I had received missives from Malphas while I was away on the last trip to the Path of Vau. They were short and to the point and I swear I could hear him giggle in nefarious delight. Would I be a dear and obtain a crow feather for him? The largest that I could obtain, and prepared for use as a writing quill, if it wasn’t much of a bother.
It’s not a bother. It was mind-numbingly easy. A plain crow feather? In the Otherworlds? That did not have any magics on it and was otherwise any other feather? I can do that.
I still have Asmodel’s message to deliver, but dropping off a feather to Malphas shouldn’t take very long. I sent missives to him that I had his feather, and would like to meet him in the Cafe on Mainstreet. I’ll even buy coffee.
I didn’t wait for an answer, but went straight to the cafe. I took my seat and told Jill I was expecting company. But I was not at ease there. The various factions had moved into the second floor and were holding their own satellite courts there. I had privacy in the booth. When the cafe was remodeled, security was improved. The Cafe on Mainstreet was Neutral Ground. The positions the factions took on the second floor was with permission and could be revoked at any moment.
But my private booth was on the first floor. In the back portion of the seating area, and quite private once entered. Many eyes were watching who was entering and leaving however. Sometimes knowing the who was more important than knowing the what.
Meet Malphas. Have coffee. Hand over feather. Depart. What could possibly happen?
Jill was called to the second floor to bring drinks. No big deal. Yes, she’s assigned to be my personal server when I’m there, but I’m not there all the time and the cafe is busy. She leaves a carafe of coffee on the table and an extra cup for my guest and departs.
As soon as she is upstairs, I feel a dark presence slide into the booth across from me. The presence solidified into Malphas. “I hear you have something for me.”
I patted my satchel. “Yea. I do. Perhaps. But. You have to prove to me that you are Malphas. Because there are many that can wear others faces, and I’m a paranoid bitch today.”
“Prove to you?” He was unusually agitated. “I have to prove who I am to you? Mortal, you test me!” I saw a flash of talons that grazed between flesh and soul, and his blue eyes blazed with such intensity, they appeared white. “I have been gentle with you enough! Now, deliver to me what is mine!”
His voice carried the power of command. I caught myself opening the satchel, breaking the seal on the message tube as I did. The sound brought me to my senses. I felt the cap turned over the tube in my left hand. The message was still within it. Only the outer seal had been broken. Blinking as my thoughts cleared, I muttered the sealing words, resealed the tube, and closed the satchel.
“No.” Malphas, or rather the entity that claimed to be Malphas, raged across from me. I just shook my head and clasped my hands on the table. “You are not Malphas. You’re not even a shard of his shadow. You did a very good imitation of him, and the use of command in your voice at the end was a nice touch that caught me off guard, but no. You are not Malphas. I will not deliver to you what is his. Now, get the fuck out of my booth.”
The entity reached across the table to grab me by my throat. Its hand passed through my flesh like smoke. It tried to stab talons between flesh and soul again. Again, my flesh became as illusion to it. It only stabbed the air.
“See, Malphas, being what Malphas is, can grab me no matter what form I take. Because of what I am, and what he is. You, relied on publicly known information and one helluva glamour. Now that I don’t believe in you or your glamour, you are impotent and have no effect on me. There are many factions that know the Geotia can come here unimpeded and unrestricted. I wonder which one caught wind of my request for Malphas and decided to intercept.”
I poured myself a cup of coffee. “Ah. No matter. There are many eyes watching us. The curtains are wide open, you see.” I sipped in peace. The entity glanced out towards the floor. Barely hidden in the shadows were denser shadows of other entities. “Did you know there are different flavors of fear? Just like there are different flavors of pleasure. Malphas does strike terror into me. Of that, there is no doubt. But it is a particular flavor of terror. A fear I very rarely taste. So rare, I wonder if he does that as a favor to me.” I drank the fullness of my cup and placed it upside down on the table.
“I’m done.” I spoke loudly so that all watching would hear me. “Don’t make it hard on the staff, eh? Don’t leave a mess.” I stood from the booth and walked for the exits of the cafe. I felt the stares of many battlemages on me. Some bowed as I passed them.
Sitting at one of the open tables near the exit was a portly man dressed in a suit of dark red satin. “I take it he is not what you were expecting?” He puffed on a cigar and turned his head slowly towards me.
“No, Sir. He is not. Do you know him?”
“I will soon. This is a nice little cafe, don’t you think. A nice place to sit without having to deal with politics.”
“It is. I would like for it to remain that way.”
“As would I, dear Lady. As would I. He won’t bother you again.” He puffed a satisfying cloud from the cigar and nodded. I heard a scuffle behind me. “And there won’t be a mess for the staff to clean up.”
