《Clavomancy》


 Chapter 1

    ¡°Hurry up dickwad,¡± Bo yelled over his shoulder as he shifted gears on his bike for a little more oomph.


    <ol>


    <li>Pumping his legs his mountain bike flew down the dirt trail. He tapped his breaks a few times causing him to fishtail a little, launching rock back in Dean¡¯s direction.</li>


    </ol>


    ¡°Screw you, fartknocker,¡± Dean yelled as he hit his brakes to avoid the rocks Bo had kicked up. As soon as he was safe Dean shifted gears to catch up with Bo. His head down while standing up on his bike he pushed himself until his legs burned from the strain.


    Slowly catching up to his much larger friend, puberty giving Bo that unfair advantage in strength and size. Dean could barely catch his breath, refusing to slow down. Bo slammed on his breaks, skidding to a stop.


    Dean wasn¡¯t paying attention to Bo or his surroundings. Glancing up Dean barely had time to swerve. Just barely missing his friend, Dean rocketed toward the old train track the trail ran parallel to.


    Dean screamed as his front wheel slammed into the metal track. The collision bending his rim as it bounced up and off of the track slamming the handlebars into Dean''s chest. The wind knocked out of him, he reflexively bailed off of his into the underbrush that lined either side of the trail.


    Laying in the bushes, he could hear laughter coming from his best friend. Pissed, Dean stood up ignoring his skinned knees. Bo¡¯s laughter echoed loudly in Dean''s head. Charging his friend he attempted to tackle him down the hill.


    ¡°YOU A-HOLE¡± Dean screamed as he slammed his shoulder into Bo¡¯s stomach attempting to take him to the ground.


    Bo smirked at Dean¡¯s charge unafraid of his short pissed off friend. Catching his friend easily his footing barely being budged. Bo effortlessly tossed Dean to the ground like a sack of potatoes.


    ¡°You made me wreck my friggin bike,¡± Dean yelled at Bo. His anger deflated after how easily Bo dealt with him. ¡°My mom is going to kill me,¡± he winced.


    ¡°Quit being a little pussy about that. You¡¯re probably getting anew bike for your birthday,¡± Bo said.


    Dean saw the look on Bo¡¯s face when he made that comment. They both had an unspoken agreement to not talk about it. Bo¡¯s father refused to let him go to Dean¡¯s house anymore. Dean¡¯s mom had called CPS on Bo¡¯s dad after seeing bruises all over his back.


    They weren¡¯t even allowed to hang out anymore. A real bummer if it wasn¡¯t for their secret fort.


    ¡°Sorry, you can¡¯t come,¡± Dean said dejectedly. ¡°I will save some cake and we can meet back here later?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you will want to hang out after I show you what I found,¡± as he walked down the embankment towards the dirty little creek. Taking the baseball bat from his backpack, Bo started smacking the plants out of his way aggressively.


    ¡°Really?¡± Dean asked


    ¡°Yeah, I found some porn mags in the field behind my house last week,¡± Bo said boastfully.


    ¡°You''re just barely telling me this,¡± Dean practically yelled in shock. They had never kept a secret this beg from each other.


    ¡°Yeah because I¡¯m giving you one of them, dork,¡± Bo said as he looked back up at his friend, his eyes alight with excitement. ¡°You should see the boobs on these ladies! They are like this big,¡± Bo went gesturing with his hands before quickly disappearing behind a tarp.


    Dean hurried after his friend. Practically bursting through the tarp he saw a few changes to the fort. It looked as if his friend had been staying the night here more. The walls and roof were more secure and there was a sleeping bag tucked into the corner.


    It even looked like the mountain dew bottle they cut open to use as a piss funnel had been used.


    ¡°Happy Birthday Dickwad,¡± Bo said as he threw the slightly soggy porn magazine at Dean.


    He barely caught it as he processed what he was seeing.


    ¡°Have you been staying out here,¡± Dean asked not even bothering to look at the magazine he was holding.


    ¡°Yeah just for fun you know,¡± Bo replied the lie being obvious.


    ¡°If it''s that bad you could probably just stay with us,¡± Dean said. ¡°You can even have my bed and I will sleep on the couch.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Dean knew he hit a sore spot as he saw Bo¡¯s face flush a beet red. His body tensed ready to run from his friend if he reacted badly but stayed in case his friend needed him


    ¡°I DON¡¯T NEED YOUR MOM TO SCREW UP MY LIFE MORE!¡± Bo screamed in anger. Breathing heavy Bo stood there staring at Dean as if daring him to say something.


    Dean backed up holding his hands up in a placating way. ¡°I¡¯m just saying you can sleepover at my place secretly. Not here if you want.¡±


    Bo stood there, tears unshed his anger quickly spent with the outburst.


    Dean unsure of what to do just reached out and patted his friend¡¯s arm.


    As Bo tried to reign in his emotions he said with a shaky voice, ¡°It wasn¡¯t like this when my mom was around.¡±


    Bo had lost his mom at a young age. Dean was told his dad died when he was an infant. He didn¡¯t know how Bo felt losing his mom but he did understand that absence.


    But where Dean¡¯s life didn¡¯t change much and always was good Bo¡¯s did. His anger pushing all of his other friends away but him. Dean wished he could help his friend but didn¡¯t know-how. As they walked out of the fort Dean knew he was going to figure out how to help his friend even if he had to waste his birthday wish on it.


    As they walked to their bikes, Dean stopped suddenly. The hair on his arms stood on end. His breathing coming in short spurts. He turned to look back at the drainage pipe big enough for them to enter sat next to their fort. Black sludge slowly beginning to flow out of it. Nothing had ever come out of the pipe until now.


    They had crawled inside to explore multiple times but never very far in. Dean always felt something wrong about the pipe the further he went in. Always chickening out he would make them both turn back around. No matter how much Bo teased him.


    Right now whatever bothered him about entering before was coming to them. His gut clenched in fear. His instinct telling him to run away but he was frozen in place. His voice nothing but a tremor stuck in his throat as he tried to tell Bo to run.


    Bo unaware of his friend had also turned around as he heard the sound of the sludge hitting the ground.


    ¡°Gross. What do you think that stuff is?¡± Bo said out loud as he went closer to investigate.


    Grabbing a stick from the ground Bo started to poke the growing puddle of sludge. Looking back at Dean smiling he only saw the blood drain from Dean¡¯s face as Dean mouthed something at him.


    Dean was looking past his friend as glowing eyes appeared deep in the pipe. A hand too large with too many joints and flesh the wrong color to be human slowly reached out of the pipe heading and with too many joints slowly reached out of the pipe grabbing Bo¡¯s arm and yanking him into the pipe.


    _____________________________________________________________________________________


    Dean woke suddenly. His heart beating its way out of his chest, his forehead cold with sweat. He knew that dream would be back to haunt him. Like it always had over the last 12 years whenever it was close to his birthday.


    Closing his eyes, he calmed himself with a slow deep breath. Relaxed let his mental eye reach out and touch the world around him. Nothing had shifted or came loose as it used to when he had night terrors. This was the greatest benefit of the hellish training Aggie had put him through to reign in his powers.


    He heard the soft sounds of padded feet against the wood floors of his apartment before his bedroom door was slightly pushed open. The dark gray silhouette of a cat head pushed its head in as if checking on his wellbeing. Its eyes glowing iridescent green in the moonlight while it stood motionless, only the way a cat could.


    ¡°Dreaming of your lost childhood crush?¡± the cat asked in a patronizing tone.


    ¡°Screw you,¡± Dean replied casually. His half-hearted reply showing how often the cat spoke to him. If you knew their relationship you would know the cat always took a patronizing tone with him.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry and since your awake get to it,¡± the cat said sauntering into the room. Its tail flicked as it jumped up onto Dean¡¯s bed.


    ¡°It¡¯s too early for your shit. Go feed yourself,¡± Dean said as he kicked his feet to remove the cat from his bed.


    ¡°We ran out last night remember. You need to go get me more,¡± the cat replied as it leaped onto Dean¡¯s chest, looking him dead in the eye. ¡°And you still remember our arrangement, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it''s,¡± Dean said as he checked the time on his phone ¡°5 AM, nothing is open.¡±


    ¡°Pikes Place Market is open and I feel the need for some fresh fish,¡± the cat said as if it was obvious.


    ¡°That¡¯s like two busses away. It can wait,¡± Dean groaned as he pulled a pillow over his face.


    ¡°You have a contract with me and no matter how young you are. You are still bound by it.,¡± the cat said as it slowly extended its claws into Dean¡¯s chest.


    Dean could feel the force of the magical contract he made with the cat came into effect. His body felt as if it were petrified in place. The cat was flexing a power over Dean that the magical contract gave it. He knew the cat could cause much more damage through their contract if it wanted to. It could probably even kill him with it. But Dean knew he was getting the better deal with their contract.


    ¡°Repeat our pact and I will ignore your impudence this early in the day, or not and pay the consequences,¡± the cat said as if either choice worked for it.


    ¡°I, Dean Fabre freely give Aggadorf the Grimoire room and board for the extent of my life or until Aggadorf the Grimoire deigns me a Master and releases me from our pact. In return Aggadorf the Grimoire shall train me, Dean Fabre, in the use of my powers, the customs of the Grimmlands, and the use of his knowledge until he deigns me a Master or my death¡± Dean said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Good, and take that to heart. Some beings from the Grimmlands won¡¯t be as lenient as I when you give them guff over deals you freely made. No matter how slight the deals seem to you,¡± Aggadorf said as he lightly jumped off Dean. His feet padding softly across the floor as he headed to the door expecting that Dean would obey.


    ¡°Aggie works fine when repeating our pact unless you piss me off,¡± Aggie said as if in afterthought as it walked through the doorway. ¡°Now get ready, we will be leaving soon.¡±


    The door slammed shut after the cat with force. Dean frowned in confusion at that. He didn''t know much beyond that Aggie was incredibly old and knowledgeable. But it didn¡¯t actually have any real powers from what Dean had seen.

 Chapter 2

    Dean took very little time getting ready to assuage his faux pas. Only stopping long enough to take a look at himself in his bathroom mirror.


    His reflection showing an average height young man with skin just short of olive. His attempt to grow a beard a shadow of what he wished it could be, his hair kept short so he rarely had to do anything. His only distinguishing features were his brown eyes with silver flecks in them and the scar running through his right eyebrow.


    As he left the bathroom to finish getting dressed, he heard the soft sound of typing. Stopping before he entered his room, he heard Aggie call out to him saying, ¡°Plans changed, we will be stopping in Pioneer Square first.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on in Pioneer Square this early?¡± Dean asked as he walked to the living room while mostly undressed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but the main HQ sent an urgent message,¡± Aggie said still watching a message being typed out unassisted.


    ¡°What does it say?¡± Dean asked Aggie as he watched the message typed in another language.


    ¡°It says that the Baron of Washington has officially asked for the help of any local MIB agents in a magic investigation,¡± Aggie said. ¡°So put on your suit and remember the lessons on etiquette and propriety. And make sure to bring your gun and foci.¡±


    Dean hurried dressed in the government-issued black suit that had been infamously referenced by countless conspiracy theorists in blogs and accountings. He still couldn¡¯t believe that he was a member of a group that has been wrongly accused of covering up alien abductions and silencing any witnesses. Something that even he thought was hokum all his life while telling everyone who would listen that monsters were real.


    After straightening his tie, Dean checked to make sure his 9mm was left unloaded before slipping it into its side holster. Knowing that carrying an unloaded gun defeated its reason he never felt comfortable having it. Hoping that if he had to brandish his gun the threat alone would deter any possible assailants.


    He then opened an antique silver cigarette case filled with just five handcrafted nails. Each nail forged from pure iron and quenched in oil with a pentagram perfectly engraved into the head of each one. You would think that these would be part of some unholy ritual or made for evil purposes but you would be wrong. They were special ordered from a blacksmith Aggie found on Etsy.


    The reason for the pentagram was that the symbol has been widely used as a focus for spells and rituals for centuries. And that it had over time became synonymous with channeling and focusing ethereal forces. Just what Dean needed to channel his willpower through to power spells if he ever got that far. For now, they made it easier for Dean to telekinetically move around and sense.


    Closing his eyes he let his senses expand to the limit of his abilities feeling the locations of every nail in a 5-foot radius. Every single one barely a glimmer in his mind''s eye but his 5 customs one lit up. His familiarity with them making it easier for him to mentally lift them out of their case. Floating them above his hand he opened his eyes watching them hang in the air as if by hidden strings. Gently he nudged them back into their case. Placing it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket he gently patted it. All the training Aggie had put him through showing dividends in his control.


    Giving himself one more look over he felt as ready as he could be. Grabbing the car keys leaving his apartment with Aggie in the lead as they walked to their government-issued car.


    As Dean slid behind the steering wheel Aggie coughed. Dean instantly got out letting Aggie get in.


    Jumping up onto the dashboard he watched Dean trying to get comfortable behind the wheel.


    ¡°Relax unless you need me to drive,¡± Aggie said in a condescending tone.


    Taking it as an offer Dean blithely agreed to it, ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± Sliding over to the passenger side excited to see how this would work.


    Aggie watched Dean slide over. His eyes slitted as if Dean had just won an unspoken argument while staying within decorum. Aggie leaped into the driver seat his form morphing to an elderly man in a crisp black suit exactly like Deans.


    After Aggie starting the vehicle, he backed out of their parking spot with the ease of a seasoned pro.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Dean''s mind finally catching up he blurted out, ¡°You can shapeshift?!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t expect to see me like this much. I barely way anymore now than as a cat and just as physically strong,¡± Aggie told Dean as he merged into traffic. ¡°I have other forms but the cat is my original form after gaining sentience and find most natural.¡±


    ¡°Wait what,¡± Dean said perplexed. ¡°You don¡¯t need me to do all these things for you when you¡¯re in cat form¡± getting angry the more he thought about it.


    ¡°It¡¯s the essence of the apprenticeship you agreed to,¡± Aggie told Dean as if it answered all questions.


    ¡°What apprenticeship? I pay for our apartment. I cook for you that I might add you bitch about!¡± Dean getting louder and more heated. ¡°I could have been saving so much money if you didn¡¯t require so much!¡± Dean yelled. The nails in his pocket vibrating with the energy his anger was putting out.


    ¡°Everything you have is being paid with my paycheck, you receive. Why would you be making money from just getting tutelage,¡± Aggie said flatly.


    Like a bucket of ice being poured on his anger. Dean sat their stunned and a little embarrassed thinking back at his excitement of finally making headway in life. Even if it were his money, he wouldn¡¯t have that if Aggie hadn¡¯t found him destitute in an alley.


    ¡°Sorry, I always just assumed that since it was in my name that it was mine. But what you said makes sense,¡± Dean said.


    ¡°Think of it as an investment,¡± Aggie said as he signaled to take the exit leading them to Pioneer Square. ¡°Besides what do I need of a mere pittance like that. I¡¯ve been alive for centuries child, I always invest in my future.¡±


    Aggie just smirked as they drove around Pioneer Square looking for a parking spot. Every possible spot was taken except for a spot opening in front of an empty Starbucks.


    ¡°I see a spot in front of that Starbucks over there,¡± Dean pointed out. ¡°But it might be a little tight.¡±


    ¡°How serendipitous. Right in front of where we were going,¡± Aggie said. ¡°Not even magic could divine parking in this hellscape.¡±


    Aggie paralleled parked with such ease into a spot that was bumper to bumper. It bordered on the supernatural. A man walking by as they parked stopped long enough for them to get out to give Aggie a golf clap.


    ¡°Remember that we are guests here and that even though we are technically in the United States that Washington is a sovereign state in the supernatural world,¡± Aggie said for the umpteenth time.


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± Dean said still a little subdued after his realizations.


    Aggie walked up to the counter as if getting ready to order but instead stopped lowering his head in a bow. Dean watched this and took a second for it to click in that the man standing at the cash register was who they were here to see and quickly lowered his head.


    The man behind the counter was a tall young man of what looked like Norwegian descent. His hair a silver color that looked natural even with its almost unnatural color pulled into a ponytail. His eyes an icy blue as clear as a winter''s sky. But what made it known that he was the man they were meeting was his smile. But it wasn''t his smile but the teeth his lips framed. Each tooth forged from brass and engraved with a rune that emanated history and power.


    In his hands, he two cups. A frappuccino with Dean''s name and a steamy cup of coffee with Aggie¡¯s name followed with a weird symbol after it.


    ¡°Baron,¡± Aggie said in a tone that sounded almost respectful. ¡°I hope we arrived quickly enough for you.¡±


    Dean stood silently behind Aggie in the position of an apprentice.


    ¡°No need to be so uptight Aggadorf. How long have we been friends?¡± the Baron said. ¡°I even prepared you some Kopa Luwak I had flown in from my personal farm in Bali.¡±


    ¡°Baron you shouldn¡¯t have,¡± Aggie said as he quickly stepped up to the coffee grabbing it. Picking it up he slowly inhaled its scent lost in the moment.


    ¡°And for you young man, I made a regular menu item but if you would like I can make you some Kopa Luwak,¡± the Baron said to Dean.


    ¡°That is fine sir,¡± Dean said unsure of what had made Aggie so excited about the coffee.


    ¡°It would be wasted on him,¡± Aggie said finally a little aware of his surroundings. ¡°He¡¯s too young for such a refined flavor.¡±


    The Baron took off his work apron and walked around the counter to stand on the same side as them. Immediately a person appeared standing rigidly in the place that the Baron was just at.


    ¡°His coffee is made after the beans passed through an animal¡¯s digestive tract. Not for me either but selling it pays for this store,¡± the Baron said as he gesticulated around him.


    ¡°You all are just uncultured heathens, especially you,¡± Aggie said after savoring his first drink.


    ¡°HA, there he is. The man who could out eat Beelzebub,¡± the Baron laughed uproariously.


    ¡°I¡¯m a foodie, not a glutton,¡± Aggie said as dignified as only a man who was a cat could.


    Dean just stood to the side still unsure of how to act after how mortified with his realizations in the car. And now with how Aggie was acting after all those lectures about propriety and etiquette. Especially with a man who could make the United States see him as an equal.


    The Baron put out hand grasping Dean¡¯s in a manly handshake. The Baron¡¯s hand heavily calloused and muscular enveloped Dean¡¯s. His grip strength making Dean wince in a little pain but not nearly as much as what he did when he let himself feel the Baron¡¯s aura. His own aura enveloped by the sheer ancientness and power of the Baron¡¯s.


    ¡°You can call me Dorios in private. I¡¯m not like those stuffy faes and wizards who always go on about decorum and the whatnot,¡± the Baron but now Dorios said.


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± Dean said as cold sweat beaded upon his forehead. He couldn¡¯t help but take a nervous sip of his drink before daring to ask, ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°Just a normal human who has seen a little more than most,¡± Dorios said as he led the shook apprentice to a seat. ¡°We have broken bread as my custom dictates now we can talk business.¡±

 Chapter 3

    ¡°I think someone is planning to usurp my claim to Washington,¡± Dorios stated flatly. ¡°Two of my most valuable people have already been murdered.¡±


    Dean was quickly realizing whatever this man really was that he did not mince words. His actions up to this point had been almost lackadaisical until they sat down to talk business. Dean saw the mans face change from being friendly to that of strictly being business.


