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"Remind me again, why am I here?"
The thief watched Viktoria as she walked past him, hips gently swaying from one side to the other. He knew she was doing it on purpose, so he could admire how graceful and elegant she was. And she was, whether in her human form (that she had chosen for their little adventure, today), or in her natural appearance.
“Because I wanted you to open the back entrance for me.”
The thief snorted. He had seen her in action, had seen- and suffered from the effects- of what that woman was capable of. She could have ripped down the whole gate, if she´d chose to. Therefore, he highly doubted she needed him to open doors and told her so.
She looked up from where she was rummaging through the contents of a heavy iron crate. “Of course I could have waltzed right into this place. However, do you think a wood nymph tearing down the front gates of a mechanist warehouse would go unnoticed? Hardly. Now that the mechanists are clearly planning something evil and I still cannot be sure what it is, I certainly won't risk starting a war against them right here and now.” She threw him a pointed look “I would have judged you as someone who prefers thoughtful procedure to mindless action.” She waited for him to answer, but he didn´t so she continued.
“I told you before, brother Cavador is a key figure in this. We still don´t know where he is, but I was told he visited this place multiple times in the last few weeks. There must be some clues as to where we can find him.” She hesitated. “Moreover, I don´t mind your company.”
The thief leaned against the doorframe next to the small bronze plaque that read "Brother Zeris- Stronggear Depository and Shipping company" and watched as the nymph began pulling books from the shelves and opening drawers.
“You don´t mind it?”
This time, she didn't bother to reply.
„You could have send one of your minions to search for those documents, couldn´t you?” Garrett sounded amused.
Again, Viktoria looked up from her work.
“Although you seem to enjoy yourself, thief, breaking into a mechanist shipping company isn’t free of risks. I already lost too many of my agents to these mechanist bastards“. She shrugged “Don´t get me wrong. I don´t need you to do my dirty deeds. But who would be better equipped for some breaking and entering than a professional thief.
I could have sent you alone to do this job, would you have preferred that?”
“I’m not your errand boy“
„Exactly, that´s why I came with you“
That didn´t really make sense, but Garrett opted not to argue with her.
He looked around Brother Zeris´ office. He´d never liked the mechanist décor. A metal desk sat at the back of the windowless room. Viktoria pulled a stack of documents towards her, but then held them out to the thief. "Here, read. Is any of this useful?” The thief scanned the letters and documents while Viktoria began rummaging through the desk drawers. Garrett had just decided that none of the papers in his hand mattered when Viktoria tugged at the bottom drawer. It wouldn't open. She rattled the drawer, but it still didn't budge.
The thief came closer, resting his hip against the table. “Won´t open?”
Viktoria growled. “Obviously not”
The nymph pulled the drawer again with a violent jerk. For a brief moment, the thief thought he could see her eyes turning red. The metal in her hands made a splintering noise and a second later Viktoria held up a part of the drawer, sighing. She had ripped of the handle, but the drawer was still closed.
“Maybe it´s locked?” The thief was testing her patience
“Maybe” she growled. He was annoying her and enjoyed it. She threw him a deprecating look.
“Maybe, you could just do your job, manfool, and…” she gestured to the drawer.
While the thief crouched down and unlocked the drawer, she was tapping her finger on the metal surface. It didn´t take him long. He squeezed the blade of his knife between the desk and drawer and carefully pried the drawer open. “This should be what you were looking for.” Garrett handed her some files and rose. She quickly browse through the papers and her eyes lit up. “Yes, that´s it. I´m going to let my agents watch that place. We´ll find Cavador.”
She slipped past him and then hesitated. “Come join me tomorrow evening. Not in the city but in my realm.”
“Why would I?”
“Because we need to make plans, discuss our next steps. Moreover…” Viktoria smiled coquettish “….I don’t mind your company”.
++++++++++++++++
The whole day had been an impertinence for the thief. The city had been suffering from an unusual heat wave for days. The sun burned mercilessly from the sky. The garbage on the streets stank badly and in the heat, the flies thrived on filth and rotting food.
Garrett had considered going to the market and stocking up on groceries, but quickly changed his mind at the thought of the sweating bodies of merchants and customers, and the smell of the fish stalls.
