The Wielder: Sworn Vengeance (The Wielder Series) (21 page)

To anyone else it may
seem like an insect or a piece of large dust that landed in my lap. But I know it’s my pixie Sheyliene.  After landing, she scampers inside the fold of my blazer, then grabs the lining and pulls herself upward, finally coming to rest at what feels to be one of the pockets.

“I’m going o
n the plane with you.  It sounds dangerous,” comes the tiny voice from inside my blazer.

I have to admit, she’s right. It does sound dangerous. “I’d be happy to have you with me Shey, but you’ll have to stay tiny and out of sight.”

“Just like I am now,” is her quiet but exuberant response.

“Yea Shey”

Having Sheyliene in my pocket does make me feel a bit more comfortable.  Just knowing she can flit out and put some arrows into my adversaries is almost as comforting as carrying my .45.

Almost.  But not as much.  Guess I’
m a control freak, I very much like being able to protect myself.

“Hey, I have some others to take care of
,” I whisper to her and get up. I look around to where I might re-summon my crew that needs an escape from the void of the "white".  That would be Pffif and Sil. Vets tends to be good in the white for whatever reason.

I get up and walk past the bathroom where the incident just took place, doing my best to look afraid.  I get to the next men’s room and find a stall
, close the door and sit down.  Pffif is the first summoned. I put my index finger to my lip so he knows to be quiet. Then I close my eyes so he can go invisible. I open my eyes and see his outline in a green glow because of my true sight spell. “Wait for Sil, she’ll be following.”  That gets a nod and then he crawls under the door.

I summon Sil. I don’t have to tell her to change to human
form. I guess the fact we’re inside a bathroom stall in an airport is a good clue.  She stands there looking at me strangely.

“Thank for not keeping me in that place
,” she says in a hushed tone. I stand up from the toilet I was sitting on and pull off my blazer, extract my tickets and boarding passes, which gets Shey buzzing out to land on my shoulder.

“Take this and
follow Pffif to Kitten’s car.”  Sil takes my jacket, and puts it on covering up her corset.

“Thank you Arthur, this is very considerate
,” Sil says to me, before popping the door and leaving as briskly as she can. I know she’s not talking about the jacket – she’s talking about not being left in the white.  She despises that place.

“You’re too nice to it
,” Shey says in my ear once Sil is too far to hear.

“It never hurts to be nice Shey.”

Shey flits away more than likely to scout our trail, and I have no idea if my last comment was even heard.

I check the time and
realize I have little.  The flight will be boarding in ten minutes, max. I begin to stroll down towards my gate, stopping to sit before reaching it.  No sense in being in a hurry, last thing I want is to stand in line with “the Lady.”

Shey,
as tiny as a cricket, buzzes down and finds her way into the pocket of my shirt. I remind myself I won’t be alone, and by gum I am not unarmed.  Well, yea I am – but Shey has her bows and I know she could pitch me a knife or two.

After futzing around with my phone for a bit, I pick myself
up and head to the gate. I poke my head around the corner and yes – we are boarding.  And yes, no sign of the little brown skinned lady who’s really a monster. Already on board?  I can only hope.

“Ok
ay, here we go” I say lightly and feel a light pat inside my pocket. I smile at that.

Boarding is nicely uneventful. 
I’m greeted at the airplane door by friendly stewards and turn to head to my seat.  But there’s this little Egyptian looking woman sitting in the first seat of executive class, glaring at me.  I accidentally meet her gaze and I do the first thing that comes to mind: smile and say, “hey.”

Then
I get past her as fast as I can without running and make my way to seat 32b.

That was a seriously hateful eye she put upon me.

Take off happens without a hitch.  “I think we’re in the clear,” I say very lightly to the fairy in my pocket. That gets me a funny look from the lady to my left seated next to me, like “of course we are.”

I kick my seat back, take a deep breath and close my eyes.
Seven hours to rest.  Nice. I drift off lightly.

I wake to the sound of the man seated next to me along the aisle.  “Sure, Miss I don’t mind swapping seats while you speak with your friend.” 

