Falling Snow Ch. 06

If it was possible, the creature seemed to blow even more deeply in response to her tone, clearly worried that he had offended Shyira. Tom would be worried too if he was in his shoes. Shyira slid off the counter and stood in front of the creature. The size difference between the two would have been comical if he didn't know any better.

She could probably kill him with no thought at all, he thought.

"It is not the blood of your host that concerns me but their loyalty. I have needs in this town and they will be met."

The creature grunted in what Tom assumed to be a 'yes.' Shyira glanced in Tom's direction before turning her attention back to the creature.

"That's all for now."

She waved one clawed hand and with a flash the creature was gone. The smell of brimstone filled the air as he walked into the kitchen.

"Did you enjoy the show, baby warlock?"

"You knew I was there the whole time, didn't you?"

She smiled at him. "Always."

"That thing was..."

"Hughar, son of Grimm. Lord of the Frost men of The Snow Flurry Hills. Principle bannermen of," Shyira paused as she smiled at Tom, "well, me."

Shyira has an army? He thought, that's terrifying. Shyira seemed to be gauging his reaction before continuing.

She looked thoughtful as she turned in the direction of the departed creature. "Hughar is a loyal servant, but he still has much to learn of decorum." Turning back to Tom she said, "Now his father on the other hand, that man would lick the snowflakes off of my boots it I ordered him too.

Given that Shyira had already tied him up once in the last 24 hours, he decided it was for the best if they got off the subject of boot licking, before Shyira got any ideas.

"And why would you need your ah," he paused a moment, "bannerman here?"

Shyira only looked at him, like a teacher looking expectedly at a favorite pupil. Tom met her gaze as he took a moment to think.

"There were men watching us as we left the greenhouse, weren't there?" He asked. "Aresta isn't as subtle as you. I caught her looking up the street."

Shyira seemed pleased by his question. She beamed at him and nodded, a truly radiant and sexy look on a freshly fucked succubus.

"Who were they?" He asked.

She shrugged. "The holy order of something or another. They seem to have a presence in this town."

"You don't even know their names?"

"It doesn't matter. I've known a thousand such organizations in my time. They're warlocks, that's all I need to know. You can ask your little girlfriend if you really want to know."

Tom decided to ignore her last comment. He suddenly saw an opportunity to ask a question that had been on his mind for a while.

"And how much time would that be?"

Shyira's eyes looked incredibly old as a slow smile crept onto her face.

"Quite a while, Master. I've watched the mountains rise from the sea foam, only to be whittled down to dust once more. I watched a man from Bethlehem crucified and witnessed the city of his executioners' burn, while a fat man fiddled. I've danced with kings in castles made of stone and stared into the wild abyss of the new world."

Tom stared at her wide eyed.

"Plus, I got to watch Babe Ruth hit the first home run at Yankee Stadium, which was pretty awesome."

Tom laughed, whatever tension in the room instantly evaporated by Shyira's girlish charm.

"You have a date tonight, I hear." She said matter-of-factly.

Tom snapped out of his train of thought as he rubbed the back of his neck, unwilling to meet Shyira's eye. He knew this topic would come up at some point today and he wasn't eager to have it. "Yeah," he said, "we're getting something to eat before walking through the carnival they're having on campus."

Shyira was looking intently at Tom again.

"Warlocks tend to complicate things, especially female warlocks who don't know their place."

What the hell did that mean?

"Have fun," she continued, "but don't allow your guard to drop."

"Right...well I'm going straight to my date from class, so I won't be seeing you until later."

"Well if she doesn't fuck you, come back here and I'll mend your swollen dick." She said with a girlish grin.

"It's supposed to be, 'mend your broken heart." He said as he walked towards the shower.

"That too."

Shyira watched him walk away.

****

Tom's lesson plans remained a mystery to him as he moved through his classes for the day.

The sound of pencils scratching on paper filled his surroundings. His professors droned on, one interchangeable body in front of a podium after another. He probably needed to know some of this stuff, but despite his best efforts he couldn't bring himself to focus.

His thoughts were focused on his impending date with Sara. It was all he could think about. If he had been smart, he would have kept his mind occupied with something other than is impending date. His nerves were increasingly frayed as the day dragged on and he was trying not to let it show. There are few things worse for an introvert than to be allowed to have his mind wander. His thoughts moved from one possible bad outcome to another, until he had all but convinced himself that his date would end in disaster.

It's not that he'd never been on a date before, he had. Even the most socially awkward of guys manage to stumble into one every once in a while. But his dates had been few and far in between. The fact that his last one had been...a while ago, wasn't helping his nerves much.

This is ridiculous, he thought later in the day, I'm not that scared, awkward teenager anymore. I'm a warlock and a master of Succubi. A simple dinner should be a piece of cake.

