Chapter Sixteen

"Keep up," the man said in a flat tone.

Leif felt the wall behind him pressing him forward, and he hurried ahead several blind steps, trying not to stumble in the pitch darkness.

If he closed his eyes and traced the shifting, uneven walls with his fingertips, he could almost imagine that he were simply drunk, and not navigating a moving bubble of space however many feet below the ground as Germaine continually parted the earth before them and sealed it behind.

After twenty minutes of steady walking, they stopped.

"Wait here," his captor said, and a second later Leif heard the sound of moving earth. After that, only an oppressive silence.

Extending his arms to either side, Leif felt around. The bubble had shrunk, and was perhaps a mere five or six feet to a side. Breathing heavily into the stone gag around his face, Leif tried not to panic and instead focus on his options.

His phone was gone. Germaine had taken it off of him first thing, and simply allowed the earth behind them to swallow it up.

He had his kit, which had prompted a single curious note from Germaine before being ignored. Could he mix a cocktail to escape? What could he possibly make? If he were surrounded by water, he could"ve used his Blizzard recipe. Oh, but what if he started with that one, and instead substituted some of the ingredients of his Earthen Barrier potion?

Leif squinted his eyes shut, trying to focus. It was possible, maybe. But he"d probably have to experiment a few times, and do the entire thing in complete darkness. He knew generally where his spirits were organized in his kit, but they were grouped more by type than by exact brand. Was Silver Patrón the second or third tequila in its row? And had he put it back differently at the start of the mission, after the practicing? He also couldn"t do unlimited experiments, since he only had a few ounces of each necessary liquor, enough for maybe a handful of attempts.

Before he could formulate more of a plan, though, there was a rumble and then the clop of shoes, signaling the return of Germaine.

"Let"s keep going."

Leif grunted his acknowledgement, then continued walking.

Germaine called for a second stop a short time later, again vanishing through the rock. Leif hurried to pull his kit off, unlatching it and fingering the bottles and the labels he"d slapped on them, trying to figure out exactly which ones held the contents that he needed. He had just remembered that he knew a cocktail that would produce a shimmering butterfly for some much needed light, and had worked out which spirits he needed when he again heard Germaine return. Leif froze, his hand inside his pack.

Germaine sighed. "If you"re thirsty, you can wait. Put your bag back on unless you want to leave it behind."

Heart hammering, Leif did as he was instructed. A minute, maybe two, was all the time he had each stop, it seemed. While he was thinking of it, he made a mental note to etch the alcohol names on the glass bottles, if he made it out of this alive.

When they stopped for a third time, Leif listened carefully for Germaine"s departure, swung off his backpack, then knelt down, setting it on ground.

Instead of opening the bag, however, Leif found himself clutching it to his chest, bowing his head over it as he struggled to breathe. He couldn"t… his fingers wouldn"t…

His heart was too loud, louder than even his ragged breathing, saliva dripping out of his mouth around the gag. To slow his heart rate, he tried regulating his breathing. Breathe in for four beats, breathe out for four beats. Onetwothreefour, onetwothreefour, onetwothreefour…

Too fast. He was hyperventilating.

His face felt cold and numb.

Too fast, he knew.

Onetwothreefour…

When he could think again, he realized someone was rubbing his back, and he jerked away.

"Nearly there," the man said. "Stand up. Keep walking. I have your pack."

Leif stood up and put his hand solidly on the wall, leaning heavily against it as they resumed their trek.

After ten final minutes, Germaine stopped. Leif nearly fell to the ground, unbalanced, as he felt them rise like they were in an elevator.It took him a moment to realize that the dizzying sparks of light were the moon and stars.

As Leif regained his bearing, he saw Germaine pull a cell phone out of a pocket with a map app displayed, turning it and himself slightly before he pocketed it and pointed ahead, gesturing for Leif to go first.

They were currently in a field, the tall grass fallen and long since dead to winter. The brittle remains crunched beneath his shoes as he led the way, hearing Germaine follow. To their left was a series of street lamps, though the road itself was too far away to be seen, which in turn probably meant that he wouldn"t be noticed if anyone drove by.

Leif"s options were better now that they weren"t underground, but the result still seemed the same. Germaine"s geomancy put the power overwhelmingly in his hands, giving slim odds to either attack—ha!—or escape. Leif still had a working Bullet Barrier, but he"d need to drink other cocktails if he wanted to stand a chance. And since Germaine had had plenty of ways to kill him before now, including just leaving him behind in an untraceable grave, Leif figured his best chance, for now, was to stay in his good graces until he could make a run for it, or maybe wait for a rescue.

Leif wiped at his frozen face, feeling a sudden ache in his chest as he thought of his boyfriends.