He'd spent the day in his cramped, overheated apartment, wrestling with himself over whether to accept the invitation -or rather request- by Viktoria to meet her in the Pagan forest. He had finally resigned himself to the fact that his curiosity about why she wanted to see him outweighed his suspicions. At around ten o clock in the evening, he´d left his home and made his way to cemetery, where the portal to the pagan woods was located. The sun hadn't fully set, it was still warm, almost muggy. The thief wiped his sweaty palms on his pants – leather armor and hood were no joy in this weather - and entered the portal.
As soon as he exited the portal on the other side, the atmosphere changed completely. The stark contrast between the smells and sounds of the city and those of the Pagan forest always amazed the thief.
It was still warm, but the air was less stuffy. The canopy of leaves overhead rustled in a light breeze. Birds chirped and fat, sluggish bumblebees made their way through the bracken at the foot of the trees.
Though the foliage on the trees was lush and green, sunlight filtered down onto the forest floor.
Garrett could hear somebody chattering, Pagans, talking in their usual dialect. He recognized the joyful excitement in their voices but couldn´t understand what they were saying. Light flickered through the trees and he could smell fire.
He´d just decided to investigate, when, behind him, there was a rustling in the undergrowth - the nymph was approaching. She moved quietly- this was her kingdom, she was in her element here- but she could not outwit Garrett.
"Don't try to sneak up on me, Viktoria." The nymph appeared between the tall, old trees that surrounded the clearing. She had resumed her natural form, her skin the color and texture of the bark of a tree. Garrett couldn't help but notice that her curves bore little resemblance to a tree. As strange as the sight of the nymph in her unhuman form was, it had its merits.
As if reading his mind, one of the shrubs he was standing in made a snickering noise. He threw it at dirty look.
"You came, Garrett. I had my doubts."
"Me too."
"I see you still don't trust me and I´m fine with that. I don't trust you either, at least not entirely. Still, we have our agreement. I'm not your enemy, Garrett, not anymore."
“Not anymore or not now?”
Viktoria cocked her head and regarded him for a moment, but her gaze was not that of a predator surveying its prey. She seemed relaxed. The thief wasn´t.
“Not now and hopefully never again”, she said.
“Uh-huh. Did our little excursion yesterday yield any useful results, or have I wasted my time?"
"You didn't. But of that... later. Come!" She pointed in the direction from which now cheerful singing could be heard. Lights flickered through the trees. "Tonight is a special night."
“What´s going on? You´re celebrating something?” Even to his own ears, he sounded suspicious.
Viktoria looked surprised. “You really don´t know, Garrett?” She shook her head “No, why would you. You are a child of the city, of stones and darkness. It is midsummer night. It´s a night to celebrate.
Garrett expelled an exasperated breath “Why so?”
„It´s the day of the summer solstice, and very important for us.”
Viktoria led the thief to the edge of a clearing where a cluster of shacks stood. A large campfire had been lit in the middle of the area, around which many Pagans had gathered.
Most of them were dancing, moving their bodies to the rhythm of drums and flutes, some sang along. The women and girls wore wreaths of flowers around their necks and in their hair. "On nights like these our pagan magic is much stronger than usual. Plants and herbs collected on these nights have a particularly potent effect. Everything that grows and thrives is healthier, stronger and more alive during these nights.”
Garrett thought about shrubs with eyeballs instead of buds and giant walking trees and shuddered. This forest was already more alive than he would have liked it to be.
“It´s also a night to celebrate nature and fertility, just that you now. Don't you feel life permeating everything around you? Close your eyes, thief and take a deep breath”
“I´d rather not.”
“The summer solstice is the day with the longest period of daylight and shortest night of the year, when the Sun is at its highest position in the sky.”
“Sure, why don´t we just celebrate that there are only three hours for me to hide in the shadows.“
She grinned.
Instead of strolling over to the roaring fire and celebrating Pagans, Viktoria led the thief a little off to the side in the shade of one of the shacks. A fallen tree trunk lay in front of the ivy-covered wall. The residents obviously used it as a bench and Victoria sat down on the moss-covered trunk. She waved a hand in Garrett's direction as if to invite him to join her. Instead of sitting down, the thief leaned against the wall of the house, forcing Victoria to look up at him when speaking to him.
Ever since they decided to team up to fight the Mechanists, there had been some kind of power play between the two of them and the thief decided to keep playing it whether Victoria wanted it or not. He felt much more comfortable with the constant taunts and digs than with the sudden and unexpected friendliness of the nymph.