Soon enough, he found the last of his classes being dismissed for the day. He walked out of the lecture hall and into the late afternoon air. This is where he would normally turn left, towards the cheap, run down apartments South of campus where he lived. Instead, he turned right, towards the trendy bars and expensive condos that lined the river North of campus. His path took him through the center of campus. Everywhere he walked he saw activity. People moving around. Booths being erected. Party games being set up. By the time Sara and him were done with dinner, the campuses' yearly carnival would be in full swing.

Tom looked down at himself. Despite his nerves, he looked damn good or at least he thought so. He'd replaced his usual t-shirt with a button-down shirt. His tattered old Levi jeans had been replaced with a pair of new ones. The good ones, with the faded areas and expertly distressed knees. It'd taken him two weeks to gather up the courage to buy them for himself after he'd seen a popular guy in class wearing them. He'd even remembered to take off the stickers this time before going out in public.

Yeah, he looked good, he thought to himself as his confidence began to rekindle itself once again.

What confidence he had dimmed upon reaching Sara's building. While Tom's apartment building was an old building, complete with broken elevator and peeling wallpaper; Sara's apartment building was a sleek modern place. All glass and steel and money. A real, honest to god doorman opened the door as he walked up.

He could have sworn he felt eyes following him as he walked across the lobby. The fact that he wasn't stopped on the way to the elevator, allowed him to regain a measure of his confidence in his appearance...and jean choice, back.

Upon reaching the top floor he knocked on her front door. It opened a moment later to reveal Sara standing in the doorway, looking at him with an appraising eye.

Too say that she cleaned up well would have been an understatement. She looked great. She wore a black sundress that stretched to mid-thigh, it glittered in the last rays of sunlight streaming through the window. A pair of modest heels showed off her firm calves. She'd managed to gain control of her unruly mop of brown hair and put it into a stylish hairdo that perfectly matched the light coat of makeup she'd applied to her face.

She was the perfect girl next door. Exactly the type of girl men fantasized about after they grew up a bit and gained control of their hormones. With that dress, Tom could almost picture her on the cover of some 1950's teen magazine. The nice, sweet, innocen-

"It took me fucking forever to get my hair to look like this."

-well, he thought, maybe not the complete girl next door look.

"Hi." He said lamely.

A thought struck him and his heart sank like a stone. He looked first at her, obviously, designer dress and then down to his own big-box-store bought clothes. I'm under dressed, he thought with sinking horror.

For Sara's part, she looked him up and down, her arms crossed in front of her in a judgmental way. She seemed to come to some sort of conclusion before smiling and making eye contact with Tom."

"So, where are we eating?"

"Uh, you like BBQ? Big Joe's has the best in town."

Sara looked down at her elegant dress and back up at Tom, before a small amused smirk pushed up the corner of her mouth. "Sure, I could go from some ribs."

I'm an idiot, he thought as they walked out of her building, she's obviously dressed to go to a nice place. Should have picked the steakhouse.

It was a short walk through downtown. Before they knew it, they were both seated at a rustic BBQ joint situated right on the edge of the river. Complete with hay bales and expertly distressed tables. The place smelt of peanuts and wood smoke. Very authentic. A waitress in a cowboy hat and a pair of daisy duke shorts came up to give them menus. It was a nice touch that was only mildly ruined by the large neck tattoo and lip piercing she wore.

Tom was looking at his menu, while occasionally stealing glances at Sara looking at her own.

Sara didn't even bother looking up from her menu before answering the unspoken question between them. "Don't you fucking dare try and order for me," she said with an amused look.

"I wasn't." Tom said defensively. Sara seemed to be even more amused by his reaction.

"Sure," she said rolling her eyes. Putting down her menu she looked at Tom. "What's your deal anyway?"

"M-my deal? What do you mean?"

"I mean, magic is passed down in humans through blood lines. Father to son, Mother to daughter."

"So?" Tom said.

Sara looked exasperated. "So, new magic users are rare and it takes generations for them to become as powerful as you. I've looked through our records and there seems to be no record of a Thornton Family."

"It's not like my family is capable of magic or anything like that."

"That just isn't possible. Powerful magic users don't just appear nor do they go unnoticed for this long. We should have records on your family somewhere. Who exactly are you?"

"Well I did just learn how to use magic recently."

Sara looked even more puzzled at his response. "Impossible. No one manifests magic this late in life, it almost always comes with the onset of puberty."

Tom was just about to respond when the waitress arrived to take their order. True to her word, Sara ordered for herself and then proceeded to order for Tom as well, a smug look on her face through it all. The waitress left after taking their orders. Sara had just turned back to Tom, to continue their earlier conversation, when he heard a voice coming their way.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't miss Van Westler herself."

A small group of well-dressed guys were approaching the table. Tom could see the polished brass buttons on their identical dark blue dress jackets. Their polished leather shoes clicked on the tile floor as they walked. Even the way they walked screamed trust fund brats. He watched a stone-faced expression pass over Sara's face.

