by Obert Skye
The Otter Rock police force wasn’t huge. There were less than a dozen cops on the payroll. The station was never bustling with officers bringing in perps or throwing chairs around in an attempt to intimidate witnesses. Nope—there was Wilma at the desk during the day, another officer at the desk during the night, and a lead officer on hand. The rest of the staff was out patrolling the town or giving speeding tickets to tourists who were rude enough to try to blow through Otter Rock without slowing down to look around. Recently, the staff had been spread even thinner, with an officer parked in front of Patti’s home and another always following Ozzy around.
Jon knew all of this. He was keenly aware that at that very moment there was only Wilma, Officer Greg, and Wills in the building. Had he been a wizard, he would have zapped himself free, but he had no magical powers, and he couldn’t wait any longer.
It was Officer Greg’s fault. The prisoner had been behaving so well and cooperating so completely. Greg let his guard down. He foolishly didn’t feel the need to worry about a man who was ex-military, known to be slippery, and had gotten out of far bigger scrapes than the one he was currently in.
The two of them shuffled into the interrogation room and Officer Greg began to unlock Jon’s right handcuff so he could attach it to the end of the table.
“Sheriff Wills will be in momentarily,” Greg said as he undid the right shackle. “He just—”
In less than a second, Jon moved his free hand up and grabbed the officer by the hair. He then pulled Greg’s head down hard against the table. The unsuspecting and newly unconscious officer slid off the table to the ground. Jon grabbed the handcuff key and moved out of the room. Wilma was up at the counter and Wills was still in his office, both unaware of what was happening.
Jon headed down the hall to the emergency back door. Without pausing, he pushed the door open and ran outside.
An alarm instantly began to wail.
Jon sprinted across the back lot behind the station, taking off his orange shirt as he ran. The chain-link fence around the area had a small strand of barbed wire running across the top. Not breaking stride, Jon jumped up onto the fence and threw his shirt over the barbed wire, flipped over the top, and dropped down on the other side. He could hear the alarm still wailing, now accompanied by Sheriff Wills shouting.
“Stop!”
There were other more interesting words thrown out by the sheriff as well, but the overall message was for Jon to give up and cease running.
Jon didn’t listen. He shot across a street and into the trees behind a strip mall.
Sheriff Wills stopped at the fence, not willing to climb over it. He said a few choice words and then ran back into the station to rally his troops and recapture Jon.
By the time Wills got into his vehicle, the average man was already a mile away and moving through trees so thick it would be hard for any car to follow.
Ozzy wasn’t sure if he was alive or dead. Daylight appeared through the hole above him, the light looking like an oncoming train that had paused and was waiting to run him down after he had suffered longer. He glanced around the small space and wished there was something he could control with his mind. Knowing that there wasn’t, he then wished being a wizard-in-training came with some real-life skills.
In between falling into black holes and worrying about staying alive, the boy had thought a lot about Rin. He had also thought about what Patti had said. She didn’t believe. When Ozzy had searched for any sign of Quarfelt online, he had found nothing. It seemed to him that a place as important as Quarfelt would have been mentioned by someone.
Ozzy closed his eyes and slowed his breathing.
“What are you doing down there?” a voice questioned from above.
The boy lifted his right arm and rubbed the corresponding eye. Looking up, he saw a long beard and bits of light falling through the hole.
“Rin?”
“You look uncomfortable,” the wizard casually shouted. “I like rain as much as the next magical guy, but just soaking in the stuff on a cold floor seems less than enjoyable. Oh, well, to each his own.”
Despite the doubts that Patti had created, the thrill of seeing Rin gave Ozzy the sudden strength to push himself up on to his elbows and sit halfway up.
“You’re alive!” the boy shouted.
“Is someone telling people otherwise?” Rin complained, just his head visible. “Do not believe those online comments. I swear, you put up one website and everyone wants to be a critic. Let’s see them design better shoes.”
Ozzy smiled.
“You look happy,” Rin shouted with joy. “You’re soaking in water in a very under-decorated room and you’re still happy. You’re acting just like a junior wizard should.”
“No, I’m not,” Ozzy said weakly. “I’m happy because I can tell from the nonsense you’re blurting out that it’s really you.”
“Of course it’s me.”
“I’ve never seen you from this angle.”
“I’ve never seen you wear earmuffs, but I’d still be able to tell it was you,” Rin said happily.
“Where’s Clark?” Ozzy asked.
Rin’s expression changed. “He’s not here.”
“Where is he?”
“I can tell you all of that when you get up here.”
“Tell me now.”
Rin chastised the boy. “You have the patience of a first-year wizard. Remember what I’ve always said, ‘Knowledge is a package that time unwraps.’ I will tell you all about Clark when the time is right.”
“You’ve never said that,” Ozzy insisted. “Is he okay?”
“Sure, he’s cool,” Rin said. “I mean, I enjoy having him around.”
“Not okay, okay. Is he safe?”
“Oh, well, that depends on what your definition of is is.”
Ozzy closed his eyes and lifted his left hand. He pointed his finger up toward Rin.
