The Leira Chronicles- The Complete Austin Series

by Martha Carr

  "No! We are Berens women," said Eireka. "We don't accept our fate. We do something about this. Leira, we're finding a way to get Mom out. You got me out, there has to be a way."

  Leira took her hand. "Not that I'm not on board with the whole idea. I'm known for go first, find out everyone thought it couldn't be done, later. But, getting you away from stupid humans was difficult and now, we're moving into magically impossible."

  "We're going to need help." The two women said it in unison, their one eyebrow arching the same way.

  Estelle almost dropped the tray she was carrying, startled at the mirror images of mother and daughter. She clamped down on the cigarette trapped between her teeth, set the tray down with a thump on the top of the bar and yelled, "You need food! You're wanting eggs! Eat up because the lunch crowd will be here soon and I can't hold them back from sitting out in the sunshine."

  "I smell food." Correk shut the door to the cottage behind him, looking at the two determined women standing in front of him. "Curious," he said, walking past them toward the food on the bar.

  Leira looked at her mother. "Correk!"

  "Good a place as any to start!" Eireka followed Correk over to the bar where he was already loading up a plate.

  "You'll get some bacon, I told you that already," he said, annoyed with the troll peeking out of his pocket.

  "Is he a good idea to have out here in the open with normies so close by?" Leira did her best to casually glance up at the row of windows.

  "You mean the humans? Those are still your kind. Normies." Correk laughed. "Try leaving the troll behind when there's food. I've told you, any magic but yours doesn't work very well on him. Besides, he felt the disturbance and was wailing in there." Correk frowned and raised his eyebrows, waiting for an explanation.

  "Yum fuck!" The troll was halfway out of Correk's pocket, a leg hitched over the opening when Correk plucked him by the scruff of his neck, depositing him in Leira's hands.

  "Saved by Yumfuck. You need to feed him and put him down for a nap."

  "I thought we got the kibble for just this reason."

  "Try telling a troll that he's going to eat bland dog food when he can smell bacon. I'm not sure even a spell would keep him in his nest." Correk picked up a plate and scooped up the bacon, hesitated but then mumbled, "why not," and put another piece of bacon on his plate. "Craig and Lucy told me about something called an, all you can eat breakfast buffet. I would like to try that."

  "You must have the metabolism of a hummingbird."

  "Very astute of you and accurate. Same reason you are able to eat my leftover pizza, and yes, I noticed, and still get into your skinny jeans."

  Leira stood by the plates, not moving, looking at Correk.

  "What? What is it? Do I have something on my face?" He rubbed his hand over his day-old beard. Two women sitting at a table by the closest window smiled and waved at him. Correk looked confused and waved back. "What is going on with everyone this morning? This is related to the troll's outburst, isn't it? Someone want to tell me more?"

  The troll squirmed in Leira's hands as she handed him back to Correk. "You have a pocket. Just give him some of your eggs."

  "Insufferable," said Correk, spooning eggs into the troll's wide-open mouth.

  "Yum, fuck," chirped the troll.

  "Who taught him that?" asked Eireka.

  "Your daughter," said Correk, laughing. "It's his name, now."

  Leira ignored what Correk was saying, intent on telling him about Mara. She shifted her weight, not sure how to say it. Finally, she blurted it out. "I found my grandmother!"

  Correk stopped mid-bite, turning to look at Leira. "I was only inside for an hour. How is that possible? The two of you need to be careful using magic at all, much less so close to your home, and out here." His annoyance was growing. "Well, where is she?"

  "The world in between," said Eireka, gravely. "We combined our energy, not exactly using magic and apparently opened a space just big enough for my mother to show herself. That's it," she said, waving her hands. "We didn't get any kind of real message." There was a sound of disappointment in her voice.

  Correk put down the bacon he was holding and wiped his hands on the napkin. "This is bad news, I'm sorry. I know how much you hoped to reunite more of your family. I'm really sorry, Leira."