    ¡°Can you tell us who they were?¡± Aggie asked. A notepad and pen had magically appeared in his hands and he was poised to take fastidious notes.


    ¡°Druid Brother and his unnamed apprentice,¡± Doris said.


    ¡°Who would kill a Druid Brother?¡± Aggie asked rhetorically.


    ¡°That I don¡¯t know, she was universally liked from what I knew and after her death, her apprentice went into solitaire prayer to take up her mantle,¡± Dorios said.


    ¡°The Druid Brother was a girl?¡± Dean asked confused.


    ¡°Member of the Brotherhood of Druids go by Druid Brother after spending years as a nameless apprentice,¡± Aggie began to lecture.


    ¡°They are also pacifists and generally respected as arbiters in the supernatural world,¡± Dorios added on. ¡°Which is why I called you. We found evidence of fay magic around their bodies.¡±


    ¡°That is interesting,¡± Aggie replied as he took another sip of his poop coffee.


    ¡°Why is it interesting?¡± Dean asked. He had started reading primers on fay culture and history and their dealings with mortals.


    ¡°The fay founded the Brotherhood of Druids with children they stole and trained. Every druid can directly trace their lineage back to those children and a patron fay of the high courts,¡± Aggie said.


    ¡°The fay thinks of the druids as a kind of grandchild,¡± Dorios said. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t this kid know this Aggie,¡± Dorios asked.


    ¡°He has only been with me for a few months,¡± Aggie told Dorios. ¡°He slipped through the cracks. His mother was mortal and his father is unknown for now.¡±


    ¡°I know who my dad is,¡± Dean said indignantly.


    ¡°I mean we haven¡¯t found much on your dad to trace back your magic lineage,¡± Aggie said correcting himself.


    Dean missed it but Dorios and Aggie shared a knowing look.


    ¡°The Fay are big on family and lineage so the fact that their magic was found around the two says a lot,¡± Dorios stated. ¡°We tracked their magic to the underground near here but it ended when they moved into the Grimmlands.¡±


    ¡°What do you need us to do?¡± Aggie asked.


    ¡°I need you to find me the guilty parties but let me deal with them,¡± Dorios said with a little venom. ¡°I can¡¯t allow an attack on mine go unanswered less I will be seen weak and vulnerable.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you investigate it then?¡± Dean asked.


    As soon as he asked that he realized that he may have overstepped. He could feel Aggie tense up as he asked that question.


    Dorios stared at Dean, a vein throbbing in his forehead. Dean stared at that vein watching it pulse faster and faster, his own heartbeat hammering in his chest. The memory of Dorios¡¯s aura was still fresh and powerful in his mind. He could feel death breathing down his back as the reptile part of his brain screamed to escape. His vision became pinpricks as his senses expanded looking for any weapons to fight back with.


    The nails in his pockets were burning embers in his mind¡¯s eye as physically vibrated with his fear. Nails all around him started to show their presence to him as he felt them begin to struggle against their prisons. Wood beams began to groan. The drywall cracking as the nails pushed free.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Then a hand clasped his shoulder and all feeling of fear were washed away by a psychic presence calmed him. Dean suddenly felt exhausted as if he just ran a marathon, his heart still jackhammering in his chest. Just barely cognizant of his head resting on the table they sat at.


    ¡°Interesting power he has, but he should be careful in the presence of fay if he is that easy to goad,¡± Dorios said.


    ¡°We are working on it. He usually has better control than that but your presence is so much stronger than anything I could ever do,¡± Aggie replied.


    As Dean sat there with his head on the table, he thought of the training he did with Aggie. How Aggie had explained that his power was closely tied to everything he had experience in life given force. His very essence was actually moving the nails and that could be attributed to almost anything. His soul, chi, psychic powers, or as was most commonly referred to as magic.


    And as he thought about his reaction to whatever Dorios had done to him he couldn¡¯t but help but think of his birthday all those years ago. How helpless he felt when that monster took his friend and then tried to take him. How the very air around the creature seemed to crackle with power as it loomed over him ready to devour him as it did Bo.


    Dorios had that same domineering presence but he felt more controlled and dangerous. Dean finally began to understand all the warnings Aggie had given him. These being he would be dealing with could probably crush him with a mere thought. The thought of always kowtowing really bothered him though. If these creatures were so powerful but petty, were they really that strong?


    That thought galvanized Dean¡¯s spirit and he had to say something to Dorios. Or he would always feel weak and scared in his presence.


    Sitting up straight in the booth Dean bowed his head and said, ¡°I apologize for my uncouth words Dorios.¡± But he then looked up and stared Dorios straight in the eye, ¡°But I will not be intimidated by anything to the point of mindless obedience. Don¡¯t think I will ever be culled.¡±


    With that Dorios turned red and erupted in laughter. His hand slamming the table so hard it threatened to spill their drinks. Aggie quickly scooped up his coffee making a quite indignant and cat like hissing noise.


    ¡°Good. Good my boy,¡± Dorios managed to choke out between body shaking laughter.


    Dean couldn¡¯t help but smile in self satisfaction at Dorios reaction. But without even looking he could feel Aggie''s disapproval. He could only hope that whatever Dorios was that he wouldn¡¯t hold a grudge.


    As Dorios reigned in his mirth he couldn¡¯t help but smile at Dean as he said, ¡°After I have my vengeance on whoever attacked my people. I will help with your control issues and maybe help you stay alive a little longer than you should.¡±


    Dean couldn¡¯t tell if there was a threat hidden behind a thin veil or if Dorios was being honest with helping him. He could only pray that Dorios¡¯s smile was genuine as was the offer.


    ¡°Thanks but I think Aggie is a little annoyed with me right now,¡± Dean said.


    ¡°I think he is annoyed with both of us,¡± Dorios said. ¡°Probably talked about how you should be a model of rectitude.¡±


    ¡°He should act with some integrity and d¨¦cor,¡± Aggie said haughtily. ¡°Just because you are not so enamored with yourself that others won¡¯t be so forgiving,¡± Aggie continued.


    Dorios nodded his head in agreement with that adding, ¡°Wise words I wish I was given when I was young.¡±


    Dean felt as if there was a story behind that statement and wanted to know more. Dorios didn¡¯t look that old but he knew Aggie was at least 800 years old by his own admittance. So how old could Dorios be?


    Before Dean could ask, Dorios motioned to the man behind the counter to come forth.


    ¡°Santiago here will lead you to where we tracked the assailant,¡± Dorios said as Santiago walked up holding a manilla folder. ¡°Everything we know has been compiled for you but it''s not much. Druid Brother and nameless were my main mages and without them, my hedge mages weren¡¯t as useful.¡±


    Aggie took the manilla folder from Santiago shoving it into his suit jacket.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that whatever they found will be useful but I would like to see the sites they were murdered before tainting my views,¡± Aggie said.


    ¡°Of course you would Holmes,¡± Dorios said with a smirk.


    ¡°You won¡¯t ever let that go will you,¡± Aggie said with a sigh.


    ¡°Never,¡± Dorios replied barely holding back laughter.


    Dean sat there wanting to hear more about Aggie''s past. Dorios would be a veritable treasure trove of stories he assumed.


    As if reading Dean¡¯s mind Aggie said, ¡°Stories you will never share with my apprentice unless you want me to share yours, DORIOS.¡± Aggie emphasized Dorios¡¯s name as if that would be a clue.


    Dorios just leaned back and said, ¡°You figured that one out did you?¡±


    ¡°Yes and more. We all like to keep our histories secret, don¡¯t we?¡± Aggie said.


    ¡°We do,¡± Dorios replied. ¡°And if you will excuse me, my break is over.¡±


    Dorios stood and walked back as people started to walk in. Dean sat there perplexed about what type of man would work at Starbucks while being so powerful that he controlled a whole state.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t think too hard about Dorios and his proclivities,¡± Aggie said. ¡°He has lived longer than even some gods and still managed to keep a semblance of his humanity. He is a strange one.¡±


    ¡°How old is he then,¡± Dean asked interestedly.


    ¡°That is something he will tell you in his own time. Particularly if you figure out some of his histories without him having to share it,¡± Aggie told Dean. ¡°When being become as old as us our stories begin to shape us more than we shape our stories.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean,¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°It means this conversation is over,¡± Aggie said.


    With that Aggie ushered Dean out of the booth so they could begin Dorios¡¯s request.

 Chapter 4

    Santiago took Dean and Aggie only a short distance to an apartment complex. On entering Dean was amazed by the grandeur architecture. Aggie just walked through as if he had seen it all before. Choosing instead too closely follow Santiago.


    Dean stared at the ivory pillars carved in bas relief showing depictions of war. As he peered closer, he almost felt as if the depiction was moving. These pillars would be practically priceless if they were antiques.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so enamored with such petty opulence,¡± Dean heard Aggie call out to him. The mesmerizing effect of the pillars broken at the sound of Aggie''s voice. As Dean looked around now, he realized what he thought was classy was nothing but tacky.


    Letting his senses feel around him he could feel the charms woven into the bas carvings of the pillars. Everything in the foyer was designed and ensorcelled to keep anyone without a strong will from continuing further in.


    ¡°You get used to it,¡± Santiago said to Dean before continuing to the elevators.


    Santiago¡¯s finger traced a rune onto the mirrored door of the elevator causing it to open without the use of the call button.


    ¡°Don¡¯t attempt that. The spell is keyed to me,¡± Santiago said aloud.


    ¡°Would never dream of it,¡± Aggie said as Dean caught up to them.


    ¡°Dream of what?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Aggie said as they entered the elevator.


    As soon as Dean was in the doors closed and they began their ascent to the upper floors. Dean didn¡¯t see any button to select a floor. The elevator must have been used by only important people.


    As the elevator came to an imperceptible stop. Dean only realized the ride was over by the soft ding of a bell that sounded. The doors slip open silently but what was revealed was far from what Dean expected.


    The dense foliage hid the fact that it was a floor of the building. It even came with the loamy smell of rich earth and the sounds of wildlife inside. As they stepped out of the elevator their feet sunk slightly into the ground as the wildlife suddenly went quiet. As he looked up at the ceiling, he saw the canopy of a forest towering over him. There even appeared to be a sun peaking between branches as he saw silhouettes of small animals running across the branches.


    Turning to Aggie Dean asked, ¡°Is this the Grimmlands?¡±


    ¡°No, we are still in Seattle,¡± Santiago answered for Aggie.


    ¡°This just shows us how much the Fay love the Brotherhood of Druid,¡± Aggie stated. ¡°If you look more with your magically attuned senses Dean you will see Fay¡¯s spell work.¡±


    As Dean walked a little further into the magically made forest, he opened his mind¡¯s eye to look at the enchantments. Expecting to see beautifully woven spells or even some living hybrid of magic and plants he was disappointed.


    His magical senses had shut off his most of external senses leaving him in a dome of darkness. Smell, taste, and touch relinquished their inputs while his unique magic sense took over. Sensing nothing magical around him but the 5 nails in his pocket. Focusing on those he began feeling out beyond those and felt nails running underneath his feet in equal distance. As he wandered around, he found a wall leading to a doorway.


    Suddenly Dean heard Aggie''s voice but as if it were from underwater, ¡°DEAN. DEAN. WHERE ARE YOU.¡±


    Dean couldn¡¯t tell which direction Aggie was calling from. His sense of direction lost after the quick successions of changing sensory inputs. Letting his magical sense go, Dean opened his eyes to see Aggie and Santiago searching for him.


    ¡°I¡¯m right here,¡± Dean said. Both Aggie and Santiago quickly spun around startled by Dean¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Tell me what just happened,¡± Aggie demanded. His eyes gleaming with interest at something new to learn.


    ¡°I dunno,¡± Dean started, ¡°I tried looking at the magic of this room. But everything went dark instead. It felt like I was in a normal room. Not this forest.¡±


    ¡°Did you sense anything at all?¡± Aggie asked intrigued as he pulled a notepad out of his pocket to jot down notes.


    ¡°Kind of but where did that notepad come from?¡± Dean asked wondering what else Aggie could do.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a representation of my original form,¡± Aggie told him as he started scribbling notes. ¡°You know I¡¯m a living grimoire. I¡¯m just adding more information to my pages.¡±


    Santiago just looked on indifferently as he said, ¡°Nameless was found this way,¡± motioning to them. He started to walk away. Briefly breaking Aggie¡¯s concentration, Aggie realized he had a job before he could postulate ideas. As Santiago began started to walk away Dean and Aggie followed him.


    ¡°Tell me what happened and leave nothing out,¡± Aggie hissed at Dean.


    ¡°Can¡¯t it wait?¡± Dean asked a little disturbed at Aggie''s insistent questioning.


    ¡°No, after we leave this forest we might never be allowed back,¡± Aggie said. ¡°What just happened between your magic and Fay¡¯s is too interesting. We can take our time looking for clues but we may never get a chance to experience your magic in a setting like this.¡±


    Dean remembered his first experience with Aggie in that alley. He had been homeless and sleeping in alleys back then. Some other homeless found out that he was panhandling around their turf and were extremely territorial.


    Two of them followed Dean into the alley he had been staying. With no warning one of them grabbed Dean while the other started to strike him. The sudden onslaught of violence shocked Dean horrendously. After repeatedly hitting him, Dean collapsed on to a broken wood pallet as they started to search him for anything worth stealing.


    After taking what they wanted, one of them decided the beating wasn¡¯t finished and started to stomp on him. After the first blows rang his bell Dean began to fight back. Nails erupted from the pallet and into his assailants scaring them away. As he got up and stumbled away from his attackers as they lay screaming, their bodies resembling pincushions. As he stumbled away from his attackers, he heard a voice asking if he was ok. Barely able to see he went towards the voice praying that they would help him. He took a few steps before collapsing to the ground and saw a cat trotting up to him.


    In what he thought was a fevered dream is when he agreed to the magical contract with Aggie. In the months since then, he had been exposed to a lot but not this. Aggie excited about something besides food was a little disturbing but Dean would explain what he could.


    ¡°It felt like I was in a normal room. I could feel the nails in the ground and as I walked around, I found a wall,¡± Dean said. ¡°But then I heard your voice but it sounded weird. Like bad reception on a cell phone.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Aggie muttered.


    ¡°Any idea about what happened?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°Some,¡± Aggie said, ¡°but I want to think about it a little more.¡±


    As they continued following Santiago, they entered an open clearing in the forest. A tiny rustic cottage sat in the middle of the clearing. Its thatched roof in need of repair, the front door hung by only one hinge. It looked as if no one had lived in it for years.


    ¡°This is where we found nameless,¡± Santiago said. ¡°She came here after Druid Brother passed away to mourn.¡±


    ¡°How long ago was that?¡± Aggie asked.


    ¡°6 days ago,¡± Santiago said, ¡°and I found her dead early this morning.¡±


    ¡°Why were you here early this morning,¡± Aggie asked.


    Santiago¡¯s face turned red and his eyes misted up, ¡°Her and I are, were in a relationship,¡± he said as a tear ran down his cheek. ¡°Last night was supposed to be our last night together. Today she was to become the Druid Brother and live her life in service to the earth.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for your loss,¡± Dean said.


    ¡°Her becoming the Brother Druid was going to change our relationship, but her death,¡± Santiago said. ¡°It¡¯s unfair, it¡¯s too much.¡± He took a deep breath and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m going to wait for you at the elevator.¡±


    ¡°No, go ahead,¡± Aggie said brusquely as he stared at the cottage.


    Dean couldn¡¯t believe how rude Aggie was being. He wanted to say something but Aggie turned into his cat form. Heading to the cottage stopping every few steps to sniff the ground.


    Santiago started his trek back to the elevator using the trail they forged. Dean watched him leave but suddenly Aggie was back at his side.


    ¡°Her body is still in there but something smell wrong,¡± Aggie said. ¡°I smell rats and something but I can¡¯t find anything.¡±


    ¡°What should I look for?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°Nothing but I want you to power up a magic circle,¡± Aggie told him.


    ¡°Right here?¡± Dean questioned, ¡°Why do you want me to power one.¡±


    ¡°Not here, but in there,¡± Aggie said motioning at the cottage. ¡°I have an idea of what is happening with your power. But I¡¯m a little worried about what might show up when you power a circle.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Dean asked as started to follow Aggie to the cottage.


    ¡°If this place is what I think it is you will see,¡± Aggie told him. ¡°If it isn¡¯t you have nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°I should be worried?¡± Dean asked as he stopped following Aggie.


    ¡°Yes and no but we can talk about that later,¡± Aggie said.


    Dean peered through the doorway seeing the silhouette of a body on the floor. He swore he could already smell the body decomposing but he knew it was still too soon.


    ¡°Get in here,¡± Dean heard Aggie call out. ¡°I need you to make the circle around her body quickly.¡±


    Dean entered the dilapidated cottage looking around. Everything he saw looked as if it was rustically made. The floor was hardpacked earth and had soaked up Nameless¡¯s blood. As he ran his hand against the wall, he felt nothing but roughhewn wood. He had a sudden epiphany.


    ¡°There is no metal in here,¡± Dean said aloud.


    ¡°The Fay abhor most metals,¡± Aggie told him as he slowly scratched a circle into the floor around the corpse. ¡°Now get over here and put your foci into the circle as we practiced.¡±


    Dean agreed and walked over to the corpse and the cat and stood in the circle. Pulling out his silver case holding the nails, and flipped it open. With a flexing of his will, the nails began to levitate out of their case. Suddenly a powerful wind began blowing through the trees as the earth began to shake.


    ¡°Quickly finish the circle!¡± Aggie yelled as they heard a bestial roar coming from outside.


    Dean forced the nails all equidistant into the ground with his will with a powerful thud. If you were to connect the nails with just 5 lines you would see that Dean had just formed a pentagram. His power force into the pentagrams on the head of each nail, his magic flowed down into the circle.


    Powering it up just as the roof of the cottage was ripped off and a creature reached into to grab him.

 Chapter 5

    A transparent wall sprang up, distorting their view of the creature tearing off the roof. Its meaty hand reaching down to grab Dean slammed against the magical barrier. Dean still cowered away in fear not trusting the magic circle even though he knew magical creatures couldn¡¯t pass its border.


    As Dean took a step back Aggie quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t cross the circle¡¯s border or you will break the flow of magic.¡±


    Dean quickly realized how close he was to breaking the circle. Quickly stepping towards the middle of it he finally realized that the floor was different.


    The creature outside roared angrily causing Dean to flinch away again as he asked, ¡°What is that thing?¡±


    ¡°It looks like a spirit of the forest,¡± Aggie said as he investigated Nameless¡¯s corpse. ¡°Can you turn over the body for me, I think I see something.¡±


    Dean took his eyes off of the spirit as it bashed its body against the barrier. The fleshy banging oddly distorted and tinny sounding.


