Chapter 3: "The Collector’s Price"

The Collector’s shack looked like a magpie’s fever dream, all glitter and grime under the midday sun. I stood frozen in the clearing, Lirien’s skull glowing faintly under her arm as she faced the creepy guy who apparently wanted a piece of my soul for a phoenix feather. 

My life had gone from diner shifts to supernatural pawn shop negotiations in less than twenty-four hours, and I was not equipped for this.The Collector leaned against his shack’s doorframe, his patchwork coat shimmering like a disco ball from hell. His smile was all teeth, sharp and predatory, like he was sizing me up for a display case. “A phoenix feather’s rare, dullahan,” he said, his voice slick as oil. “I don’t give those away for free. So, what’s it gonna be? A memory? A dream? Or…” His eyes slid to me, and I swear I felt my soul try to hide behind my spleen. 

“A sliver of his essence? ”Lirien’s skull snorted. “Hands off the mortal, creep. Felix is off-limits. Name something else. ”I shot her a grateful look, then immediately regretted it when her skull’s glowing eyes seemed to wink. Was she protecting me because she cared, or because I was her only ride-along buddy? My brain was too frazzled to figure it out. The Collector tapped his chin, his rings glinting. “Fine. I’ll take a dullahan’s oath instead.

 Swear to owe me a favor, Lirien. One task, no questions asked, to be called in whenever I please. ”Lirien’s body tensed, her free hand gripping her spine-whip. “An oath? You know how binding those are. What’s to stop you from asking me to, I dunno, reap the soul of a dragon or something equally stupid? ”He shrugged, clearly enjoying himself. “That’s the fun of it. Take it or leave it. ”I raised a hand, feeling like the kid who didn’t do the homework but still got called on. “Uh, question. 

Why do we even need this feather? Can’t Rusty just… make a normal horseshoe? ”Lirien’s skull swiveled toward me. “Nightshade’s not your average pony, Felix. Her shoes need magic to keep her tethered to this plane. Without it, she’ll start phasing into the underworld, and trust me, you don’t want to deal with an untethered hell-horse in downtown Ashwick. ”Noted,” I said, swallowing hard. 

“So, oath or no oath, we’re stuck with this guy? ”The Collector’s grin widened. “Tick-tock, dullahan. Nightshade’s hoof won’t wait forever. ”Lirien muttered something that sounded like an ancient curse, then sighed. “Fine. One oath, but it better not involve anything gross, like collecting troll toenails. “Deal,” the Collector said, snapping his fingers. A glowing scroll appeared out of thin air, unrolling to reveal a contract written in what I hoped wasn’t blood. Lirien pressed her thumb to it, and the scroll vanished in a puff of smoke. A moment later, the Collector tossed her a single, radiant feather that shimmered like liquid fire.

“Pleasure doing business,” he said, then pointed at me. “You, mortal. Watch your back. Ashwick’s getting lively, and you’re caught in the middle.”I didn’t like the sound of that, but before I could ask, Lirien grabbed my arm and dragged me back toward Nightshade. “Let’s move, Felix. This place gives me the creeps. ”The trek back to Rusty’s was quieter, but my head was buzzing louder than a beehive. 

Lirien’s oath worried me owing a favor to a guy like the Collector seemed like signing up for a one-way ticket to Disasterville. Plus, there was Siobhan, the banshee who’d given me the stink-eye at the diner. I glanced at Lirien, who was stroking Nightshade’s mane, her skull tucked under her other arm like it was no big deal. “So,” I said, kicking a pinecone, “this oath thing. How bad is it? Like, is the Collector gonna make you rob a supernatural bank or something? ”Lirien’s skull chuckled, but it sounded forced. 

“Oaths are serious business in my world, Felix. Binding magic. If I don’t follow through, I could lose my connection to my head, or worse, my job. But don’t worry I’ve handled worse than that sleazeball.”I stopped walking. “Worse? Like what? You keep dropping these hints about your past, but I’m flying blind here. Give me something. ”She tilted her skull, the green glow softening. “You’re nosy for a mortal. Fine. Back in the 1700s, I got into a mess with a coven of witches over a stolen grimoire. 

