It's been a while since I've been able to write, but I've found new motivation in beginning the following story. In "My Cardinal Time," cynical witch Ruby Wing and troubled student Alex Lark form Cardinal Mystic Consulting, a team dedicated to using their magic to help clients with insurmountable problems. Love, drama, and magical intrigue await in Comalan's first new tale in years! This story will likely be my main creative focus for the foreseeable future, so be sure to check out our Patreon if you're enjoying it! The latest chapter will always be posted there first!
Chase the Shadow
If there was one thing Ruby Wing hated more than anything else, it was strangers. What a cruel irony it is that finds me in the business of helping people, she gloomily reflected one summer night as she stared at her latest client across her desk with a tense expression on her face. He held a pistol in his hand, pointed toward the floor, and wore a crazed, desperate look.
“I was to believe that you would have an answer for me by last evening!” the belligerent client roared, his ashen face contorted with pain. “If I am to be married–tomorrow, mind you–let it be with the knowledge that nothing has happened between her and Felix or not at all!”
Ruby stared deeply into her desktop as she fetched an envelope from her tote bag, a weary gloom seeping into her face as she began to explain, “Not at all, from the looks of it. Yes, I’ve been busy, but I had a look in after you called me this morning. With this in hand, your family won’t mourn the lost dowry. ”
The client took the envelope and emptied the photographs into his trembling lap. Upon studying each of the seven images in turn, his face drained even further of color. With a ghastly wail, he hunched over in his seat, propping his chin up with the muzzle of his weapon.
“Dowry be damned! Don’t you see that I am undone?”
Ruby sighed and extended her right hand in the man’s direction, palms facing downward. Her eyes flashed with a red glow as she quickly clenched her hand into a fist.
“That is quite enough of that,” she growled, and the weapon was quickly reduced to powder.
In response, the client could only gawk.at her as she stood from her desk with a roar of frustration. She began to slowly and stiffly pace the room, a cold energy crackling from every pore as she passed by the man, who had begun to shrink into his chair. After a straight minute of this, she finally rounded on him and growled, “I think you fundamentally misunderstand the services I provide. So far, you have tasked me only with finding the truth of your fiancee and your friend and I have done so, despite making it perfectly clear that any civilian investigator could have done so far more cheaply!”
Ripples of sleet began to fall from the ceiling as Ruby continued to rant, “So let me remind you that the purpose of this firm is to use magic to solve difficult problems! Now that we have finally identified your true problem, why don’t we finally discuss what you actually need from me so urgently from me in particular that it is worth prioritizing you over other cases of life-defining import?”
The chill immediately dropped into the air and the sleet began to dissipate. Ruby took a seat behind her desk. “If your aim is truly to die, that can be arranged, or would you, perhaps, prefer for me to use time magic to un-fuck her?”
Finally, the little man in the chair finally found his voice. “I no longer want her, but I am terrified to live without her.”
Ruby sighed dramatically and whipped her wrist, causing the door to the lobby to swing open. In a distinctly monotonous tone, she mumbled. “Don’t be. You’ll find a way to live on. Focus on yourself and remember that life is too precious to throw away for fleeting pain. You already know what you need to do and you’re going to do it because that’s how this all ends with the least pain.”
The man’s face fell as Ruby silently allowed him this moment of introspection. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence,
“I have to take the role in Amora”
Ruby nodded with relief, her frayed nerves already calming. “Yes, please move away! If it helps you, there is important work in your future for which you can expect all due reward if you heed my words.”
The client bolted out of his seat and smiled awkwardly. “Well, as ill-tempered as you’ve been, you have genuinely helped me. I assure you that your payment will be made in full by tomorrow morning.”
Ruby shook her head roughly. “It will be made in coin, by your own hand, at my residence exactly three hours from now.” Her eyes pierced his very soul as she added, “And don’t you dare assume that I’m unaware of what exactly you meant by payment. I promise that any attempt to cross me will end better for me than it does for you.”
“Madam Wing, I’ve nothing but gratitude for your unique solution to my crisis!” the man said with a pleasant nod as he put on his hat and made for the door. “I assure you that you will have your coin! Have a pleasant evening!”
Ruby, knowing full well that he was lying, only smirked and said with a particular emphasis, “Enjoy your new life in Amora, Director Starr.”
Then, knowing full well that the client was already on a timeline that did not lead to him taking her advice, she watched him walk away with a sigh. It is something I will have to deal with later, she thought as she glanced at the clock.
