by Martha Carr
She gently shook his little paw as he trilled. “Don’t rat me out if they find you with the map!”
The troll harrumphed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
“I wasn’t calling you a rat. Next card!” She pointed at the remaining cards in front of him.
He flipped over a troll curled up in a ball, sleeping on an orange leaf. “Naked and Afraid. Booooo, thbpft! Hell’s Kitchen!”
“That’s enough out of you!” Mara scooped up all but one of the cards and put them back in the leather pouch. “One small trinket from where we were born. Not so much to ask. You keep that between us. I gave my word.”
The troll flipped the last card. An oversized troll was roaring at some unseen danger against a red background. The troll shook his head. “American Ninja Warrior.”
She gave the troll a stern look. “You’re going to have to talk at some point in actual English and complete sentences, you know.”
“Meh.” He shrugged his shoulders as he hopped into her lap and handed her the remote.
“Fine but only an hour. You’re getting a little addicted.”
“This is The Voice!” he chirped as he leaned back and sighed.
Lois and Patsy were happily ensconced back in their old PDF office in Alexandria, Virginia. A middle-aged wizard in a short sleeve dress shirt and brown pants waved as he passed by their door. A late-model willow wand was sticking out of his pants pocket. He was brushing his sparse comb-over back into place atop his bald head with the other hand.
“Hey Ira, how’s it going? How was Disney World?”
He teeter-tottered a hand, shrugging his shoulders. “It was okay. Kids had a good time but they kept asking the characters about Oriceran and how old were they really. Had to stop the teenager from pulling out her wand to shorten the lines. The wife told the kids no wands, no phones but of course the kids heard, smuggle them in by any means necessary. My oldest did get everyone to scatter at the hotdog stand with a few harmless mice. Have to say that was sweet. Glad to be back at work where I can relax.”
“Maybe next year you try Hogwarts. More of our kind are working there already, anyway.”
“Next year is my turn and we’re going to the beach!” Ira waved again and kept walking.
Lois pulled her sweater around her as she pulled out her wand, waving it in a V pattern creating a virtual fire right next to her desk. “That’s better. Feels like an icebox in here. Remember those days? They used to deliver that big block of ice through the little cubbie in the wall? Of course, we made our own most of the time.”
“I make a point not to talk about the old days. I slipped once and asked a mechanic about a crank shaft. I’m pretty sure he was about to check and see if there was a silver alert out matching my description. I’m not even old enough in human years for one of those! I had to make up a whole story about being into antique cars.”
Lois let out a laugh and lifted her hands to warm them by the faux flames. “That’s a good one! Not the first time something like that’s happened to one of our kind. And just when Agent Berens managed to get everybody out of the institutions and back on the street. Don’t need you taking anyone’s place.”
Patsy shivered just thinking about the prospect. “That was a nice little piece of work you did, Lois, putting that bug in under those big shots’ noses. Wasn’t sure you had that much left in you.”
Patsy ducked as the inevitable pea-sized fireball flew over her head, ricocheting off the far wall and hitting the filing cabinet before sizzling into ash. She was used to Lois taking everything to heart and just as quickly changing her mind.
“Come on! You know what I mean! That was a decent-sized stunt you pulled off. Getting in that building without a care. Not sure I could have done it.” Patsy waved her wand over her head, styling her hair into an updo. “What do you think?”
“It suits you! Sorry I bopped off at you like that. I’ve been so keyed up ever since I glamoured my way into that fancy high rise. Couldn’t be absolutely sure there wasn’t a magical being working somewhere in there that might catch on to what I was doing. I’m a little rusty.”
“You were seamless! Even rusty, there’s a lot of magical folk who don’t match up to you. Made me proud to be a PDA in the PDF!”
“Not a single strand of magic in the building. I was shocked! All human, all the time. Earl said it was no surprise. He says, why spend so much time working your way to the top if you already have a wand?”
Patsy opened her desk drawer and rifled through the peanut M&Ms in the plastic tray where pens normally sat. She pulled out an orange one and a yellow, admiring how well the colors went together before popping both of them into her mouth. “Oh, dang it, there goes another one!”
Patsy swiveled her chair and looked up at the screen. Symbols poured across spelling out the destruction of another old, historical site in a small corner of Nigeria. “That makes the second one this week. New players too.”
“Will you look at that! China is getting into the race. You’d think they’d figure out they have a treasure trove already in their own backyard.”
“You think they’ve already marked all those places?”
“Not a chance. They would have tested some of it, somehow and we’d know. Very interesting times. Lots of border crossings. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…”
“Humans are weird. I know.” Lois pushed off with her foot, sliding to the right just far enough to miss the inevitable pea-sized fireball. “Better make a report for the general and Agent Berens.”
“PDQ for the PDA in the PDF!”
“Also a repeat. I know what I’m getting you for your birthday. The Witching World’s Book of Magical Records and Other Fun Facts. The new edition. Give you something new to talk about for once.” Patsy zipped her wand out in front of her. She batted the small fireball right back at Lois who ducked to the side at the last second with a wide-eyed look of surprise on her face.
