Once Upon a Time: New Fairy Tales Paperback(30)

Kelp. The other Russell—the pre-deployment Russell—would have known. The other Russell was good with words.

“Nixies, kelpies—what’s the difference?”

“I’m a shape-shifter,” Laurel said.

Ah, Russell thought. A shape-shifter. In the years since the TBI, he’d become familiar with many magical creatures, but there always seemed to be more to learn.

“And a warrior,” she added. “I’m the last remaining guardian of the lakes.”

“A warrior.” Russell resisted the temptation to roll his eyes, and bit the insides of his cheeks to keep from smiling. A small victory for the old social filters. And the new role of women in combat.

“The nixies are debating whether to kill you.” She said this matter-of-factly, like she was interested in Russell’s opinion on it.

“I’d like to see them try.” Russell scooped up the iron bar and rested it across his knees. “I’m not a violent person, but I will defend myself.”

He’d said that, over and over, in therapy.

Laurel watched him handle the iron staff with something like jealousy. “I can see that you have some skill with weapons,” she said.

“I should,” Russell said. “That used to be my job. Killing people.”

When Laurel’s eyes narrowed, he added, “Don’t worry. I only killed the bad guys—or at least that’s what I thought. Then I got RFS’d out of the Rangers for misconduct, along with a bad case of TBI and PTSD.”

“You sure have a lot of letters,” Laurel observed.

“My point is, I’m not considered competent. So nobody is going to believe a thing I say. Your secrets are safe with me.”

Laurel cocked her head. “What is this ‘TBI’ and ‘PTSD’?”

“I got blown up a lot when I was in the military,” Russell said, stretching out the kinks in his back. “So now, my brain doesn’t work like other people’s. For instance, I can see and hear you. No offense, but that ain’t normal in my world, so I’m crazy. They claim I was crazy before I enlisted. Not their fault.”

? 100 ?

? Cinda Williams Chima ?

She thought about this for a moment. “I can see and hear you,” she pointed out.

“I didn’t make the rules,” Russell said. “Anyway, what are you doing so far upriver? You’re surrounded by steel mills, and it’s all iron bridges and what-not. Your kind don’t tolerate iron, right? You’re gonna make yourself sick.”

“It wasn’t our idea,” Laurel said, “We’ve been forced into the rivers, because the lake is no longer safe. But, you’re right—we can’t survive here for long. The rivers are cleaner than they used to be, but still not healthy enough to live in permanently. Plus, as you said, there’s the metal.”

“There’s the metal,” the nixies sang.

Laurel wrapped her arms around her knees. She was completely dry, now, and looked like any other half-naked girl you’d meet at a body-builder’s convention. More at home in her body than most girls.

“Our time is up, Russell,” Laurel said. “You and I—we are doomed.”

“We are doomed,” the nixies sang.

“You’ve seen the omens,” Laurel continued, “both the Red Dwarf of Detroit and the Black Dog of Lake Erie.”

“The black dog of—” Russell swung around. Roy was sound asleep again, snoring and farting by turns. “You mean Roy? He’s just a stray.”

“Call him whatever you like, a Black Dog has signaled doom on the lakes for centuries.”

“So you’re saying that I’m doomed, if he’s hanging out with me?”

“I’m afraid so,” the kelpie said. “I give you another day, maybe two.”

Russell thought on this a moment. “Can you tell how I’m going to die?”

Laurel shook her head. “From all appearances, I’d say you’ll get drunk and fall in the river.” She nudged the bottle of Four Roses with her foot.

“Well, thanks for the heads up, but I don’t get whether you’re warning me to be careful, or telling me to do whatever the hell I want because I’ll end up dead either way.”

? 101 ?

? Warrior Dreams ?

“I’m here to offer you a warrior’s death,” Laurel said.