  "Now, hold on there a minute." Leira sat down on the bar stool next to him as Eireka pulled one around to face both of them.

  Correk looked at the two of them suspiciously.

  "You know it's not possible to get someone out of there. Even finding them, or take it another step, seeing them is very difficult from this side. You may have to find comfort with knowing where she is and do your best to let go." He looked at the two women in front of him and rolled his eyes. "What am I saying? Of course you won't drop it. Okay, fine, ask me. I was sent here to help you. Better than watching you do something dangerous without any kind of help."

  Eireka hugged him around the neck. Leira felt a pang as she hesitated, unable to so easily do the same. Still, a smile came across her face.

  "But, I'm still going to sit here and eat while you grill me, Detective."

  "Special agent," said Leira. "Eat away, but try and swallow before you answer anything."

  "Tell me what you saw," he said, tearing off a piece of bacon and sliding it into his pocket. A loud trill sounded. "Love of bacon knows no boundaries. More powerful than a portal," he said, sliding an entire piece into his mouth. The two women at the other table laughed and waved again.

  Leira looked at her mother. "It's the elven blood. He gives off a kind of magnetism that makes humans loopy," said Eireka.

  Leira looked at Correk, a grease stain across his cheek. "I don't see it."

  Eireka smiled, looking at the two of them. "That's because you're part elven too. I'm surprised you haven't noticed men paying a little more attention to you."

  "She doesn't notice much unless it involves a case, and particularly a dead body, and then she's on it. Or if you try to eat her Doritos." Leira elbowed him in the ribs, making him spit out the piece of bacon he had in his mouth. He ate it anyway.

  "Gah, I do not see the appeal at all!" exclaimed Leira.

  Eireka put a hand on each of them. "This makes me happy. You made another family, Leira. I wasn't sure what happened to you and after you stopped coming all the time..."

  The smile dropped off of Leira's face. "I'm sorry...I was wrong...I..."

  "It's okay, it's hard to know what to do with crazy." Eireka did her best to give Leira a reassuring smile. She didn't want to tell her daughter about the spell she used to keep her away just yet.

  Correk wiped off his mouth. "Tell me what you saw in the vision. Exactly what you saw."

  "A little too much," said Leira, shaking her head. "Nana was in a room but not like you or I might be. It was more like..."

  "Two separate dimensions," said Eireka. "That's how I knew it was the world in between. I've had contact with others from that realm. There's a certain feeling that comes with it too. A cold chill that feels like an emptiness. Words fail, really."

  "There was something familiar about the room. Can't quite place it though," said Leira.

  "Was she easy to see? Did you see any clouds around her?" asked Correk.

  "You mean like a weather pattern? No... you mean something sinister." Leira's eyes narrowed. "Yes, I saw Nana get pulled away by something and suddenly there was this woman there, begging me for help. A dead woman."

  "What gave you a sense that she was dead?" asked Correk.

  "The hole in the center of her forehead was a giveaway but even without that I would have known. I don't know, it was a feeling. Like the life force was gone from her. How did she do that to my grandmother?"

  "Desperation, most likely. It can be a very powerful force. Was there a sense of darkness?"

  "No...no there wasn't. Just sadness and an aching need. What a horrible fucking place," whispered Leira.

  "The world in betw
een has existed for as long as there have been portals. There are many ways that have been written about how to get sucked into the void but the most frequent one is attempting a portal when the gates are not open. There is a slight time glitch that occurs when the two worlds are pulling apart or coming together."

  "Like that first night you sent me back and it wasn't that long after I left the guest house."

  "That's right. That space sometimes leaves a random opening to a void." Correk gave off a shudder. "We know a few things about the glitch, like you can't arrive before you leave, on either side. There's no kind of time travel."

  "No, there's something worse." Eireka looked grim. Correk put a hand on her shoulder.

  "I'm sorry. I know this is difficult."

  Leira took a long look at Correk but stayed quiet. Who do you know in the world in between?

