"I
have to help them. All of them. It's why I do this."
Michiko,
the hero known as the Monkey Queen, and her partner in adventure Beth
McGill thought it would be easy. They've become good friends since
they started working together, why not become roommates? Of course,
that was before the kitchen fire. And the broken bedroom door. Not to
mention the cranky guinea pig.
But they have bigger problems ahead. A shady real estate deal has left two new groups of Emigres arguing over a meadow. Other Emigres are vanishing without a trace. And enemies old and new lurk in the woods, in the shadows, even in dreams.
Can
Michiko and Beth stop the darkness...or will they be the next
victims?
Here's the completed, and gorgeous, cover art by Willow!
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And below the cut is the first chapter! Enjoy!
"Is
that her?" Michiko asked.
Beth
heard the footsteps on the stairs as she peeked out of the apartment
window. "No," she said, "but she's usually very
prompt. It won't be long."
Michiko
nodded. "Are there any boxes left to bring up?"
"Looks
like Mec's driving his van off, so I think Aloysius is—"
Beth
stopped when she heard the knock on the door. Michiko hurried over
and opened it, and a very tall, very tan, well-muscled man in a
sleeveless t-shirt and tight jeans stepped in, setting a stack of
boxes down on the floor. "Last load," Aloysius said. “Mec
will be up once he finds a parking space.”
"Great!"
Michiko smiled. "I'll get these in the bedroom later."
"I'm
just glad I didn't have to move Beth," Aloysius said. "That
would take all day, with everything she's got." He gestured at
the bookshelves and DVD racks that lined the walls of the small
living room.
"And
her bedroom's stuffed with stuff, too!" Michiko said. "I'm
worried about what she may have hiding in her closet."
Beth
stuck her tongue out at her new roommate. She had gone through quite
a string of them since she had enrolled at nearby Cooper College the
year before; her previous one, in the capper to a bizarre string of
events, had moved out while trying to land a TV show after faking an
alien abduction.
It
had been shortly afterward that Beth had first encountered Michiko,
the Monkey Queen. Michiko had gained that nickname at a young age,
when her adoptive mother, Grandmother Fox, had jokingly compared her
to Sun Wukong, the legendary Monkey King (though they weren't
related). Michiko was a skilled fighter, and had been tasked with
helping to keep the peace as magic returned to Earth.
Beth
and Michiko had met several weeks back, when Beth learned she had the
rare ability known as "second sight"—she could see
through and dispel illusions, including those that people used to
disguise themselves, which were called "seemings". She and
Michiko had teamed up to rescue a mutual friend from a kidnapping
conspiracy that involved Wrexham, a duke at the Courts of Faerie, and
Muirin, a dark sorceress, and by the time that was done, they had
become partners in adventure and good friends.
Michiko
had become concerned about Beth's safety, and she'd been spending
most of her free time in Beth's apartment anyway, so she had eagerly
agreed to move in with Beth when she had made the suggestion. It was
what they both hoped would be a perfect match.
There
was another knock at the door. "It's her!" Beth said. She
brushed dust off her faded blue jeans, tugged at her Doubleclicks
t-shirt and pushed her glasses back up her nose.
"Places,
everyone!" Michiko said. "Beth, remember—don't look at
the lamp!" She quickly smoothed down her black hair and adjusted
her yellow sweater. Aloysius sat on the couch and tried to make
himself inconspicuous.
Beth
nodded as she opened the door. "Good morning, Mrs. Culbertson,"
she said.
A
middle-aged woman with dyed hair and well-tended wrinkles walked into
the apartment. She was wearing a matching blue blazer and skirt, with
what some would call a bit too much makeup and a bit too much skin
showing, and she carried a manila folder under her arm. "Good
morning, Beth," she said, her eyes sweeping the room for
potential lease violations before settling on the new tenant. "This
would be Michiko Koyama?"
"Hiiii!"
Michiko said, extending a hand. "I'm so glad to meet you, Mrs.
Culbertson!"
"The
pleasure's mine," the landlady said as they shook hands. "Did
you get settled in yet?"
"We
just got the last boxes upstairs," Michiko said.
"That's
good. Now, here's the revised lease; just sign or initial where I've
marked.” Michiko nodded and flipped through the folder as Mrs.
Culbertson said, “You know, Beth never did tell me how you two
met."
"Okay!”
Michiko said as she started to sign the pages. “There's this
coffeehouse, you know? And I run into Beth there, and we start
talking, and she says she needs a new roommate because her last one
is being sued by a major book publisher. So, I say that I need a
place to stay because my roommate is kicking me out so she can use
the bedroom to breed attack cockatoos, and that's why I'm here!"
