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Hill drags his eyes from me and turns, gesturing for us to step into his office. He heads for his desk as we step into the room and my eyebrows lift slightly as I take in the big-ass spelled safe, taking up a quarter of one of his walls. It’s built-in and looks andfeelsheavily protected.
For all the dirt I’ve got on him, I’ve never actually been in his office before, so I store the layout in my mind, ready to use at a later date should I need it.
My attention is drawn back to Oscar and Hill when the latter hands the troll a duffle bag. “Two thousand dollars worth in fae currency,” Hill says and my eyes narrow, head cocking to the side.Well what do we have here?A slow smile tugs at my lips.
Oscar accepts the bag and goes to step back, only to pause when I clear my throat, still smiling. “Oscar, acquaintance of mine, how long have you been fighting here for?” I ask.
“Several years, once or twice a month. Less, in the last two years,” he answers slowly, cautiously. My question is meant to be for his benefit though, not to call him out for his actions.
All I can do is blink at him stupidly for a moment as that information sinks in. Holy shit, he was practically a child when he started here. Rage coils in my gut at him needing to do something so awful to get by, but I shove it down to deal with at a later date and funnel the energy into dealing with Hill. The shithead who has apparently been stiffing Oscar for at least the last two years.
I may not fight here a lot, but I have looked into the payment expectations behind it in our realm, and the laws—though there aren’t many of those—so I know enough to understand that Oscar is getting cheated. He’s being paid in the lowest bracket—as a new fighter would—when he should be getting paid as a seasoned fighter who has multiple wins under his belt. I’m assuming he would be fairly recognised by regulars in a place like this.
I ask Oscar and he confirms that his win rate is around eighty-percent which is fantastic for business, and the profits Hill would be making off of him has my mood plummeting even more.
“Hill is ripping you off, Oscar. You should be earning around triple of what you are now. At least six grand in fae coins just to appear, and another two if you were to win. You’re getting paid beginner rates.”
I hold Hill's eyes as I explain how payment is sorted out and that since Oscar didn’t do the research, it was partially his fault. He should have negotiated a higher rate after his first year of fighting, but I’m not going to let his lack of knowledge get Hill off of having to pay him the full rate this time around, so I step closer with a grin.
Oscar is silent as I approach his boss, face a little pale, but also running through a host of emotions that I can’t keep up with. Hill is sputtering, face red. “How dare you! Who the hell do you think you are?”
“Phoenix,” I say easily, and cock my head to the side as I wait for him to connect the dots. I’m sure there have been whispers, though no one would have put a face to the name. I don’t pull it out unless I really need to throw my weight around, and always with a different visual enchantment. It’s well known as the tag I use when blackmailing people for information via computer.
I watch Hill's face drain of colour as it clicks and a sheen appears on his forehead. “I’m sure, now that Oscar realises his mistake, you’re happy to raise his pay for future fights and bump up the agreed upon amount for this payout.” I casually draw a dagger from where it’s strapped at my thigh and start cleaning my nails with the blade tip. “Unless you’d like an anonymous tip about the Pixie dust you’re illegally distributing and making in the district, to be sent in to the SFBI?”
I swear the man somehow pales even further and a bead of sweat rolls down his forehead. “O-of course, just a moment. I can have the agreement written up in a second, with Phoenix present?”
Oscar nods mutely, those silver eyes fixed on my face, the confusion and slight distrust there evident. The new caution when he looks at me has me biting my tongue, but I don’t let my face change from the bored expression it's portraying.
Hill gets everything together quickly and after glancing over their new contract, I give it my tick of approval and we head out of his office, Oscar a few thousand fae coins richer than he was expecting, and me lost in my head.
I suck in a breath when we hit the bottom of the steps, my ears starting to ring with all the noise, and make a beeline through the club, the illusion of my male body making people part for us to pass through the crowd. I assume that Oscar is still following me, and don’t check behind me as I burst out one of the exits. I immediately take several deep breaths, moving away from the club, letting the cool night air wash over me. The doors bang open again and I peer over my shoulder at Oscar who—still carrying his duffle bag full of money—stalks after me, face tense. Actually his whole body seems tense.
I squint at him, taking in his cuts and try to guesstimate how long it will take them to heal. He needs to clean them before his supernatural healing closes them, otherwise they’ll have to be re-cut open to get the sand and grime out so he doesn’t get an infection. There are some downsides to supernatural healing.
“So, what was all that about?” Oscar questions as soon as we’re down the road a ways, the club getting smaller in the distance behind us.
I turn to face him, walking backwards so I can examine his expression. He looks angry and confused at the same time, his silver eyes drifting over my face, that peppermint and dark chocolate scent sharper than usual due to his volatile mood. I shrug, and blink slowly. “Why have you been fighting at the club for years?” I counter. It might be a bit of a bitch move, but I’m tired, and fair is fair. I’m not going to bare my soul to him, when I’m sure he’s not ready to do the same. I’m not angry at Oscar. He has his secrets and I have mine, he can’t be mad at me for that.
He seems to realise that too because his shoulders sag, a hesitant smile touching his lips. “Truce?” he asks.
I grin. “Truce.”
Just like that, the tension between us snaps and he speeds up so we’re walking side by side.
Oscar doesn’t question me as I continue to lead him down the dark road, but his footsteps get heavier as his energy wanes. That’s fine, we’re almost far enough for me to use a portal. This is one secret that I feel comfortable enough sharing with Oscar, but it does beg the question,does this mean he can portal off the Academy grounds like me? If so, what does that mean?I swear, I have enough fucking questions to last me a lifetime.
When we reach the fourth paddock, I let out a sigh of relief and open a portal. Oscar startles and lets out a yelp. “How the hell did you just do that?”
My eyebrows draw down in confusion. “What do you mean? You must have portalled here?” I’m so confused right now.
“Yeah, but not like that. You just opened one out of thin air. I use the same one each time. I created a portal circle here and one at the Academy, both only activated for my magic. That way I can safely jump between them. I also have a few set up in other places in case of an emergency,” he explains, tone awed as he watches my portal. We can’t stand around here all night with my portal open so I step through it, tugging him with me then close it behind us. Now that we’re through I also take off my amulet, my body returning to how it usually looks.
“So, I’m guessing that means you’ve been able to portal through the Academy barriers as well? I thought you weren’t supposed to be able to do that? I only figured out that I could by accident.”
He grins at me sheepishly. “Most people still believe you can’t, but for about the last decade or so the barrier has weakened so much that providing you’re an A-class monster you can override it.”
My expression tightens. That’s not good at all. If we can portal through it, who is to say A-class monsters who want to attack us can’t break through with their magic? Or hell, just portal in? It also supports my theory on how Ethan is getting on and off of campus to find his victims. I’m going to have to look into that. I blink, eyes falling to the forest floor as something occurs to me.Could that be why it so willingly absorbs the excess magic I’ve been giving off? Because it needs the power to build up the barriers again?I huff out a breath, and add it to the mountain of things I have to look into later.
