Magic and Loss - Нэнси Коллинз

Magic and LossGolgotham - 3byNancy A. Collins

Chapter 1

I awoke, as usual, to the sound of the alarm clock, the smell of bacon, and the sight of a winged hairless cat curled up beside me. I yawned and stretched as I swung my feet out of bed, glancing at the darkness outside my window. Still yawning, I made my way to the shower. Fifteen minutes later, I returned to find the previously mentioned butt-naked bat-winged feline sprawled full-length across the bed like a bolster.

You dont waste any time, do you? I chided the familiar as I put on my work clothes.

You lose, I snooze, Scratch replied, eyes still shut.

As I headed downstairs, the aroma of breakfast grew stronger. I entered the kitchen and saw Hexe, my landlord and loverand, oh yeah, heir to the Kymeran thronestanding in front of the antique stove, dressed in nothing but a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and an apron that said KISS THE COOK. He was frantically shaking a couple of cast-iron skillets, while our Boston terrier, Beanie, sat planted at his feet, intently watching every move, just in case an errant molecule of food might find its way to the floor.

I obeyed the apron and planted a big old sloppy smooch on my six-fingered cook. I glanced down at the stove top and saw that one pan contained yummy, yummy bacon and scrambled eggs, while the other held a grayish slice of what could charitably be described as pâté frying in a half-inch of grease.

Whats that? I asked, cautiously eyeing the slab of mystery meat. One of the first things I had learned upon moving to Golgotham was that Kymerans had a far more, ahem, adventuresome palate than that of the average human, and exhibited a fondness for foods that would make even the most daring gastronome think twice. I took it as a testament of Hexes love for me that he was willing to make a traditional human breakfast every morning and send me off to work with a neatly packed lunch pail that didnt contain such Kymeran staples as lutefisk sandwiches and white fungus soda.

Its scrapple, he explained cheerfully, tossing a lock of purple hair out of his eyes with a practiced toss of his head. Its made from hog offalthe heart, snouts, liver, that kind of stuffmixed with cornmeal and seasonings. Want some? Its really good with maple syrup, ketchup, and horseradish.

Thats okay, honey, I replied, pushing aside the flutter in my stomach. Some other time, perhaps. I think Ill stick to my usual this morning.

You got it! Hexe grinned as he snatched the other skillet off the burner and slid its contents onto a waiting plate. Your coffees already on the table.

You really spoil me, I said with a laugh as I sat down. None of my other boyfriends ever made breakfast for me, much less every day.

Thats because your other boyfriends sucked, he replied as he flipped over the square of scrapple.

True, that, I agreed as I nibbled on my baconcrisp as always, just the way I like it.

Besides, its only right that I make your breakfast and fix your lunch. After all, youre the one bringing home the steady paycheck.

You lift curses and concoct potions for your clients, I pointed out.

Yes, but Im self-employed. I never know what I might make on any given day. Youre the one putting in ten hours a day, six days a week, to support us.

Speaking of which, I better get going, I said, washing down my last bite of scrambled eggs with a slug of French roast and chicory. If Im not punched in by seven, Canterbury will be champing at his bit.

What time do you think youll be home? Hexe asked as he handed me my lunch pail.

Hard to say, I replied with a sigh. The deadline for that installation weve been working on is coming up fast, and were nowhere near finished yet. What about you? Do you have any clients lined up for today?

Just some salves and ointments, thats all. Oh, that reminds meheres that liniment Canterbury asked me to mix up for him, he said, handing me a bottle wrapped in twine and butcher paper. Tell him to keep it below the waist, if he knows whats good for him.

As I stepped out onto the front stoop Hexe gave me my usual off-to-work kiss, a public display of affection guaranteed to scandalize the Blue Hairs, and I dont just mean old Madam Yaya, who lived across the street. The traditional Aristocrat class of Kymeran society, the same ones who were far from pleased by the fact Hexes biological father was a member of the Servitor class, had made no secret that they disapproved of their Heir Apparent taking up with agasp!human, even one with magical powers.

The dawns first blush was lightening the morning sky as I made my way through Golgothams winding cobblestone streets, passing shopkeepers cranking out the awnings above their stores in anticipation of another day of business. I shook my head, thinking about how many times I had witnessed such early-morning rituals while staggering home to bed after a night on the town. A year ago if anyone had told me that I would find myself romanced by a Kymeran warlock prince, disowned by my parents, and working a blue-collar job to pay the bills, Id have laughed in his face. But here I am, knee-deep in love and gainfully employedall for the very first time.

When I came to this ancient, exotic part of the city, all I was looking for was cheap rent and someplace where I could bang away on my metal sculptures without my neighbors trying to evict me. And, to be honest, I also sought out Golgotham because I knew my douche bag of an ex would be too chickenshit to follow me. At the time, I was on the verge of making a real name for myself, with an established gallery opening in my pocket. . . .

But theres no point in dwelling on that. Whats done is done, and I wouldnt change what happened, even if it were within my power to do so. My dreams of breaking onto the New York art scene might be delayed, but for the first time in my life I truly felt like I was where I belongedalthough there are those who would argue that point.

There is no denying that my decision to move to Golgotham had repercussions. Many consider me responsible for establishing a beachhead for the recent influx of human artists and hipsters who have made the neighborhood the newest hot spot in the city. But then, Golgotham has changed me, as wellas evidenced by my recently acquired ability to bring the things I build to life. I dont know whether my relocating to Golgotham awakened a latent power within me, but theres no denying that Ive got magic now. Whos to say where it came from? For all I know I caught it from a toilet seat.

My daily walk to work was just long enough to qualify as exercise, and helped me clear my mind and organize my thoughts for the day ahead. However, as I strolled past the local newsstand, I made the mistake of glancing at the headline of that mornings Golgotham Gazette: MACHEN ARMS SOLD TO CHECKMATE PROPERTIES.

