Outlanders

Chapter 12: Stowaways

Vladimir brooded at his desk, clutching his head with both hands. Even with his boss gone- temporarily, as he knew too well- his operation had been foiled. As soon as he finished tying up loose ends, he would have to flee.

There was a knock on Vladimir's door, and it yawned open like the door of a crypt.

"Mister Zivozhny, sir?" began a scratchy voice.

That voice was female. Vladimir stiffened up, putting a fresh mask over his fear.

"Come in," he said. "It's just 'Vladimir.' What do you want?"

At his cue, a scrawny young woman stepped into his office, followed by a scared girl who looked no older than fourteen. Vladimir recognized the scrawny one as Olga, but the young one's name escaped him.

Olga stepped up and deposited a note on Vladimir's desk. Taking it, he found it to be copy of the 'wanted' poster he had placed outside the workplace entrance, offering a modest bounty for the whistleblower.

"So..." Vladimir began, locking the door, "You've found the snitch, have you?"

"No!" said the younger girl. "I didn't tattle on you, sir! I swear!"

"That's right," said Vladimir, "you didn't."

Both workers stared at Vladimir for one long moment. Like a snake, Vladimir leapt up and grabbed Olga by the collar. He forced her roughly against a wall, her head knocking harshly on the wood.

"You're the betrayer," he growled.

"Me?!" said Olga. "But... no, she is!"

"You think I'd let any backstabber come in here and frame someone? This was a trap."

Olga's face fell.

"None of the workers know who sold them out," he continued, "so the only response I could expect from that poster was a framing. And only the snitch would try to pull a stunt like that."

Olga's eyes narrowed with understanding. With an angry grunt, she kicked Vladimir in the gut, shoving him back. She lunged.

Vladimir shrank out of the way, and his hand darted out, grabbing Olga by her shoulder. He tapped his right index finger to her heart, a shock coursed through her, and all her joints from the neck down went rigid. She fell over like a wooden board. Vladimir panted for a moment, pain echoing in his lungs. He unlocked his door.

"You," he said to the younger girl. "Get out."

She did not need to be told twice.

"As for you," said Vladimir, returning to Olga, "I've already taken care of my boss, and, if you're lucky, you'll get the same treatment."

Vladimir drew up one hand and flexed his fingers menacingly.

"Or maybe what I did to him is too good for you. I make you this offer: I'll let you live, but I'll use my powers to keep watch of you, and if you ever cheat anyone again, I will hunt you down and carve you into pieces the size of your thumb. Understand?"

Olga nodded frantically, failing to see through his bluff.

"What did you do with your boss?" she asked, half-sobbing.

Vladimir smirked.

* * *

On the other side of town, in a disreputable bar, Vladimir's boss awoke at a table, surrounded by empty bottles of whiskey and ale. With difficulty, he stood up, trying to remember the events of the last several days. He remembered searching for the wizard in his workforce, but his memories cut off there. When he probed deeper, his brain answered with a strange, unpleasant tingling.