Techtiggers' Soapbox

This story is part of a weekly series, updated every friday. Click Here to read from the beginning.

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Grimm’s howl drove the cultists to their knees.  The sound ached with despair and the dread certainty that all things end.   Death had been given a voice. 

The water elementals who had been flooding the tunnels outside were the first to fall. The ghostly hound moved through walls and under doors, slunk through darkened rooms and hallways.  The only warning his enemies had was a slight chill in the air, and a glimpse of brimstone-red eyes before the end.

Loki followed as best he could, though he had to take a more conventional route.  He shoved a door open and stepped over the bodies that had blocked it. There was no doubt which way the hound had gone, he was taking a straight line towards Nox.  Loki slipped quietly to the end of the hallway, careful to keep the dagger he had shaped out of flames concealed behind him.

 In the room beyond, Grimm crouched, snarling, his hackles up and claws digging into the concrete floor.  A group of New Dawn cultists huddled together on the far side, their frantic chants generating a shield made of light.  One of them grabbed Nox by the throat.

 “Stay back, beast, or I will snap her neck!”

Nox hung limp in his grasp, her face bruised and bloody.  For a moment Loki thought she was still dazed by the chloroform, but she was looking straight at Grimm.  Her eyelid drop in a slow wink, and Grimm’s tail twitched in response. Then all hell broke loose.

The electric blue energy of Nox’s aura flared up in a loud CRACK where the man’s hand touched her skin, sending him flying backwards.  Grimm leapt over her as she fell, taking down the two men nearest to her.  Loki flung his dagger into the throat of another cultist and sprinted into the room.  A burst of flames leapt from his hand and shaped itself into a rapier, which he slashed across the eyes of a cultist.  The man spun away, screaming.  Loki skidded to a halt near Nox.  His sword flickered downwards, and the ropes binding her parted with a hiss.

Grimm’s mental voice sounded strange, almost sinister. “Get her out of here, fireborn.”   He took down another attacker with a single swipe of his paw.

“Nox, can you run?”  Loki asked.

“No, I can barely walk, I landed hard when I fell through that portal.” she said.

Grimm’s voice cut painfully through their minds. “GET HER OUT!”  He ripped the throat from the last cultist standing.  Before the body even hit the floor he had turned, and started pacing towards Loki.

“Oh no, it’s the curse, he can’t stop!” Nox cried.  “Loki, stay behind me. And whatever you do, don’t move!”

Loki turned pale as he realized what was happening. “Oh bloody hell.. we need to leave, now!”

Grimm’s voice was almost unrecognizable. “Too late for that, mortal.”  His form started to blur as he stalked towards them. “I told you that there was a reason Lucien never set me free.  Once the blood curse is invoked, I can show no mercy.”  His eyes were locked on Loki, who had plastered himself back against the wall.  “Everyone in this room must die.”

Nox limped forward, her face set in a stubborn scowl. “If that’s true then you’re going to have to kill me as well.  I’m injured, I can’t run.  I’m so damn tired I can’t even focus enough to keep a shield up.  So there it is.” She stood face to face with the hound. “Either kill me, or control it.”

He let out something between a whine and a growl. “Please go. It was only your father’s will that kept the curse in check. I thought I could control it on my own, but I was wrong.” His eyes darted back and forth between her and Loki. “If I kill him first, you should have time to get out.”

She put her hands on either side of his muzzle and forced him to look at her. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re my best friend, and I ‘m not giving up on you. You can beat this thing.”  As she touched him, his aura ignited – but instead of being balanced equally between black and gold, it was mostly dark.  “Now you can see the real enemy.” she said.  “That curse is going to kill me.  Defend me from it.”

There was a flicker of hope in his eyes.  She had just set the two sides of his nature against each other, guardian and destroyer.  “Clever girl…”  The gold in his aura flared up, and started gaining ground on the black.  The curse laid on him was ancient and strong, but he had been a guardian long before that. And he could not be defeated while defending his chosen one.  A blinding flash of golden light filled the room, and when the glare finally died down, Grimm had changed back to a normal hound.  He eyed up the dark bruises on Nox’s pale skin. “You look like a dalmatian, short stuff.”

Nox laughed and threw her arms around his neck in a hug. “I knew you could do it. I knew it!”

Loki let out the breath he had been holding. “Is it safe to move now?”

Grimm nodded. “Yes, it’s safe. I’m sorry.”

“No harm, no foul.” Loki said, and slid down the wall to sit while he waited for his legs to quit shaking. 

Nox limped over to him, and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you, for coming to help save me. That was a brave thing to do for someone you barely know.

He blinked in surprise, then smiled.  “We’ll call it even.”  He accepted the hand she extended to help him stand up.

Grimm pointed to a door with his nose.  “Fresh air, that way.  Let’s go home.”

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This story is part of a weekly series, updated every friday. Click Here to read from the beginning.

