by Kimbra Swain
Jeremiah and I worked well together, but this was different from his normal request. Most of the tasks I completed for him were with the blessing of his local council. However, if they wanted Levi Rearden dead, then he was asking me to do this as a friend, and not for the Sanhedrin.
“I was considering moving anyway,” I said. “He can stay, but if you get into trouble with this witch, you call me. Okay?”
“I can handle it,” he assured me.
“Why don’t y’all stay for dinner? Oh hell, there’s the Sheriff. Be right back,” I said, scooting out the front door.
The screen door slammed behind me as I went out to greet the sheriff. Levi was leaning on the Buick staring at Josie’s trailer.
Sheriff Dylan Riggs climbed out of his cruiser. It was an official visit because he wore that ridiculously large hat on his head, resting his palm on the butt of his pistol.
“Hello, Sheriff,” I said to him, walking down the front steps.
“Hey, Grace,” he said looking over to Levi. “Who’s that?”
“My new pool boy,” I said. It wasn’t a lie because I’d considered buying Rufus one of those plastic kiddie pools.
He rolled his eyes at me, and asked, “Think you could help me with this missing kid thing?”
“Whatever do you mean? How’s a trailer trash girl like me supposed to help the big, important lawman?” I said to him with scorn. I’d heard through the gossip fly at the grocery store that after I wouldn’t go out with him again, he called me trailer trash.
“You heard about that?” he asked as he put his hand behind his head tightening his shirt against his biceps. I didn’t let it distract me because I was royally pissed at Dylan Riggs.
“Riggs, this town has five people in it. Of course, I heard about that,” I shot back.
One lonely night, I went down to the local bar and drank just a few too many. Dylan was there, having just broken up with his girlfriend. We consoled each other from the bar side to the bed side. It was instant regret on my part.
He asked me out properly several times after that, but I have a strict policy on dating and sex. Sex is allowed. Dating is not. No repeat performances.
Dylan Riggs had sandy brown hair, denim blue eyes, and a killer smile. He flashed it at me way too many times at the bar. I couldn’t help myself. I hadn’t gone back to the bar since it happened, which was a shame because I was quite fond of the bartender, Nestor. He had a quiet confidence that induced many patrons to spill their lives out to him. He also had an ever-present light about him causing me to trust him more than I did most people. Hot Tin Roof was the only bar in this podunk town, so my one social gathering point was eliminated. Unless I decided to start going to church, but I was sure that they didn’t want me there. Between my short shorts and very visible wrist tattoo, most of the Baptists thought I was going to hell either way. If they only knew.
He stepped toward me, taking off his hat. He rolled the edge of it while he spoke, “Look, Grace, I was upset, and I shouldn’t have said it. You have every right to be mad, but there are two kids out there somewhere. Even if they ain’t alive, I need to bring them home to their parents.”
Two nights ago, the two children were playing in their neighborhood. The news said they were 10 years old and classmates at the local elementary school. After playing in an empty lot with some other children, they had not ever made it home. Dylan proceeded to grill me about the kids with all the normal assumptions about fairies after it happened. I had no desire to kidnap children. Most of those tales were from the old country, and they were just tales. He apologized for misunderstanding. Apparently, one of the Sanhedrin pointed the finger at me which was hogwash. Jeremiah was the only one of them that was decent. I hated it for the parents of the children. These things never ended happily. If they were dead, Dylan knew I could find them with magic.
“Where have you looked?” I asked changing my attitude for the sake of the little ones.
“Mostly down through the woods behind their house. We even looked into the edges of the protected forest land. The game wardens have been out looking too,” he said.
“Why are you looking in the woods?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you the details, Grace. You know that,” he said.
I turned away from him, stomping back toward the house. This country had laws about evidence, and I respected that, but I couldn’t do my job if I didn’t get the whole story. Looking to Levi, I realized that he was watching us closely now.
Dylan caught up with me, standing between me and the wooden steps. “Grace, please,” he said as he lowered his voice, “We found footprints. Three sets. Two kids. One adult.”
My heart cringed, and I rolled my head around like I had a pain in my neck.
“I’ll help you, Sheriff,” Levi said.
I snapped my finger at Levi. “Now you, hush your mouth.”
Condemning me with his eyes, Dylan said, “If you won’t help, then someone else can.”
“I’ll help. He will stay out of it,” I said to Dylan. “What do you need me to do?”
“I need you to put on some respectable clothes, and come with me,” he said.
