Chapter 21 Another Dimension
Another Dimension
ROGUE
The guys are somber as we follow the trail towards the main event area.
I know Reb and I have dealt with demis before—marginally—but I’m not sure if the others are aware of how insane this is going to be.
Everyone knows about deals and bargains with Fae or demons; they don’t all have the ‘pleasure’ of negotiating with the asswipes from the deity realms. Because the humans escalated their mythos to the level they did, the occupants, descendants, and ‘adopted’ members of that place are insufferably arrogant.
Buying into your own press is something they know all about, just like Mina.
I snort, shaking my head. No need to put that idea into the universe.
Mina might have an overblown ego, but she doesn’t have the power or talent necessary to even catch their eyes.
Deities are even known for turning their noses up at infamous supes, until their tales escalate to storybook or mythic levels.
She’s not more than a bit player in the grand scheme of the internet, much less the entirety of time.
Archie looks at me curiously. “You’re amusing yourself again, Wheels. Gotta share.”
“I can’t until we’re not in the open, babe.
This place wigs out my magic, especially since we did the whole ‘Captain Planet’ combine.
There’s…” I pause, fishing for the words to describe what it feels like.
“I’ve never felt something that gives me a sense that it’s been created by so many types of magic combined as well as technology.
It’s not normal tech, either—humans don’t have this.
Or at least, not what I sense? It’s really hard to explain because it’s so incredibly different from what I’ve ever encountered in the past.”
Reb nods, looking over at us. “I didn’t feel it before, but the oddness is like a spike of irritation against my Fae magic, too. Like it doesn’t belong where nature's magic lives because of the blend.”
“The real question is: where is this mysterious tech coming from, if not the humans?” Angelo replies as we get to the lower eastern edge of the main meeting area. “And how are all the organizations represented here accessing it? What’s the payoff on either side?”
“Damn, bro. That’s the question I had to the letter.
Nothing is free, and this is shit wasn’t given out of the goodness of someone’s heart.
It’s also been a longstanding agreement—or at least for longer than this year.
It came together too quickly to be a new procedure,” Damon muses.
“And nothing I have on me can identify it, though I plan to snatch some samples and ferret them away for review later.”
“Put it on the list of shit we need to figure out or share with the other folks we’re hoping to conspire with,” I murmur as we follow the outer edge of the demarcation between the meeting space and the adjoining barrier to a territory.
“Who’s tech is this, where did it come from, and what are they getting for allowing use of it? ”
Reb rolls his eyes at me. “Money, lil’ sis. No way anyone with tech this advanced is taking anything but fucking money. Look at how graspingly greedy the human tech bros are. Whether this is from their realm—which is doubtful—or any of the others, it’s being paid for in cold, hard cash.”
I can’t deny his logic; the world at large has been a mess for decades because of the dipshit incels who share our realm.
“Okay, so we need people who are good at following the money in their world and ours. Noted,” Damon says as he types on his phone.
Angelo has his hand on his twin’s shoulder to guide him as he stays fixated on the screen and walks, which makes me grin a little.
The guys are better at supporting one another than they let on, and I love that.
“I can handle our side, but we’ll have to sub-contract the other part. ”
“I love it when plans come together,” Archie says with a smirk and everyone groans. “What? I like that show. Shut up.”
“Shhh,” I cut in as we approach the front edge of the staging area. “We’re almost there and I have no idea how we’re going to get this secret whatever-the-fuck to recognize us. It’s not visible to the naked eye, and we definitely can’t do the circle with this many people milling about.”
The crews getting the meeting spot ready didn’t seem to pay us a bit of attention as we walked through, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t monitoring us surreptitiously.
I’m not sure who or what organization they belong to—or if they’re just subcontracted hires.
They’re obviously not human, though, and I’d prefer not to engage anyone as we search for the place we aren’t supposed to know about.
“It’s tense here,” Javier says suddenly. “My bird can feel the fluctuations. The energy is… very old, but paired with new and strange. Definitely at the right spot, but I can’t seem to identify the ancient magic but for a trace of familiarity.”
Frowning, I raise my hands to my waist, palms out, and keep my back to the workers behind us.
I close my eyes, letting everything fall away so I can connect with my Fae side completely.
This isn’t something I do often because it’s unnecessary, but I might detect what Javi is sensing with the core of my powers.
I can feel Rebel brushing against my energy reassuringly; he does this often, and he’s just letting me know that he’s willing to help if need be.
Everything stills as my magic connects inside and outwardly to nature.
Fae have a distinct advantage over other elemental and green magic users because we are deeply connected to it in our realm and the planet recognizes those of the Mother.