He begins to stand and I hear the little five foot something Egyptian looking lady saying, “Thank you, it’s been so long since I’ve seen my friend Arthur.”  Her hand is on his forearm and I know she’s doing a neuromantic number on him; I’ve seen Sil do it so many times – trust. Her face is sunshine and light and as he heads down the aisle she takes his seat next to me.

She reaches over me to the lady sitting next to the window and gently takes her hand.  I pull back away from her. “I hope we don’t keep you awake talking, I know you’re oh, so tired.”

“Thank you” is the what the woman says to the little Egyptian looking lady.

She’ll be asleep in moments.  Damn. 

I turn to look at the Egyptian lady now sitting next to me.  Her face turns from sunshine to clouds and darkness.  “Well Protectorate assassin,” she says in a low spiteful way “choose your next words and actions very carefully.”

I do choose my words carefully.  In fact, I
use only one.  “Okay.”

Hateful green eyes are boring through me saying volumes, though the lady herself isn’t saying a word.

Shey buzzes out of my pocket quickly, but not quickly enough.  Jxisga’s hand flies and plucks my Pixie out of the air. She regards Shey for a half a moment and then pops tiny Shey in her mouth, crunching her and apparently taking some measure of pleasure in the process.

I feel Shey return to the white and the Lady’s expression goes from
a happy, eating a pixie face back to a be prepared to die face.

“You ate my Sheyliene
…” 

Her other hand darts out and grasps the side of my neck. 
I experience a bad feeling, like I hit my funny bone.  That feeling courses through my body.  I am frozen.  I can’t move, can’t talk - can’t anything.  My breathing is very shallow. With her other hand she reaches over to my shirt pocket and takes Clyde’s pen.  All the time looking at me with those hateful green eyes.

She removes her hand from my neck and turns to put the pen in a little
clutch purse she has with her.  She pulls out a small round brown glyphed item from the purse and sets it on the arm of the seat between us. “A little privacy, in case you scream,” she says.

She gestures discreetly and says some guttural words.  I feel my ears pop.  Great.  We have a nice silencing dome around us.  The sensation of my limbs begins to return and then just like that, I have control again.

Now it’s my turn to give a hateful stare, but mine is met by a wicked grin.

Before I can say a word, she holds up a finger – “wait.”

“I’m going to ask you three questions.  You will answer them quickly, honestly and with no embellishment. If you lie to me, I will know it.”  There is an uncomfortable silence.

“Assassin, were you sent here to kill me?”

That’s easy.  “No. I’m just heading back to…”

Finger upraised
again with stern look tells me to shut up.

“What
Protectorate objectives are you working under now?”

“None, I’m not on the clock.”

That gets more uncomfortable silence and glaring.

“Do you kno
w the whereabouts of my brother?”

Now that question I didn’t see coming. I’m pretty sure my surprise registered physically.”No idea.  Hey, isn’t he your twin?  Can’t you do some twin thing to find him?”

“Dolt” was her curt reply. “But yes, I could. When I have tried, he evades me. Our rift is deep.” That gets her to look away in contemplation. She turns back to me, scrutiny in her eyes.

“You realize that should we battle upon this plane, everyone but me will die?  I
am the only one that can fly away from a falling plane. You know I can’t afford to have a plane full of people claiming to have seen me.”

That puts a dent in my
options.  It’s one thing for me to die, a whole other to make hundreds others follow.  “Okay... so we don’t battle then?”

“
Signs of intelligence. Arthur Micnelly...  Now you will show me the sigils of those bound to you.”

I roll up my sleeve and she grasps my wrist roughly. I sense that same barely perceptible tingle that Sil puts out.  She look
s at them and releases my wrist to glower at me.  I get it, next one.  So I undo the button, roll up the other and set it out for her.

Her finger traces Silithes’ sigil.  “You will give her to me, right now.”

“Can’t do that – I’m human.”

Her face register
s disgust at first, then something that may be akin to understanding. “You carry a sister of the Order of Nilisarna, this cannot be abided.”

All I can do is shrug at her.

“Bring her forth.”

“Really, here?” I look around the cabin at all the folks that would
be surprised, then panicked by Sil’s appearance.

She gives me a teeth baring snarl, then looks away presumably to collect herself. Taking a small breath, she turns back to me.  “Later then.”
  More uncomfortable staring follows.

