by Martha Carr
“I’m volunteering my services.” Lois stood in front of Correk and Leira, tapping her government-issued wand in her hand. Her mouth was twisting into a sour purse as she stopped herself from saying anything more, yet. Let them go next.
Leira started, dropped the cicada quickly back into the pouch and putting it in her drawer, sliding it shut with the palm of her hand.
“What about Patsy? And I thought you wanted to stay close to home to be near Earl?” Leira spit out the words in a hurry trying to gather her wits. She sat back in her chair, doing her best to look calm. Lois eyed her carefully.
“You could use my help. This artifact race is getting out of hand. Time I came out of retirement.”
Correk stood up, stretching his back. He still felt an ache in his muscles some of the time. “Why now? You’ve been retired from the Silver Griffins for some time. That’s what you’re talking about, isn’t it? Going back out into the magical field.”
“And then there’s the PDF.”
“Enough, kids. I outrank both of you on both worlds and I can think of all these reasons myself.”
“Humor us. Why now?” Leira leaned her elbows on her desk, doing her best to forget about what was in the drawer.
“If you must know, I didn’t have much left to believe in before you two showed up on the scene like some kind of caped crusaders.”
“Dibs on Batman…” Leira said it as fast as she could.
“I’m not agreeing to even being thought of as Robin.”
“I’ll be Commissioner Gordon.” Hagan had wandered over to their desks. “Looking up at that screen gives me a crick in my neck after a while.” He massaged the back of his neck.
“If you’re trying to get me to rethink things, it’s not working. My mind’s made up.” Lois tapped the desk hard with her wand.
“Careful, she’ll zap you with it.” Hagan held up his hands in protest. “So you know, this is our usual intelligent patter.”
“Hagan has a point. We solved a few cases but the Silver Griffins have been doing kind of the same thing for a lot longer.”
“Not like you two. And the way you go at any problem, I haven’t seen them do that in years. Wasn’t till you gave them a run for their money chasing after that necklace that they got up off their asses and scrambled.” Lois let out a cackle. “Was kind of fun to watch Lacey Trader hop to!”
“What was it like in the old days?” Leira was grateful for the distraction. Correk settled back down in his chair and Hagan sat on the edge of his desk.
Lois always did love a captive audience. “Well…” She held out her hands, waving them around as she talked, sliding her glasses back up her nose every few words. “I’m a little older than I look, you know. Way back was waaaaay back.” She waved her hand over her shoulder. “Things were simpler then. The humans, bless their hearts, they didn’t have many gadgets of any kind. Boy, they were easier to fool then. If some of them saw something peculiar…”
“You mean magical… and for the record, I’m one of your stupid humans.” Hagan smirked and folded his arms over his chest, resting them on his stomach.
“I never said stupid. You don’t know what you haven’t seen or heard yet. Put your feathers back down. Where was I? Oh, right, humans. We would make up some story about aliens and distract them with some nice geometric patterns in a few corn fields. Was big fun! Or make a nice, pretty light in the sky. That worked really well too.”
“Still does sometimes.” Leira laughed and gave a crooked smile.
“Not quite as easily though. Humans have grown cynical and now that the prophets have given up the whole shebang and exposed magic. Well, no putting that one back in the bottle. Just as well, though. Never told you what exactly got me to retire.” Lois rolled her eyes and pushed her glasses up her nose. “Along about the 1940’s, humans figured out how to split atoms.”
“You are older than you look.” Hagan looked Lois up and down, trying to estimate her age.
“Stop with the wandering eyes or I zap you good this time.”
Hagan immediately looked Lois in the eyes with a blank stare. Correk covered his mouth with his hand, trying to hide a smile.
“All these interruptions!”
“We won’t interrupt you again… Go on, go on.” Leira waved her hand, encouraging Lois.
Lois closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“It’s like she’s getting into character,” whispered Correk.
Leira smiled and hushed him. “I want to hear this one.”
Lois’ eyes popped open.