  "Has anyone tried to see if they can use that glitch to their advantage?" asked Leira.

  "It's wise not to try and play with the time line. I've never known it to end well," answered Correk.

  "Has there ever been anyone to escape the world in between?" Leira sat back. Estelle was bustling behind the far end of the bar, getting ready for the lunch crowd that would be there soon enough.

  "Don't mind me," yelled Estelle, not even bothering to look up. "No need to stop talking just because I arrived on the scene. I'm as good as a bear trap at keeping a secret, anyway." She stopped for a moment, bothering to take the dangling cigarette out of her mouth, blowing a perfect O into the air, one hand resting on her hip. She let out a cackle and took in a long drag, working her jaw as she blew out several more O's into the air.

  "That is a very interesting woman. I wonder just how much she knows," said Correk, watching the smoke rise.

  "Definitely more than she will ever tell us. You sure she's not one of yours?" asked Leira.

  "Ours," he corrected. "No, but I see why you're asking."

  Estelle wandered over, picking up the dirty dishes, the cigarette firmly back between her lips, smoke swirling around her red spiral of teased hair.

  Leira saw the troll's tiny hand coming out to wipe bacon grease off the platter. She batted him away, acting like she saw a fly. Correk started and looked away, preferring not to notice what Estelle would do if she saw something tiny and furry on her patio.

  Estelle took a look at the empty bacon platter and a good look at Correk, letting out a, "Hmph," as she picked up the tray and headed back inside.

  "Clearly, she has a handle on you," said Leira, looking around to make sure no one had wandered onto the patio and settled into one of the hammocks. No one was nearby. "Do you know of anyone ever escaping the world in between? The living or the dead?"

  "If the dead escaped they would move onto whatever afterlife there is and so, I can't say about them. I've never heard of anyone still living getting out of the void. But, if there was anyone who would know, it would be the Gnomes. They are the keepers of magical knowledge for all of Oriceran."

  "I've heard of them. My mother used to talk about them," said Eireka, shifting in her chair. She glanced up at Leira.

  "Nana must have gotten sucked in trying to go through a portal. You don't need to confirm that she traveled between the two worlds." Leira held up a hand. "That much is obvious. But, I'm starting to get the idea that she did it more than once. With this time glitch she could have been slipping away while I was in school and getting back, without anyone being the wiser."

  "I know that look. You're on to something," said Correk. "I don't think your grandmother came to Oriceran as often as you think. She's a Light Elf. If she were a frequent visitor I would have heard of her at some point."

  "Unless she was hiding her real identity. She was doing something illegal using portals like that."

  "Commonly done," said Correk.

  "I know, I get that. Still, she wouldn't have been advertising that she was coming over from Earth. But, it leaves a lot of open questions. The big one is why go over so often? Regular visits would mean she had an intention, a plan."

  "The Wood Elves might know. They have their ways of seeing what others are up to."

  "That's not the big question," said Eireka, irritated. "The big question is how to get her the hell out of there." Tears filled her eyes, catching Leira off guard.

  "I'm sorry." Leira stumbled through her words. "I'm better at analyzing facts than I am at feelings. You're right. First things first. We figure out how to get Nana out of there and then just ask her what the hell she was thinking."

  "You realize that there have been powerful practitioners of magic, kings even, who have tried to get beings out of the world in between and with utter failure?" Correk stood up, balling his hands into fists. "Damnable Gnomes refuse to say a word about anything locked in that vault. For thousands of years they have been the guardians of the darkest secrets."

  So angry, every time the topic comes up, noticed Leira.

  "Then we figure out a way to get them on our side or go around them." Leira felt the same mixture of magical energy and detective skills settle into place, the gears turning in her mind. Hagan was right. Use both sets of skills.

  Correk only grew angrier, shaking his head.

  "Okay, I get it. It won't be easy." Leira reached out to touch his hand but he pulled away from her, turning his back. That wasn't like him. Touched a nerve.