    As he reached down to flip the corpse to face up Dean asked, ¡°What the hell happened when I empowered the circle? Were suddenly on hardwood floors and my magic circles never had a visual effect.¡±


    Aggie looked up at him and seemed to be smiling in his cat form as he said, ¡°I know, it¡¯s incredibly fascinating but I already figured that out.¡± He then went on, ¡°But this is what we are here for.¡±


    ¡°What is happening with me using my magic?¡± Dean asked in a demanding tone.


    Aggie looked up at him and in a condescending tone, ¡°Your magic is focused through iron nails. Iron is the antithesis of most creatures from beyond the veil of mortality.¡± He then looked back down to the body and continued, ¡°Your magic dispels fay magic.¡±


    ¡°Wait you''re saying this forest and that creature is Fay magic?¡± Dean asked looking back at the Spirit. He watched it for a second longer as it huffed and puffed before it walked away.


    ¡°No this is a real forest that they somehow overlapped with the apartment,¡± Aggie said as he pawed the corpse. ¡°We are in both places at once. Physically we are in the apartment but magically we are traveling within their forest.¡±


    Dean stood watching Aggie as he examined the corpse. Soft thumping could be heard coming from outside the circle. The spirit came strutting through the forest dragging a hunk of wood. As he came closer to the circle Dean could make out what looked like the pieces of vehicle embedded into it.


    ¡°Aggie the spirit is back with a weapon,¡± Dean stammered.


    ¡°Spirit made weapons can''t break the circle,¡± Aggie said as he continued pawing the corpse. ¡°Found it!¡±


    ¡°What about part of a tree with pieces of a car stuck in it,¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°That would work but spirits would never use weapons made with metal,¡± Aggie said without looking up from whatever he found on the body of the corpse.


    ¡°This one is,¡± Dean said with a shaky voice.


    ¡°This one is what,¡± Aggie asked in a perturbed voice.


    The spirit began to strain as it picked up its weapon. The idea that a spirit of the forest ever using a weapon made with metal opposed the very essence of the natural order. Its eyes began to glow as it struggled to lift its club.


    ¡°Start channeling as much of your will into the circle NOW!¡± Aggie screamed.


    Without a second guess, Dean started channeling everything he had into nails powering the circle. The very air grew heavy as the barrier became opaque. Energy started building up in the circle as Dean¡¯s metaphysical powers filled the circle. The pressure built up to the point Dean couldn¡¯t breathe but he still kept channeling power into the circle.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Thinking he couldn¡¯t take anymore the circle was struck erupting in a force that knocked him to the ground. Barely missing Nameless¡¯s corpse he found himself in an empty apartment facing the chrome elevator doors.


    His body felt as if he just ran a marathon after a boxing match. As he laid on the floor he looked over at Aggie as he began gnawing at the hand of Nameless.


    ¡°What are you doing,¡± Dean wheezed out disgustedly as he watched Aggie dismember the corpse.


    With the hand no longer connected to the corpse, the illusion was broken. A pile of dead rats is all that was left of Nameless¡¯s corpse. Aggie then started digging through the rats as Dean gagged from the smell.


    ¡°What the hell just happened?¡± Dean asked as he struggled to get away from the mound of rotting rats.


    ¡°I told you I smelled rats,¡± Aggie said as she pulled a tiny doll from underneath the rat.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain what just happened,¡± Dean said as he leaned against a wall.


    ¡°Someone kidnapped Nameless but cast a spell to make it appear that she was murdered,¡± Aggie said. ¡°The pile of rats to represent death. A simulacrum to represent her body,¡± he stated as he motioned to each to each pile. ¡°And finally her hand. Branded with a curse before being removed and left to power the spell.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Dean replied, ¡°But what happened with the forest.¡±


    ¡°You created a magical emp that disrupted the spell,¡± Aggie said just as something began to pound on the elevator doors.


    They both simultaneously looked at the chrome elevator doors as it was struck again by something heavy. Both doors buckled a little letting whatever was on the other side look through spotting the pair.


    ¡°I SEES YOU,¡± a booming voice echoed as the eye blinked. The pounding on the elevators resumed. Wood pounding on the door echoed loudly in the apartment.


    ¡°Shit the elevator door protected the portal from you,¡± Aggie stated. ¡°We can¡¯t take that in an upfront battle. We need to figure a way out.¡±


    The elevator was the way they got up here and quite possibly there the only exit. Aggie quickly changed into his human form as he started opening the few doors the open floor plan had. Every room he checked was mostly empty except for a few intricately carved pictographs on the wood floor. Aggie looked longingly at those pictographs and the secrets he could have gleaned from them. If there was time.


    Dean collected his nails from the circle that had been burned into the floor after the magical energies exploded out. Stumbling to the kitchen, Dean opened every cabinet then checked every drawer hoping to find anything to fight the creature.


    He found nothing. The spirit was close to breaking down the elevator doors. Dean could clearly see the hulking body as it slammed its club against the doors careful not to touch the metal.


    As he leaned back against the stove, he racked his brains on what to do. The blinking timer on the microwave driving him insane as he listened to the drip of the faucet. Checking the stove he was in luck it was gas. Like a lightning bolt, he had an idea, something he saw in an old movie.


    He screamed at Aggie, ¡°Start filling the bathtub. I have a plan.¡±


    He then started pulling the stove clear from the wall until he had access to the back of it. Cutting the gas lines he immediately saw the fumes begin to rise.


    ¡°There¡¯s no bath plug in here,¡± Aggie yelled back.


    ¡°Figure it out,¡± Dean yelled back.


    Dean was beginning to panic. If he didn¡¯t figure out a way to stall the spirit, his plan would fail. Looking around for anything his eyes stopped on the iron grates for the burners. Grabbing 3 of the 4 burners he rushed to the elevator, tossing one through the gap hitting the spirit.


    ¡°AAAGGHHH!¡± the spirit screamed, ¡°CHEATY LITTLE HUE MAN,¡± it bellowed in rage.


    Where the iron touched the spirit, an angry red burn appeared on its green skin. Screaming in range it swatted the offending iron deeper into the forest. Then shoving his club through the doors trying to hit Dean.


    Dean almost casually tossed the next one at the spirit''s hand as if he were playing ring toss. The iron guard landed squarely on the spirit''s hand eliciting another scream of pain. Dropping the club halfway in the apartment with a loud thunk. He fancied the thought of dragging the log onto his side but the spirit grabbed it wrenching it up and back widening the hole significantly.


    Dean took this as his last chance to stall the beast throwing the iron at the spirit¡¯s face. The spirit managed to dodge the iron as it saw Dean clearly. Smiling, its tusks making its face look like an Oni¡¯s mask at seeing Dean weaponless.


    It renewed the assault on the elevator door with manic fervor. The doors barely staying in place, the spirit still too afraid to tempt crossing and injuring itself. Dean briefly thought of using his nails to attack the spirit but he would temporarily be magicless. He also wasn¡¯t sure if he had enough in him to levitate the nails to attack.


    Just as he was going to attempt to levitate his nails alarms started going off in the kitchen. The gas had finally built up enough for the sensors to register them and let people know they should exit the building.


    Dean rushed back to the kitchen to throw the last iron guard into the microwave with a couple loose dollars to help catch fire. Setting the timer he ran to the bathroom just as Aggie was walking out.


    ¡°Why are there klaxons going,¡± Aggie began to ask as Dean tackled him into the bathroom.


    Slamming the door shut he turned the shower on as he shoved Aggie into the tub screaming, ¡°Get small!¡± Jumping into the thankfully deep jacuzzi tub and held his breath and went under.

 Chapter 6

    Just as Dean¡¯s head went underwater the microwave started to spark and catch fire. The cloud of gas caught fire with a powerful whoomph. The door to the bathroom door was blown off it hinges as every window was blown out by the gas explosion.


    Dean felt an explosion hit before he heard the explosion. Even underwater it was loud enough to make Dean¡¯s ears ring like he had tinnitus. The water rocked violently in the tub slamming Dean and Aggie around as the water sloshed out of the tub.


    Aggie forced his way free of Dean as spluttered and coughed from suddenly having Dean hold him under in cat form. His fur was wet and bedraggled as the broken shower head poured water over them. Dean came out of the water opening and closing his mouth trying to get his ears to pop and stop the ringing. A bestial scream coming from the elevator. The crackling of fire creating a staccato rhythm accompanying the scream.


    ¡°WHAT DID YOU DO,¡± Aggie screamed at Dean to heard over the death wails.


    Dean stared at what was left of the door frame ignoring Aggie¡¯s question. Surprised at how much damage the gas explosion caused he felt lucky that he wasn¡¯t caught up in it. Slowly climbing out of the tub he checked over his body for any injuries. Looking down at Aggie he couldn¡¯t even laugh at the appearance of a drowned cat from the amount of panic he was going through.


    Aggie looked up at Dean seeing his eyes wide open and round. His pupils dilated and breathing quickly Aggie realized that Dean would be no help without taking his mind off of the explosion.


    ¡°Dean, I need you to take a deep breath and focus on your meditative training on controlling your emotions,¡± Aggie said calmly. ¡°Sit down and focus on your training.¡±


    Dean leaned against the wall sliding into a sitting position as he closed his eyes. Like a man in a trance, he followed Aggie¡¯s directions as he had done before countless times. The nails in his pocket lit up in his mind eye with a calming light. His erratic heartbeat slowing down as he started taking slow even breaths. Gaining the ability to think again Dean felt himself shivering uncontrollably. The aftereffect of his system being drained of magic, adrenaline, and coming so close to death.


    Dean slowly opened his eyes to look back at Aggie and said, ¡°Thanks for that.¡±


    Aggie sat there staring at Dean wanting to tell him how impressed he was with how quickly he pulled himself together. Dean barely had any training and skill with focusing his powers inward but somehow had managed to do it. He managed to force his will upon his body, not letting his biologic responses control him. In Aggie¡¯s opinion, this was a major step in becoming a fully fledged wizard.


    But instead, he said, ¡°I will be expecting a nice tuna steak dinner as repayment.¡±


    Dean couldn¡¯t help but laugh a little at Aggie''s predictable statement replying with, ¡°Got it.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The smoke began to build creating a haze in the air. Dean slowly began to stand back up after gathering himself when hidden sprinklers went off. The fire diminished Dean popped his head out of the bathroom to see if they had any more surprises.


    The lower half of the Spirit''s charred remains hung out of the destroyed elevator. Having survived the blast it must have severely injured and attempted to crawl back through the portal. Dark greasy smears trailing from behind it. Once halfway through, the portal must have stopped working, cleanly bisecting the spirit. Dean stared at the remains of the first thing he ever killed. His panic rising he began his breathing exercises again as he turned to Aggie.


    ¡°What happened to the portal?¡± Dean asked a little unsure of why it was gone.


    ¡°The water from sprinkler washed away magic,¡± Aggie began, ¡°as it put out the fire. But the fire possibly weakened it. Either way, the water and fire should obfuscate any traces of your magic and me.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Dean asked a little worried.


    ¡°You probably pissed off all of the Northwest Fays by lighting a Spirit of the Forest on fire,¡± Aggie stated. ¡°It probably doesn¡¯t help you destroyed a very expensive magical construct also,¡± he continued as he looked around at the damage.


    ¡°What are we going to do about this?¡± Dean whined to Aggie.


    ¡°What you did is your problem, not mine,¡± Aggie stated matter of fact. ¡°As for mitigating this situation, we need to find out whatever happened to Nameless and hopefully use that to help with peace talks.¡±


    ¡°What about what Dorios wants,¡± Dean asked thinking about who asked them to investigate this.


    ¡°We find out who to Nameless and give them to him,¡± Aggie said. ¡°Now get the hand from the tub we need to figure a way out of here before anybody else shows up.¡±


    Looking into the tub Dean went to retrieve the hand. Seeing it jammed unceremoniously into the drain he gagged a little thinking of the bit of water he swallowed when he jumped into the tub. Pulling it out he held it daintily by its thumb unsure of how to store it.


    ¡°Quit being a sissy and wrap it in your coat,¡± Aggie admonished Dean.


    Following Aggie¡¯s orders as he followed him out of the bathroom. Getting a better view of the aftereffects of Dean¡¯s plan proved the efficiency of his plan. The fire was out in the kitchen the natural gas thankfully off from fail safes. The stove was blown clear through the room smashing into the wall close to the elevator. Slivers of light coming through from the smashed wall.


    Aggie saw it first and ran to it with Dean following closely from behind. Dean began breaking chunks of the wall free giving Aggie enough room to squeeze through.


    "There is a fire escape not far from here," Aggie called from the other side of the wall.


    Dean proceeded with smashing a hole into the wall large enough for him to crawl through. Dean climbed through the hole covered in drywall dust that was slowly turning into a paste.


    Aggie was already to the fire door watching as Dean jogged to it leaving a clear trail to how they escaped.


    "We need to burn your clothes as soon as we get home," Aggie said. "And you need to shower too."


    "OK, but why," Dean asked.


    "The Fay have powerful divination spells and their ability to track," Aggie told him.


    "What about our car," Dean asked.


    "We need to get rid of it," Aggie said as Dean pushed open the heavy metal door.


    Running down the stairs Dean realized his phone was still in his pocket. Pulling it out he checked to see if it still worked. The screen flashed for the briefest of seconds before going black.


    As they continued down the fire escape they started hearing other floors starting to use the exit. The sound of people excitedly talking about what was happening echoed loudly.


    Aggie bumped his body into Dean''s leg and murmured, "try to blend in," as the crowd of escapees surrounded them.

 Chapter 7

    Pushing through the crowded foyer, Dean tried to keep a close eye on Aggie while scanning the room. Spotting Santiago in a corner of the room near a door with his cell phone pressed tightly to his face. Dean lifted a hand and began waving at him trying to get his attention.


    As soon as Santiago saw Dean, he said something into his phone before hanging up. Waving to Dean to come over he exited through a door he was near.


    Letting Aggie know he saw Santiago and that they should follow him Dean began forging a path to him. Reaching the door Dean stopped and read a sign on it.


    ¡°Not an EXIT,¡± it said.


    Dean pushed open the door letting Aggie through first before slipping through it. Santiago stood on the other side texting someone before putting his phone back in his pocket.


    ¡°Boss says you guys pissed off a lot of people with whatever you did,¡± Santiago said. ¡°and that he can¡¯t help you anymore beyond getting you to your car.¡±


    ¡°That will work,¡± Aggie replied.


    Santiago took off in a slow jog down the hallway before stopping in front of a normal looking door. Opening it up to some rickety stairs that lead underground.


    ¡°Follow this tunnel until you come to a metal door with a keypad,¡± Santiago said. ¡°Code is 1337.¡±


    Dean chuckled a little at the passcode before muttering, ¡°leetspeak.¡±


    Aggie looked up at Dean confusedly. Then spoke to Santiago saying, ¡°Tell Dorios that his help is greatly appreciated and that we are in his debt for any issues to his rule we caused.¡±


    Aggie took off down the stairs as Dean nodded his head in thanks to Santiago before following him down.


    The door shut and locked behind them after they started down the stairs. Dim lights hung along the wall casting dynamic shadows across the brick walls. As they went deeper the wall became rough hewn rock before the stairs leveling out.


    Aggie padded ahead stopping at an intersection of the tunnel before moving on to the next tunnel to listen. Dean followed behind closely. Stopping whenever Aggie stopped and straining his own ears to try and hear anything.


    Making it to the door without incident Dean decided to ask, ¡°What did you hear?¡±


    Aggie replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but something is down here hammering.¡±


    Entering the passkey and opening a door they were met with a ladder. Climbing the ladder Dean struggled with a manhole cover that opened up to an alley next to Dorios¡¯s Starbucks. Heading straight to the car they heard sirens in the distance. Looking towards the sound Dean could still see smoke coming from the building they had escaped.


    A short car ride later, Dean burst through his front door stripping out of his crusty suit. Tossing it in a tiny BBQ he doused it liberally in lighter fluid and burned it. Still feeling grimy he still had to wait for Aggie to finish showering.


    His eyes suddenly heavy he couldn¡¯t believe the day they already had. Checking the time, it was barely past 9 am when it felt like 9 pm. With little to do but wait for his turn Dean sat at the kitchen table and closed his eyes for a little rest.


    Dean was 11 again. Running from the monster that took his best friend from him. Looking over his shoulder to see how close the monster was but it had changed. It was the Spirit of the Forest now wielding a tree like an ax. The blade of the ax was made from the hood of an old car. Flattened and sharpened but for sure the hood of an old car.


    As the Spirit chased him, he could feel the wind from the swing of its ax ruffling his hair. Pushing himself harder, Dean ran up the impossibly steep hill thinking that salvation was ahead. Cresting the hill he stumbled onto the train tracks. Cutting his hands and knees and bleeding on the trellises.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Pushing up to his hands and knees he felt the Spirits footstep on him. Pinning him to the tracks as it laughed at his pitiful struggles to free himself.


    As Dean fought and squirmed his hand felt a loose train track spike and he suddenly remembered what happened next. He would pull that spike out with his powers and impale the monster with it. His tormentor would scream and thrash as the iron burned it letting him escape.


    Once home he would cry to his mom about what had happened. How a monster attacked him and took Bo. That they needed to go back and help Bo but none of this would happen. Instead, police were called then Bo¡¯s father. Dean would repeat his story of the monster in the drainage pipe to them and beg his mother to believe him.


    Dean was told that whatever took Bo was a monster but not a real one. It was a man and that they would find whoever took his friend and attacked him. But Dean knew the truth and he never changed his story no matter how many times he told it.


    But they didn¡¯t believe him.


    Nobody did.


    Ever.


    He became the kid who believed in monsters. The boy that was still afraid of the dark and things that go bump in the night. But the worst were the whispers and rumors. He was the kid who killed his only friend. The murder. The sadist.


    Dean remembered all of this in his dream and still reached out for the spike to protect himself but it didn¡¯t move. The creature on his back laughed at his pitiful attempt at grabbing a weapon and brought the ax down into his back.


    Startled awake from his impending doom Dean sat straight up. Only to be looking straight at Aggie sitting on the kitchen table. He could feel the streaks of tears on his face and quickly wiped them away as he coughed a little to clear his throat.


    Aggie chose to speak first, ¡°Whatever happened to your friend was not your fault. You were a child face with a monster that was insurmountably stronger than you but you managed to escape and your friend didn¡¯t.¡± Aggie sighed a little and continued, ¡°Don¡¯t feel guilty about that. It hurts to survive when your loved ones don¡¯t but you can¡¯t let that guilt hold you back. Take it from someone who knows about survivor¡¯s guilt.¡±


    Dean sat there for a minute and absorbed what Aggie just shared. He never talked about his past or why he was a talking cat or called the grimoire. Or the fact that he could turn into a human either. Dean realized that he knew nothing of Aggie and his past but he knew so much about his.


    ¡°How do you know how I feel,¡± Dean asked.


    Dean felt like Aggie was starting to open up to him. He caught a glimpse of what it must be like to be so old. So ancient. To see generations begin and end as he continued to live.


