Chapter 7

My shift ended around lunch when Pop swapped me out and took over the kitchen. I repeated the same story I’d told Evie, including that I didn’t think I’d be any help to AvSec. He asked a few brief questions about the night before but he was used to Johnny and me spending long hours together so he mostly just seemed glad I was back. Then he took another look at the deep bags under my eyes and sent me upstairs to sleep. It was a light day, so I had him send Hilde home early to get some rest, too.

I climbed the stairs with lead feet and collapsed into my top bunk without even taking my cooking clothes off. My bedding would smell like frying oil and sausages for a few days, but I was beyond exhausted and couldn’t have cared even if someone paid me to.

The moment I closed my eyes, I found myself back in the pure white place. Blossom stood right up in my face in her silver armor with her thick pink hair and creepy heart eyes. “Hiya!”

“Wha—” I stumbled back in shock, and she just laughed like a loon.

“Is that the first thing you’re always gonna say when you see me? Pretty boring. Most men greet me with, ‘Oh Blossom, my love,’ or ‘Behold, the goddess!’”

“Are you a goddess? You seem way too ditzy, but the last twenty-four hours have been filled with some crazy revelations.”

“How rude,” she pouted, again in her exaggerated theatrical way, sticking out her lower lip and swinging her whole body around like a little girl. “I’ll have you know that countless men have pledged their undying loyalty to me over the centuries.”

“Centuries? How old are you, Blossom?”

She pressed a finger to her lips as she looked up in thought. “Well, that depends. What year is it? I stopped counting a while ago.”

“When did you stop counting?”

“Well, I think it was around the time of that artist guy, Michelangelo.”

“That was 1500AD! It’s been over seven hundred years!”

“Huh. I’d thought clothing styles had changed. Ah well, can’t keep track of everything, you know.”

I put my palm against my forehead. “Sure, just a little thing like seven hundred years. Can’t be helped.”

“Exactly. Glad you understand.” She beamed at me like an airhead, totally missing my sarcasm.

“Okay, so what’s the earliest time you remember?”

“Well, that would be when the armor was forged and I was placed into it to be its guardian.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere. So when and where was that?”

“Well, about twelve-thousand years ago in Atlantis.”

I forgot to breathe for a minute. “Atlantis?”

Blossom beamed at me again, clasped her hands behind her, and wiggled her hips. “Yup.”

“Atlantis.”

“Mhmm.”

I sighed and rubbed my face with both hands. “Sure, why not.” I stood like that and took a few breaths, then peeked between my fingers at Blossom. She was staring off into space and humming some discordant melody to herself as she wiggled absentmindedly.

“And you’re, like… what? An AI? A ghost?”

“Uh…” Blossom screwed up her face in thought, but it instantly went slack again and returned to her blissful smile. “Don’t remember. Sorry.”

“How can you not remember something so important?”

“Hey, the past is pretty boring, okay? There’s just so much of it to remember. I couldn’t possibly hold onto all of it.”

“So does that mean your memory banks got full? Or have you just gone insane after twelve millennia?”

“How rude,” she huffed again, puffing up her cheeks in annoyance until she looked like a big pink-and-silver chipmunk.

“Okay, so tell me what you do know about yourself.”

Her eyes lit up and she spun on her heel to strike a dramatic pose like one of the Topside Hunter idols. “I’m Blossom!”

“Yeah, I got that part. Relevant facts, please.”

“Well, letsee. My measurements are thirty-six, twenty-four, thirty-six. My hobbies are roses, the color pink, long baths, brutal campaigns into enemy territory, beheadings, dismemberment, and the desecration of corpses.” She shook a finger at me with a stern expression. “Only worthy corpses, though, like big-time warrior opponents. And only after the conclusion of a satisfying duel where you have to hang their limbs as trophies.”

“Hang their limbs… as… ?”

“Hey, don’t judge,” she scolded. “It worked for Beowulf.”

“Yeah, sure, Beo—Wait, are you saying you knew Beowulf? As in, the Beowulf?”

She looked confused. “Huh? Well, I guess, I mean only knew the one Beowulf. Do you know him or something?”

“Everyone knows Beowulf! That was sixth-century Denmark.”

“Oh, so, like… fifteen hundred years ago?” She shrugged. “That’s not very long.”

“Not very long…” I sighed. I got the feeling I’d be doing a lot of that around Blossom.

She snuck up on me as I drooped and patted me on the head. “It’s okay, Edgar. Don’t worry. Lots of men develop a taste for older women.”

I felt my face go deadpan. I expected I’d be doing a lot of that around her, too. “I’m not in love with you, Blossom.”

