Song of the Day | Anxiety by Eddy Current Suppression Ring | Spotify | YouTube
Need to catch up? Go to the archive>>
After another hour of driving, Soda was ravenous, and also acutely aware of all her scrapes and bruises. She could feel something else: the pendant, resting gently on her skin just above her bra, right next to her heart. It was warm, and it felt… alive. She had no other way to say it. Like a tiny mouse had crept into her shirt and curled up and fallen asleep. But every time she touched it, it was still just hard stone. It didn’t feel like it meant her any harm, though. In fact, she felt comforted, like she had a little secret friend. It buzzed gently when she thought that, and she smiled. Suddenly, Big Red sat up and yawned widely.
“It’s coming up,” he said, his voice still thick with sleep.
“What do you mean? The exit? There’s no exit near here?"
They were deep in the middle of a pine plantation. On both sides of the road, rows of trees marched off in tight, neat lines. The Glasshouse Mountains loomed as shaggy black outlines against the starry sky.
“Aye, it’s just a road. There.”
The cat stuck his paw out to point at nothing.
“What? Where? There’s no road!”
Soda leaned forward, squinting, then finally spotted it, and let out a groan.
“Oh, of course. A dirt road. A firebreak, actually. This isn’t exactly an off-road vehicle Red!”
The Corolla creaked as they tipped over the lip of the tarmac and down onto the dirt track. They trundled along next to the main road for a minute, then it cut abruptly left into the plantation and into deep darkness.
“Ah good, this definitely doesn’t look like you’re taking me to be murdered in the bush,”
They trundled and bumped along the overgrown path. Big Red laughed.
“Mate, if I’d wanted to have you killed, I should’ve skipped the part where I let you eat the world’s most powerful defence charm.”
“Hmmm, good point I guess. Hey, you said it lasts ‘for a while’. How long is that, exactly?”
The idea that she was immune to magical malfeasance was the only thing stopping her from jumping out of the car and running off into the night. That and she didn’t know how to do a barrel roll.
“Well the effects are supposed to last for a year and a day. But it weakens the more it’s used. Since you’ve still got that thing around your neck, I’d say it’s taking constant damage. So don’t get all cocky there young squire. You’re not exactly combat-ready neither.”
“I’ve never needed to be combat-ready before! I’ve never even been in a fight before today!"
“Yeah, well, that’s usually how it is. Hey, at least we’re not dead! High five?”
Soda’s scowl turned into a snort as Big Red offered his paw. She held out a hand, and Red batted it. Seeing her face, he rolled his eyes in a very human manner and sat back down.
“Yeah yeah, I know. The toe beans. You’ve told me.”
"Sorry for all the times I called you cute boy."
"It's alright."
"And fatty boom-ba."
"Well, that was a bit hurtful."
"And all the times I tried to touch your toe beans."
"People really need to learn more boundaries with their pets."
"Yeah well, I'm never trusting a friendly animal again, don't worry about that."
After a few minutes the track improved rapidly, flattening out and becoming a well-kept gravel road. Soda's headlights struggled, barely lighting up the path. Either side, the gloom was claustrophobic.
“Will you please tell me where we’re going?”
“We’re going to see an old associate of mine. Runs a bed and breakfast for magic types to get away from the dirty normals. I’d like it if you held me at first. At least until they’ve promised not to try to kill me.”
“Ah, good. Tell me, do you piss off everybody you know, or just your friends?”
“Only everybody who’s ever met me. Now listen. Our host isn’t human, though they have a human form. They’re a nightmare in a human suit. I cannot stress enough that you need to be careful. You’ve got some powerful charms on you, but I honestly don’t know how they’d hold up against this kind of magic. Very old. Very scary. Mind your manners. Eat the food, that stuff about not eating is just for Faeries and those doors have been shut for a thousand years. Plus, the food should be really delicious.”
Both their bellies gurgled, making them laugh, but Soda thought hers might be from nerves as much as anything.
