by Gabi Moore
Whoever had placed the bull in its location knew exactly what they were doing. They’d calculated Lilly’s curiosity to activate it by placing a coin in the slot. By her doing so, Lilly had keyed the bull to her and him as well. He knew the ultimate plan was to take them both out by any means necessary, but all they really had to do was keep him away from the pharmacy. His adversary had calculated if Dion could be kept away from the Elemental Grandmasters, he might lose heart and cease his quest. Did he not hesitate to go into the building until his grandparents and Edward appeared? The bull was an act of desperation by whoever wanted to keep him from gaining full power. And they were on the brink of success.
Out of the restaurant, a local woman walked into the hallway, just behind Dion and Lilly. She stopped when she saw the bull on the ground. In her world, plastic bulls simply did not become animated and move on their own. This had to be some kind of sales stunt. When she left the restaurant, the bull was not in motion and she turned to see the two young people staring at it from behind the table.
“What’s going on?” she asked them. “I need to get to the hospital; my shift starts in an hour. Is this some kind of new toy they’re trying to sell down at Children’s Outlet?”
“Don’t move and stay with us,” Dion told her. “Is there anyone in the restaurant when you left?”
“No, the baron was in the back working in the kitchen and I left the money on the table.”
In that moment she noticed the bull move. The plastic head of the creature turned and looked at the woman who had just left the restaurant. Its painted red eyes seemed to focus on what she had about her neck. The woman, who was in her forties, portly and who possessed a fancy wedding band, turned to look back at the plastic bull.
“Isn’t that amazing,” she said to Dion. “They must have all kinds of electric motors inside that thing to get it to move like that. My brother-in-law works on motors like that down at the plant near Kelltering.”
She had referenced an automotive factory, which employed thousands of people near a suburb of Scipio.
The creature had focused its attention on what the woman wore about her shoulders: a black necklace. Dion looked at it too and realized the necklace might be onyx, one of the blackest minerals that could be found.
“Is that an onyx necklace you’re wearing?” he asked her.
“Yes, my husband gave it to me as a present last month. I really don’t like it and have thought about taking it back to the place he bought it from and exchange it. I’ve only had it a week. I came here because I planned on taking it back, but I was distracted by the makeup department and you can’t imagine how much money I spend th--”
“I’ll buy it from you,” Dion blurted out.
“Seriously?” she said in disbelief, “You like it that much?”
“A hundred dollars,” he said, peeling out another roll from one of his other pockets in his jean jacket. “Here, count it yourself.” He handed her the money, as she looked it over.
“Well, if you insist. I don’t like it much and could use the cash. I’ll make up some story. I knew this day would work out better than the last.”
The woman took the necklace off and handed it to him. Dion handed her the cash roll and she walked away with a smile on her face.
“Where did you get that kind of money?” Lilly asked him.
“I keep a spare roll on me for emergencies,” he said. “This qualified.”
The plastic bull was still frozen with its gaze fixed on the onyx necklace Dion had in his hand. Dion waved it from one side to the next, the bull turning its head each time to follow the motion of the necklace.
“We have our red tablecloth,” he told Lilly. “Onyx is a mineral very much loved by the earth elementals. Whatever elemental used to make the bull move, it will never overcome its desire for the mineral. That lady wandering by with the necklace was just what we needed.”
“How do we use it?”
“I want you to start walking to the pharmacy. I’m going to lure the bull away with the necklace. It will follow me. Once I can find a place to isolate it, I’ll find some way to bind it in place with the necklace.”
“But what about you? Dion, I’m not going to leave you alone with that… thing. I can help you take it to wherever you need it to go.”
“Okay, fine, but do as I say. Walk back behind me and call out if you see any place that sells tableware in the main concourse.”
Lilly began to move backwards, but the animated bull had no interest in her. Its gaze was fixed to the necklace and it began to creep in the direction of it. Dion backed up with her and the huge plastic animal followed. So far, no one had noticed it other than themselves and the lady from the restaurant.
However, that was all about to change.
They continued to back out of the hallway and the plastic bull follow them. At first, no one noticed the bull as the section lacked shoppers. It was still very late in the day and the mall was within an hour of closing. The black, plastic bull continued its creaking as it walked to keep pace with them, the creature still intrigued by the sight of the onyx stones Dion wiggled in his hand. The necklace hypnotized it as they moved back. Dion did not know whether or not the person who had unleashed the elemental on the mechanical bull had given it the order to do them harm or just keep them away from the pharmacy. It didn’t matter because now they were in a very bad situation.
The door to the pharmacy opened again and the owner, Athena West, the Earth Elemental Grandmaster, stepped out and looked at the bull moving at the two in front of her. She realized what was taking place and stopped. She also knew she could bind the elemental inside the bull, but it was focused on Dion and Lilly as they led it away.
“Do you want me to handle this?” she said to Dion.
“No,” he told her, “I have everything under control. So long as it focuses on the stones in this necklace, it’s harmless.”
