A Boy, a Dog Girl and a Winter Wonderland: Part Three

The tow truck came early. The sun had barely crested the horizon when the rumbling behemoth of magical metal came down the road, its hooks flying towards the front of the Bollinger truck and attaching themselves of their own volition. The group looked up from their bacon and egg breakfast as the burly driver approached.

“Don’t know whether to apologize for being too late or too early!” He boomed out, his beard and gut rippling.

“Nonsense! So long as you get us fixed in time so I can make my pickup in New Bosh, you could have woken me at midnight!” Gratham said, cheerful as ever.

Before noon the engine was fixed, the fee was paid and they were off on the last leg of their journey. They even had the heater working, though such a miracle was mostly due to Luca’s insistent chant of the word heater as the mechanic asked what the problem was.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” Honey asked from the backseat, returned to her human form due to the return of warmth.

“Nothing. It’s only…I kinda got used to the fur and everything. It was…cuddly,” Zack said.

“Well, winter is long, sweetheart. Lots of cold nights ahead…” Honey leaned in closer, her face pressed up to his.

“Father, I will drink and potion you want, transform into anything you desire, so long as you drive faster,” Luca pleaded from the back. Gratham could barely control his laughter.

When New Bosh came into view, Zack was a bit stunned at how different it felt to Bell’s South. The buildings were much more utilitarian, taller and more angular, and the people were dressed in more practical styles. It felt less like a fantasy and more like a city he could find on Earth, with working class people and men in business suits without the extra added frills of wizard life.

“Right! You’ve never been out of Bell’s South!” Gratham exclaimed, seeing his face. “This is what most of the cities in our world look like. Far more of a focus on pure technology than magitech. Most people don’t have wizard powers. Some stubbornly cling to the belief of any magic usage being blasphemous. Such a silly notion, right?”

“Yeah…silly…”

The thought stuck with Zack as they rumbled into the port district. Chilled, salty air greeted them as they pulled up to a massive warehouse and opened their doors. Zack stretched, gazing up at the building before turning to the endless looking ocean which expanded out from the pier.

“First time seeing the ocean of another world,” Zack said, his voice carrying a hint of melancholy.

“Anything wrong, sweetheart?”

“No, only…it makes me realize how big this place is.”

“This is not the time for wistful thinking, boy!” Gratham said, leafing him into the warehouse. Multiple burly men stood around towers of massive crates, and four large trucks stood ready. The man from the call the previous day strode over, enveloping Gratham’s hand in a meaty fist.

“We should be able to make short work of this. Then the seafood feast, yes?” Kull said, his teeth glinting with metal fillings.

“Yes yes, I’ll supervise, you get the supplies in. Should last me half a year if I’m careful,” Gratham said, already thinking five steps beyond as he went over his checklist.

“These the two pups you want to help us?” Kull said, eyeing Zack and Honey suspiciously.

Gratham grinned and adjusted his glasses.

“Zack. Honey. Earn your keep.”

Zack shed his jacket, flexing his pentagrams honed muscles. Honey transformed, her animalistic form rippling with canine muscle.

“Come on, Honey. Let’s play fetch and earn some food.”

“I like fetch and food!” Honey bounced off to grab her first crate.

*

Zack leaned against the truck, exhausted. Two solid hours of crate moving. He was a sweaty, tired mess. Honey sat next to him, panting heavily.

“You two did alright for tiny kids,” Kull said, slapping Zack on the shoulder.

“Call me tiny again and I’ll stick my hand up your butt and use you as a puppet,” Zack grumbled.

“Here. Drink,” Helline said, handing them waters with special sparkling magical elements added. “This barely counts as a potion. Rehydrates three times as fast and keeps it ice cold.”

Honey changed back to human form to drink. Zack took several large, grateful gulps. Then he noticed Gratham talking to the man in the suit. He had been hovering around the warehouse since they arrived.

“Who’s the stiff?” Zack asked.

“Petro P. Perrimann, the head of the largest potions ingredients importer service in New Bosh. He’s the one who set up this deal. Normally we do three or four trips here a year, but Petro offered Gratham a deal on goods so long as he bought in bulk.”

“Huh…”

“Huh what?” Helline asked.

“Well, it’s weird. This is a lot of stuff. Pretty big discount. And I know you and Gratham are big names in potions, he’s a teacher and helped out heroes and all of the awards, but…it’s a big discount without a lot of return. What’s he getting out of this?”

“Huh…” Helline tilted her head, looking at the thin man with the thin mustache talking with her husband.

“And I thought I was business minded,” Luca said.

“My mom clipped lots of coupons. I look for deals. It’s probably nothing. He wants good PR is all,” Zack said, downing the last of his water. “Ready to eat, Honey?”

“You bet I am! No more boxes!” She leapt to her feet, her mouth already watering. They made their way to Gratham and Petro, where introductions were made and handshakes given.

“Ah, the fine young man and the dog girl! I remember you from the magical talent competition helping Chistos’s girl,” Petro said in a smooth voice.

“You were there?” Zack asked.

“I’m sponsoring the trip the winners got. Always happy to extend an olive branch into the magical community!”

As they left, Zack wondered if said branch actually contained olives.