    ¡°When you¡¯re older I might share more about my past,¡± Aggie said then added, ¡°Go shower so there is nothing left for us to be tracked by.¡±


    Dean obliged and headed straight to the shower. Cranking it as hot as he could stand so that the water would dispel any magical tracking on him. But also purify the guilt he still felt from his dream.


    Exiting the steamy bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist he looked to see what Aggie was working on.


    The hand of Nameless sat palm up in the middle of a circle surrounded by 4 symbols. Each symbol, equally placed matching a cardinal direction. Walking a little closer Dean could see a fifth symbol carved into the palm of the hand.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Dean asked Aggie. A little disgusted to see the cut in the hand bleeding as if it still had a heartbeat.


    ¡°She is still alive and still connected to her hand,¡± Aggie began. ¡°It''s how that simulacrum spell of her dead fooled everyone.¡±


    ¡°Ok but that isn¡¯t explaining anything to me,¡± Dean replied.


    ¡°It will if you let me finish,¡± Aggie replied back sharply. ¡°Someone abducted Nameless and made it look like she was dead using a mixture of magics. The wooden doll was the representation of her to anchor the spell to that spot.¡±


    ¡°Like a voodoo doll?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°Yes and no,¡± Aggie said before continuing as if he was not interrupted. ¡°The doll is what created the simulacrum that we saw, felt, and smelled. The rats were for the dead organic mass that made the spell feel real. And her hand was added to make it smell and look like her.¡±


    ¡°But that still doesn¡¯t explain what you are doing,¡± Dean said but intrigued with where this was going.


    ¡°I¡¯m using this as a lesson,¡± Aggie replied in his commonly use patronizing voice he used while teaching. ¡°What are the three most common parts of a spell?¡±


    ¡°Physical, mental, and spiritual,¡± Dean answered back.


    ¡°YES EXACTLY,¡± Aggie yelled excitedly. ¡°Physical are the rats, mental is the carved foci, and her hand is the spiritual aspect! That means she is still alive and connected to this hand! This was a wizards spell that used Nameless¡¯s magic as a part of it!¡±


    ¡°OK but,¡± Dean began before being interrupted.


    ¡°That means with this spell circle and a little power from you we can turn her hand into a compass,¡± Aggie ranted. ¡°We can find her and whatever Fay cast this spell!¡±


    ¡°OK, but does that mean whoever has her can track the hand back to us?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°Only if she is helping them,¡± Aggie said. ¡°Between the bathtub and the sprinklers, any tracking spells they could use would need her to give them directions to us.¡±


    As he finished his rant and lesson something pounded on their front door with the force of a giant. The room shook from the violent knock as Dean swallowed his scream.

 Chapter 8

    Dean grabbed his silver cigarette case that held his nails before checking the peephole on the door. A man wearing biker¡¯s spandex and a helmet stood there looking up at the peephole as if he knew Dean was on the other side. His bike a silvery color was resting against a pillar unlocked.


    Opening his cigarette case, Dean opened the door. Aggie had positioned himself to be in direct line of sight to their visitor ensuring that he would be spoken to first. Dean finished opening the door using it to shield him from view, ready to attack at a moment¡¯s notice.


    The man standing in the doorway still wore his helmet. Forcing the tips of ears to poke out of his hair. The pointed tips clearly showing that he was fay and somehow managed to track them back to their home.


    ¡°Good day, I¡¯m here to mediate issues with agent apprentice Dean Fabre. I appear under on behalf of Lady Andromeda appointed lord under Queen Titania of the Summer Court,¡± the spandex-clad fay said. His back was straight as he spoke looking directly at Aggie. ¡°I come under the banner of peace and ask the host to permit me to enter his abode.¡±


    Before Dean could speak Aggie replied, ¡°We welcome you into our home under the banner of peace. Any refreshments are freely given and hold no quid pro quo upon you holding no malicious intent on anyone in our home,¡± Aggie said.


    ¡°I acquiesce,¡± the man said eloquently.


    ¡°Before you enter may we know the name of the being that knows ours?¡± Aggie replied while holding a paw up causing the mand to stop in his tracks.


    The man nodded his headed and spoke a sound that sounded like leaves being rustled by a soft breeze. Afterward, he said, ¡°From what I have come to understand is that my name is impossible to speak by most mortals so you may call me by my mortal given name. Anil.¡±


    Dean bit back his laughter at the name Anil. His body shaking as Anil walked into the apartment ignoring Dean.


    ¡°Would you like any refreshments while we parley?¡± Aggie asked in a gentlemanly voice.


    ¡°A glass of water would be nice,¡± Anil said as he took his bike helmet off. ¡°From Pikes Place Market and a nice tuna steak.¡±


    ¡°What,¡± Dean asked perplexed by the weird order.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Aggie said followed with, ¡°My apprentice will gladly fetch any other requests you have.¡±


    ¡°No that should be enough for my needs,¡± Anil said.


    ¡°You have my leave apprentice,¡± Aggie said turning to Dean.


    Dean went to say something but felt that Aggie push a little onto their magical contract. A slight tightening in his chest before it was gone gave something to think about before opening his mouth. A knowing look from Aggie is all Dean needed. His train of thought thinking of the words Aggie used.


    Parley meant they were talking about something like a duel. A word he only knew from a movie about pirates and zombies Keira Knightly. Or was it Natalie Portman, he thought to himself. It didn¡¯t matter. Whatever they were talking about hopefully led to something less violent than a nation of creature from legends and myths out for his head.


    Rushing to his room Dean quickly through on some of his normal clothing. Brown pants a t-shirt and a pair of green suede tennis shoes he didn¡¯t even himself a second look before grabbing his wallet and silver cigarette case and out the front door. The door slammed shut and the deadbolt clicked locked before Dean realized he had forgotten his keys hanging on the door. The keys they had to see when they had locked him out.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Without access to the car, Dean could have taken the bus but that may take too long. He could attempt to run the mile and half there and then back with the groceries but knew it would be even slower. Looking at Anil¡¯s mercurial colored bike he felt he could be there and back before they noticed the bike missing.


    Hopping on the bike his foot touched barely pressed against the pedal and he could feel the world rush by him. Slamming the brakes he skidded to a stop a block away from his apartment. His face flushed in excitement as he understood the Fay¡¯s name. The sound of wind rushing past his head as he sped along on the bike.


    His foot back on the pedal he attempted to be more careful on fast he traveled. With a trepidatious push, he zoomed down the bike path. The bike swerving through the crowd as if it had a mind of its own. Quickly becoming accustomed to the speed he felt free like the wind. And like that, he was at Pikes Place and then past it as he pushed the bike faster and further.


    The world blurred and Dean felt that the bike still wanted to go faster. The wind in his ears became a loud roar as it attempted to rip him from the bike. Trying to slow down, the brakes jammed as the bike pushed to go faster.


    Panic setting him, Dean felt as if he was riding a tornado. Attempting to free his feet from the pedals it felt as if they didn¡¯t want to let go of him. The bike swerved in and out of traffic and at times going against traffic. The ride becoming a dangerous game of chicken where Dean had lost control.


    The wind pressure stealing his breath Dean lowered his head letting the bike take the lead. Breathing in and out slowly to hold his fear at bay he opened his mind¡¯s eye to feel his nails. In his mind, the bike took on an amorphous form running across the skies free as a bird. Forging past this disconcerting sight he felt for the cigarette case holding his nails. Each nail brightening up as they responded to his call.


    The bike began to swerve back and forth as it felt his iron touched powers. It began to slow down as Dean began to pull on the iron nails in his pocket. The framed started to shake as if in fear of what was in Dean¡¯s pocket before stopping in front of a convenience store in Ballard.


    Dean leaped off the bike, letting it fall onto the ground. Watching it as it laid there he wasn¡¯t fooled by this inanimate farce. Pulling a nail out of his pocket he held it up to a tire as if he was going to pop it. He watched it mercurial paint almost imperceptibly shiver.


    ¡°Take me Pikes Place Market and then home,¡± he whispered to the bike, ¡°so I can get what Anil asked for.¡±


    Putting the iron nail back into his pocket Dean watched the mercurial paint become silverish and subdued. It''s impish nature being cowed.


    Picking the bike back up he felt the power within it still begging to be free to soar through the skies. Quickly shutting off his mind¡¯s eye he climbed on the bike letting it take the lead. Rushing through the streets Dean knew he could take control but let the bike lead.


    Grabbing the tuna steak from Pike¡¯s Place Market was easy. The glass of water not so much. Grabbing a souvenir glass and a bottle of water. Praying this would count.


    Hopping on to the bike he let it once again take the lead as it took him home. Resting it back where Anil had it he stood in front of his own door poised to knock. His knuckles were close to the door as it swung open. As if Anil was answering his own door.


    Reaching down to the plastic grocery bag in Dean¡¯s hand he opened it. ¡°Not exactly what I asked for but it will work.¡± Reaching into the bag he pulled out the tuna steak placing it in Dean¡¯s hands before saying, ¡°The tuna steak Aggie asked for.¡±


    Walking by Dean he put his helmet back on and picked up his bike. The dull silver of the bike backing to its mercurial tone at his touch. Anil¡¯s hand lightly running the length of the bike with a lover''s caress.


    ¡°Zephyrus says he enjoyed your little jaunt,¡± Anil said.


    ¡°Who,¡± Dean replied.


    ¡°Zephyrus the west wind,¡± Anil said, ¡°My steed. But he also says to be careful who you threaten with your nasty little magic.¡±


    Before Dean could reply Anil and his bike were gone. The sound of wind rustling through the trees is all he heard.


    Turning around Aggie sat on the steps looking up at him.


    ¡°We have a lot to discuss,¡± Aggie said before turning around and walking back into the house.


    Dean walked back in holding the steak, wondering what they had to talk about. And how Anil knew about the meal he owed Aggie.

 Chapter 9

    After listening to Aggie explain what was discussed Dean had just one question, ¡°Was Anil¡¯s bike alive?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Aggie replied, ¡°From what I know Anil¡¯s bike is a young wind spirit that has taken on the form of a bike.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s a member of Andromeda''s court,¡± Dean followed up with.


    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Aggie said looking at Dean suspiciously. ¡°What did you do while we were talking?¡±


    Dean then went on to explain his predicament when he left the house. Everything that happened that led up to him threatening the bike with an iron nail.


    ¡°Does that mean I screwed up the treaty already,¡± Dean asked with a lead weight in his stomach.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so,¡± Aggie replied in a somber tone. ¡°In three days¡¯ time we have to find Nameless and you have to face Anil in combat until someone dies. And you can¡¯t use your iron nails.¡±


    Dean couldn¡¯t believe that without being told of the truce that was worked out that he would still be held responsible for what happened. He felt tricked by Anil and Zephyr but knew deep down he made the choice to ride the bike without permission. His action was similar to so many fairytales he heard in his childhood.


    His head in his hands Dean sat on the couch trying to figure out a way out of this. Aggie padded up to him putting a paw on his arm in solace.


    ¡°I think I have a plan but we need to get you out of the battle to the death,¡± Aggie said. ¡°But we need to find Nameless first.¡±


    Dean looked at Aggie, trying to let all of his worries and stress go. Nodding his head in affirmation he stood up and shook it out.


    ¡°Ok, let''s get to work then,¡± Dean said. Brushing some nonexistent dust off his pants, stretched, and walked back to Nameless¡¯s hand. Looking down at the spell circle. A little confused he pulled the nails out of his case and looked back at Aggie.


    ¡°Put one in the center of each rune and place the final one in the palm of the hand,¡± Aggie directed to Dean.


    ¡°Now as you power the circle imagines the nail pointing to wherever Nameless is,¡± Aggie began. ¡°Then repeat after me as you keep that image in your mind.¡±


    Aggie¡¯s voice took on a somber nuance as he said, ¡°nunc inveniri potest facere quod perierat.¡±


    Stumbling over the words Dean finished the incantation. Feeling power flood from his core, Dean went weak in his knees. This was by far the most complex spell he had ever cast.


    ¡°Now break the circle and grab the nail and hand,¡± demanded Aggie. ¡°The nail should pull a little as you hold it and Nameless¡¯s hand. It should lead you to her but it only points in a straight line.¡±


    As Aggies finished his explanation Dean broke the circle with his foot. An explosion of power erupted from the circle as both of them were blown back. The circle left a smoking crater in the middle of the floor.


    Sitting up Dean coughed as he looked at the wreckage of their kitchen. His chairs lay broken in a heap after smashing against the wall. His table virtually undamaged but everything that sat on flung off including Aggie.


    Ignoring everything else he rushed to Aggie¡¯s body as it lay limply in a pile of broken wood. Picking him up gently Dean couldn¡¯t feel him breathing. Thinking that a veterinarian could Dean got up ready to rush to one.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Aggie,¡± Dean said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna get you to a vet and fix you up.¡±


    At this Aggie opened his eye and said, ¡°What could a vet do to help me, I¡¯m a living grimoire. Not a pet.¡±


    Dropping Aggie quickly Dean said, ¡°But you weren¡¯t breathing.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°I only ever appear to breathe,¡± Aggie replied. ¡°It makes me seem more lifelike and trustworthy.¡±


    ¡°That is just weird,¡± Dean said looking a little more closely at Aggie.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You need to find out where the nail went as I study what is left of the circle,¡± Aggie said. Walking past Dean he began to sniff the charred remains of the floor. Before making his way to the center of it. From what appeared to be remnants of a hand.


    Dean watched Aggie for just the briefest of seconds before having to turn away disgusted by what looked like a hand. Unsure of what to do to find the nail, Dean did what he knew best. He relaxed his mind as reached out to his nails.


    The 4 nailed into the ground lit up like little suns to his senses. But as he attempted to pull them free of the ground his head felt as if it was being split by an ax. His concentration broke, his grip on the nails slipped as his headache quickly abated.


    He had dealt with this before when he had no control of his magic. He had used his powers too much in too short of time. His mind and soul needed time to rest before he could really rest and recoup. Sensing them would be all he could do.


    While going to grab a hammer out of the junk drawer he saw a hole in his wall. Knowing the other side was his bathroom he ran his hand against the hole. Opening up his sense he felt for his nail. Dim lights lit up as he felt all the studs in the wall as his mind pushed past them. Through the wall, he felt emptiness and then a flicker of light that he was familiar with. His nail was on the other side but only half of it.


    Going into his bathroom he saw his nail. Stuck point down through the mirror. A slight rippling in the mirror surrounded the nail. As the ripple radiated out from the nail the mirror had shattered.


    Reaching out to grab the nail from the mirror he pulled on it a little. It came free in his hand, the bottom half missing. The mirror suddenly shattered spraying shards of glass everywhere.


    With the sound of shattering glass Aggie came running to see what happened. Looking at Dean holding half of a nail and the shattered mirror dust glittering he figured out where Nameless was.


    ¡°She is being held in the god damn Grimmlands,¡± Aggie said. His voice full of venom.


    ¡°You mentioned the Grimmlands before,¡± Dean said, ¡°but refused to tell me anything about it.¡±


    ¡°I know because,¡± Aggie began, ¡°it¡¯s a lot to unpack and almost impossible to understand.¡±


    Aggie then went onto explain to Dean the intricacies of the Grimmlands. It all basically boiled down to a gestalt of myths, legends, and stories that created a world next to ours. After going by names likes Tartarus, Valhalla, Never Never, and countless others it was given a name after its most recent explorers, the Brothers Grimm. Hence the Grimmlands. A world connected through reflective surfaces with ours that does not follow the same rules.


    His mind swimming with information Dean laid on the couch. Aggie still in full Professor Cat mode continued with lectures on esoteric theories of how the two worlds actually formed. Dean closed his eyes as the morning caught up with him and he fell asleep.


    Blessedly dreamless Dean''s nap was interrupted by a plate being set heavily down on a coffee table. The smell of tuna steak marinated in soy ad honey-filled Dean''s nose. Opening his eyes he looked over to a plate with a fork.


    Aggie sat down next to him in his own human form with his own plate in hand.


    ¡°Eat up, we have a lot to do still,¡± Aggie said.


    Dean grabbed the plate Aggie sat out for him. The gentle texture of the lightly seared steak mixed with the sweet and salty marinade made him moan in ecstasy. Finishing his meal quickly Dean watched Aggie slowly finish his own.


    ¡°If you can cook like that,¡± Dean said as he swiped a finger through the remnants of his meal to lick it clean. ¡°Why do you have me cook at all?¡±


    Setting his plate down Aggie responded, ¡°I promised all of my knowledge to you. And cooking is possibly the most important one.¡± Leaning back on the couch he continued, ¡°anyone can cook but to make a true meal one must understand the essence of each ingredient. It''s the most prized skill I learned after my family gone to the passage of time. I was a fount of magical knowledge but with zero abilities to use it. Cooking is something I can do.¡±


    ¡°But you said you have multiple forms,¡± Dean said. ¡°Changing forms is totally magic.¡±


    ¡°Besides my cat form, every other one is a gift from being more powerful than we can imagine,¡± Aggie went on. ¡°The power that sustains them is finite and will fade the more I use it.¡±


    ¡°So it''s like they are mortal,¡± Dean said.


    ¡°You can say that,¡± Aggie said as he changed back into his cat form. ¡°Now get to the dishes so we can leave.¡±


    Getting up from his spot Dean collected the dishes to take to the sink. As he walked through the burned magic circle, he connected with his nails again. Wrapping the nails with his powers he felt little pain as he pulled them free of the ground. As they flew to his hand, he felt a little naked short one. Pulling the half nail from his pocket he put it in with the rest.


    He still felt that he needed a fifth nail even if it didn¡¯t match. Reaching out to the wall he needed to repair. His magic connecting to the drywall nails he began to pull. Struggling a little he managed to pull one free, drywall dust trailing in the air as it flew to his hand. He shoved this one into a pocket afraid he would struggle to control the other 4 nails if they touched it. A little superstitious but it made him feel better.


    Feeling ready to leave he asked Aggie what the plan is.


    Aggie replied, ¡°You will load your gun this time and we are going to sneak back into Nameless¡¯s apartment.¡±

 Chapter 10

    Taking a cab instead of driving Dean and Aggie arrived back to the door underground. Having Aggie stand guard Dean started to pick the lock. A skill learned from watching youtube videos and honed while homeless. He never used the skill to steal but only find safe places to sleep.


    As he wiggled his pick around, he felt the final pin click into place and he was in. Waving to Aggie as he slipped in through the door. Skulking down the stairs to the electronically locked door he gave a silent prayer to whatever higher power was listening and entered the code. 1-3-3-7.


    The electronic lock beeped as the red light turn green. Opening the door, Dean shoved a rag into the strike plate stopping the door from locking again. Another trick he learned from being homeless. Closing the door slowly, Dean followed Aggie closely as they made their way back to the apartment buildings.


    At every junction, Aggie stopped again to listen. Dean watched this happen again and tried too hard to hear anything also. Hearing nothing but the sound of his own breathing Dean scrunched his face up in concentration.


