Hansel

Most people’s reactions to a fortune teller’s predictions ranged from fear, to disgust, to excitement. (And sometimes suspicion.) Depending on the reputation of the teller and the results of the fortune itself.

No one just dismissed a fortune.

Even his personal loathing for tellers didn’t make him stupid enough to take them lightly.

Which was why the strange woman’s attitude about it was baffling.

“Ok, I admit it’s weird that some random old lady handed you a card with my picture on it. But I’ve seen sleight-of-hand magicians do similar crazy stuff. Why should I follow you on this stranger’s say so?”

It was exasperating.

After arguing for another half hour, he’d almost arrested her.

It was Abel who finally came up with a solution.

“She only told us to find you and wait. That doesn’t mean we have to stay in one place. So, how about this? We’ll follow you around and help you find your goat.”

She still hadn’t looked convinced. So Abel went a step further.

“We’ll pay for all travel expenses.”

She hesitated.

“I don’t know how far I need to go.”

“Doesn’t matter. Please?”

She’d sighed dramatically, pinching that gawd awful dress.

“You two look pretty sharp. Won’t you be embarrassed traveling with a bumpkin like me?”

“I’ll buy you a new dress.”

Her eyes had lit up and Abel thought he had her.

Hansel knew better.

Since it was dark Abel got them a three-room suite at a local hotel. Hansel would have preferred taking her home and then watching from there, but despite her claims of having a home she hummed and hawed until finally admitting it wasn’t in town.

Abel ushered their guest to bed (it was getting close to ten), then went skipped to his own bed on Hansel’s glaring insistence.

Hansel walked purposefully to his own room, stepped in, waited for Abel’s door to click shut, then stepped out again.

He closed the curtains in the sitting room and settled on a chair.

He only had to wait about an hour before Aka’s door slowly opened.

She peeked into the sitting room then tiptoed out. Not seeing Hansel because he held still in the shadows.

He waited for a second or two before following. Taking the stairs while she took the lift and out onto the street.

From there, it was a matter of keeping her in sight.

Despite the late hour, there were still pockets of activity around the city. A tavern here, a home there. Aka did her best to stay away from most lights and people, though she couldn’t avoid the streetlights completely.

Occasionally, she’d slip into an alley. Then would come back out before he reached it.

The first two times, he nearly ran into her in his haste to catch up.

It was on the sixth or seventh time that he was close enough to get a peek at what she was doing.

Once in the alley, she pulled something out of her pocket.

There was a thin stream of light. Not big enough to be an alchemist flashlight, so he wasn't sure what its purpose was. She nodded, put the thing back in her pocket, and returned to the street.

It happened once more before he realized she was following the direction of the light. Like some sort of compass.

Interesting.

They were almost out of town when he decided to put an end to this. The light had steadily been changing directions until Aka had circled completely the same building.

After she stepped into yet another alley, he crept up behind her.

“You were right, Croix,” she whispered. “They didn’t go far.”

She started to put the ‘thing’ back in her pocket when Hansel grabbed her wrist and spun her around.

His hand deftly blocked her scream, and he leaned close.

“It’s me, Miss Aka.”

He let go of her mouth and took the thing from her hand, still holding her wrist.

“Agent Miller? Why are you following me?!”

He lifted the odd little orb to see it better, using the light from the street. Not that he needed to examine it much. Magic tingled through his hand the instant he touched it.

“You realize owning and using a magical artifact without a royal permit is, at a minimum, ten years in prison?”

“Oh, come on!” she wailed in a whisper. Trying to snatch it back from him. “I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. I just want my kid back!”

“Enough with the damn goat! What are you really doing here?”

“I’m not ly-”

The wall only a few feet away from them exploded.

Instinctively, Hansel yanked on Aka’s wrist. Pulling her into him as he twisted his body. That was how his back slammed into the opposite wall and she slammed into him.

He grunted but didn’t have time to recover.

Pushing her away, he had just enough time to free one of his knives and catch the downward movement of the goblin’s knife.

The hideous creature snarled at him and jabbed toward his heart with the other claw.

He blocked and kicked the creature away.

There were more coming out of the hole in the wall. And he spotted Aka crawling for the little sphere he’d dropped during the explosion.

“Idiot! Get down!”

She ducked her head three seconds before a broken brick shattered on the wall above her.

Damn it!

He yanked his alchemist gun free, shooting at goblins as he backed up. Trying to put himself between the stupid civilian and their attackers.

There were too many goblins.

“Run!”

He shot another in the head and stopped the attack of a second. A third he kicked away… they just kept coming. Backing off then rushing him all at once, trying to confuse him.

And the stupid woman hadn't listened!

He didn't know what she'd been doing the last few seconds, but it wasn't running.

Until she abruptly ran around him. What the hell?! In half a second her intention was obvious as she aimed straight for the little orb again and reached down to scoop it.

“Miss Aka, no!”

A wave of exploding magic blasted him backwards.

Landing against the wall, he lost his breath and his gun. Then a goblin was on him, raking at his body. A pain in his shoulder and down his arm blinded him for half a second, then he stabbed and kicked the goblin away on instinct.

“Enough!”

Abruptly, all the goblins backed off.

***

Aka

The tracker flew away from me, yanked by magic. At the same time something exploded again, and I was knocked to my knees.

Dust got into my mouth and nose, choking me.

I coughed.

“Enough!”

I felt the power in that command and looked up.

The goblins were backing away. Snarling, brandishing claws and weapons.

I glanced back.

Agent Miller was standing in a ready position, knife out. His other arm was bloody, and he'd lost his gun somewhere.

And beyond him was the door I’d stuck my key in.

I'd knocked but it still hadn't opened.

For an instant, it was so quiet that I could clearly hear the ‘clack, clack, click' of someone walking through the rubble.

When I looked forward, I saw the woman.

She wore heels, a short skirt, and a short cloak with a hood. I could tell right away that the hood had a spell on it, which was probably partly why I couldn't see her face despite the extra light from the fires.

But that was just a guess.

In her hand, she held my tracker.

“Well, if it isn't little Hansel Miller. So nice to see you again.”

Why didn't she look at him if she was talking to him? Stop staring at me, lady!

He didn't answer.

“I'm impressed with your obsession. Considering your reputation, I didn't think you'd use one of our artifacts to find us.”

She tossed the tracker up and caught it. Then squeezed.

The orb shattered!

“No!”

She laughed at my distress.

“Or was it you, pet? Yes, it was you. Such a large amount of raw magic. I could taste it inside.”

Great. She sounded like a psychopath. She was also drenched in enough blood magic to make me gag, so I guess being crazy should be expected.

“What do you think, young Hansel? Should I recruit her or kill her? Just like old times?”

I flinched as she reached down to touch my face.

Agent Miller chose that moment to make a desperate sprint toward us.

She had not looked at him once since she began her taunts, but the witch easily twisted to one side. Avoiding his knife.

It couldn't have been more than thirty seconds that Agent Miller attacked, trying to get a hit in. But no matter what he did, the crazy witch just kept dodging. Then she cast a spell that momentarily froze Mr Miller and he fell hard against the other building and a rubble pile.

The woman laughed and reached down to touch him.

She must’ve had a face fetish because she successfully stroked Agent Miller’s face before he somehow freed himself and lashed out again. This time successfully slicing her arm as she pulled back.

In the distance, I could hear a siren. Which woke me from my stupor.