“So you´re celebrating the longest day of the year? The day of the year with the most sunshine? Am I mistaken or wasn´t there once a pagan god with goat legs who called his evil masterplan the “dark project”?
As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Repressed anger and vengeful thoughts had always been a part of his nature and expressed themselves in cutting comments and cynicism. Had he meant to provoke Viktoria so she would admit what she´d done to him in the name of the Trickster or had he simply meant to hurt her? Probably both. Had it worked? Obviously.
Her eyes flamed red.
“You don´t know anything, manfool, you… “ She opened her mouth like she wanted to continue but no words came out. She shook her head in defeat.
“The being you knew by the name of Constantine was my God, our God. He would have saved the Pagans, put a stop to those mindless fanatics with their hammers and axes, with their fortresses of stone and steel. He was life, not what you call life in your wretched city behind your doors and walls and battlements, but real life. The blood of the earth flowed through his veins, sweet as mead. Yes, he was my god, my master and, I hope, my friend too. I worshiped him because I was his nymph. But now he's gone. Don't think I don't know the role you played in his downfall.” She looked him in the eyes, or-to be precise- in his remaining eye- not into the orb of metal and glass that filled the void she had left when she tore out his other eye. Her expression changed as she took in Garrett´s scarred face.
“What you have done, Garrett… I think, you didn´t do it purely out of revenge but also for those humans living in your city. At least, I want to assume that. We both know few would have survived if the trickster´s plan had worked. So, although I must admit I´m still grieving, I do not hate you for your actions, Garrett. Now that I am responsible for the fate of my people, I can tolerate your choice.”
“Uh-huh.”
Garrett wasn't sure if he really wanted to continue down the dangerous path his thoughts ventured and question his motives for taking on the trickster. He was afraid he might conclude that anger at how easily Viktoria and Constantine had tricked him and his desire for revenge had actually been the only reason that had driven him to do what he had done, rather than the destiny of mankind.
Viktoria seemed to misjudge his silence because she continued, “You still see me as the enemy, don't you? The monster that stole your eye. Maybe I am. Yes, if it comes to saving my people, then I am. Maybe one day you'll accept that.”
Garrett couldn´t rule out that part of him had already come to that acceptance. However, he didn't want to deal with his newfound relation to the nymph, not now. Back to familiar terrain: easy banter.
“I'm still processing the sight of your branches instead of arms and the bark instead of skin. There is only so much a human brain can take.”
She smiled, seemingly relieved at the change of his mood.
“And here I thought you like what you see. Does the bark and moss disturb you? Do you prefer the softness of my human skin, my body in it´s human form?”
Her body shifted, bark turning into skin as she spoke.
He snorted, “Did you prefer the trickster in his human form?”
For a brief moment, hurt clouded her eyes. “I preferred him alive.”
Garrett didn’t have an answer to that. He opted to sit down a little apart from Victoria but stayed quiet.
Suddenly, two children were walking towards them, two girls, apparently sisters from what Garrett could tell from their similar appearance. They both had dark blonde hair and brown eyes. They looked much healthier than any child Garrett had encountered in the city although nearly as dirty as most of them. The younger girl was clutching her older sister's hand.
“We made…” the small girl started, but the older sister nudged her with an elbow “My lady” she corrected her little sister “we made this for you” She held out a slightly withered looking crown of flowers. “We are all wearing one” she declared and pointed to the white and blue blossoms in her hair. Viktoria took the crown from the older sister and thanked them both, while the smaller one warily eyed Garrett. He stared back until they hastily retreated, giggling and whispering to each other
Viktoria carefully adjusted the crown of flowers in her hair and looked at him.
“I won´t say I´m sorry for what I did, Garrett. I am not. And I don´t feel sorry for you as I can see you get along quite fine and you despise pity. But I want you to know that, although I am certain of your involvement in the defeat of my god, I hold no grudge against you. I did as I thought was necessary and so did you. I will stay for the celebrations and maybe, later, I´ll join them. Of course you don´t have to stay. But you could, if you chose to.”
Viktoria got to her feet, the flowery crown sliding down due to the sudden movement. She gripped it before it could fall to the ground and carefully arranged it back on her head as if it was a most precious piece of jewelry.
“Something funny?” she looked up, catching Garrett mid-grin. He got up and made a “After you” movement with his hand.
“It´s not as if I could do much else in a night that offers only three hours of darkness for me to hide in. Besides…” he forced himself to sound indifferent “… I don´t mind the company.”