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Loki dropped down through the portal and landed in a crouch, his fiery saber extended before him at the ready.   The tunnel was pitch black beyond its flickering light, and there was no sound other than an intermittent sizzle as drops of water hit the blade.   He dimmed the flames to allow him to see any heat signatures in the gloom, but there was nothing.  “Sorry, it’s too damp down here, Grimm. I hope you can track her.” 

Grimm landed silently next to him, nothing more than a vague, hound-shaped shadow.  He lifted his muzzle to the air, then sneezed and shook his head.  “Chloroform.  No blood though, which is good and bad. She’s here somewhere, and unharmed, but I had hoped their casualties would slow them down.”

Loki cursed beneath his breath.  “It’s a two-stage portal.  The cutters are probably miles from here. If we hadn’t dropped down the same hole as Nox we’d probably have a welcoming party waiting for us.”

“We may still get one.”  Grimm put his nose to the ground and cast about for a minute before pointing to the right.  “This way.  We need to move fast, these are the storm drains below the city proper. Any traces they left won’t last long.”

They headed down the stone tunnels at a run, Grimm only pausing briefly at each intersection to check for tracks.  It was like a waking nightmare for Loki, the close, damp tunnels and steady drip of water brought back memories he had long been trying to forget.   He clenched his fist around the hilt of his saber until his knuckles turned white.

Grimm’s rumbling voice echoed in the back of his mind. “Ah, now I know why you seemed so familiar.  You’re the boy we found in the cistern.  Been trying to figure that out all week.  You were so waterlogged when I pulled you out I barely got a scent off you.”

“I remember Lucien pulling me out, I think I’d have recalled seeing you.”

“Who do you think dragged you up high enough for him to reach you?” Grimm said.  “You were pretty far gone after treading water for a whole day, I’m not surprised you don’t remember clearly.  I am sorry about your family, we got there too late.  All I could do was to ease their spirits down the long road.”

“Let’s just focus on finding Nox.”  Loki said, his voice strained.  “We should have run into them by now, they didn’t have more than a few minutes head start.”  He put a hand on the slimy wall.  “Can you feel that?  It’s like a freight train going past. “

“That’s not a train!” Grimm turned into a gargoyle and flattened Loki against the wall.  “Take a deep breath and hang on!” 

Loki only had time for one deep breath before the wall of water hit them.

—

Nox awoke to the familiar thrum of the river beneath her parents’ mansion.  She tried to sit up and clear the cobwebs from her head, but she couldn’t move. That’s when reality hit her – she wasn’t home, she was a prisoner of the cutters that had been after Loki.   Nox managed to sit upright by pushing with her feet against the floor and twisting to brace her back on the wall.   The room was dim, only lit by a few emergency lights in the hallway outside.   She sat, panting to catch her breath after her efforts and waited for her eyes to adjust.

Footsteps echoed down the hall, and a blocky figure entered the room, silhouetted by the light.  “Take it easy, girl.  If we wanted you dead we wouldn’t have wasted the binding spell on you.”  The man sounded like a chain-smoker, but there was no smell of nicotine around him.  “Hope your friends can swim. “  He let out a gravelly laugh.   

Nox squinted at him. “Wait a minute, I know you!  My father hired you once, you’re that mercenary.  What was it, Hawk, Raptor? ”

“Shrike.  I liked working for Lucien.  Paid well, and on time.  But business is business, you do understand? This is nothing personal.” 

“I understand, but I don’t think Grimm will be as forgiving.”  Nox said.

He laughed again.  “That’s why we didn’t harm so much as a hair on your pretty little head.  Wouldn’t want to go bringing the blood-curse down on us.” He waved at the wall.  “I think you can hear the water. Even he can’t track you without a scent.  The young duelist isn’t going to fare too well either, I imagine.”

Another mercenary came into the room and whispered a message to him.  “Ah, looks like our clients have arrived.” Shrike said. He stepped into the hallway and waved.  “Right this way. She’s alive, and completely unharmed. I’ll expect payment in full, now, if you don’t mind.”

“After we inspect the merchandise.”  Three members of the New Dawn cult entered the room, dressed in long, crimson robes.  The one who had spoken pushed back his hood.  “We need to make sure this is the abomination, and not some fake created as a decoy.”

Shrike narrowed his eyes.  “That bloody hound of hers killed ten of my men.  She’s real enough.”

The cultist crouched down beside Nox, and grabbed her chin in a gloved hand.  She smirked at him. “You don’t need the gloves, nimrod.  Humanity isn’t contagious.”

“If you are, indeed a demi-human, and not some blasphemous construct like that creature you command.”  A cruel smile crossed his lips.  “We have a whole series of experiments planned to determine just that.”

Nox spit in his face. “Get bent, you sawed off, mouth-breathing, ass..”

The cultist backhanded her so hard her head bounced off the wall.  “Silence!” He pulled his arm back for another swing, but Shrike stopped him. 

“You idiot, you’ve just killed us all!”

