Alfheim Seoul

by Chris Coleman

  “That gate isn’t made of steel, is it?”

  “Of course not,” Iverog said. “Iron burns Faerie folk.”

  “Then I have an idea about how we can get in there. But we need to go back home and get some stuff. Can you lead the way back home now?”

  “Of course,” he said

  The white stone fortress disappeared into the distance as we walked or rather, as I walked. Iverog just floated a couple of inches off the ground, occasionally taking steps as we changed direction.

  “How do you just float there?” I asked. We hadn’t really discussed how he moved around. “Sometimes you walk with me, and other times you seem to float.”

  “I’m still trying to figure out your soul plane, it seems to slope up a little as it moves away from you.”

  “Not sure what you mean.”

  “If I stand next to you, I have to walk to keep up because your soul plane matches the actual ground around you. If I walk away from you, it slopes up until I am above the ground and you see me as floating, except to me I’m just standing still.”

  “What about that time I saw you upside down?”

  “Gravity doesn’t always apply near the edges as it starts to merge with the rest of your soul plane”

  “Oh,” I said. The rest of my questions would have to wait.

  “We’re here,” Iverog said, as we approached a clearing. We were back in Tal-Oknal, where we first arrived in Alfheim. “You should open the portal over there,” he said, pointing to a small patch of flowers.

  “It feels weird to be going home,” I said to Iverog. Part of me didn’t want to go back through the portal and face reality. I hadn’t been here long, but I’d kind of gotten used to all the weirdness. “I’m sure my parents are worried sick, but how can I possibly go back to school and pretend only the normal world exists when there is all this amazing stuff to explore?”

  “I’m impressed with your ability to adapt,” Iverog said, his voice somber. “There are many who would have given up already. It gives me hope I made the right choice when I chose you.”

  “You chose me?”

  “Well, it was that or death, but I still had a choice, as did you.”

  “Well, thanks, I guess,” I said.

  I pulled on the ley line and felt the familiar, delicious surge of power flow as I started the portal spell.

  Shaping the magic came easily. Silver metallic liquid flowed from my fingertips as I zipped up from the bottom, careful not to disturb things and cause another explosion. I felt a flood of energy from the ley line as the portal sprang into existence.

  “Nicely done,” Iverog said. “A big improvement over the last portal.”

  Power pulsed from the ley line. A glorious rush of magic flowed through me and into the portal. I smiled and walked through it, leaving Alfheim and entering Grandpa Dan’s shop. The connection to the ley line dropped, the magic faded away to nothing, and the portal closed behind me as I emerged on the other side.

  The hangover hit me like a brick: sudden gut-wrenching pain, dizziness, and nausea.

  “Hey,” came a voice I didn’t recognize. “How did you get in here?”

  I looked behind me to see a well dressed man in a dark-colored suit just a few feet away.

  “Who are you?” he asked as he approached.

  “I’m . . .” I started to say, before puking all over his shoes.

  CHAPTER 16

  “I’m so sorry,” I tried to say, but the words came out jumbled. I hadn’t thought I could feel any worse than the last hangover, but this was horrible. I puked again, but it was just dry heaving. I was back at Grandpa Dan’s shop, but everything was not OK. The hangover blurriness made it hard to tell what was going on at any distance, but I could hear several people.

  “Locke!” yelled the man whose shoes I’d just barfed on. “I need your help over here.”

  A female police officer appeared and helped me over to a chair so I could sit down.

  “Briggs, get an ambulance over here,” he said. “I don’t know who this girl is yet, but she looks terrible.”

  What a first impression. I puke on his shoes the moment I meet him, and he thinks I look terrible.

  A burly officer with a uniform similar to Locke walked in from Grandpa Dan’s office.

  “Will do,” said Officer Briggs, pulling out his radio.

  “Hey, Karakowski. Where did she come from?” Officer Locke asked Mr. Puke Shoes.

  “Beats me. I was in front of the doorway, and she just appeared in the back of the shop.”

  “Maybe there’s a secret passage somewhere?” she asked.

  “Either that or this case just got spooky.”

  “We all know how the FBI loves things they can’t explain.” Officer Locke wrapped me in a blanket and brought me some damp towels so I could clean up. My face was feeling better, but I needed a boost. I looked up at the ceiling and let my eyes go out of focus so I could see the ley lines overhead. A little “dog hair” should help get me on my feet.

  “Stop!” Iverog said, before I could do anything else. “You have reached your limit. Hair of the dog only works when you have a hangover. You’ve soaked up too much magic, and this time it could kill you.” I froze and let the connection to the ley line drop.

  There were too many people around, so I couldn’t question him about it. I managed a nod, and he looked relieved, disappearing from view as abruptly as he had appeared.

  “You OK?” Karakowski said, walking over from where he had been cleaning his shoes with paper towels from the sink. My conversation with Iverog must have shown on my face.

  “Yeah,” I managed. The nausea was mostly gone, but the room was still hard to focus on without aggravating my headache. I could tell I was in Grandpa Dan’s showroom, where I’d fought the goblin, but that was about it.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Alecia.”

  “Alecia Fite?” he asked. A surprised expression crossed his face.

