{"id":210,"date":"2014-12-02T17:43:46","date_gmt":"2014-12-02T17:43:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/authorjcnelson.com\/?p=210"},"modified":"2014-12-02T17:45:59","modified_gmt":"2014-12-02T17:45:59","slug":"special-delivery-chapter-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/authorjcnelson.com\/?p=210","title":{"rendered":"Special Delivery – Chapter 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi – If you missed the previous chapters, you can start with them here<\/em><\/p>\n

Chapter One<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

–JC<\/em><\/p>\n

Two<\/h1>\n

I flew through darkness, and landed, if that\u2019s the word for it, face first in a snow drift. Planes that land nose first we call wrecks, fireballs, and other terms which indicate their pilots won\u2019t be flying anything other than a set of angel wings for the foreseeable eternity.<\/p>\n

I fought my way to my feet just in time to get hit in the head by Ari\u2019s shopping bag. As the temperature around me dropped by at least fifty degrees, and my fingers turned numb, Ari\u2019s cloak of doom seemed worth the risk. I slipped it on and cinched it at the throat.<\/p>\n

And only seven years of Agency experience could account for what I did next. Once I made certain I\u2019d taken a solo flight, I seized Grimm\u2019s package from the bag, peered into the blizzard, and spotted a distant light. I hadn\u2019t made partner by failing, and Grimm had meant for us to wind up here, just probably not on these terms.<\/p>\n

The snowstorm lessened as I trudged, allowing me to confirm that what I\u2019d thought were distant torches were, in fact, distant torches. More than anything, I wanted to call Grimm, but that required enough light to cast a reflection. I\u2019d make certain to add a flashlight to the list of items rumbling about in my purse.<\/p>\n

Up close, the quaint country hut had changed, becoming a low concrete compound, with a corrugated tin roof. Barb wire surrounded the roof instead of holiday lights, and rows of sharpened stakes jutted out where pine trees stood in the snow globe. The windows, rather than holiday colored glass, reminded me of murder holes. Only the dim flare of light kept me moving. Well, that and the fact that endless blizzard and darkness didn\u2019t offer better options.<\/p>\n

When I reached the front porch, I brushed off several inches of snow off my shoulder and out of my hair. Snow shoes lay beside the door, along with the hides of animals who were either dead or in a foul mood. I drew my makeup compact from my purse, despite my aversion to most makeup. What I really liked was the mirror. After brushing the frost from it, I held it up near the torch. \u201cGrimm, you there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy name\u2019s not Grimm.\u201d<\/p>\n

I fumbled the compact and watched it bounce off the porch into the snow. \u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe,\u201d said the voice again. A small voice, high pitched and whiny, which chattered with each word. \u201cUp here.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the ceiling of the porch, a chain metal bag hung, squirming back and forth. Through the mesh, a pair of purple eyes stared back at me. I\u2019d seen eyes like that before, from a horde of gnomes hell-bent on watching me die.<\/p>\n

Postmen.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou a postal gnome, or working freelance?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCall me Bonnie,\u201d said the gnome. \u201cPostal route 218, of the tenth polar legion. Can you get me out?\u201d<\/p>\n

I stepped closer. Thankfully, the low porch roof meant even a middling height woman like me could reach up far enough to pry at the bag if I stood right underneath. It groaned and spilled open, and before I could move out the way, the gnome dropped onto my shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank Kingdom, I thought I would freeze to death in that trap, or worse.\u201d He squirmed around, running down my coat like a squirrel and came up the inside, huddling against my back.<\/p>\n

At the word trap<\/em>, the cynical and paranoid parts of me woke up. After all, I\u2019d used minnows as bait before. I backed off of the porch and knelt in the snow, feeling until my hands brushed the compact. \u201cGrimm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMarissa!\u201d Grimm didn\u2019t bother shrinking his image to fit in the compact. A few times he\u2019d shown up as just an eye, and that creeped me out. \u201cThank Kingdom you\u2019re all right. Listen, simply toss the package onto the doorstep. Do not, under any circumstance, step across any of his wards.\u201d<\/p>\n

I followed Grimm\u2019s instructions, pitching the skin wrapped package so it landed at the door. \u201cWards. What would those look like?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know! I know!\u201d shouted Bonnie. He scrambled out of the cloak to point at the floor. \u201cRight there, and there, and there. Right under the trap.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGrimm\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard, my dear.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToo late to run?\u201d It was never too late to run, in my book. \u201cI\u2019m guessing this is the North Pole? Could you send a jet?\u201d<\/p>\n