    Giving up he squatted down and whispered, ¡°What do you hear?¡±


    Before Aggie replied his head jerked to the side and he stared down a dark tunnel. His hackles raised Aggie took off running. Dean stood there for a second in shock when the sound of something coming from the dark tunnel. Without a second thought, Dean sprinted after Aggie. Afraid of what was coming.


    The sounds getting closer Dean was breathing heavily as the security door came into view. Aggie pacing back in forth of it. He never looked more cat-like than at that moment. Grabbing the handle he went to open it but the door handle just clicked. It was locked and whatever was coming was getting closer.


    Grabbing out his lock picks he quickly got to work on the lock. His hands were shaky from the run as he jiggled his picks in the lock. Turning the picks in the lock he snapped one in half. Grabbing a new one he pushed it into the lock praying for success. His nerves on edge as he felt the first pins click into place. Forcing the door open he reached back and grabbed Aggie by his scruff. Pulling him in and slamming the door Dean never got a look at whatever was after them.


    Before he could ask what was following them Aggie was back in his human form and gone. Once again trailing behind, Dean set off hot on Aggie¡¯s heals. By the time he caught back up, he saw Aggie flash his badge to some firemen milling around the foyer. With little hesitation, Aggie walked to the stairwell and began walking past the police tape.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Dean flabbergasted by Aggie¡¯s confidence he tried to get past the firemen but was quickly stopped. Trying to shoulder his way past them they quickly let him know that only that authorized personal only. Fumbling with his wallet he got it out flashing his own badge. The largest fireman quickly grabbed the wallet out of Dean¡¯s hand to get a better look.


    Trying to sound authoritative Dean said, ¡°Grabbing a Homeland Securities badge is a federal offense.¡± Grabbing it back he shouldered past the firemen.


    Hearing them mutter things behind his back Dean ignored them. Taking stairs two at a time he was trying to catch up with Aggie. Breathing heavily he made it to the hole in the wall. Just as he made it through, he saw Aggie putting his notebook back into his pocket. A bag of broken glass in a sandwich bag in his hand.


    Breathing heavily, ¡°Why the rush?¡±


    ¡°We needed to collect this glass before the evidence was taken,¡± Aggie said holding up the bag of glass shards. ¡°I¡¯m assuming that this is how they got Nameless out of here without anyone seeing her.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Dean said looking around the ruined room.


    Aggie ducked back through the hole in the wall saying, ¡°We need to get out of here quickly and go talk to a friend.¡±


    ¡°Back through the tunnels?¡± Dean asked a little worried about what was down there.


    ¡°No, there is a mischief down there,¡± Aggie began, ¡°and the sound of metal. When this is all over, we should let Dorios know something else is down there.¡±


    Following Aggie back down the stairs back through the firemen with none trying to stop them. Looking over his shoulder Dean saw Santiago in the corner on his phone. Making eye contact with Dean Santiago hung up his phone and set down an envelope. Then walked away as if he didn¡¯t see them.


    ¡°Hey Aggie, can you hold up,¡± Dean said. ¡°Santiago just left an envelope and I think it was for us.¡±


    Running over to grab it Dean shoved it in his pocket without even opening. Aggie hadn¡¯t listened just continued on not bothering to look back. Dean hurried back to him grabbing his arm trying to get him to slow down.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you?¡± Dean asked. He felt like he was overstepping his boundaries with Aggie but something changed. He didn¡¯t know if it was them going to Grimmlands or his upcoming problems with the Fay.


    ¡°Processing information,¡± Aggie said.


    ¡°Ok. But let me know if something is bothering you,¡± Dean said.


    Flagging down a cab, Aggie and Dean climbed in. Giving the cabbie an address Aggie sat back and started going through his notebook. Dean looked over at Aggie¡¯s notebook. Everything in it a confusing drawing of geometrical shapes that made his mind swim.


    Seeing Dean looking at his notebook Aggie quickly snapped it shut. Putting it in his pocket they sat in silence until they arrived at their destination. A bike sat outside it. A bike that he was just on.

 Chapter 11

    Anil came through the rotating doors of the building with a large tube strapped to his back. Nodding his acknowledgments of noticing Dean and Aggie he grabbed his bike and pedaled away without a word. Disappearing in a gust of wind that blew around debris. Debris that seemed magically gravitate towards Dean, ending with a greasy napkin hitting him in the face.


    Knocking the garbage off of him and spitting dust out of his mouth he followed Aggie in step into Andromeda Inc. A company dedicated to conservation and preservation of the environments while working on an initiative to reclaim lands to revert back to their natural glory.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t tell this is a Summer Court company,¡± Aggie said. ¡°We need their help in getting to the Grimmlands. And who knows if they will help us with what just happened.¡±


    ¡°I can wait outside if it helps,¡± Dean said not wanting to go into the lion¡¯s lair.


    ¡°No, they might find that more insulting,¡± Aggie replied. ¡°Showing respect before a rule before a duel.  And by the rules of the Code Duelo, you may apologize and mitigate some violence. If you¡¯re lucky you make just pay a weregild.¡±


    Before Dean could ask any more questions, they were in the lobby of the building. Beautifully carved marble columns lined the entranceway similar to the apartment complex. Each one carved in the same bas relief. Only these carvings were vines growing towards a glass ceiling.


    No elevators or stairs were leading from this floor. Just a large open lobby with a tree growing in the center of the building. A tree was squat but wide enough to take up three-quarters of the building filling the air with the scent of earth.


    Its bark looked like wrinkles on a face, but from the eldest and weathered person. Dotted in the crevices of the wrinkles were holes large enough for a man to walk in. The canopy was dense with foliage. So thick that it created shadows as deep as night. Hummingbirds and bees flew around flowers sprouting from vines climbing the tree. Dean even saw a deer walking into view from behind the tree before disappearing into a hole in the tree.


    ¡°This is a tree grown from the seed Yggdrasil. It is how we will enter the Grimmlands to find Nameless,¡± Aggie said with awe in his voice.


    Dean stood there looking on in reverence at what he was seeing. Without opening himself up to the psychic energies of magic he could feel it cascading over him. All coming from the tree in waves. Power like would usually break the mind of lesser but Dean could feel the pulse of life coming from it.


    ¡°It''s beautiful,¡± Dean managed to say.


    As they walked closer to the tree a man and woman stepped out of the holes in the tree. Both in black suits with black sunglasses and earpieces. The woman raised her hand to her earpiece. Listening to whoever she was talking to the man snapped a gun up pointing it at Dean.


    Calling what was in the man''s hand a gun was like calling a tiger a cat. What he pointed at Dean was closer to a small artillery cannon. Even as far away as they were Dean could clearly see down the barrel of the gun to the head of a silvery bullet.


    Dean¡¯s hand snapped up over his head. Barely twitching a muscle he watched Aggie continue walking forward with no guns pointed at him.


    An airy voice came from the female, ¡°Dean Fabre will you agree to the search and disarmament of any weapons or foci deemed by my person,¡± she yelled.


    Swallowing a lump in his throat. Dean yelled back, ¡°Yeah sure¡­ I mean YES.¡±


    Walking up to Dean slowly, the man with a gun kept it steady on Dean. Getting a closer look at the hand holding the hand cannon Dean saw it had only 3 fingers on it. But each finger was as thick as his wrist. Looking closer at the man¡¯s face intimidated him more. His nose sat flat and wide against his face. His eyes the same as a lion. Given that he only knew what a lion looked like from pictures.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Dean watched as the man¡¯s nostrils flared and its eyes dilated. Dean suddenly felt like a rabbit staring at a wolf. The man smiled a little as he watched Dean sweat.


    The woman started to pat him down without even noticing. His gun already out of his side holster before he felt her hand reach into his pocket pulling out his cigarette case holding his nails. Working down his legs she had him remove his shoes checking the inside of them before allowing him to put them back on.


    Dean finally got a look at her as she stood up storing his silver case and gun in her pocket. He caught a glimpse of what looked like gills on the side of her throat. As she stood up the light shifted across her skin showing a rainbow sheen. Her fingers were long slender and partially webbed.


    Both the man and woman took a step back as Aggie watched. She put her hand to her ear once again listening to whoever was on the other side. The man put his free hand behind his back pulling out a pair of handcuffs.


    The woman gestured at Dean to put his hands out. Aggie told him to do it. Putting his arms out the man put the cuffs on. The cuffs tightening without the man touching them. Lifting them up to examine them Dean couldn¡¯t figure out how they worked. They had become solid pieces of silver metal with no seams.


    ¡°Dean Fabre you may follow us to Lady Andromeda,¡± the lady said. Turning to Aggie, ¡°Can we offer you any refreshments free of any reciprocity.¡±


    ¡°None but your names would be nice,¡± Aggie said.


    Dean wanted to know their names but was afraid to ask. The man with the gun still holding it perfectly steady pointing it at Dean¡¯s chest.


    ¡°I go by Ula,¡± she said holding her hand against her modest chest.


    ¡°Jabari,¡± the man grunted.


    ¡°Ula. Jabari,¡± Aggie said as he greeted both of them.


    Ula turned and started to walk away after a brief and awkward conversation. The handcuffs tugged Dean after her as if they were magnetically attracted to her. Jabari followed in step behind Dean. The gun just inches from his back.


    Ula led them to the tree. As they got closer to the tree Dean could see the dark tunnels were actually just shallow wrinkles in the tree. Walking confidently Ula entered one of those wrinkles disappeared into it. The handcuffs continued pulling Dean after it as he began to fight it.


    ¡°Just think of it as your Harry Potter movies,¡± Aggie said from behind. Where he estimated he walked through the tree he felt a static build-up and surround him. Suddenly it felt as if the buildup of energy popped as he stepped on soft earth.


    Opening his eyes he found himself in a forest. But the trees stood stories higher than any tree he had ever seen. What sky he could see beyond it had stars showing in daylight. Small animals skittered around the trees as the silhouettes of wolfs stalked through the forest.


    Looking over his shoulder he watched Jabari and Aggie exit from a tree. Its bark rippling like water as they exited.


    ¡°Welcome to the land of the Summer Fay,¡± Ula said. ¡°Stay on the path. Do not tread on the wild forests lest you forfeit the right of propriety.¡±


    Something growled from the shadows as they walked along the path.


    ¡°Something stalks us,¡± Jabari said in his deep voice.


    ¡°You may go Jabari,¡± Ula said.


    Jabari stepped off the path instantly disappearing.


    ¡°Is this really the Grimmlands,¡± Dean asked as he tried to see where Jabari disappeared to.


    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Aggie said. ¡°Nowhere is truly safe in the Grimmlands.¡±


    ¡°He is correct,¡± Ula said, ¡°but the paths in the Summer Court are relatively safe.¡±


    As they continued down the pathway Dean''s head was on a swivel trying to see any dangers as they continued walking. Without his nails or gun, he felt incredibly naked suddenly. Jumping at every noise that came from the forest.


    Jabari suddenly appeared in front of them. His suit was unruffled but carrying a bloody silver spear instead of his hand cannon.


    ¡°Andromeda is just ahead,¡± Jabari said his spear held at parade rest.


    They continued on as the forest opened up to a gazebo. A woman in a Victorian-style white dress sipping tea. Two chairs accompanied her. Ula and Jabari dropped to one knee their head bowed. The lady never turned but Aggie smacked Dean and pushed him forward.


    Dean looked back at Aggie as if asking what to do. Instead, Aggie just walked past him and bowed deeply.


    ¡°Lady Andromeda, I Aggadorf the living grimoire present my apprentice, Dean Fabre,¡± Aggie said.


    Dean stepped forward and bowed deeply saying, ¡°Hello Lady Andromeda, uh I¡¯m the apprentice.¡±


    Lady Andromeda beckoned the two to the seats sitting in front of him. Walking to the seats Dean was sucked into her gaze as he made eye contact. They were a beautiful sunset color that shifted in a hypnotic pattern as she stared into his eyes. She finally blinked breaking their shared stair. Dean found himself sitting with a cup of tea in his hand. Aggie and Andromeda chatting in a tongue he didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°What just happened,¡± Dean asked out of turn.


    Lady Andromeda turned to him smiling. ¡°The Clavomancer is finally with us,¡± she said then taking a sip of her tea.

 Chapter 12

    Unsure of how to respond Dean mimicked Lady Andromeda and sipped his tea. Not even noticing his cuffs had been removed. The tea was the perfect temperature just warm enough as it passed his lips. The flavors were a medley of fresh fruits. Each fruit its own layer slowly morphing into the next.  Swallowing the tea he felt familiar to swallowing a spoonful of honey as the warmth began to radiate through his body. Muscles in his body relaxing a knot in his back he didn¡¯t know he had, unknotting.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Dean asked holding up the cup of tea. He had never felt this calm and wondered if he had been drugged.


    ¡°Tea made from fruits from my own garden,¡± Andromeda said.


    Aggie turned to Dean, ¡°Don¡¯t be rude,¡± then turned back to Andromeda, ¡°I apologize for his impertinence. I have barely brushed the surface of propriety. We mostly worked on control.¡±


    ¡°Yes, something that has brought the young Clavomancer to me,¡± Andromeda said.


    ¡°What is a Clavomancer,¡± Dean asked.


    Andromeda smiled at Dean saying, ¡°We will get to that after I learn what you have learned about magic.¡±


    Aggie deigned to reply for Dean, ¡°I¡¯m training him in sigil magic from the Sisters of Salem. I think that would blend well with his control of nails.¡±


    ¡°The Sisters of Salem were your creators?¡± Andromeda asked. It seemed the question was more a statement rather than just a question.


    ¡°Yes they were my creators but I always saw them as a family,¡± Aggie replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for that loss even though it is truly belated. But shouldn¡¯t Dean have an understanding of magic before it is chosen for him?¡± Andromeda replied.


    ¡°But his magic has taken a new form,¡± Aggie replied. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be wise to guide it in a way that is known?¡±


    ¡°Even the Sister¡¯s magic was new and unexplored at one point,¡± Andromeda replied. ¡°Take it from someone who helped shaped how magic worked for another. Your best intentions can have unforeseen reactions on how the power proliferates.¡±


    ¡°Then I will acquiesce to your knowledge Lady Andromeda,¡± Aggie replied a little stiffly.


    Andromeda smiled at Aggie. She then turned to Dean and asked, ¡°May I freely give you a lesson on how magic is formed.  So that you could freely form a style that won¡¯t be so detrimental to the Fay.¡±


    Dean just nodded his head dumbly then taking another sip of tea. His cup never becoming any less full no matter how much he drank.


    ¡°Magic is not such a rigid construct of rules as most belief. There are universal similarities though. Intent, focus, and the ability to power the spell. Missing any of these three would make any spell fail including my own. What is viewed as intent, focus, and power changes based on how you view magic.¡±


    ¡°For example, there is a sect of Hindu shamans that use a focus similar to your own. The way they commune with their patron and cast spells is by piercing their bodies with needles adorned with symbols. As the needles perforate their skin, they can release their spells,¡° Andromeda said.


    ¡°So their intent is the spell or prayer to their god. The focus is on the needle and piercing their skin is power?¡± Dean replied thinking he understood this idea.


    ¡°No the power is their belief that it will work. The needles piercing their skin is their foci. The focus of power is not just a physical thing but can be an action. Some Native American¡¯s used chants and dances as their own focuses,¡± Andromeda replied.


    ¡°Ok this is making sense but what does that mean for me?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°I was just giving you an example of some magic users similar to you,¡± Andromeda replied. ¡°There are other forms of magic that are so obtuse that explaining them would be more trouble than they it¡¯s worth.¡±


    ¡°There is new magic discovered not that long ago by a man living in Spokane Washington. His power deals with his car and the extent of it is unknown to me. His father in law is a powerful Loa that I do not want to offend,¡± Andromeda continued.


    ¡°I think I know him,¡± Aggie said. ¡°Mortimer Smith, right?¡±


    Andromeda smiled at Aggie, ¡°Oh that is wonderful news that you know Mortimer. I would love to hear what you know of his magic.¡±


    Aggie replied, ¡°I would love to share if you would get rid of amendment b to our deal.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Andromeda pursed her lips at that as if thinking about it.


    ¡°I have ridden in his car with him,¡± Aggie added on.


    ¡°Since you have firsthand knowledge, I can accept that if you contribute a treatise on it in writing,¡± Andromeda said.


    ¡°I agree to that,¡± Aggie replied. ¡°Mortimer has interesting magic that takes its form while in his car. His car becomes the focus of his power and his belief in his ability in driving powers it. The intent is where it gets hard to explain but I feel like it also ties in with his belief. While driving Mortimer¡¯s car becomes virtually indestructible and untouchable to anything. That includes bird shit and bugs on the windshield.¡±


    ¡°When he worked for the MIB he was a courier and driver for us. Similar to Anil for you. The one time I met him was a few years ago when I was sent to a raid in Louisiana. Mort at the time was living there with his wife so he was going to be my chauffeur and bodyguard. At the time I didn¡¯t understand how Mort would guard me as he refused to get out of his car when the raid started.


    ¡°I remember sitting in his car watching the house burning. We had interrupted some type of ritual that I never got to investigate like I was supposed to. As the house was burning, we learned that some of our men were trapped in there while stopping the ritual. Firefighters were on their way but we''re going to be too late and that the fire was too big to put out magically.


    ¡°After hearing this Mortimer turned to me and told me to get out. The car door opened on its own and a force propelled me out as he revved his engine. As I sat there on the ground he peeled out before his wheels gained traction. Rocketing toward the house he smashed through the wall and before we knew it, he was coming back through the hole he made all of our men packed into his car.


    His vehicle was spotless as he pulled up. Not a single scratch or ding. When all agents were out of the car, I climbed in. It didn¡¯t even smell like smoke even though some of the agents had some serious burns and still smoking. It just smelled like a new car,¡± Aggie said as he finished his story of Mortimer''s new magic.


    Andromeda clapped her hands and said, ¡°What a lovely story but I will need a better analysis of his magic in the treatise.¡±


    ¡°How do you know the car wasn¡¯t magic,¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°Because this was a standard MIB issue vehicle, not his personal one,¡± Aggie replied. ¡°I have heard his personal vehicle is even more amazing.¡±


    ¡°Well how does all of this affect my magic,¡± Dean said.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting their child,¡± Andromeda replied.


    Dean bristled at the insult of being called a child. But wisely kept his mouth shut as she continued her explanation.


    ¡°Magic takes many forms as we have both shared. Dean even though your magic is unique to you it carries similarities to others. What I find most interesting and troubling is that it may be tainted by the metal you choose,¡± Andromeda said. ¡°But the way you casts spells can also be unique to you or you can follow the path Aggie has set out for you.¡±


    Dean thought about what she said about developing his own spells. But then looked at Aggie and thought of much help he had been. That in such a short time, he had gained a better grasp and control of his powers with Aggie¡¯s help.


    ¡°I am the apprentice of Aggadorf the living grimoire and will trust in his wisdom,¡± Dean said. ¡°If he thinks sigil magic is the best choice for me, I will not question that.


    Dean saw Aggie shift a little from the corner of his eye. But Aggie refused to let Dean know how happy he was to hear that.


