She better hope she had a leprechaun somewhere in her family tree, because that bitch was going to pay.
Chapter 2
Fog rolled in off the harbor to smother the Old Port and strangle The Hill with its embrace. I trudged through the chill mist beside Jinx, lamenting the shopping bags filled with shoes hanging from every gloved finger. I hate shopping. The threat of getting an unwanted vision without the reward of a payday was too high, but my roommate and business partner wanted to celebrate our newfound success and I was a sucker for tears.
Now I was acting as a shopaholic’s Sherpa while Jinx scaled Joysen Hill in six inch platform pumps. I figured carrying the bags was slightly better than having to carry an injured BFF. Jinx was the most accident prone person I’d ever met. Just watching her teeter on those shoes, while tripping over cobblestones, made my ankles hurt and teeth ache.
I tried to rub my jaw with my shoulder, but gave up with a grunt. My neck and shoulders were tight and I’d likely pull a muscle. Walking around Joysen Hill always made me tense, even during daylight. The oppressive gloom of the incoming fog made my ears itch, as if I were being watched.
I spun on the balls of my feet, suddenly sure that someone was approaching from the gloom, but when I scanned the street behind us I saw only harmless shoppers out on a chilly spring afternoon. I peered through the pea soup fog further down the hill, my gaze darting into shadowed doorways and alleys, but couldn’t spot the source of my unease.
The alarm bells going off in my head could be good old-fashioned paranoia, but worrying about being hunted in this part of the city wasn’t necessarily my imagination. The big baddies of Harborsmouth, both supernatural and human, have holed up in the warrens of Joysen Hill for decades. It’s a fact of life in Harborsmouth that bad things happen daily on The Hill. Vampire slumlords suck their tenants dry, djinn provide favors for those who…rub their lamps, and carnivorous fae find creative ways to bait humans into their lair.
That was the other reason why I had agreed to go shopping. Jinx had access to faerie ointment which allowed her to see through a basic faerie glamour, but the stuff was expensive. She’d rather spend her money on shoes than on the potions my witch friend brewed. So I tagged along to make sure Jinx stayed out of trouble. Jinx may only be able to see shopkeepers hocking their wares, but I could see the fangs and mandibles behind the glossy smiles.
I steered Jinx away from a display of pottery bowls, that beneath a shimmering glamour were actually hollowed out skulls, and into the shop next door. The smell of leather filled the air and a hiccup erupted from behind the till. I smiled and let the tension ooze out of my neck and shoulders. We had entered a clurichaun’s leather goods shop.
My hands were currently sheathed in a pair of clurichaun crafted gloves, a Christmas gift from Marvin. I smiled and flexed my fingers, trying not to drop the bags I was holding. Marvin had gone to a lot of trouble to bargain with one of the perpetually inebriated faeries, but I was glad that he did. The gloves were beautiful, fit me perfectly, and hadn’t given me terrifying visions.
Clurichauns, cousins to the infamous cobbler faeries, maintain a constant state of intoxication. In other words, the little drunkards are too merry and their minds too unfocused to pass along unpleasant visions. Marvin had found the perfect gift for me. I smiled thinking how lucky I was to have had the young troll stumble into my life. I’d have to buy the kid some honey before heading home.
I shifted my bags and the clurichaun behind the counter snorted and fell off his stool with a crash. Jinx gasped and I hurried forward to take a look. The red-nosed faerie stumbled to his feet, shook his head, rubbed his face, and grinned from ear to oversized ear. I wondered, not for the first time, how the bleary-eyed creature could craft such beautiful leather goods. I shrugged a shoulder. It was just another faerie mystery.
Jinx, no longer concerned about the shopkeeper, rifled through a bin of leather belts.
“This one is gorgeous,” she said, holding a red belt aloft. “Do you have shoes to match?”
Jinx turned to the man behind the counter and I winced. Leprechauns make shoes, clurichauns make everything else. It was a sore point between the two faerie races.
The red of the clurichaun’s nose spread across his face and down his neck. I half expected steam to come out of his ears. Of course, that was silly. He wasn’t a phoenix.
The clurichaun stumbled out from around the counter shaking his fist.
“Now, I’ll tell you…” he said.
The little man stopped in front of Jinx, mouth falling open. His silly grin returned and the heat rising in his face shifted to his rosy cheeks. Clurichauns don’t stay mad for long and this one was obviously smitten at the sight of my roommate. Of course, at his height, he was looking up her skirt.
“Clurichauns are master tailors and leather craftsmen, not cobblers,” I said, filling the uncomfortable silence. I reached for the belt in Jinx’s hand and pulled her away from the enthralled faerie.
“No shoes?” she asked.
“Nope, no shoes,” I said.
Jinx sighed and released the belt, letting it drop into the display bin. With dangerously weaving steps, the clurichaun carried over a burgundy leather halter top. I tuned out the conversation as the faerie tried to pour on the charm. The clurichaun was using the merchandise as an excuse to look at my roommate’s chest. Jinx leaned in and started haggling over the price.
I rolled my shoulders, shifting bags and boxes, and turned to look out onto the street. There, beside a lamppost on the opposite sidewalk, Melusine stood upright on her coiled serpent’s tail. Here on dry land I could see that her lower half was covered in snake skin, not the fish scales I had assumed when I observed the lamia in my vision.
She was staring right at me.
Hatred burned in Melusine’s eyes and a forked tongue shot in and out of her mouth. Fangs lengthened as she thrashed from side to side in a weaving motion and stared daggers at me between passing cars.
I gasped, dropped Jinx’s bags, and ran for the door. An enraged sea serpent was not something I wanted to tangle with, but my chances of survival would increase if I had room to move. If Melusine crashed through the shop window, we’d be like fish in a barrel.
“Keep her safe,” I shouted over my shoulder. I dug into my pockets and tossed a wad of cash and our business card at the tipsy shopkeeper. “Glamour my friend and take her to your bolt-hole until I return. Do this and I will owe you a debt. Private Eye detective agency will work one case of your choosing, free of charge.”
As far as faerie bargains went, it wasn’t that solid, but it was the best I could do on the run. I just hoped I’d live to regret any loopholes I had left in the agreement.
The clurichaun snatched up the items and eyed our card curiously. The money disappeared into one of his many pockets.
“Agreed,” he said with a nod.
I staggered, dizziness blurring my vision as the debt between us settled onto my soul. Faerie oaths were binding, especially between fae. My wisp blood was responding to the agreement, and the weight of the multiple debts I’d accrued. I probably shouldn’t be so quick to ask another faerie for help. Too bad I didn’t have any other options.
I shook my head, clearing my vision. Seeing double was something I was used to, but this was more than catching a glimpse of glamour draped over a monster’s true form. I blinked rapidly, trying to regain my sight, and lunged for the door.
I fought down nausea and ran outside, keeping my eyes on the lamia. Melusine’s fanged face swam before me once more. The dizziness passed and my vision cleared as the faerie bargain nestled in for the ride. What I saw wasn’t much of an improvement. Melusine looked pissed.
At least as the image solidified, the lamia now only had the one head. Thank Mab for small favors. Too bad I didn’t have time to relax and enjoy the improved view.
Melusine leapt off the sidewalk and slithered at blinding speed into the street, rush hour traffic the only thing