Grimm took far too long to answer for my tastes. \u201cMarissa, you aren\u2019t at the North Pole on earth. You\u2019ve landed in a realm composed of residual myth. His bunker, the remains of a workshop, and a stable. I can\u2019t really say how far out from those buildings the blizzard continues, or if, in fact, his world simply ends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cold fear, cold snow, and the half-frozen gnome on my back sent shivers down my spine. \u201cAnd you wanted me to make a delivery here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Arianna, yes. Her inner beauty soothes the most savage of beasts.\u201d<\/p>\n

And right there, something else clicked. \u201cWhere is Ari?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen last I checked, she was emulating a stun-gun and attempting to avoid your harathakin<\/em>. I hadn\u2019t counted on a Walker of the Ways seeking out that particular gateway, but on this night, it certainly makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walker of the Ways didn\u2019t sound like someone too dumb to get out of my way on the sidewalk, or a device carried by senior citizens, perfect for braining a wolf who wouldn\u2019t back off. No, the way Grimm spoke, you could hear the capital letters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you get me into this time? No, don\u2019t answer yet. First I have to figure out a way to keep from freezing.\u201d I backed away from the porch, considering my chances in a blizzard, which came out at less than none. And even though I\u2019d never made this run before, every other creature from myth or legend I\u2019d met hadn\u2019t been friendly. I doubted this one was any better. \u201cSaint Nick. Is he a demon?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNicolae is neither saint nor demon, Marissa, regardless of the legend build up around him. Once, he was a man, but his current status requires conjecture we do not have time for. According to my predictions, his workshop is currently empty. Circle the bunker, avoid the stable, and warm yourself by the workshop fire.\u201d Grimm\u2019s presence receded from the mirror, leaving me alone and shivering.<\/p>\n

So, despite my better judgment, I headed around the edge of the bunker. While I\u2019d thought it to be a small, square affair, the back sprouted a series of shanty walls, which grew ever larger, until they joined at to a building that disappeared into the earth. For sure, Grimm wouldn\u2019t purposefully steer me toward certain death. After all, he\u2019d pay out my life insurance if he got me killed.<\/p>\n

So I opened a crooked door and slipped down into the darkness. Outside, the wind howled, but as I wandered deeper into the earth, it faded away. A flurry of movement on my shoulder heralded Bonnie\u2019s emergence. \u201cWatch your step,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see in the dark?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot normally, but with these, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

I glanced to my left, to find the wee man wearing a pair of night vision goggles. \u201cWhere did you get those?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCame equipped to deliver the package, I did. Tenth Legion always gets the job done.\u201d From the movement, I believe he pumped his fist at the end. \u201cThanks for taking care of the delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stopped, which made sense since beyond a general direction of \u201cAway\u201d I had no idea where I was going. \u201cWait. You came here to deliver the package. And got caught in a trap?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWay to bring up my humiliation. I\u2019m the seventh to try this month.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gnomes were known for short stature and fierce dedication. Until you\u2019d seen a horde of them scramble through the streets of Kingdom delivering letters, it was easy to focus on the former instead of the latter.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo how did Fairy Godfather wind up with the package?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, it had spells protecting it in case of accident during delivery. I made it further than any of the others. Poisoned the wolves protecting the approach, dodged the spikes in the front yard, avoided the sharks in the fountain, but I didn\u2019t expect him to dig a pit trap on the roof.\u201d Bonnie paused, sniffing the air. \u201cAre we going to stay in this hallway forever? Because I can smell a fire in the next room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Twenty yards down, the hallway connected to a vast, empty workshop, and as Bonnie had guessed, a meager fire flickered in the nearest grate. I removed the rusty windscreen and stoked it up, adding a few logs. \u201cHow did this get started?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can answer that.\u201d Grimm\u2019s voice came from a silver pitcher just within the firelight\u2019s reach. \u201cI may not often work magic, but letting my partner freeze to death would be poor form.\u201d<\/p>\n

I shed the cloak of horrors and turned my back to the fire, drinking in the warmth. \u201cSo you want to tell me where I am? This Santa\u2019s workshop?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is,\u201d said Grimm, \u201cbut \u2018where\u2019 is a question not easily answered. Nicolae\u2019s prison is one held apart from any realm, which is why a walker sought it to begin with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just because Christmas never worked out well for me didn\u2019t mean I wanted yet another childhood delight ruined. I\u2019d already lost Easter, Halloween, and the Fourth of July. \u201cI liked the idea of a jolly old man giving presents better. Tell me about these Walkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA Walker is a unbound spirit, always looking for shortcuts,\u201d said Bonnie. \u201cThat\u2019s from the delivery manual, section 38, page seventeen, paragraph four. Right before the part about how to be properly eaten by a leopard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d said Grimm. \u201cWalkers seek cracks, not shortcuts. You know of the seven realms, Marissa. And a few more isolated planes of existence, such as Nicolae\u2019s prison. But those are not the only ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