The trees ended in an abrupt line, revealing a sprawling rectangular clearing ringed on all sides by pines. Soda gasped.
The road cut up towards an impossibly grand Federation style manor house. It was three stories tall and wrapped in deep verandahs, with lush tropical greenery bursting from underneath its raised floors. It had a steep tin roof that shone silver in the bright moonlight. A weathervane that had a dragon instead of a rooster stood proudly from the top. On one side, Soda spotted a small hexagonal tower with what looked like an observatory.
“This is lush! A hotel, did you say?"
“Yeah, a place where magical folk can go to relax and be themselves. It’s also a travel point.”
“Oh cool! Portals? Broomsticks?”
“Can you stow it with the fangirl stuff please, it’s embarrassing."
“Is it portals though?”
“…yeah, it’s basically portals,” he admitted reluctantly. “But no broomsticks, this isn’t 1673.”
As they got closer to the house, the headlights illuminated a ghostly apparition standing on the side of the road.
“Shit a brick!”
Soda nearly crashed the car but it was just a young man with a massive halo of curls and a cheerful round brown face in a crisp white uniform. He smiled and flagged them down. Soda pulled up and rolled down her window.
“Good evening, my name’s Darren and I’ll be checking you in. Please leave the car with me, and proceed to reception on foot.”
He only looked in his early twenties at most, but he spoke carefully and formally.
"Oh, we’re not checking in–" the cat began, but he just held up his hand and smiled again.
“Boss says you’re checking in mate, you know what that means,” he said in a much more normal voice. Soda glanced at Big Red, but he shrugged.
“It means we’re checking in. I hope it means we’ll still be alive afterwards.”
Darren laughed heartily, then strode around to open the car door for Red, who jumped down and began sauntering towards the stately double staircase.
Soda pursed her lips and got out of the car.
“I’d tell you to be careful with it but…”
They both looked at the Corolla, rusty and dented and strewn with rubbish.
“I’ll be careful with it. No burnouts."
Soda hurried off after the cat, wiping her palms on her jeans as she approached the stairs. He stopped and she scooped him up, hoisting his bulk onto her hip like a baby, then proceeded cautiously up the grand staircase.
Upstairs there was a sprawling deck littered with gorgeous cane outdoor furniture. A long row of French folding doors were pushed open so the outdoor area flowed seamlessly inside. Soda peered in and saw a large open living room, with polished wooden floors and a split level. The upper area was dominated by a long dining table with dozens of seats, all empty, and another lounging area populated with squashy leather couches and low coffee tables. Gentle warm lighting permeated the space from dozens of lamps and pendant lights hanging from the tall ceiling. The lower mezzanine was largely empty, except for an exquisite Persian rug in deep navy tones. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and though it wasn’t on, it sent warm orange glints of reflected lamplight bouncing around the room. It was the most beautiful and fancy hotel space Soda had ever been in.
Big Red made little noises in his chest. She could feel his small heartbeat, flickering fast. He was frightened. That wasn't great, but she was rapidly getting used to just taking whatever absurdity came next. The pendant gave a little reassuring throb.
Soda loitered awkwardly by the short stairs that split the two levels, unsure of what to do next. A hallway led off deeper into the house, but it was only barely lit and she couldn’t see very far in. She was about to ask what they should do, but then a quiet voice came from behind her, making her start violently. Big Red dug his claws into her shoulder and arm, drawing blood.
“Ow!”
“You have some damn nerve.”
The voice was velvety, deep. It shivered into Soda’s ear and wormed its way through her brain. She felt a faint buzz and warmth in her chest and the feeling retreated. She turned and found herself looking at a surprisingly…person-shaped person. But what had she been expecting? A snake tail? They were totally androgynous, with deeply golden skin and short curly fuzz for hair, and full, glossy lips. They were much shorter than Soda, draped in a flowing silk kaftan. When Soda met their eyes, she realised they were slitted and golden.