The one speaking appeared to be the little group's leader. He stood just slightly ahead of the others. He was tall and blond and had the type of chiseled jaw found in fashion magazines...or maybe the Hitler youth, Tom thought. He instantly didn't like the guy.

"I didn't think I would find you slumming it in a place like this." He said cockily.

"Oh, fuck me," Sara said under her breath, "not these idiots."

More loudly she said, "Best ribs in town I hear."

"Sure, if you like eating with your hands like a savage and staining that pretty dress of yours."

He hungerly looked Sara up and down, like he was looking at something that belonged to him. It only served to make Tom dislike the man even more. Sara stared him down, fully aware of what he was doing.

"For the life of me I can't figure out why you're here then." Sara answered smoothly. "God forbid you stained that pretty coat your daddy bought for you."

His smile slipped, ever so slightly at Sara's rebuke, before he regained his composure.

"Good thing I did or I would be here to see your pretty face. I must say you clean up well." He gave her another hungry look.

"Easy enough when there's someone worth cleaning up for." Tom felt the eyes of some of the group on him, although Mr. Hitler Youth was still ignoring him.

"Will I be seeing you at the party later? You could finally have the chance to grip my wand," he gave Sara a knowing smile, "it's made out of a special hard wood from Europe."

Tom's eyes narrowed as the men in the group fought to suppress knowing grins.

"Knowing you it's probably too short and thin more my liking." Sara answered dismissively.

His friends were trying to hide smiles of a different type now. Tom could have sworn he heard one of them snicker.

The guy's smile turned forced as his eyes finally swept over Tom. He could practically feel the judgment in his look, right up to the point where his eyes swept back to Sara without a word being spoken.

He just fucking dismissed he, Tom thought, like I wasn't even fucking here.

"I see you're slumming it in more ways than one. Have you taken a liking to the local rift raft?"

Sara picked up a small bread stick from the basket on the table. She held it in front of her, between her two pointer fingers.

"What can I say, sometimes a girl needs a bit more than her wand can offer her." Sara looked from the bread stick, straight down to his dress pant covered crotch. "If you know what I mean?"

Tom couldn't help but smile while forcing down a laugh.

Mr. Hitler Youth finally looked pissed. "Well I expect I'll be seeing you tonight. I'm sure my father," he said, empathizing the word, "would love to see you there."

His friends were practically laughing out loud as the big guy turned and left without further comment. His friends followed behind him.

"Who the hell was that guy?"

Sara took a bite of the bread stick in her hand. "You remember that guy I was supposed to marry?

Tom nodded.

"That's him, Christopher Wentworth Edwards IV. He's the dean's son and a royal pain in my ass." Sara shook her head in disgust. "When I turned down my parents' arranged marriage, they sent me here. They thought that if I was forced to interact with him socially I would warm to him and be spreading my legs by the end of freshman year." Sara snorted. "Fat chance of that happening.

There was a slight tingling in his nerves as he watched the group walk away. Something was nagging at him and Sara's comment only reinforced his suspension. "They're warlocks?"

She shrugged. "When they want to be. They all have a wand shoved so far up their collective asses it's a miracle that they ever get any magic done."

That peaked his interest more, although come from Sara that last comment was still pretty rich, he thought. Tom stared more closely as the group as they walked towards the exit.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to skip the carnival." Sara shook her head in disgust. "Now that I've run into them I have to make an appearance at this party. It will look like a slight against their family if I don't."

He tried to hide is disappointment. Dates not ending well were nothing new to him, but he thought this one was going pretty well. He hadn't spilled anything on his new clothes yet and Sara had yet to fake going to the bathroom so that she could jump out a window. All in all, he thought it was going well. The image of Chris Edwards and his smug fucking smile popped into his head and his disappointment turned to irritation.

Tom shrugged. "I'll go with you," he said, a new determination in his voice.

Sara raised an eyebrow at that. "That's a bad idea. A warlock from an unknown family showing up to one of these parties is just asking for trouble."

Tom may not have gotten to take Sara to the carnival but he wasn't about to let his date end now. "Why not? It sounds like fun."

"OK," Sara said with a level look, "but don't say I didn't warn you.

They left the restaurant after they were done eating and stood at the curb waiting for their ride. They could hear the beginnings of the school carnival in the distance as they waited for their ride to pick them up.

The sun sank over the horizon, they climbed into the car as it pulled up to the curb. The cab rolled smoothly onto the street. The lights of the carnival twinkled in the night, like false stars over a blackening sky. Sara and Tom moved away from the happy sounds of the carnival and towards a different kind of party.

****

I didn't get quite as far as I wanted to in this chapter. We were supposed to get all the way through the party before ending, but those scenes were going nowhere fast and I wanted to get this chapter out. We have one, maybe two chapters left in this little adventure.

Hope you all enjoyed it. I read all comments, both public and private, even if I'm not the best at responding. So, vote and let me know what you think. -NP