“We wanted to be out from under before, Marban. We wanted to be safe,” Wally said.
“Safe?” Marban snorted. “Neither of us was safe. The higher we rose, the less safe we became.”
“That was the irony of it all,” Wally said and grimaced as he continued to worm his way through these passages. “We didn’t want to be victims anymore. Our lives were not our own before we joined with our Spirits. Then we both became Shifters that people looked down upon. So we were still under the heel of someone. So we did something about it.”
“Yes, those who stood before us, fell. They underestimated us. They disrespected us. They thought they knew us, but they did not,” Marban agreed. “We got our revenge.”
“Until we became the very thing we were working against,” Wally said and grimaced at the bitter taste of the words on his tongue. He was just halfway through this bottleneck. It would have been so easy to get through here as a rat! “Power corrupts.”
“Is that why you gave everything up, Wally?” Marban said silkily. “Trading in the power of life and death for the existence of a shopkeeper?”
“Hey, I love that shop! That shop is the best thing I’ve ever created! Don’t knock it until you try it!” Wally snapped.
“I know. I worked a day with you,” Marban sounded almost sad. “You were clearly happy.”
“You enjoyed it too. I know you did, Marban,” Wally reminded him.
He and Marban had bickered like the old married couple they’d practically been long ago. But this time instead of who should live or die, whose life should rise to the heavens or be destroyed with a few whispered words, it was what color plushie should be where and what merch needed better product placement. Marban had chatted up customers, increasing the size of their purchases. Oh, you like werewolves? Have you seen our hoodies? What about the snow globe with the werewolf under a moon? And did you know that we have werewolf pens? Let Rose ring that up for you. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed your day at the Emporium.
“It was a pleasant reprieve,” Marban admitted.
It had been pleasant. Wally had enjoyed Marban’s wit as he always did when it wasn’t cruel and acerbic.
“Can you imagine if we had built a store together instead of what we did?” Wally asked as he dusted off the stone that clung to his shirt now that he’d squeezed out of the end of the bottleneck.
“Just one store?” Marban scoffed. “A chain of stores. I would accept no less than an empire.”
“A franchise-ship,” Wally agreed with a snort. But that answer was all Marban and it was Marban’s weakness. He couldn’t be happy with what he had. He needed more all the time. Always. “But I liked keeping it small, hands on. Let me focus on what was important.”
“And that was?” Marban asked.
Wally recognized his tone. He was about to knock over Wally’s toys and tell him they were junk. But Wally was prepared for this and he knew that Marban was wrong.
“Helping people,” Wally said.
“You had the power to help more people with your gang than you ever could do with your store,” Marban scoffed.
He’d just swept his arm across the table, sweeping Wally’s toys onto the ground where they smashed into a million pieces.
“No,” Wally answered flatly.
“No?” Marban’s voice rose, but Wally could hear him suppressing the emotions he was feeling. “You have--or had--two workers in your store. Caden and Landry. In your gang you had hundreds, if not thousands of people you could have influenced. Unless you’re counting the fact that since Caden is the ninth Dragon Shifter it counts more.”
“No, I am not counting that,” Wally stated. “I’m at a T-intersection. Which way?”
Another pause as Marban collected himself or asked Rose which direction. It could have been either or both.
“Right,” Marban said briefly.
Wally turned right. This section of the passageway was dark. Very dark. There was only one, faint amber construction light about fifty feet down the passage. Wally stood there and listened. His whiskers would have twitched as would his ears if he had been in rat form. He opened his mouth and his tongue flickered out as if he were a Snake Shifter tasting the air for enemies.
“What’s wrong?” Marban’s voice sounded absurdly loud and Wally jumped.
“Shush for a moment,” Wally told him even as he tried to stuff his heart back into his chest from his throat. Marban was silent as if he were listening too for anything off. Finally, Wally was satisfied that the passage was, indeed, empty. Again he was struck by the emptiness of this place. “It’s been years since I’ve come down here. But I recalled seeing more people in the walls. You do a sweep or something?”
“No, it is often better for everyone involved if they stay in there and not out with the general population,” Marban said coolly. “We leave food and clothing near certain openings, so they have what they need and don’t steal.”
“Keep them in the dark and out of sight?” Wally asked.