I kept my mouth shut. Grimm horded knowledge and rarely doled it out. \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOther realms have fallen, lost to forces more ancient than your mind can comprehend. The oldest existed before I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grimm never spoke of older powers, elder gods, or other realms, which made me wonder exactly what kind of mess I\u2019d fallen into. \u201cSo this Walker, she\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2014It,\u201d said Grimm.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was looking for the path to here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Each Walker traverses their realm, searching for weaknesses by which it may return home, and guide others back. Gateways, such as the one to this place, represent their best hope. By their very nature, the walls of reality in such places are tenuous.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tips of my fingers no longer burned with cold fire, but the anger that erupted inside me made me shake just the same. \u201cI\u2019m supposed to be your partner, why didn\u2019t you fill me in?\u201d<\/p>\n

Grimm shook his head. \u201cYou have more than enough to worry about as it is. Leave guarding of ways to those who need not sleep. With Arianna, you would have been safe. I hadn\u2019t considered your unplanned departure, but I assure you, what you delivered is essential to keeping Nicolae safely contained.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bonnie finished sunning himself on the fireplace grate and rolled over. \u201cFar as I\u2019m concerned, that makes you an honorary member of the tenth legion. We\u2019re dedicated to keeping the spirit of Christmas contained here.\u201d<\/p>\n

While I turned the cloak of horrors inside out and shook off the snow, I considered my situation. \u201cSo, now the package is delivered, how do I get out of here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m already working on it. The guardian won\u2019t open that gateway no matter what I threaten her with,\u201d said Grimm. \u201cSo I\u2019ve asked Arianna to use her charms, but she may have taken a heavier blow to the head than I thought. She\u2019s currently arguing with the cash register, and losing the debate. We must get you home before sunrise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no or.\u201d Grimm\u2019s voice sank to a whisper. \u201cThe door is unlocked but one night a year, and no man survives a year in Nicolae\u2019s prison. It was absolutely essential we uphold our part of the bargain, but–\u201d<\/p>\n

A blast of winter wind swept down the chimney, and the fire died away to embers in one gasp. And from the chimney above came a man\u2019s voice, singing in a Slavic tongue.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s here,\u201d whispered Grimm. The embers gave off just enough of a glow to give him form. \u201cDon\u2019t challenge him. And don\u2019t even think about shooting him, Marissa. Hiding is your best option by far.\u201d With that word, the embers doused out.<\/p>\n

And at the same moment, every torch in the room snapped to life. I snagged the cloak and threw it over me, but the distance to the doorway looked farther than I dared run. Plus, leaving would only mean braving the blizzard or the bunker. Now, with light, I understood Grimm\u2019s suggestion.<\/p>\n

Whether or not there had once been a toy workshop here, I couldn\u2019t say. Every inch of the room lay covered in stretched hides, woodworking tools, or mounds of nuts, enough to make every squirrel in the city envious.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d been trained in self defense, and learned the hard way that the best defense was a good offense, but even with the Fairy Godfather on my side, more often than not, running and hiding made more sense than a stand up fight. And over the years, I\u2019d gained quite a bit of skill at hide and seek.<\/p>\n

So I chose a mountain of tanned hides, crawled over them, and then burrowed under, ignoring the smell of tannin and the faint scent of dried flesh. The mound of hides shifted again, and Bonnie\u2019s head popped up under a reindeer snout. \u201cThis is a great spot!\u201d<\/p>\n

I hissed in response, \u201cGet your own. Two\u2019s a crowd.\u201d Harsh words, but I\u2019d learned a long time ago, when hiding from things that could catch your scent, two in one place halved the time it took to find us. Both Bonnie and I would be safer apart.<\/p>\n

He frowned and worried his way out of the pile. I peeked from the mound, relying on the shadows to hide my face, as a gust of ash exploded from the fireplace, and from it stepped–<\/p>\n

A man.<\/p>\n

At least, man-shaped. He couldn\u2019t have been more than six feet, with a tangled gray beard and wild eyebrows. And that\u2019s the closest Nicolae came to the Christmas stories. No jolly jiggling belly, no, this man looked like he\u2019d taken up starving to death for a living. My best guess pinned reindeer hide as the material of choice for his clothes. Nicolae stripped off a fur vest, revealing more layers of leather underneath, then stretched, and boomed out, \u201cWho is visiting me so late on my eve?\u201d<\/p>\n

I kept my mouth shut, hoping Bonnie had the good sense to do so as well, while Nicolae took out something from his vest. With the click of a cigarette lighter, he lit a cigar and puffed on it. \u201cNo? Am not here?\u201d And then he reached down and held something up: My purse. \u201cDoes beautiful woman want to sit on my lap?\u201d<\/p>\n

