Bailey
The trail led deep underground to a cave filled with floating crystals that shed golden light. The warmth of the afternoon sun flooded the place. My magic guided me to a crystal nearby.
“Welcome to a nexus,” Anubis announced. “The last time I was here, there weren’t any crystals, just balls of light. I suppose change comes to even us.”
I peered at the crystal wrapped in my sparkling magic. “This lead to Earth?”
“Yes.”
“You make trouble for fun,” I accused. “I wait until sunrise near Quinn? Then ride sunlight?”
“Sunny would make it easier for you—and allow you to return faster. Or you could use that pretty bracelet of yours to forge a connection with little Samuel. Either would work. My grandson was properly forged into a conduit for your use.”
I regarded the divine with narrowed eyes. “Forged? That sound painful.”
“The Devil decided to involve himself and may have exposed little Samuel to copious amounts of hellfire while he was a cindercorn. Add a little angelic magic in the form of your bracelet, and you can home in on him. I am disappointed I didn’t think of such a trick myself. I merely acquired Sunny for you and made certain she could reach you no matter where you went—and provide a way back to Earth. She’ll be here soon.”
“My puppy? Here? Soon?”
“It took her a while to give the Devil the slip. He is rather persistent and wants you to use his magic rather than mine.”
Divines. I could trust them to be competitive idiots.
Anubis barked a laugh. “Indeed.”
Damned mind-reading divines.
“That, too.”
A howl drew my attention to the stairwell leading back to the surface, and several moments later, a golden wolf barreled down the stairs. She crashed into Anubis, bounced off, and plowed into my legs. The animal’s tail beat against me, and she yipped her excitement. I lowered my head and sniffed the animal, who didn’t seem like much of a puppy to me; she came up to my belly at the shoulders.
“She’ll be more of a puppy back on the mortal coil,” Anubis promised. “She’s in her prime here.”
“What I do with her?”
“Sunny, shine,” Anubis ordered.
The wolf sat, lifted her head, and barked once. Then her fur began to glow with a golden light, and she radiated warmth.
“That it? I use this light?”
“Visualize who you want to go to, and her light will shine there. But note that this only works between here and the mortal coil. Some limitations can’t be circumvented. This is one of them. One-way street.”
“So I can go to Quinn?”
“Yes.”
“And nothing bad happen?”
“You’ll startle him, I’m sure.”
I liked the sound of that. “We go now?”
“You can go now if you’d like. Give it a try. I’ll nudge you along if you need help.”
I scoffed at the thought of needing help to ride a beam of sunlight, even when the sunlight radiated from my puppy. “Okay. Sunny come, too?”
“She’ll follow you. Your magic will leave a trail she can ride, much like you ride sunlight.”
“You coolest puppy ever,” I announced, nuzzling the wolf.
Of all the magic I’d ever done in my life, concentrating on Quinn came easily.
In all ways, he was the center of my universe, even when I refused to admit it and struggled with the basics, including telling him just how much I loved him.
Words were never enough.
Quinn
In the three hours it took the tankers and mages to arrive at the mine, I found little evidence of use, although I did find a laptop, several wallets, blood samples, and the frozen body of a gray wolf encased in plastic.
I dragged everything to the pile of evidence to be checked over and taken away for examination. When a CDC representative in a hazmat suit approached, I pointed at the stash. “This is everything of potential importance I found that probably isn’t contaminated with gorgon dust. Check for gorgon dust and rabies, please.”
The representative nodded, turned on his scanner, and went to work.
The evidence showed no signs of contamination from gorgon dust, but the scanner squealed when he tested for rabies. The wolf proved the primary source of the virus, but it also contaminated the other material.
“Is the wolf virus the same as on the wallets? I tried to avoid cross contamination, but I’m somewhat limited right now.” I eyed the wolf body, wondering why the gorgons had kept such a thing so close to their hive. Had the wolf been brought in before or after the hive had been infected with rabies? The presence of rabies on the rest of the evidence indicated the hive had been wiped out by the illness.
I wondered if John Winfield was the idiot with aspirations to become a god. The ampoule of ambrosia implied he was the kind crazy enough to wield the divine essence as a weapon—or as a tool to become divine.
