Anil came through the rotating doors of the building with a large tube strapped to his back. Nodding his acknowledgments of noticing Dean and Aggie he grabbed his bike and pedaled away without a word. Disappearing in a gust of wind that blew around debris. Debris that seemed magically gravitate towards Dean, ending with a greasy napkin hitting him in the face.

Knocking the garbage off of him and spitting dust out of his mouth he followed Aggie in step into Andromeda Inc. A company dedicated to conservation and preservation of the environments while working on an initiative to reclaim lands to revert back to their natural glory.

“If you can’t tell this is a Summer Court company,” Aggie said. “We need their help in getting to the Grimmlands. And who knows if they will help us with what just happened.”

“I can wait outside if it helps,” Dean said not wanting to go into the lion’s lair.

“No, they might find that more insulting,” Aggie replied. “Showing respect before a rule before a duel. And by the rules of the Code Duelo, you may apologize and mitigate some violence. If you’re lucky you make just pay a weregild.”

Before Dean could ask any more questions, they were in the lobby of the building. Beautifully carved marble columns lined the entranceway similar to the apartment complex. Each one carved in the same bas relief. Only these carvings were vines growing towards a glass ceiling.

No elevators or stairs were leading from this floor. Just a large open lobby with a tree growing in the center of the building. A tree was squat but wide enough to take up three-quarters of the building filling the air with the scent of earth.

Its bark looked like wrinkles on a face, but from the eldest and weathered person. Dotted in the crevices of the wrinkles were holes large enough for a man to walk in. The canopy was dense with foliage. So thick that it created shadows as deep as night. Hummingbirds and bees flew around flowers sprouting from vines climbing the tree. Dean even saw a deer walking into view from behind the tree before disappearing into a hole in the tree.

“This is a tree grown from the seed Yggdrasil. It is how we will enter the Grimmlands to find Nameless,” Aggie said with awe in his voice.

Dean stood there looking on in reverence at what he was seeing. Without opening himself up to the psychic energies of magic he could feel it cascading over him. All coming from the tree in waves. Power like would usually break the mind of lesser but Dean could feel the pulse of life coming from it.

“It's beautiful,” Dean managed to say.

As they walked closer to the tree a man and woman stepped out of the holes in the tree. Both in black suits with black sunglasses and earpieces. The woman raised her hand to her earpiece. Listening to whoever she was talking to the man snapped a gun up pointing it at Dean.

Calling what was in the man's hand a gun was like calling a tiger a cat. What he pointed at Dean was closer to a small artillery cannon. Even as far away as they were Dean could clearly see down the barrel of the gun to the head of a silvery bullet.

Dean’s hand snapped up over his head. Barely twitching a muscle he watched Aggie continue walking forward with no guns pointed at him.

An airy voice came from the female, “Dean Fabre will you agree to the search and disarmament of any weapons or foci deemed by my person,” she yelled.

Swallowing a lump in his throat. Dean yelled back, “Yeah sure… I mean YES.”

Walking up to Dean slowly, the man with a gun kept it steady on Dean. Getting a closer look at the hand holding the hand cannon Dean saw it had only 3 fingers on it. But each finger was as thick as his wrist. Looking closer at the man’s face intimidated him more. His nose sat flat and wide against his face. His eyes the same as a lion. Given that he only knew what a lion looked like from pictures.

Dean watched as the man’s nostrils flared and its eyes dilated. Dean suddenly felt like a rabbit staring at a wolf. The man smiled a little as he watched Dean sweat.

The woman started to pat him down without even noticing. His gun already out of his side holster before he felt her hand reach into his pocket pulling out his cigarette case holding his nails. Working down his legs she had him remove his shoes checking the inside of them before allowing him to put them back on.

Dean finally got a look at her as she stood up storing his silver case and gun in her pocket. He caught a glimpse of what looked like gills on the side of her throat. As she stood up the light shifted across her skin showing a rainbow sheen. Her fingers were long slender and partially webbed.