Nox spit blood out of her mouth, and smiled.  “I’d run, if I were you.”

Outside, an unearthly howl echoed down the corridors…

(to be concluded…)

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This story is part of a weekly series, updated every friday. Click Here to read from the beginning.

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Grimm ducked as Nox threw another thug down the alley.   

“I worked on that dimensional clock for a month.” She snarled.  “A whole MONTH!”  (gaaahhh!  wham!)

The hound was enjoying the show.  It wasn’t often that he got to sit back and let someone else handle the mayhem.  “To your left.”  he said helpfully, his tongue lolling out in a big doggy grin.  A wave of Nox’s hand sent the thug bouncing down the alley after his cohorts.

Energy crackled around her gloves as she picked up a man twice her size by the throat and slammed him against a wall.  “You remind your buddies back at New Dawn that I am Serenna’s daughter.”  She made a twisting motion with her free hand, and every one of their auras ignited, connected by a web of energy.  “I have your auras tagged.  Anywhere you go, I can find you.  Anyone you’ve touched, I can burn out.  Tell the Morning Lord that I am through playing his games.”  She tossed him out of the alley after the other would-be assassins. The lot of them scrambled to their feet and ran away.

Grimm shook his head, whurfs of canine laughter echoing around the alley.  “You know, as  fun as that was to watch, you should probably just hex them back to the stone age and be done with.”

Nox threw an arm around his neck and whispered.  “I can’t.”  She held up her hand. “Take a closer look.” 

He squinted at the glove, and then started to laugh again.  “Circuitry.  You were using magnetic fields to toss them around.”

“Bingo! Only full humans like mother can do real sorcery.  I can manage to link up magnetic fields and ley lines to electronics, but not much else.”

“So the whole thing was a bluff? Remind me never to play poker with you.”

 “Good call! “  She bent down to pick up the remains of the clock.  “I wonder why they went for this first, instead of going for a kill shot?”

Grimm tilted his head to the side.  “I’m sure they know by now how good your aura shield is.  They might have been trying to break your concentration.”

“I don’t’ know, they acted like a bunch of amateurs.  I suppose it could have been a distraction…or was it a delaying tactic?”  She looked up at him, fear shooting through her like lightning. “Loki!  If they think we’re dating, they may try to take him hostage!”

Grimm didn’t waste time answering.  He changed shape from a hound into a massive, dog-faced gargoyle.   Nox dove onto his back and flung a tendril of her aura around his neck to help her hang on.   “Go, go!”

He barreled down the alley and out onto the busy street.  The usual daytime crowd milled about; workers going to lunch, bored young nobles out to spend their inheritance, merchants hawking wares from carts.  Grimm somehow managed to avoid running into anyone, although a few lamp posts got dented for his efforts.   

Nox peered ahead.  The crowd was moving back from a ring of men dressed in drab robes .  Loki stood in their midst, a lazy smile on his face.  “And what if I don’t care to go with you gentlemen?” he said.

Half of the assassins pivoted to face outwards.  “Then everyone on this street dies.” hissed their leader.  

“Oh, well, we can’t have that.”  Loki flicked his hand, and a wall of flames leapt up around the assassins.   “It’s just you and me now, gentleman.”  he said, the smile turning fierce.  A saber made out of flames appeared in one hand, a fiery chain in the other.  

The crowd surged away from the circle of flames in a panic, slowing Grimm down.  “Hang on,” he growled.  A single leap took him over their heads to land with an earth-shaking thud just outside the firewall.   Nox yelled in his ear.  “Shield Loki!”  She rolled off his back and bounded to her feet.  Grimm dug in his claws and dove through the flames, trampling several assassins on his way through.   He set up a howl when he reached Loki’s side, his sonic shield surrounding them both.  Nox muttered under her breath as if casting a spell, flung out her hands and energy surged from her gloves, covering the whole area in a shimmering dome of light.  

Inside the dome the fight raged on.  Loki and Grimm were outnumbered twenty to two.  It wasn’t even close to a fair fight.  The assassins’ blades bounced off of Grimm, and every time someone came within reach his granite claws he made short work of them.  Loki wrecked havoc with each deceptively casual flick of his saber, his chain whipping out to tangle their legs and pull them within range of Grimm’s claws. 

The leader of the assassins snapped out an order and the last men standing fell back.  He threw something at the ground, and a portal opened beneath each of them, alive or dead, dropping them all out of sight.  The portals closed as quickly as they had opened.

“Damn, nothing left here to ID them with, the clever bastards.” Loki said. 

Grimm sniffed at the ground where one of the portals had closed.  “Stay back.  The set spells are fading, but if you step on one you’ll still drop through.”

“Right into their welcoming arms, no doubt.”   Loki said.  He looked around the now empty street.  “Where’s Nox?”

“Holding the energy shield around us.”

“No, she’s not.”  Loki pointed to a pair of gloves lying along the edge of the flickering shield, sparks coming off of them.   The faint outline of a portal hole was right next to them.   

