Chapter One #2
The roar of an engine behind her started a confused round of shouting.
Amy watched Vaia drive up next to the back of the car ahead of her, and while they went around the corner, Vaia flipped the kill switch on the thug’s kart.
Amy fell back and then went around him as he flapped his hands in frustration.
A quick glance back showed the attendants coming to get the dead vehicles off the track. They had just blown their own evening.
Vaia was far ahead again, and Amy sped up to try and match the quick reflexes of her friend.
They went around another four times, with Amy eventually catching up, and then they were slowly pulling into the bay.
The two goblins grinned as they helped the ladies out of the vehicles.
One of the blonde ones said, “Did you have fun?”
“Aside from being boxed in, yeah.”
“They are banned for six months. Vaia doesn’t play.” He chuckled. “No one messes with her guests.”
“Guests? No way.” Amy looked over at Vaia, who was signing some paperwork for the other goblin.
“Way, she bought this place and got it out of bankruptcy. We get paid on time, and there is always a line of folks trying to get in.” He chuckled. “Tips are good, too.”
Amy blinked. “Oh, right.”
“No, miss, not you. Trust me, we got paid well for tonight.”
“Right.”
Vaia grinned. “So, do you want to change here and then head to the faire?”
“Sure. You own this place?”
“Yeah. I might not talk to my family, but they do have a lot of kids, and that got me thinking. So, there is profit to be had. I have started buying and investing in small businesses for the last fifteen years.”
A goblin came in with two garment bags.
“What kind of businesses?”
“Oh, this and that. Three women’s shelters that I provide clothing to. That kind of thing.”
“Do you own a wedding coordinating company?”
“Sure. Don’t you?” Vaia gave her a sidelong glance.
“No. It never occurred to me.” Amy chuckled. “Life has been such a struggle just to keep my head above water.”
“Ah. Right. I had a jump start. He didn’t want my body, but he did give me a dowry to live my life with, so I lived it. Nice and quiet, out of the public eye, except for one day a year.”
“So, you need this? Tonight, I mean?”
“Yeah, I need what I can get there, or I can only get it at a strip club. And the clubs don’t have enough people.”
“Oh, so there is a quantity involved.”
“Yup. And it has to be this one day, so this is the day I dance at the faire.”
“Nice. And you have an office here?”
“Sure.” Vaia got some keys out and opened her office. It was clean, empty, and had a bathroom to one side. “Do you want the bathroom or the office?”
“Uh, how much room do you need?”
“I am good in either space. Your barbarian outfit fits in the bathroom. Yes, it will grow with you.”
Amy laughed. “Thanks. Okay. Hand it over.”
Vaia handed the garment bag over, and Amy headed into the bathroom. She heard shivering beads and a bit of a huff, and then there was stillness.
Amy got into the buttery-soft pale gold and blue leather, and she smiled at the feeling. There was power in freedom of movement. The cloak that came with the outfit was edged with fur, and her grandmother would have loved to wear it. It was a northern masterpiece.
She came out of the bathroom with her street clothes in the garment bag. Vaia was on the phone and looking businesslike in a cloak that moved on its own.
Vaia smiled and ended the call. “Just warning them that we are coming to the staff entrance. The timeline is eight thirty for the performance.”
“Well, then, we should get going.” Amy smiled. “I must say, I am having fun.”
“Good. Well, let’s go.” As she moved, a shiver of sound followed her.
“I must confess, I am curious as to how you dance in that.”
“I am wondering if I can drive in this.” She giggled.
They got to the car and were, indeed, able to tuck themselves into the vehicle.
Amy smiled as Vaia drove them across the city. “I would have thought that you would have a driver.”
“I like driving, and hiring a driver is a waste of funds that could be used elsewhere.”
“Gotcha. It just seems like you have a lot more income than it appears on the surface.”
“Oh, that. Well, yeah. Not getting attention is what I want for three hundred and sixty-four days of the year. Today is the exception.”
“I see. I feel bad that I didn’t get you a present.”
Vaia pulled onto the offramp to take them to the faire. “You did. You came with me. This doesn’t happen often.”
“People don’t agree?”
“People don’t show up. I don’t cultivate a lot of what would be considered friends.”
“I see. Why not?”
“I don’t particularly like people.” She chuckled, indicated, and turned toward the Night Faire. “You are different. Nylora is different, though she no longer needs the corsets to conceal her belly. She’s sending Isocar over to me to get her some corsets for therapeutic purposes.”
