Chapter 48

Keflavik, Iceland

Thursday, October 27th, 2050

The next day passed quickly, in part because Mr. Maki insisted that I take a nap sometime before sunrise, which would have been around third period back at the academy. We had been hauling feed to the sheep; the task fell on us since the mundane League soldiers who’d accompanied Mr. Maki and Henrik put a checkpoint at the front gate to the farm and forbade anyone from getting in or out. The wooly gluttons weren’t let out to graze like normal, and their stomachs didn’t care about a security lockdown.

We were about halfway done when I staggered, spilling a bucket of alfalfa on the concrete floor of the barn. A white-wooled ram stuck its head through the bars of his pen, fruitlessly trying to reach his lunch.

Mr. Maki waved his hand, his sound-based affinity making a pressure wave to blow the alfalfa to the waiting animal. “You look like a zombie, Marlowe,” he said. “Go back to the house. You’re relieved of duty.”

“You haven’t slept any more than I have,” I countered. I had my reasons to not want to go back to the farmhouse. “And you’re a bloody dinosaur.”

“I didn’t fight a blasted demon monster last night,” he countered. “You could have saved some of Mol for me. Pretty selfish of you.”

“Then get here faster next time, old man,” I said, drying to dodge the order by riling him up.

“I wish you hadn’t saved quite so much of him,” said Henrik, pulling on his salt and pepper beard nervously. “It seems you found our flying dinosaurs, son. That’s going to be a lot of paperwork, and a body is harder to cover up.”

Mr. Maki clapped his old friend on the back. “Doing your job, Olvirrson? Perish the thought. Also, you aren’t going to distract me, Marlowe. Put that bucket down.”

I reluctantly complied. “Mr. Maki, I’m perfectly fine, and Rafal still hasn’t woken—”

I failed to stifle a yawn, giving the Divine Blade a chance to interject. “I promise, we’ll get you when he does. Now go; it’s an order.”

My feet were heavy as I made the trek back. Had things improved at all since I’d left? Was Rafal…

I hadn’t been quite as worried before. There had been too much to keep me occupied.

You’re being ridiculous. If he’d taken a turn, somebody would have come to tell us.

Unless…

My mind wandered; Rafal hadn’t been my only concern that morning. Tracking down the loose Viktor was my second job after hauling Rafal’s singed, unconscious body back into the house. I preferred it over watching Lilja dote on the blond man, especially since he’d turned himself into a boiled lobster for my sake.

Mariko had wanted to come with me, but it made more sense to have her tend to Kowalski. Even if he didn’t have enough magical energy left for her to cast much healing magic, she was our best wizard medic. The combat medic the Wizard Corpsmen had brought with them were all mundanes, and their understanding of magical ailments could be charitably described as minimal.

Not that we exactly understood the link between Rafal and Buddy any better, but I didn’t feel like being charitable. I wanted to stay busy, keep the Polish man’s fate off my mind, not think about what my cruelty had inflicted on us all.

Heida tagged along, following the distinctive three-toed tracks Viktor had left in the wet soil. “You need some help. I know you don’t think much of me anymore, but we know Viktor won’t try to trample me.”

“I don’t mind your company,” I said. “Especially not after you saved us last night. Or was it this morning? Not much difference on this bloody island. It’s been two hours since breakfast time and the sun is maybe thinking about rising.”

“You’re in a mood, aren’t you?”

I kept my mouth shut. Heida couldn’t understand, or at least, I didn’t care to try with her.

The blonde woman frowned. “Anyway, all I did was fight him a couple of minutes, then run away. I don’t need your pity thanks.”

“You were running towards something, instead of away from it,” I said, flashing her a comforting smile. No sense having us both be miserable. “You can cheer up, Heida. You went right up to Viktor, rode him into battle, and gave me the weapon that ended Mol’s life. Plus, you saved your family and the farmhouse. You can hold your head high.”

Her blue eyes sparked with mischievous defiance. “Oh yeah? If it’s so easy, why do you look like someone died?”

I winced at that. “Besides the fact that someone just might?” Rafal’s the safest thing to mention.

“Kowalski will be fine,” she said, waving my concern away. She came to a halt as we came to rockier soil that didn’t bear any mackie tracks. “Great, now what?”

“Hopefully he’s in earshot.” I put my fingers in my mouth and blew a piercing whistle.

Viktor hadn’t gone far, it seemed. The blue tarp covering a nearby stack of haybales shifted and Viktor squeezed out, noticeably wider than he’d been the night before.

“Seems like he still has his appetite,” said Heida as he trotted over.

“I’m more worried about his leg,” I said. Viktor rested his giant head on my shoulder, and I just avoided him resting his bulk on me. “Come along, you. You’ve been out in the cold for hours, you silly thing!”

Viktor bleated and followed me to the nearest barn without complaint. The penned-up sheep didn’t seem to care for his presence, but they didn’t have a say in the matter.

“I guess you didn’t need me after all,” said Heida with a disappointed sigh.

“Were you hoping he’d run for it?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I was thinking he might try something. I could’ve dazzled him with Lightshow, and you might’ve forgiven me for… well, you know.”

I frowned. “As far as the Corps will be concerned, you had a reasonable theory about Buddy. Being wrong isn’t a crime.”