No matter how I turned the situation over in my mind, I couldn’t figure out how the pieces fit together.
The CDC rep fiddled with the settings on the scanner and held it over the pile of evidence. It squealed and began to beep. “There are four distinctive strains of the rabies virus present.”
“Is that device sensitive enough to determine if any of those strains have the capacity to be airborne?”
“Rabies is bad enough without the risk of it becoming airborne,” the representative complained, but he fiddled with the device again. “One virus sample is still alive, but I have no way of knowing if it might be airborne.”
“Seal everything and treat it like it’s airborne. Just in case. Make certain no gorgons are exposed to the virus.”
“Such as yourself?”
I snorted flame. “Do you think the virus will survive exposure to napalm?”
“No. I don’t.”
“I’ll be fine. But you can have me dunked in neutralizer if it makes you feel better. No glass coffins, though. My wife will rampage if you put me anywhere near one of those.”
“We could distract her for the three hour session. Or have her go in for a run, too. She just loves glass coffins.”
I considered the rep. “You know Bailey?”
“I teleported from Washington, sir. I’m one of her trainers.”
I flattened my ears. “Bomb trainer?”
He laughed. “I’m Roberto Dascurne. I’m not one of the bomb techs. I’m specialized in infectious diseases, and I’ve worked with her on immunity tests.”
I relaxed. “How’d she do? She threw a party when her last batch of evaluations was finished.”
“Great. I’ve figured out what causes her immune system to crash.”
I lifted my head. “You have? What is it?”
“When she’s overexposed to neutralizer, one of her genetic markers switches from on to off; the marker is the one responsible for the production of antibodies. When this marker is off, the antibodies she currently has cease to function. It’s the same basic idea of how angels can become infected with human diseases at will—and purge them at will. They flip this specific marker on and off at will. Bailey isn’t capable of switching the marker on and off at will. Neutralizer is essentially a form of solidified magic.”
“But she doesn’t have any angelic blood.”
“No, but she has a great deal of divine DNA. The ability of angels is divine in nature. But, now that I have a good idea of what’s causing it, it’s an easy fix.”
“What do you mean? How is it an easy fix?”
“If her immune system fails, just give her an injection of ambrosia. That will turn the gene marker back on and reboot her immune system. Her immune system will then purge everything from her body. Hey, can you do me a favor?”
“What favor?”
“Convince Bailey to let us do a rabies test on her. The next time she finds a rabid puppy in a dumpster, don’t start treatments right away. Give it a week. After we can confirm infection, we’d like to flip the gene off for twenty-four hours and then flip it back on. We want to see if she’ll purge the virus like angels do.”
The CDC needed to employ Tiffany full-time. She would be right at home with the crackpots who wanted to do research on my wife. “Write up a full report of all issues you expect, pitch it to Bailey. If I have to adopt another rabid dog or cat because of this, the CDC will be responsible for helping me find a bigger house. And the CDC will provide a trainer for exotic animals so we can both be licensed.”
“I heard about the ocelot.” Roberto nudged the wolf’s corpse. “This is useful, as we do have that small pack of rabid wolves; if this virus sample matches their strain, we might have a good lead on the investigation. One of the wolves might be a suitable animal for your adoption.”
“Why?”
“She likes humans too much. She’s not a good release candidate.”
“What are the odds she could become a wolf ambassador for the general public?”
“Pretty high.”
I sighed. “I’ll talk with one of my dog trainers, and we’ll see if we can work with the wolf. Send word along the line we’ll take responsibility for the wolf if there isn’t a better placement for her elsewhere.”
“Excellent. I’ll let you know, and I’ll send trainers for wolves and large felines in the next few weeks so you can be fully licensed. In the meantime, I’ll have temporary permits issued for you.”
“Call me after we get this mess dealt with. Best time would be in early January. What’s the ETA on the tankers being ready to flood this place out?”
“Give me half an hour to get this evidence contained and into our truck, then we’ll need twenty minutes to get the water tankers converted and start pumping. Try to avoid eating too much napalm, Chief Quinn. However amusing it is to watch a unicorn get drunk on flammable materials, you will not appreciate the hangover tomorrow.”
“If my wife shows up, all bets are off.”
