Wish upon the Stars chapter 392

We were running. Desperately trying to get to a musician before  anyone else. As we ran, I saw dozens of others scattering in all  directions. Not everyone. Some of these people either weren't here to  enter the Glade or didn't care enough to try being early, because they  just watched everyone else barrel around with smirks on their faces.  Zeke wasn't leading, exactly, he'd just gotten us started running, Nat,  however WAS pulling ahead to show us the way to the nearest person who  could open us a slide.

We turned off into an alley and  bolted into a small run down shop with a door hidden under an overhang,  and Nat slammed the door behind us, barricading it before she informed  Celine we would be contracting the old man behind the counter as our  ride and to get us a decent rate. She shoved a bag of chits into her  hand, probably because we were in a time crunch, and the elf girl sighed  and got to work negotiating.

Callie pulled me aside,  activating her Stealth Skill as we stepped into a dark corner. "You  know." I said with a grin. "If you wanted to pull me away for some alone  time your timing could be better. Honestly I think Stealth will make  our absence MORE noticeable, not less."

She gave me a wan  smile. "Sadly not where my mind was at. Shane...we need to talk." I  blinked at her. That sounded...bad. I'd never had someone tell me that  and mean anything good by it. I could feel discomfort, uncertainty, and  fear through the bond, and I had a sinking suspicion I knew what this  was about.

"Right." I said slowly. "Talk about what? Did  something happen? Is this about the whole Vampire thing?" I wracked my  brain for what she might want to talk about. We'd been pretty solid up  to this point, and I hadn't felt and unhappiness through the bond. "Like  if I did something wrong, we can talk it out right?" My stomach was in  knots. Was that what this was? Was she breaking up with me?

Staring  at me uncomprehendingly, she seemed to notice my creeping dread through  the bond. Her own unhappy feelings evaporated like snow on a summer day  as she finally realized what I meant and...burst out laughing. She was  doubled over cackling at me, and my own fear was mitigated somewhat by  annoyance. It wasn't MY fault she'd been so damned vague. "I'm sorry,"  She wheezed. "But I just realized what that probably sounded like. No,  sweetie I'm not breaking up with you."

I threw my hands in  the air. "Well, hell Callie, maybe don't lead the conversation so  ambiguously next time. The bond was sending me tons of signals. If you  aren't breaking up with me what the hell is this about? If it helps,  just know that whatever it is will pale in comparison to what you just  put me through, so thanks for setting the stage."

She had  to try to staunch her giggles. "Right. Sorry, love. No, I wanted to talk  about the group. Specifically, I wanted to talk to you about leading  it. I think you should take over as leader."

Blinking in  surprise, I cocked my head. "But...why? You're amazing at leading. You  always have a plan, plus you have way more experience. Your years as an  Ascendant-"

She cut me off. "Mean nothing anymore. I was a  G-ranker in a tiny city on a tiny backwater planet. Sure, I spent some  time learning how things worked, but my experience is so far behind  where we are now that you couldn't spot it with a telescope. It's apples  an Elephants, Shane. This isn't my world anymore. Literally. It is  yours though. And you'll be expected to do more as we go on. To make  your own faction. To lead."

"But." I floundered. I hadn't  expected this. "I'm not...leadership material. I'm a thug. I just hit  shit. I don't know politics and backroom deals and tactics. That's you.  You're amazing at that stuff, it's one of the MANY things I love about  you. Everyone is safer with you in charge."

Flicking my  forehead through the mask with a dull thunk, she glared up at me. "You  are not an idiot. You are not an animal. You are a smart, capable man  with admittedly SOME impulse control issues. You CAN make good  decisions. And I'll still be here to help and handle things if you  can't. We're partners remember? But the things we're going to be  involved in going forward are going to be all on you. Your family, your  enemies. You need to learn to lead."

It was hard to argue  that. But I just...didn't want to. I didn't want to be in charge, didn't  want all that pressure. I wasn't just a thug because of my reputation, I  was a thug because it was FUN. Turning off my brain and hitting shit  until it left me alone was EASY. It also let me ignore what I'd known  for a long time. I needed to make a goddamn decision about where my life  was going.

Putting it off for so long had been convenient  because of the messes we'd been in, but I needed a direction. I wanted  to become the Wishmaster, but that was almost TOO big of a goal. It was  easy to write it off as an overarching path and just ignore the trees  for the forest. I needed a direction. We were doing this to get  stronger, then strengthening our souls, but for what? Just to keep  trying to prove ourselves to the family?

"And if I take  over the group." I said quietly. "You'll be with me, whatever I decide  we should do? No matter what?" I needed to know she'd be by my side,  because I was pretty sure my new direction was going to be a bit more  dangerous than the current one, at least in the short term.