  "I can see this is hard for you." Eireka's voice was gentle and she was almost singing the words.

  She's using a spell, thought Leira. I can't even see how she's doing it. Doesn't matter.

  "Can't make this about you." Leira cut off her mother, standing up to face him. Correk spun around, eyes glowing, ready for a fight. Leira knew she was pushing him but if he was going to help then they needed to get it out in the open, whatever it was. "You either tell me, tell us what has you so twisted or you set it aside and help... Or you get out of our way."

  She let the energy build inside of her just enough to let her eyes glow. She was already getting better at regulating the amount of magic that could bubble to the surface. It was a friendly warning.

  Correk startled, blinking his eyes and taking a step back. He wanted to say something but thought better of it.

  So, it'll stay a mystery... for now, thought Leira.

  His eyes returned to normal and he unclenched his fists.

  "I'd rather do this with you." Leira held out her hand. "Cousin." She held his gaze, hoping...

  Correk looked like he was still far away but he gently shook his head and took her hand. "You are very determined... Cousin. Fine, we will believe in the impossible."

  "My mother is home and free and clear," said Leira. "And I found out not too long ago that part of me is from an entirely different dimension full of magic. I'm not sure what the definition of impossible is anymore."

  Eireka pulled at her daughter's arm. "Sit back down. Estelle will be out here with a hose to make everyone play nice if we're not careful."

  Leira let go of Correk's hand, snapping around to look at her mother. "I forgot you used to do that. If I got into a tangle with a neighborhood kid you used to spray us down!" An even mixture of grief and joy filled her chest. So many memories were locked carefully away. Some of them were starting to escape.

  Eireka smiled. "I knew somewhere in that tiny body was a lot of powerful magic. Couldn't take the chance you'd suddenly light up like a Christmas tree. They'd have run home and told their parents!" Eireka let out a laugh. Even Correk relaxed into a smile.

  "Fine," he said. "We will redefine impossible."

  "As, yet to be done," said Leira.

  "Then we start with a Willen. The Gnomes pride themselves on their integrity and are known for being meticulous. A bribe with them won't work. A threat even less. But on a Willen, both will work and they are as great a petty thief as the Gnomes are a watchdog."

  "Why hasn't anyone bribed them before to find out the secrets of the world in between?" asked Leira.

  "I'm sure it has been a
ttempted. What they want must be very difficult to acquire."

  "That's the first thing we do," said Eireka.

  "Ask them what they want," said Leira.

  "Most powerful question there is," answered her mother.

  "You're finishing each other's thoughts. Not just as mother and daughter. Your energy is learning how to connect automatically. Checking in with each other. The urge has become so strong it's occurring before you can notice. The surge at Lavender Rock must have done it."

  "How do we talk to a Willen?" asked Leira, changing the subject. She wasn't ready to take a deep dive into her feelings about her mother. Not yet. Eireka pressed her lips together into a thin line. Correk immediately regretted pointing out how well they were connecting.

  "Okay, a Willen. Finding one will be easier than you think. We can talk to one right here on Earth. They're sneaky little bastards. That includes opening up small portals and sliding back and forth between the two worlds. The Dark Bazaar on Oriceran uses them as couriers all the time. We talk to the right one and we may get what we need. Or at least a step further."

  "So, do we put out cheese? Look behind trash cans in alleys?"

  "They're far too large to move around in the open like that. We go underground to the world that thrives right under your feet."

  Leira's eyes widened. "You mean there's fucking more?" She looked down at her feet. "More magical creatures scurrying around down there?"

  "Gets them even closer to the energy source," said Correk.

  "Remember what you were saying a minute ago about redefining impossible and letting that go? Now would be a good time for you to embrace that, dear." Her mother crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. Correk let out a snort.

  Leira grimaced and folded her arms across her chest. "Fine. I embrace it all. We go find a Willen. Do we go find the nearest manhole cover? Take pizza with us?"