Both the man and woman took a step back as Aggie watched. She put her hand to her ear once again listening to whoever was on the other side. The man put his free hand behind his back pulling out a pair of handcuffs.

The woman gestured at Dean to put his hands out. Aggie told him to do it. Putting his arms out the man put the cuffs on. The cuffs tightening without the man touching them. Lifting them up to examine them Dean couldn’t figure out how they worked. They had become solid pieces of silver metal with no seams.

“Dean Fabre you may follow us to Lady Andromeda,” the lady said. Turning to Aggie, “Can we offer you any refreshments free of any reciprocity.”

“None but your names would be nice,” Aggie said.

Dean wanted to know their names but was afraid to ask. The man with the gun still holding it perfectly steady pointing it at Dean’s chest.

“I go by Ula,” she said holding her hand against her modest chest.

“Jabari,” the man grunted.

“Ula. Jabari,” Aggie said as he greeted both of them.

Ula turned and started to walk away after a brief and awkward conversation. The handcuffs tugged Dean after her as if they were magnetically attracted to her. Jabari followed in step behind Dean. The gun just inches from his back.

Ula led them to the tree. As they got closer to the tree Dean could see the dark tunnels were actually just shallow wrinkles in the tree. Walking confidently Ula entered one of those wrinkles disappeared into it. The handcuffs continued pulling Dean after it as he began to fight it.

“Just think of it as your Harry Potter movies,” Aggie said from behind. Where he estimated he walked through the tree he felt a static build-up and surround him. Suddenly it felt as if the buildup of energy popped as he stepped on soft earth.

Opening his eyes he found himself in a forest. But the trees stood stories higher than any tree he had ever seen. What sky he could see beyond it had stars showing in daylight. Small animals skittered around the trees as the silhouettes of wolfs stalked through the forest.

Looking over his shoulder he watched Jabari and Aggie exit from a tree. Its bark rippling like water as they exited.

“Welcome to the land of the Summer Fay,” Ula said. “Stay on the path. Do not tread on the wild forests lest you forfeit the right of propriety.”

Something growled from the shadows as they walked along the path.

“Something stalks us,” Jabari said in his deep voice.

“You may go Jabari,” Ula said.

Jabari stepped off the path instantly disappearing.

“Is this really the Grimmlands,” Dean asked as he tried to see where Jabari disappeared to.

“Yes, it is,” Aggie said. “Nowhere is truly safe in the Grimmlands.”

“He is correct,” Ula said, “but the paths in the Summer Court are relatively safe.”

As they continued down the pathway Dean's head was on a swivel trying to see any dangers as they continued walking. Without his nails or gun, he felt incredibly naked suddenly. Jumping at every noise that came from the forest.

Jabari suddenly appeared in front of them. His suit was unruffled but carrying a bloody silver spear instead of his hand cannon.

“Andromeda is just ahead,” Jabari said his spear held at parade rest.

They continued on as the forest opened up to a gazebo. A woman in a Victorian-style white dress sipping tea. Two chairs accompanied her. Ula and Jabari dropped to one knee their head bowed. The lady never turned but Aggie smacked Dean and pushed him forward.

Dean looked back at Aggie as if asking what to do. Instead, Aggie just walked past him and bowed deeply.

“Lady Andromeda, I Aggadorf the living grimoire present my apprentice, Dean Fabre,” Aggie said.

Dean stepped forward and bowed deeply saying, “Hello Lady Andromeda, uh I’m the apprentice.”

Lady Andromeda beckoned the two to the seats sitting in front of him. Walking to the seats Dean was sucked into her gaze as he made eye contact. They were a beautiful sunset color that shifted in a hypnotic pattern as she stared into his eyes. She finally blinked breaking their shared stair. Dean found himself sitting with a cup of tea in his hand. Aggie and Andromeda chatting in a tongue he didn’t recognize.

“What just happened,” Dean asked out of turn.

Lady Andromeda turned to him smiling. “The Clavomancer is finally with us,” she said then taking a sip of her tea.