  “Yeah,” I said. My name often throws people off because I look Asian. Mom is from Korea, but Dad is an ordinary-looking white American who happens to be good at languages.

  “Briggs! Call the parents, tell them we have their daughter. Locke, let your office know they can cancel the Amber Alert. Where’s the ambulance? We need to get her checked out and bandaged up before her parents get here.”

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “I’m hoping you can tell me,” Karakowski said. “Two days ago a terrorist bomb exploded and nearly leveled the room we’re standing in. It took out all the windows on this block and cracked the foundation in two places. Since that time both you and the shop owner, a Mr. Dan Lee, have been missing. We’ve had crime scene techs on-site for the last twenty-four hours, but so far no one can figure out what caused the explosion. At first we were thinking gas leak, but this building doesn’t have natural gas. We even had the gas company out just in case. We’ve narrowed it down to a couple of terrorist cells in the area that could have made a bomb this efficient.”

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  “Sorry, I got so excited when I realized you were the missing daughter that I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Special Agent Karakowski from the FBI’s Seattle Field Office. I’m leading this investigation with the Seattle Police Department. Officers Tess Locke and Darryl Briggs were helping you earlier.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “Sorry about your shoes.”

  “That’s OK. I’ve got six pairs just like them. I do have some questions for you. Let’s start with where you’ve been the last two days?”

  How was I going to explain that? There was no way I was going to tell him the terrorist group he was looking for was me and that I’d accidentally blown up the shop trying to create a portal to Alfheim.

  “Sir, the ambulance is here,” Briggs said, interrupting. Two uniformed EMTs walked in right behind him pushing a collapsible stretcher.

  “A-LE-CI-A!” came a very loud, very Asian female voice from outs
ide the office. Look out world, Mom is here.

  “Om-ma!” I yelled back. She burst into the room a moment later and everyone took a step back, including the med techs who were evaluating the injuries I’d sustained in my battle with the goblin.

  She wasn’t very tall, standing five foot nothing, but she was the most powerful force in the room at the moment.

  “Looks like we’ll have to have this conversation later,” Karakowski said, who left me to be fussed over.

  CHAPTER 17

  “Alecia!” Stephanie yelled as soon as I entered the school. I’d insisted on being allowed back to school the next day, because I was tired of being fussed over by my parents. Dad had flown in from somewhere in Asia, cutting his business trip short to look for me. Things were still tense at home with Grandpa Dan missing, so I pushed till they let me go to school.

  Stephanie dropped her books and ran across the hall, enveloping me in a tight hug. “I thought you were dead.”

  “I almost was,” I said as we dropped the embrace.

  “Really! What happened?” she asked, eyes wide, yet determined. “Tell me everything!”

  “I can’t. I want to, but I really can’t.” I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone about magic, at least that is what I’d promised Grandpa Dan and Marcus. When I’d tried to tell Stephanie about Iverog, my mouth had physically quit working. I had no idea how to explain any of my experiences in Alfheim.

  The bell rang, so I gathered my things and headed toward class.

  “We’re not done talking about this. And you still haven’t told me about that boy you kissed!” Stephanie went the other direction, looking back over her shoulder every couple of seconds till she was out of sight.

  History class was in a portable building so I had to walk outside for a bit. It was terribly inconvenient when it rained, but handy right now when I needed some space.

  “Iverog,” I whispered, as soon as I was out of earshot. He materialized above the grass next to the walkway.

  “Did you need something?” he asked, his was voice comforting.

  “Back when I first tried to talk to Stephanie about magic, my words were all jumbled and I actually couldn’t speak. What’s wrong with me?”

  “I assume it has to do with our soul contract, but I don’t understand it either.”

  I just nodded in acknowledgement because I’d reached the door. History was my least favorite class, but Mark was in it with me.

  Today’s test was going to be a complete disaster because I’d missed so many days.

  “This child has Constantinople down for one of his answers,” Iverog said. “That place no longer exists, how can that be a relevant answer?” Iverog paced slowly through the class, occasionally walking through one of the students. I didn’t know how to explain to him the concept of history class or the fact that I was taking a test.

  “Is this the boy you have feelings for?” asked Iverog, walking near Mark’s desk. “Why do you not just declare your feelings for him publicly so all can share in your young love?”

  I felt my face go red. How was I ever going to finish my test with him talking like that?

  A student office messenger walked into the class with a blue note and handed it to the teacher.

  “Alecia,” she said, after looking at it. “You are needed in the office.”

  “Do I finish my test first?”

  “It says urgent. You can finish when you get back.” I put my stuff into my backpack and bolted.

  The high school counseling office smelled like day-old coffee and teen body odor.

  “Alecia, I’ve got a few questions for you. I had a visit from a guy named Malcolm yesterday,” Agent Karakowski said. His deep voice echoed off the bare walls in the office. He was waiting for me when I got to school this morning.

  “Malcolm? Does he know Grandpa Dan has been kidnapped?” Malcolm was the only other person I knew in the magical world. If he was checking up on me, maybe there was some hope for Grandpa Dan.

  “Yes he does, and he asked me to help look into it. He also said you might know something about it.”