“S-sorry?” She said compulsively, feeling the stranger’s gaze on her like hot sunlight. It wasn’t a nice feeling. The stranger seemed to occupy more space than their little body suggested. Shadows flickered around them, and Soda thought briefly she saw a much, much larger shadow loom. She glanced away, shivering.
“Not you, pet. Him. Put him down, and leave this place. Forget.”
The last word was said differently, suddenly full of many voices in a harsh chorus. Soda felt the compulsion crash into her like a body blow, demanding she drop Red and march out of there back to the car and out to the highway.
But then it broke around her and washed away.
The being arched a thin, perfectly manicured brow. Soda did nothing, too afraid to move. Big Red was growling, almost inaudibly. Tension strung tight across the room as the seconds stretched out.
“Honestly, that’s usually a bit more effective. Explain why I shouldn’t just kill you both right now.”
Big Red grinned a toothy, nasty grin.
“Do it. Go on. I want you to.”
Soda almost dropped him, but held tight.
“What the fuck?” She muttered.
Big Red didn’t reply. The being narrowed their eyes and pursed their glossy lips thoughtfully. Soda thought they looked partially like a Grecian king, partially like a Noosa beach housewife. They flung out a hand dramatically and tentacles of shadow shot forth, lashing out with lighting speed, causing her to scream and squeeze Red so hard he made an involuntary oof. But as she opened one eye very carefully, she saw nothing had happened to either of them. The shadows roiled past them, split like a river around a boulder. Their attacker dropped their hand and hmmphed thoughtfully.
“Very well. Much to discuss, I presume. Shall we have dinner?”
Soda felt her legs threaten to collapse under her, but locked her knees and set her chin. Her belly gurgled.
“Great, we’re starving,” said Big Red, and leapt down out of her hands. Soda’s arms were jelly.
“You can call me Lune,” said the host over their shoulder to Soda as they sauntered off down the hall. Big Red followed, and so did Soda, after a brief moment trying to figure out how to work her legs.
“Um, Lune. Nice to meet you, I think.”
Red shot her a warning glance over his shoulder, but Lune just laughed.
“My name’s Soda.”
“Really? On purpose?”
“Yeah, my dad had a strange sense of humour.”
Lune turned left into a side room that turned out to be a much smaller, cosier dining room with a table for twelve but set for three. The third chair had a box on it and no cutlery beside the plate. Big Red took this spot and Soda sat down across from him. Lune spent a moment fussing with a record player in the corner. Smooth lounge music rolled out of hidden speakers. They sat down, shot an arch look at Big Red, and turned to study Soda very closely, up and down. Again, the uncomfortable feeling of being too close to direct flame. Soda shifted uneasily.
“Can I go first? Let’s see how well I do,” they asked with a small smile. Soda looked confused.
“Nearly thirty, not very well off. Although you came into a bit of money recently. Grief, so much grief. So a loss, then. A parent.”
Their eyes roved around Soda, seemingly examining the air around her.
“Fear, and exhaustion. You’ve had a long day. And a big surprise. Well, that’s everyone at the moment isn’t it? Centaurs on the news, honestly. Show ponies.”
Their eyes shifted focus, scrutinising closer as they leaned forward. They blinked, and Soda gulped as she realised they blinked two sets of eyelids, just like a lizard.
“Now when I try to get a good look at the rest, things become… stranger. Fuzzy and indistinct. Why is that… why is… oh! It’s just been so long, I didn’t recognise the effects. An Ambrosia seed! How utterly fascinating.”
They sat back with satisfaction.
“So you’re Frank Jones’s daughter then. Now my biggest question for you is this: why are you hanging about with untrustworthy trash such as this?”
“Oi, ease up!”
Lune shot a withering look at Red, who shrank a little. They turned back to Soda, who didn’t bother to hide her amazement.
“How did you know all that?”