Their destination became apparent as they neared it. An abandoned steel mill, or maybe just a depot of some kind. Large collections of iron bars and construction material rusted away beneath skeleton shelters, and giant cylinders of eldritch purpose surrounded a central facility.

Germaine pointed towards a smaller office, off to the side, and Leif headed to it. The door was both locked and barred, but Germaine tapped a series of runes on his arms, then turned the knob when the locks fell away.

Leif was grateful to be indoors, and a moment later Germaine had a rackety generator running from which he ran a light source and a portable heater. The man laid Leif"s bag down on top of a counter, kicked a rolling chair towards Leif, then sat down gracefully into a second chair. Propping his head on his hand, he stared at Leif.

Leif took his seat cautiously, rubbing at his arms to get the blood flowing again, wishing he"d dressed more practically than just a dress shirt and vest as he looked his captor over. Germaine looked the same as he had in photographs and the recent security videos. Long, wavy hair down just past his shoulders. A billowy white shirt and pants, like the kind Rahul would wear sometimes that always made him think of a wise guru. A few necklaces. And lastly, dark eyeshadow that severely heightened his sorrowful demeanor.

After taking a few breaths, Germaine stood up out of his chair, giving him a regal nod of his head. "I do apologize for my abhorrent behavior. Let me take care of that for you."

Reaching out slowly with one finger, he touched the stone binding around Leif"s face, which fell away into a simple large rock that he set on the ground.

Leif"s first attempt at speech came out in a cotton-mouthed mumble. "T-tank hyu."

Germaine reached beneath the counter, dragging out two backpacks. He unzipped one of them, retrieving a pink thermos that he stared at for a long moment before holding it out. Leif took the chilled container with a measure of caution, slowly unscrewing the lid as Germaine retook his seat several feet away.

"It"s just water," he said with an offhand gesture. "You don"t need to worry about drugs or poison, it was originally meant for my partner."

Leif tipped it back, holding the first sip in his mouth in order to wet his dry tongue. It was brisk and near to the point of freezing, but absolutely wonderful after an hour with a gag.

Leif nodded his thanks, focusing on maintaining his grip with hands that were still numb and trembling from the cold.

Probably from the cold.

"The gag was surely uncomfortable," Germaine said, "but it was for your own safety. I"m afraid that I was not in the mood to hold a conversation, and might have responded in a boorish way if you"d said the wrong thing. I do hope you"ll forgive me in time for silencing you, but if not, well, I shall understand. My name is Orlan Germaine. Might I have yours?"

"I"m Leif," he said slowly. "So, um…"

"You want to know why I kidnapped you, of course!" Germaine gave him a bright smile that didn"t quite reach his eyes. "Well, since you were at the scene, I"m sure you"re aware of why I might have understandably been a bit put out."

Leif nodded, paused, then shook his head. How much should he say?

"I overheard that something had gone really wrong, and heard a lot of guns going off. Um, it all happened pretty fast."

"Gone really wrong," Germaine repeated slowly, as if tasting the words. "I suppose that"s one way to describe your coworkers killing the love of my life during a truce deal."

His captor"s tone and expression were pleasant, but the undercurrent… Leif tensed, glancing at the door that was only a short distance away.

"You wouldn"t make it," Germaine said, touching his wrists together briefly. The thermos Leif was holding abruptly reshaped, the top portion spearing out towards his chest a little sluggishly, the chrome blade alarmingly close to his heart.

Leif swallowed, watching the thermos regain it"s normal shape. "Okay. Um. I also heard that your love was being taken to a hospital. So maybe they"re okay?"

Germaine sighed, then shook his head. "Robin always wore jewelry. Several rings on their hands. A choker with a scratched up, steel buckle that they refused to ever let me mend. Diamond earrings, and several other body piercings. I say this to point out that they were always, always covered in earth, and I can sense earth. They liked that I could tell where they were at, and with their lip piercings I could even tell whether they were smiling or frowning. So when a fast-flying metal slug falls within my sensory range, but just outside of my ability to affect…"

Germaine stood up casually, then touched Leif at his temple.

"I can safely say that I know exactly where the bullet struck."

Leif swallowed, looking up at Germaine. "Yes, but um, did the bullet… did it go through?"

"Are you trying to imply that my betrothed had a hard head?" he answered drily. "Your attempt at humor is ill-advised, especially since I haven"t yet decided what I"m going to do with you."

"No! No jokes. Um, one… one of the mages. I heard she was going to put a shielding ward on Mx. Sinclair." That, and given them one of Leif"s Bullet Barrier potions to drink.