    ¡°That is a right you have but if you will entertain me a little more,¡± Andromeda said.


    Andromeda then reached over to a small butter dish with a lid made of the purest of white porcelain. Lifting the lid Dean saw 3 nails made of the same material as his handcuffs. The same handcuffs he just realized he wasn¡¯t wearing.


    Andromeda pushed the dish towards Dean. Letting him know that he had permission to attempt to use them. Opening his mind to the nails he found it surprisingly easy to connect with them. But he also felt the dim connection to a nail in his pocket. One that Ula missed on her pat-down. Quickly shutting down that link instead focus on the three nails in front of him.


    The surface of each nail was polished to a mirror finish as it reflected his face. As his power picked them up, he could feel tiny inscriptions along with the shaft pulsing before disappearing. The head of each was imprinted with a perfect pentagram mimicking his iron nails. Letting his magic hold them aloft he gently placed them back onto the butter dish.


    ¡°What did those inscriptions do?¡± Dean asked Andromeda suspiciously.


    ¡°They were just a precaution we took if your magic was harmful to me,¡± Andromeda began. ¡°It was not but it did resonate with the metal those nails were made with.¡± Andromeda then placed the lid back on the butter dish.


    ¡°What type of metal was that?¡± Dean asked.


    Andromeda did not answer but smiled. Not the closed-lip benign smile of earlier. But one a predator would show its prey. Lips curled back to reveal her teeth. Teeth made of the same material as the nails. Metal only gifted to kings and queens in myths. Often by their fairy godmothers. Mithril.


    ¡°Oh, I think you figured out what they are and no you may not have them,¡± Andromeda said after watching the realization on Dean¡¯s face.


    Dean¡¯s hopes at gaining a legendary meta were dashed at this but he knew that it was an impossible wish.


    ¡°Instead you can use 3 silver nails to use while you are on my lands,¡± Andromeda said.


    Aggie held up his hand as if to stop Dean from speaking, ¡°Is this a gift freely given?¡±


    Andromeda''s eyes became slits as she looked at Aggie, ¡°Only if you can return Nameless¡¯s killers to us.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t agree to that as it runs counter to a previous agreement,¡± Aggie replied. ¡°But we should be able to return Nameless to you, alive.¡±


    ¡°She is dead and was set for burial before you broke our link to her home,¡± Andromeda said looking directly at Dean.


    ¡°That was just a facsimile of her body using some clever magic including powerful Fay magic,¡± Aggie said. ¡°We discovered her hand was real and through divination that she was alive somewhere in the Grimmlands.¡±


    ¡°I abhor that name but I will forgive you for that transgression if you bring Nameless to me,¡± Andromeda said quickly after Aggie spoke.


    ¡°For the silver nails and safe passage on your land for as long as we look for Nameless. Also, we need help with a spell to locate her,¡± Aggie countered.


    ¡°I can agree to that,¡± Andromeda said as she waved her hand over the table they were sitting at. In its place, an ancient map took its place. ¡°May I see what I will be using to locate her with.¡±

 Chapter 13

    Andromeda took the bag of glass shards emptying it out on the map. Closing her eyes she waved a hand over the glass covered map. The map began to curl and turn black as smoke wafted from holes burning in the paper. And as if someone poured gasoline on the map it went up in an inferno. Smoke blew into Dean¡¯s face causing him to cough and step back.


    Blinking the tears out of his eyes Dean looked back at the table on fire. The fire was out. In its place, the shards of the mirror had melted into a blob in the middle of the table.


    Andromeda picked up the blob of glass and brought it to her lips and kissed it. Cracks began to appear in the glass the quickly filled with gold.


    As she handed it to Aggie she said, ¡°This trinket will light the way to where the mirror once lead. After that, you will be on your own to find Nameless.¡±


    Aggie bowed deeply then hand the magical compass to Dean. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out 3 wooden tokens and handed them to Andromeda before shifting back to his cat form.


    ¡°With this, our deal is done and paid,¡± Aggie said.


    Andromeda smiled sadly at him and bent down to kiss him on the forehead before saying, ¡°only for now.¡± Turning to Dean a familiar silver cigarette case appeared in her hand. Opening it she plucked 3 silver nails that were identical to his iron ones. ¡°These are for you but I will hold onto the others until Nameless is back with me.¡±


    Then she gently kissed him on the cheek. Euphoria exploded inside him as all the feelings of a spring love flooded his system. And as quickly as it began it was gone and Dean was left there standing with his eyes closed. Grasping feebly at those fleeting feelings of happiness he finally gave up and opened his eyes to say goodbye.


    Instead, he found himself standing in an unfamiliar field. Andromeda was gone along with the gazebo, table, and chairs. Turning around in a circle nothing looked familiar but, in the distance, he could just see a tree line.


    ¡°Which way oh noble knight,¡± Aggie asked in his normal condescending tone.


    ¡°Uh,¡± Dean replied before holding his globe up and turning a circle until It lit up. ¡°This was,¡± Dean said as he began to forge a path through the field of flowers.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Aggie commanded stopping Dean in his tracks. ¡°This is the Grimmlands so you should only take paths that are clearly marked.¡±


    ¡°It''s just a bunch of flowers,¡± Dean countered. ¡°What can they really do?¡± he asked feeling smug as a bug in a rug.


    Aggie shrugged his shoulders in a superior way only a cat could and stayed in place on the trail.


    Turning around to continue Dean felt a burning sensation on his free hand. Looking down he saw a razor thin cut welling up with blood. The plants around him began to undulate in excitement. Dean felt another burning sensation coming from his leg. The plants started to move around him like sharks smelling blood in the water.


    Vines began to wrap around his legs, thorns biting into his legs through his pants. Reaching down and pulling at the vines failed to free him. Even stabbing them with his new silver nails failed to free him. Beginning to panic his new nails reacted to his subconscious. Spinning fast enough to be a blur they began cutting through the plants like a hot knife through butter.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Crawling away from the plants being weed whacked by his nails. He collapsed on the trail covered in superficial wounds and shaking like a baby deer. Looking up at Aggie with his smug grin on his cat face as he rolled over onto his back.


    ¡°You could have warned me,¡± Dean said as he calmed his breathing.


    ¡°Ula did,¡± Aggie replied, ¡°You just need to listen better.¡±


    The nails flew back to Dean hovering over him protectively after mowing through the plants. With little effort or will Dean began to make them spin faster until they sounded like angry bees before suddenly stopping.


    As they hovered perfectly in still in the air, ¡°These nails are amazing. So easy to control,¡± Dean said.


    Aggie scoffed at that saying, ¡°It''s because we are in the Grimmlands. Magic moves here much more naturally with reality putting limits on it.¡± Then added, ¡°Now get up your wasting time.¡±


    Standing up then dusting himself off Dean he felt the note from Santiago. Pulling it out of his pocket he opened and read 4242 written in sloppy handwriting. Something niggled him about that number until he thought about the day so far.


    ¡°I think Santiago gave us the new keycode to that door in the tunnel,¡± Dean said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we will need it,¡± Aggie replied as he started walking down the trail. ¡°Not until we talk to Dorios about what I heard down there.¡±


    Dean followed him, occasionally swinging the glass orb around. It only ever lit up when pointed at the field of man-eating flowers.


    ¡°Hey Aggie,¡± Dean said as he pointed at the field, ¡°What type of flowers are those.¡±


    Aggie looked at the field. ¡°Those aren¡¯t flowers. They are most likely nothing but an amalgamation of myths, stories, and legends about plants that consume flesh made substantial. Everything in the Grimmlands are merely reflections of the world made physical. Strong emotions, history, and even legends that have been shared enough can become physical here,¡± Aggie said in his most professor like tone.


    ¡°So could we see Spiderman or Batman here?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°That is possible but nobody but small children believe that those are real. The reason legends and myths become real is that before science that is how things were explained,¡± Aggie replied. ¡°Children tend to not have the ability to focus long enough for something to become real.¡±


    ¡°So Santa Claus wouldn¡¯t be real here then,¡± Dean replied as they continued walking.


    ¡°No, Santa Claus is definitely real here. He is based on a real man that has blended with countless myths,¡± Aggie said. ¡°But he is more like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°It means if you ever meet him you better not be on the naughty list,¡± Aggie said. ¡°And that you need to read more of the books we got at the library.¡±


    Before Dean could reply to that their world shifted to a dark and dreary city landscape. Their trail became a pitted road, with skeletal vehicles parked along it. A light drizzle of rain came through the fog that obscured rooftops. Dean could see parts of the building had been burned and the smell of mold and earth filled the air.


    ¡°Looks like we are in Pioneer square,¡± Aggie said quietly.


    ¡°Why do the buildings look burnt?¡± Dean asked back in the same hushed tone. Something about this area felt reverent. Like a church or library.


    ¡°Most likely from the war Dorios waged in 1889 to become the Baron of Washington,¡± Aggie said. ¡°I was in Egypt at the time but the news even reached there.¡±


    ¡°What did he do,¡± Dean whispered back a little too loudly.


    The sound of a can being kicked echoed from an alley causing both of them to freeze. Holding perfectly still, Dean had his new nails ready if anything came at them. Glowing eyes blinked open and watched them for a moment before closing as if they lost interest. Dean and Aggie slowly backed away until they felt a safe distance away.


    ¡°From what I know is that Seattle, Ellensburg, and Spokane all burned that summer from battles,¡± Aggie began. ¡°Battles Dorios fought alone against insurmountable odds and came out on top. That is how he became the Baron of Washington by his own hand.¡±


    ¡°Then why was he working as a barista,¡± Dean asked. ¡°If he is so strong.¡±


    ¡°That is something you should ask him then,¡± Aggie replied. ¡°Now quit asking so many questions and see where that bauble wants us to go.¡±


    Dean lifted it up and pointed in the direction that the field of flowers would have been. The bauble refused to light up even as he shook it. Spinning around in a circle it finally lit up. Back in the direction of the alley with the glowing eyes that were again staring at them.

 Chapter 14

    Staring back at the eyes in the alley, Dean felt no malice from them. Possibly a bit of curiosity but he was not going to push his luck as he did with the flowers. The bauble glowing brightly in his hands he cautiously stepped forward his nail hovering over his free hand.


    Aggie took a step forward saying, ¡°Lady Andromeda gave her word that we would have safe passage through her lands.¡±


    Deep throated coughing came from the alley as the creature cleared its throat. It took a step forward coming into the dim light of the street. It stretched and stood up at as straight as it could. Even with its hunched back and underdeveloped legs it still stood 2 stories tall. Balanced on its oversized front hands it leaned closer to Aggie breathing in deeply. Then it stepped back into the shadows of the alley and disappeared.


    From far above them they heard a deep voice speak in a slow drawl, ¡°This is no longer the land of Lady Andromeda but the land between hers and Baron Dorios.¡±


    Dean whispered to Aggie, ¡°I think we should hurry. This place is creeping me out.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Aggie said staying closer to Dean and the light of the orb.


    Creeping down the alley they occasionally heard movement in the shadows. Their only light barely letting them see a few feet in front of them. The shadows pushing more heavily upon them the further they walked into the alley.


    Dean¡¯s 3 nails floating quickly around them ready for an attacker. Aggie stopped suddenly his ears twitching as if he heard something.


    ¡°Quickly draw a circle in the ground with your nails and power it,¡± Aggie said urgently.


    The nail reacted with little thought from Dean as their tips scored a line in the grime of the alley. His nails slammed into it powering the circle with silvery light before returning to Dean¡¯s hand.


    Suddenly a wave of rats slammed into the boundary of the circle. Flashes of silvery light erupted from the circle¡¯s boundary as it repelled every rat that collided with it. Dean watched in horrid fascination as the rats climbed over one and another as they tried to claw their way through the forcefield.


    Aggie looked on at the rats watching them calmly from the safety of their circle. ¡°Dean, I¡¯m going to teach you your first sigil spell. You will need to control the amount of power you discharge when casting this or you will faint. Or at worst die.¡±


    ¡°Do you think this is a good idea? I mean I¡¯m pretty sure I can mow through those rats as I did with plants,¡± Dean said a little nervously.


    ¡°If those were rats I would agree but that is a rat king,¡± Aggie said. ¡°if you look at their tails you can see they are all knotted together magically. Now it''s more akin to a hydra than a mischief of rats. The more rats you kill the bigger it will get.¡±


    Dean looked more closely through the horde of rats seeing all their tails knotted together. Rats seemed to be constantly birthed by the knot. Slimy and bloody as they pushed themselves out of the knot as their rat siblings were squished to death by the weight of there brethren


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just blow us back to our world? Like I did last time,¡± Dean asked.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°You would need your 5 iron nails for that to work,¡± Aggie said.


    ¡°That makes no sense,¡± Dean said.


    ¡°Your magic takes on aspects of the metal it uses. Iron is a natural bane to most magic so when you powered your circle you literally overpowered the magic around us. Silver will work better to channel your magic but isn¡¯t the antithesis to magic like iron is,¡± Aggie lectured. ¡°Now I need you to focus and prepare to cast your first sigil spell. This will be the basis for all magic you will cast for now on.¡±


    Dean attempted to swallow the dryness in his throat as he held the three nails in his hand. Nodding at Aggie to continue the lesson he couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous. Like he was about to take a final in school and hadn¡¯t studied. Then suddenly realized he was naked in front of the class type of nervousness.


    Aggie continued on with his quick lesson as the unrelenting tide of rats began to weaken the magic circle. ¡°You have the power to cast spells and the foci. But not the intent. By opening yourself up to the magic you will be able to instinctually create a spell sigil. That you will then carve into a surface with your nails before powering it,¡± he said all of this while demonstrating with his claw.


    ¡°This is all very closely related to the magic the Sisterhood created and imbued me with. Over the months I have theory crafted this spell work for you to build upon Dean,¡± Aggie said as he looked up at Dean.


    The circle protecting them began to flicker and dim as the rat king continued its assault on the magic circle.


    Dean released the nails from his hand as he opened up himself to his magic in a meditative trance. The nails floated above his hand as he reached metaphorically into his soul focusing on what gave him control over the nails. As Dean pushed further into his magical self, the connection to his nails became visible. They were connected to him with strings similar to a puppet. His will acting as a controller.


    Feeling that psychic bond with his nails strengthen he drew a circle in the air with his nails. A glowing outline of silver light hovering in the air as his nails continued drawing. The silver of his nails emanating the feeling of a shield to him so he focused on that. An outline of a kite shield drawn in silver light formed in the floating circle. Opening his eyes he saw the specter of the silver shield in front of him.


    Nodding his head to Aggie that he was ready. Aggie broke the circle as Dean pushed his will into the shield yelling, ¡°golpe de escudo!¡±


    The shield flew from the circle in a solid form slamming into the rat king sending him flying. As the shield was smashing against the rat kind Dean and Aggie had taken off running as Dean held the glowing orb in front of him.


    Running out of the alley, the orb led them straight to a storefront door. Lowering his shoulder Dean didn¡¯t bother opening it as he slammed into it. Breaking the door open he stumbled into a dimly lit tunnel similar to the one they had already been in. Aggie following close behind him went through the door in a much more controlled way.


    The broken door immediately began to sink into the floor until nothing was left of it. Looking back to where they came through Dean saw only unbroken carved rock strung with light. As he looked closer at the lights, he could tell that electricity powered them and not magic. But the glass bulbs definitely looked handcrafted and dingy from age.


    ¡°Did we escape the Grimmlands,¡± Dean asked Aggie as he held his arms over his head to catch his breath. As he slowed his breathing and heart rate, he couldn¡¯t help but feel another fatigue that he felt related to casting his shield bash spell.


    Aggie sniffed the ground as he investigated their surroundings. ¡°No I think we are still in the Grimmlands but we might be in someone¡¯s dominion,¡± Aggie said. ¡°Possibly whoever was banging on metal when we first entered the tunnels.¡±


    ¡°Nice spell by the way,¡± Aggie said. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you to be able to draw in the air, but we will need to experiment with that when we''re not in the Grimmlands.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I didn¡¯t mean to even do that. That kind of just happened,¡± Dean replied as he held the magic orb out. ¡°I think the silver affected how the spell worked also,¡± he added.


    ¡°That makes sense with how your magic reacted with the iron nails earlier,¡± Aggie said as he watched Dean spin around in a circle.


    No matter which way Dean pointed the orb now it continued glowing.


    ¡°Any idea which way we should go now,¡± Dean asked Aggie.


    Aggie just shrugged his cat shoulders and began walking in an arbitrary direction without consulting Dean. Dean just followed his nails hovering above his free hand ready to attack.

 Chapter 15

    After walking for an hour the orb remained lit no matter which way they pointed it as they explored the tunnel. Even after taking some turns when the path diverged. The distance between the lights never changed as well as the pattern in the walls.


    Aggie stopped them finally to tell Dean to mark the path every 100 steps. As they continued walking Dean marked the bricks with little arrows in the direction they walked. Taking a turn they eventually ran into an arrow pointing in the opposite direction they were facing.


    ¡°That explains why we are getting nowhere and everything looks the same,¡± Aggie said as he looked at the arrow then back in the direction they came. ¡°We are in a spatial loop, similar to the labyrinth.¡±


    ¡°The movie with David Bowie,¡± Dean replied.


    ¡°Not exactly but close,¡± Aggie said, ¡°but that may be easier to explain. I was originally thinking of the legend with King Minos and the minotaur.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but the movie makes more sense now,¡± Dean asked back.


    ¡°The part with the caterpillar and optical illusion wall,¡± Aggie responded. ¡°We might be looking for something like that. But there are some spatial illusions going on in here also.¡±


    Dean reached out to the wall rubbing his hand against it before asking, ¡°What if it¡¯s like Diagon alley then.¡±


    ¡°In that case, we are screwed,¡± Aggie replied. ¡°You check that wall and I will take this side but put an X to mark where we started.¡±


    Another hour went by as they continued checking the walls, they found nothing. Dean was beginning to get worried when they ended back up at the X again. Leaning against the wall he slowly sank down to the floor looking sullenly at Aggie.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do now,¡± Aggie said. ¡°I think we walked into a trap,¡± he said as he looked back at Dean.


    Dean adjusted to get a little more comfortable he reached into his pocket pulling out the finishing nail he still had in his pocket. Tossing it in his hand as he looked at Aggie he said, ¡°I have a plan.Stolen novel; please report.


    A short while later Dean sat cross-legged with a single finishing nail hovering in front of him. His mind¡¯s eye taking in the nail as he felt a connection to it. Expanding his sense even further he felt nails begin to light up from the other side of the wall. But it felt similar to the feeling he got when he ripped the wall between the two realities.


    Keeping his eyes closed and attempting to hold his concentration he said, ¡°I can feel nails on the other side of this wall. But I think it''s similar to the apartment and forest.¡±


    ¡°Give me a minute,¡± Aggie replied, ¡°I took some notes on the spells that created a bridge between those two spots.¡±


    Aggie sat there in his cat form his eyes closed and ears perked up. It was as if he was meditating before opening his mouth and started to make a hacking coughing sound. Like a cat puking up a hairball, Aggie lowered his head and opened his mouth. A rolled-up piece of paper came out of his mouth landing at his paws. Surprisingly dry he kicked it over in front of Dean.