Grimm sniffed at the portal, then growled a curse.  “They’ve got her, but she’s still alive.  I’d know if she wasn’t.” 

Loki gripped his saber and stepped up to the portal next to Grimm. “Age before beauty.” he quipped.  They both dove in at the same time.

(to be continued…)

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Nox flopped onto the squashy leather chair by her desk, completely exhausted.  It had taken hours to clean up the blood left from treating Loki’s wounds. The spy didn’t think he had been seen amidst all the chaos during the coup, but blood could be used to track him.  Anything that couldn’t be cleaned had to be destroyed, which meant Nox’s dress had to go.  She had changed into a shabby old pair of sweatpants and a short-sleeved shirt to do the rest of the cleanup.

She wiped the sweat from her brow. “We have got to step up the plans for that bar, Grimm.  We can’t have problems like Loki showing up on our doorstep.” 

The ghost hound sprawled out on the floor beside her.  “Loki is the least of our problems.  If the Morning Lord retains his hold on the House of Storms, he’s going to have a strong power base to work from.  And we’re already on his bad side.”

The chair creaked as she leaned forward, arms resting on her knees.  “Do you think my family will go to war over this? We are allies of the Storm Queen.”

“That depends on whether the Convocation decides to get involved.  They tend to stay out of internal House politics, and the Queen’s guard supports the Morning Lord’s claim to the throne.  Although,” he said, his ears perking up, “since you proved he isn’t above a bit of assassination to get what he wants, they may find it hard to ignore the situation.”

“At least we know why the New Dawn cultists let up on us, they were too busy taking down Queen Rhiana.  How much do you want to bet they never find anything but an abdication letter?”

“No bet.”

They both jumped a little as the doorbell rang.  Nox groaned and pushed herself out of the chair.  “This night won’t end!”

Grimm loomed behind her, his mental voice mixed with a rumbling growl. “Careful, little one.  Check the street before you open the door.”

Nox tapped a few buttons on the security monitors.  The only person on the street was a stocky earth elemental in a cheap suit.  “It’s Roald.  Seems my date won’t take no for an answer.” 

Grimm rolled his eyes.  “I’ll go check on our patient.”

Nox opened the door partway to keep Roald outside. “Um, hi.  Didn’t expect to see you here.”

Roald gave her a million dollar smile and produced a bouquet of flowers.  “Since you’re not feeling well, I thought I’d bring something to cheer you up.  Can I come in?”

Nox faked a cough.  “You’d better not, this cold might be contagious.”

“Nonsense!  I’m an earth elemental, we never catch cold like you winter types,” he said.  “Ha ha, you’re an ice elemental, get it? Cold?  Ha!”  He gave her another brilliant smile, obviously pleased with his lame joke.

Nox started to close the door. “I’m really sorry, maybe some other time?”

She felt a hand brush her hair away from her neck, and Loki stepped up close behind her. “Is there a problem, luv?”  He was stripped to the waist – they had needed to destroy his blood soaked shirt along with her dress, and she didn’t have anything in his size to replace it with.

Nox coughed again.  “Um, Roald, this is Loki. Loki, Roald.”

 “We’ve met.”  Roald gave Loki a look generally reserved for something you scrape off the bottom of your shoe.  “Well, I guess I’ll just be going.” He turned to Nox.  “I’d say take care of yourself, but it seems you already have.”

There was a flicker of something dangerous in Loki’s eyes.  “Watch your step, Roald. You don’t want me to give you another lesson in manners.”

The earth elemental spun on his heels and stalked away. Nox waited till he was out of earshot to yell at Loki. “What the hell are you doing? Everyone is going to think we’re an item.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” He leaned against the doorway. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re beautiful when you glare?  It’s those blue eyes, they cut right through you.”

“Move, loverboy.”

 “I would, but the door is the only thing keeping me from falling over.”

“Oh, for crying out loud.” She slung his arm over her shoulder and steered him back through workshop.  “I should make you drag yourself back upstairs.”

“You should be thanking me.  Roald’s jokes are considered lethal weapons in at least three territories.”

“Give it up Loki, I’m immune.”

 “You’re as cold as ice. Ice elemental, get it? Ha ha!”  He said, in a perfect imitation of Roald.

Nox looked around the loft. “Where’s Grimm?”

“He said something about going to find me some clothes.”

 “Did he also tell you to stay upstairs?”

“He might have mentioned that.” Loki sagged gratefully back onto the couch. “Ahhh. Ow.  I don’t think that healing spell is working very well.”

“It would if you’d stay put. “ Nox crossed her arms.  “I think it’s time for some ground rules.”

“Don’t be sore, boss lady.  If I’m going to pass information to you we need an excuse to meet socially.  And let’s face it, with my reputation,”

“Which is now my reputation.”

“No one will believe I’m just your lab assistant.”

“Fine.  We ‘date’ until this mess with Queen Rhiana blows over. No groping, and we’re all business in private.” 

