourselves! Who is responsible for dropping the house and stealing the Root?”

  “Hey!” yelled Nina. “Back off.” She stepped between Adelfried and his quarry. “It was a setup. Karen is the one you want.”

  Adelfried refused to release them, anger still in his voice. “I saw pictures of them meeting and talking. They staged several attacks on the empire. And I know there is a mole in Wrecht Order.”

  “Yeah, and?” Francesca said, clearly with no shits left to give. Trash talking a wizard? Damn, she was hot. “I dropped the house because I was paid a lot of money. I don’t know by who, but it wasn’t these two. And before you ask, I don’t have this Root thing anymore, okay? We think the Sovs stole it. The Sovs are working with the empire. Now put us down, pendejo.”

  This whole situation was infuriating. Adelfried had to know Red by now. “Seriously? Remember the giant fucking shrimp? I helped save you and Jim from the Sovs and dragged your asses across the planet to face off against Mistress Kreeg. Even if I wanted that stupid rock, when would I have had time to tell anyone to drop the house? You were with me the whole time.”

  The field faded and the group was slowly let down. Adelfried looked down and rubbed his hand through his hair. His voice came out pained. “I…you’re right. I should have known. I just don’t know what is going on here. I never should have doubted you, Red. Please accept my apology.” Adelfried held out his hand. “We should be working together to understand what is truly going on here.”

  What was this weird feeling of working with an honorable person? It was so foreign, Red took his hand. “Don’t worry about it. This has been one big cluster fuck.”

  Jim held a hand up still obviously frustrated. “Great. Everyone’s friends again. Now where the hell is Evan?”