everyone who had dropped chaos into my life. But in the end, I was to blame for not paying attention to my surroundings as I stepped back out on the street. My mind reeled from too much information and too few answers. Shuffling down the sidewalk with my hands shoved in my pockets, not watching my surroundings, I found my way back to my battered SUV. He was waiting for me. The white-haired lunatic leaned against the grille, smiling at me. I was in trouble. I just didn’t realize how much, until pain exploded in the back of my head, sending me down into the darkness. See, kids, it’s important to pay attention to what the fuck you’re doing.
When I awoke, I was half frozen and my head was throbbing in time with my heart. I blinked, trying to open my eyes, but instantly wished I hadn’t. Dirty light streamed in through some nearby windows, magnifying the pain in my head. I was surprised that I hadn’t been bound, but then the unicorn had proven that he didn’t need to bind me. He was more powerful than me and I didn’t have a chance of escape unless he allowed it.
A groan rose from my lips as I pushed onto my forearms so I could look around the place. A warehouse. An abandoned warehouse. Why the hell did every asshole with an evil scheme have to hide out in an abandoned warehouse? Why couldn’t I be kidnapped and taken to a nice B and B or a hotel that offered room service? No, it was always a warehouse filled with rusting equipment, broken wooden skids, and rats irritated at having their domain invaded by bleeding humans.
And did Low Town really have that many abandoned warehouses? The city council needed to do something about the job situation in this town.
“I told you I didn’t hit him too hard,” said an unknown woman in a petulant voice.
“You’re right, Missy. I guess our young warlock has a harder head than I initially thought,” responded her companion. This voice I recognized, sending a chill through me. It was the unicorn.
I didn’t raise my eyes to them yet, but concentrated on looking around my surroundings as I slowly sat up. They were going to give me only a few more seconds to myself and I needed to know as much as I could about where I was if I was going to have any hope of escape. There was no benefit in attacking them. While I was sure that I could take out the human woman, there was no chance of defeating the unicorn, despite Chang’s words of encouragement. I needed more time. A plan to retreat to Simon’s rooms in the Towers had started to form in my mind before I was attacked near my car. I had thought that I would do some more research, formulate a plan, but now my only focus was surviving the next few minutes.
With no brilliant ideas forthcoming, I planted my hands on the dirty concrete floor and raised my gaze to my kidnappers, preparing to get to my feet. But my heart stopped in my chest when my eyes fell on Trixie. The lovely elf was seated on the floor with her arms bound behind her around a pole. Blood matted her blonde hair on one side of her head. The worry I briefly glimpsed in her wide green eyes subsided the moment I met her gaze and then it was replaced by anger. Now that she was sure that I was alive, my dear girlfriend was pissed and ready to do some damage of her own.
The unicorn and the woman leaned against the pole on either side of Trixie, wide maniacal grins stretched across their faces as if they were waiting for me to start laughing at this wonderful surprise. Equal parts fear and rage swirled in my stomach and pumped through my veins.
It took some effort, but I managed to pull my eyes from Trixie and restart my heart as I stood. The world bobbed and swayed beneath me. The bitch had likely given me a concussion, but I didn’t risk calling forth any magic to heal it. I didn’t need to give these assholes any reason to attack me just yet. I’d survive a concussion. They weren’t going to survive the shitstorm I was looking to drop on their heads now that I knew that it wasn’t just me they were threatening.
“Who the fuck are