“Not yet,” she replied, then sighed dramatically. “But it’s practically inevitable. All my hosts fall in love with me eventually after I save their lives enough times.”

“You let me get skewered, so we’re not off to a great start.”

“Hey, now. I can’t help it if my bearer is as helpless as a newborn kitten. You gotta learn to be fast, Eddie!”

“You said this place is inside my brain. How do you connect to my brain? And how deep does into my mind can you go?”

“Oh, that’s easy to answer.” She smiled again, a twinkle in her eye. “I can read everything, even your memories. Your friendship with Johnny, your crush on Hilde, even your secret pain about your brother—”

“Stop.” My heart hammered. “Not one more word.”

Her eyes widened at my sharp tone. “Sorry, Eddie. Too far, too fast, huh? I’ll be careful while I probe the deepest recesses of your very being.”

“Haven’t you ever heard of privacy? Decency?”

“Sweetheart,” she said patiently, “there’s no such things as privacy or decency with me.” Her face twisted up in confusion. “Wait, that didn’t come out right.” Then she shrugged and flipped her hair back over her shoulder. “Well, whatever. I’m the epitome of womanhood, and you’re lucky to have me.”

I kept my expression deadpan so I wouldn’t grind my teeth. “So let’s move on. The armor didn’t seem to do much to keep me safe. It’s been around since ancient Atlantis, but it doesn’t do squat for the guy wearing it.”

“It does plenty, once you learn how to fight and unlock all the various levels of power.”

“Now we’re talking. How do I do that? Is there a manual or a tutorial?”

“Pfft,” Blossom snorted, waving her hand dismissively. “Boring. The armor will grow with you as you gain venari. That’s hunting experience gained from battle. I’ll let you know when you’ve got enough to unlock some cool stuff. There’s a bunch of options, too, so I’ll visit you all the time and we’ll make those important choices together.” She snuggled up beside me with a little shimmy, batting her weird heart eyes at me. “Just the two of us, together, walking a path of unimaginable carnage and brutality. Isn’t it romantic?”

“Frankly, I’d prefer the tutorial.”

“Well, too bad. We’re doing it my way. I’ll tell you when you unlock stuff. Until then, just slay, slay, slay! Swing your blades until blood rains from the skies!”

I snapped my fingers. “Right, blades. I got two short swords in my last battle, right?”

“Yep, and there’s a greatsword in there, as well. You can swap the style of swords out depending on which style of combat you’re angling for.”

“You know, Blossom,” I said, “you seem pretty off your rocker, in a crazed bloodthirsty way. But then other times you seem downright competent.” Before she could parse that one out and decide to be flattered or angry, I pushed right along. “What made you choose me?”

She looked truly serious for the first time since I’d seen her. “It was your eyes, Edgar.”

“My eyes?”

She nodded, still serious. “When the ogre rushed at Hilde, you looked straight at him, and your eyes narrowed just a bit. I could read your intent to give your life to protect her written in that one narrowed look. That spirit is exactly what I look for in a potential Dragoon. A timid host would be useless, they’d flinch away from the work that needs to be done.”

“And what work is that?”

“Killing Drak’thas.” She blinked. “Sorry, old word. Drak’thas are what your new friends would call Protos. It’s why the silver scale was made, what the Atlanteans forged this armor to do. They were at war with the Drak’thas, and in the end they lost. Their society collapsed under the combined force of their foes, and when last I checked very little remained of the once-mighty empire.”

Then she smiled. “You’re also pretty hot. Hot and heroic, that’s my type. Rough men of action ready to do brutal work.”

I scratched my head. “I honestly don’t know that that describes me, Blossom.”

“It does, and now that I’m with you, you’ll see. Or you’ll die trying and prove me wrong, in which case it’s not my problem.”

“Gee, thanks,” I said flatly. “Good to know I’m on my own.”

She stalked slowly toward me, her hands clasped behind her but her eyes fierce. I stood up straighter, the full reality soaking in for the first time that she was a powerful ancient being with access to my brain and body. The intense look in her eyes put me on notice that she wasn’t really empty in the head, that she was capable of sharp focus and severe intent.

She sauntered right up to me, got up close until our faces were just inches apart. “I’ll protect, you, Eddie. Our first battle was rough, but neither of us was prepared for it. I’ll get you into fighting shape so you never have to worry again. And I’ll always be with you, fighting right there beside you.”

Then she poked me in the nose. “I promise I’ll protect you, because you’re mine now, Eddie. I always protect those who become mine. And while I may not remember everything, I always remember those who’ve been mine.” She flicked her gaze back and forth, inspecting my eyes from inches away, then winked. “Now, get some sleep.”

The white world faded to black, and I passed out cold.