Grimm materialized next to the couch and dropped a bundle of clothes.  “I leave for five minutes and you’ve already started groping? What happened to Roald?”

Nox threw her hands up in the air and stormed downstairs. 

Loki sat back and admired her retreating figure.  “For an ice elemental she has quite a temper. Where do you think she gets it from?”

“Have you met her mother?” Grimm said.

That cooled off his ardor a bit.  “Ah. Good point.”

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Grimm could not believe how much noise one small demi-human could make.  Nox getting ready for a date was like having a tornado rip through the apartment.  He sighed, and carefully marked the page of the book he had been trying to read with the silk ribbon attached to it.

“So, who’s your latest chew toy?”  Grimm teased.

Nox set down her eyeliner long enough shoot a withering glare at the hound. “His name is Roald, and we’re just going dancing.”

 “You never ask me to dance.”

A smile dimpled her cheek.  “I would, but you have two left feet.”

“Alas, but you are right!” he said, looking mournfully at his paws. “Oh cruel fate, that left me a lowly hound…”

“Oh brother!”

Grimm snickered.  “You know, there is one dance I can do.”

Nox grabbed a pillow off the couch and threw it at him.  “If you do a leg dance on me I’ll have you neutered!”

“That’s one mighty pretty leg you have there, missy.” 

The doorbell cut short her reply.  She gave her make-up a last, quick check in the mirror and tossed a few things into her purse.  “Before you ask, yes, I have the aetheric box and I’ll call you if anything happens.”

“Have fun, short-stuff.” 

“I always do!” 

She hurried downstairs to the door, leaving Grimm in blissful silence.  He was just about to re-open his book when he heard the door slam open again. 

 “Grimm!”  Nox yelled. 

The hound dove down the stairs into the workshop.  Nox staggered inside with a strange man slumped against her.  Grimm put his head beneath the man’s arm to support his weight while Nox kicked the door shut.  They carefully guided the man to the floor.

“..sanctuary,”  he whispered in a hoarse voice.

Nox and Grimm exchanged a startled look.  “Santuary is granted.” Nox said.  Then she noticed his shirt was soaked in blood.  “Oh, crap. Get the medical kit, furball.” 

“Way ahead of you.” Grimm was already digging through piles of boxes to unearth a small, white case.   He dropped it next to where she knelt.  Blood was starting to pool on the floor, staining her dress.  “Hurry, little one, we’re losing him.”

Nox pulled a fragile looking crystal from the box, held it over her patient and crushed it.  Fine powder spread out over him, and then gathered in glittering swirls over his wounds.  “Be well, cousin.”  The words activated the spell woven into the dust, and the man shuddered as his flesh began to knit shut.  Nox held him down to keep him still while it worked.  “His aura is weak.  He’ll have to stay here for a few days at least.”

Grimm gave her a confused look. “Since when do you have a fire elemental for a cousin?”  

She shrugged.  “Technically, all of the kindreds are related, even if they won’t admit it.  Just like all humans are related.  Fortunately for him, the set-spell is triggered as much by belief as fact. As a scientist, I believe he’s very distantly related, so it works.”

“In that case, you’ve just become my favorite cousin.” the man said, smiling faintly.

“Welcome back to the land of the living.” Nox reached down to check his pulse.  “Stay still, that spell needs a few minutes to take full effect.”  She took a closer look at her visitor.  He was an average height, whipcord lean and had a saturnine face.  His ginger colored hair was cut short, as were his beard and moustache.  His eyes, when they opened again, were the color of cinnamon. 

“You’re Lucien’s girl, aren’t you?”  He gripped her arm with feverish strength.  “You have to warn him.  The House of Storms is lost, the Queens’ guard has turned traitor.  The Morning Lord rules in her stead…”  He fell back, eyes closing again. 

“Looks like you’ll get to start your new job as spy master a bit early.”  Grimm said.

Nox got up, searched for a clean rag and wiped the blood off of her hands. “I need to give my messenger birds a test run anyway, might as well do it now.”   She scribbled a note on a piece of paper and folded it into an origami hummingbird.  Her aura flared a brilliant blue, wisps of it wrapping around the bird.  She cupped it in her hands, whispered a few words and then tossed it into the air.  The little wings whirred as the bird zipped around the room, then it disappeared with a *pop*.  

A mumbled voice came from the floor.  “Don’t think I properly introduced myself, I’m Loki.”  He shakily pushed himself up on his elbows, and looked up at her. “Oh dear, I’ve ruined your evening plans.  How careless of me…”

Nox pressed him back down, a wry smile on her face. “Stay still, you stubborn fool.  I can resurrect the dress, but not the dead.” 

“And here I thought technomancers could work miracles.”  He said.

She held her thumb and forefinger close together. “Only small ones.  I’m afraid you won’t fit in the palm of my hand.”

