Paying the Piper

Thirty: Interlude

When Quentin and Rhia had reached the little lit area full of scents and voices, he had barely been able to take stock of the situation. He saw his brother kneeling on the ground, something off about him. At first he thought it was just his fox-vision, but even the smell of Ryland was different than the smell he had followed all this way. His brother was...altered in some way.

But even worse was Hannah next to him. She was lying too still on the ground.

A dark presence stood before Faye, and darkness emanated from his form. Quentin had no doubt this had to be the infamous Dorian Gray.

Then his quick glance of the area saw a final form. But this figure was staring at him, eyes wide and nostrils flared. Before Quentin could even fully register the person's crazy hair, the stranger had stridden over to him and put a hand on his back.

Suddenly, the dimly lit area was gone, replaced by a twilight gray forest. Both brighter, but duller.

Quentin stared around, confused. He made a split decision and dashed away into the trees on all fours. But when he reached the trees, he came back into the clearing from another direction. He trembled in place, realizing he was trapped. The stranger still stood there, watching him.

"You are not Faye," the stranger said. "But you have Faye's skin."

This fox pelt was...Faye's? And this stranger realized he wasn't a true a fox? Quentin shifted back human, staring at this stranger.

"I...I didn't steal it." He didn't like how petulant he sounded. "I found it. Years ago."

"Found it and took it. That's theft to me." The stranger bared his teeth, but then shook his head. "But actually, this could be good timing." His expression changed to one of thoughtfulness, and he placed a finger between his teeth the long way.

"Who are you?" Quentin asked. "And where are we? How did we get here?"

The other young man tilted his head, pondering the questions. He removed his finger from between his teeth and replied, "My name is Cale. I've been a friend of Faye's since we were children." He glanced around the clearing. "This is the heart of the Potomah."

"O-kay." Quentin blinked, still trying to make sense of everything happening. "But where is everyone else? I need to go back and help my brother and my friends."

"No. Time doesn't exist here, so we have plenty of it. First I need to know: are you Quentin? The one Dorian Gray saved?"

He wasn't sure what the proper response was. He knew what the truth was, but would that answer get him killed? Maybe this person was out to take down anyone who had been blessed by the demon. But then, he was supposedly Faye's friend, so he ought to be trustworthy. Surely he wouldn't slaughter Quentin for something out of his control. "Maybe..."

"I saw the deal Dorian made with Henry Delgado."

Quentin waited. He wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean or even how someone other than his father could have seen it.

Cale seemed to be talking to himself. "It'd be a risk...but if it works, it would bring about the best possible outcomes." He locked his eyes on Quentin's. "Are you willing to try?"

Quentin glanced around at the gray trees, but they didn't have any explanation of Cale's words. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Cale sighed and began to explain to Quentin his plan. They sat and discussed it at length, since time wasn't an issue (or so Cale claimed). Cale was certain Faye was about to make a deal with Dorian, despite his best efforts at convincing her otherwise. Her deal, at least, could save Hannah's life. Quentin had to keep returning to this point since he hadn't fully wrapped his head around the fact that Hannah was gone. They had been looking for her, sure, but they hadn't expected to find her...dead. He had seen her lying there, utterly motionless, but it still didn't seem real.

"Okay, so Faye bargains to save Hannah's life. Got it. Then we're all peachy keen, right?"

Cale stared at him the way Quentin's teachers did when he joked a response instead of answering seriously. Quentin wilted a little, glancing back to the ground and where the fox pelt still rested in his hands, its folds soft and familiar.

"You can't get something for nothing, right?" he asked more soberly.

"Not with Dorian." Cale sighed. "Dorian's price is that Faye pays him in blood. Three drops of blood is the usual exchange. That's where you come in."

Quentin understood the rest of the plan from there. It was risky indeed. But only he could do it.

"If it works, we will destroy Dorian."

But there was a lot they didn't know.

"What will happen to me?"

Silence threaded between them. Silence in the timelessness.

Cale hesitated. "I don't know for sure. I think you'll be fine." His voice didn't exude enough confidence to convince Quentin.

He'd be fine, or he'd drop dead. Or maybe the blessing of health Dorian bestowed on him as an infant would disappear and he'd be having a grand mal seizure in the forest. Which might happen soon regardless, though. He had more unknowns than knowns for his future at this point.

It sounded like the insurmountable odds inherent to his computer games, and Quentin always liked to play the hero. This was a chance to be a hero in earnest.

"Okay. Let's try."

Before they could return to the clearing, Quentin had one last question. He had a suspicion that he wanted to clear up.

"You're the silver fox, aren't you?"

Cale looked at him, hesitating. Finally, he nodded.

"You helped lead me out of the In-between before."

Part of Quentin's respect and awe for the fox evaporated, now that the fox wasn't truly a fox. He wasn't an Otherworldly creation, completely mysterious and unknown. Just like Quentin, he could remove his pelt and stand in human form. The reassurance that had come by seeing his silvery glow fled in the face of the all-too-normal human features.

Yet, he did still owe his interdimensional savior a thank you. It seemed fitting to grant that now.

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Image credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/forest-fog-misty-camping-ground-963306/