I regarded him silently for a moment. “I do not play politics, Sir. Nor do I have favorites among the factions of this grand city. I am an equal opportunity pain in the ass to one and all, and probably the cause of several of the Envoy’s gray hairs. I do not want this cafe to be a pawn in the games the factions play.”
He stopped puffing and looked up at me with a very serious and somber face. “Dear Lady, the moment you and that [Roger] fellow sat down here, the cafe was involved. You made it a focus for the games you play.”
“And your interest?”
“I like the games you play. I like them very much indeed.” He smiled and resumed puffing on his cigar. “I enjoy being a spectator to them, and watching the effect they have on others. No faction has a claim to the cafe, because it is your cafe. You have certain rules that you wish enforced here. It is in the best interest of all the factions that these rules are upheld. I just happen to be in the best place to enforce those rules today.”
God dammit. He’s making it sound like he’s working for me, but I know he’s maneuvering me for best advantage to himself.
“I do not know the proper words to refute you, Sir. I only know the cafe is an independent enterprise of which I am a customer and patron of. And I know I do not suffer imposters gladly.”
“I agree with both of your assertions.” Behind me, something was being dragged off the floor towards the back. To the stairs or to the door, I do not know. He smiled deeply. “The problem has been taken care of, dear Lady. I leave you in good spirits. Good day.”
I did not wait for him to stand up, nor did I answer. I walked briskly to the doors of the cafe. Exiting, I left cafe and City behind.
I had a message to deliver. Malphas’ feather was just going to have to wait until I delivered it and calmed down. I wasn’t as upset about the imposter as I was having my nice and quiet little corner invaded by hipsters mobsters faction bullshit. I hate politics. I hate it so damn much.
Reaching the recipient was easier than I thought it would be. I understood then why Asmodel requested I be the one to carry it. The recipient read it, understood it, and dismissed me without reply. I won’t have to run the Path of Vau again. I kept my emotions within until I was back in open country. I might have done a little ass shake at another job well done.
But now I have the matter of a feather, a Goetic, and getting the two in the same place at the same time. What the hell does he need a plain crow feather for anyway? Several of his forms involve crow parts! He can just pluck his own!
And why would an imposter try to take it? It is nothing. Just a plain feather. Politics. I fucking hate it.
I didn’t notice the increasing number of crows flying high above me until their collective shadow dimmed the ground. They descended in a fury and coalesced into a humanoid form before me.
“Hello, Weaver. Have you something for me?” Malphas, or rather, someone that looks more like Malphas than the imposter in the cafe stood before me.
“Maybe. If you’re really Malphas. I’ve dealt with one imposter already. I would like to not deal with another. Prove yourself, please.”
He moves swiftly, his hands eliciting reactions that I am unable to describe properly in my limited vocabulary. There is a deep knowing, like an underground river that appears as a spring, that this is truly Malphas.
“Satisfied?” His dry voice was full of his own smug satisfaction. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he enjoys proving himself.
“Yes.” My chest itched where he had touched it. “I suppose you want your feather now?”
“Yes, please!”
I retrieved the two feathers I had prepared. “I know you asked for one, but as I learned, quill making is an art. So here’s two crow feathers in case the first one fails before you are done with it.” I handed them over with a smug smile of my own. “If I may ask… you have a crow form… why not…”
“Why not use my own feathers?” I nodded as he completed the question. “Because it would leave a trace of myself. And I don’t want that. This time. I am glad you used plain crow feathers and not used some of your own. This needs to be… neat.”
Malphas bowed in a grand gentlemanly fashion. “I thank you for the feathers, dear Weaver. And for the rendition of the imposter in the cafe. Such information is always highly prized.” He glanced up at me in the bottom of his bow. “Such information, like who that message was for.”
“Nope. Not telling. You do not have the rights to that information, and to purchase said rights, you’ll have to go to Asmodel yourself. I’m not making that trip any more than I absolutely have to!”
Malphas stood swiftly. His face showed a brief flash of anger at being denied. “You take your duties seriously. Very well then, I have what I needed from you. Thank you.”
He did not leave, but waited for me to leave first. Snide bastard. Fine. I bowed in farewell and left his presence. Arriving at the lair, it was my intention to burrow under the pelts and get some sleep.
Snake grabbed a foot and pulled me away. “You stink of Goetia! Go wash!”
“But! Sleep!”
“You’ll get no rest from me until you do!” He transformed into his four-armed naga and blocked the way with his tail.
~sigh~ “Okay.” I knew he would be immovable. I wrapped my feathercloak around me and left for the River. Maybe a good soak would help me rest after all.
-fin-