“That isn’t what I meant,” she said, reaching for my hand. “I think we have something.”

I pulled away, feeling a pang of guilt at the hurt look in her eyes. “You’re a lovely woman, Ms. Bryndísardóttir, but after you were willing to sell out Rafal to avoid the fight? I can’t say the trust is there anymore.”

She winced as though I’d struck her. “A former demonkin calling me untrustworthy? That’s the pot calling the kettle black.”

“Exactly. It would be like dating myself, and I can barely tolerate myself most days.” I kept a joking lilt in my voice, but I was deadly serious. The last twenty-four hours hadn’t done much for my self-esteem. “And that was not an invitation to flick my nose again.”

“Sure, Mr. Noble.” Heida rolled her eyes. “Well, if you change my mind, you have my number. If you don’t need me, I’ve got some things to sort out with Pabbi.”

Even if it was an awkward memory, I preferred it to the foreboding I felt as I neared the perforated farmhouse. In the morning light, the gaping hole left by Mulciber’s Fireball was… fairly impressive. Not exactly Big Ben felling material, but not bad for a lower-class devil. It looked like Mariko would need somewhere else to sleep that night, assuming we stuck around.

Would we? It wasn’t like the threat of demonkin attack had gone away; there was no sign that Mulciber and the Beckers were in cahoots.

Not that I could think too well just then. Mr. Maki had been right to banish me to my bed, even if I didn’t care to admit it.

Poles with bedsheets hung between them blocked off a section of the living room. It was a bit ramshackle, but it made a decent privacy screen. I could see some shoes stepping around beneath them, but none were large enough for…

“Rafal?” I called out, hesitantly.

“Hey, Magpie!” Rafal’s voice brought a smile to my face, though it wavered when I parted the bedsheets.

“Good gracious, you look awful.” The words tumbled out of my mouth unbidden.

Rafal was set up on the hide-a-bed couch in far fewer clothes than I’d have preferred. His shame was covered, but not much else. One of the mundane medics was busily rubbing some sort of salve into his bright pink skin.

Lilja hopped up, her hands at her hips. “What’s your problem, Soren? We talked about this!”

“Talked about what?” asked Rafal, an instant before hissing between his teeth as the Icelandic medic’s fingers touched a sensitive spot.

“Never you mind,” said Lilja. “I think you have something to say to him. Right, Soren?”

My, there’s an awful lot of presumption going on today. “Rafal, thank you for what you did for me last night. Buddy saved my life.”

He waved me off. “Nah, it was nothing. You would’ve done the same.”

Lilja coughed into her hand. “Rafal, what did we talk about? Take the compliment.”

He nodded. “Alright, Lilja. You’re welcome, Magpie. How are you doing?”

“Strange to hear that question from someone who’s bedridden,” I said, feeling evasive. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Heida and Pabbi are having a chat.” She leaned in and whispered into my ear. “They’ve needed to do that for a while. Is that your doing?”

“I wish I could take credit, but that was all her,” I replied in a hushed tone. “What about Mariko?”

“She spent all morning using whatever magic Rafal recovered to try and heal him,” she replied. “She looked about as spent as you, so we sent her up to her room.”

Curious, I didn’t see her through the hole before… I cast the mystery aside. I didn’t have the energy. “I thought Rafal looked a little lighter.”

“About that, Magpie,” said Rafal. “Would you mind going back to calling me Kowalski?”

I cocked my head at him. “You’re kidding. After your complaining before…”

He shrugged, and he hissed again as his irritated skin rubbed against the bedsheets. “It just doesn’t sound right coming from you, y’know? It sounds forced. I know we’re bros whatever you call me.”

“Sure thing, Kowalski.” I preferred it anyway; it let me keep some mental distance. Bros? I’ll indulge him. Might even be close to true.

He tried to sit up, earning him a rebuke from the medic. “I’d, uh, give you a fist bump, but that’d hurt like a kick from Viktor.”

“I understand. I…” I started as a wispy form emerged from Kowalski’s shadow. A set of white eyes emerged from the humanoid shape as it raised its clenched fist to me.

“Jesus, Buddy, you nearly scared him to death!” Kowalski snapped.

“It wasn’t that bad; simply a bit unexpected.” I traded a fist bump with the golem. As soon as we touched, Buddy vanished back into Kowalski’s shadow. Probably barely had to energy to manifest at all. “We’re going to have to do something about that magical feedback.”

“Absolutely,” said Kowalski. For the first time, he seemed aware of how naked he was. He cried out in panic, Buddy wrapping around him. “W-we can talk later, right? When I’ve got pants?”

“Anytime, uh, ‘bro’,” I said before ascending the stairs. I could just make out Lilja’s words…

“See? It’s okay to speak your mind. Skjor’s harmless.”

Ouch.

Wandering down the hallway, I heard two faint voices from what had been Kowalski’s borrowed room. Clearly it was Bryndísar and Heida, though I couldn’t parse the muffled Icelandic.

Just as well. I’d hit some sort of wall, and I knew I’d pass out as soon as I hit the sheets. Case in point: I completely missed that somebody else was snoring away in my bed, even as I shifted her sleeping form aside and pulled up the covers.