Chapter 6

  The smell was the first thing I noticed, a stench of metal and that sweet, slightly burned scent of magic. It permeated everywhere. Streets stretched out before me like snakes tangling and criss crossing; buildings were on every corner, dotted by floating lanterns whose light kept back the darkness in narrow alleys and corners. A couple of imps lumbered on the streets, grunting and speaking to one another.

  All right, maybe best if I take to the roofs after all. Gonna be kinda hard to pass off as an Imp given our height difference. I just had to hope no one notices a six-foot-five Jaknight crawling on their walls. I approach the building and begin to climb. My cloak has enough reflection to keep a wandering eye from noticing, but not a focused one.

  I climb; it feels good to use my own muscles, to feel the rock and smooth metal under my hands as I go up. I love these missions. So rarely did I get a chance to feel this thrill; it’s usually fight, fight, fight. I stop for a moment when I sense someone on his balcony right above me.

  An imp, what is he doing?

  The imp was looking out his balcony, a grated metal iron thing that seemed to sway with the slightest wind. As he did, he made a loud belching sound and began to piss right off the balcony as he scratched his ass and farted. The wind picked up the piss and sent it flying back toward the building. Yours truly got hit luckily my cloak took the blow. Remember how I said these were my favorite missions? Yeah, never mind.

  The imp pulled up his pants and waddled inside, singing loudly, upset and smelling. I climbed up the rest of the way to the building’s swirled roof. I looked around inside the city. I could make out several clock towers. Maybe that was the Spruces? Or was it that large metal tree grove? It’s times like these I wish I had that inner radar wizards are supposed to have.

  I felt the clock towers were my best bet, so I made my way to them. I leapt from building to building. Each was so close it was like jumping rocks to cross a stream. Each was like a fever dream of someone who once took an architecture class on hallucinogens. I landed on the roof of a building that seemed to be built of giant, leaning cubes. There was an imp standing at the edge. He wore armor, simple and crude in its look, like someone just slapped together two pieces of metal, welded them, and called it a day. He was completely absorbed, watching something on a crystal and grunting with laughter, not a drop of awareness. Clearly, they were recruiting top-quality talent to watch this place.

  I could go around him, but that would take longer. I decided instead to sneak up on him. It’s not hard, let me tell you. He didn’t see me go behind him, and with one simple tap of my fingers to his neck, he was knocked out. No need to kill him. I put him in the center of the cube; he should wake up in a few hours.

  The clock towers were close, a few buildings away. I leapt, sailing high, felt the rush of air, then the pull of gravity and the soft impact as I rolled on the roof of this sphere-like building. The clock towers loomed closer, fifteen of them stacked like dominoes of ranging size. Some were completely wooden, others were gears or glass, and none were straight. This time I put more power into my leap and overleaped, landing on this glass clock tower. The glass made a slight cracking sound. I damn misjudged that one meant to land on the wooden one.

  I look around to catch a glimpse of Perhan or the imp who took my finder, but come up empty. Even my enchanted eyes struggle with the surrealism of this place. I don’t think this is the Spruces, which really sucks. I should go to those metal trees; they may be the ones where Perhan is being held.

  I was about to leap toward this building that was balanced on a single can when I heard some voices arguing. I looked down and saw three imps. They had an elder female imp cornered. The three had these long rusty daggers that kept flashing in and out like flickering lights.

  “You ain’t gonna trick ye way outta dis time.”

  “That’s right, flicka blades ain’t no illusion can fool one.”

  The three were smiling, clearly enjoying themselves. The elderly imp just looked at them, her eyes wide with fear.

  I really should let these imps sort their own business out. Focus on my own things. After all, there is the mission, with its fate of whole worlds thing to deal with. Still, I’m a Jaknight, and doing good is in our nature. I leap down off the tower. The rushing air opens my cloak as I remove it. I drop it on the three imps, who start yelling in confusion over the sudden darkness. A quick knock on their heads puts them to sleep.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “You idiot!!!”

  Huh, why would she call me an idiot?

  “Excuse me?” I look at the imp who’s staring at me, her arms crossed.

  “You heard me, idiot.”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. I just saved this unusual moss-dress-wearing granny, and she has the gall to insult me.

  “I just saved you, and you’re calling me an idiot?”

  “Yes. You know how long I worked to set that up? Months of work down the drain.”

  Work? Set up? What the hell, I thought. She felt off the imp. Her signature, or her aura, fluctuated just a bit.

  “Who are you?”

  “Oh, you Jaknights can be so dense,” she said, shaking her head.

  She begins to shake rapidly, becoming a blur, and in an instant changed into a young, fair, tall, skinny woman dressed in a short, cloaked gray robe with an overly large gray witch hat that covered one eye while the other gleamed pink.

  A Witchstalker. Great, like I needed more headaches.

  “What the hell are Witchstalkers doing in the underground?” I ask her.