"Of
course," Mrs. Culbertson said, crooking an eyebrow; Beth,
standing nearby, managed not to giggle. "By the way, is that
your lamp?" The landlady gestured towards the lamp on the table
by the couch. It was over two feet tall, finished in shiny gold, and
topped with a shade covered with gold sequins.
"Yes,"
Michiko said. "It was a going-away gift from my great aunt."
"No
doubt it was going away to the nearest thrift store otherwise."
Mrs. Culbertson turned away from the lamp.
"I
know," Michiko said with a sheepish grin. "The things we do
to keep our relatives happy." She handed Mrs. Culbertson the
folder and the pen.
Behind
her, Beth found herself wondering why Gregor had to use a seeming
that looked like the purse that, much to his dismay, he had been
carried in at one point. She glanced over at the lamp. She then
remembered that she wasn't supposed to look at the lamp, but she
figured that it would be fine as long as she didn't blink.
As
Beth thought that, she blinked. Her second sight kicked in, and the
lamp seeming wavered and vanished.
In
its place was a small cage that held a guinea pig, black and white
with a sour expression. Gregor had once been a powerful sorcerer who
had squandered his talent. He had been given a chance at redemption
after a millennium in Limbo, but the cute and furry form he had been
reincarnated in had not improved his temperament. He glared at Beth,
slapped his forehead with a paw and muttered under his breath.
"My
dear, Elvis would have kicked that lamp out of Graceland," Mrs.
Culbertson said. She started to turn back to the table, but by then
the lamp seeming had reappeared, concealing the cage. Beth sighed
quietly as she moved by the table to minimize her chance of repeating
her mistake.
"Well,
if this is your biggest flaw, you're well ahead of some of Beth's
former roommates," the landlady said. "You're not likely to
elope and move to...Beth, was it Tonga?"
"Fiji,"
Beth said.
"Of
course. Michiko, it was good to meet you; I'll have a copy of the
lease for you later. Beth, a word outside with you before I go?"
Beth
swallowed and nodded as she followed Mrs. Culbertson out the door.
"Byeeee!" Michiko said with a wave.
Mrs.
Culbertson closed the door and turned to face her tenant. "Beth,"
she said, "I needed to ask you about something I noticed
inside."
Oh
crap,
Beth thought as she tried to control her expression. If
she saw Gregor...
"What can I help you with, Mrs. Culbertson?" she said in a
mostly-steady voice.
"Who
was that young man on the couch?"
Thank
you, God,
Beth thought. "He's a friend. He helped move Michiko in."
"Her
boyfriend?"
"No."
"Yours?"
"No!
I mean, he's just a friend friend, not a boyfriend."
"Good."
Mrs. Culbertson reached into her purse and pulled out a card. "Could
you pass this along to him? I may need his help with some...heavy
lifting myself." She smiled.
"Will
do." Beth pocketed the card.
"Thank
you, Beth." Mrs. Culbertson started down the stairs. "Good
luck with Michiko."
"Thanks."
Beth ducked back inside, closed the door, and exhaled loudly.
"All
clear?" Michiko asked.
"All
clear." Beth sat down next to Aloysius on the couch. "She
seems to like you," she said to him.
"In
what way?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"In
that special way that some lonely widows like well-built young men."
"Well,
I can think of three ways she's got the wrong idea." Aloysius
snapped his fingers as he spoke. His human seeming vanished,
revealing his true form, which was over seven feet tall, purple and
bat-winged. "Is that why she dragged you out into the hallway?"
"Yeah."
"I
thought she might have seen Gregor."
"Did
Beth look at the lamp?" Michiko asked.
"And
she blinked," Aloysius said. Beth felt her face redden.
"Of
course she did!" Everyone turned to the table by the couch. The
lamp was gone, the cage could be seen again, and Gregor was sticking
his head out through the top. "We all told her not to look at
the lamp!" he shouted. "She could disrupt the seeming! And
then the landlady would see me, which you were all desperate not to
have happen, because if it did, she would raise your rent, and that
would mean you might have to cut out cable and not get to watch
Doctor
Who!"
Beth
hid her face in her hands. "Are you quite done, Gregor?"
she asked. "Because if you are, I'd like to crawl off into a
corner and die now."
"Don't
do it, Beth!" Michiko said.
"Why
not?"
"We
haven't ordered pizza yet!"
"There
is that," Beth said, lowering her hands. She nudged Aloysius.
"Staying for pizza, big guy?"
"It's
Hawaiian!" Michiko said with a grin.
Aloysius
shook his head. "I have to get up early tomorrow. Weekends are
always busy. I need my sleep." He rose from the couch, careful
to not bump into anything with his wings. “Besides, Mec will eat it
all anyway.”
