System of a Wolf - 22. Chapter 22

“Couldn’t have gotten edible fish…”

Varen stared down at the pond, watching the fish explore their new home. He had followed instructions exactly, using the internet as a guide, and they all seemed healthy and happy. Well, except for the sucker fish that appeared obsessed with spinning in the shallows, but no accounting for weird fish he supposed. It was probably going to die, Erith would cry about it, and Lynn would flush it. That would be the end of that fish. There were plenty more to breed.

Tossing the fish bags into a can, the elf scowled at a pigeon across the pond. He stooped down and pulled a small knife out of his pants leg. Whether or not he wanted the fish, they had cost nearly two gold, and he was not about to let them become bird food. If he couldn’t eat them, no one could.

The knife bounced off the ground barely an inch from the bird and it sped away in a flutter of feathers. Varen scowled at his aim; he hadn’t meant to get that close.

Grabbing the fish food Erith had brought, the elf heading to the middle of the small bridge. He poured a bit of food into the water, using the bridge for shelter, and a couple minutes later, the fish were bouncing around under the bridge, gobbling at the food as they remained safe from any birds who might try to grab them.

“Okay, we have twenty fish here. If any of them are missing when I get home, I will teach Lynn how to make squab,” he said loudly, heading to reclaim his knife.

It wasn’t an idle threat either. The elf actually liked the taste of roasted pigeon, even if pigeon off the street was probably not the safest food.

Stepping back inside, Varen locked the house up securely and grabbed the keys to Erith’s car. He hated driving, but he didn’t have much choice. Erith wasn’t going to do what needed to be done. Varen would have to fix things for the other elf. Again.

Driving carefully through the city, Varen breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled up to the pack house. The elf rolled down the car window as another elf smiled at him.

“Hey Erith, long time no see. Are you here for Blake?”

“Yep. We have a lot to talk about,” Varen said.

“I bet. Unfortunately he left with Dr. Marin about two hours ago. I think they were going to the old werewolf pub.”

Varen let a groan escape him at the thought of more driving.

“Thanks,” he muttered, rolling the window back up.

Pulling out of the complex entrance, the elf tried to remember where the pack bar was. More precisely, where was the old pack bar from the 1300s. There was a newer bar most of the pack seemed to go to, not that Varen was around enough to verify the rumours from online.

Reaching for his phone, Varen pulled to a stop, typing across the screen. A minute later, the elf was carefully weaving through traffic, following the directions the phone gave him. It added yet another layer of difficulty to driving; oftentimes he didn’t know he had to turn until after he had gone straight through an intersection.

Finally, he pulled into the car park of the bar, scanning the area. There was no sign of Blake, or Dr. Marin’s car. The pack house was way too far to walk to. Maybe they had taken the bus.

Sighing again, the elf turned around to pull out of the car park. He frowned at the sight of a red haired man approaching a beat up old car. Varen didn’t know him, but there was something about him, something that he remembered from Erith…

Adam Lenair. That man had been arrested as part of a ring of molesters nearly eight years ago. What the fuck was he doing here? More importantly, how did Varen, or Erith, know who he was? Was he going after Blake?

Questions bubbled through his mind as the car drove past him. His scowl deepened, and Varen turned around, following the man through the city. Several times he thought he had lost the car, but finally the man pulled out of the main traffic, cutting into some rather impressive looking houses.

Varen was completely lost by now, but that didn’t matter. He needed to know why Adam was at the same place as Blake. A memory was straining in his mind. Blake knew this person, he was almost sure of it. And that implied that this man, this pedophile, had molested Blake. Varen would not let him do it again.

Adam’s car pulled into a long drive, and Varen drove past, coming to a stop just behind a tall hedge. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was doing here, how he was going to stop this man, but Varen would find a way.

“So how was it?”

The words carried easily to his ears as he slid out of his car. Varen froze near the ground, his eyes peeking through the hedge. He couldn’t see anything through the greenery, but it didn’t stop him from trying.

“Not bad. But it could have been better. He doesn’t trust me yet.”

“I would expect nothing else. His father basically put you in prison.”

“Yeah, I still haven’t repaid him for that. Hey, when you get a chance, can you call up my friends? I think it’s time for Blake to swim with the fish.”

Varen backed up toward his car quickly, panic gripping him. Whoever this person was, he was going to kill Blake. At this point, it didn’t matter if the mage wanted to see him or not. Blake had to be warned.

A hand grabbed the elf, and he let out a startled yelp.

“Excuse me, but this is private property.”

Varen wrenched himself out of the tight grip, spinning around to find a uniformed woman behind him.

“I think it’s best if you explain to Mr. Lenair why you are creeping around his property.”

Morning came far too early for Blake. Standing up tiredly, the mage set about preparing himself for a day of cleaning. Today was Val’s favourite day, the invasion of the tube, and Blake didn’t want to disappoint the oscar.