He gave her a rakish smile. “Ah, but you hold my very life in your hands.  I am in your debt, dear lady.”

 She let out a very unladylike snort. “I can see why my father picked you for his spy corps.  You’re a real smoothie.” She helped him to sit up.  “C’mon, if you’re well enough to flirt, you’re well enough to stagger upstairs.”

Grimm allowed Loki to lean on him again to help him walk, and Nox ran ahead to clear off the couch.  Loki’s face was ashen by the time he made it up the short flight of stairs.  “You know, I think I might have to accept your offer to stay here…” he said, slowly falling into unconsciousness.

Nox shook her head. “This one’s going to be trouble.”

Grimm snickered. “I say that about you all the time.

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The past week had been a nightmare for Grimm.   There was no outward sign of the binding spell that Serenna had placed on him; the cords had become invisible as soon as the spell was complete.   But he could still feel them, winding ever tighter as he fought to break them.  He was trapped in his own mind, only able to watch as he moved through the motions of his daily routines. 

Nox had been acting strangely as well, no joking around or wild nights out on the town.  She had been tinkering at her workbench for days, barely taking time to eat or sleep.   Every attempt he had made to get her attention had failed, the most he had gotten was an odd look from her.  It was enough to make him want to howl in frustration, but the spell forced him to stay silent.

Nox pushed her chair back from the workbench and waved him over.  “Grimmalkyn, I need your help with an experiment.”

He felt himself get up and walk over to her. “If the experiment is dangerous, you should not be doing it, Lady Nox.”   C’mon short-stuff, I never call you Lady.  Please notice!  

She gave him another odd look.  “No, it’s safe. I just need a dogs-eye perspective.” 

 “If it helps to keep you safe, I will do it.”  Dammit, he sounded like a broken record, always saying ‘Stay safe, it’s too dangerous, your mother loves you.‘  He could feel the spell digging in again as he railed against having his words chosen for him.

Her face lit up in a smile, the first real emotion he had seen from her in days. “Fantastic!  So, you know I’ve made a study of auras.  You can use biometrics to trigger a device, like that bomb the Morning Lord created, simply by scanning an aura.  Works just like finger print or a retinal scanner.  Which is useful,” she says, “but I want to make machines that will be able to scan auras and make decisions based on the readings.  A-B-I, Artificial Biometric Intelligence.”  She held up a tiny, mechanical dog.  “Meet the Grimmlet, a fully automated self protection device.  Or at least, it will be when I take an imprint of your aura. You don’t mind, do you?”

“If it helps to keep you safe, I will do it.”  That earned him another odd look, and a frown.  Please, notice that there’s something wrong!  But she just shrugged. 

“The process is simple.  Here, let me get it started and I’ll show you.”  She used tweezers to pick up a tiny metal ball full of miniature gears.  A muttered word started the gears moving, and field of clear energy spun out from its core to encase it in a luminous globe.   She smiled again as Grimm leaned in close to look at it.  “That’s an actual aura it’s generating, although it’s just a blank slate.  It will take the imprint of the first person to touch it.  Go ahead, it won’t bite.  Well, not unless I program it to.”  She said, the smile turning into an impish grin. 

Grimm gingerly touched his nose to the globe, then watched, fascinated as it began to take on colors.  It changed from clear light to black swirls shot through with hints of pure gold. Was that what his aura looked like? 

She carefully popped it into the mouth of the little metal dog, and it made a ting-ting-ting noise as it rolled down into its belly.  The aura started to well outwards from every gap in the metal, growing stronger and brighter until it entirely encased the dog.  First an ear moved, then the nose twitched, then its head tilted to one side.  The tiny hinged mouth opened to let out a bark, and a miniature sound wave hit Grimm.

Grimm yelped as the wave hit him, that hurt!  Then he yelped again as the binding spell ripped off of him and arrowed across to the little dog, wrapping it in a sickly green light.

 “Hah! Got it!” Nox crowed. “What do you think of my mother?”

“She’s a pit viper.”  Grimm said, then his eyes widened in surprise.  “I can talk!”

“Sorry about the sting, but I had to make the transfer quick. Mother’s disciplinary spells are like duct tape, they hurt worse if you peel them off slow.”

 “Did she put one of those spells on you?” He growled. “If she did there’s going to be hell to pay.”

“No.  She just threatened to hurt you if I didn’t toe the line.  So I’ve been the perfect, industrious technomancer, working for the good of my House.” She smirks and points to the toy dog.  It lifted its hind leg to lick itself.  “Mother’s been using the spell to spy on your movements. That should create some interesting feedback.”  

Grimm snickered, and she winked at him. “If you liked that, then you’re going to love my new job.  I’m now the central contact for my father’s spy network.”

“You’re kidding?  Lucien went for it?”

“Father was impressed by the way I handled the situation with Kel.  We had a nice, long talk after mother walked out.  And since she didn’t stick around for the negotiations, she can’t object to anything that was decided.”