"Shucks."
Beth stood up and hugged him. "Hey, thanks for helping."
"Glad
to, sweetie," he said.
Aloysius
had barely let Beth go when Michiko wrapped him up in a bearhug.
"You're the best," she said.
"Awww."
He untangled himself from Michiko. "See you guys Sunday?"
"Wouldn't
miss it," Beth said.
"Pancakes!"
Michiko smiled.
"Of
course." Aloysius opened the door and started out.
"Aloysius!"
Beth stage-whispered. "Your seeming!" She could hear a cat
outside, probably a neighbor's, yowl in surprise.
"Oops,"
came the reply.
* * *
Beth
stirred in her bed and half-opened her eyes. It was still dark, and
it was still Saturday morning. She closed her eyes again and smiled;
Saturday was her one day to sleep in, and she was going to take full
advantage of it.
There
was a loud crash from the kitchen. Beth sat straight up in bed and
thought, I
should let Michiko handle this.
She found herself grabbing her glasses, getting out of bed and
hurrying out of the bedroom, pausing only to stick her feet into her
pink bunny slippers. "Michiko?" she asked.
Her
new roommate was in the kitchen, wearing gray sweatpants and a dark
green Totoro t-shirt—Oh
my God, I want that t-shirt! Beth
thought—and picking something up from the floor. She looked back,
saw Beth, and blushed. "Did I wake you up?" she said.
"Kind
of,” Beth said, trying not to yawn. “What happened?"
"I
keep forgetting how small this kitchen is," Michiko said. "So,
I stretched like this..." She swung her arms out. "...and
knocked my coffee mug off the counter."
"Coffee...what
time is it, anyway?"
"5:30."
Beth
raised an eyebrow. "What on Earth are you doing up so early?"
"It's
my new morning routine.” Michiko ticked things off on her fingers
as she spoke. “Six days a week, I'll get up early, have a quick cup
of coffee, jog over to Grandmother Fox's, practice for an hour with
Master Zhang, meditate in the garden for a bit, and jog back here,
picking up muffins and fruit salad for breakfast because we still
haven't gotten groceries. Wait, that last one was supposed to be a
surprise." She slapped herself on the forehead.
"You're
making it very hard for me to be cranky with you," Beth said,
trying not to smile and failing.
"Yeah.
Sorry I woke you up," Michiko said.
"You're
forgiven, as long as they're not out of blueberry bran muffins."
Michiko grinned as Beth said, "I'm going back to bed. Remember—"
she held her forefinger to her lips. Michiko nodded.
Beth
went back to her bedroom, closed the door and got back under the
covers. She smiled as she snuggled against her pillow. She's
getting breakfast,
she thought as she started to fall asleep. Michiko
is so—
There
was a loud thud from the living room. Beth sat straight up in bed and
grabbed her glasses. As she did, Michiko opened the bedroom door.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I dropped a bag of Gregor's
food pellets. Sorry."
She
quickly closed the door. Beth fell back in bed. She's
your roommate,
she thought. She's
your friend. Don't strangle her until she's back with the muffins.
* * *
Beth
hurried over to the apartment door when she heard the knocking. She
glanced through the peephole, unlocked and opened the door, and moved
aside. "Thanks!" Michiko said as she stepped inside. She
had been carrying half a dozen canvas bags stuffed with groceries,
mostly produce; she quickly set them down and took off her sneakers.
"You
carried all that back from the store?" Beth asked as she closed
and locked the door.
"Yep!
Good exercise!" Michiko picked up the bags again and carried
them into the kitchen. She began to unpack them, spreading the
groceries over all the available counter space.
"That's
a lot of stuff," Beth said as she joined her roommate in the
kitchen.
"Well,
there's lots of room in here!" Michiko said as she opened the
refrigerator.
"Yeah,"
Beth said. "I finally cleaned out all the ex-roommate stuff the
other day." All that was left in the fridge was strawberry and
blueberry jam, a jug of milk, and the leftover pizza they had managed
to hide from Mec the night before.
Michiko
started to fill the fridge. "That's good," she said,
"because some of this is for you."
"Huh?"
Michiko
looked back at Beth and grinned. "We need to get you to start
eating healthier!"
Beth
raised an eyebrow. "Hey, I already eat the four basic college student food groups."
"You
do?"
"Yeah.
Ramen, pizza, burritos and coffee." Beth grinned.
"You
left out 'beer', girl," Gregor said from his cage.
"I
don't drink," Beth said.
"Beth."
She looked back at Michiko. "I'm being serious. You've been
getting your self-defense training from Master Zhang, and I know that
Scylla and Gregor are working on something for you, but we need to
work on keeping you in shape."