This latest case, nothing but a waste of time in Ruby’s mind, had taken up too much of her evening, because tonight was supposed to be a special night before this apparent scandal had ruined it. She had worked for over a month to get a decently reliable tip on a much more important case. Tonight, had she been at a certain place at a certain time, she might have had a chance to spot Bron. The name clung to her mind as a wistful stare into nothing sharply contrasted her previous frustration.
Needless to say, thanks to this insecure lordling and his drama, Ruby was not in that particular place at that particular time. Realizing that she had missed her date, her mood completely soured once more. She wordlessly cleaned up the office, now empty apart from her and stumbled out the front door, nearly shattering the glass with the force with which she had closed it. She sighed momentarily with relief before locking the door and dragging her feet dejectedly down Twilight Street.
Clearly, it was time for a long visit to The Dark Library.
***
Turning down Page Street as it intersected with Twilight, Ruby couldn’t help but smile as her eyes drank in the familiar sight of her favorite establishment in Seres. The Dark Library was a place that stood out in more ways than one in this city of scholars. Firstly, the tiny, black wooden building was nestled tightly between two gargantuan offices of marble construction. As if this didn’t make it hard enough to miss, a large sign which nearly covered the entirety of its front wall proudly bore its name in glowing red letters.
Ruby approached the building and suddenly felt an urge to look behind her. Seeing nothing there, she pushed the burgundy door open with a sigh, then a shrug. Inside, she would see a much larger space than one could possibly contain with such tiny walls. While it looked from the outside as if fewer than five people could occupy the building shoulder-to-shoulder, the inside was a sprawling sea of tables of varying sizes, with three of the surrounding walls covered in bookshelves. At the opposite end from the entrance lay a bar, currently manned only by the owner–a man who made it a point to conceal his identity with a faded yellow shroud.
“Welcome Madam Wing,” the shrouded man said gruffly. “It’s a slow night, so take a seat wherever you like.”
“More like a slow month, right, Sunny?” Ruby said with a frown as she gazed across the empty room–a rare occurrence for this place.
The bartender nodded and gave a long, drawn out sigh in reply.
“Exams, I take it?” Ruby asked, rolling her eyes somewhat.
“Whoever’s bloody idea it was for every college in town to hold their exams at the same time owe me for weeks of lost business! Your coin is paying my rent this month, Madam!” the man called Sunny roared in a booming voice.
The Dark Library, one of only two drinking establishments of note in the city of Seres, was almost tailor-made to appeal specifically to the legions of harried scholars who called the city home. To Ruby it was a place where one could enjoy a quiet drink and read from one of the thousands of tomes which surrounded her. She wasn’t displeased to see it so empty, but could understand why Sunny might be.
“Chin up, Barkeep! You know the week after will be a lively one! You have so many celebrating future graduates and poor test takers in need of consolation to look forward to!”
Sunny nodded and said, “I would thank you for your encouragement, but I know your motives aren’t selfless! You are still paying my expenses in the meantime, so no complimentary drinks for you this evening!!”
Ruby sighed and muttered “You’re welcome, dick!” before retreating to her favorite table, a smaller one in the corner closest to where the entrance was located. Though she had always appreciated that the owner of the bar wasn’t one to mince words, what he had just said had hurt her feelings somewhat. Is that what people think of me, that I would never do something so simple as to reassure someone who is struggling without any ulterior motive? Such a thought would normally have never bothered her under normal circumstances, but it came to her then on a night in which she had begun to question the value of helping people. Her business, moderately successful as it was, seemed to warp into something that was both drastically different from what she had originally envisioned and difficult for her to control.
What’s the point? It’s just meaningless busywork for entitled assholes with more money than genuine problems!
The sour mood that settled into her mind was quick to abate as she called a book to her table with a lazy flick of her hand, a tome that would avail to her the true tales of heroes who reached for the gods’ power and changed the world for their troubles. How did they do it? She wondered to herself with a bittersweet smile as she pored over a page which described the day a hulking warrior blanketed an invading army of aberrations under a river of flames with a single swing of his gargantuan blade. It took more than power, she knew, for she had more than plenty. But to change the world in a meaningful way like the legendary figures she so admired seemed so far beyond her grasp.
With her abilities, she could bend whole cities to her will with minimal effort, but her disdain for mankind didn’t extend so far as to actively want to cause another’s suffering. For her, it was important to be known well for something that left no bitter memories for those who were part of her story. Why she felt this way was a mystery that continued to elude her even after roughly three decades of life to ponder it.