Let’s just say it ended with me dodging fireballs and hiding in a swamp for a decade. Happy? “Not really,” I said, but I couldn’t help smiling. “You’re like a walking history book. A headless one, but still. “Flatterer,” she teased, nudging me with her elbow. “Stick around, and maybe I’ll tell you about the time I accidentally started a vampire feud in Paris.”My heart did a weird flip. Was I actually falling for a centuries-old reaper? Before I could unpack that, a scream tore through the forest a sound like a thousand nails on a chalkboard, sharp enough to make my ears bleed.

 Nightshade reared, and Lirien’s whip snapped to attention.“Siobhan,” Lirien growled. “That banshee’s got some nerve.”Sure enough, the pale woman from the diner stepped into the clearing ahead. Siobhan’s hair floated like she was underwater, and her eyes glowed an unsettling silver. “Lirien,” she hissed, her voice echoing like a bad surround-sound system. “You’ve got no business in Ashwick. Leave, or I’ll wail your name to the underworld.”I clapped my hands over my ears, which didn’t help. “Can we not do the screaming thing? I’m having a rough day.”Siobhan’s gaze snapped to me. “You. Mortal. You’re in over your head. Walk away, or I’ll make you regret it.

”Lirien stepped in front of me, her whip crackling with energy. “Back off, Siobhan. Felix is with me. You want a fight, you’ll get one, but I’m not in the mood for your drama.”The air thickened, like a storm was about to break. I had no idea what a dullahan-banshee showdown looked like, but I was pretty sure I didn’t want to be in the splash zone. “Uh, ladies,” I said, holding up the phoenix feather like a white flag. “Can we maybe talk this out? We just need to get this to Rusty, and then ”Siobhan’s scream cut me off, this time laced with magic that made my knees buckle. 

Lirien swung her whip, and a blast of green energy sliced through the air, silencing the wail. “Run, Felix!” she shouted. “Get the feather to Rusty!”I didn’t need to be told twice. I bolted, clutching the feather like it was the last slice of pizza at a party. Behind me, I heard the crack of Lirien’s whip and Siobhan’s furious shrieks. Trees blurred past as I sprinted, my lungs burning. Nightshade galloped beside me, snorting like she was annoyed I was so slow. By the time I stumbled into Rusty’s yard, I was gasping.

 The blacksmith was leaning against his shed, sipping coffee like nothing was wrong. “Took you long enough,” he said, eyeing the feather. “Where’s Lirien? “Fighting a banshee,” I panted. “Can you fix the shoe now? Like, fast? ”Rusty raised an eyebrow but took the feather. “Banshee, huh? You two are a magnet for trouble. Gimme ten minutes.”As he worked, the sounds of Lirien and Siobhan’s fight echoed through the trees cracks, screams, and what sounded like a tree exploding.

 I paced, feeling useless. Lirien was out there risking… whatever passed for her life, and I was just the coffee guy. But then I remembered her words: You’ve got stories in you, Felix. Maybe I wasn’t a hero, but I wasn’t useless either.“Rusty,” I said, grabbing a wrench from his workbench. “Got anything I can use as a weapon? Like, anti-banshee stuff? ”He chuckled, tossing me a small iron amulet. “Iron disrupts their magic. Don’t do anything stupid, kid.”I nodded, pocketing the amulet and sprinting back toward the fight. 

When I reached the clearing, Lirien was holding her own, her whip lashing out in arcs of green fire. Siobhan dodged, her screams shaking the ground. I didn’t think I just chucked the amulet at Siobhan like I was in a dodgeball game.It hit her shoulder, and she shrieked, stumbling back. “You mortal!” she spat, but her glow dimmed. Lirien’s skull laughed. “Nice one, Felix! Now get back before she recovers! ”Siobhan vanished in a swirl of mist, her parting scream promising revenge.

 Lirien grabbed my arm, dragging me toward Rusty’s. “You’re either brave or brain-dead,” she said, but her voice was warm. “Thanks for the assist.”Back at the shed, Rusty had Nightshade’s shoe fixed, the phoenix feather’s glow embedded in the metal. Lirien mounted up, her skull grinning at me. “Not bad for a mortal. Ready for the next disaster? ”I groaned, but my heart was racing for all the wrong reasons. 

“Only if you tell me that Paris vampire story. “Deal,” she said, and we rode off, Ashwick’s chaos fading behind us but I had a feeling Siobhan wasn’t done with us yet.