Chapter 8

  The Imps all stared at me. I looked at them, scanning them. I tried to discern which of these Imps had my cup finder. But they all looked alike, a sea of big-eared, mushroom-cap hat-wearing faces. Perhan had recovered and was looking at Jop with murderous intent.

  “You dirty little imp, just you wait for what’s coming.”

  I could feel Perhan’s rage as he advanced on Jop, who was frozen in place. Perhan raised his hand, and I could see sparks forming on the tips of his fingers.

  “Wait, wait, I know where it is, I know where it is!”

  Jop’s voice sounded shakier than a pair of maracas.

  I held up my hand. “Hold, Perhan. You know where what is?”

  I looked at Jop, giving him a don’t fuck around here look.

  “What you’re after. Of course I know who gots it.” Jop tried cracking a half smile.

  “You really expect me to believe you?” I raised my eyebrow. This Imp must think me a fool.

  “It’s true. I know the imp who took it. I can show you.” Jop looked at me, nodding his head.

  “The only thing you can show us is the back end of a Ghaol’s backside!” Perhan shouted at him while glaring at me. Clearly he wanted to fry Jop, but I needed the finder.

  “Who has it then? Hurry up, tell me, or you tell Perhan.”

  “His name is Huohuo.”

  “Huohuo? You can’t be serious?” I mean, who names their child that?

  “That happens to be a very common name among imps.” Jop looked at me like I was some sort of moron for not knowing that.

  “And where is he, this Huohuo?”

  “Telling you does no good. The city changes its layout at random. I can show you on my map.”

  Jop pulled out a map and unfolded it till it was almost twice his size. He put it on the floor and gestured for us to get near. We approached the map, keeping an eye on the crowd, who remained just staring at us.

  “Look, he is right there.” Jop pointed at a section of the map.

  “Where?” I looked around the map.

  “There, right there.” Jop pointed more emphatically at the map. I stepped closer to him.

  “Wait, what’s that on the corner of the map?” I looked at some weird bubble on the map.

  “That’s nothing. I told you to look he uhhhh”

  I pushed Jop from behind into the map, and the imp got sucked in. In a brief moment, an ink drawing of him appeared on the map, and he looked angry. The crowd started murmuring and looking at each other. I could feel they were getting a bit angry.

  “What the hell?” Perhan looked at me and the map, confused.

  “He said the city changes its layout at random. I doubt imps would have any maps that could follow it, and even if they did, they wouldn’t share it, would they?”

  “It was a trap?” Perhan asked me.

  “Yep. Clever bastard thought he could pull off another trick.” I chuckled.

  “Now what to do with you?”

  I looked back at the crowd, and suddenly I heard a pop. One of the imps popped out of there, and soon chaos erupted as they began to pop in a rush of panic. The sudden pops caused a feedback that started to make vacuum explosions in the air that ripped bits of reality like a hole puncher, and you could see empty Grey, and it was filling the hole as the various popping was causing the whole amphitheater to collapse into the Greyless void.

  “Shit, we need to go! The vacuum is increasing!” Perhan shouted.

  I nodded. “Damn right we need to move.”

  I used the Flow to power myself up, flying up to avoid the now maw of vacuum collapse. Perhan was behind me in a bubble, gliding. We cleared the amphitheater in time as the whole thing just became empty space, a void that you could be lost in forever had you fallen.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “We need to find this Huohuo.” I made my way towards the pipe.

  “I can see if I can sense him.” Perhan reached out his hand. A wizard’s sense, such a great gift, I thought.

  “The city is too chaotic, too much magical noise, and it’s shifting. We need to hurry out of here before we end up in some other place in the Garden.”

  “Oh, like we did right now?” I couldn’t resist throwing in that little jab as we raced towards the pipe.

  As we got near the pipe, I began to notice it was shrinking, retreating like someone was pulling it up.

  “This ain’t good,” I told Perhan.

  I used my Fourth Sight to gaze into the magic structure, but it was like Perhan said, full of white noise, grainy and moving in weird blobs before my eyes.

  Perhan reached out, and a swirl of green smoke swirled out of his hand.

  “Get in the smoke. It’s gonna rise us out of here,” Perhan said.

  “All right, you wizards can be useful.”

  I flew into the green smoke and could feel myself become like air, with this sense of floating. Not my usual flight, which was like being pushed by a force. This was light, airy. The green smoke swirled thick around me and Perhan, then it cleared and we were on this winding street.

  “Perhan, can you locate him?” I looked around. The street was swaying ever so slightly.

  “I can try again.” Perhan reached out, searching for him.