“Well, I am very old and so I’ve become quite good at a number of things.”
“So Frank told you he had a daughter then."
Soda’s expression dipped into a frown.
“Hey, you tricked me!”
Lune chuckled.
“Only a little bit. You do look so terribly like him. And I really can read auras.” They turned back to Big Red.
“Colour me a bit surprised that the first thing Rowan did was track you down.” They pursed their lips at Red’s expression, realisation dawning. “Ah, but she didn’t. At least, not on purpose. Just your luck hey?”
Red looked surly.
“I was laying low with Frank, he had the Mustang. I wanted to… keep an eye on it. Heard he bought it at a Grabber auction. Proceeds of crime, et cetera. Rowan wanted it back. First thing she did once she got out I suppose. Bailed up the kid out in public, put a spell on 'er, got her to drive to Frank's.”
Lune turned back to Soda.
“Is this true?”
Soda nodded, her eyebrows scrunching as she remembered the foggy feeling in the car.
“She messed with my brain, made me tell her stuff.”
Lune nodded.
“Rowan is very powerful, and she’s extremely persuasive. Grown men have been known to throw themselves off battlements under that onslaught. What did she ask you about, do you remember?”
Soda was relieved by the appearance of Darren, pushing a trolley laden with food.
“Yasss Darren!”
He grinned at her, then bowed respectfully to Lune and began to serve up. There were big steaming bowls of creamy pasta, several large hearty salads, fresh and fragrant dinner rolls, and finally, brownies piled with buttery whipped cream.
“Tonight we have the sand crab ravioli topped with Moreton Bay bugs, a Moroccan spiced brassica salad, and a nice cheese selection to finish. Can I offer a wine pairing for each course?”
He'd be proper handsome as soon as his boyishness faded, with a strong flat nose and a wide smile waiting to explode. He spoke smoothly and stood unfazed in front of the highly unusual dinner party.
“No thank you Darren, we have a lot to talk about tonight. Just a light riesling I think.”
“Right away.”
He turned to go, but Lune spoke again.
“Oh, and Darren, can you please be a dear and do a boost across all perimeter fortifications? Detection and distraction, I think. Let me know when you’re finished.”
“Of course. Expecting more company?”
“Yes, I smell trouble.” They glanced at Soda and Big Red. “Big trouble.”
His face hardened, and he grinned again, this time looking a bit wild. He stalked off out of the room, rubbing his hands together. Lune watched him go.
“What a good boy he is,” they said fondly. “My latest apprentice. Now, please eat.”
For a few minutes there was silence as everybody ate. Everything was unbelievably delicious. Soda shovelled ravioli, forkfuls of salad and mouthfuls of roll until thin, arched brows of disapproval made her slow down. Big Red was doing an admirable job of daintily eating each ravioli one by one. Soda had never tried Moreton Bay bug, but it turned out to be a bit like prawn or crab.
“Alright petal, are you feeling better now?”
Lune smiled kindly at Soda. Despite her aches and pains, she was feeling a little better. The wine was helping, as was the little buzz at her breast, reassuring her that she was safe.
“I woke up this morning at a yoga retreat and my only problems were a dead phone battery, a spasming colon and unemployment. Now I’m in the middle of an international magical conspiracy concerning my dead dad and an overweight cockney cat. So you know, aside from that, I’m grand. Great ravioli.”
Lune laughed and it was beautiful and infectious. Soda laughed too, despite herself.
“I’m not overweight! I’m a warrior!”
“You’re a sack of shit Red. You’re lucky you weren’t vaporised on my doorstep. You still might be.”
Soda looked speculatively at Red over her plate.
“So why does everyone hate Red?” She asked Lune. Lune snorted.
“Oh, he didn’t tell you that part?”
Red’s head drooped.
“I was getting to it…” he said miserably.
“Jeez Red, what did you do?”