“Are you trying to control me with your finger?” the wizard asked. “Because many people have attempted to gain access to my brain and it’s never worked.”
“I just want to know if Clark’s okay.”
“I’ll tell you everything once you’re up here.” Rin seemed excited. “I prefer to speak to people who are not lying in rainwater. Now, why are you down there?”
Ozzy sighed. “I fell.”
“It’s a bad look,” Rin said. “Your poor command of gravity makes me worry about your skills as a wizard. If you can’t master one of the most magical things in existence, then how are you going to save the world?”
“I wasn’t planning to save the world.”
“That’s good, keep yourself in the dark. It’ll make the ending more exciting.”
“Can you get me out of here?” Ozzy asked.
“It might help if I had a little backstory,” Rin suggested. “For starters, why you are down there?”
“I fell,” Ozzy said, “through the opening you’re looking through now.”
“Are your legs broken?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Your arms?”
“No.”
“Then let’s have you stand up and I’ll see if I can reach down.”
“Can’t you just levitate me up?” Ozzy asked.
“The difference between what I can and will do is staggering.”
“Is that a no?”
“It’s an invitation for you to use some magic of your own. How can I expect you to grow if I’m doing all the heaving and lifting?”
“Right,” Ozzy said with frustration. “That’s a no.”
It took some struggling, but Ozzy finally managed to get up on his feet. He wobbled for a few moments and then leaned against the stone wall.
Rin reached down and Ozzy reached up. The gap between their hands was still at least a foot across.
“Where’s your staff?” Rin asked.
“I left it at home. It’s hard enough to sneak away without Sheriff Wills catching me. I didn’t think a six-foot stick with a glowing orb would help.”
“It always helps,” Rin said. “Look how beneficial it would be now. And where are your trousers?”
Ozzy glanced down to make sure he was wearing some.
“Oh, you mean the pants you sent? Again, I didn’t think that red and gray plaid pants would be the best thing to wear while I’m sneaking around.”
“I didn’t send them,” Rin insisted. “They came directly from the QWA.”
They both were silent.
“Do I have to ask?” Ozzy gave in.
“The Quarfelt Wizards Association,” Rin explained. “And your magical powers are strengthened when you wear them.”
“So is my humiliation level.”
“Humility can be a powerful tool. I’ve won awards for mine.”
“Rin,” Ozzy complained, “if you’re not going to tell me about Clark, and if you’re not going to float me out of here or make our arms longer, maybe you could find a tree limb or something I could use to climb.”
It took Rin ten minutes to find a decent branch. The first one he found didn’t feel right, the second one was too splintery, the third one had an obnoxious personality, and the fourth one demanded that Rin set it down. The fifth stick was amiable enough to let Rin pick it off the ground and then lower it into the hole.
It may have been agreeable, but as Ozzy stepped on the handle of the metal door and pushed upward while pulling on the stick, it broke.
The boy fell back down to the stone floor.
“Try another,” Ozzy said as Rin looked down at him. “Grab the nearest one. I don’t care if it doesn’t want to help.”
“That’s incredibly selfish,” Rin said, scolding the boy. The wizard noticed something as he was gazing down. “Wait, what was that you put your foot on? Is that a door?”
“Yes.” Ozzy turned his head to look at the metal door. “But it’s locked.”
“Not anymore,” Rin said happily.
Ozzy grabbed the handle he had just used for footing and it broke off in his hand. The metal door whined as it slowly opened. He turned his head and looked up.
“It’s open!” he hollered.
There was no need to scream—Rin was standing directly behind him. The wizard stepped back three inches.
“Inside voices,” the wizard chided.
Ozzy was baffled. “What are you doing?”
“I jumped down,” Rin replied. “I wanted to see what was behind the door.”
“But now we’re both stuck.”
“What a foolish thing to say.”
“Do you have your phone?”
“It’s being repaired.”
Rin reached past Ozzy and pulled the metal door open. He took out a small candle from one of his robe pockets and lit it with a match.
“You carry around candles?”
“The lighting is much more mysterious than a flashlight.”
The flame made it possible to see that behind the door there was another subterranean room and a set of stone stairs. Most of the room was filled with burnt pieces of the Cloaked House that had spilled in from a collapsed hole in the basement wall. There were also broken glass vials and a metal table chained to the wall.
“Did you know this space was here?”
“No,” Ozzy said reverently. “This is a part of the basement I didn’t know existed. I wonder if my parents knew it was here.”
Rin directed the candlelight toward some stone stairs that led up.
“What’s that?” Ozzy asked.
Sitting on the second step was a big square block. It looked solid and black. Ozzy stepped over to it and picked it up. It was heavy and burnt and smelled like rubber.
“It must have fallen in from the basement during the fire.”
“I hate to say anything must have,” Rin complained. “It leaves no room for mystery. I prefer may have.”
“Either way, it’s weird,” Ozzy observed. “It has ridges.”
