Shit. This place makes the bar I met Correk at seem boring in comparison.
Shay managed to close her mouth and take a few steps forward, surveying the area for the gnome. Being only a small, well-dressed humanoid should have theoretically made him stand out in such an exotic place.
The techno stopped and was replaced by harsh dissonant flute that played jarring, irregular beats. The two elk men bellowed, hopped away from the table, and rushed to the dance floor.
“Must be the song of the summer over there,” Shay muttered.
Another vaguely humanoid patron was in blatant violation of local anti-smoking laws, but maybe they didn’t count when you were literally a fire. His smoke drifted into the air in a tight column, perhaps guided by some spell. He didn’t appear to be burning the chair he floated a few inches above.
Does he have a human shape just to be relatable, or is he naturally like that?
Another quick survey of the bar didn’t locate Tubal-Cain, so Shay made her way to the white bar, which looked normal enough.
The bartender stared down at her. He was a Kilomea—hairy, tall, and brutish, with jutting oversized teeth that reminded her of an ogre.
She’d have to look into it more, but she wondered if Kilomeas might be the source of human ogre legends. It was hard to untangle what magical creatures had existed on Earth all along and which had come from Oriceran. Maybe all of them were originally from the other planet.
Or one of the other alien planets. The more I think about James, the less I can be sure he was originally supposed to be humanoid. Maybe that amulet made him into a human because humans are the main species on Earth.
Maybe it didn’t matter. He was all man now. He had proved that to her on more than one occasion.
The Kilomea turned his attention to an older Light Elf in a trench coat. Shay almost laughed. She wanted to ask him if he had baggies of dust or coke in there.
“Another one, Dannec?” the Kilomea rumbled.
The elf shook his head. “I’m fine. I’ve got too much to do later to drink much more.”
The Kilomea eyed Shay for a moment and picked up a bottle.
She understood. It was a bar. She needed to order. She already stood out enough.
Shay sidled up to the bar. “I’ll just have…” She frowned as the Kilomea finished pouring a drink and set it in front of her.
“A Lambic, right?” he rumbled.
She nodded. It was pointless to ask how he knew. It could be luck. It could be magic. Maybe both.
Shay took a sip of her beer. “Have you seen Tubal-Cain around? He’s a gnome.”
The bartender nodded toward a table behind her. She turned around. The gnome sat right there, with a glass filled with a glowing orange liquid in front of him and a smirk on his face.
How the hell? I was looking right at the table only a few minutes ago. Damn magic. Why does it always have to be so annoying?
“How much do I owe you for the drink?” Shay stood.
The bartender shook his head. “The gnome already paid.”
Shay nodded and made her way toward Tubal-Cain. Madge had probably contacted him somehow and let him know she was coming, or maybe the gnome could anticipate her actions just that easily.
No, I can’t let myself think that way. This guy needed help to find his cousin. He’s not all-seeing. He’s just old and really smart.
“Hello, Miz Carson,” the gnome offered after a sip of his drink.
“Your new secretary’s kind of a bitch, you know.”
The corners of his lips curled up. “Oh, I know, but she’s also reliable and good at screening out the riffraff. Helps me concentrate on my work. Makes the whole operation so much more efficient.”
Shay chuckled. “Glad to know I’m not riffraff.”
“You aren’t, for now.” Tubal-Cain gave her a thin smile. “Surprised you’d track me all the way here.”
Shay shrugged. “You’re sometimes hard to get hold of, and if Madge is right, I should be happy you ever have time to see me.”
“Perhaps.” Another sip of glowing orange liquor followed. “So why have you come? You do nothing with me without purpose.”
“Fair enough. I need something from you.”
Tubal-Cain nodded to the chair across from him. “Sit down and have a drink with me. You insisted on tracking me down on my off-time to talk business, so I insist you play a little.”
Shay shrugged and took a seat. She already had a drink anyway. Might as well finish it.
The elk men’s song ended. A few seconds later the loud twang of steel guitars sounded, along with a fiddle before the vocals kicked in. It took Shay’s brain a few seconds to realize that even though the instrumentation sounded straight Nashville, the singer was squeaking like a dolphin. For all she knew, it was a dolphin. Maybe Douglas Adams had been right all along, but instead of being aliens from outer space, they were from Oriceran.
The tomb raider blinked and shook her head. “There’s a girl. A teen girl. Half-human, half-Drow.”
Tubal-Cain arched a brow. “Half-Drow? How very interesting and unlikely. They are a proud people. If you think I’m contemptuous of humans, you should understand how…arrogant they are when it comes to other species, let alone your kind.”
Holding back from the man wasn’t likely to get the help she needed.
Shay shrugged. “It is what it is. Anyway, this girl is…different. Blind in the normal sense, but she can see energy and souls. I’ve been doing some reading, and I’ve heard of magical glasses that can replace or supplement people’s senses. I’d like her to be able to both see normally and see energy, or at least see more than she can now.”
“It’s certainly possible, but it’s trickier than you might think. Magic isn’t like technology. It’s not about just doing the right thing with the right ingredients. Making something such as you
