Other Places 3: Detours (39 page)

He
nodded. Then, after making sure they weren't littering or killing any bugs, or
taking them back with them to a place they might not survive in easily, they
left, going to Keeley's home.

To
his new people.

Zack
didn't know what to expect, considering all the recently freed beings around
the Mistress of Souls, but the actual result on the ground was sort of
impressive. Everyone, including Darla, Hally and Eve, as well as a boy that
Zack had seen before, but hadn't properly met, named Gary, were with Sheri.
Keeley's hot mom. Now his person to look after.

Balthias
was there, standing at the back, next to the Greater Demon Fram. That one, at
least, would have to know he was free. He looked like a cheerleader, one with
long black hair, but was a male, none the less. Zack recognized him, since he'd
been there when Keeley had taken him. Rebekah was there too, along with Elis,
who waved at him, his face hard. The Hsreth were around too, but working to
make people food, in the kitchen. It was sort of their default mode, as a
species. They made the house nice, when they were feeling stressed.

Darla
moved first, hugging her sister hard.

"We
all thought you were dead. What happened?"

He
was still trying to figure out how to say it all when Keeley started speaking
her voice a bit wry.

"I
had a disagreement with The Line Walker, and tried to take him as a slave. He
killed me." She looked at everyone else and then made a silly face, just
as a middle aged Hsreth, who seemed like a slightly blocky Human woman with
curly hair, walked from the kitchen, carrying a tray. "Actually he did it
several times, and kept bringing me back. So, good news, everyone! You're free!
That was the plan anyway, so isn't a big deal. True, I was going to wait longer
with you, Fram, but you get the idea? Don't try to pick fights with people if
you don't have to? I should have learned that one, too, apparently. On the
other side, I traded some of you to Zack, in order to get at information, so
you belong to him now."

It
was strange, who seemed scared or shocked by hearing that.

Eve
just nodded, as if she were going to be one of them traded away, and actually
walked over to him, her face not totally displeased.

"Well,
can I still do that Vampire thing? Or, I mean, what do you have planned for
me?"

Zack
gave her a hug, since, why not? She was cute, in a slightly Latino way. Hence
being on the cheerleading squad. Darla made a hard face at her sister as if it
were
actually
what had happened. Eve wasn't Keeley's to bargain away
like that though, but it still made sense for him to take her, if he could.

"You're
still on that internship, but I can get you some introductions to people.
Important ones. I've set things up with Edom, the Assistant Ambassador at
Westfield to watch you, so you can observe him and his people part time. It
will be part time with him, mainly in the evenings, and mornings in the book
store I own. A lot of work, but also a great place to meet people."

That
got Gary to make a face.

"I
won't let you just force her to be your slave. I'll..." It was clear he
didn't know what to do, so he tried to hit Zack in the nose. It was going to
miss, after Zack moved a bit, but Eve was in the wrong place, and about to be
hit instead, so he caught the large fist in the air and held it gently, about
an inch from the back of the short haired girl's head.

"Understood,
no slaves. Everyone heard that right? Gary isn't going to allow that, so you
can all rest easy." He looked at the fist and moved to the side still
holding it. The kid was nice looking, in good shape, and gay, but smart enough.
Recently coming off of a fairly severe depression though. "You can come
and check things out to make sure, all right? I..." He had to think fast,
but there was enough time to get things done, he thought. "I have a summer
camp. You and Hally can work there, as councilors, this summer? Not everyone
will be Human, including some of the campers, so, you know, it isn't
that
boring. It pays pretty well and everything. You can teach the kids martial arts
and hiking skills, right?"

Hally
smiled and clapped, a bit like Bey always did.

"Ooh!
I can do hiking too? I know how... Which sounds stupid, doesn't it? Everyone
can walk, but, I know what to take and how to dress. My family goes,
sometimes."

Zack
actually felt pleased, since that was a reasonable thing for a decently
innocent teen girl to be doing. Eve was a little older, and would be eighteen
that summer, but Hally was young, even for her years.

Balthias
grumbled at him, starting to spread terror, since it was his nature and no one
could really stop him, at the moment. Zack responded by not letting himself
feel it, which was clearly what the rest of them were doing too.

"Who
else, was traded into servitude then, Mistress of Souls? Our initial bargain
was that I would, at your will, be released. Have I been sold to this being, The
Walker of Lines?"

She
smiled a bit sadly.

"No.
You're truly free, to go and live as you will. I suggest doing it far away from
me, at least for a while, since, if the information I got was correct and it
seems to be, I'm being put to the Second Crucible soon."

Fram
pursed his pretty lips and whistled.

"
Damn
...
They really
are
going to kill you, aren't they Keels? So, is that why
you're trading us all away? To get us out of the field of fire? Good idea.
Well, I'm out of here then, as soon as the meeting is over. Anyone that wants
can come with me? If you aren't going with The Line Walker here? Not that it
isn't tempting." There was a pause and a slightly cocked hip then. "I
don't suppose you have room in your bed for me too?"

Darla
laughed then, at least.

"Back
off, Bold. If you mess with my mentee, you mess with me. Besides, you'd be too
much of a bad influence on him." She smiled, as if happy about it all, and
then moved across the room to pat him on the shoulder. There was a combination
of protectiveness and worry to the move and a single thought that passed to
him, with enough energy that he couldn't ignore it.

Lie
.

"So,
Zack, you made a deal for who? All the kids, Sheri and the Vampires? Or were
the Hsreth involved too?"

Keeley
winced, since most of them stared at her, as if feeling betrayed.

