“Nice place you have here,” Maria remarked.
“Thank you. I’ve worked hard to acquire my fortune.”
Some fortune.
She noticed rotten couch cushions, old egg cartons, glass vases cracked down the middle, game pieces, muted gold coins, blankets, clothes, curtains, and so much more.
“I’m always looking to grow my collection. I want to be the wealthiest Willen in my family. Surely that’s a goal an Earthling like yourself can sympathize with?”
Maria nodded.
“And it seems I’m not far off. One of the Jersey Willens has gone soft, trading silly services like the relocation of his family for forbidden information.”
This piqued Maria’s interest. “What kind of information?”
“Oh, information from those secretive little Gnomes; something about the world in between. An Earthling half-Elf wanted to remove someone from that dreaded place, and my Willen relative decided it was a good idea to nearly trade his life for the information.”
Hope rose in her chest. “The world in between? Was this relative of yours successful?”
“Yes, but that’s hardly the point. The Gnomes can be nasty creatures when provoked.”
“Oh, I know all about that,” she said. “Unfortunately. So what was this information he stole about the world in between?”
“I would trade it if I could, Maria, but alas, I cannot. The Gnomes came back for those secrets, and those secrets they received. My Jersey relative is lucky to still be alive, that is for sure.”
“Damn,” Maria sighed. It’s never easy for me, is it?
“Of course you know Gnomes never tell their secrets. It’s in their DNA.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard something like that,” Maria admitted. “But right now, it’s not even about those secrets. If worse comes to worse, I can figure it out on my own.”
If it’s not too late. When was the last time you were contacted by Duke whether it be a dream or real life, Maria? She shook her head, trying her best to ignore the thought.
“Right now, it’s just about saving my family from the Dragon Tongue.”
“I see, I see,” the Willen replied, rubbing his hands together.
He eyed Maria as if she was a piece of food and he was nearly starved to death. It wasn’t in the creepy way that her former boss, Ted, had once eyed her—especially when she wore short-shorts to work that one time in the summer…which she never did again. No, the Willen’s eyes moved up and down, taking note of Maria’s possessions. Or so she thought.
“I need to get to the dungeons yesterday. If you have a price, then name it.”
The Willen lit up with a smile. “Oh, yes, I do, Maria. I have a price indeed. Please, empty your pockets.”
Maria did as she was told. Her grandfather and her dog’s life might depend on it—Frieda and the Gnome’s, too. From her pocket, she pulled a tube of cherry lip balm--which had probably been in her jeans for years--a few loose coins that had fallen out of her Aztec change purse, a toothpick wrapped in plastic, and her phone, currently close to zero-percent battery.
Guess that’s what otherworldly roaming and rolling around in gray water does to your cell.
“And what about the jacket pockets?” Leroy asked, sniffling.
“You want to look for yourself? Here.” She took the jacket off, revealing her dark shirt beneath. “You can have this one free of charge. After rolling through the pipes, I don’t think I’ll want to wear it again.”
“Thank you! Thank you!”
She handed him the stuff from her pockets, too. The Willen sniffed each item greedily, picking up everything besides the Aztec change purse and stuffing them into the folds of his skin. It was quite odd to see—perhaps one of the odder things she had witnessed since becoming a witch, and that was really saying something.
She was glad, however, that the Willen hadn’t taken the purse; since Joe had brought it back to her, it was now sort of special. “Dear to her heart,” if you wanted to get all sappy.
Maria looked at the Willen, smiling.
“Is that good enough?” she asked.
Leroy quit rubbing his paws together and pointed at the satchel over Maria’s shoulder. “Empty that.”
Maria shook her head. “No, my friend; sorry. That isn’t up for bargaining.”
“Everything is, if you want my help.”
“Well, what’s stopping me from just blowing your little hideout to smithereens?”
She allowed the magic to course through her again, lighting up the small cavern. The Willen took a cautious step back, but then tried that awkward expression that looked like a smile again.
“What’s stopping you, Maria, is your heart. It’s a good one—it does not take a genius to see that. You wouldn’t kill me in cold blood, unless I provoked you. So far, I don’t think what I’m doing counts as provocation.”
“My, such big words for an oversized rat,” Maria murmured.
“What was that?”
“Nothing,” Maria said. She tightened her grip on the satchel’s strap. “But this isn’t a bargaining chip.”
“Now I’m curious, Maria.”
“No reason to be,” she shrugged.
She feared that if the Willen saw the artifact she was carrying around with her, he’d get violent. Then perhaps she would have to fight back, and that wasn’t what she wanted. She needed to save her energy for the Dragon Tongue, and for busting Gramps, Sherlock, and Frieda out of the dungeons.
“Please, just a peek?” Leroy prodded.
Maria was about to shake her head when an idea struck her.
“If I show you, will you help me? I think it’s only fair, considering you took my cell phone. If you’ve been to Earth like you said, then you know how expensive those things are.”
The Willen didn’t answer for a long moment. His paws worked restlessly, as they were so apt to do.
“Fine,” he said. “I will help you; just let me peek. My curiosity
