CH9

He was planning something, I knew it. But if Phae were involved…

I groaned and rubbed at my eyes, Layla looking at me with a frown. "Someone made a deal?" She asked. "Why would they do that? What is it about me that they're so…mad about?"

"That's…an excellent question, actually," Rod muttered. "Well done."

"It's not you," I told her. "I'm sure it's not." I hadn't been told the whole story. Just a bit. It boiled down to revenge and politics, as a lot of these stories often do. Something about her parents choices making someone on the other side of the worlds wanting Layla's blood in payment. Her guardian at the time knew enough about me that he managed to get her here and in my hands. And I had sworn an oath that no one would touch her while I still lived.

A Bond that would not be broken until such a time as she could be handed to the next guardian willing to take on such an oath.

"Sure seems like it's about her," Rod muttered, and I gave a warning growl that he respected. Finally.

"It's not," I said. "Who made this deal with the Phae, and how did they get the Phae on board?"

"If I knew that off the top of my head I would've told you already."

"Would you?"

He glanced up at me smirked. I narrowed me eyes, but Layla was starting to withdraw and so my attention turned to her.

"It sounds like this is my fault," she muttered. "The dreams-"

"Just dreams," I told her. "Ignore them."

"But-"

I put a hand on hers and that got her to look up at me. "It's not your fault," I told her. "This belongs to a world much bigger and nastier than yours. One you couldn't comprehend even if you tried, because it's not in your nature to understand the movements of those that move as they do. What do I always say?"

Layla took a breath and let it out slowly. "Focus on what you can see." She looked up at me. "But what if I can't see…?"

"Then you can't know," I answered. "And fixating on what you can't see may very well lead to you missing something that you can. So. In this, what can you see?"

She thought a moment, ears going down. "I…You?"

"Not literally. What are the facts that you know?"

"That I…don't have antlers like I'm supposed to. Or wings. That someone is coming after me and the steps we took before didn't work. And that someone…made a deal?" I nodded. "…With an enemy that we can't track."

"You can't track," Rod said. "I can."

"So what do we do with what we can see?" I asked. "How do we move from here?"

She took a breath and thought. "…follow the tracks?"

I nodded with a smile. "Good line of thought. In this case, it means…?"

"…that we…know that someone…made a deal with a techno-creature…and…that's who's creating the opening the guys who attacked us used. So if we…if we figure out…why they were able to make the opening…then we know where the vulnerabilities are and we can adjust so that it's not an opening any more."

I nodded, allowing a bit of pride to come through. "Very good," I told her, patting her shoulder. "You're learning."

She practically beamed at me, allowing herself to feel pride instead of shame. Which was better overall, and an emotion I much preferred. I turned to Rod. "Which brings us back to you, of course. I assume by now you've figured out the price tag for helping us again?"

Rod smirked again. "I might have a few ideas."

"Why don't I like that," I grunted. "You've got that glint in your eye."

He fake pouted at me. "Me? I don't have a glint."

"You do, and I don't like it." I sighed and rubbed at my temple. "Fine. What is it you want, imp."

"Well I'd love for the world to stop eating itself every five minutes, if that's-"

"What do you want from me, jackass."

"Oh well. That's a different question entirely." He paused and looked at us for a moment. "You know. I think this time I want something that should be fairly simple, on your part."

I bristled a little at the tone and he only grinned.

"Don't worry, I said simple." He pointed at Layla. "I want her to go outside and grab us a couple of coffees."

I narrowed my eyes. "You don't drink coffee."

"I do when the occasion calls for it."

"I don't drink coffee."

"You do when the occasion calls for it."

I huffed, but Layla put a hand on my arm and gave me that smile that was an attempt to say that it was okay and she would be fine and she could do this. All those things innocent ones tend to think right before something goes horribly wrong.

"That's the price, then that's the price," she said, turning to Rod. "Where do I get these coffees?"

"There's a desk on the ground floor," he told her, nodding at the door. "Follow the hallway until you hit the stairs, then follow those until you hit the floor. Desk is to the left of the front doors, and behind it is a fridge. Man behind // will let you dig into it if you tell him Sean is asking for his usual."

I waited until Layla nodded and left, watching her go out the door with a lingering suspicion. Then again, if this apartment building was a safe-house for Rod, there should be absolutely nothing that would harm Layla within the walls of the building. Something still might make it's way inside…

I glanced at his laptop and around at the edges of the walls as I asked, "Sean?"

"Oh please," he snorted and waved a dismissive hand. "You of all people know how many names I have."

I grunted as I listened. No cameras. Not anywhere in the building, so far as I could tell. There was the direct hum of electricity - of course, guy wanted to have his lighting and his laptop powered and his kitchen working. Which also explained the pipes with running water. It was a functional building. Just without the scent or noises associated with cameras. There was also the distinct wafting of magic, but even it was hard for me to parse out and away from all the other magic littering his little studio.