“So
are you a sister or the order too?  Special forces succubus…”  I thought it a clever icebreaker.

“I am asking the questions here, assassin. But, yes, I am and you should
mind your tone.”

Maybe that ice was
better left unbroken.

“I thought we determined I am not an assassin. Mercenary, maybe.  Certainly off the clock now. And that’s an observation more than question.”

There is a small glint of something that rolls across her eyes. Her what would be a very pretty face doesn't crack its unemotional mask. She moves back slightly making herself a bit more comfortable, giving me a little breathing room.  But the stare doesn't let up.

I am being intimidated by a five foot something, 105 pound girly-girl of Egyptian
descent. And I am intimidated; I know how just plain ol’ raw bone strong Sil is. I have little doubt tiny lady Jxsiga, could snap my neck like a brittle twig.  Still it’s a funny juxtaposition. And I snickered.

The lady’s stare turns to glare again.

“You find your predicament amusing? Or perhaps you don’t take me seriously? Thinking maybe you can overpower me?”

“Yes, I find my predicament amusing. Give me some
credit, I’ve lived with Sil for a long time and know I can’t overpower you.  Still, you’re sooo tiny.”

Oops.

It’s the lady’s turn to snicker with a small, wry smile, “So it can learn.”

.A smile from the lady – small victory for me. I nod and smile back
.

Her
smile goes away as quickly as it came, “So, you are far away from the United States – what is your purpose here, since we determined you are not hunting me.”

I consider
my response for a second and relax myself back into the chair, turning slightly to face her more comfortably.  “Revenge mostly. I’m off to merry old England to get a friend who wishes to share in my endeavor.”

That
response gets a nod and a very subtle softening of her expression, less grand inquisitor and more understanding.  Still not very inviting though…

“The Collector, then I presume. You will need friends.  Many friends. 
You would be better served running in the other direction.”

“Naa… he has to die.
  He killed my son and his wife.”  Now my face is a deadly serious one too.

“Revenge won’t bring them back
,” she says quietly and resolutely.

That
pisses me off. Yes, it’s true - nothing will bring them back. I close my eyes and try to keep my response in check.  “Listen, I am oath sworn.  My word has been given to the family of someone I murdered because that piece of shit set me up.  My word has been given to others he has hurt. I don’t break my word.  That and I loved my son. I loved his wife. Oh, that’s right, your kind think that love is a weakness or something. Well, excuse me – I loved them and still do.”

So much for keeping my response in check
; I’m glaring into her green eyes daring a response.

Much to my surprise, she looks away. Her eyes close and I can’t read what the hell she is thinking.
Those eyes open again. She turns to her side and daintily puts the small clutch purse on her lap.  Opening it she pulls out a leather bi-fold opens it and turns back to me.

There are two pictures she is sharing. One is of a middle aged man with fairly rugged good looks.  The other is of a boy.  What is this? 
I glance at her and recognize the look on her face – sadness.

“The man is Frank.  The child of 12 is Frank, junior. Frank was human. Frankie was half.” Her eyes turn from the photos to mine. “I loved them both.  A drunk driver took them from me a little over a year ago.”

Damn. I did not see that coming. I think I may have even gasped a bit. “Lady Jxsiga, Jesus, That is... that is so wrong. I am so sorry.  ”

Now s
ad green eyes meet mine. “Yes, I can see you are – and thank you. You should see that when I say revenge won’t bring them back, I speak from experience.”

She closes the billfold and
begins putting it away.  She reaches over and touches the strange round artifact and I feel the cabin’s pressure return to us.  I am basically speechless.  After depositing the artifact in her purse carefully, she turns back to me.

“We are done
, for now.  I will still meet Silithes at some point, but not today, not here.” She leans in and whispers “And I’m keeping the sword for my collection.  Tell your Protectorate buddies that if they come for me or my brother, the only death they’ll find is their own.”

She stands and gives me a petite wave goodbye and strolls her way back down to
executive class.

None of that is what I expected.  Not one moment of succubussy come hither; just scary authority.   There’s the paralysis thing – they can do that?  She ate my Sheyliene.  And she’s been off the grid for the last 15 years because she was raising a family – with a human no less.

And oh, yea...  she’s got Clyde’s wand.  Clyde will not be happy.