“I understand what you are doing,” she yelled back at them, “but what are you going to do with it now that you have it?”
“I’m working on that,” Dion yelled back at her.
“Maybe we should let her take care of this thing,” Lilly said to Dion. “If she’s the Earth Element Grandmaster, couldn’t she just shut it down?”
“I’m sure she could take care of it in minutes, but if I let her do it, how will it make me look as a candidate for the full powers of the earth element? This is one way to show her I’m worthy. If I can bind this thing where it won’t be able to move, then I’ll have all the proof I need to show her I’ve mastered the final part of the training. So maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.”
“You still haven’t stopped it from moving,” Lilly reminded him. “What happens if you lose control of it? There are all sorts of people in this place who could be in danger. Lord, you might cause a panic if they see it move and realize what is happening.”
“If something goes wrong, I’ll let her take it over. Until then, just let me do what I can. Have you found a tableware place yet?”
Lilly looked to one side and saw a store, which featured all kinds of plates, dishes and cooking utensils. It was called “Fazi’s” and was part of a national chain. It was also on the corner of the hall that merged to the main concourse. Only a few people had stopped to watch them lead the life-size plastic bull back to towards the concourse.
“I’ve found one,” she told him. “It’s right behind us.”
Dion turned his head to see the sign for the store directly behind him. “Thanks, just what I was looking for.”
He continued his movement backwards, but angled himself toward the entrance to the store. Dion turned around to look at the doors while continuing to hold the necklace of onyx stones in front of the advancing plastic bull. One slip-up and the creature would be capable of just about anything.
An uncontrolled elemental, especially one imprisoned in an artificial shell, would do almost anything to get back to its original state. The worst thing was that he didn’t know what kind of
elemental was imprisoned inside the mechanical bull causing it to move. He suspected it was an earth elemental, but there was no easy way to be sure. The onyx stones would normally indicate he dealt with an earth one, but there were exceptions to every rule.
Lilly dashed behind him, went to the glass doors of the store, and threw them open. She went inside and looked around. There were no customers in the store at the late hour, but there were two employees taking inventory and the manager standing behind the cash register.
“Is something wrong?” the manager, a lady in her twenties said to Lilly as she looked up from the newspaper on the counter. “Can I help you with anything?”
“My friend is about to come inside here in a few minutes she said. “He’s bringing a large robotic toy with him. I just wanted you to know so you wouldn’t be frightened.”
Dion coaxed the moving plastic bull into the store as he held the onyx stones in front of it. This had to be an earth elemental inside it; nothing else would be so charmed by the necklace. As the bull came closer, he would back up more, causing it to move again. Soon he was through the doors Lilly held open to the shop and the black plastic bull followed him. He moved backwards and was into the store itself as the large creature came after him.
“What is that thing?" the store manager said to Dion as the bull entered the store. She was visibly frightened behind the counter and her employees stopped what they were doing to stare in fascination at what was in front of them.
“Big toy,” he told her, “yes, that is what it is, a big robotic toy. I had to lead it somewhere, sorry about that, but shouldn’t be long now.”
The doors swung shut as Lilly released them and they were inside the shop which sold china with a big plastic bull. Luring it into the location was important, but securing it inside was more important.
The bull stepped up to the first counter and stopped. It was surrounded by breakable objects. Plates made of porcelain. Bowls made of ceramic. Covered dishes made of glass. It couldn’t move forward without the risk of cracking, breaking or destroying one of the fine pieces of tableware in front of it. This was the moment Dion had waited for. He now had the bull just where he wanted it and he knew for sure the elemental used to animate the bull was an earth one.
Dion carefully moved up to the plastic bull and held the necklace of onyx stones high in its face. The bull moved its painted eyes to the stones and was transfixed by them. It was unable to move at all, as it was surrounded by the chinaware and held in place by the onyx. There was one final thing left for Dion to accomplish.
While the others in the shop looked at him, he took the necklace and dropped it around the neck of the plastic bull. This alone would bind the elemental into the form where it was imprisoned. But Dion did not want the elemental to be trapped inside the bull. It could always free itself at a later date, but an imprisoned elemental tended to be furious when it was unleashed. Landslides and forest fires were caused by them. He had to let the elemental out slowly where it would not do damage and leave the mall. This was a powerful one; it had to be if it had been used to make the bull walk.
Dion made a few passes on the head of the bull, said the right words and gently touched the nose of it. He felt his strength surge through him as he connected with the elemental who still wanted freedom, even if it was enthralled by the pretty stones. Dion found the force used to contain the elemental and applied the right counter to it. It wasn’t so strong that it was beyond him, but whoever did it knew what they were doing when the elemental was contained. It was a simple matter of taking down the barrier and let the elemental out slowly.
He saw the floor vibrate as the earth elemental moved from the mechanical bull to the ground. There was a slight tremor as it found its way to the soft dirt of the earth. Soon it was gone, home to its natural source. Hopefully, it would continue to return to wherever it had originated.
It was gone.
