Chapter 23

“Who’s a good boy?” cooed Nanora as she mushed Rufus’s face with both hands.

            The overjoyed dog’s only response was to wag his thick tail that much harder.

            Vince could not help but smile at the sight. At least somebody’s happy right now. They had bound the unconscious Sergeant Murphy’s ankles and wrists in duct tape before sitting him in the back of the van. There was not much in the way of seating besides the main cabin, since the back was devoted to boxes of equipment. Nanora did not seem to mind not having a proper chair as long as she got to play with Rufus. She was also supposedly keeping an eye on their captive, though she seemed a mite distracted.

“Luis, are you sure this is alright?” asked Nanora, not looking up from the dog. “Will your father mind lending us his van like this?”

“Huh? Oh, the sign.” Luis patted the dashboard. “My dad’s got nothing to do with it; he runs a restaurant in Mukilteo.”

Nanora cocked her head, finally tearing her gaze away from Rufus. “Then why does the sign read ‘Perez and Son’?”

“Makes people think the business is more than a year old,” he replied. “They see a young guy like me and they worry I’m going to flake out on them. If they think there’s a dad backing me up? They relax a little.”

            Bayla had set herself up on the middle seat between Vince and Luis, but she stayed mostly quiet. Vince decided to let it stay that way; she still seemed distraught about her transformation, and she tended to overshare when she did speak.

            “You didn’t ask an awful lot of questions about Sergeant Murphy back there,” said Vince.

            “I figure if you of all people knocked out a cop, you had a good reason,” said Luis with a shrug.

            Vince frowned. “Me of all people? What do you mean by that?”

            He shrugged. “You aren’t the most exciting guy, y’know? Tell me the last time you did something really out there.”

“I went hiking and met Bayla.” He felt safe admitting to that; he still was not sure how to spin all of the other nonsense for Luis.

“Oh yeah, you’re a real wild man. Hiking like you do every chance you get.” Luis smirked at him. “It works for you, though. Just some guys don’t lead exciting lives.”

“You’re a plumber, what do you do that’s so great?” groused Vince.

Luis’ only response was a saucy grin and a waggle of his eyebrows. Probably because we’re in mixed company.

            “That does not seem fair,” said Bayla. “Vince has fought a griffon and that land-shark for me, and he saved me from drowning. He is a fine warrior and champion… even if he can be a little obstinate at times.”

            Vince facepalmed. Yup, there she goes, oversharing again.

            “Land-shark?” asked Luis.

            “Yes, he is a deadly foe, but Vince threw himself in harm’s way for me.” The way she beamed up at Vince made his heart flutter a moment.

            The heavyset plumber gave her a disbelieving look before switching to Spanish. “Alright, what’s her deal really?”

            “Man, I do not know where to start.” He had to choose his words more carefully, but his accent was not entirely horrid. Vince had picked up the language hanging around the extended Perez family since they met in the third grade, plus a round of Spanish in High School. It had done him more good than German at the community college, for sure. Guess we’ll see if whatever magic taught Bayla English extends to other human languages.

            “Let’s try this. Is she crazy, role playing, or did you actually fight a griffon?”

            “What are you saying?” asked Bayla.

            Vince sighed, feeling boxed in. “Yeah. I did. Look, I’m not sure how much I can say and keep you safe. You trust me, right?”

            “Brother from a hotter mother,” he replied.

            “I don’t know much more than you,” said Vince, ignoring Luis’ comment about Ava. “When I figure out what I can say, I will.”

            “Seriously, what are you two discussing?” demanded Bayla, shaking Vince’s arm. “You are my champion; you should have no secrets from me!”

            Luis switched back to English. “He was just saying that you’re the prettiest girl he’s ever seen and begged me not to steal you away. I graciously agreed.”

            “Wait, you?” Bayla burst out laughing. “You are surely kidding. Vince, you have nothing to fear, even if you were not my champion. He is not suitable material.”

“What do you mean by that?” said Luis in a defensive tone.

Bayla reached and patted his stomach. “You have a midsection like a pregnant seal. You would not be able to fight off any serious threats.”

            Luis scowled at the road ahead. “I have fun, but I’m not that fat.”

            “You set yourself up, man,” said Vince in Spanish.

