“Of course, but you have to have a permit first.”
“Yeah, I know. My hours from Boston should transfer, even though I still need a few more. Maybe Nai Nai could drive and I’ll sit on the back.”
We both laugh at the image; Nai Nai in a brightly colored helmet driving at twenty miles an hour, Ace on the back holding a stack of drinks.
“Bedtime soon!” Nai Nai yells.
“It’s only nine-thirty!” Ace complains.
“School night, and you haven’t done your papers!”
He mashes his lips together and his cheeks color. “Yes, Elder Feng!”
I didn’t realize they gave new students homework on the first night. Oops.
We wrap up what we can for the site and save it for now. I still want to work on the drink menu, something that has a bit of astral flare. It’ll all be lattes and stuff, but like “Cosmic Caramel Crunch” and “Espresso Explosion.”
Maybe explosion isn’t the right word to use with coffee. And “cosmic” is already in the name of the café so…
More workshopping to come.
I take a quick shower and collapse onto my bedroll, asleep before I even know it’s happening.
fourteen
Secret Fighting Ring
Two nights come and go much faster than I expect as I fall into a schedule. Nai Nai and I spend our mornings creating warded containers for the ingredients she’ll need to make treats. We add heavy protections on the jars for sweets, and I wrinkle my nose as I fantasize about rubbing our diligence in Rhazan’s face.
In the afternoons she experiments with baking on the theme I’ve picked, and I organize all the equipment and tools in the front of house. Hope takes root in my gut. We’re not just going to be surviving. This business is a way for us to start something real of our own, and it excites me.
The night I’m supposed to meet Rhazan, that excitement builds to a heady buzz that keeps me awake. I’m lying on my side, waiting for sleep that won’t come. I need to pass out so I can get to his realm.
Nerves fire through my fingers and toes, making me wiggle my feet to disperse the energy. I did sets to use up what energy I had left after dinner, but it apparently wasn’t enough. My heart had been pounding, sweat pouring, but it felt like there was energy blocked from escaping me. Even still, my breathing technique hasn’t worked.
I flip my phone over and check the time. One in the morning. Shit.
The brand on my wrist glows faintly, then thrums like a heartbeat. His heartbeat.
Ace and Nai Nai are definitely asleep, so summoning him here should be safe. Not like Nai Nai would lose her shit if she saw him, but Ace…he’s only sort of aware that all this occult stuff is real. It would be an interesting night, for certain.
My fingers linger over the mark and it thrums again. Harder. My body shivers. Not from the inside though. From the outside, like something is vibrating against me.
I scowl at the mark and press my thumb against it. The air around me collapses in a puff of smoke and I land on a bed of many blankets and pillows that smell ofhim. I sit up fast, gasping as I look around. It’s Rhazan’s office bedroom.
And he’s nowhere in sight.
Am Iactuallyhere, or did I fast-track myself to sleep and astral project directly into the space? I pinch myself, feeling it all the way up my arm. I’m dressed in my nightshirt and shorts, so I guessmaybeit’s really me here, but my body felt real enoughlast time, and it looked the same, too. There’s no way to really know. I’ll just have to be more cautious.
I get off the cot and look around. A low fire crackles behind his work desk and an oversized, very comfortable-looking chaise sits next to it. The library stretches half the length of the back wall, but I don’t recognize any of the books—or any of the languages they’re written in, for that matter.
A shout buffets the door from down the hall. I creep toward it and open it a crack, looking toward the bar. Creatures are spilling out of a room, shoving and jumping to get in closer. Their animalistic cheering sends a thrill through me. It reminds me of the no-holds-barred fights we would host at the wuguan for Zhao Shang. They were both horrifying and electrifying.
I leave the room behind, following my instincts to get a better look at the action. There’s a heavy smack of skin on sweaty—or bloody—skin. The crowd roars and I move closer. One of the interdimensional beings sees me coming and grimaces. They tap the man next to them and they both stare at me, taking a step back. I push my way into the crowd and through the door. Everyone is taller than me, but I elbow and squeeze my way around the jostling bodies until I reach the front.
There Rhazan stands—stoops, rather—panting and glowing bright. His wings are absent save for two long, glowing gold scars on his back. A trickle of gold slides down his arm and drips onto the floor.
His opponent looks much like him but is a blue-gray with swirling teal marks on his arms and chest. He has silvery hairthat’s been pulled back into a failing bun, and wispy strands frame his handsome face.