  “Well, yeah, but did Malcolm say it was OK to talk to you?” I wasn’t sure whether I could tell him or not. I hadn’t really gotten any direction except don’t tell people about magic if they don’t already have it.

  “He said you should tell me everything,” he said.

  “Finally! I’m still new at this. It’s so hard to know who I can talk to and who I can’t, and I don’t want to get in trouble.” I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I’d been so worried about Grandpa Dan and getting him back, and there hadn’t been anyone I could tell.

  “It’s OK, you can talk to me. Do you know where your Grandpa Dan is?”

  “He was kidnapped by a goblin, and now he’s in Alfheim.”

  “Alfheim. Where is that?” Karakowski said. I looked at him crosswise. Shouldn’t he already know?

  “Just a minute. Are you sure you’re cleared for this discussion?”

  “Of course I am. Malcolm mentioned Alfheim, but he didn’t get a chance to explain it to me. You think you could take me there?”

  “OK, yeah. I can take you there.”

  “How long will it take?”

  “Not long.”

  “Then let’s go now.”

  “You mean just the two of us? Don’t you need to call for backup and stuff? Do you have anyone else cleared for this type of thing?”

  “Of course, I’ll call for backup when we get there.”

  “You can get backup in Alfheim?” I was a bit surprised, the magic network must be quite expansive.

  “Sure, whatever it takes,” he said, without batting an eye.

  “Alright, you just need to sign me out of school.”

  “Already done. My car is parked out front.”

  Backpack in hand, I followed him out to his vehicle. It was a small, black, four-door sedan.

  “That’s what you are driving? I thought all FBI agents drove those big, black SUVs.”

  “Only when we are on special assignments. Is there something wrong?”

  “Drive me to Grandpa Dan’s shop, we need to take his truck. Your car is too new.” I was worried the magic required to get the vehicle to Alfheim would short out the circuitry and leave us dead before we got anywhere. Also, I didn’t want to go back to the fortress without something a lot bigger than his sedan.

  “Fine,” he said, as we climbed into his car.

  He surprised me by turning on the flashers as we left. I hadn’t realized he was in such a hurry, but the way he drove left me grabbing for the handles above the window. He parked on the street in front of Grandpa Dan’s shop, and we walked around to the garage door.

  “We’re taking that thing?” he asked, when I rolled up the garage door.

  There was Grandpa Dan’s 1940s diesel truck.

  “Oh yeah. This thing’s solid as a tank,” I said. “It will get us where we need to go. Let me use the restroom, and then we can leave.”

  “Sure.”

  I didn’t need to pee, but I did need to talk to Iverog before we left.

  “Iverog?” I asked, after closing the door to the bathroom.

  “Yes,” he said, appearing next to me. “But I thought I wasn’t permitted in this room.”

  “True, but . . . Never mind, I’ll explain later. Can you guide me to where they’re keeping Grandpa Dan, even if I’m driving the truck?”

  “Of course, but don’t take the truck to Alfheim.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s too dangerous. It takes a lot more magic to move metal objects through the portal and your truck is quite large and metallic.”

  “Yes, it is. And I’m glad you told me about the extra magic needed, but I have to take it through or die trying.”

  “I wish you hadn’t phrased it that way.”

  “Can you please guide me through the spell? My plan depends on getting the truck through the portal.”

  “Are you sure you are
ready for this? This is going to be more power than I think you can handle.”

  “Doesn’t matter. This is for Grandpa Dan.”

  “You will have to go slow, because of your spark size, but if you are determined, you might be able to pull this off.”

  “Thanks. I’m gonna give it everything I’ve got,” I said, and left the bathroom.

  “The truck is parked almost exactly on the spot you want the portal,” Iverog said, as we walked. “I suggest moving it out of the garage first though.”

  “Got it.” I hopped in the driver’s seat. The heavy rumbling of the diesel engine filled the room when I pressed the start button. Karakowski looked nervous in the passenger seat.

  I put the truck in reverse and backed out into the alley.

  “You don’t have to get out of the truck,” Iverog said. Just his head was hovering over my shoulder. “You can cast the spell from here.”

  I nodded, trying to keep from being noticed by Karakowski.

  “Do I need to get out and close the garage door?” asked Karakowski.

  “Nah, just give me a minute,” I said, and I put the truck in park. “I need to concentrate.”

  He got quiet but didn’t take his eyes off me. I looked up and let my eyes unfocus. The ley line above me was familiar. I pulled off a little extra magic and started shaping it.

  “Now push it outside,” Iverog said. “Take the energy you’ve shaped and push it toward the garage door. Be generous, put in more energy than you think it will need.”

  I made a pushing motion very slowly with my hands, like a mime pushing an invisible wall away. The magic formation moved, floating through the front of the vehicle undisturbed. I pushed carefully, trying to leave the wispy trail of energy that fed the spell as large as possible.

  “That’s close enough,” Iverog said. “Now make it bigger. It has to be large enough to fit the truck through with room to spare.”

  I pulled harder on the ley line, pushing the magic into shape. It now filled the entire driveway ahead of us. It was both taller and wider than the truck.

  “Looks good,” he said. “Now activate it and drive slowly through it.”