            “You’re lucky I like you,” he replied in the same. Switching back to English, Luis asked, “Anyway, what’s the plan here? We have a KO’d cop in the back of my van. We can’t keep him there forever.”

            “I… I hadn’t thought that far ahead,” admitted Vince.

            “It seems obvious to me,” said Nanora, poking her head over the back of the seat. “We need to get Princess… Bayla home. Nobody will believe Constable Murphy when he talks about my summons or Marazza. It shall be fine.”

            “Princess?” asked Luis.

“What happens when he shows up at your book shop to arrest you?” countered Vince.

“I shall have to accompany her back, of course,” she replied. “I am the only one here who can pierce the Veil on purpose.”

Vince shook his head. “And then I’m by myself with a pissed off sheriff? No way.”

“To say nothing of the angry land-shark who will still be searching for me,” said Bayla. “Who knows what might happen to those we leave behind? Scent is for lesser beings, but it can be effective. Marazza will be able to figure out everywhere Vince I went, and woe to anybody who is in the way.”

An icy hand of fear gripped Vince’s guts. “Ma’s good with that shotgun, but I don’t think it would drop him.”

“I don’t get most of what you’re talking about, but as a friend of Vince’s, I vote we don’t leave this land-shark around,” said Luis. He pulled over at the side of the road; they were flanked on either side by rows of conifers. “If we don’t have a plan, we’re just wasting gas. I hate to say this, but we might need to get the law involved. They’re going to have more firepower, at least.”

“Unacceptable!” said Nanora. “I am tasked with keeping the two sides of the Veil safe from each other. A few locals knowing about it is one thing, but I learned my lesson with Constable Murphy; the powers that be will laugh, and then they will let their fear get the best of them.”

“Then it sounds like you need me to keep quiet,” said Luis.

“Yes, I will,” said Nanora, hesitantly. “If you are a friend of Vince’s, then you must be trustworthy.”

“Let me take you out on a date and my lips are sealed.”

“If it’s somewhere we can take Rufus,” she replied.

He shrugged. “Sure, plenty of outdoor entertainment on Fin Island.”

“One date,” she said, holding up a single finger. “And keep your hands to yourself.”

“Fine by me. It’s a deal.”

Vince coughed into his hand. “You two can work that out later. Back to Marazza; we know that he’s after Bayla. Do we have any idea why?”

“He must be one of the poachers behind the disappearance of my podmates,” said Bayla with a firm nod. “Why they want to hunt us is beyond my understanding, though.”

Nanora hesitated. “The magical ivory trade, I think.”

Bayla normally carried herself with a self-possession that Vince envied. That evaporated in an instant. “The what?”

Luis frowned as Bayla visibly deflated in front of them. “Think I should get Rufus a walk, so he doesn’t mess the back of the van. Again.” He hopped out and let the large dog out the back.

You coward. Still, he appreciated the privacy. “Magical ivory?”

            Nanora hesitated. “The… the pieces of creatures that Avalas has given souls and intelligence are powerful magical reagents. Unscrupulous wizards don’t much care where they come from, and will pay well for them.”

            “Then they’re…” Bayla trailed off.

“Not necessarily,” said Nanora. “Maybe they took the other ascended blackfish alive?” There was a hint of false optimism in her voice.

Vince wrapped an arm around Bayla’s shaking shoulders as she buried her face in her hands. He remembered the orca’s declaration.

You Landmen might be able to slay one of us, but you could never keep us if we did not will it.

“I get it now,” said Vince, looking over his shoulder at Nanora. “If you thought I was involved in that, no wonder you treated me like a monster.”

“I was wrong about you, but something sinister is afoot. There has been increased traffic across the Veil of late,” said the witch. “Large objects are going back and forth. I was sent here a few months ago to investigate and make sure the knowledge of Avalas stayed a secret.”

“Smuggling between worlds?” mused Vince. “I wonder what they’re sending back?”

Nanora shook her head. “We cannot know, but they must be stopped. Your technology could complete destabilize Avalas, just as much as magic could destabilize Earth. You see why this is so dire? We need to take Princess Wakerider home; I can get reinforcements from the Coven now that we know what the nature of the threat is.”

“I… I get it,” said Vince. “Hey, wait. Why do we have to go to Greene Point? Don’t you have a way to call them?”

