Contractor by Andrew Ball

finger.
    And then he stopped. "Can you take it
    away from me?"
    "The contract’s magic?"
    "No, my pet elephant," Daniel said. He
    put a hand over his eyes. "Yes, the contract.
    Can it be taken away?"
    "No. It’s permanent."
    "How permanent?"
    "Absolutely permanent," Xik said. "The contract alters the connection between your
    soul and the multiversal energy field.
    Undoing that would be like un-burning a
    piece of wood."
    "Great. Let’s get this over with before I
    change my mind."
    Xik clapped his hands together.
    "Then…?"
    "Yeah. Where do I sign?"
    "You don’t need to." Xik peeled off one
    of his white gloves, revealing smooth, lime
    green skin. The frog stretched out his hand.
    "We just have to shake."
    Daniel looked at the extended hand for a
    long moment. Was there any other way? No.
    He couldn’t fight the Vorid. That thing was
    stuck in Felix’s back, grown into the skin—
    even if he could rip it out, it would take
    Felix’s insides with it. Magic was the only
    thing that could save his little brother.
    Daniel started to swallow, but he
    stopped halfway. It felt like trying to choke
    down a basketball.
    There were two possibilities. The first,
    and the far more likely, was that he’d gone
    completely insane. The second—this was all
    real, and Felix’s soul was in danger of harm.
    No, not harm—removal. Erasure.
    He took Xik’s hand.
    Green fire flared down Xik’s arm.
    Angry flames coated Daniel’s hand in an
    instant. He jerked free of Xik’s grip; the frog
    let him go without a struggle.
    The fire didn’t burn. It wasn’t fire,
    either—it didn’t give off light. It spread like
    ooze, but it flickered and wavered like fire
    should. It coated his wrist, then slipped
    under his clothes. It felt like moist rubber
    steadily sealing him up.
    The flames rounded his shoulder, spread
    down across his chest, and then up his neck.
    Daniel felt himself tense as it crept up to his
    chin, but it stopped there, leaving his face
    exposed. He kept his focus on his bookshelf,
    trying to ignore the rest of it. Eventually, the
    wet rubber worked down his legs, squeezed
    into his shoes, and curled about his toes.
    It stopped. For a moment, Daniel
    relaxed. This was it—he was the Green
    Lantern in a latex costume. A little more
    ostentatious than he’d expected, but hey,
    maybe he’d be a real life superhero. He
    started to rise.
    A beam of red light cut through the air
    between Daniel and Xik. He threw himself
    back down into his chair. Blinking showers
    of lasers blossomed to life in seconds.
    Numbers, symbols, and lines twisted into an
    intricate net within the glowing construct.
    Daniel’s eyes darted to keep up with the
    changes.
    The lights formed a rough orb, which
    began to spin, and it grew, like a ball of
    twine picking up extra slack. Through it all,
    Xik was silent, and still, an odd green statue
    that grounded the chaos.
    The rotating sphere halted. Someone
    turned up the dial on the brightness. The
    bedroom was dyed in maroon light. Whites
    reflected pink; blacks and browns went the
    color of dried blood.
    Daniel felt a punch in the chest. He
    grunted and shut his eyes. A rush of air
    whipped his hair and clothes and stung his
    face. He struggled to get a new breath in the
    high wind.
    And then it was gone.
    He sat back, snapped his eyes open, and
    breathed. The red lights had vanished. He
    checked himself over. The green coating was
    gone. No injuries.
    "How do you feel?" Xik asked.
    "I guess…" Daniel blinked a few times.
    "…well…about the same, really."
    "First you need to learn about your new
    sense, and how to conceal yourself. Close
    your eyes and relax."
    Daniel did as he was instructed. A few
    long breaths helped his heart return to a
    normal pace. "Ok."
    "Scrying—that’s what you’re about to
    do—takes concentration. The only rule is
    that you must be still. Remember that."
    Daniel nodded and shut his eyes. "Now," Xik continued, "imagine stretching your mind
    outside your body,