“Oh geez!” Hagan started, sliding off the corner of the desk. His hand reflexively went to his gun. “Sorry, false alarm.” He pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his forehead.
“That first atom bomb test, the Silver Griffins freaked out.” Lois leaned forward like she was telling a good ghost story. “That was its own kind of dark magic. We were on high alert and looking for some kind of way to put a stop to it. But there was disagreement among the ranks and cliques formed. Witches and Wizards started keeping secrets from each other and our mission got a little screwy. Instead of protecting magic and magical beings and humans from all that magic, we were working against each other and worrying about how to stop the humans from doing something even worse. The crises passed but by then all that secrecy had become a bad habit.”
“Couldn’t you have stopped them from splitting atoms with a little magic?” Leira raised her eyebrows.
“My dear, magic is not the answer for everything. Almost everything but actually human beings are quite clever at times. Sometimes they come up with things that magic on Earth can’t quite contain, especially when the gates are closed. There wasn’t enough magic around to stop them. Now, if the gates were open… different story.”
“Still doesn’t explain why you left.” Correk sat forward, intently listening.
“I caught a good friend in a lie that almost cost me my life along with a few other good Silver Griffins. No, I’m not giving up names. It was a long time ago.” Lois got a faraway look in her eyes still full of pain. “Let’s just say that ambition mixed with a little righteousness and magic can poison even the most thoughtful Witch or Wizard. Anyway, that was the breaking point for me. I had enough and by then, Earl wanted to settle down. Let me tell you, that man was too hot to ignore. Still is!” Lois fanned herself, breathing a little harder.
“I have to ask and I know it’s none of my business. Earl even know you’re here?” Leira waited in the silence that followed. Never fill the dead air space.
“It’s a good marriage, you know. That means, yes, he knows all about this trip.” And the one to Oriceran, bless that man. Lois gingerly touched the wound on her arm. That tale is a story for another day. “Let me spell it out for you and make this easier. One, I’m not exactly asking. I know, I know, I said it was an offer but I’m way too pushy to take a ‘no’ and just leave. Two, you are doing things for the right reasons… at last! I’ve waited my share of time to see that happen again. Leira you rush in no matter the odds and Correk you’re right there by her side. Even Hagan and he’s got to bring a gun to a magic fight! It’s inspiring! None of you stands around and worries about what to do next cuz you’re already out there doing something! I want to be a part of that and this old body still has a lot of gumption left in it. You’re not leaving me out of this. I’ve waited too long.” Lois was shaking her head vehemently, waving her hands.
Hagan took notice of the wand waving in the air, ducking and swaying with each swoop. “Come on, there has to be some rule about waving that thing in the air. It’s worse than a loaded gun!”
“Calm yourself, Felix! Any Witch worth her wand knows how to keep a lid on it.” Lois pushed her glasses back up her nose and straightened out her cardigan, pulling down the edges at her waist.
Leira waited a beat to see if Lois was done. “So… you’re in.”
Correk put out his hand. “Welcome, friend.”
Lois broke into a smi
le, grinning as hard as she could, pressing down her chin. “Didn’t realize this would mean so much to me! Well… shoot.” She held out her arms, waving her hands at them. “Come on, group hug.”
Hagan drew back a little. “Really?”
“Come on, it’s inevitable. Even if I have to use my wand.”
Correk leaned toward her to pat her arm but Lois took him by the arm and gently pulled him to his feet, grabbing Leira with her other hand. “Nearly lost both of you,” she muttered into Correk’s shoulder, squeezing them both tight. Hagan sat back relieved, waving from the safety of his desk.
“Alright,” said Lois, finally letting go. “Time to get to work. What artifact are we racing to next?”
Leira thought about the two bugs in her desk and pushed the thought aside. Later. “There’s a report of some artifacts being located in the foothills of Arkansas but we’ll need to move quickly. There are reports of others moving toward the location.”
“Well, then, let’s get a move on. Been itching to use my wand in another battle. Good times!”