He
got the general idea though.

"Mainly,
I..." He looked at the older woman, who seemed closed off, rather than
happy or sad. Like she feared her lot in life was being set for her, but that
noting that could cause problems. The man that stood behind her, who was also
one of her people, a Hsreth, seemed a little scared, and let it show. Zack
bowed to them both. "The bargain there, for the two of you is one of
limited protection? You can stay at your business here, and if the need comes
up, I'll get you and yours out of harm's way. At least as to what Keeley has
coming and limited natural disasters. If you need money or anything, just ask.
That sort of thing?"

The
Hsreth both bowed, and then moved back, without saying they understood.

"The
rest of you, plus Becky Hoader, are part of the agreement." He left that
vague, but didn't leave Elis out. He wasn't that great of a guy, but the
Manthori Vampire wasn't evil either, just entitled. It was different.

Gary
groaned a bit then. At first he thought it was that he didn't want Becky
around, but there was nothing in his memories that indicated that should be the
case.

"We
have a road trip planned, for this summer? If we're all working that's going to
be a bust, isn't it?"

Zack
thought for a bit, and then looked at Darla, who didn't seem all that happy
with the idea either, losing the trip.

"Why?
We can set the schedules up any way we want. Just... Sheri, Hally and Rebekah
are going to have to come and live with me part time. I'll need a new house
too. You can help me look for one, Sheri? Eve has a place set up already, but
the rest of you will need to have your own places. So, several houses." He
counted it up, and wondered if Lenore would be willing to help too? She was
good at things like that.

So
was Xenses, if it came down to it. Really, though it was hard to admit, as per
their arrangement, Zack should probably ask about it, if the man ever showed
back up. He'd need something to trade, but decided to go with cash.

People
started talking then, and to his surprise, no major fights broke out. Eve was
willing to move that day, but Keeley pointed out that they had months left in
the school year. Hally lived at home, with her parents, who, she assured him,
several times, wouldn't just let her move to a different state. Especially with
a boy she'd only just met.

He
could, actually, see that one.

"But
you still need to have a room and we'll have to work something out so that you
commute a lot, or it won't seem real to the beings that are coming. That's the
important part. You're all under my protection. Not Keeley's, and not Darla's.
Mine
.
It has to be real too, or it won't count. So, I guess, as mean as it might
sound, I own you all. Or if you want,
you
own me. Either way, just
believe it and act on it, all the time." That got Darla to take over,
agreeing with him at least.

"The
Second Crucible... It's different and we can't know what's coming, really. Zack
is right though. All of you should go with him, as soon as possible. Tonight,
if you can."

He
shrugged and then rolled his eyes at her.

"Darla
isn't totally wrong, since there are some bargains made here, but we have a few
days. Just remember, you belong to me, and not these two. Right, Darla?"
It was him being mean, because they weren't really trading people at all, and
here he was basically demanding she
really
give them over, but she, a
bit grudgingly, agreed.

"Yes."

That
said, he looked around and figured that everyone would simply leave, or maybe
go and talk in small groups. Instead, they all just went silent, until Fram
moved forward, toward Keeley, and kissed her on the cheek.

"So,
I can get through the school year here, so that Barb won't just be missing
again. What do you want to trade for it?" That started them on a rather
boring conversation, which let him wave to Sheri and Rebekah. Hally moved
toward Keeley, which made sense, given that she was, more or less, her
girlfriend. She seemed worried. Probably because there was no Human way to
really understand what had just happened to her.

Darla
moved over as well, her face grim, but she didn't interfere at all. There was a
series of significant glances between the women, however, that lasted a good
fifteen seconds.

Zack
tried to look professional, like a doctor or lawyer, not some book store clerk.
Reaching out he shook first Sheri's hand and then his Vampire woman's. Both
were thinking very different things.

Sheri
figured that Keeley had traded her away to get her freedom, which simply wasn't
correct at all. It was a thing that she'd been warned might happen however, by
Finias. Either Keeley stealing her free will, or someone else moving in to do
it, in order to use her as leverage against the girl. That she hadn't been
killed or sent away before probably meant the girl really loved her though,
right?

She
felt a strong desire to go and clean, suddenly, since she had some issues with
OCD. It meant she was a good housekeeper. She also had her flower business,
which was doing well, thanks to Clara and her son, and their very famous
catering business. That was probably over now, since they had no reason to work
with her. Except for the fact that she did
good
work, of course.

Rebekah
just looked at him, wondering if he was going to beat her. Then rape her,
naturally, since it was how people showed dominance among her people. It was,
he knew, something that Eve should be warned about before she went that way.
Troy too, since it was in his future plans.

Zack
gestured at them.

"Basically
this means that we can expand the businesses a lot, since we can get you to
pretty much anywhere you need to go, as long as it's scheduled ahead of time. I
mean, you both have to sleep with me too, since, you get the idea, hormones,
but you don't have to do anything you don't want to that way." He grinned.
"Notice how I'm just pretending that you
want
to have sex with me?
I'm clever that way.
Now
you'll have to be all curious and want to try
me out..."

It
was playful but answered all their real questions. Sheri though, felt a bit
uprooted.

"Where
are we going to live? I don't really know anyplace else."

He
rolled his eyes.

"Vancouver,
Washington. You used to live there, didn't you? So you should know the area and
everything. It's a good place. Lots of shopping."

That
got him slapped on the arm, but he let it go, since it was more flirty than
combative. Rebekah took a sharp breath over it, even as he ignored what Sheri
had done.

"I
can keep my business?"