Chapter 408: The Get Go

Chapter 408: The Get Go

I was seriously tempted to take Arthur up on his offer. Stay here, let the rabble outside do whatever it was they were so intent on doing, and then sift through the wreckage for any useful items for life on a tropical island. Someone had to have a pair of sunglasses on them I could nick.

But if we stay in here, I said, wont time remain frozen?

Not at all, said Arthur. I can turn it on or off as I please, always could.

So all those times I entered one of these black holes you built

Im afraid youve never been the one in control, said Arthur, sympathetic at an am-dram level. Dont feel bad about it. What you have to bear in mind is that youre dealing with people who are older, smarter and who have been at this a lot longer than you have. How could you possibly hope to compete against us? I mean, seriously, did you think you could suddenly catch up in a few months when weve been plugging away for years?

He was being a bit condescending, but I suppose you have the right to be when youre talking to someone who really is beneath you.

In my arrogance (or petulance, or maybe ignorance) I had just assumed I had a knack for this magic stuff. I was doing well and by doing well, I mean I wasnt dead because my sense of self-preservation and the nature of this world just happened to go well together.

Born to be someone special, Mr Potterrrrrrrr?

But the thing about a prodigy is that theyre really only impressive compared to others of the same age. If you can play the piano like a thirty-year-old virtuoso when youre five, there are still actual thirty-year-old virtuosos out there, and they have the added benefit of more than six months of experience and fingers that can reach all the keys.

You have to put your head start to some use. Otherwise, the pack will catch up to you on the bend and pass you on the home straight.

Then again, it was also important to remember that Arthur could be lying through his big fat mouth.

So you could start and stop time whenever you pleased? Or is it just while Im in here?

Ah, said Arthur, pointing a feminine finger at me. Ah You catch on quick. No, youre right. Time stops when you leave your body, but I can restart it once youre in here. Or I can choose not to. Both avenues have their advantages in different situations.

He seemed to be enjoying explaining things to me, which made a nice change. Most of it was pointing out what a dumb idiot I was, but that was okay. Youd be disappointed if you went to a concert and didnt hear the classics.

Wesley watched our conversation with a slightly pained look on her face,

And is time running outside at the moment? I asked the resident time lord.

Currently, no, said Arthur. I wanted to see what you would do first. Theres always the chance you might have a better plan we could put into effect and speed things along. He smiled, but it was with Richinas face. Either way, it was smug and annoying.

I wondered where Richinas consciousness had gone. Buried inside her mind while Arthur took control of the steering wheel? There was a strong suggestion, in my mind at least, that Arthur had an inclination to use people as he wished to further his own ends. Which meant if Wesley was committed to him, she wasnt just a loyal wife, she was a fucking idiot with very poor judgement.

I realise Im not really one to talk. My own judgment has been very questionable at times, Ill be the first to admit that. But at least once I realise the person Im with is evil incarnate, I do my best to not carry on supporting them in their villainy. And failing that, I leave them to it.

Complicity was not one of my failings. Im not sure if thats the grandest claim ever made, but it was all I currently had to go with.

Okay, I said, since we have some time, perhaps this would be a good time to clear up a few loose ends.

Both Wesley and Arthur looked at me with non-committal expressions.

I think its only fair to warn you, said Arthur, that I consider you to still be a competitor of sorts.

He almost managed to pay me a compliment, right up to the of sorts part. I guess its hard to treat someone like you respect them when you dont. When you need their assistance, what choice do you have but to offer up half-hearted platitudes that might flatter a gullible fool? It was a method I both abhorred and had used often.

You mean you dont trust me? I said reading between the lines (which wasnt hard when the lines were spaced wide apart and had fuck you written in bold and underlined between them). Thats fine. Obviously, I dont trust either of you, but we can still both maybe get something useful out of this.