Germaine backed up and returned to his seat, and Leif felt some of the ominousness degrade. The man continued to face him, but seemed to be thinking. After a moment, he pulled out his phone and began thumbing the screen. Press, scroll, pause. Then again. After the third time, he smirked, then laughed.

"Well, then! It looks like I owe this mage of yours a bundle of roses. Robin just left me a message on a specific message board, so it seems you"re telling the truth." Germaine flashed him brilliant white teeth."Unless, of course, someone divined the exact quote to say on the correct forum, but I consider it unlikely. I prefer to think more optimistically."

Germaine stood up in the narrow space they were in, then turned to consider Leif"s backpack. "I must say, I"m in a much better mood now, but that does still leave us with a small corundum. I"ve been fair up until now, I believe. Oh, certainly there are those who do not agree with me or my methods. Some I"ve even spoken to, and some of their arguments were even well reasoned! Ultimately, though, I don"t think true change can come about with mere pretty words, and I"ve been blessed with the power to enact some real change.Any strong feelings yourself, Leif?"

Oh, geez, what a minefield.

"Um.I think… I"ve been frustrated before. I"ve run across some systemic issues that just don"t seem to budge no matter what, and it makes you want to take, like, a megaphone or something, and shout until the people hear you." Leif hesitated. "I don"t know if you"re doing the best possible thing or not, but I"m not going to tell you to stop, either."

"Plainly said. And now, I am very curious about this bag of yours!" Germaine tapped the bottom, which clinked. "It"s filled with tools of the bartending trade, if I"m not mistaken. What do you have in all the glass bottles?"

"Different alcohols," Leif said. "For mixing drinks. I"m a bartender."

"Interesting." Germaine ran a finger across the straps, but he didn"t make a move to open the kit. "The bag is what drew me to you, by the way. When I was tunneling underground, I had half a mind to get some kind of revenge on Robin"s behalf. If the front line was especially well-guarded, perhaps those of you in the rear would be less protected? I could easily take the metals of your trucks and spear them out in a hundred directions, like a sea urchin. It felt too violent, though, too impersonal. One person, I decided."

Germaine pointed a finger at him, giving him what would probably be a winsome smile if the discussion weren"t so serious, and if he weren"t being held against his will. "Just one, out of the five of you that I could feel. I nearly grabbed the person with the three pairs of brass knuckles, because how curious! But then I felt all that glass and stone, and you were standing on the ground instead of sitting in a van, just a little bit away from the others. Easier to grab. My interest was piqued, and still is. Now tell me. What is a bartender doing in the middle of a danger zone, with FBI and police and DOMA agents?"

What should he say? What would Germaine believe?

"Um, so I"m dating one of the DOMA detectives—"

"Intriguing, but they wouldn"t allow a common civilian that close to danger, even if you wanted to watch him, her, or them work.Try again."

"—but also I can heal, with magic.I-if the conditions are right, that is!Things like major bleeding, not, um, not head trauma, that"s too delicate."

"Now that makes more sense.You know, Leif, I"m growing to like you, which is a shame."

Germaine crossed his arms in front of his face, then gestured. Leif jerked back, but not fast enough to evade tendrils that wrapped around his arms and legs.

"You don"t have to do this," Leif said. "We can call DOMA, work out a trade or something, right?"

Germaine shook his head while he moved his hands in circles. The tendrils writhed, reshaping into interlocking links. The end result was that both of Leif"s arms and legs were shackled to the wall and the floor. He had several feet of freedom and the chains were lightweight, so it wasn"t an undue hardship, but Leif felt his earlier panic returning by small measures.

"I don"t know if I could trust DOMA to keep their end of the bargain," the man said. "We saw how this one turned out, didn"t we? Good intentions or not, they failed in delivering. It might be easier for me to simply break into whatever place that Robin is being kept and free them myself. As for you..."

Germaine paused, and Leif looked up at him cautiously. He"d regained the flat stare from earlier in the night.

"I could use you as a bargaining chip, perhaps. But that only works when dealing with honorable parties, and the ones actually in charge could hardly be called that. No, you might be better used as an example, for what happens when the ones in command break the unwritten rules and try to kill innocents that are associated with me. Not death, I shouldn"t think, since Robin survived, but leaving you maimed and crippled might spare others in the future."

Leif opened his mouth to argue, but his words were cut off painfully as a stone gag wrapped itself again around his face.

Germaine checked his cell-phone, then reached behind himself to turn off the lamp, leaving the room lit only by the faint red glow of the miniature heater. "I have a ride scheduled to arrive in a couple of hours. Perhaps some time spent thinking on it quietly will give me the answer I need."

Leif grunted, breathing harshly.

"Again, I"m terribly sorry about all of this."