The plastic, animated bull, had returned to its original form as an adult toy, something people could use to play cowboy upon it. Dion lifted his hand and took the onyx necklace from it. The threat of a raging bull in a china shop was over.
“That thing moved in here,” the manager said. “Is it safe? I mean we have a lot of things which it could break.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem any longer,” Dion told her. “I think its battery is dead. You can leave it here for the night or let maintenance take it out in the morning. Doesn’t make any difference.”
“Were you working with it?” she asked him as he took Lilly by the hand and went to the door.
“Not really. I saw it moving around and tried to get it into someplace safe. Your store seemed like the best bet. Sorry if I caused you any trouble.”
“Well,” the manager said and looked at the plastic bull in her shop. “It might have some advertising value. I’ll have to call the home office and find out.”
“Phew, that was close,” Lilly said to Dion as they left. “For a few minutes I thought you’d have to call that lady in and stop this thing from moving.”
“I wasn’t too confident I could stop it myself,” he said.
“Do you think my putting the quarter in is what set it off?”
“Maybe. If you hadn’t put the quarter in, whoever sat it in place would have found another way to activate it. Someone really wanted to keep me away from the Grandmaster.”
They continued walking until they reached the front of the pharmacy. The door was closed and the store only had another fifteen minutes to be open.
Dion looked at the window and saw the colored containers of water in the window. It seemed like every pharmacy had those. He was once told it had to do with a special promotion drug companies used to run. Maybe it was true, but he wondered if those containers didn’t represent something from the past long forgotten. ‘Show Globes’ he’d heard them called.
“Well,” he said to Lilly. “Here we are. All this trouble just to get to the door of a pharmacy.”
“I expect someone to try and stop us right now,” she said. “Let’s just go inside before anything else happens.” Lilly pulled the door open and they stepped into the pharmacy.
Chapter 11
Inside was a typical cheery pharmacy. There was the counter near the door and rows for medicines along the walls and inside the store. In the back, they could see the dispensing area. But no one was inside it. It was still late in the day and most of the customers had gone home.
But not the pharmacist. She was waiting for them by the entrance.
“Glad to see you dealt with that thing,” she said. “Taking the bull into a china shop where it would freeze over all the things it didn’t want to break. Brilliant. I hadn’t even considered the possibility. I guess you must be Dion?”
“Yes,” he told her. “I’ve been trying to see you all day. As you may have noticed, there were people who wanted to stop me along the way. At least they finally gave up.”
“They will never give up,” Athena corrected him. “Till the day you pass into the next world they will hound you, pursue you or try to get you to work for them. You can never rest easy so long as you live. If you remain a mere worker, they may ignore you, as they will ignore her.” She gestured to Lilly. “As they will ignore her. I know you’ve taught her some of the basics. There are few who know them, but they don’t know much so they’re no threat to anyone. Do you still want to become an elemental master? Because your normal life ends today if you do become one.”
“I’ve never had a normal life,” he said. “And yes, I still want what I have worked toward all these years.”
“Fair enough,” the pharmacist said. “The store is empty save me. I sent everyone home when I realized what was taking place outside. I even sent my customers away to other pharmacies for the evening because I told them we would be closing early. So we will be alone inside. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I am sure.”
“Good. I only have to ask twice.” She turned to Lilly. “You wil
l have to leave, child.”
“Why? I’ve come so far… and I don’t get to see him anointed?”
“It’s not for someone to see who isn’t part of it. Perhaps one day you will be part of this, but today is not that day. Now please go outside.”
Lilly stepped out the door and closed it behind her. She heard the lock turn in the door. As if she needed any further humiliation. She sat down at the nearest table in the hall and waited. What could be taking place in there that would take so long? Nothing strange seemed to be happening. She saw no flashes of light behind the glass. Nor did she see any clouds of smoke roll under the door. Wasn’t there supposed to be the chanting of monks and angelic voices coming from the inside? But the pharmacy was still and quiet. The light was out even though the “closed” sign was in the window.
“There is a very good reason he has to be alone in there with her,” a voice said to Lilly from across the table.
It was Edward. Again. This time he wore a pair of jeans with a popular band t-shirt, and a pair of leather high-tip basketball sneakers to complete his ensemble.
“You again,” she mumbled. “Where were you when the bull attacked us? That thing could have killed us both.”
“I thought I made it clear. I’m not allowed to interfere. I can give advice and point you in the right direction, but that is the extent of it. Even Dion’s grandfather was allowed to intervene when Karanzen tried to block you the last time. I can’t do that. You should know the officer will be wary the next time he encounters you. No matter what he has become over the years, Dion’s grandfather scared him badly. He knew things the officer would like forget.”
“You could have warned us about the bull.”
“Too much interference, like I said. And the Earth Element Grandmaster was there to take it down if it did get out of control.” He leaned over and looked at the tableware shop. The doors were still open and the plastic bull was still inside. The manager and employees had a tape measure and were marking lengths. “Maybe they will be able to use it. I’m sure she’ll spend the rest of her life trying to figure out how it walked into the store under its own power.”