Beth
glanced down at her not-exactly-slender body. "What, this
shape?" she said.
"Good
shape," Michiko said. "It's okay to be a bit chubby, but I
want you to be healthy. Not just for what we do, but because I want
you to be around for a long time."
"Awww."
Beth blushed.
"So,
I'm making salad for lunch!" Michiko pointed at the counter.
Beth
looked at the bags and piles of fresh fruits and vegetables, some of
which looked like they had been imported from Atlantis or maybe Mars,
and felt whatever zeal for healthy living she might have had start to
evaporate. "Maybe I'll just finish off the leftover pizza,"
she said.
"Come
on, Beth!" Michiko said. "It'll be yummy!"
"I'd
feel more confident about that if I knew what half that stuff was."
"But
I know you'll like it if you tried it!"
"Why
do I feel like I've stepped into a Dr. Seuss book?" Beth said.
"That's
fine, then. You don't have to eat any now," Michiko said,
pouting just a little. "But I'll keep making it, and I'll keep
leaving some in the fridge for you. And one day, you'll be running
late for class, and you'll need to grab something for lunch, so
you'll bring this and eat it, and I bet you'll like it."
"We'll
see," Beth said.
"Just
wait! You'll be eating healthier! Just like me!"
Beth
reached into a bag and pulled out a package of dark chocolate
squares. "Just like you, huh?" she said, trying not to
grin.
"Well...chocolate
is supposed to help lower cholesterol," Michiko said meekly.
Beth
shook her head. "This stuff is bad for you. You can't have it.
I'm going to have to hide it." She started towards her bedroom
with the chocolate.
"Noooo!"
Michiko cried in mock anguish.
"Kidding!"
Beth said, hurrying back to the kitchen.
"I
knew that," Michiko said with a smile. "I bought that to
share with you anyway."
"Thanks."
Beth smiled back. "I could use some antioxidants." Michiko
giggled.
* * *
"This
is starting to smell like a bad idea," Gregor said as the aroma
of cooked onions and garlic filled the apartment.
"'Smell'?"
Beth asked.
"Yes.
Trust me."
"You're
just being cranky!" Michiko shouted from the kitchen. Her yellow
apron had already picked up a few stains. She was stirring sliced
tofu and vegetables in a large saucepan on the old gas-burning stove;
a colander filled with noodles sat in the sink.
"Realistic,"
Gregor said. "You've never cooked before!"
"I've
watched Feng do this," Michiko said. "His tofu chow mein is
really yummy!"
"Well,
I'm glad she's doing this," Beth said. "It's very
thoughtful and sweet of her."
Michiko
smiled happily as she stirred. "And I'm glad you're willing to
try some!" she said.
"I'm
glad I won't have to eat it," Gregor said. "At least tell
me it'll be done soon."
"Almost!"
Michiko said.
"Good,"
the guinea pig grumbled. "Maybe then my nostrils will unclog."
"I
just need to add the noodles," Michiko said. "And a little
more soy sauce." She grabbed a bottle from the counter without
looking and poured the contents into the saucepan; some of it
splashed over the side and down to the open-flame burner.
"Michiko!"
Beth said. "That's the cooking oil!"
A
ball of fire shot up from the saucepan. Michiko lifted the pan off
the stove, then shrieked as she realized what she was holding. Black
smoke and a loud series of beeps filled the apartment.
"Don't
put water on it!" Beth shouted as she threw the windows open.
"At
least the smoke alarm works," Gregor said, shaking his head.
Michiko
grabbed the saucepan lid and dropped it on the pan. The fire quickly
died out; Michiko turned off the burner and set the pan back on the
stove. As she did, Beth used one of her textbooks to fan the fumes
away from the smoke alarm. The beeping stopped, and she hurried into
the kitchen. "You okay?" she asked Michiko.
She
nodded. "I'm sorry, Beth," she said, looking sadly at the
burned mess that would have been their dinner.
"It's
all right," Beth said. "At least it wasn't my good
saucepan. And maybe we can save it with a good soak and lots of
scrubbing."
"I'll
take care of it when the pan cools down."
"So
what are we doing for dinner?" Beth asked.
"Crispy
chow mein?" Michiko said with a smile.
"No."
"Cajun
blackened chow mein?" Michiko asked.
"No."
"Takeout
burritos?" Michiko said with a sigh.
"Chicken
super burrito, no sour cream or hot sauce," Beth said. "Don't
forget the chips."
© 2014 Robert Dahlen. All rights reserved, except those permitted under fair use laws. Feel free to repost, but all copyright notices must be included.
Art © 2014 Willow. All rights reserved. Used by permission. http://willow-san.deviantart.com
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