CHAPTER 43: PARKING LOT PANIC

Maybe Riley should just stop coming here.

Every time he did, something weird happened. Misfortune had apparently bookmarked this place for him, and each visit felt like another entry into his tragic memoir.

Today was no exception.

It was the unlikeliest area, honestly. Riley stared, confused, at the sight in front of him.

Merfolk.

Again.

And not just one. Five.

Which didn’t make any sense.

Sure, other races passed through human settlements now and then. But merfolk? Out here? In a dry, sunbaked town miles away from any natural body of water?

That wasn’t just odd. That was downright suspicious.

Most merfolk wouldn’t come this far inland unless absolutely necessary. Unless they were here for something. Or someone.

Also, legitimate visitors didn’t skulk around in the shadows using glamours.

Not at the back alley near a dingy parking lot.

And definitely not during a meeting that they believe other humans cannot participate in.

Riley, to his credit, was doing a decent job of pretending to load his shopping into the car. Just another human trying to figure out the puzzle of plastic bags and bad trunk layouts.

And technically, the five lounging merfolk hadn’t done anything illegal.

Technically.

But Riley wasn’t a normal civilian. And he understood the context of their seemingly harmless conversation. That was the problem.

"Those idiots failed to deliver the package and even got themselves decommissioned like that," one of them muttered.

"What actually happened? I heard they were almost dead."

"Think of it like this. They couldn’t even be touched. But in their case, it’s better not to wake up. Who wants to be involved with that mess?"

"Aren’t we already suffering? Now we have to find the lost package, too?"

"Where do we even start?"

Thunk!

The car trunk slammed shut.

Riley winced at the sound. He had run out of excuses to stay. He had already lingered longer than any sane shopper would.

And of course, right on cue, one of them noticed him.

The tallest one raised a hand. The others went quiet. Then the figure started walking toward him, calm, deliberate, almost lazy in his approach.

But Riley’s blood went cold.

They were using glamour.

He shouldn’t be able to see them. That was the whole point.

If he reacted now, he’d blow his cover. He wasn’t supposed to know they were there. They’d know something was off.

His heart pounded. He could practically hear it in his throat.

So naturally, he made the worst possible choice.

He decided to sacrifice his dignity.

Riley nodded his head. Swayed side to side. Then suddenly threw one arm up and snapped his fingers.

"Yeahhh!" he said loudly to absolutely no music.

To sell the performance, he started bobbing his head with more enthusiasm. He spun slightly. Did a questionable shimmy. All while pretending the earbuds he was wearing were working overtime.

He grooved like his life depended on it. Because right now? It kind of did.

His shirt clung to his back with sweat. Every nerve screamed for him to run, to freeze, to scream. But instead, he kept dancing. A one-man flash mob in the middle of a parking lot.

The merfolk watched.

All five.

He could feel them circling. He could sense their confusion.

One of them tilted his head, uncertain.

Another squinted like Riley had just begun an interpretive dance of the mating cycle of a jellyfish.

But the important part?

None of them approached.

Not yet.

So Riley kept going. He even started humming under his breath, something vaguely resembling a song. Was it a jingle? A hymn? He didn’t know. It didn’t matter.

All he knew was that he had been successful, until he wasn’t.

Riley was about to make his final sprint to the driver’s side when the universe, in its infinite cruelty, decided it wasn’t done with him yet.

A mirage shimmered to life.

Not just any mirage.

Kael’s face.

The face that probably haunted dreams and inspired obedience throughout Eryndra.

Riley nearly tripped over himself trying to turn around and shield the sudden projection from the merfolk.

Which, by the way, were now looking at him like he was the main course.

Five. To one.

No chance for a sneak attack. No way he’d get to his taser in time.

And why did all this matter? Because which normal human would receive such a magical projection? Missives, sure. But projections and in broad daylight? If Riley wasn’t suspicious before, he was now. Especially given how many individuals would be powerful enough to pull off such a thing.

It felt like time slowed.

It wasn’t. It was just one horrifying second.

But in that one second, all five merfolk stood. They were clearly coming for him now.

And Riley, who had just turned to hide Kael’s face from view, realized he was now facing all five of them directly.

"YOU—!" Kael’s voice began, and Riley figured it was do or die, so he let fate decide.

"HONEY!" Riley shouted.

Kael’s projection glitched.

Actually glitched.

Even the magic looked confused.

His face blurred. His mouth froze. One eye twitched slightly. As if even the spell itself was rethinking its life decisions.

The merfolk stopped.

Just slightly.

Just enough for Riley to panic further.

"DON’T CALL THE AUTHORITIES!" he yelled, flailing one hand while the other hovered protectively near the car door.

"You can’t just lock me up in there forever! I only wanted to buy a few things!"

Kael, in his current location—somewhere in the Ministry, surrounded by actual professionals—could only stare.

"???"

"What."

"I swear I’m coming back soon! I’m not lost or dead or kidnapped! I have the tracker you gave me, remember? So please, don’t send the police again!"

Riley said it all with wide eyes and a desperate expression. He even leaned into the projection like he was begging his overly concerned partner not to ruin his day out.

Back at the Ministry, Kael remained completely still. The officers beside him, however, had gone motionless. Some looked down. Others stopped breathing.

What the hell was this human saying?

Did he have a death wish?

Was this treason?

Was this... roleplay?

But Riley kept going.

"OH. OH! And honey, remember our last date?" His voice rose just enough. "The one with those very friendly people? They’re here again. Asking about us. About when we’d be free."

His smile was too wide. His words too loud.

Code. It was code. Please understand that it’s code, Riley prayed.

"Actually, I heard they wanted to go back to the same place for the birthday celebration, and I said I was going to ask you if we’re coming."

There. That should explain it. He hoped he understood that someone was looking for Orien again.

Kael better pick it up. Otherwise, he was about to become fish food. Or dragon food. And neither sounded appealing.

He gently touched the edge of the projection. Not enough to interrupt it. Just enough to make it clear.

"We’re coming right?" Riley looked at him pleadingly, but it was really more because Kael needed to respond or these advancing merfolk would likely end him.

Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Then he spoke.

"Okay. Come back now. I can see your location. Don’t wander. Head home directly."

"HA HA HA! Yes, absolutely! I’m leaving now. Look!" Riley spun the projection slightly, pretending to show off his surroundings like he was being monitored by an obsessive spouse. "Entering the car. Right now. See you soon!"

He opened the door, dove in, slammed it shut, and turned the engine over with all the force of a desperate man fleeing fate.

The car peeled out of the parking lot.

But then, Riley remembered something that sent a chill down his spine.

The projection was still on.

His eyes widened.

"My lord! I apologize! There were—"

The projection zoomed out.

Kael’s face shrank to a corner as the screen revealed the rest of the room.

The Ministry meeting room.

Filled.

Filled with officers, representatives, and probably a dozen species from three different alliances.

Riley nearly swerved into a curb.

He saw so many eyes. So many stunned, confused, horrified eyes.

And then—

Kael leaned forward, one arm resting on the table, head tilted slightly, eyebrow raised in a way that could cause cardiac arrest.

"See you soon...honey."

The projection disappeared.

Riley’s soul did too.

He clutched the wheel, stared at the road, and whispered into the void, "Strike me down."

He looked to the sky.

"Please."

A truck passed him harmlessly.

He sighed in despair.

No divine intervention today.

Just humiliation. Pure, unfiltered, unforgettable humiliation.