It’s hard to explain to anyone without Fae blood in their veins, so we don’t try.
We simply use what gifts we have and hope that wherever we go, the realm will accept that connection as the one we came from does.
Basically, I’m begging the magic and nature of this weird hidden pocket to make nice with me and become visible.
After a few moments of coaxing, I find what I need.
A thread—oh, so small—that responds to the call of my power.
It’s thin and reedy because this space we’re seeking is very much not created by natural forces.
In fact, it is more of a portal to another dimension that resides alongside our own.
However, there are elements within it that are answering my pleas and I believe I’ll be able to get in…
eventually. But who the fuck did this, and why?
How is the ability to create portals alongside the human realm a secret?
The questions are important, but I can only focus on following the thread of acceptance I feel.
So I let it lead me until I envision a large open space that is definitely owned by some sort of magical being.
It’s set up like it belongs to a witch, with power damn near leaking from the protected circle like it’s warning me to back the hell off.
I keep my distance, respecting that energy, but since the place it’s located in is lush with a forest and plants, I know this is what I will use to help us get inside.
“Give me access,” I murmur to myself. “We are not here to damage you.”
As if it simply needed to hear that, a tinkling sound gets my attention, so I open my eyes.
In front of us is a glowing door, just waiting for us to walk inside and see this marvel of tech and magic blended—but what happens when we do?
The door lets us out not by the wooded witch location, but in an odd small town.
There’s a main street of small shops, most of which seem closed up, and down the street, what looks to be the area where the housing is.
The quiet is unnerving, as this seems like it was a fully functioning place at one point, but is just…
shut down. I look over at my guys, shrugging as I gesture toward the other end of the street.
“Fuck if I know where we are, but this is what the damn power trail lead to, and now we have to figure out where the targets are.” Rebel looks perturbed, Archie looks unsure, and the others have varying expressions of concern.
I roll my eyes at their hesitation. “Look, guys. We said we need to find out what the secret is by locating this place. Now we have, and I don’t care if it’s sort of creepy.
We’re going to walk down this road and figure shit out or so help me… ”
“Whoa, whoa, Sparkles,” Damon says as he comes closer, taking my arm. “No one is saying we shouldn’t continue. This place just feels… wrong. It feels like we shouldn’t be here because it’s unnatural, you know? Hell, it’s all of us, so not a single one of our species likes the vibe. Does yours?”
Not even a tiny bit.
But I shrug, forcing myself to be nonchalant.
“Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to let that stop us.
I thought we came to the stupid Apalachin to fight with the gangs and shit, but this?
This is so much bigger—it’s like accessing a realm no one knew was here. Isn’t that a big fucking deal?”
“Uh, fuck yes, it is,” Angelo says as he looks around.
“None of the leaders will be happy with this. But perhaps it explains how the various rebel groups are moving around and gathering. If they aren’t doing it in their own realms, but here, they won’t get caught by spies or snitches or even intelligence groups.
Not a single royal or leader or deity is looking for this shit; how could they fight it? ”
“Exactly.” I tilt my head, looking at my men seriously. “Are you ready to find out who and what this place is hiding? Because I, for one, am not comfortable with some mirror realm or whatever hiding a bunch of shit no one knows about.”
Rebel nods, joining Damon and me at the front.
“Let’s get moving before someone realizes we’re here.
I don’t know what kind of magic or tech protects this place, but since we’re having a sci-fi Wizard of Oz moment, I’d like to get away from the main drag.
Ang, take her other arm, and Javi and Arch block the back. ”
Sighing in annoyance, I let Reb do his pretend general thing.
I know this makes him nervous as fuck, and since I’m trying to be a good mate/girlfriend, I’m also picking which battles I want to fight.
Their overprotective knuckle-dragger shit isn’t really a big deal in this context; in fact, it’s probably smart.
So I don’t complain as we walk down the deserted street that was clearly once a hub of activity for the town we’re in.
It has food, clothing, and other various shops—with pretty recent styles and such.
It looks as if the abandonment happened about two to three years ago, based on what I’m seeing as we stroll down the cobblestone thoroughfare.
“Do you think something happened for them to abandon this? Seems pretty nice,” I say to Damon.
He shrugs, biting his lip. “I don’t know. I don’t sense anything that would force them to leave, like spells or hexes; do you?”
“Nope,” I reply as I continue scanning. “And I don’t see evidence of battles or fighting that would suggest invasion or elimination.”
“It’s like everyone just picked up and left,” Angelo murmurs. “Look ahead at those houses. This shit is pretty fucking nice, but they seem empty as well. Who the hell just leaves a place this well maintained?”
Hell if I know, but it’s definitely creeping me out.