“He betrayed his best friend when she needed him most. Crumbled a great and worthy movement. Then he ran away and hid. She should’ve turned you into a rat, it would’ve suited you better.” Lune sniffed. “Also, he’s an asshole.”
“I believed Evangeline! I thought I was doing the right thing!” Red yowled. Lune thumped the table so violently Soda jumped.
“Bullshit. Evangeline just made you feel special! Guess what idiot, that’s what she does! She makes everyone feel special! And now it might be too late.”
Red was so hunched he was barely visible on the chair.
“You think I don’t know that now? I knew it then! I was just scared, ok? I was– I was just a selfish asshole. And a coward. I know.”
He looked so cowed and miserable that Soda actually felt sorry for him.
“What’s all this about though? Who’s Evangeline?”
“There’s so much to explain, petal. And you’ve already had a big day.”
“Look, I’ve only been around wiz—uhhh, magic folk for like, a few hours and I’m already sick of your bullshit and secrecy. Can you just tell me what’s going on? Why are there floating cows and centaurs on the news and why did Rowan try to kill me today?”
“Oh, first tell me about the floating cows. I haven’t heard that one yet! Then tell me about your encounter with Rowan.”
Soda bubbled up with frustration, then sighed and explained how her day had gone. When she was done, Lune took a long sip of wine, rolling their eyes.
“Oh Normal, that charlatan! He’s been peddling that New Age nonsense to unsuspecting tourists since the ‘40s.”
“So like, is everyone into magic except me then?”
“No dear, it’s just far more common in Brisbane than you might think.”
“Oh really? What’s up with that? Brisbane isn’t very exciting, it’s just like, hot all the time. And nothing is based here.”
“Exactly,” interjected Red. “Not much Fed and Grabber presence. Brisbane is a magnet for the Outsider.”
“You’re just saying random nouns like I should know what to do with them.”
“The Federated Enclave is what passes for global politics in the magic world,” explained Lune.
“Most magic users belong to some kind of clan, or coven, or house. Each has a representative in the Enclave, with the exception of a few old hold-outs. It’s about as good as regular human politics, which is to say, full of nasty corrupt swindlers and grasping social climbers. If you’re not Enclave affiliated, you’re an Outsider. Fringe dwellers. It can be a dangerous way to live, because you’re not protected by the Covenant; magic laws. Enforcers, or Grabbers, as Red so colourfully described them, enforce the Covenant and commit other state-sanctioned violence.”
“Right… I think I get it. Live in magic society, get benefits of magic government. Or be an outlaw. And risk getting…. grabbed.”
Red and Lune nodded.
“So you’re both Outsiders?”
“I am far more terrifying than anything the Enclave can think of. So special I get my own clause in the Covenant.”
“Uh huh, and please tell Soda how much freedom that grants you and your kin.”
Lune looked thunderous.
“I won’t be lectured on freedom by you, you nasty little man!”
“Uhhh sorry, did I ask a political question by accident?”
Red looked slyly over at Lune, who scowled ferociously, daring him to continue.
“For the sake of this conversation, let’s say Lune and their siblings are not Outsiders, they provide… special contracted services to the Enclave. And they can’t leave their employment.”
“Right. That clears nothing up.” She paused. “And you, Red?”
“On the lam, Outsider by default,” he muttered.
“And Frank? Outsider, surely. What was he, some kind of… fence? Or a thief?”
She’d known this, and made her peace with it, right? You could still be a thief and a good person, right?
“Yes, just so. Frank Jones was an infamous thorn in the Enclave’s side. Expert art historian, you know.”
A little prickle of pride.
“Yeah, I got that sense.”
“I’d love to go through his collection sometime. I bet there are some hidden gems…”
Soda shifted uncomfortably.
“Sure, if we don’t all die. So please, who is Evangeline, and why is everything going crazy?”
Lune sat back and pulled out a fat cigar from somewhere in their silk robe. They lit it unhurriedly and took a few short puffs, then exhaled with their eyes closed. The usual acrid tobacco smoke was scented with something else, traces of vanilla and spices.