“The last thing anyone needs is two cindercorns hopped up on napalm.”
I whinnied my laughter. “Then tell the CDC to get on finding reliable ways to light this blend of napalm. If you could do that reliably, you wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”
“I would’ve asked for a phoenix feather, but the last time we went that route, we got the whole damned birds, and that’s even worse than drunk cindercorns.”
“Well, maybe the next time my wife requests napalm, you’ll listen. When she has to get creative, she gets really creative.”
“Trust me, we know. We’ve learned our lesson. I wish you the very best of luck containing her in the future. You’re going to need it.”
Bailey
Unlike when I hitched a lift on a sunbeam, time distorted. I supposed distance factored into it; light only traveled so fast, and I had no way of judging how far of a gap I had to cross to travel between the divine realm and the mortal coil.
I disliked the darkness, but I looked forward to seeing Quinn.
Had I been thinking, I would’ve realized life rarely went my way. Instead of my usual, somewhat graceful landings, I popped into existence and crashed directly onto my target. I squealed, Quinn crashed to the ground beneath me, and had he been human or been a gorgon-incubus doohickey, I would’ve crushed him.
The peppery spice of napalm filled my nose, and after a stunned moment, I realized the gel-like fluid surrounded us.
“So nice of you to drop in,” my husband muttered. “Could you please get off?”
“Oops.” I rolled off him, splashed into the napalm, and scrambled to my hooves. Then I licked napalm off my husband’s nose. He tasted even better when drenched with the sparkly gel. “Best present!”
Quinn groaned and rolled to his hooves, and the napalm dripped from his coat. “Welcome home. Enjoy your trip?”
A flash of golden light drew my attention, and a moment later, Sunny landed on my back. “Yes! Look! Puppy.”
Quinn reached over, seized Sunny by the scruff of her neck, and waded through the napalm in the direction of a bright light. I realized someone had set up a spotlight near several large tankers, which were hard at work flooding the area with my favorite treat. I trailed behind Quinn, prancing in the gel while he delivered my puppy to Tiffany.
“Please make sure there’s no napalm in her coat,” Quinn said, releasing my puppy once certain Tiffany had a good hold on her. “Thank you.”
Tiffany held my puppy in one arm and waved at me. “Nice entrance, Bailey.”
“Nice? I squish Quinn,” I wailed.
“He handled it with grace. He hasn’t been completely squished. He’s only slightly tenderized. Right, Sam?”
“I’m fine, Bailey. You startled me. We have to light up some napalm now. You can rub my back later as penance for landing on me.”
Quinn’s recommended ‘punishment’ caught my attention, and I regarded him with a hungry look. “Will need baby-sitter. Will take long time to rub back.”
“I’m sure I can coerce one of my relatives to watch the kids for a while.”
“Good. Good.” I lifted my head and pranced in place. “Janet! Janet!”
Janet saluted me. “Go get that napalm lit so we can go home sometime this year.”
“You stay for wedding,” I declared. “There be one, even if have to take over Vay-gus.”
Janet laughed. “Just get me home sometime this year, please. Also, I’d like to see you take over Vegas. Sounds like fun.”
“Yes, can do. You have pets? Need pets watched? Home watched? Quinn? Did you take care of Janet’s home?”
“I don’t have any pets, and my house should be fine. The door was locked, and I have an alarm system. Don’t worry, Bailey. Really.”
I relaxed and nuzzled Quinn. “When we make fire?”
My husband chuckled and nipped my shoulder. “As soon as the containment field goes up. It won’t be much longer. Let’s go get into position so we can get to work as soon as they’re ready.”
I bolted for the dome, skidded to a halt in the napalm, and pranced while waiting for Quinn to catch up. “Hurry, hurry, hurry.”
He laughed and joined me, rewarding me with another nuzzle and a nip. “Patience, Bailey. You’ll get to play with napalm soon enough.”
Quinn
Bailey’s common sense and dignity dribbled out of her pretty equine ears, and she rolled in the napalm, kicked her hooves, and played like a child on a sugar high. What amused me most was that she didn’t eat more than a bite or two before she abandoned all pretenses of maturity to romp and play in the gel.
I took a nibble here and there to see what all the fuss was about, but beyond the napalm having a warm, peppery bite, I didn’t see the appeal.