Chapter Eight
“How hard can this be?” Charlie Monaghan stood in front of the large sterling silver serving spoon, his hands on his hips. “I mean, it’s a spoon after all.”
The spoon was a set from an old Elven line that had fallen out of favor years ago. Some of the members were believed to have fallen in with Rhazdon during her original reign and they were left disgraced after the great battle. Their belongings were looted and sold back and forth over the years till their origins were forgotten.
The Elven woman of the home had cast a spell on the silver in the house, drawing small bits of energy to store from everyone who ever dined with them. Too small for anyone to notice the loss. Over time each piece absorbed a drop of darkness from the upper echelons of Rhazdon’s followers, and later from the thieves and bargain hunters who came into contact with the silver.
Charlie shook his head. “Can’t be that much magic in a spoon. I can handle a spoon.” He didn’t sound completely convinced and with good reason.
He absentmindedly rubbed his hands together. The pain from handling another artifact, an Elven hair pin had burned a line across his palm. The surge of energy through his body had felt like an electrical shock and knocked him off his feet, leaving him gulping for air. Still, Langston Rogers’ spinning wheel didn’t do that to him when he picked it up and that one opened a portal. Curiosity, greed, and a really good burn ointment were creating too much temptation for Charlie. He had to know.
“After all, if I gave up easily on anything I would never have made a single business deal. Takes balls to keep going. Especially after that Federal Agent bitch took out my labs. Well, tried anyway. All she did was slow us down.”
He reached out his hand tentatively, steeling his resolve. Curiosity won out and he picked up the spoon, gently holding it in his hand, ready to drop it at the first sign of any kind of warmth. He was relieved to feel nothing. No warmth, no tingling, no hum, no spinning or shaking. Nothing.
Charlie let out a sigh. “Huh…” He flipped the spoon over, looking at the back, rolling it around in his hand. Nothing. “Now that’s a disappointment,” he said, pressing his lips together. “A small scalding would have been better than this. All that effort to get the damn thing… Had to be at least fifty grand… Nothing.”
He put the spoon back on the table, looking down at it. Make a good conversation piece. Might as well get it framed.
Another thought flickered in the back of Charlie’s mind like a sudden, sharp point of light. He looked up, distracted by the thought. It was the answer to a tricky business deal he had been wrestling with for weeks. It was suddenly clear what he needed to do. “Of course!” His eyes widened as he saw the different pieces coming together. “Take a little strong arming. Not the first time. Few people lose out.” Charlie gave a short shrug. “That’s business.”
He walked out of his study whistling, the spoon forgotten.
All day long he found himself in the middle of a conversation or reading something online and that sudden spark of light appeared just out of range in the back of his mind. Like I can really see it… And it was always followed by a clarity that spelled out how to get his way, even if there was always a small cost for someone else to pay.
I have really got it going on lately. Must be that new protein shake. Maybe I’ve been thinking too small.
Ideas percolated in his brain, keeping him up that night till he had to get up and write each of them down. It was like he was having a second renaissance. I’m better than even I knew.
Charlie padded down the stairs in his bare feet early in the morning to his study and saw the spoon still sitting where he left it. He stopped for a moment, wondering if… He shook his head. I was due. It’s just good ideas. I’ve had them before. I’m on top of my game.
He smiled and headed to the kitchen to make coffee from kopi luwak beans. Nothing but the best for old Charlie.
A black mist swirled out of the handle of the spoon, rolling out in a swirling stream, sinking into the carpet and the floor, moving out toward the walls, penetrating everything in the room, pushing out toward the hallway, seeking out Charlie. The black mist was growing stronger and was attracted to the dark energy resting in artifacts deposited all over Earth. It was a happy coincidence that the artifacts were leading the mist to some new beings with darkness inside of them. Darkness that drew the dark mist toward them, satisfying its need to rebuild.
Chapter Nine
Louie went out on more hunts for artifacts over the next days but his mind was always on the sword. So many questions swirling in his mind.