She  snorted. "Baby, if you don't know I have your back by now I don't know  what to tell you. Barring you going insane from recursion and taking up a  career punching babies, I'm with you no matter what."

I  grinned, triggering the 'eating' function of my mask as I leaned down to  pull her into a deep kiss. She grinned back against my lips, until we  finally finished and I pulled back, panting slightly. She gave me a wink  and I laughed. "Alright." i said breathlessly. "I'll take over. And I  know what to do. It's not going to be a short term goal mind you, we  have to finish this mess and then get through the trials at the Ruined  Soul Temple but...I want to find my mom."

She raised an  eyebrow at me. "Really? I never got the impression you were too curious  about her. She left even before your dad right?"

"She  did." I agreed grimly. "But she might have had to. Zeke implied dad  forced her, and even if he didn't...I need to know. I've spent a ton of  time brooding about the parent I know, but I want to meet the one I  don't. I barely remember my mom, and I want to see her again. It's  probably going to be a big deal tracking her down. Somehow I doubt I can  just roll up to the Church's back yard and ask to see her."

My  girlfriend shook her head emphatically. "You can't. First off,  A-rankers are the pillars of the main factions. Their locations are  closely guarded secrets, and they change constantly. At least when they  aren't locked up in the central stronghold of their factions. But  there's no way we reach your mom in the Holy Dominion. I've been reading  up on this stuff since we found out we were leaving, and I can tell you  that for sure. Luckily your mom is a combat caste A-ranker, and they  aren't known for cushy desk jobs. She's PROBABLY out and about."

I  nodded, smiling at the news. "That's awesome. So we just need to find  her. I even know who to ask. We can talk to that Brightlaw guy. He's a  Crusader for the Church right? I bet he knows a ton about the combat  caste. We can talk to him during our trip through the Glade."

"We  can." She said cautiously. "But don't expect finding him to be easy.  The Glade is a dungeon, one big enough to support local factions.  F-ranker factions too, but most of the big names will have ingested  Moonglow Dew. We're going to have our hands full." Seeming to notice her  error she put her hands up. "Not that I'm saying to give up. Finding  your mom is a good idea. If Brightlaw doesn't know, I bet someone at the  Ruined Soul Temple will. The elites of the factions will be there for  the trial, she might even show up."

I grinned at the  thought. She was right. I had a direction to go in now. Somehow, having a  plan, a short term plan that MATTERED to me, made this seem...less  daunting. I could do this. I'd track down that Crusader and ask him what  he knew, and if it was nothing I'd KEEP looking until we found my  mother and I could finally ask her what had happened. I could finally  get an answer from at least ONE of my parents.

Smiling  sweetly, Callie leaned up to kiss my cheek and pulled away, letting the  Stealth drop as she walked over to where Celine was negotiating with the  musician. "Well." She asked loudly. "How are negotiations going?"

Celine  turned to glare at her, or at least give her a mildly disapproving  frown, which was the Celine version of screaming and falling on her like  a ravenous chimpanzee. "Poorly. This...person." The way she said that  made it clear she wanted to say a much less neutral word but wasn't  willing to sully herself with such vulgarity. "Is insisting on  overcharging us. He thinks he has leverage and refuses to compromise."

The  old man grinned, exposing several missing teeth (though the rest of  them were perfectly straight and white, so I suspected they'd been  knocked out in a fight when he was younger or something). "S'right." He  said smugly. "I want thirty F-rank chits for the lot of you. Three  apiece."

Callie grimaced, turning to me. "Well boss man?  First decision as group leader. What should we do? Are we going to eat  the cost?" I could tell from the bond she didn't think we should, and I  didn't either. If he was overcharging us I'd rather go look for someone  else.

"Two." I said flatly. He opened his mouth and I held  up a hand. "Nope. This isn't a negotiation. I'm not bartering, I don't  have that Skill. You'll take two or we'll take our leave. I'm sure you  can find someone else who wants to head down there. Of course, the  chances are good that you'll run into someone a bit less...civilized  than I am, and that their guardian might be less circumspect. You might  end up getting threatened into taking nothing."

His mouth  snapped shut. He glared at me, but I just stared him down. I didn't know  if two F-rank chits per person was a good rate, but it was a better  one, and close enough to the full amount that it wasn't TOO onerous to  accept. Finally he sneered and nodded, and Celine smugly counted out the  chits.

Callie gave me a proud smile and leaned up to kiss  my masked cheek. I grinned, then turned to the old man, who had taken a  pan flute out of his pocket. He played a note, and the window blew  open, then he began to really cut loose. The speed complexity of the  song were astonishing, and with each new note a moonbeam streamed  through the window twisting in on itself. I watched in stunned amazement  as the moonbeams wove themselves into a bridge, or rather, a slide.  "Okay." I said aloud as I stared. "That was pretty cool."