His tongue lolled out in a big, doggy grin.   “I’m liking this already. Go on.”

“Well, I’ll need to set up the right sort of place for meetings with the spies.” Nox said, pure mischief in her eyes.  “Not our apartment of course. Somewhere that attracts lots of travelers, lots of noise and quiet back rooms to meet in.  You know, like that place in the Bogart movie.” 

 “We’re going to open a bar!” Grimm howled with laughter.  “They’ll hear your mother’s scream for miles!”

“Revenge is a dish best served with a vodka martini, don’t you think?”

---

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Nox concentrated on keeping her hands still.  She was a daughter of the House of Ice, she would not show any sign of emotion. Head up, shoulders relaxed, breathing steady. Glacial calm.

“Courage, little one.” Grimm said. 

She glanced up at the massive hound. “Rabid cultists want me dead, but the thing that scares me is saying ‘No’ to my parents. How sad is that?”

“I’d call it being sensible. Your parents are far more dangerous.” 

 “Yeah, that makes me feel better.” 

They walked through the hallways of her ancestral home, a sprawling mansion that straddled the cleft of a frozen gorge. It had started out as a bridge spanning the river, lined with small shops and bookended by a pair of gatehouses. The bridge was still there, buried deep in the foundation of the building.  In the spring the thrum of the river could be felt through the whole mansion, though today the ice rendered it eerily silent. Nox forced her shoulders to relax again.

The door to her parents’ study was closed, but not locked. She rapped once to announce herself, then pushed it open. Lucien and Serenna sat in a pair of elegant, high-backed chairs, discussing business over breakfast.  Nox had to control a flare of anger. There was nowhere for her to sit, they wanted her to stand like an errant child.  She used her aura to shape a chair out of pure energy, then sat while she waited for them to acknowledge her. Grimm loomed behind her.

Lucien finally set down the papers he was reviewing and addressed Grimm. “This was to be a private, family meeting. Do you have so little respect left for me that you ignore even a simple request?” 

“I’m just here to make sure you don’t change her mind for her.”  The hound said, with a pointed look at Serenna.  She ignored him, her eyes focused on her daughter.  Serenna was a renowned sorceress, there was no doubt that she could alter Nox’s mind if she wanted to. The fact that she hadn’t argued the point with Grimm was particularly damning. 

Nox clenched her fists. If that was how they were going to play it, fine. She could play hardball too. “Have you considered my proposal?” 

“Did you leave us any choice?” Serenna said. 

“You’re the one who taught me that I should always play to win.” Nox said, pointing to the papers. “You would only be adopting Kel. There is no guarantee, written or implied, that he will inherit.  It seals the alliance and gives you wiggle room for further negotiations.” 

“We have read the document, daughter, please don’t patronize us.” Serenna said. “I suppose you think this a clever way to avoid your responsibilities?” 

“If being married off for a temporary political gain is a ‘responsibility’, then yes. I refuse to be whored out to the highest bidder.” 

“You dare speak to me like that!” said Serenna.  A poisonous glow surrounded her hands.

Grimm moved in front of Nox. “Don’t even think about it Serenna. You know you can’t win while I defend her.” 

“Enough.” Lucien didn’t have to raise his voice to cut through the argument. That one word commanded their silence. He dipped a quill pen into an inkwell and pulled the papers toward him. “In this instance, I agree with your proposal.” He locked eyes with his daughter. “In the future you will discuss any matters affecting the family with me.” 

Nox nodded, then swallowed to moisten her suddenly dry throat. “I…had some ideas for other ways I could be of service to the family.” 

“I had assumed as much.” The quill scratched on the paper. 

Serenna rose gracefully from her chair. “If this is settled, then I had best go make the preparations for welcoming my new… son.” Her lips curled distastefully around the last word. “We will speak again at dinner?” she said to Lucien. 

He inclined his head towards her. “Of course.” He turned back to Grimm. “I would like a few words with my daughter. Alone.” It was not a request. 

Grimm seemed to look through his old master, his eyes burning like brimstone. Whatever passed between them must have satisfied the hound, since his eyes returned to their normal dark grey. “I’ll be in the library when you’re ready to go, Nox.” 

She nodded and took a deep breath. Round one was over; it was time for the real negotiations to begin. 

—–

Grimm padded through the familiar stacks of the library. He had been here often, mostly during meetings to intimidate his master’s enemies. He had never been allowed to read any of the books though, and he felt this was a perfect reward for the mental dueling match he had just fought with Serenna. For a human she had a mind like steel trap. He carefully pulled out a book on astronomy with his teeth and propped it up on a reading stand. 

He was just a moment too late to block the binding spell. 

“You are not defending her now, hound.” Serenna said.  Acid green lines of energy coiled outwards from her hands, tangling him in a razor sharp net. “Tsk. Two months of freedom have made you careless.” She pulled on the cords, and Grimm collapsed to his knees with a groan. 