“All you need to know about Evangeline Lorenze right now is that yesterday, she managed to breach the walls between the realms, using hitherto unknown magic. The Covenant hangs by a thread and grows weaker as we speak. Magical creatures are flooding over the borders, causing temporal chaos. Acts of Greater Magic will be possible by the next full moon, which is in a further six days. That’s when walls between this world and the Otherworlds will fall.”
Lune was calm, but they tapped their ash a little too aggressively, with agitated little flicks.
“Well that all sounds incredibly fucked.”
She sat up straighter.
“Hang on a minute, did you say Evangeline Lorenze? Like, as in the skincare company?”
She’d seen her many times, in ads, on red carpets, doing charity work. Mick and Kitty sometimes did sponsored posts for them. She was very memorable, with strong features and thick, straight, heavy black hair in a signature angular bob. She had that waxy, unreal look of modern celebrities. She seemed utterly uninteresting to Soda: just another rich lady with famous friends and too much Botox.
Lune nodded.
“That’s ridiculous! How does a beauty CEO try to destroy the fabric of reality? Why would she do that?”
“Don’t underestimate her!” Red said sharply. “She’s hundreds of years old, and the smartest person I ever met. This celebrity thing is a ruse.”
He turned to Lune.
“So what’s she planning?”
Lune narrowed their eyes and stared at the cat speculatively.
“My access to information is extensive, but I still have no idea how she might have done it, and what she plans to do next.”
Another agitated tap-tap-tap.
“Ah, right. Which is why we got ravioli and riesling instead of a further blast of shadow knives to the face. You’re hoping I might have something juicy for you.”
Big Red licked his paw casually.
“Well maybe suddenly I’m too sleepy to talk.”
The shadows loomed upwards, crowding over the table.
“Hurting me won’t get you any closer!”
Red was sneering. Lune was rising to their feet. Soda jumped up and put a hand out.
“Wait! No, please. We’re here about this.”
She tugged the necklace out of her shirt and showed it to Lune. The cat swiped a paw over his face in exasperation.
“Saint Jerome’s janglies. Why did I have to get stuck with such a rook! This is not how you negotiate!”
Lune laughed heartily and the shadows receded.
“I like your new partner. She knows the difference between negotiating and being a prick.”
They leaned forward to examine the Stone as it dangled from Soda’s fist. It rotated gently, catching the firelight just so, its reflection glinting in Lune’s ancient reptilian eyes. A thin tanned finger reached out carefully, then flinched back as though stung. Soda felt the warning hum through the chain and up her arm. She let it drop to her chest.
“What is that? How did you get it?”
“It was buried under my house.”
“Frank’s house?”
“Yeah. Apparently my dad had Rowan’s car, and this was supposed to be inside, and it wasn’t. Which is why she tried to shoot us. Red says it’s cursed?”
Lune stared at the Stone, their eyes going unfocused briefly.
“It’s extremely cursed. A real humdinger.”
They looked expectantly over at Red.
“You won’t believe me. Even I don’t know if I believe me.”
“Why don’t you try me?”
He took a deep breath.
“Alright, it’s an Artefact of the First.”
“Fucking bullshit.”
“See? I told you. It’s ridiculous. But here we are.”
“Red, has being in that little body too long cooked your brain? The First Sorceress is a myth.”
“Who’s the First Sorceress? She sounds familiar…"
“Pssh! Supposedly the first human to wield magic, who brought magic into the world. As though that’s a real thing. Magic just is, and it’s existed in the world a lot longer than you hairless monkeys.”
“Yeah, look, I said something similar to Rowan and Evangeline at the time. But they got a real bee in their bonnet about the legend. About the First’s supposed sacred Artefacts, to be precise. Started chasing all across the Continent for clues. Mad.”