Wesleys pained expression intensified a little, or maybe I imagined it. Ive found, in my limited experience, that once a woman decides to throw her lot in with a complete arsehole, she tends to go all in. Its the same with men and bad business decisions if you back out it just makes you look like you had no idea what you were doing to begin with. Which you didnt, and everyone knows it, but ego is ego. They can move on with their lives, but you still have to live with yourself. Follow current novels at novelhall.com)

So, first things first, I said, eager to get at least a little information out of them before some emergency or other came conveniently knocking and shoving a to be continued pamphlet under the door, you and Peter and whoever else trapped the fairies in this Void prison you made so you could take over. Something along those lines, right? Thats why theyre so mad.

A simplification of what happened to be sure, but more or less.

A simple yes would have been fine, but whatever.

I can only think it must be something I have that I dont know about.

The other conclusion Id come to was that someone had slipped the secret microfilm into the lining of my coat and the worlds top intelligence agencies were desperate to get their hands on it.

Arthur spread his arms invitingly, while spreading his wings threateningly. Your abilities make you more valuable than you give yourself credit for.

Ive always considered credit to be less like getting a 1up in Mario, and more like collecting rings in Sonic. Eventually, you will hit a spike and lose them all, and then madly try to gather them up again, but you end up with two of the eighty-seven you once had. True story.

However I got here, I was here now, and had to deal with what was in front of me.

Tell me, are all these places connected? Can I get to the island from here?

If I could unlock quick travel, then maybe this wouldnt be a waste of time after all. Who doesnt love it when they dont have to enjoy the scenery anymore?

There are ways to pass from one site to another, yes, said Arthur. But its rather complicated, and well....

And you dont trust me, I said. Which was perfectly fine and understandable. I certainly wasnt to be trusted.

But said Arthur, if perhaps we began to share our knowledge, we could build up our trust in one another.

The first part where he pointed out we were all devious bastards, that part I was on board with. Now, with this idea that we could prove our sincerity to each other by exchanging sensitive information, that sounded more like the prelude to a backstabbing.

What kind of knowledge are you talking about?

I believe you have a book about how to control the spires, said Arthur.

What, this? I held up Maurices notebook, not to give it to him, but to see if he started drooling or going all Smeagol.

His reaction was the opposite. He recoiled in horror. How could How dare you?

He seemed upset.

I looked at the book. It was leatherbound, a bit tatty, nothing really stood out as garlic for vampires (the emo band I never got to be in) about it. The binding was soft and supple, warm to the touch.

Whats the matter? I thought you wanted to see it.

Arthurs wings had flared out and he was leaning away from me, which only made me want to wave the book in his face more.

The book, the hide its bound in, said Wesley.

Yes?

Its made from the skin of fairies.

Is it? I took another look at the cover and brushed my fingertips across it. Its very soft. Why is he reacting like that? I pointed at Arthur. I pointed with the book in my hand, making him recoil even further.

He really was taking great offence, which suggested he was either a fairy, or a massive SJW getting offended on their behalf. Neither was a good thing.

He isnt a fairy, no, said Wesley, her voice quavering slightly, which suggested there was a but coming, but he does have some fairy artefacts in him.

What did that mean? Did he identify as fairy? There was a politically correct minefield I didnt fancy walking into. In any case, the book he was so interested in reading was unavailable to him, it seemed. Maurice had planned ahead, as usual. Where had he got fairy skin from? And who the hell turned it into a book? The best way to find out was to ask him.

Well, Ill read it to you some time. Ive bent the page corners where the sexy parts are. I put the book away, and Arthur calmed down a little, his wings folding and his breathing slowing. In the meantime, lets go to the island. I dont suppose you know where we can find a grim mushroom, do you? Maurice mentioned it in the book, but Im not sure what it is. I can show you the passage, if you like.

Arthur backed away from my helpful suggestion.

He found out about the shroom? said Wesley. Impressive. Yes, we can show you where it is. Whats left of it.

Wesley, no Arthur wasnt so keen, which I saw as a good sign.