Not hardly. I barely ever sat in my boyfriend\u2019s lap, and I loved my boyfriend, maybe even with a capital L. I held my breath as he lurched closer. From one of the workbenches, he seized a clay pot and took a swig.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood evening.\u201d Grimm\u2019s voice almost stopped my heart.<\/p>\n

What was he thinking?<\/p>\n

\u201cDa, is a good night. Got package.\u201d Nicolae\u2019s words slurred, meaning it wasn\u2019t melted snow in that jug. \u201cAm having company for dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t care for his choice of phrases.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Nicolae,\u201d said Grimm. \u201cAbout that. As per our usual agreement, I made certain your yearly provisions arrived on schedule, along with the specific supplies you asked for. I expect you to hold up your end of the bargain, and remain here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about reindeer?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReplenished as usual. You\u2019ll find fifteen in the stables, fine, meaty specimens.\u201d The way Grimm said this told me this wasn\u2019t a new demand. No, he\u2019d done this for decades. Maybe centuries. \u201cNow, it so happens we had an accident during delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicolae drew a hunting knife from his belt and began whittling the end of a stick to a point. \u201cWhat about elves?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSir,\u201d Grimm\u2019s voice sank a note, taking on his bad news tone. \u201cThere are still no volunteers for the tribute. If you hadn\u2019t slaughtered several million of them and stacked them up like cordwood, it would be easier to find replacements. Now, as I was saying\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cA woman crossed my wards. You know rules of agreement. I find her here, she belongs to me. I find her body in snow, belongs to me. You want send me elves, so I can get out, I go hunt elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

This \u201cshe\u201d was sick of being talked about like a package of meat, which I figured was what Nicolae meant to use me as. And as he paced closer, I gathered myself for an ambush.<\/p>\n

\u201cSir,\u201d said Grimm, \u201cI can make you several profitable offers in return for my employee. Or if you don\u2019t wish to negotiate, perhaps you\u2019d like a taste of my power to improve your negotiation skills?\u201d<\/p>\n

The laugh which crawled its way from the depths of Nicolae\u2019s toes came out as a wheezing \u201cha-ha-ha\u201d more befitting Dracula than Santa. \u201cYour magic means nothing here, old man. I like taste of many things.\u201d He rummaged around in my purse and pulled out my wallet, then flipped to my driver\u2019s license. \u201cWait. This is Marissa Locks? Your delivery girl?\u201c<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s when I struck, surging straight out of the hide pile and into his knees. Nicolae fell backwards with a gasp and a shriek. He swung at me with the blade, but a pile of hides makes halfway decent armor, and I wasn\u2019t done.<\/p>\n

Not by a long shot.<\/p>\n

No, I rose and held on to the foot in front of me, dragging Nicolae behind me. As I\u2019d guessed he weighed no more than I did, probably less. I hauled him to the edge of the nearest workshop table, and then slammed his knee against the table leg.<\/p>\n

Both cracked like rotten oak, right as a burning pain seared its way across my back. Nicolae smiled at me with gleeful eyes and a rotten toothed grin. Blood ran down the edge of his hunting knife. \u201cSo what, was not right about pretty girl. At least, was right about girl part!\u201d<\/p>\n

I delivered another kick to his knee and took off for the door. My back screamed with every step, but as long as I could draw breath and put one foot in front of the other, I had a chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to see Saint Nicolae?\u201d He said as he rose on his good knee. \u201cI sent you presents for last time, Marissa. You no like stocking filled with reindeer guts?\u201d Then his eyes narrowed. \u201cWhere you get my coat?\u201d<\/p>\n

The cloak of horrors would actually fit in fairly well with his d\u00e9cor, but I wasn\u2019t risking a blizzard without something on. \u201cMy friend gave it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour friend gave you genuine elf-skin coat? Ha!\u201d Nicolae seized a hunting spear and used it as a crutch, but groaned with each step. Which was my cue to continue with \u2018Marissa\u2019s Primary Plan.\u2019 Which had exactly one step, one I called \u201cRun.\u201d<\/p>\n

And run I did, stopping only when the skin on the tanning frame nearest the door lifted itself up, revealing Bonnie, and nearly earning him a whack upside the head.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re leaving, I\u2019m leaving,\u201d said Bonnie.<\/p>\n

Nicolae\u2019s screams echoed behind us. \u201cNo one is leaving. Ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That’s it for this week! See you next week for Chapter 3.<\/em><\/p>\n

-JC<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi – If you missed the previous chapters, you can start with them here Chapter One –JC Two I flew through darkness, and landed, if…<\/p>\n

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