“So wait, Rowan and Evangeline are working together?”
Lune let out a short bark of laughter.
“Honey, they didn’t just work together, they’re married. Famously devoted to each other. Well, they were anyway. Until Rowan supposedly lost her mind and went on a murder spree, and got locked up in jail.”
“Woah! That’s so heavy!”
“The heaviest."
“Can we please not talk about this."
“Feeling guilty are we?”
Lune shot the cat a look of withering contempt.
“Good. You should.”
“Red, how are you tangled up in all this?”
His shoulders hunched.
“I said don’t want to talk about it.”
“Rowan and Red were best friends until he led the Fed to her and she was arrested and put on trial for murder."
“Oh… goodness. That seems like a brave thing to do though? …Is it not?” Soda trailed off at the look on Lune’s face. Red shrank down more.
“It was a setup. It’s not like you needed ancient wisdom to see that.”
“Plot twist! So… Rowan’s innocent? And… Evangeline set her up? Why do that to your own wife?”
“Who knows? Maybe Rowan wasn’t in on the ‘destroy the world’ plan after all. Red?”
It was a long time before he replied. He seemed to be dragging the sentences out of himself.
“It was 1940 and the war was unlike anything we’d ever seen. The girls became obsessed with this idea of finding the Artefacts of the First Sorceress and using them to stop the madness.”
“Absurd.”
“And yet… they found something. An ancient book of spells with a terrifying aura. I wasn’t sure if it was legit, but it still gave me the willies, fair scared me stiff if I’m honest. After that they both… changed. They were more powerful, sure. Spells like I’d never seen before. Catching bombs before they hit the ground and stuff. Hero stuff. That’s when they started the rebellion. The New Brigade.”
“I really thought this was going to be the one, you know."
Lune disappeared in billows of cigar smoke.
“I didn’t know about the book, but that does make sense. They were an unusually impressive pair, and I’ve watched at least five rebellions against the Enclave come and go. I really believed. You have a lot of blood on your hands now, do you understand that?”
“Of course I fucking understand that! Of course I do. Why do you think I’m here? I’m trying to make things better for once. Do you want to hear me out or just keep taking cheap shots?"
Lune's lips twisted but they nodded. He went on.
"Anyway, after Vincent and the executions, Evangeline was angry and resentful. She thought it was hypocritical of the Enclave to target the Brigade when they’re all just as bad.”
“As bad as Vincent Loke and his true believers, who wanted to purge everyone who disagreed with them?”
Red paused.
“Aye, not as bad as that. But you know she’s right when she says they took her down because they were afraid of her, and Rowan. I’m surprised we didn’t all end up in front of the firing squad.”
“What’s the New Brigade? Who's Vincent Loke?”
“Our old coven. Started by Rowan, Evangeline and Vincent to fight injustice.”
“But it got shut down by the Enclave and there were executions? For actual treason?”
Red’s voice was heavy.
“Vincent was a bad man, and his followers would have burned everything and put themselves at the top. But we didn’t notice him there, scheming away. The girls and I was too distracted by all this nonsense of being able to find hidden pockets of Greater Magic still in the world. They let him do too much of the day-to-day.”
Soda looked uncertain.
“But aren’t they also murderers? Apparently?”
“I think the Book changed them, sent them mad with power. Then when the Brigade got disbanded, Evangeline got more resentful, more paranoid. Rowan disappeared inside herself. I disappeared inside the bottle. There were hotly contested reports about a battle between Rowan and Evangeline and the murder of some village children in the Italian Alps. After the battle Rowan went missing for ten years, what was I supposed to think?”
He stared steadfastly down.
“I helped them catch Rowan and bring her in. I thought I was doing the right thing. Evangeline told me she’d become obsessed with destroying the Covenant and creating chaos, and I believed her.”
“Things were hard for those who supported the rebellion. There were harsh punishments. Exiles. I was locked away in a room for years. They, you, could have shown a bit more accountability. They’re fucking selfish, they always have been, the pair of them. And you. You just helped feed their narcissism, and your own.”