  “Well, I was tracking down this Ancient, and these morons”—she pointed out the three unconscious imps—“were about to lead me to him, and welp…” She makes an exaggerated gesture. “I must say, I did not know that. Hmm, you guys really should keep us in the loop about what you’re doing.”

  “Just like you did?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Why are you here?”

  “I’m here because of a lack of good decisions, and also a wizard. I need him back. They took him to the Spruces, wherever that is.”

  “It’s under the glass tower.” The Witchstalker pointed to a huge brass pipe that ran from top to bottom.

  “Thanks.”

  “I really didn’t want to help you, but I would rather you stay out of my hair and my business. You Jaknights attract trouble.”

  Funny to hear that from one of the Garden’s resident chaos queens.

  “Touche, Jaknight, but I would hurry. I don’t think your wizard friend would appreciate the dawdling.”

  I walked toward the clock tower and slid it open. I stepped toward the pipe and pressed on it. It slid open, showing pure, smooth brass. This is going to be interesting. Before I got in, I took one last look at the Witchstalker as she transformed into another imp. Taking on an Ancient alone? A being of that magic level? Hah. Witchstalkers, man. They are some crazy bitches.

  The slide is fast; it loops and turns and drops till I end up in this place of fat, endless squat trees that glowed with white dots. The dirt glittered as if it were dusted with diamonds. I looked around, using my sights to get a clear picture of my surroundings. It’s wide and seems to be laid out in rings. I can see the energies of many imps further down the way, shambling toward this clearing in the center of the trees. Perhan must be there, probably pissing in his robes.

  I started to make my way when I heard voices coming down the slide. I quickly went up a tree, hiding in the top branches. I dimmed my energy even more to better hide myself. The slide shook, and out popped an imp and two others. One looked like a man with long blue curly hair and a huge pipe in his mouth, but he didn’t have one mouth—many covered his face and a blue curly beard. He wore a long blue greatcoat, a dapper vest and shirt, and a monocle. The other was smaller, wrapped in a green hooded shawl, and floated in the air.

  Fleck… no, no, no. It’s Alfaere of the Hurdi. Why are they here?

  I watched as the blue-bearded one grabbed the imp.

  “Do not waste our time, Imp. You promised to show us a most wonderful treasure, and we hate liars, do we not? The Jewel that shines only in the Dark.”

  The hooded figure nodded. “Yes, we do, my dear Lord of the Wicked Mouths.”

  The imp collapsed in terror, throwing himself at their mercy. I felt sorry for him.

  “Please, Mighty Adulivans, it is true. I have something wonderful, yes, a manuscript, something of an old legend. I’ll give it to you in return for what was promised to me, please.”

  “I don’t know. Should we believe him, Jewel?”

  “I wouldn’t. All imps are liars.”

  “Yes, that’s true.” The Lord of Wicked Mouths sucked on his pipe, his mouths exhaling smoke so thick it was like clouds. “Still, maybe it could be true.”

  “I would not lie to you, I swear, not on me, sul.”

  They were distracted, which was good. I’m not sure I could handle two at the same time. I hope my dimmed energy is enough to keep me hidden.

  There was a noise, and a large black bird burst from the pipe, flapping its wings. It flew toward the Hurdi and stopped hovering above them as it spoke.

  “Energy pulse has been detected in a dead zone in the Garden. Warden Titanica has ordered you to investigate it.”

  Damn. When I used the Flow, they detected it.

  “Right now? We are on the verge of uncovering something.” The Lord of Wicked Mouths stopped blowing smoke.

  “The Warden will not tolerate any delay in her order. Shall I tell her you wish to pursue other matters?”

  “No, of course not. We will do as commanded.” The Lord of Wicked Mouths bowed his head at the bird.

  “Very well. See it done.”

  The bird stared at the tree I was in for just a moment. Could he see me? Then it turned its gaze and flew back up the pipe.

  “Let’s go, Jewel,” the Lord of Wicked Mouths sighed.

  “I will be waiting here, Great Alfaere… waiting to show you.” The imp held up his hands in offering.

  “Oh, you’re not gonna wait.” The Jewel that only sparkles in the dark turned to him.

  “What what are you doing? Please don’t!” The imp raised his hands as a hot black light emitted from under the hood and bathed the imp, whose body began to get sucked into the light.

  “Arrgghhh!” His scream was agony and fear mixed with sheer terror as the last of him vanished into darkness.

  “Do not eat him. We will need him after, you understand?”

  “I am not a glutton.”

  “You say that, yet didn’t you eat that bouquet?”

  My eyes widen. She ate a whole galaxy? Damn. Definitely luck smiling on me that I avoided them.

  The two Alfaere climbed into the slide and shot up.

  All right, Finnbarr, you got a few moments. Get Perhan, find the cup finder, and book it before those two return.