    Dean couldn¡¯t help but look at the scroll with disgust letting his concentration falter. The nail falling to the ground he daintily picked up the paper by its corner and unrolled it. A couple of charcoal prints of runes that he saw in Nameless¡¯s apartment were on it.


    ¡°Use these three runes in a powered circle and pierce the center of it with that nail,¡± Aggie began to explain. ¡°This should create a bridge similar to the one you destroyed. But just be careful as you feed it power. We can¡¯t be sure this area is connected to the tunnel.¡±


    ¡°Where else could it be linked to,¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°A pyramid in Egypt being explored,¡± Aggie replied quickly.


    Dean rolled his eyes at Aggie¡¯s response but still was cautious. He levitated the nail again and slowly began to copy the symbols from the paper onto the wall. Sweat building on his forehead in concentration as he continued his carving. Finishing he took a step back to admire his work as the nail finished the circle.


    ¡°Now when using another¡¯s sigil in spell work you need to focus on what the sigils were intended for,¡± Aggie began. ¡°Based on these sigils and what I have recorded from Fay magic in the past there should be a bridging spell. But without a power source, we will only have a second to jump through but you need to focus on the nails you feel on the other side of the wall.¡±


    Dean nodded his head as he opened his senses to the nails he felt beyond the wall. He began pushing power into the circle as he held the nail in his hand. The Fay sigils lighting up in a golden color Dean began pushing the nail into the center of the spell.


    Holding everything in his mind as he fed power into it was straining his limited control. Resistance met the nail in his hand as attempted to breach the veil between the two realities. Piercing pain behind his eyes elicited a groan of pain as the nail slowly sank into the rock wall.


    The orb glowing brighter as it lay forgotten to the side of them as Dean ripped the veil of reality separating them and freedom. Finally bridging the space separating them from escape, Dean fell forward the wall disappeared in the blink of an eye.

 Chapter 16

    His stomach lurching into his chest as he stepped forward to catch himself after the wall disappeared. The floor suddenly a foot lower than where it should be Dean caught himself by windmilling his arms. His connection to his nails suddenly cut off from the shifting of realities. He barely had a second to reorient himself when he was tackled from his side.


    Slamming into the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of him as something mounted him. Hammer fists raining down on him, he barely managed to guard his face against having his nose smashed in.


    The blows continued to fall empowered by a primal scream, Dean felt most of them coming from the right side. Timing it just right he bucked his hips throwing his assailant off balance. He pushed them off of him as he jumped to his feet summoning his silver nails to him. His finishing nail having been obliterated as it pierced the veil between the two worlds.


    As his assailant sprung back up to its feet, he got a good look at them as it continued to attack viciously. Long black hair fell to its shoulders dreaded and dirty. Black circles under its bloodshot eyes as if it hadn¡¯t slept in days, a bruise colored a sickly purple and green covering it temple. Its face dirty and tear-stained as it continued to attack with its left arm. Its right arm covered in bloody bandages as it held it to its breasts.


    ¡°Nameless?¡± Dean asked even though he knew it was her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me by that name!¡± she screamed in renewed anger throwing herself back at Dean.


    Dean held back from attacking choosing instead to dodge and talk. ¡°I was sent to rescue you,¡± he said as he held his hands out in a stopping motion.


    ¡°Lies!¡± she screamed as she picked up a bucket it and throwing it at him.


    Dean chose the correct action of jumping away as the contents of the bucket splattered against the far wall. Gagging at the stench he continued to circle her as he viewed the room. Not seeing Aggie he took his eyes off of Nameless for a brief second and she took her opening.


    Charging him again she went to tackle him. But Dean saw it coming from the corner of his eye and sidestepped her. As she grasped at him her fingers just raking his side. He grabbed that arm in an armbar forcing her to the ground aggressively.


    Holding her face down on the ground by her arm Dean again tried to speak to her saying, ¡°I¡¯m not here to hurt you, I promise.¡± He then let go of her arm and stood up taking a step back from her, ¡°I swear it on my magic.¡±


    Any promise you make that includes your magic is a powerful thing. Either by some law of realities or a psychosomatic response, any promise made this way would hamper the magic if the promise were broken. This was especially more powerful if the vow was made and then broken with malicious intent.


    Standing there watching Nameless struggle to stand up he went to help her. She shoved his helping hand away saying, ¡°I can do it myself.¡±


    Dean hadn¡¯t been able to appreciate her Brazilian accent before but this time he could. The words from her mouth sounded rich and chocolatey even said with venom. Taking a step back from her as she stood up he again looked around the tiny room looking for Aggie.


    ¡°Did you see a cat follow me in here,¡± he asked hoping that Aggie had already found a way out of the room. And was coming back.


    ¡°No, I only say you come through that portal,¡± she said in her rich voice. Her arms crossed in front of her as she stood defensively.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Dean said loudly. He wasn¡¯t sure if he would be able to figure out how to get back into the Grimmlands without Aggie¡¯s help. And with him stranded on the other side, he wasn¡¯t sure if he could find him if he did. But then again Aggie had shown an acumen of abilities he had hidden from Dean until today. He would probably be fine. Wouldn¡¯t he.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Looking around more he noticed a steel door blocking their way out and an odd cabinet. Looking closer at it he could see crude runes etched into it inlaid with copper. Opening it up he found nothing. Inspecting the door he found that it opened but was stopped from leaving. A wall of pure energy cut them off from the Grimmlands.


    Turning back to Nameless he saw that she had maintained a maximum distance from him as he inspected the room. ¡°Do you know where we are?¡± he asked.


    She shook her head no still watching him closely. Her defensive posture hiding her missing stump. She was like a wild animal when it was cornered and afraid. Very dangerous and vicious.


    Dean decided it was best to identify himself by placing his hand on his chest, ¡°Hi, you can call me Dean. Dorios sent me to find your murderers but instead my partner and I discovered you were alive,¡± he began.


    She in turn identified herself. ¡°You can call me Sonya. That¡¯s what I was named before I apprenticed with the Druids and betrayed. But that is no longer my path after what that bastard did.¡±


    Dean asked what happened but what happened. Sonya instead gave him nothing but stony silence. So Dean decided to explain how he got here. Talking about his meeting with Lady Andromeda was met with spitting on the ground by Sonya but nothing else. His trip through the Grimmlands caused no reaction, but when he explained how his power found this place, she became more interested.


    ¡°If you can get in you can get out then?¡± she asked as she took a step forward.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it will get us out or just blow the magic holding us here apart,¡± Dean replied. ¡°I will also need some different nails These silver ones don¡¯t seem to have the same effect that my iron ones did,¡± he said as he levitated the silver nails from his hand.


    ¡°Where are you going to get different nails from,¡± Sonya said. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t noticed we are surrounded by rock,¡± she stated sardonically as she gestured around at the room.


    ¡°I found this place because I could sense nails. Just give me a moment and I will tell you where they are,¡± Dean said as he reached out with his mind.


    The nails in his hand lit up first to his senses. These three nails glowing like a welder¡¯s flame as Dean focused on finding the other nails. Looking around the room with his mind he found the nails he sensed before. They were hovering in the room in the shape of a cube.


    Opening his eyes he looked over at the weird rune-covered cabinet and said, ¡°found them.¡± Standing up he walked over to the cabinet and placed his hand on it preparing to rip the nails from it.


    ¡°STOP,¡± Sonya screamed rushing over and smacking Dean''s hand away from the cabinet. ¡°If you break that we won¡¯t have any food or water if your plan fails.¡±


    Dean looked at Sonya with surprise. As far as he knew she had only been presumed dead for a day. She was acting as if she had been here a lot longer than that. Looking over at the wall covered in excrement he could guess that she had been here for quite a while or she had extremely large bowel movements.


    Stepping away from the cabinet he asked her in a concerned voice, ¡°Sonya, how long have you been here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Weeks maybe months I lost track of days and nights,¡± she said as the dam broke on her anxiety. Tears freely streaming from her eyes, ¡°I¡¯ve been a prisoner here for so long. I can¡¯t stand it anymore. That bitch Andromeda betrayed and murdered the Druid Brother and locked me in here. I know it!¡± she screamed. Her pent-up anger released she collapsed on the cabinet as if it was her lifeline.


    ¡°How do you know that Lady Andromeda imprisoned you here,¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°Anil is the one who put me here,¡± she said with a hiccup.


    Dean didn¡¯t know how to react to that since Lady Andromeda had asked him to return her.


    ¡°What does the cabinet do then,¡± Dean asked in a soothing voice. His hand gently resting on her shoulder.


    Using her bandaged stub of a hand like a rag she wiped her tears as she said, ¡°If I channel the little magic I have into it, food and water will appear.¡± Placing her hand on it she channeled her magic into it. Suddenly the cabinet door popped open. She then removed a steaming bowl of what best could be described as gruel and a glass of tepid water.


    Handing them to Dean she stood up and walked away. Back to the other side of the room where she sunk to the ground in a sitting position.


    Dean set the bowl on top of the cabinet and examined the water closely in the dim light. Seeing nothing in it he was tempted to quench his thirst but thought better of it after looking at Sonya in her sullen state. Instead, he set the glass on the cabinet and walked over to Sonya.


    Squatting down in front of her he said, ¡°Our only way out is with the nails holding that cabinet together. If my idea fails then we might starve down here if nobody is actually checking on you. But if it works then I will help you figure out why they put you down here and murdered the Druid Brother.¡±


    Standing up, he took a step back. Giving her space to decide if she wanted to rot down here or get revenge.

 Chapter 17

    Watching Sonya nervously bite her nails, tried to figure out a different way of escaping the room. Walking around the room with his mind¡¯s eye scanning for nails was a moot experience. The only nails in there were his silver ones and whatever ones were holding the cabinet together.


    Inspecting the cabinet he tried to figure out what nails he could use without destroying it. As he felt around the inside of it revealed that it was made of mostly particle board and not an ancient magical item. He even thought about asking Sonya if she knew this cabinet was fairly new.


    Looking over at her as she stared back at him as she continued chewing on her nails. How long had she been in here was anybody¡¯s guess but would she risk her life for freedom was anyone¡¯s guess.


    Standing up and dusting off imaginary dust Dean walked closer to Sonya. Squatting down to be eye level with her he said, ¡°I have a partner trapped in a labyrinth that needs help, and that cabinet is our best bet to escape,¡± as he hooked a thumb over his shoulder to point behind him. ¡°I know it¡¯s a lot to risk but I need you to tell me it''s ok to get to work to break out of here.¡±


    Sonya just nodded her head as she chewed her nails until they bled. Her missing hand tucked under her arm as she started to rock back and forth.


    Dean took that as an agreement and with not a second thought he stood and turned around. Walking to the cabinet he reached his hand out and started to pull on the nails. The nails holding the cabinet slowly pulled free as his nose began to bleed as he strained to use his power. As the nails flew to his hand, the cabinet fell apart like cheap furniture. He could even see a capital I printed on it, as he wiped the blood dripping onto his lip.


    Sitting down in the center of the room the 12 nails sat equidistant around him in a circle. Dean struggled to hold the nails up as he created a circle on the rock floor. He never struggled this much with his power before. Thinking back over the course of the day he never used his power to this extent. With the circle cut into the ground he let his power go.


    Laying down in the circle, his head pulsed with the beat of his heart. The dim lighting of the room became too bright as he put his hand over his eyes. Breathing deep and steady he felt shaky and weak all of a sudden.


    ¡°You need to rest,¡± Sonya said from her corner. ¡°How much of your magic have you used today?¡± She asked as she got a little closer to him.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°A lot more than I ever knew I could,¡± he said through a groan.


    ¡°You need to sleep before you push any more magic through your system,¡± she said. ¡°You can only handle so much before your body begins to shut down.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that was a thing,¡± Dean replied.


    ¡°Most people don¡¯t have enough natural power that this ever becomes an issue,¡± Sonya began. ¡°You have enough power to muscle your way through dimensions but don¡¯t know about the limits of how much power you can draw? Who the hell trained you?¡± she said as she forgot her nervousness.


    ¡°I spent years under Druid Brother and I couldn¡¯t even power an enspelled portal to the Grimmlands,¡± Sonya replied with a little spite. ¡°Now get some sleep if you are going to be able to free us.¡±


    Dean began to argue with her before he thought about it. If Sonya lost track of time in here and it had been less than a day then he could get some rest.


    Closing his eyes, he let his mind wander going through his life before Aggie. Bo¡¯s death and trying to convince anyone that a monster took him. The bullying and teasing he went through and all the help his mother tried to give him. And then her death when he was 15. Losing the only family he ever had was traumatic. But learning that his mom¡¯s best friend and his godparent didn¡¯t want to take in a disturbed teenager. That probably hurt the most.


    Group homes weren¡¯t even that bad he thought to himself. But he also realized he had given up at that point. Life was too much and he was just going through the motion until Aggie found him and gave him so much. Aggie gave him knowledge of what the world really was. That he wasn¡¯t crazy or a liar. That monsters are real. But most of all he gave him a home, something Dean quit hoping for years ago.


    His eyes snapping open, Dean knew he didn¡¯t rest much but he couldn¡¯t wait much longer. Galvanizing his will he sat up and positioned himself back in the circle. Sitting in the classic meditative position he blocked out everything as he focused on two things. The nails around him and rescuing Aggie.


    As Dean slowly his breathing he focused on the little points of lights the nails made up in his head. Connecting with the nails, they all stood up straight around him with eerie unison. As Dean felt the nails around him he knew these nails were not the pure iron that Fay magics were weak to. But they would work.


    Dean closed his eyes as he sat in the lotus position in his circle. Inhaling slowly through his nose, Dean could feel his power filling him like a balloon. As he exhaled slowly through his mouth, he could feel the magic potential in his circle become thicker with power. Repeating this over and over again. The nails in his mind¡¯s eye glowed brighter with every exhale of energy. Until they were all glowing little suns to his magical senses.


    Slowly opening his eyes, he looked at the nails as they crackled with his energy. The circle pulsed with his power as Dean slowly reached over to break the circle, releasing all the energy at once.

 Chapter 18

    The magic emp bomb was released with a whoosh. Dust lifted off of the ground creating concentric circles around Dean. As Dean opened his eyes he was hit with a wave of lethargy. He hadn¡¯t spent enough time resting, but something clicked with his power. He could empower his magic with strong emotions.


    Looking over at Sonya, he saw her standing with her one hand placed on the wall. She didn¡¯t radiate the same manic energy she had before. As she swayed gently back and forth reminded Dean of a tree in the wind.


    Without turning around to speak she said, ¡°There are two guards on the other side of the door. Male and a female with guns.¡±


    Without questioning how she knew this Dean wished he still had his gun. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how much control he would have with the silver nails right now.


    ¡°Can you tell me any more?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think they know we are free,¡± Sonya replied. ¡°Their guns are still holstered and they are watching something on a phone.¡±


    Smacking the piece of wood against his hand Dean laid out his plan. ¡°We should blitz them while they are off guard. If we do it quick enough, they should be caught off guard and we can overpower them.¡±


    At that Sonya turned around and looked at Dean as if he was crazy. Coming from a person who had been in solitary confinement so long that she lost count said something. That his plan was foolish.


    ¡°Well do you have a better idea?¡± he asked her.


    Sonya just shrugged walking past Dean to the door. Taking off her tattered and soiled clothing and letting them fall to the ground. As her hand touched the door handle Dean managed to grab her. Stopping her from opening the door.


    ¡°If you go in there you will be killed,¡± Dean hissed at her as he pulled her away from the door.


    She spun around smacking Dean¡¯s hand away powerfully. Turning to look at him with golden amber eyes that glowed with power.


    ¡°They won¡¯t have the chance,¡± she growled back as fur began to sprout all over her.


    Dean took a step back afraid of what was happening. When she attacked him before she didn¡¯t have this wildness about her. She sounded so much more savage and angrier. It almost was palpable.


    ¡°The Fay may have forsaken the Brotherhood of Druids but Gai hasn¡¯t,¡± Sonya growled out so deeply that Dean felt it in his chest.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Her body was doubling in mass constantly as fur covered her whole body. Her back curved causing her to fall forward onto all four. Before she morphed fully into whatever monster she was becoming, she barged into the room with the guards.


    The sound of cussing and gunshots echoed loudly. Even in the room, Dean was in. Sonya¡¯s bestial roars and human screams rang out. The sound of a wood breaking by something meaty caused Dean to cringe.


    Holding a silver nail in one hand and his wooden club in the other Dean walked to the door. Pushing it open with a foot Dean peered into the destroyed room. A black bear lay in the middle of the room on its side breathing heavy. The bloody remains of people laid strewn all around her causing Dean to gag. If there had been more in his stomach, he would have emptied it.


    As Sonya the bear lay there, its fur began to slough off. Chunks of it coming off revealing Sonya curled in the center of the mess. As naked and bloody as the day she was born and balling loudly just the same. Grabbing Sonya¡¯s discarded shirt he began to wipe her off looking for any bullet wounds. Sonya hiccupping from crying took the shirt from him further wiping herself clean.


    Taking off his hoodie Dean handed it to her to cover up with after grabbing her pants. Nodding her head in thanks, she dressed.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Sonya said with tear streaked bloody face.


    ¡°No problem,¡± Dean replied then added, ¡°Keep it.¡±


    With a little chuckle, Sonya tiptoed through the bloody mess to the mutilated bodies. Searching them quickly she took their guns and keys. Their phones unfortunately had been smashed by Sonya in her bear form.


    Tiptoeing back through the bloody remains she stumbled. Dean caught her before she could fall.


    ¡°You OK,¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah, just a little backlash from losing one of my totems,¡± she said with a sniffle.


    Unsure of what to say Dean replied with, ¡°Oh, does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Yeah kind of like losing a friend,¡± she said with her face downcast. ¡°I was taken captive while bonding with her. She was the Druid Brother¡¯s favorite spirit bond and after she passed, I decided to take her on also. But now I¡¯m not sure if I will ever be able to even summon her again after dying in her skin,¡± she said with a sullen tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Dean said, ¡°But I think we should get out of here if there are any more guards around.¡±


    Exiting the room they found themselves in a corridor eerily similar to the one Aggie was in. Even with the same lights strung along one side of the corridor.


    Sonya grabbed Dean by the arm and said ¡°this way.¡± Sprinting down the hall with Dean close at her heal they took a confusing amount of twists and turns. She eventually led them to a rickety old staircase. The air had a slight tinge of salt and fish reminiscent of Pikes Place Market.


    Climbing the stairs, Dean could hear people talking and laughing on the other side of a door. Struggling to push it open, Dean startled a couple taking a selfie next to the gum wall. The door shut silently behind them as Sonya brushed past Dean.


    Looking back at where they exited Dean couldn¡¯t see the camouflaged door anymore. Not being able to see it anymore, he did make a mental note of a disturbingly large wad of blue gum near where he thought the door would be.