Rin moved around Ozzy and crawled as far up the stairs as he could. There were pieces of burnt board and tree roots crossing every step. At the top of the stairs they were stopped by a square metal hatch that was horizontal and at ground level. It had a handle and sliding bolt on one side and two hinges on the other. Rin slid the bolt back and pushed up with all his might.
The hatch didn’t budge.
“You shouldn’t have jumped down here,” Ozzy said again. “Since I’ve obviously never seen a metal hatch behind the house, it has to be buried by years of dirt. We can’t just push it open.”
“I wish I had a wimpt for every can’t I’ve turned into can,” Rin said, sounding disappointed in Ozzy.
“What’s a wimpt?”
“About half the value of a soom. They were part of the old currency in Quarfelt,” Rin explained, while using the light of his candle to carefully study the metal hatch. “They used them for money back before the Great Mud Scrimmage.”
Ozzy gave Rin a solid stare.
“It was a really messy war,” the wizard added. “But that’s not the point. As you can see, the hinges on this hatch are brittle. This might be a good time for you to try casting a spell to break them.”
“I don’t know any spells,” the boy pointed out. “If the hatch had a mind, I might be able to will it open.”
“It doesn’t,” Rin said. “But there are endless spells inside of you. You’re no longer an apprentice, you’re a wizard-in-training, for trolls’ sake—a genuine trainee. If we were in Quarfelt, they’d give you a sticker to wear.”
“I’m glad we’re here.”
“Now you’re talking like a wizard,” Rin cheered. “So—give it a go. It’s time to let those spells out.”
The darkness kept Ozzy’s expression hidden and prevented Rin from seeing just how uneasy he was with what the wizard was saying.
“Don’t think about it,” Rin instructed. “Just say whatever comes to your mind.”
“You’ve doomed us both by jumping down here.”
Rin tested the hatch. “Nope, that’s not it. Try something else.”
“I really wanted to see you again, but now I’m not sure why.”
Rin pulled on the handle. “Try again.”
Ozzy was exasperated. “This is ridiculous!”
The wizard tugged hard on the handle and the brittle hinges cracked, allowing him to pull the hatch down toward them. As it opened, a thick layer of dirt and grass caved in with it. The soil covered their heads and bodies and filled the stairs with mud and daylight. Rin reached up and pushed through the debris as he climbed the rest of the stairs and crawled out of the cellar.
Ozzy followed behind him, dragging the black cube.
The hatch opened up near the stream behind the burnt house. Moving like a motivated turtle, Ozzy let go of the cube and shuffled to the water. He threw his face into the stream and took a deep drink. With his thirst slaked, he scooted over and sat next to Rin. They were both dirty and streaked with bits of dirt, ash, and grass. The two of them looked like survivors of the Great Mud Scrimmage.
“Impressive spell,” Rin said in a congratulatory tone. “I’ve never tried that one before.”
“It wasn’t a spell,” Ozzy insisted.
Rin shook his head. “It’s always disheartening when people fail to realize how powerful the words they throw out of their mouths really are.”
“Super disheartening,” Ozzy said impatiently. “Now, where’s Clark?”
Rin looked away from Ozzy and stared at the ground directly in front of him.
“What?” Ozzy’s face was now covered with ash and worry. “What is it? Where is he?”
“I’m not s
ure how to say it,” Rin said. “But Clark’s not here.”
Ozzy was dubious. “What do you mean not here?”
“No longer with us.”
The new wizard was speechless; the old one wasn’t.
“You see, I brought him with me to Quarfelt, remember?”
“Yes,” Ozzy said anxiously. “You snatched him up and jumped off the boat.”
“Right. You were there. Well, once we were in Quarfelt, some things happened.”
“What things?”
“I could go on and on about things, but the importantest thing is that Clark didn’t come back with me.”
“Then we need to go get him,” Ozzy demanded.
“I can’t.”
“I thought you turned can’ts to cans!”
Rin looked touched. “You were listening. But this situation is different. You see, when your dad invented Clark, well, there were some things that needed improvement. And, when I tried to improve them . . .” Rin let his voice just trail off.
“What?” Ozzy asked. “What happened?”
“It’s probably best that I show you.”
Rin stood up and Ozzy followed suit, holding the large black cube. The wizard adjusted his hat and dusted off some of the ashes from his robe. For the first time Ozzy noticed what Rin was wearing.
“Your pants are different.”
“I didn’t want to brag, but I’ve been promoted. And I’m happy to say I’m still a size thirty-two.”
“You were promoted to a hippie wizard?” Ozzy asked with genuine confusion. “I’ve seen pictures in old books of people wearing pants like that. Are they bellbottoms?”
“No, these are the trousers of a high wizard.”
“That’s unfortunate,” Ozzy said with compassion.
“I had the choice of these or shorts,” Rin explained. “But I’ve never felt very confident about my knees.”
Ozzy took a deep, long breath of air and looked around the forest. The sky was growing darker and the threat of rain was becoming a promise. He looked at the wizard he had called all those months ago. The wizard he had hoped would find his parents. The wizard that Patti had said wasn’t real. The wizard who had gone above and beyond for him countless times.