“Captain, I’m sorry for screwing up. I really wanted to thank you for covering up for me. If it becomes known that we lost the outpost and crystals due to me, I shiver to think what the prince could have done if I made him look bad or weak. I wanted you to know that I you saved my hide cap.”

He finished speaking just as my mind really started paying attention to what he was saying. I bolted up right away and tried to muffle his mouth with my hand but I knew I was too late when I felt the fae magic, presented in both of us, stirring and binding him to his word.

“What the fuck kid”. I told him, trying, and failing to an extent to keep my voice down. I grab him by his arm before he can answer and drag him to one of the side rooms. Once we are inside, I point him to one of the chairs, slam the door, lock it and then cast a silence field spell.

I know somewhere in the building an alarm just went off, so we don’t have much time.

“Do you have any fucking idea what you just done kid?” I yell at him. “Are you just stupid or you don’t care for your life?”

The kids assumed a defensive and confused posture. “Easy cap, what got into you? I didn’t do anything, I was just thanking you”.

“Just thanking me? You really are stupid! How long have you been living with the Fae? Probably just since the damm realm Fae crashed in to ours. You should fucking know how words and debts are binding. You basically gave me an open ended obligation that you said has the same value of your life.”

He stares me for a few seconds and his mouth open in perfect oh when the understanding hit him. As my mind was working at 110% trying to look for a way to salvage this situation. “But we are not Fae, we aren’t bound like them.” He stammers.

I take a deep breath and try to control my anger before I answer him. “That’s why I said you are stupid. You have entered a deal with the fucking Prince of Frost, to help you awake your touch, and you have no idea what that entails.” Well I did say I was trying to control my anger, not that I succeed. After another deep breath I do manage to continue more calmly. “When you asked for his help, you not only entered in his debt, but also your touch manifested due to his help, it didn’t have wild magic in origin, but Fae. In other worlds the magic inside you that fuel your ability is Fae. It means that you need to be careful of your words, if you break any oaths or fail to repays debts, not only you are free game for them to use their power to enforce it, but also your own magic will turn against you, more than a regular wizard.”

There is a big difference between a regular person dealing with the fae and someone who has magic, being either wizard, sorcerer or other magic users. When a regular person deals with the Fae, only the Fae is magically forced by its nature to obey the terms. But if said person break their promise to the Fae, they are free from whatever code of honor and obligation they have and can use any and all of their powers to enforce the deal and get what they want. When someone with magic deals with the Fae, the oath is magically binding for both. If a wizard try to back off a deal with the Fae, their own magic start turning against him. Failing him when he needs it and might even make him sick. In both of our cases it should be even worse, since our magic is part Fae.

“So I need to worry about everything I say to everyone?” he asks me. “Not exactly, when talking to anyone not Fae, the only judge if what you say is meant as a promise and to what extent is yourself. You only have to worry with formal promises, agreements and deals direct stated as so. But when talking to other Fae or people with fae magic, our magic resonates and our words and actions are judged by the magic and it can bind us the same way it would bind them.”

He thinks for a few seconds. “Ok, so I own you a big favor, that my magic will help enforce, can’t you just release me or ask me to ge you a cup of coffee and considered it paid??” If it just was that simple… “Sorry kid, not how it works, a favor or debt can only be repaid by something of the same valor. That's why you never give something to the Fae for free. They will be obligated to give you something of the same value, but their notion of what is considered a good gift is very different than ours. As an example, you give a gun to a Fae, it’s a weapon, but since it’s iron or steel, is pretty poisonous for them. So as a return gift they might give you a piece of radioactive uranium. You can use it as a weapon and it’s poisoning to you if you don’t have protection.

“Ok, so I’m stuck owing you a big ass favor. Sorry cap, but I’m not that worried. I don’t think you are the kind of person who will ask me to do something terrible or suicidal.”