Normally, he would have taken a few days off, relaxed a little and sold some of what he found or stole or bartered for at the Dark Market to raise some cash. But there were rumors of newbies getting into the artifact business and the field was becoming a little more crowded. Louie was even noticing signs of other scavengers with less skills or finesse tramping through areas, cutting down vegetation or trampling smaller animals and birds. They didn’t know the code when it came to not getting on the nerves of the Gardener of the Dark Forest or, for that matter, the Gnomes or a hundred other magical communities that tolerated scavengers but only on their terms. The interlopers were bad for business.
Locals were willing to overlook Louie searching for old pieces that still had some energy infused in them. Everybody has to make a living, but not at the cost of their own peace of mind. The Gardener was said to be even less tolerant. Hacking away at the forest was forbidden and dealt with harshly. A few scavengers new to the profession had already disappeared and people were already saying it was the Gardener even if no one had exactly seen anything. Many said they didn’t believe the Gardener actually existed but in private warned their children not to go near the forest and to never pick anything if they found themselves on one of the dense green paths. Even Louie wasn’t positive the Elf existed.
He was the Oriceran bogeyman.
Louie came tramping back from another foray over near the river that swept through the Conca. There were large footprints in the sandy mud along the river and reeds that were crushed and bent. “Bracken Kilomea,” muttered Louie, crouching down to get a better look. “Swamp dude.” They were new footprints. Someone was following him on his trips. Not the first time someone had tried that tactic. Louie took out his wand just in case there was going to be trouble and adjusted the pack on his back. He’d managed to collect a few old Gnome artifacts and some promising crystals but nothing significant. Nothing like the Jasper sword.
However, the smaller artifacts would give him something to sell that wouldn’t attract any attention. Too much time away from the Dark Market and someone else would take over his spot. Worse, it could draw suspicion and cause lookey-loos to come searching around his cabin.
Louie heard the snorts and low grumble of the Kilomea and knew he was nearby even if he couldn’t see him. He took off at a run, making his way toward the wall of
the Conca where he’d left a rope ladder, scrambling for the top. The oversized Kilomea came charging out of the brush in his direction, followed by two other smaller Kilomea.
They’re scavenging in packs. Holy fuck! Louie scrambled up the ladder. Don’t look back. Don’t look back. He felt the ladder pull downward as the Kilomea attempted to climb. Louie was breathing hard, pulling himself up as fast as he could, the top only a few yards away, sweat dripping off his nose. The grunts were getting closer as he got to the top and threw his leg up onto the grassy plain. He pulled out his dagger and started sawing away at the ropes, the Kilomea crying out in anger.
“Damn it. Knew there was a reason not to use magic to make this.” There was no time to remove the spell and let the Kilomea’s weight do the rest. Louie hung over the edge of the cliff of the Conca that led down to the river and furiously sawed, shouting out the spell anyway. “Altreas riptorius…” He got out the last word as the Kilomea got within grabbing distance and the rope finally shred. Louie lifted himself up, floating halfway out over the Conca as the Kilomea stretched trying to grab him.
Louie felt the strain in his abdomen holding up half his weight as his feet dug into the dirt behind him, trying to prevent him from slipping into the air or tumbling head first to the water far, far below. The Kilomea’s large, hairy fingers grazed Louie’s tunic as the rope finally made a loud ripping sound. Louie looked the Kilomea in the eye, fighting the urge to try and save him as the Kilomea snarled and slashed at the air. The rope gave way and the Kilomea fell backward as Louie gave in and uttered a spell, helping him to land softly enough to survive.
Louie could see the beast lying dazed on his back for a moment as his friends looked up at him, shaking their fists in the air, nudging their companion with their feet. The Kilomea finally stirred and shook his head.
“Good enough for me.” Louie scrambled onto his feet and adjusted his pack again, taking off at a run for the middle of the Dark Forest where it would be harder to track him, much less catch him. He knew the Forest better than anyone else he had ever met except for maybe Perrom, the Wood Elf. Louie had his suspicions about why but was never motivated enough to figure it out. There was no profit margin in messing around in someone else’s business. Only trouble.