Nanora fished a makeup compact from her purse, and opening revealed a wooden and metal construct that resembled a speaker. “I do—"

Vince nudged Bayla. “You see? We can just sit tight and call for help.”

“If only it were that easy.” Nanora’s frown deepened. “Communicating through the Veil is not simple. We need to be near one of the tears.”

Vince nodded. Being cut off from home must be awful. “If we’re going north, we need to do it quick. Ma, Luis, and everyone we’ve interacted with is in danger.”

“I promise, we will not be long,” said Nanora.

“No,” said Bayla in a hoarse voice.

Nanora put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Princess…”

“No!” She whirled around, smacking Nanora’s hand away. Tears streamed down her face as she butted heads with the witch. “That shark and his allies do not get away with this! Do you hear me? I have a duty to avenge my podmates! Nobody sells one of us off in pieces and gets away with it!”

“Bayla…” said Vince. “What can we do? Marazza already threw us and Nanora’s summon around like we were nothing.”

“You are mistaken,” said Bayla. “He threw you two around. I was only half a Landmaid at the time.” She slammed her fist into the van’s plush seat. “Let him face me when I can fight back! Let him face me when I am not trapped in a net, surrounded by fishing boats! He will learn how sharp my teeth are!”

“What if you can’t?” countered Nanora. “You are much stronger than a normal person, but there are limits. You saw what he could do.”

“You two will be there to aid me,” she replied.

Nanora shook her head. “We may not be able to help you; I only have two intact summons left, and Vince could not maintain that armored form long enough to finish the fight.”

That cold fear gripped Vince again as he remembered his armored arm halfway down the shark’s throat again. He had a feeling he would not soon forget it. How close had he been to being maimed? That powerful feeling when he had changed, his whole body bursting with energy, seemed like it belong to somebody else completely. He was stronger than before, but not that strong.

“N-Nanora’s right,” he said.

“Vincemeyer.” Bayla met Vince’s gaze, her eyes boring into him. “You are my champion. You swore that my enemies would be yours, and Marazza qualifies. Will you fight by my side?”

He hesitated. “We don’t have to decide now, do we? Nanora, where were you planning to take Bayla?”

“Greene Point, up north,” said Nanora. “It is where the Veil is weakest.”

He smiled weakly down at Bayla. “See? We have a long drive and hike until we have to choose. Let’s just get going, and we can figure it out later.”

“Vince,” said Bayla, her voice pleading. “I need you. What is the matter?”

“Just… we all nearly died back there. If we can get some backup, stack the deck against that shark, isn’t that the better plan? He had a hard time with one summon; let’s try twenty.”

She grabbed his lapels and shook him. “You were brave against Nanora’s pet griffon! You threw yourself at Marazza before! Where did your courage go?”

“There’s courage, and then there’s being foolhardy,” said Vince. He put a hand on either of her shoulders. “If we can get help, we should. Once you get back home, they can even figure out how to turn you back into a whale. The witches have secret magics, remember?”

Nanora nodded. “I usually do not try to take the easy way out, but it makes sense this time.”

Bayla’s enraged squeal echoed through the van, and her eyes burned with a terrifying fury. “And share my vengeance with those witches? He attacked me. His allies attacked and butchered my podmates. It is my duty to see justice done. If that vow at the beach was more than empty words, I beg you, face him down with me!”

            An image of Marazza walking into the Knight ‘n Day played in his mind, that icy fear seizing him again. “I’ll fight.”

Bayla smiled ear to ear. “Splendid! We should—”

“Once we have the backup. Bayla, you have your whole pod. Ma just has me. She lives a hard life, as much as she says America is better than the old country. It’s one thing to be brave when I have to be, but I can’t leave her alone. We need every weapon we can get.”

            “But our honor… no.” Bayla’s face fell. “It is not fair to use your mother again me, Vince. Very well.” She slumped back into her seat. “Summon Luis. We should get moving.”

            Did I win the argument? Because this doesn’t feel like winning. Before he could reply, he spotted a dark shape out of the corner of his eye, partially obscured by the tree line. Marazza?

            No, he concluded, his pulse quickening. The shark did not move about on all fours, and there were not two of him.

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