“You’ve been waiting to do that.” Lois was frowning but she was still impressed. “All this falderol, there’ll be a few new things to mention. Like that Hannah Beecham sending up a call for help. What do you think that’s about?”
Patsy shook her head, scowling. “Hard to say. I’m leaving that one to the Silver Griffins. Lacey will know what to do with the betrayal. Whoop! There goes another one. It’s picking up. The corporate types have scored an artifact! Very interesting times, Lois.”
“More will be revealed.”
General Anderson showed up at the Chicago Water Tower without any aides, as requested by the Silver Griffins. He told no one where he was going and left his phone in his hotel room to make sure no one could track him. He gave his word to Lacey Trader and he planned to keep it. “Death, taxes and a man or woman’s word should be the three things you can count on from anyone,” he was fond of saying.
He wore a long overcoat over his uniform and left his peaked military cap back at the hotel, opting instead for a black wool hat lined in sheepskin with ear flaps. It was a typical winter day in Chicago with bright blue skies and a wind chill dipping well below zero. It made it easier for the general to go unnoticed by all the passersby who were tucked down into their scarves, scurrying toward their destinations as fast as their feet could carry them.
He went in the entrance to the Water Tower and waited by the will call booth for the theater, doing his best not to pace. It helped to grasp his hands behind his back and walk around slowly, reading all the posters for upcoming shows. “Hmph, Oz. Little on the nose.”
“Still a good musical.” Lacey Trader put out her hand and smiled to put the general more at ease. “Although, I’ve yet to see a green Witch unless it’s from some bad sushi.”
The general didn’t hesitate and walked over briskly, pulling off his leather glove to grasp Lacey’s hand. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”
“You said it was a matter of national security. I checked you out. You’re not one to use hyperbole. Thank you for
agreeing to our conditions.”
The general smiled but spoke the truth. “I didn’t have much choice, did I?”
Lacey smiled and arched an eyebrow at him. “No, I suppose you didn’t. Follow me.” She led the way into the theater where the council for the Silver Griffins was waiting.
The general took a look around at the ordinary looking people sitting in folding chairs and wondered if he was doing the right thing.
“I’ve seen that look more than once. People underestimate us all the time. I blame the Brothers Grimm. Bunch of Gnomes with an axe to grind. Made us all into some hook-nosed evil creature who only wears black. I love wearing colors and yoga pants. Don’t wear the yoga pants in public, yet. Got a good look at the backside in the mirror. That put the kibosh on that one. Take a seat.” Lacey took the last seat in the semi-circle, leaving the general with the chair facing the group.
“I don’t mean to put anyone off.” He pulled off the thick hat, resting it on his knee. His cheeks were still red from the cold. “I don’t have time to make a lot of mistakes, even small ones and I have to trust my instincts on this one. I don’t mind but I prefer to mix in verification.”
“Magic makes that more difficult. I understand, especially with us. We cover our tracks rather well, even among our own kind. Take comfort in the idea that our organization is much older than this country and has managed to keep a pretty good lid on magic all this time. That should tell you something.”
“Indeed, it does. I’m going to go ahead and assume if it involves magic you already have the background on things.”
“I appreciate the show of respect. Good first impression.”
The general gave a nod and a tight smile. He was determined to have this go well. There weren’t many other options if this mission failed. “I’m going to speak plainly. I need magical allies in larger numbers who are already trained in calmly holding back a magical arms race. There are a lot of different players messing around with magic who have no background on how to contain or use it properly. That’s not including the decimation to some pretty important historical sites.” He spit out the last words, letting anger rise up in him for a moment.
“We’ve noticed and are already taking steps to turn back the tide.”
The general shifted in his seat, excited and relieved. “Good news! But there’s a catch that I can only manage and not control.”
“The Federal government wants their share of the artifacts,” said Lacey, pursing her lips. Several of the members stared blankly at the general, waiting for his response.
“To the point, I like that. Well, yes, that is the situation. I’m here outside of orders. A new twist for me but then, there’s a lot of new things happening that don’t exactly fall into what has ever been known by human beings.”
“Not exactly true. Your kind knew us rather well a very long time ago. Your history has been conveniently rewritten to exclude any mention of us. Probably for the best.”
A Wizard cleared his throat and shifted in his chair, crossing his ankle over his knee.
The general rubbed a hand through his brush cut. “I know our history with things we don’t understand is very mixed. But I’m here to say we want to work with you, as allies. You have all chosen to be citizens of this great country and that means something to me. You live among us, paying taxes, raising your children and going to work. The only difference is a slight change in DNA and an ability to bend physics in ways I’m not used to seeing.” He shook his head, holding out his hands. “Just means that I now have more in common with the first man who tried a bicycle and went down a street faster than any human had ever traveled before that day. A simple device we take for granted that must have seemed like magic at the time.”