    Chasing after Sonya he called for her to stop but she ignored him. Pushing through the crowded landmark Dean finally managed to get in front of her.


    ¡°Get out of my way,¡± she said angrily.


    ¡°At least tell me where you¡¯re going,¡± he asked. ¡°I just rescued you and I still need to take you to Dorion and Lady Andromeda.¡±


    ¡°Tell Dorion I will come see him after I kill that bitch first,¡± she said pushing past Dean again.


    ¡°Shit,¡± he muttered. Grabbing her arm he stopped her saying, ¡°At least speak to Dorion before you get yourself killed.¡±

 Chapter 18.5

    Two police officers walked up to Dean and Sonya in Pikes Place Market. Sonya being covered in dried blood and smelling like she hadn¡¯t washed in weeks.  Dean constantly grabbing her probably made him appear to be trying to kidnap her. Sans the white van.


    ¡°Does there seem to be a problem here ma¡¯am?¡± police number 1 asked. His hand on his gun rather than his taser.


    The crowd instantly gave them room as people began to pull out their phones to record them. Some idiot even yelled world star.


    Police number 2 yelled at the crowd to go back to their business. That there was nothing to see here. Nobody moved, the crowd only became more packed with people.


    Dean looked at cop number 1 and reached for his wallet not thinking. ¡°This is a big misunderstanding,¡± he said.


    ¡°STOP,¡± cop number 1 yelled. His hand on his gun.


    Cop number 2 spun away from the crowd to face Dean his gun drawn. His hand shaking a little from the adrenalin rush.


    Dean saw this out of the corner of his eye and froze instantly. His hand still on Sonya¡¯s arm, he felt her tense up ready for fight or flight.  He squeezed her arm in a hopefully reassuring way trying to get her to calm down.


    ¡°I¡¯m just reaching for my wallet,¡± Dean said in a calm voice. ¡°I work for Homeland Security. This lady is a witness in an ongoing investigation,¡± he said. He had practiced saying things like this for weeks. His youth and not being in a suit working against him.


    ¡°Slowly please,¡± cop number 1 said as he watched Dean closely.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Pulling out his wallet, Dean flipped it open, identifying himself. The cop reached over grabbing the wallet out of his hand to get a closer look. After reading his badge to his radio, he handed it back after verifying his identity.


    ¡°Sorry Agent Fabre, but you don¡¯t look like an agent for Homeland,¡± he said as he relaxed a little giving their names, Houger and Kovak. ¡°Can we assist you with this,¡± he began to say as he looked at Sonya more closely, ¡°suspect?¡± Houger asked.


    ¡°Actually yes I would,¡± Dean said letting go of Sonya. ¡°Can you give us a ride to a Starbucks in Pioneer Square?


    ¡°Yeah I guess we can,¡± Houger said.


    ¡°Really Hougs?¡± Kovak said. Not getting the chance to see Dean''s identity he was still a little suspect. Holstering his gun he tried to seem like he was shaken as he walked up.


    Houger handed Dean his wallet back before Kovak could look at it. As the crowd dispersed Houger led them to the vehicle. Sonya suddenly tackled Dean as the sound of a gun went off. Slamming into the ground Dean caught sight of Anil in the crowd pointing a gun at him.


    People started to scream and run as Anil pushed through the crowd. His gun leveled at Dean, Kovak came at him from his blind side tackling him. Twisting with inhuman skill Anil threw Kovak to the ground. Then stomped on his arm snapping it.


    His gun leveled back at Dean, Houger shot him with a taser stunning him. His Fay constitution ignoring the worst of the effect but still dropped the gun. Houger attempted to spray him with pepper spray but Anil lunged at him catching him with a haymaker. Houger hitting the ground, Anil leaped over him running at Dean with murder in his eyes.


    Dean managed to get his gun out in time to shoot Anil in the arm wounding him. Grabbing his arm Anil ran into a store and quickly disappearing in the panicked crowd.


    Kovak pale and sweaty with a broken arm needed help up as Houger called in the assault.


    Dean holstered his gun and turned to thank Sonya for the save. Missing in action Dean spun around in a circle looking for her. Yelling out her name felt silly but was his only idea. Someone taking the hint he was looking for her yelled, ¡°she went that way,¡± and pointed at an alley.


    ¡°Shit,¡± he said realizing she had given him the slip. He needs to get to Dorion and let him know what was going on. Looking at Houger rubbing his jaw, he wondered if could still get that ride.

 Chapter 19

    Houger let Dean know that he could still get a ride but it would have to wait. An ambulance was on the way for Kovak and they couldn¡¯t leave before that. Looking at Kovak holding his broken forearm Dean decided to just walk. It wasn¡¯t that far and he could be lucky. He might see Sonya on the way.


    Handing Houger a business card Aggie forced him to carry. Letting him know he would walk there and to leave a message if they needed him to leave a statement. It might take him a bit to get to them but he would as soon as he could.


    The walk to Dorios¡¯s Starbucks was short but extremely stressful. Dean''s nerves were stretched thin expecting Anil to pop out at any time. His palms sweated profusely as he walked causing him to wipe his hand on his pants to dry them. Like a nervous tic, he didn¡¯t notice as Santiago walking up behind him pressing a gun into his back.


    ¡°Dorios wants to see you,¡± he said pressing the gun deeper into Dean¡¯s back. ¡°Sonya is waiting for you at his place.¡±


    ¡°No need to shove a gun into my back,¡± he said walking a bit faster to get the gun out of his back.


    Santiago just grunted at that response deciding anymore talking was useless. His pace keeping up with Dean¡¯s the gun kept against Dean¡¯s back.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to keep the gun on me,¡± Dean said, ¡°But keep it out in case Anil decides to attack again.¡±


    Ignoring Dean, Santiago pushed the gun deeper into Dean¡¯s back. Letting him know that Santiago wasn¡¯t afraid of Anil attacking.


    As Dorios¡¯s Starbucks came closer Dean could feel all the eyes staring at him. Trying to find the people watching him was a fruitless effort. His only knowledge of spotting spotters was what he learned from movies.


    ¡°People watching us? Is that why you¡¯re not worried about Anil attacking?¡± Dean asked trying to get any information from Santiago.


    A grunt and a possible imperceptible nod due to Santiago being behind him was all the affirmation that Dean received.


    Reaching the front door to the coffee shop was accompanied by a final push by Santiago. Looking over his shoulder Dean saw Santiago holster his gun and in the same motion pulled out his phone to text someone.


    Assuming he was messaging Dorios that he was there. Dean had a sudden impulse to smack the phone out of his hands. But he quickly reigned that feeling in feeling that it was suicidal at best.


    Entering the shop, the door clicked locked behind him. Pulling his gun out if this was an ambush, he checked the door making sure it was locked. A door marked employees only opened up and Dorios walked out. Dean quickly pointed his gun at him, ready to shoot at a moment¡¯s notice.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°No need to point a gun at me,¡± Dorios said as raised his hands. ¡°Sonya is downstairs cleaning up and said you would be here soon.¡±


    Still, pointing his gun at Dorios Dean asked, ¡°Did she say anything else?


    ¡°She did. She said Anil attacked you but I find that absolutely ludicrous,¡± Dorios said dropping his hand. ¡°If he did attack you, you would be dead. And he would be long gone.¡±


    At that Dean, lowered his gun. Refusing to reupholster it. Putting his back to a wall away from the window he kept his eyes on Dorios.


    ¡°Where is Sonya right now?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°Sonya?¡± Dorios asked, ¡°Is that what Nameless¡¯s birth name is? She is downstairs taking a shower in my private office. If you want, we can wait down there. The seating is much more comfortable.¡±


    Keeping his gun drawn Dean nodded head that would work. Following Dorios go down a flight of stairs first, he followed him at a distance. Once in the basement, Dean took a look around.


    Expecting to see boxes of cups, coffee, and syrup Dean was instead in a stylish business office. A coffee-colored oak desk dominated the center of the room. Multiple monitors sat on the desk. Two of them running a complex algorithm while the center one monitored the stock market. A collection of ancient looking books governed the shelves behind it.


    Directly behind the desk in between the bookshelves laid a painting. An elderly man¡¯s headshot partially painted as if by a classically trained artist. A true masterpiece in the making. And by the smell of it still drying. Dorios sat beneath it and if one didn¡¯t know better would have thought it was his father.


    Dorios sat under it his hands steepled, observing Dean looking at the painting.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± he asked Dean. ¡°It¡¯s a hobby I picked up during the 1500s.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been more of a fan of Banksy personally,¡± Dean replied offhandedly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been more partial to Ron English when it comes to pop art,¡± Dorios said back. ¡°You know, I can talk about art all day. If you think about it, periods of art are pretty close to television shows and movies. Some of the greatest pieces of art became series repeated with the times like seasons of a tv show. But the truly great pieces were closer to box office hits. Every sequel and reboot of it ultimately pale imitations of the original. The amount of time I¡¯ve spent admiring pieces of art through the ages has to rival what an American spends on the couch rotting their brains away.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to talk about art,¡± Dean replied a little off balance. He hadn¡¯t expected Dorios to go into a weird rant on tv and art. ¡°Where is Sonya?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Most likely finishing up in the shower,¡± he said. ¡°Even with all the time, she has spent in the wilds learning her craft they still bathed. From what she said imprisonment didn¡¯t have much for those amenities.¡±


    ¡°What else did she say?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°That she needed a shower bad. Also that you would be with us soon and that The Grimoire is stuck somewhere in the Grimmlands,¡± Dorios said.


    ¡°Can you help me rescue Aggie then?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately, no. The Druid Brother was the only one capable of opening a way to the Grimmlands under my purview. Also, the only person I have ever met that could track something down their also,¡± Dorios said. ¡°But don¡¯t worry The Grimoire is quite capable of taking care of himself. Now tell me what you did to cause Anil to attack you.¡±


    At that Dean sat down to tell Dorios everything that happened.

 Chapter 19.5

    Dean woke up but held the illusion of being asleep. The room reeked of the smell of food and oiled metal. Sonya and Dorios sat at a table set up in the middle of the office. A roast dinner accompanied by an assortment of guns sat between the two. Dorios was busy eating as Sonya was busy doing maintenance on the guns. One-handed at that.


    Without turning his head or acknowledging that he noticed anything Dorios asked, ¡°Can I get you a plate?¡±


    Dean sat up straight opened his eyes. ¡°How did you know I was awake?¡±


    ¡°A slight hitch in your breathing, nothing mystical. But if you want something to eat before you head out I would do so now,¡± Dorios said clearly as he stuffed his face.


    Not needing a second invite Dean started to load up a plate as Dorios and Sonya continued their conversation.


    ¡°I fail to see your point. I was attacked on Fay land with Fay magic. Dean said he was attacked by the spirit of the woods and Anil attacked both of us,¡± Sonya said as she angrily scrubbed the muzzle of a gun.


    ¡°Lady Andromeda and I have had a long-standing peace. I control the city and keep the humans from ruining the forest as much as I can and she runs the other side,¡± Dorios said as he ate. ¡°Without me holding the city Mab would send her own people in to take over. Starting a magical street war between the two. That¡¯s not counting the interest The Night Parade has been showing in Seattle.¡±


    Dean couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s The Night Parade?¡±


    ¡°Fay from Japan and China,¡± Sonya quickly answered.


    ¡°That also doesn¡¯t explain the Spirit that attacked Dean and the Grimoire with a club wrapped in car parts. Or that Anil attacked you two with a gun,¡± Dorios said as he loaded his plate up with more roast and a Yorkshire pudding. His mushed peas untouched on his plate.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating your mushed peas,¡± Dean asked as he was scraping up the remnant of his own.


    ¡°Just because I cook a Sunday¡¯s Roast doesn¡¯t mean I have to like everything I made,¡± Dorios said with a grimace.


    ¡°Oh it''s Sunday,¡± Dean said without thinking, ¡°Happy Birthday to me. Yippee,¡± he said as twirled his finger in the air. Mocking the excitement he should feelYou could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Sonya ignored that offhanded comment as Dorios stopped his eating.


    ¡°We will have to do something after this,¡± Dorios said. ¡°I¡¯m sure The Grimoire has something delicious planned.¡±


    ¡°We have to figure out a way to get to him first,¡± Dean replied sullenly.


    ¡°You can enter the Grimmlands by getting to the world tree while I kill Andromeda,¡± Sonya said reassembling her gun with deft hands.


    ¡°Why are you going to kill Lady Andromeda?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°It''s part of the oath all members and initiates take. The Brotherhood of the Druids were formed to combat any perversions of the natural world,¡± Sony began as she checked the sights of her gun.


    ¡°Usually this means anything that raises the dead or causes magical diseases,¡± Dorios continued for her. ¡°In his case the Spirit of the Forest using unnatural tools. Since this happened on Lady Andromeda¡¯s lands she is considered as the guilty party.¡±


    ¡°And it''s my duty to dispense justice,¡± Sonya said cocking her gun.


    ¡°That is a little too 80s action movie in my own opinion,¡± Dorios said pointing a fork full of roast beef at Sonya.


    ¡°How often do you get opportunities like this to say that?¡± Sonya asked.


    ¡°Live long enough and you have plenty,¡± Dorios replied with his mouth full of food.


    A short time later Dean sat in the backseat of a Black Ford Taurus. Sonya deciding to drive even though she was missing a hand. Dean really needed to learn to drive already if he was going to be an agent of MIB.


    Nervously fingering the antique nails Dorios let him borrow. Dorios had told him that these nails were forged by a blacksmith that bound spirits with the tools he made. Closing his eyes, Dean opened his mind to the nails. As they lit up to his sixth sense, he turned them over in his hands. Runes lit up all along the shafts of the nails with crown insignias etched into the heads.


    As Dean let his powers envelop the nails, he felt the vestiges of the Blacksmith¡¯s magic. This foreign magic fought Dean for control of the nails. His will easily overpowered the magic of the Blacksmith¡¯s. Washing away the grip the man had Dean felt his power flow through the nails. The antique nails moved around his hand as he fed them a little power.


    Injecting a little more power into the nails they lifted up from his hand hovering in midair. Going through some simple exercises that Aggie had him do. Dean had the nails doing figure eights while spinning.


    Sonya watched him from the side of her eye. ¡°How good are you with those things?¡± she asked.


    Speeding up his exercises in control Dean smirked, stopping them suddenly. The point of the nails pressed lightly against the palm of his hand. ¡°Good enough at close range,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Anything else you can do with those nails that I haven¡¯t seen?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I can sense nails with my mind,¡± Dean said. ¡°Kind of gives me Daredevil¡¯s power in the dark,¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a Daredevil?¡± Sonya asked.


    ¡°You know. That shitty movie with Ben Affleck. Blind lawyer superhero?¡± Dean quickly sputtered out.


    ¡°How can a superhero be blind?¡± Sonya asked incredulously.


    Dean then spent the rest of the car ride explaining one of the worst superhero movies ever made. Not counting any of the recent DC movies.

 Chapter 20

    Driving along the private road to the Summer Court¡¯s company that Dean and Aggie visited earlier, Dean stared out his passenger window. Not looking at the building but at the surrounding forest as he sped by. A slight haze hung between the trees that Dean could only see thanks to the setting sun. The beams of sunlight cut through the forest canopy refracting from the white mist.


    ¡°Do you smell that?¡± Sonya asked as she sniffed the air audibly.


    Dean¡¯s concentration broken, he closed his eyes and sniffed the air. The smell of a new car mixed with something skunky was the only smell that greeted his nose. Lifting an arm he gave himself a quick pit check. That skunky smell was him. His armpits ripe from a day spent running, fighting, and scared.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Dean replied. ¡°I should have freshened up before we left.¡±


    ¡°No not that,¡± Sonya said with a frown. Rolling down the driver¡¯s side window she quickly sniffed the air then sped up.


    Dean rolled down his own window to get a better smell. As the air buffeted his face from their increased speed. He smelled something heavy like damp woods with notes of orange peels. But the aftertaste from it was vile as the taste of chewed up aspirin and burnt toast causing Dean to shudder.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Dean asked as he rolled his own window up.


    ¡°The World Tree is burning,¡± Sonya answered through gritted teeth. Her foot pressed down on the gas as her knuckles turned white. ¡°Andromeda would never let that tree burn,¡± she said through gritted teeth.


    Taking the curves of the winding road at unsafe speeds Dean screamed. Flying at unsafe speeds towards the Summer Court¡¯s building Dean''s eyes grew large. The sunset wasn¡¯t reflected by the windows but reflected a summer''s day. Cloud slowly rolled across the front of the building. Only marred by broken windows that released white smoke that sank to the ground heading straight for the forest.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    The sound of gunfire could be heard coming from the inside. The sounds only coming in short bursts. But tinny with reverb.


    Dean''s hand trembled as he held the gun, he had liberated from the guards earlier. He should have practice more when given the opportunity but instead chose to do other things. All those hours watching movies and reading were coming back to bite him in the ass now. Sonya took notice of his shaking hand. Placing her hand on the gun she pushed it down.


    ¡°You''re just as likely to shoot yourself with hands shaking that badly,¡± she said looking at him.


    Dean let the pressure of her hand push the gun down. He knew she was right. But if he was going to only use the nails his range would be limited. Thinking of using a spell or another magical emp could make him too weak. Unable to protect himself as he traveled the Grimmlands to rescue Aggie.


    Pushing her hand off the gun Dean said, ¡°I¡¯m taking the gun but I won¡¯t use it unless I absolutely have to.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Sonya said pulling out her own gun. In an amazing display of dexterity or knowledge, she loaded her own gun one-handed fluidly.


    ¡°If we make it out of here you need to show me how you did that,¡± Dean said in awe. After watching her handling a gun one-handed, he felt even clumsier.


    ¡°Just keep up and try not to shoot me,¡± Sonya replied opening her car door.


    Dean followed suit, exiting the car. His heart pumping in his chest as he followed Sonya¡¯s lead. Crouched low they charged up the stairs. The sound of gunfire distorted could be heard but not seen. The mirrored glass making it impossible to see inside.


    After hearing the weird gunfire sounds Sonya stopped them. ¡°Change of plans,¡± she began, ¡°We don¡¯t know what we are entering. Those gunshots sounded distorted and were probably entering a juxtaposition spell.¡±


    ¡°So like your apartment and the place they had you trapped,¡± Dean said thinking he knew where she was going with this.


    ¡°Yes like those. But whatever were entering will be much more favorable to the Fay. But with your power you might be able to cut through it all and make it to the tree,¡± Sonya said.


    ¡°You¡¯re not coming with me?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°No, I''m hunting Andromeda,¡± Sonya replied icily. ¡°She has to answer for what is going on under her watch.¡±


    ¡°But how am I supposed to find the tree?¡± Dean asked worriedly. With his limited training with magic and just a gun, he didn¡¯t know how he would survive the Grimmlands alone. Let alone find Aggie.


    Sonya put her stub on Dean''s shoulder and looked him dead in the eye saying, ¡°Be Ben Affleck.¡±