“Get out of here,” I said quietly. “Go home. If I see you again, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”
Cradling his broken wrist, the thug f led, his three companions limping after him. I watched them until they disappeared around a corner, then turned back to Puck.
He grinned, rubbing a hand over his knuckles. “Well, that was fun.
Nothing like a good bare-fisted, knock-down, dragout brawl to get the blood pumping. Though I will admit, I thought you were gonna kill the guy after he shot at you. You feeling all right, ice-boy?”
“I’m fine.” I looked at my hands, still feeling the human’s blood pumping under my fingers, knowing I could’ve ended his life, and smiled.
“Never better.”
“Then, if you two are quite finished starting random brawls in the middle of the street—” Grimalkin appeared on the hood of a car, staring at us reproachfully. “Perhaps we can move on.” He led us down another long all ey, until we came to a faded red door in the bricks. Beside the door, a sign on a barred, grimy window read, Rudy’s Pawn Shop. Guns. Gold. Other. A brass bell tinkled as we pushed our way inside, revealing a tiny shop crammed f loor to ceiling with junk. Stereos sat on dusty shelves next to racks of televisions, car radios and speakers. One whole wall was dedicated to guns, protected by high counters and a blinking security camera. Racks of video games were displayed prominently, and a glass case near the front sparkled with a fortune’s worth of gold: necklaces, rings, and belt buckles.
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A lone, pudgy figure was leaning against the glass case, playing solit-aire and looking bored, but he glanced up when we came in. Pale ram’s horns curled back from the sides of his head, and his arms, gathering up the cards, were exceptionally shaggy. For a human, anyway, but not for a satyr.
Or a half satyr, I realized as we drew closer. He wore a stained T-shirt and tan shorts, and his skinny legs, though hairy, were decidedly human.
“Be right with ya,” he grunted as we approached the counter. “Just gimme a second to—” He stopped, really looking at us. Puck grinned at him, and he paled, breathing out an expletive. “Oh. Oh, sorry your…ah…your royalness? I didn’t realize…I don’t get many full—
bloods through here. I mean…”
He swallowed, going even paler as Puck continued to smile at him, obviously enjoying himself. “What can I do for you today, sir?”
“hello, Rudy.” Grimalkin leaped onto the counter, and the half satyr yelped, stumbling back. “I see you are still limping along with this fire hazard you call a store.”
“Oh, wonderful.” Rudy gave the cat a sour look, grabbing a cloth from below and wiping the countertop. “Look who’s here. Back to plague me again, are you? You know that information you traded nearly got me killed?”
“You wanted the location of the giant ruins. I gave it to you. My end of the bargain was upheld.”
“I thought they were deserted! You didn’t say they were still occupied.”
“You did not ask if they were.”
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While they were talking, I took the moment to look around the store, fascinated by all the mortal items hanging on racks and from the shelves. I knew what they were, of course, but this was the first time I could really touch them without fearing the burn of metal. Wandering behind the weapons counter, I gazed at all the different guns and fire-arms lining the walls. So many different types. There was so much I didn’t know about the mortal world. I would have to remedy that soon.
Grimalkin sniffed, his voice drifting back from the counter. “If one is going to go traipsing around ancient giant ruins hunting for treasure, one should first make sure they are abandoned. In any case, it matters not. I believe we still have unfinished business.”
“Fine.” Rudy waved his arm dismissively. “Fine, let’s get it over with. I assume you want something from the back, is that it? Hey!” he yelped suddenly, as I grabbed a pistol from the rack of guns, the same kind that had been fired at me before. “Careful with that! Geez, since when can faeries handle guns, anyway?”
“Ice-boy.” Puck grimaced at me, looking nervous. “Come on. Let’s not freak out the nice gun dealer. We’re almost home.” I replaced the gun and walked back to the front, where Rudy eyed me suspiciously. “Uh, right. So, you need something from the ‘special room,’ is that it? I’ve got monkey paws and hydra poison and a pair of cockatrice eggs came in yesterday—”
“Spare us your dealings with the goblin market,” Grimalkin interrupted. “We need to use the door to the wyldwood.”
“Door?” Rudy swallowed, looking at each of us in turn. “I, uh, don’t know of any door.”
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“Liar,” Grimalkin stated, narrowing his eyes. “Do not seek to deceive us, halfbreed. Who do you think you are speaking to?”