“I’ve been preparing this spell for a long time, I warned Lucien about your influence on our daughter.” She said, as she reached out towards him.

Grimm whipped his head violently from side to side, but she grabbed his muzzle and forced him to look her in the eyes. “Aphanios. Kazmiorr. Shaythoque.”  Her voice cut into his mind, making him shudder. 

A cold smile crossed her lips. “There. Now that you’ve been muzzled, I think it’s time I had a little talk with my daughter about responsibilities.” 

Grimm could only watch in despair as she left the room.

To be continued…

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Nox walked arm in arm with Lord Kel through the sunlit silence of a winter forest.  The muffled crunch of their footsteps through the snow was the only sound, even the nearby stream was quiet under a thick layer of ice.  Grimm ghosted through the trees at a discreet distance – normally the hound had a strict paws-off policy when it came to her personal life, but these two were the heirs to the winter kings.  The houses of Ice and Snow were taking a stand against the New Dawn cult, and that made them prime targets for assassination.

Kel reached down to scoop up a dark blue flower, one of the few that could grow at these altitudes.  He handed it to her with a gallant gesture. “It matches your eyes.”

A wry smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “I like that better than the first gift you gave me.”

“I’m never going to live that down, am I?  I was six years old, as I recall.”

“You smashed a snowball in my face.”

“And you pelted me with hail.  I’d say we came out even.”  He said with a laugh.   

His tone was light, but Nox could tell that something was wrong.  She studied him more closely as they walked – they had been betrothed since she was five years old, but had never spent much time together.  She had to admit, he was ridiculously handsome.  He was also an accomplished statesman, had a great sense of humor… and she had no intention of marrying him. 

“How is Arella?” She asked.

He stopped, and she could feel the tension in his arm.  “Ah. You know then.”

Nox laughed to put him at ease.  “I cheered when I heard the rumor.  No offense.”  She winked at him.  “You know I’m not the marrying type. So, when do you make the public announcement?”

He stared off through the trees, still tense.  ‘We don’t, yet.  That’s why I asked you here today, we need to talk about our betrothal.”

“What’s there to talk about?  I never wanted it, and you obviously don’t now.”   She paused as she saw the look on his face.  “Oh no, my father wants to use it to seal the deal on that alliance.  Please tell me you didn’t agree to it?”

“No.”  He finally met her eyes.  “Arella is with child.  I love her, Nox, I won’t leave her.  Even if it means we have to go into exile.  I’m sorry, I know this is going to drop you in the middle of a political firestorm.“

Nox placed a finger over his lips.  “Hush.  You are going to make a great father, and I,”  she gave him a wicked smile “am an old hand at wrecking my parents plans for my ‘grand future.’  You stay home and take care of your fiancee.”

He took her hand and kissed the back of it. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you for this.  If you ever need my aid, don’t hesitate to call on me.”

The wicked grin got wider.  “Don’t thank me yet.  I’m about to add fuel to that firestorm.”

————-

Later, Nox and Grimm kicked back in the crowded loft over her workshop. They still hadn’t found a new location they liked. The hound was sprawled lengthwise across the couch, Nox leaning against his side with her feet propped up on a box of tools.  She frowned at the flickering image playing on the sheet she had tacked to the wall.

“Damn, still grayscale.  I’ll need to play with the projection crystals again. What did that guy call this thing?”

The hound thought for a minute.  “Bogart and Bacall collector DeeVeeDee.  You really are fascinated with that dimension, aren’t you?”

“Mom came from there, though things must have changed drastically in the past few hundred years.  So, did you catch any of the discussion today?”

Grimm sniffed indignantly. “Of course not.  Though he seems a good bit better than your usual dating fare.”

“Hey now, you promised not to comment on my social life.”

“I said I wouldn’t get involved, I never said I wouldn’t have an opinion.”   His tongue lolled out in a doggy grin. “So, when’s the wedding?”

Nox grinned back at him. “As soon as I torpedo my betrothal.”

“…what?”

“You really should have listened in like I asked…”

“Don’t make me bite you, woman.  What are you up to now?”

“Well… I always wanted a brother.  Don’t you think Kel would make a great one?” 

She was thrilled to see his stunned look.  They had a contest to see how many times they could render the other one speechless.  She had just made his jaw drop, that scored extra points.

“I’m talking about adoption, furball.  If my parents adopt Kel, they have two choices for heir and a family tie to seal the alliance.”

“And you get to go back to your tawdry affairs with your boy-toys.” 

Nox smirked.  “Damn straight.”  She looks back at the projected images.  “Check out that bar. I’d love to have a place like that.”

“Your mother would have kittens.” He said, then grinned again. “I like it, let’s open a bar.  Anything that ticks off Serenna is worth doing.”

Nox whooped with laughter. “Whoo!  One thing at a time, I need weasel out of this betrothal first.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got your back on that one.  Never did like the idea of arranged marriages.”

She hugged his neck. “You’re the best wingman ever!”

“Damn straight.”

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