"She's as safe as I can make her within the walls," he told me, leaning against the nearest wall. "You don't think I'd take her somewhere she could get nabbed without permission, do you?"

I growled at him.

He huffed at me.

"So little faith, she-wolf. So little faith after all these years."

"I have my reasons." I paused. "And those will remain secret with me. But I'm assuming you sent her away for a reason of your own."

He gave a short nod. "The coffees were her price. As for yours…" He put his hands in his pockets. "I want to know why you really are acting as guard for this kid."

"I-"

He held up a hand. "Before you protest. Remember that I know you. I've known you a long time. I know the reasons you hold as to why you don't look twice at keeping someone with you, especially young ones. I know that you're not just grumpy for looks and vibes. I know your real pain, she-wolf, and I know that taking care of a snot-nosed little pointy-eared like her has to be sticking in that hurt and twisting it nine ways to Sunday. So I'm just curious…why."

I glanced away with a snort.

I hate it when he's right.

"Go ahead," he said. "Have your stomp around. But remember you're on a timeline; I'm assuming that you don't want little Layla to come back and hear the real reason you've been sheltering her. She doesn't act like she knows why it's a big deal. I still expect my price to be paid, though. So if you want to keep it a secret, keep your stomping around to a minimum."

"Do you ever shut up!?" I snapped, stalking back and forth. He only grinned, thankfully. No other quips came out, and he let me pace a little.

"…I'm assuming you know about her journey here."

"Similar to yours, so I'm told. Otherworld slip-up."

"A hole between her world and this," I said with a nod. "They remain open even though the ways have been closed for centuries. And…I assume you know that she did not come alone?"

He gave another small nod. "Sadly I haven't been able to confirm it. Whoever she came with is a wild one."

"He…knew me. From before."

Rod's eyebrows went up.

"I helped train his first protege. So when he found that I was in this world, he took me his second. She needed to be guarded. Protected. He told me his reasons and I agreed. So I took her on."

"And this reason would be…what."

I glanced at him, and he remained staring back at me. "If this information gets beyond the usual suspects of knowledge, I will hunt down you specifically and rip you limb from limb. It will be slow. And it will be painful. And I will make you suffer immensely before you die."

He held up three fingers. "By honor of my secrets, I will not tell those who do not deserve to know."

It was enough for me to believe him, the oath by which he swore a serious one. The only misgiving I had was that Rod, creature that he was, had a shifting sense of honor. If he felt that his sense of honor beat out an older understanding, then the new sense would win out.

But I needed his help. And so, I must play by his rules. For now.

"She is Maike. Daughter of two High Houses of Elkien, one of which had been marked by Onishiki poison."

Rod blinked. "No way."

I nodded. "She is the first surviving offspring that is Onishiki and yet born of another race."

"Another race. Another planet entirely." He tapped his chin. "So this makes her one of The Song then?"

"Many would believe it to be so."

"And her guardian?"

"He desires her to live long enough to find out on her own terms."

"So the pointy-eards that were hunting you down…"

"Are from one of the Elkish Houses, yes."

"And they want her dead."

"They have not stated. I believe some of the Houses desire her death. Some desire her blood. And some desire her bloodline. For her to rule."

He mulled it over. "And you, Onishiki, you have no problem guarding one with a prophesy on her head? Don't some of your pack want her dead too?"

"No," I said. "Not any that value the path of honor. She may be not of our world, but if she is truly maike and part of her is Onishiki, then all of our clan are honor-bound to protect her."

"And you lot won't let silly old superstition get in the way."

"As I said. Any that still believe in Honor will rise to protect her. As I have."

He rubbed his temple. "Y'know, sometimes I think you've forgotten how the old pack actually operates and how in the minority you usually are." He pushed off the wall and clapped his hands together. "Alright. Well, that would certainly explain it. You're protecting her out of some old-world sense of Onishiki honor because you and this mentor-guy think she's a chosen one from an old prophesy that has…debatable wording." He went from his temple to his face and muttered something about Star Wars before the door clicked open and we both looked up to see Layla standing there, two coffees in her hand and a wide smile on her face.

"There wasn't anyone there," she said as she came in and closed the door behind her. "But I saw these with 'Sean' written on them so I figured they were yours."

"Good eye, kiddo," he said, accepting the cup and taking a sip. I accepted the offer of the second cup and watched him for a moment. The smell was certainly that of coffee, but there were so many other things mixed into it, it might as well have been some kind of potion that happened to have it's main ingredient be coffee beans.

"Ah, that's the stuff," he said with a slight sigh. "And this counts as price paid." He raised the cup in salute. "Now time for services to be rendered."