by Martha Carr
Over the years he had made fewer visits, consumed by his work as the Fixer. He looked down at the date on his watch, calculating how long it had been since his last visit. "Too long since I've made the journey." At some point he would have to bring Correk here and make the introductions for him to this woman. "That should blow his fucking mind all the way back to Oriceran." Turner Underwood chuckled despite the gravity of what brought him to this door.
He walked up the few worn wooden steps and got to the large carved door that portrayed mermaids swimming up to the edge of the large pane in the middle. He leaned to the right and turned the brass key on the side of the door, letting out a loud, tinny ring. He stood back and patiently waited, watching the old woman shuffle toward the door through the large pane in the center. Her hair was long and silver even when he was a young Elf and was first introduced to her back when he served as an apprentice to the last Fixer almost eight hundred years ago. It was a different world.
She opened the heavy door easily, despite her age of thousands of years and smiled brightly, her teeth worn down to nubs and her face a sea of wrinkles. "You've come for a visit!" Turner once again gazed upon the face of Tess the seer, the prophet of Oriceran. "So many revere you and believe you're long dead, lost to history. Looking rather good for a dead woman!" It was their old greeting that always got a laugh from Tess.
"Somehow, the mailman still finds me."
She reached out with her hands to feel his face, her milky blue eyes staring straight ahead. He felt her cold, bony fingers trace his forehead and swoop down his long nose, running lightly across his cheek bones.
"It's more than a social call." Turner waited till she was satisfied that she knew how he was doing and had taken his energetic pulse through her fingertips. He took her hand, placing the purple lilies in her hands. She put her face in the center of them feeling the soft petals against her cheek. "What a wonderful surprise!"
She stepped back so he could come into her house. It was where she had settled and lived since the last time the gates closed between the two worlds. Almost 25,800 years ago when she was just a small girl.
The human spark inside of her DNA was transmuted by the magic from Oriceran in a way no one had ever seen before or since, pouring images into her mind of events that were to take place in the distant future. Something magic could never do and made people fear her as well as draw closer, wanting to hear more. But what gave her inner vision also took her sight, leaving her blind. The gift also took her privacy. She retreated from the clamor of both worlds and sought refuge tucked in a corner of an underground city.
Turner was a lot more brash when he was younger and asked her endless questions that had nothing to do with anything and she had entertained them all with patience. "Why is your house so bare?" He looked around, realizing the house was just as plainly decorated with nothing hanging on the walls, no mementos anywhere, as the last time he had been there.
"You get knickknacks for your walls and your side tables so you can admire them with your eyes. I'm afraid all that is lost on me. Not to worry. I have a very colorful life in here." She had patiently tapped the side of her head. "I see in full color with light and sound. It's quite a show!"
Turner followed Tess back to the parlor that was just off the kitchen. Both of them were older now. He took his familiar seat at the table on an old metal chair with a padded vinyl seat. "I'm going to get you a few magnets for your refrigerator. Something with scratch 'n sniff so there's something in it for you."
Tess laughed easily and leaned against her counter. "Now that's something I would enjoy. I can name the smells myself and then the next time you come, you can tell me if I was right." Tess moved quickly around her kitchen, putting the flowers in a clear glass vase with water, making them hot tea and putting cookies on a small plate. "It can be so damp in the spring here, even underground. Seems to just seep through the layers."
Turner knew better than to rush her and waited for the ritual to be over. She came back into the parlor carrying a tray, setting it down on the small table.
He took the mug that was offered to him as Tess settled into her seat, breathing in the smell of chamomile. She had worn away the edges of his impatience over the years, teaching him there was never a reason to rush headlong into anything.
"There is always a space between the reaction and the response." Tess turned her face toward Turner expectantly. He looked at the deep lines in her face. Her long silver hair was pulled back in a simple silver clasp.
"I suppose you're right." He took a sip of the tea, feeling like he was the student again.
Tess let out a short laugh. "You're a poor liar, Turner Underwood. Why bother? Tell me this, do you believe the world has ended while you've been sitting here with me?"
"No, I don't but if I'm going to tell the truth..."
Tess let out a loud whoop of laughter. "Lie if you care to the seer, it won't change the story I see."
Turner felt himself relax like he always did when he came to see her. "I've never been this fearful of anything in all my years as a Fixer. The darkest magic has been set loose and there is the potential for great harm from so many directions right now. I'm not sure where to start and I'm not sure how much time I have to fix it."
"Ah, I see your problem. You have swum out into the deep waters where you can not swim without help. Unfamiliar territory. The Fixer will have to ask for help from others and still you will not be sure of success."
"That is not unusual. It's the consequences this time if I make a wrong move and there appear to be a lot of potential wrong moves with consequences that could darken the world."
The seer blew into her tea, making images appear, rising out of the steam. Her eyes looked like they were following them, her brows knit together. The steam figures took on a life of their own, changing into two dancers, then two dogs and finally two birds, rising toward the ceiling and disappearing into thin air. "There were shifters in this world before. Hell, there's some who live in the shadows now." She made a face, wrinkling her nose, remembering unpleasantness from the past. "Once it's in a bloodline you can't get it out, but they quickly learn to hide."
