Page 27 of Taurus's Quest
“Do you get injured often?”
“Often enough. It’s a hazard of the job. Can’t expect to fight evil and come out completely unscathed.”
More levels flashed past too quickly for her to make out any details. “When you say you fight evil, what do you mean?”
“Let’s see, aliens, asteroids, we’ve already covered. Curses can be nasty to handle. You think the Mummy was bad? I’ve seen worse. Thank fuck they’re rare. Most of the time we deal with monsters. My last mission involved tracking a murdering werewolf.”
Her eyes widened. “They’re real, too?”
He nodded. “If it appears in a myth or fairytale, then chances are it existed at one time. Some threats have been eradicated over the years. There are no more Krakens sinking ships or dragons, which, unlike some movies would have you believe, are savage fuckers who love roasted human flesh. In the case of other dangerous beings, we’ve only managed to cull, which leads to them going into hiding until they’re bold enough to start the killing again.”
“You’ve really seen aliens?” She couldn’t help a skeptical note. After years of studying their solar system, and while she’d seen anomalies, none ever convinced her life existed outside of Earth.
“We are not alone.” He grinned as he made the famous quote. Then smiled even brighter. “We’re here.”
The bubble around them disappeared, and Circe gaped. For one, they were higher than any human had a right to be without sitting in a cockpit or wearing an astronaut suit. Yet, despite the altitude, the air, while slightly chilly, proved breathable, and the view…
“This is insane,” she gasped, trying to take it all in at once and failing. The night sky had never stretched so beautiful and clear. No smog, nothing to impede her admiration of the billions of twinkling stars. Even some planets could be seen.
“I thought you might like it. Bet we could source you a super-duper telescope so you can study them to your heart’s content.”
She glanced at him. “Why would you go through the trouble when I won’t be here for long?”
“Planning on going back?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Either we succeed and the world isn’t destroyed and I can return to my life in Athens, or we fail, in which case we’ll all be galactic dust.”
Taurus pursed his lips. “What if you could stay? Given our affinity to the constellations and the threats they sometimes spawn, it would be mighty useful to have someone around who understands how the universe works.”
“Are you offering me a job?” She couldn’t help but laugh.
“Hey, it comes with perks.”
“Such as?”
“Well, that nice apartment, for one. Free food. Clothes. Any equipment you want. No assholes trying to kill you when you discover something important.”
“All very tempting, but I have family in Greece who are probably worried sick about my disappearance. Sage said I couldn’t call them, as I might put them in danger. The best she could do was get them word that, despite what police found at my apartment, I am alive and well.” Something she’d been displeased about. Circe and her mother were very close and spoke several times a week. Mama must be so worried, seeing as how the incident at her apartment ended up in the news. Andreas’s immolation caused a fire that brought fire trucks and led to the authorities investigating. According to Sage, Circe wasn’t in trouble, since Andreas hadn’t left any body parts, having completely incinerated, but the police had Circe listed as missing. Of more concern than that, the damage Andreas wrought had left her place unlivable.
Maybe she shouldn’t be so hasty to turn Taurus down.
“Yeah, I kind of forgot you had family. Warriors are expected to leave their old lives behind.”
“Including your name.”
He nodded. “That took some adjusting, but, unlike you, I wasn’t close to my family. Drunk father. Mother who had too many kids and spent all her time working. When I almost died during a bank heist, and got the invitation to become something more, I jumped at the chance.”
“You got injured during a robbery?” She’d not taken him for a thief.
“Yeah. Crazed gunman threatened to shoot a teller who was pregnant, and I thought I’d be a hero and use my body as a shield.”
“Oh my.” Not a thief then, but a hero.
His next words had a wry hue to them. “More like ‘ouch, what the fuck did I do?’ But in the end, turned out to be the best thing ever for me. I went from essentially no future to making a difference, which is more than I can for my siblings.”
“What happened to them?”
“Jail for my brothers, and my sister ended up prostituting herself for drugs until the day she died of syphilis.”