Lune's expressive face became flat with disappointment. Red nodded.
“You’re right. Of course. We dismissed the reports of Vincent’s attacks on minor Enclave members and their supporters as propaganda. I let the promise of easy money and drink distract me from the Lokites, so I was already compromised. I ignored the warning signs of Evangeline’s madness. The Enclave didn’t understand what was really at stake, and let it all go. We all failed.”
Soda stared at Big Red, reeling. There was so much she still didn’t understand, but there was clearly a lot more to him than she expected. She took a big gulp of wine and wished furiously for a joint. Lune stubbed their cigar out aggressively in a fine crystal ashtray.
“Alright. So what do we actually know? There were supposed to be three Artefacts, right? A book of spells, a channelling stone that was mounted on a staff or wand of some kind, and…what was the third? I don’t remember.”
“Nobody remembers. I read a lot of lore searching for these stupid things, and all trace of what the third object might be has been lost. There’s suggestions it was a cloak or cape, or a mask, or even a sword. Whatever it was, it supposedly provided the power to convene directly with Fate Herself, and change the very fabric of time and space.”
Soda lit up suddenly.
“That's why it's familiar! North Star… Normal… whatever his name is. He told a story about this at the yoga retreat.”
“Really? What did he say?”
“He said the First Sorceress stole magic from the gods and brought it to humans. She used it to call forth a lover from the silt of the river and he was beautiful and perfect but he was an abomination and she was tearing reality apart. And then a hero was brave enough to kill the lover, which stopped the storms and floods, but made her go crazy. She tried to open a cosmic door to go fight some goddess and she destroyed everything. Their whole civilisation.”
“Yeah that’s the gist of it! See, not a total waste of time was it?”
“Ask me when my butthole has recovered.”
“Anyway,” Red picked up the story, “supposedly the surviving prince took his mother’s things and cursed them and sundered them and sent them to the furthest reaches of the earth. And apologised to Fate Herself and that was that. But it hasn’t stopped people from looking for them, and writing about them. So Evangeline gets a hold of the idea of findin' it all again. The ultimate treasure hunt. I'd assumed it was just a distraction from their marital problems."
“Most people manage to get divorced without committing murder and trying to end the world, despite what the myths might say."
"Well you know those two. Never do anything by halves."
"Right. So we have the sacred Stone from the wand, and Evangeline has the Book of Spells. And we don’t know if she’s secured the mystery third Artefact. Sweet Summer’s song, we’re in trouble, aren’t we?”
“A bit of trouble, yeah."
Lune stood up.
“Darren!”
Darren appeared through the door as though he was just about to walk through it anyway.
“Yes’m?”
“I need your help, come here.”
They disappeared down the hallway in a swish of kaftan, Darren right behind. There was silence, but Big Red was steadfastly looking away, and Soda didn’t know what to say.
She pulled out her phone, and opened her notes app. She started jotting things down:
Then she had a thought. She found Mick’s messages in the avalanche of unread notifications.
Mick was online and started typing immediately.
She pasted her list into the chat.
Mick was silent for a moment, then she saw he was composing a reply.
At that moment, Lune walked back in, saw Soda’s phone in her hand, and then hissed like a snake.
“Turn that shit off right now!” They shouted, and their voice was the chorus of eldritch howls. Soda flinched violently and held the off button down until the screen went black.
“Why?”
“Because they can track it! You broadcast your location constantly!”
Lune threw their hands up in defeat as Soda looked shocked and guilty.
“I guess I hadn’t thought of regular technology spying…” she admitted sheepishly.
“Darren!” Lune bellowed, and he appeared instantly again.
“Boss.”
“We’re going to need more reinforcement. A lot more.”
Chapter Five: Pine Trees and Secrets
Like, what's the deal with Red then? And further revelations