Great. Just freaking wonderful. Things had finally calmed down after the race riots and the Sons of Adam panic, and now this. Golgothamites were worried enough about gentrification without Ronald Chess, the most rapacious real estate developer in the Triboroughs, snapping up an apartment building. This was exactly the kind of thing Hexes race-baiting uncle, with his Kymeran Unification Party separatist group, used to whip up fear and resentment against humans.

The KUP had fallen idle since Esaus mysterious disappearance several months ago, which also coincided with the Sons of Adams suddenly going to ground. It wasnt really that big a coinkydink that Esau and the SOA happened to fall off the face of the earth at the exact same time, since the necromancer was actually the one controlling the human supremacists from behind the scenes, having gone so far as to create them via alchemy. The last I saw of dear old Uncle Esau, he was being dragged to hellor at least the Infernal Regionsby the very same demon he had summoned forth to kill me. And while the hateful old bastard was no longer around to stir up trouble, that didnt mean there still wasnt plenty of it to go around.

I sighed and tried to push my worries aside. Canterbury and I had a lot of work ahead of us, and fretting about something I had no control over or say in wasnt going to help us meet our deadline. Canterbury had been paid half the commission up front, and promised the rest upon delivery. Needless to say, the financial well-being of Canterbury Customs hinged on finishing the installation on time.

I would have to say that outside of falling in love and acquiring magical powers, joining the workforce has been the biggest change to my life since moving to Golgotham. After I refused to give up Hexe and move back in with my parents, I found myself cut off from my trust fund. No doubt my parents hoped I would wither up like a worm on a hot sidewalk. However, all it did was make me even more determined to stay put.

For the first time in my life I was living without a safety net, just like most Americans my age. Luckily I had a skilled trade to fall back onin my case, welding and metalworking. I was also lucky that Hexes childhood friend Kidron was willing to put in a good word for me at Chiron Livery.

Im not going to liebanging out horseshoes on an anvil is hard, dirty work. After my first week, my arms were so sore I could barely lift them over my head and my left thumb was the size and color of a plum. But, instead of quitting, I took my first pay voucher and settled that months grocery bill. After six weeks, I was arm wrestling my coworkers on the line and no longer hitting my thumb on a regular basis. As much.

However, I will admit to being bored with the assembly line nature of the work and bummed there was no outlet for creative expression. But what bothered me the most was that by the time I got home, I was normally too tired to focus on my art.

Then, two months into my job as a blacksmith, I was approached by Canterbury and offered a job as a strikeressentially working as his apprentice. I jumped at the opportunity, as he was not only a well-regarded Master Smith but also a ferromancer.

One of the biggest misconceptions humans have when it comes to magic is that its like water from a tap, with the only difference being whether its hot or cold. The truth is, there are as many different variants of magic as there are specialties in medicine. For example, weather witches summon storms; pyromancers control fire; necromancers work dark magic using the bodies of the dead; and ferromancers shape and control metal.

While centaurs normally are without magic, Canterbury was quite literally a horse of different color, courtesy of a Kymeran father. While he could be a bit of a taskmaster at times, we got along very well together and I had become quite fond of him. In many ways he reminded me of my old art instructor at Wellesley, Professor Stobaugh, who had been the first to suggest I focus on metalwork rather than on the more traditional clay and stone.

Unlike the other businesses along Horsecart Street, Canterbury Customs did not have a proper storefront. Instead, it was located in Fetlock Mews, a dead-end alleyway situated between Perdition Street and Shoemaker Lane. The mews was lined with two-story stables that served as both places of business and homes for various centaurian farriers, wainwrights, and saddlers. Although Chiron Livery churned out most of the horseshoes used by the centaur and ipotane communities, there was still plenty of commercial business for those who catered to Golgothams carriage trade.

As I walked onto the shop floor, I saw my boss and mentor inspecting the armature for the wings of the clockwork dragon that took up half the workspace. The scale-model saurian was scattered abouta head here, a leg there, another leg somewhere elselike a classic car undergoing restoration. But in this case we were trying to rebuild a model that had not been seen on the roador the skiesfor over a thousand years.

Canterbury wore a leather blacksmiths apron over his upper torso, as well as safety goggles, and kept his chartreuse mane short and tail bobbed for fear of flying sparks from his forge. Although he had the power to shape metal without the use of tools, he also utilized traditional fabrication methods as well, in order to conserve energy. After all, magic can be exhausting work, even for someone with the constitution of a horse.

Morning, boss. Heres that liniment you wanted, I said, tossing him the bottle. Hexe says to keep it off your Kymeran bits.

Understood, Canterbury replied, catching the package with a six-fingered hand. And dont forget to punch in.

I nodded my understanding and plucked my card from its slot on the out board of the antique time clock hanging on the wall and slipped it inside the slot in its face, accompanied by a loud clunk, then dutifully placed it in a slot on the in side of the board. It seemed a lot of trouble for a single employee, but Canterbury was a stickler for punctuality.

Do you think well make the deadline for the museum? I asked as I opened my work locker and removed my safety gear.

Theres no thinkingI know well make deadline, he replied. We have to. I promised the Curator it would be ready in time for the Jubilee. Ive got a lot riding on this piece.

What part of it are we working on today?

The right foreleg, he replied, picking up the bar of steel sitting on the workbench in front of him as if it weighed no more than a two-by-four.

I watched in mute admiration as Canterbury stroked the metal as if it were a kitten, causing it to instantly soften beneath his touch. He then reworked it, like a potter at his wheel, with nothing more than his hands, teasing it into a new shape. Within minutes what had once been a simple steel bar was now the shin bone of a dragon.