"So, you know what's happened."
Tess covered her face with her hands, focused on the images inside of her mind. "I know some of it. I have been having troubling dreams of human beings twisting into great beasts, roaring at their captors. I cannot see how it will end if that's what you needed. That is being kept from me." She tapped her finger on the table hard. "The old families have been planning for longer than you realize. They fear the revelations of Oriceran. I suppose that's my part of this current trouble. I told them more than they needed to know and then gave them plenty of time to brood about it. Thousands of years. It's the gates opening that people fear even if it means magic will return to this world. The families can count how many years there are till the gates start to open just like everyone else. There is only one more generation before we will all feel the effects. Slow at first but things will gradually change."
Tess sat back and rested her hands on the table. Turner watched the veins in her hands and wrists color a deep navy blue and come to life, pulsing, standing out against her pale skin. The color spread up her body like a tree growing roots till her entire body was criss-crossed with the living web of darkened blood lines. It made her milky blue eyes stand out all the more amid the busy pattern of her skin.
Turner wanted to ask her if it was painful but held his tongue. He sipped his tea, waiting for Tess to speak.
"Human beings and their technology is a new wrinkle the old Wizarding families did not expect and they hate not having control even more than you. They are making assumptions that will not serve them well. Like the belief that shifters are new to this world or that the ones who do exist do not gather in packs, much like the old families." Her voice came out in a high-pitched squeak. "It's in their nature to travel with an alpha who guides them and that will be no different with the ones who have started out
as human and been changed by an ancient ritual and powerful artifacts. The pack will sense their presence and even seek them out. It's not even the first time this has been accomplished." Tess sipped her tea, preparing to choose her words carefully. "They are playing with very old magic that originated from the world in between, brought into Oriceran by a being who was only darkness. That magic was banned centuries ago for good reasons and is even dangerous to contain in a vault."
Turner blanched, making himself breathe steadily to hide his reaction from Tess. Rhazdon stole some of that magic out of the vault.
"Unexpected consequences occur when magic is bent to our will."
"Is that why you can't see the ending to all this?"
"I believe I have told you this more than once, Fixer. We are not in the grasp of fate. What would be the point if everything could be known as if it was already decided? What I see are possibilities if we stay on the path we've chosen. But human beings are wonderful creatures who embrace their choices and even celebrate them at the beginning of every new year."
"The ones who are torturing animals are not so wonderful."
"No, greed and power have overtaken them, but they are still in the minority. They have the advantage right now because they know magic is real and here on Earth, but that won't last. The truth will be set free and it will do its own work. It can't be contained forever. For now, I will leave you with a warning and a hope. You are right to fear what the old families are up to and to try and stop them before they can really get started. An army of shifters to do their bidding is only the beginning of their plans and could create a new class of beings that want their own power. Squash the families before they get a taste of victory and the world learns of their plans. Find yourself a warrior who can fight them in the dark corners where the world is not watching. Someone clever at putting together the clues they will surely leave behind. Heed this warning. Stop them soon." Her voice shook as she pressed her hands flat against the table.
"That will have me staring out over my fucking lake later this evening with a couple shots of rye. What's the good news? Please tell me that wasn't the good news."
The seer gave a patient smile but her face was strained. "Darkness approaches that could spread like a virus. The good news is you have an unexpected ally that will seek you out. Don't be quick to judge. You want to turn them away, even banish them. That would be a grave mistake. You will need them just as much as they will need something from you. Give it freely." Tess smiled, pressing her hand to her chest as she lifted her chin. "The female energy is strong with you. A good sign. Both of your saviors are female. Interesting. Both cannot be contained. You will know them both when you lay eyes on them next." Tess started to rise, signaling it was time for him to go. "You have what you need, even if you don't see it yet."
Turner lifted his cane, pressing it against the floor as he rose. "You're talking about Leira Berens, aren't you? That's one of them."
"Look at you, the puzzle is already halfway solved. Seek her out and use her abilities. She will be uniquely qualified to stop this new menace. You will see." Tess smiled. "The human spark contains so many gifts."
"Why not give me both names?"
"I learned a long time ago not to overplay my hand with the cosmos. I'm not to tell so much it interferes with what's coming. I can only guide and then the rest is up to you. Now go, but don't take so long to visit me again." She grabbed his face with both her hands and kissed his cheek, tenderly as if she were kissing her own child, sitting back down in the chair and letting Turner Underwood see himself out for the long walk back to the streets of Paris. He would make a point to pause and buy some cheese to go with the roll still in his pocket. This may be a longer war than I anticipated. Better to enjoy this moment now. Then I will find Leira Berens.
Chapter Twenty
Correk and Leira walked across the large open area of Zilker Park to where Eireka and Mara were sitting on a blanket, quietly looking out over the city. The anticipation was making Leira tense and she wanted to run across the grass to her mother, get it over with and start dealing with whatever had gone wrong, but Correk held her back. "We will deal with whatever it is, like we always do. Together."