As she continued to read, the reason she had so recently struggled to find for the work she chose came back to her– as it did every night she returned to the Dark Library. Through Cardinal, she had hoped to be a hero to her community, educating others about how magic could be used to better the day-to-day lives of the people around you. How it had been twisted into something so insignificant was a question she asked herself every night that she ambled into this bar. Yet, every time she always walks out with no answer, but the faintest glimmer of hope that the tale she read that day was possible in the world she experienced every day..
But today, she would have her answer in the curt warning Sunny gave her before she took her seat. Could it be the case, she wondered, that there is a good reason the only clients I attract are so undeserving of my aid? What if the difference between me and these heroes is something I’ve done to the people around me?
These thoughts brought a prickle to her skin. As if suddenly regaining her awareness of where she was, she began to feel uncomfortable that she had just dipped into such honest introspection in public. With a sigh, she closed her book and lifted it into the air, giving it to an unseen force to carry back to its shelf. Feeling a strong desire to continue these thoughts while nestled beneath her warm and soft bed covers, she left a few coins on the table–even suppressing her petty urge to pay in Galean conches in retaliation for his last comment. Finally, she quickly gulped down the rest of her third drink– a neat, dark amber cocktail with plenty of ice– and waved to the barkeep on her way out the door.
It was with a slightly improved mood that Ruby stepped out onto Twilight Street, resolving to think more about her unhealthy attitude towards other people and how her business might improve from changing it. After all, she couldn’t expect people to ask for her help if she had a reputation for being so stingy with it that she couldn’t even offer a friendly word of encouragement without any expectation of benefitting from the act.
As she continued to ponder the latest major lifestyle change upon which she had decided while drinking, she stumbled slightly in her solitary trek back to the office–which was also her residence–seemingly oblivious to a presence that had been shadowing her since she left the bar. In truth, she had spotted the squat man behind her had entered The Dark Library while she was reading and had been following her ever since she left, presumably impressed with his own sneakiness.
Instead of turning down Page Street as intended, she walked past the intersection and turned instead onto an alleyway that separated a coffee shop from the neighboring Midanian restaurant. She could practically hear the snicker of her shadow, likely confused as to why she would turn down that way. But when he followed her into the alleyway, he found himself looking at Read on Twilight, the bookstore across the street, behind whose sign he had hidden just moments before. Perplexed, he rounded quickly on the spot, as if expecting to see something different. Unfortunately, what greeted him was the very same store.
Gritting his teeth, the short stalker charged into the alleyway, attempting to ignore the iportal that now stood before him through sheer willpower, with the result being to end up back on Twilight Street each time. After several moments of this, Ruby chuckled, unseen by the hunter-turned-prey. On his next attempt to bluster through her spatial magic.he instead found himself in an empty lot that he recognized as the unused space behind The Dark Library. There she stood, glowering at him with a cold stare.
“I’ve had a long night and much more important things to think about than you,” Ruby whispered coolly as a frigid chill seeped into the lot, “So I will give you exactly one chance to tell me why you’re following me and pray that I’m not dissatisfied with your explanation.”
“I’ve also been given a chance to prove that I know better than to speak of the man who sent me,” the man said steadily. Though his expression betrayed no hint of emotion, Ruby’s spell of empathic sight made the terror he felt plain to see. Whatever his goals, he seemed to fear retaliation from someone controlling him far more than the irritated witch who was threatening him at that very moment. But he didn’t need to speak. Of all the people who are capable of terrifying a man so thoroughly, there was only one known to have any interest in her: The Hourglass.
It seems Bron has found me first, Ruby thought as she gently thumped him on the head, causing him to instantly lose consciousness. How fun for me, she continued as she strode off quickly to put some distance between herself and her enemy’s lackey. When he woke up, most of his memory of the evening would be gone. But since she could understand his impulse to blindly obey the Hourglass out of fear, she was merciful enough to leave him the memory of their confrontation in that lot in the hope that Bron would understand this man’s failure as a result of her own skill as opposed to any failure to follow his directions. If nothing else, hopefully he’ll know what it means to cross me again, she prayed as made her turn down Page Street at last.
Nearing her office, she stopped outside the nearby park upon catching sight of a young man sitting alone on a bench, seemingly uncaring of the broken lamp above him or the darkness which surrounded him. With a pang in her chest and a huff of realization, she immediately saw this boy’s pain. This is where it started for me, so devoid of love and trust! Without a doubt, this is the look of someone who is about to give up on mankind.
With a wistful glance to the nearby warmth of her office, she turned and walked toward the bench instead. If I’m going to fix my image, she thought with a hollow smile, what better time and place than here and now?