“How does that work?”
“A proper fit feels like a hug. It helps you get used to contact if it has been a while. Nylora is a tremendous hugger. Very tactile. She wants some help for her sister.” She parked in the employee lot in a reserved spot.
“Why are we parking here?”
“Because this isn’t a casual trip around the faire, at least not to start. It can be afterward, but right now, I need to do my thing so that I can reset for the next year.”
“So, which side of your family?”
“Oh. My bio father’s. My mom didn’t know his name. It was one of those moonlight seductions, and then he was gone, and she was left with memories and me. So, she got married and had other kids, and I got pushed to the sacrificial line the moment another mage family raised their heads.”
“So, your husband is a mage?”
“He’s like me, half mage, half something else.” Vaia handed over a wristband with black-and-gold stripes. “This gets you anywhere and a twenty percent discount at the vendors.”
“Nice. Very nice. I have had my eye on one of the bags here.”
“Okay. Let me get this out of the way, and we can go shop.”
This was walking directly to the dance stage, where a surprising number of people had gathered to watch. Amy flipped the edges of her cloak over her shoulders and crossed her arms as she settled in to watch.
The announcer stated that it was for everyone who had a birthday that week.
Vaia removed her cloak and stood, dressed in shimmering, liquid darkness with blood-red glyphs under the beadwork.
She stepped out and got cheers, and then she pulled the spike that held her hair up, and a cascade of black swung around her.
And then, the musicians started up, and she began to dance to the beat.
The energy that the crowd gave up was in an astonishing array of colours. Blue, gold, black, grey, silver, white, and some red and orange. There were signs that a psychic vampire was going to be working, and the watchers of dozens of races gave up a little bit of themselves gladly.
Vaia shivered, shimmied, and bounced joyfully to the music for fifteen minutes, and then she bowed.
The crowd sighed sadly, and she looked to the musicians.
They nodded, and she started one more dance that involved a veil made of the night sky as she swayed and pulled the night across and around her.
It was heavily seductive, but Amy applauded wildly. Vaia was a very skilled dancer.
This time, when it was over, she bowed, blew kisses toward the audience, and slipped on her cloak again, walking over to Amy. “So, you wanted to shop?”
“That was spectacular. You don’t stay for the tips?”
“Nope. They go to the musicians. I got my meal—oof!” A small woman collided with her.
“Vaia! You were spectacular, as always. Are you staying for a while?”
“Hey, Freddy. Yeah, we are heading to Simon’s booth and the leather worker and anywhere else that takes our fancy.”
“We? Oh, hey. The frost giant. Nice outfit!” Freddy grinned.
“Thanks. It’s super comfy and easy to move in.”
Freddy smirked. “Well, Simon has more questions about your selections. Go to our booth first.”
Vaia snorted softly. “Of course.”
Amy smiled. “You two know each other?”
Freddy nodded. “Of course. We are both familiars.”
Amy blinked. “Right. Of course you are.”
“Well, now that we have all creepily said of course, we should be on our way. The thrall is wearing off, and I need to be out of their sight before it is complete.” Vaia looked at the crowd, who were ignoring the next performer and staring their way.
Amy grew to her giant form and stood between Vaia and the crowd. The joyful relief on Vaia’s features was sweet. Together, they headed over to the jeweller’s booth, where a stand-in booth wench was.
“Hey, Simon.” Vaia’s voice was soft, but the blacksmith paused and turned to grin at her.
“Vaia. Happy birthday. This year, the faire decided I would give you your present.” He moved to his bench and pulled out a piece of folded leather. “Here you go.”
Vaia smiled. “Thank you. It is much appreciated.”
She took the leather and untied the strips holding it together. She opened the folded leather and saw the swags of black chain, with accent drops of ruby or garnet. Vaia smiled slowly. “It’s lovely.”
“Put it on, please. I had to guess at the drape.”
She sighed and took off her cloak before letting Simon attach the catch at the back of her neck.
Amy blinked. “That’s gorgeous. It’s perfect.
It goes where it needs to and stops where it doesn’t.
” Swags and whirls of chain were riding at the top of Vaia’s breasts, and her skin was stark white against the black metal.
The drops of dark red looked like blood and added to what Amy was beginning to understand about her new friend.
Vaia might be a master textile mage, but she was also a psychic vampire.