I supposed her heritage played some part in it functioning somewhat like pixie dust for her. Her reaction did remind me a lot of how many reacted to the shimmering powder most used to improve their moods—if taken to the extremes.
Bailey flopped onto her back and wormed through the gel, and I stared in a mix of awe, amusement, and confusion at her antics. I hadn’t even known cindercorns could, with enough work, slither across the ground on their backs.
My life had become so strange since Bailey had stormed into it. I took another bite of napalm just in case I hadn’t consumed enough to turn me into a hyperactive menace.
Nothing happened beyond adding to the warmth in my belly. I expected that warmth would become stronger fire once the containment shield went up. I figured if I could survive hellfire, the ignited napalm wouldn’t bother me.
I just needed to make sure I stayed out of Bailey’s way while she freaked out. Unlike the incident at 120 Wall Street, I wasn’t concerned about the mine crushing her; most of the buildings only had one or two stories, and it would take a lot more than some steel to slow my wife down.
Just to be on the safe side, I’d stay out in the open and leave the building demolition to her.
She’d have fun, and I’d have fun watching her have fun.
Not long after Bailey had decided walking was too much effort and slithering was more up her alley, the containment shield snapped into place, and the barrier gleamed in the colors of the rainbow, illuminating the entirety of the mine complex.
“Showtime, Bailey.” I nudged her with a hoof. “We need to light the napalm now.”
“Napalm!” my wife purred, and she snuggled with the gel. “Yummy, delicious napalm.”
I wanted to be the one she snuggled with, damn it. “Bailey. We have to light it on fire.”
“Soon,” she replied, and I got the feeling she used soon in the same way my divine relatives used the word: if left to her own devices, she’d leave me waiting for a few years first.
Great. I’d have to figure out how to light it myself. “How did you light it in New York?”
For a moment, I thought she wasn’t going to answer me, as she started chowing down on her favorite treat. “Run fast, make fire.”
At the rate of her napalm consumption, the CDC would need to bring in a few extra tankers to make up for her gluttony.
My poor wife. She’d have a record-breaking hangover in the morning.
I had no idea if I could run fast and make sufficient fire to light up the napalm, but I’d give it a shot. If I couldn’t do it, I’d find some way to goad my drunk cindercorn wife into helping out. Shaking my head over the insanity, I pawed at the gel, snorted flame, and took off at a canter. Napalm splashed into my fur, and as soon as I hit full speed, my fur ignited.
Unlike hellfire, the napalm tickled more than it hurt. With a little experimentation, I discovered the faster I ran, the faster the napalm ignited. The thick gel resisted my efforts, but once patches of it burned without my interference, it began to spread.
Snorting flame helped, too.
The first time I passed my wife, she didn’t even notice I’d turned her lake of napalm into flame. When she finally figured out I would take her treat away through burning it off, she surged to her hooves, charged a few paces in my direction, and snorted her displeasure.
“Bad Quinn! No burn!”
I skidded to a halt and snorted fire at her. “Yes, burn.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
She closed the distance between us, reared, and stomped her hooves into the napalm. “Can’t eat if you burn.”
I longed to smack my forehead at the insanity. “Bailey.”
“Not my napalm,” she whined, and as I’d married a cindercorn with the general maturity level of a toddler given copious amounts of sugar, she rolled into the flaming gel. “Mine!”
If I loved her much more, my heart really would burst in my chest. “You’re ridiculous.”
She wormed her way to me and somehow managed to wrap herself around my forelegs. “You mine, too.”
That was something. “Yes, I am. But I still have to light the napalm on fire.”
“Mean!”
I regarded the gel, which had begun to burn merrily and spread. “I’m so cruel and mean. You’ll just have to punish me after we get to our hotel.”
“Promise?”
“The faster you ignite all this napalm, the faster we get to the hotel so you can properly punish me.”
Bailey lurched to her hooves and galloped away, and the few times she slowed, probably long enough to catch her breath, she bucked and whinnied. I couldn’t tell if the napalm had short-circuited her brain, or if she was that excited to take me to a hotel.
Either worked for me, and bemused, I watched my wife turn into a fiery psychopath hellbent on destruction.