Chapter 3-88: A Fine Day at the Beach (1/2)

Clavus whipped down onto the kelpie’s head. The horse-like skull of moss and greenery was just submerged, breaking line of effect of my Shards, but I didn’t much care. I hit its head, not hard, but the six Shards going off did the work for me, blowing the carnivorous fey creature apart, golden fires blasting in every direction as its plant-like body shriveled and scattered.

Idiot plunged in, and the nixie there writhed as the blackened edge of the Sword impaled it. The Wrath that came through tore the aquatic fey apart, and the rest scattered and plunged deeper, out of range of the vengeful land dwellers above.

They were plenty surprised when he pointed with Idiot, and Wrath boiled down through the water, impaled yet another nixie, and removed them from the list of Cleveland’s worries.

I reached down from Sleipner’s saddle, put my hand on the water, and conducted Magevoice into the water, speaking in Elvish, which they were likely to know.

“All right, you aquatic misanthropes. We have your number. There’s nowhere in the lake you can possibly hide from Master Fred and the Warlocks of Lake Ontario. You are in deep trouble right now.

“I want one of you to swim up here, right now, to answer our questions. If you do not, you are going to be hunted to the depths of the Lake, and Ontario is going to feast on your lives.

“Now someone come up here and talk, or we kill you all. I’ll give you to the count of twenty.”

He gestured that one was coming up at ten, and I reached eighteen before a head popped the surface warily, staring at me leaning there off the motorcycle floating on the waters, and both Master Fred and Sue Harrison, the local Lakelock he’d gotten in contact with for this, standing there on top of the waters, neither of them looking happy.

“How may we assuage the wrath of the great lady?” the elf-like, but shining pale-skinned fey asked, unable to hide his fear, especially with the way the water was boiling and hissing about Master Fred’s heels.

“You don’t have the courage to start taking and drowning people off the shores. I want to know who put you up to this, and where their lair is. Alternatively, you can run, and we’ll chase you there, and kill you with your master.”

I didn’t try to be friendly. These fuckers had been luring people into the water and either kidnapping or immediately drowning them... and the fate of those kidnapped was likely not going to be good if they were working with a kelpie.

Cleveland was angry, especially since it had been taking a lot of steps to get on good terms with the Lake. The Lake was not happy a bunch of Fey were doing shit in its waters without its permission to rile up the city, especially since the Heavenbound of Detroit had taken some pains to clean up the outlets from Lake Hudson into Her waters.

“Talk, nixie,” Sue said, the short, powerfully built swimmer glaring at the fey. “You’re only alive by the grace of the Lake, and you have worn your welcome very thin right now.”

The fey could naturally identify her as a Wavelock of the Lake at a glance, and swallowed. “It-it was not our desire to so offend the waters, great ladies! We are compelled to by the Hag...”

“There’s a fucking HAG IN LAKE ONTARIO?” I swore, and turned to glare at Sue. Master Fred did it better, slowly turning his eyes to stare at her, and she practically wilted.

“I-I had no idea, I swear!” she almost squealed. She put her hand to her head, mumbling rapidly in liquid syllables I couldn’t understand without using a spell... which I was at the moment, and she was VERY urgently asking Ontario what the fuck was going on.

“Uh, the Lake doesn’t have anything against the Hag. She hasn’t done anything to pollute it or despoil it, so She ignored her just like She would ignore a human spellcaster.” She winced at both our stares, especially Master Fred’s. “It’s just like She didn’t care about these nixies until they started stirring things up. They’re just too small to notice and care about unless they kick up a fuss.”

“So She won’t care at all if we terminate this Hag with extreme prejudice?” I hissed, and Sue shook her head urgently.

“She’s probably going to run as soon as the panicking nixies get back to her and tell her what is happening. You, what direction and how far?” I pointed at the trembling nixie, who did not want to see the sparking Shards around my hand.

He pointed unerringly. “Four miles that way, a small island with a cave and underwater access the Hag has cleared out for her own use.”

“What else is with her?” I demanded, as Master Fred tensed, about to leave.

His dark eyes flashed, obviously having hoped I wouldn’t ask that. “A troll and two merrow,” he answered quickly.

I narrowed my eyes. “A troll, or a scrag?” I asked precisely.

He wilted. “It is indeed a lake troll, great lady,” he responded.

I leaned forwards slightly. “Get lost. I know your face now, I don’t need your name. If I ever see you around a human settlement again, and I’ll be checking up on you, I’m going to hunt you down and kill you before you ever know I’m around. You understand me?”

He swallowed despite himself. “Y-yes, Great Lady.”

I snapped my wrist, and the water splashed as he got out of there as quickly as he could.

Fred was plainly thinking about sniping the treacherous little bastard, but forewent the opportunity. SHALL WE?, he asked, striding back to Sleipner, and bumping me back.

“Lake trolls heal faster than normal ones, and take fire damage to put down, which is a mite difficult underwater.”