One of the witches rolled her eyes and another smiled broadly. The general quickly caught on. “I take it there was some magic involved.”
“Just an old idea that we finally reintroduced,” said Lacey. “Ask us what you came to ask.”
The general sat up straighter and took a moment. “Will you help us identify and protect as many sites around the world as possible? In exchange, we’ll negotiate with you fairly and openly to leave many of them untouched.”
“Most…”
“It would be naive of me to assume our senior leaders in government will not want to stockpile a few as insurance against foreign threats.”
“Including us.”
“Change can breed fear, it’s true. I’ll do what I can to inform others and I have it on good authority there’s a few magical beings already serving as Senators and Congressmen. Explains a lot, both good and bad.” He smiled to break the tension. “This will always be something we all work on together. This is as good a place as any for us to start and at the same time stop another side with less honorable intentions to get more power than they even know what to do with it.”
“Our witches and our wizards stay under our command. That is a non-starter,” Lacey said evenly.
“Of course. I understand you operate as your own form of government. As I said, I’m doing this outside of normal channels but that doesn’t mean there isn’t infrastructure in place.”
“You’re talking about the PDF.”
The general grimaced, still hoping he had some secrets but learning it wasn’t the case. “That’s correct. It’s a black-op that’s funded off any books and without oversight by anyone but me and a very select and small number. If you are willing to help, your Silver Griffins will be coordinating with them.”
Lacey clapped her hands and stood up, surprising the general. “I was hoping that would be the case. We will work with Lois and Patsy.” She held up her hand to stop him from interrupting. “I’m not negotiating now. I’m telling you. You’re very lucky to have them, especially Lois.” She narrowed her eyes. “I know Leira Berens is an agent with you as well. She’s very special to all of us and as you know, very powerful. A word of unasked for advice. Don’t treat her as a useful tool but as a magical being with a life.”
The general stood and held out his hand to shake for each of the council members who up to this point had let Lacey do all the talking. The general knew the mistrust with humans and the government still ran high. Give me time.
“We’ll be in touch with a list and coordinate our efforts.” Lacey held out her arm to direct him back toward the exit.
Once they were gone a murmur arose among the other members of the counsel.
“Do you think we can trust him?” asked a wizard who was still recovering from his injuries from protecting the vault.
“More than most, I suspect. This will be a good time to get field practice for some of the younger ones, like Ernie. He’s already battle tested after getting himself thrown into the world in between. A few others could stand to be out there using their skills.” The witch stood and stretched her arms over her head. “We really need some better chairs.” She took out her wand and wove a quilted seat, testing it out.
“That’s against the rules, using magic in here like that,” said another witch, eyeing her own wand with the same idea.
“Apparently the rules are changing.”
The other witch looked around and with a quick wave of her wand made an overstuffed cushion for her chair, sighing as she settled on top of it.
Chapter Eleven
Leira stood in her living room looking down at the black cowboy hat in the box. “Mom’s been shopping again, I take it.”
Correk picked up his dark brown suede hat and tried it on. “Remarkable. It fits perfectly.”
“That long hair and those jeans, you look like every guy I went to high school with.”
“Is that a good thing.”
“For the most part.”
Correk waited for a longer explanation but Leira shook her head. “Nope. Those memories are in the vault.”
“Challenge accepted. Don’t glow your eyes at me. I can do the same, Cousin. It’s inevitable. Another sudden jolt of too much magic when you’re not expecting
it and out come the memories.” He laughed as Leira put her hands on her hips giving him a dead fish look.
“Not gonna happen. Turner has taught me how to be one with the magic.”
“It’s true, you’ve come a long way in a short amount of time but there’s still some surprises ahead.” He held out his hands. “I don’t know what they are, of course or I’d tell you.”
“Like you told me everything else.”
“Point well taken.”
Leira narrowed her eyes, studying him. “You’ll tell me whatever is making you toss and turn at night sooner rather than later?”
“That is my hope but I need to button up a few things first, gather more information. Otherwise, all I can do is wildly speculate.”
“It’s what I do for a living. Helps to do that with someone, you know.” She could see he wanted to tell her something.
“Not yet.” His face grew tense. If I tell you, you’ll be out that door, everything else forgotten, running right into a danger you can’t handle. Last time it took every ounce of strength of seven armies, and then some. You need more time. “It will have to wait.”
Leira nodded and gave him a crooked smile. “Then it waits.” She took the hat out of the box and an invitation fluttered down to the floor. “The intrigue grows. I forgot this about my mother.” Leira bent over to pick up the card. “Did I ever tell you my mother used to create elaborate scavenger hunts for me when I was little? To get another clue I had to perform a song or recite a poem or run as fast as I could. At the end were chocolate coins in gold foil.”
“What is today’s adventure?”
Leira’s eyebrows shot up and she looked amused. “Austin Rodeo!” She looked down at the troll.
Yumfuck was standing next to the box wearing an identical tiny version of Leira’s new hat, along with his red cowboy boots. “You pull those off well.”