  “It’s still hazy. I can’t get a lock on him.”

  “Shit.”

  Two fireballs came flying out of nowhere. I parried them with my hands, but more came. The imps had begun to attack us. Perhan threw up a shield, and the fireballs hit it, causing a thunking sound as the shield shimmered.

  I looked around. I could see the city was moving like some puzzle box. It was shifting and twisting, buildings popping in and out. It was coming together, then replicating, flipping upside down and right side up. A symphony of magical architectural madness.

  I looked up and saw several imps holding a massive brass-looking tube, a sun cannon.

  They fired, and at the same time the whole street flipped. I saw the bright flash and felt the impact. It sent us flying away from each other. I hit a building, felt myself rapidly sliding down its side. I saw the ground was twisted like a swirl, the buildings and streets as well.

  I looked up and Perhan was being knocked about by buildings that were going back and forth like filing cabinets being opened.

  I kicked off the building before I could fall and used a bit of the Flow to gain flight. I knew Alfaere could sense me if they tried, but it didn’t matter. I needed to get out as quick as possible. I flew to reach Perhan, who was caught in the city’s maddening grip, unable to establish himself. I used my Sights to navigate, dodging and maneuvering till I grabbed Perhan, who looked battered from the shifting buildings.

  “You could have ducked some of those.” I gave him a wink.

  “Oh, how funny, hahaha.”

  “I’ve been using the Flow too much. The enemy will know we’re here. We need an exit now.” I hated leaving without the finder, but it’s either leave now or face those Alfaere and whoever else felt us.

  “There’s no exit.”

  “How can there be no exit?” I looked at him as we dodged and blocked a fresh round of imp attacks. This time they got more clever, firing off lightning water bombs that caused entire blocks to become so electrified they could have stopped titans.

  “It’s gone. It’s like the city is suspended in nothingness.”

  “What about Monchep?” I asked Perhan, whose eyes lit up when I said that.

  “Monchep, of course! We need to find a body of water,” Perhan said.

  “Well that should be easy in this damn maze.”

  I looked around, my eyes moving fast, looking for any body of water. Finally my eyes settled on this pool upside down in the sky.

  “There, look.” I pointed at it, mirrorlike sheen pool. Perhan nodded and spat a loogie at the pool, but it was blocked by an imp who was with several others. They were firing a slew of spells as if they knew about our plan with the water.

  “Damn!” I flew up fast, dodging their assault. I smacked and knocked out the imps. I didn’t have the heart to kill them, at least not yet.

  “We need to reach that water. Monchep will be waiting,” Perhan said as he blasted several imps with a gust of wind that sent them flying away.

  “I figured as much, but they ain’t making it easy.” The imps were like annoying bees, and the pool was shrinking.

  I then saw one of the imps leap up towards us. I was about to slice when it transformed into the Witchstalker from before. She weaved a net of pink energy and sent it flying towards some imps who were trying to ambush us.

  “I flecking knew you would do this shit.” She shook her head as she fired another pink energy spell that sent more imps flying back.

  “Yeah, you’re a fortune teller.” I rolled my eyes at her smug attitude.

  She ignored me.

  “You’re trying to get to that water? You must have a summoned familiar then.”

  “Yes. Monchep.”

  “We need to hurry. We are gonna get company, and not the good kind.”

  “Fleck, you mean Alfaere?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Two of them.”

  I wondered if it was the two I saw from before.

  With her here we cleared a path, and Perhan spat into the water and it began to froth and broil, and then I saw Monchep’s face pop out of the water.

  “Do you need a ride?”

  “Hurry, Monchep, open your mouth!” Perhan pleaded with him.

  I could feel a powerful force presence, and the city had begun to calm down.

  “Let’s get moving. I know you feel that.” The pressure, the energy was climbing.

  “They are in the city,” the Witchstalker said. I could see their energy and it was getting closer. It was the two Alfaere from the Hurdi. I began to hear voices, weird sounding voices. It began to buzz, endless words whispering and chanting. Monchep began to shake violently and Perhan began to mutter like a blabbering fool.

  “Listen to it not!” the Witchstalker said.

  I knew it was one of the Alfaere, their power reaching out. I slapped Monchep and his mouth opened and I grabbed Perhan and threw him in. The Witchstalker followed him, and I jumped in. As I did I saw the Hurdi Alfaere had appeared on the city street below us. They looked at us amused as Monchep came to as the Witchstalker shielded him from the effects.

  “Move your ass, Monchep, move!” I screamed.

  Monchep, with a grunt, dove into the water and we were gone, out of the city.