‘Listen Johnson, I know you are a good guy, but you got stop being so ignorant about how things works around here. You own me your life, but you also own whatever you agreed to the Prince of Frost, you are his vassal, so to some extent your debts reflects on him, if you are ever incapable of honoring it, it would fall on him to do so. How happy you think he is going to be about that? Not only that but Mab basically owns me, she has enough over me to basically demand anything from me. Do you think I’m a knight of winter because I wanted to? She could demand me to cash the favor you own me for anything, she can even demand that I pass her your debt in exchange for one of my own debts to her. And sorry kid, depends on what she offers, I would take it. And I bet the Prince of Frost would really love be indebbeted the Queen.”

More silence as the kid took in all I said and processed it. His face darkened by the second. “I’m so fucked.” he finally states. Someone gives the kid a prize, he finally gets it.

“Yes you are. So, let's keep the information about this between just us, and hope nobody outside heard and understood what happened.” I ended the conversation.

And right on time just as if it’s on a movie scene the door burst open and two guards enter holding assault rifles. They are followed by a woman with asian features. She looks to be on her 60’s, grey hair and dark eyes. She is wearing a military uniform, and have a lot of shiny pins on it. I avoid my uniform like hell, so I never memorized what each one mean..

I drop the silence field. Right away I can hear the guards telling us to drop everything, and put our hands where they can see. I look at the woman and once again try the raising one eyebrow trick with mildly success. Ah, take it Lis.

“Gentleman, you can lower your weapons.” Commander Nakamura tells the guards, and they reluctantly comply. “Now Captain Dagworth, care to enlighten me why did you cast a silence field spell inside the command center, I’m sure you are aware, that spells in general are restricted inside this building.”

“I’m sorry Commander, but it was an urgent matter that I had to discuss with my team member in privacy.” I try giving her my best apologetic smile.

“And you couldn’t take him outside to discuss it? You aren’t trying to tell him what to write on his mission report are you?”

“Of course not Commander it’s an entirely private matter. Johnson has already filled his report.”

“Have you private Johnson?”

“Yes ma’am!” Johnson who was sweating cold answered the commander promptly.

“Still not a reason to break the rules Captain Dagworth, you know why we don’t allow the use of magic freely inside this building. I will be docking the cost of the door from your pay, and we will further discuss an appropriate punishment for this in my office. Private Johnson, you are dismissed”. She tells us and turn to leave the room.

“Yes ma’am”. We both answer. And pat Johnson on the shoulders before following her. The guards let me pass, and I follow the commander to her officer.

Commander Hanna Nakamura was an US colonel responsible for a military base somewhere in Wisconsin near the lakes. In the last days before the end her base had turned in to a refugee camp. I think she commanded 2000 soldiers or so, and there was over 30.000 thousands refugees seeking safety by camping on the base or it’s surroundings. When a zombie horde hit it, she tried to protect the civilians, but there were to few soldiers. As the story is told, she had lost more than two thirds of her numbers both civilians and military when the Fae realm crashed in to ours.

When it became obvious that their realm was going down, the Queens of both courts gathered their supporters and some of the most powerful Wylde Fae on their capitals. Basically all the Sidhe and a big part of the Fae in general gathered for it. Then for the first time in thousands of years the courts worked together in an enormous spell to make sure that when realm crashed, the capitals and its surrounding lands would overwrite our reality instead of the contrary.

So when everything seemed lost for Commander Nakamura both courts capitals appeared on the space occupied by the horde, missing her and the survivors for half a kilometers or so, killing 80% of the zombies hordes. Soon the remaining zombies were assaulting the recently arrived Fae as well, and with the help of the Fae, Nakamura remaining troops managed to fight back the remaining undead and few monsters that composed the horde. Soon after that the enclave was born. Of course there is much more history to it, but not relevant right now.

As we enter her office after her and close the door, the commander walks to a cabinet, and takes two glasses and a bottle of scotch. She pours a dose for each of us and we down it.

“So Artharian, what the fuck was that about? Why do you have to always make my life complicated?” She asks me as she pours another dose for us. “Not that I’m am complaining Hanna, but obviously this extravagance is not due to my small mischief”. I ask her while holding the second shot before drinking again. “No, just had a long meeting with my advisors, and I thought that if I needed a drink, at least I could do so with a friend.” she answer me. “To a drink with friends” I raise my glass. “To friends both present and absent” she answer and raise hers. And we down it again. “Now, Artharian, what was that about?”

Attempt to change the subject - Failure.