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

It snowed following the dinner.

Zack stood on the balcony of the hotel room, staring off into the night. To his right, the twinkling lights of New Bosh stretched out and up. To his left, the rolling sea, cold and beautiful. Something large with waving tentacles briefly surfaced, bellowed and sank again.

It should have been fantastic.

“Dog girl…”

He kept thinking about how Petro had called Honey a dog girl. It didn’t bother him as an insult. She was, in fact, a dog who had transformed into a girl.

But how did he know she was one?

“When I first saw her at the competition, I thought she was utterly fascinating!” Petro said as they all gorged themselves on seafood.

“I guess Gratham is a fan of us. Keeps calling us fascinating.”

“While I would sing your praise, fascinating as you both are, I only met Mr. Perrimann after the competition,” Gratham said.

So who told him about Honey and himself?

“Shut up, brain. I’m shacked up in a fancy hotel with my beautiful girlfriend on a picturesque winter night overlooking the sea. I don’t need you overthinking things.”

Sorry, Zack, his brain said.

But still…

“Sweetheart? You out here?”

Honey stepped out, the soft blue nightgown fluttering slightly in the breeze. Vessria had been obsessively interested in dressing Honey whenever she could. This was her “I’m cute but could devastated you with a hip wiggle” nightgown. Honey called it the comfy blue swishy one.

“Yeah. Hey. Sorry, got some stuff on my mind.”

“Was it you belching super loud after the baked bloat fish with cheese?”

“No, Honey, I’m actually kinda proud of my belch.”

“Oh. Was it me belching super loud after the chilled tentacle cocktails?”

“No, yours was pretty impressive too.”

“Then what is it?”

Honey held his hand. He hadn’t realized how cold it was outside.

“I’ve been thinking of Petro. Mister math teacher mustache seems kind of weird. All into Gratham’s work. I guess he’s doing his job, being a potions supply guy and all, but…”

“He smelled like the forest.”

Zack felt the atmosphere somehow grow colder.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been smelling it around the city lately. It’s probably nothing. But I keep smelling…”

She began to tell him of what her heightened dog senses perceived. Of who smelled like the woods. His eyes grew wider and wider as she spoke. Finally he put his arms around her, squeezing gently but tightly.

“Why do you sound scared?” Honey asked.

“Not scared. But I feel like something is happening and I only see ten percent of it. I want to go bust down some doors, but…”

He looked into her eyes.

“I want to spend time with you. I want to…I don’t know, dance with you under the stars, tell you the world isn’t going to screw with us anymore. I’m trying hard not to do anything stupid anymore. But I also promise you, Honey, I will protect this.”

“I know, sweetheart. Why do you think I love you? You’re my safe and warm.”

They stayed on the balcony for a little while longer, the winter outside beautiful, the warmth inside them secure, their minds wondering what would come next.

*

Chistos stared out the window of Savy’s office. The only light came from the fireplace which danced across the room, filling it with warmth. The fire’s glow danced across the snowflakes hitting the window.

Normally he loved nights like these.

“You’re sure?” Chistos asked.

“An entire crate of booze doesn’t simply disappear near the docks,” Isadora said. “I’ve checked with the merchant guild. It could be an error. These things happen. Or something could have been smuggled in.”

“Lots of errors lately, on different days, from different shipments,” Vessria said. “Like the three guards who died. The second one seemed more like a murder than an accident, and the first and third showed signs of magic body preservation.”

“All of it random. As if…” Savy said, swirling her wine in her hand.

“As if it was too random to be random. A planned random, hiding real patterns.” Chistos paced the room, stroking his beard, his eyes closed. He knew the room. He could walk it blind.

“Are we so hero brained we see shadows in the shadows?” Vessria asked.

“No. Something is here. What…I have no idea. But the Night of the New Dawn is drawing close. There will be celebrations. In both the University and here at the academy there will be dances and parties. Several important figures in wizard culture visit the bell cities for holidays. It feels…ripe.”

“I suppose our next step should be to contact the guards, but a vague sense of threat from four old heroes still won’t produce much of a result,” Savy said, downing the last of her wine.

“Helline and I will keep our eyes and ears open in the merchant circles. There has to be a screw up somewhere.” Isadora tapped her fingers on Savy’s desk. Clearly she wasn’t as sure as she presented.

“Hmm. Yes, well, I need to visit the powder room. Sister, walk me there. I don’t want to die in a high school,” Vessria said, standing with a dramatic flourish.

Alone in the office, Chistos sat across from Savy. They stared across the table, each with a question they felt uncomfortable asking.

“How did you first notice this?” Chistos asked.

“The son of an old friend from the hero days. He worked a dig site in Mal-Zar-Haarh. The entire dig team was killed there. Raiders, supposedly. He was one of the few guards to escape. They found something there. It could have been…”

“The Fallen Doctor. The unexpectedly strong wizard flu. It would fit. If it was him…”

Neither spoke. They knew what it could mean.

“Why are you so scared?” Savy refused to look away from him.

“Chista was happy today. Like I’ve never seen. I don’t want to lose her.”

Savy nodded. Ironically, it was a wonderful admission.