“Hey Blake, I just got a call from Adam. He said he’s going to send some friends to pick you up if you’re okay with it,” Dr. Marin said from behind the door.

“Why?”

“He didn’t say,” Dr. Marin said. “Just that it was a surprise. If you don’t want to go, his number is on the fridge. But if you do go, you need to keep your phone on you.”

“Yeah, I know,” Blake replied, pulling on a pair of jeans. “Do I have time to clean Val first?”

“I’m sure they’ll be happy to wait for you if you need to finish. I need to get going, but there’s some oatmeal on the stove for you. If it’s cold, just heat it for a minute in the microwave.”

Blake opened the door between them, holding his arms out. Dr. Marin gave him a careful hug.

“Remember our deal, no hugs unless you’re fully dressed,” the man said sternly.

“I know, but I don’t want to get dressed right now. I’m just going to take it off again to clean Val,” Blake shrugged. “I’m okay with a half hug.”

“Well, I’d prefer it if you had some breakfast before you get to work, so I know you ate something today.”

Blake sighed quietly, but grabbed a loose shirt. He pulled it over his head and made his way out to the kitchen. Scooping out a bowl of oatmeal, he tested it with a finger, making sure it was warm before cleaning out the rest of the small pot. Once it was empty, the mage set it aside to dry and started on his breakfast.

A minute passed, and then another, massive gulps of food sliding into his belly before Blake finally finished with his breakfast. Immediately he set about cleaning the bowl and rushed back to take care of Val. If he didn’t have the fish cleaned by ten…

Nothing would happen, but the pressure of beating a preset time gave him the energy he needed, the motivation he needed.

Grabbing the packet of bloodworm cubes from the small freezer, the mage stuck a cube between his hands, warming it for a minute as Val thrashed around in his tank. The cube fell into the warm water, vanishing into the greedy fish’s maw, and Blake glanced at his phone, watching the five minutes trickle by with a sense of growing anxiety. The instant his phone hit 9:15, the mage started moving things around, unwrapping his siphon.

The vacuum started up before he could get the bucket under the tube, and Blake pulled a rag over to catch the spill as he dropped a bucket under the tube. His magic was useful in races like this; the mage able to juggle three or four different things at once. He stepped away from the tank, hurrying to open the bathroom door just down the hall. Blake made sure he could see the bathtub in the bathroom mirror before returning to stand just in the doorway to his room. From there, he could easily direct his magic as needed.

Buckets floated through the air, pouring their loads into the bathroom tub as other buckets refilled with dirty fish water. When the tank was half empty, the mage began filling buckets up again with clean water, directing them to carefully pour their water into the tank. It was a careful game he played, his mind stretching as he worked to keep his energy from spiking.

Dripping water conditioner into the tank as the last bucket refreshed, Blake took a deep breath. The siphon floated to the bathroom, stretching out into the tub to dry off.

9:52.

He had made it.

Blake let out a tired smile, stretching briefly. The rest of the cleaning materials cleaned up easily, buckets waiting for their next use as Val peeked out of his hiding spot.

“Well, what do you think Mr. Val? Clean enough for you?” Blake smirked, sticking his tongue out at the fish.

Water plunked in the tank as Val spun around, and the mage sighed.

“Yeah yeah, don’t get your tail in a knot,” he muttered, grabbing a fresh shirt.

A knock came at the front door, and Blake’s anxiety returned. What was this surprise Adam had for him? Surely it was nothing bad; the man had been the picture of respect last night. But the idea of a surprise… Blake didn’t like it. Whatever it was.

Pulling his headphones on, the mage double checked himself in a mirror, running a hand through his hair. The headphones ruined the appearance, but he knew what would happen if he dared to leave them behind. There would come a moment when the world would get loud, when he would be paralyzed by the sounds around him. Blake didn’t want Adam to see him like that. Erith already knew he was weak; he could be weak around the elf. But he needed to be strong for Adam, show him he couldn’t be pushed around. And the headphones would help with that.

The mage headed toward the door, opening it to find a pair of elves standing side by side.

“Hey Blake. Adam sent us-”

“Yeah, Dr. Marin told me,” Blake interrupted. “Is Adam here?”

He peered around them, frowning as he missed the man.

“No, he’s going to be waiting for us. But we need to put a blindfold on you so we don’t spoil the surprise.”

Blake gulped, staring at a black length in one of the elves’ hands.

“This is Jasper, he’s going to lead you around and make sure you don’t get hurt, okay? It’s only for about half an hour and then we’ll take it off.”

Jasper smiled at the mage warmly, trying to set Blake at ease. It wasn’t working, but Blake trusted Adam. If these people said they were sent by him, then they couldn’t be that bad.

“Okay…”