Leira got to the edge of the blanket and stopped, her hands on her hips. "Hi Mom, Nana, we're here."
"I can see that moment of Zen was wasted on you," whispered Correk. He sat down on the blanket and gave a tug to Leira's pant leg, forcing her to finally sit down. "I've never been here before. It's a beautiful park."
Mara pointed in the direction of Barton Springs. "There's a swimming pool nearby filled with water from natural springs. When it gets hotter we'll have to go there. Sneak the troll in for a dip."
Leira kept watching her mother, waiting for the news, still wired from everything else she had learned in the past few days. The troll was nestled in her pocket, curled up in a pair of silky underwear snoring softly. There were too many people around to let him out in the open.
First, I want some answers. "You were blowing up my phone all day and now you're not saying anything. And you want us to meet you out in public, which means you want us to keep the magic in our holsters." Leira narrowed her eyes, studying her mother. Can't be the psych hospital. No way I'll let that happen again. "Is someone bothering you?"
"Stop being a detective for five minutes and just be my daughter. Relax, it's okay."
Correk saw the look that passed between Eireka and Mara, and noticed Eireka's hand was tucked under her leg. This is good news. He felt himself relax and sat back, resting on his hands, only making Leira more suspicious.
She looked at her grandmother, tilting her head to the side. "You're being weirder than normal, too. Did you bring somebody else over from Oriceran? Some thing else? Spill it, it's already been a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious kind of week."
"I get it, kid. Good news is not exactly in your wheelhouse. Let's see if we can change that a little. Go on, show her." Mara hugged her daughter and sat back, giving Eireka a little space.
Eireka slowly pulled out her left hand, holding it out with her fingers spread wide, the ring shining in the late afternoon light.
It took Leira a moment to catch up with what was happening. This is good news? This is good news!
She leaned across the blanket to get a better look at the ring and leaned back, her mouth open wide but no words coming out. She looked at Correk and back at her mother, doing her best to switch gears. Every thought in her mind slipped away and instead for a moment all she could do was chatter like a delighted child. "You and Don? Well, of course you and Don. Are you happy? That's a really nice ring. Don is a great guy."
Correk placed his hand on Leira's knee. "Breathe," he said, demonstrating for her, an amused smile on his face. "There's no crime here for you to solve. I think this is the part where you just get to be happy."
Leira looked momentarily confused as she stayed motionless, resting on her knees looking around. I have almost lost each one of you... Some of you for years. Some of you in some deep shit holes. But we're all okay and here together... with good news. What is happening? Her eyes shined with tears as she started to laugh, slowly at first until the laughter took her over and she couldn't stop. She reached out and hugged her mother, enveloping her in her arms and holding on tight.
"Give me some of that," said Mara, as Leira let go of Eireka and wrapped her arms around her grandmother, the scent of lilacs filling her nose as the laughter continued to erupt out of her. She let go and went to sit back. "Oh, what the hell," she said, giggles escaping her as she wrapped her arms around Correk, holding him tight.
"Oh, okay, we're doing this." Correk put his arms around Leira, feeling the muscles in her back and the soft skin of her cheek against his. He smiled before he could stop himself and looked up to see Mara, a smile on her face and her eyebrows raised, wrinkling her forehead.
He let go just as Leira turned away, lunging back at her mother, taking her hand and moving it around in the light to
see the ring from different angles. Mara kept looking at Correk and he glanced up at her, doing his best to remind her he was a Light Elf.
Not buying it, she mouthed. He rolled his eyes and looked away.
"When's the wedding? There'll be a wedding, right? Do I get to be in it? We can do it at Estelle's! No... okay, you have someplace else in mind? So, potluck is out." She sucked in her bottom lip, thinking of the possibilities.
The troll let out a soft trill in his sleep, rolling over in Leira's pocket and kicking his legs.
"Slow your roll, granddaughter or you'll get the bends. You have to ease yourself into being this happy. Could give you a really good charley horse if you're not careful." Mara gave her a nudge and a crooked smile.
"We haven't set a date or a place yet, but of course you're in the wedding." Eireka smiled in surprise as Leira hugged her again, finally sitting back, still holding on to her mother's hand. "You all are, if you want to be. We want something simple, we know that and we want to include everyone who's important to us. It'll be a celebration of everything we've come through as well as a wedding."
"And there will be cake."
"Yes, of course. Three tiers. Maybe even a candy bar in your honor, Correk. Jars of candy you can sample."
"Or a snack table..."
"Again, your wedding, not ours. We should celebrate. Go for pizza at the usual place or do that potluck! Let everybody celebrate with us. Of course, this is your news. You should pick! Where's Don? Shouldn't he be here?"
"It's like there's a string in her back that someone keeps pulling,” said Correk.
"Don and I thought it would be nice to have a dinner at his place this time. He wants to show off his nest, which is where we'll be living."
"My segue to launch into my news." Mara cleared her throat. "Don't give me that look, Leira. It's not the other shoe dropping. You can hold on to this bit of happiness. It's real, it's wonderful and it's lasting. But, I've been back in this world for long enough now and my roommate is moving out soon. It's time I got on with my life as well."