I sighed, “I’ll be right back. It’s too hot for respectable. Levi, get in the house.”
“But I want to help,” he said.
“House! Now!” I said. He followed inside with me carrying an old backpack and a guitar case. I wondered if all guys from Texas played guitar. In my travels, I’d met a country singer from the Lone Star State, who just happened to be a fairy, too. He was the son of a siren, and he had a set of pipes on him that could break your heart and wet your panties.
“You gonna help him?” Jeremiah asked as we both came in the door.
“Yes, you know I am,” I said.
“Take Levi with you. He might learn something,” he said.
“My magic is different from his magic, even if it is elemental. It comes from a completely different source,” I said.
“Grace, he still needs to learn how to present himself to people,” he said.
“Oh yes, let’s learn etiquette from the trailer park queen,” I said.
“You and I both know you don’t belong in a trailer park,” Jeremiah said.
I pointed my finger at him as Levi watched us, “Don’t you start talking sweet to me, Jeremiah. I can’t handle it. You staying for dinner?”
“No, I’m going to hit the road and see if I can pick up the scent of a creole witch,” he said.
“They smell like swamp,” I said from my bedroom. I dug through my dresser, dragging out a pair of jeans to wear. I pulled a light pink blouse over my tank top. Stepping out of my bedroom with a hair tie in my mouth, I pulled my brown hair back out of my face and wrapped it up in a ponytail.
“Take care of him,” he said.
“I will,” I said and, kissing him on the cheek. “Be safe, you old coot.”
“You too, Gracie,” he said heading out the door.
I heard him exchange pleasantries with the sheriff while climbing in the old Buick. The hunk of junk rumbled to life, and Jeremiah went off on his witch hunt.
“Okay, Levi, I need to lay down some ground rules,” I said.
Following me out of the trailer, Levi and I climbed in my 4-door Ford F-150. It was a metallic black beauty with all the bells and whistles. The truck was more valuable than the double-wide.
“Nice truck,” Levi said.
“Why, thank you. If you are nice, I’ll let you drive it while you are staying with me,” I said. He smiled as he poked all the buttons on the dashboard.
“If you put that radio station on country music, so help me God, Levi, I’ll make you walk,” I said.
“Heck no. I hate country,” he said.
“I like you more every minute,” I said pulling out onto the state highway following Riggs’ cruiser.
“What are the rules?” he asked.
“We are different from normal folks, and we don’t want to spook them. Now the S
heriff, along with most law enforcement, know that people like us exist, but even then, they don’t want to see it. Always treat a magical job like a regular job. Pretend you are bagging groceries at the food mart. You show up on time. Dress properly. Do your job and go home. Unfortunately, we won’t get paid for this one, so Dylan will just have to owe me,” I said.
“You’ll have to forgive him to get paid,” he smirked.
“I take back what I said about liking you,” I smiled as he laughed. His laugh was young and lighthearted. The evil in this world had just barely touched him. It would get worse before it got better. I’d enjoy that young laugh for now.
“So, don’t act weird is a rule,” he said. He stopped switching stations when Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” played through the speakers. Classic Rock was better than Country.
“Yes, that’s one. The second rule is you have to give complete control to the authorities whether the authority is a cop or a woman in her own home scared of a troll in her backyard. The last rule is the most important. Do as little magic as possible. When you move power in this world, people notice. The creepy crawlies of the world notice too,” I said.
“Sounds simple,” he said.
“Heh, yeah, sounds that way. Ain’t that way,” I replied turning down a dirt road behind the sheriff. “Looks like you will be staying with me for a spell. Whenever you are ready, you can tell me about yourself, and you are welcome to ask me whatever you wish. Doesn’t mean I’ll answer you, but you can ask,” I said.
“Why do you live in a trailer park?” he immediately asked.
“Well, just get straight to the point, Dublin. Why don’t you just ask what color my panties are?”
He blushed. Holy moly. Adorable. “They are black. I could see them on the edge of your pants,” he muttered.
“Keep your eyes off my underwear!” I scoffed, not really angry at him. “How many fairies do you know living in trailer parks?”
“Just you,” he said.
“Bingo! I want nothing to do with my kind. They banished me, and I just assume they avoid me,” I replied looking over at him using magical sight. Beings who use magic have the ability to see the elements moving around in the world. I occasionally switched to magical sight when driving. You’d be surprised what kind of things you’d see just driving to the store and back.
Looking at him, I realized why Jeremiah brought him to me. I cursed him under my breath.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I’m gonna kill Jeremiah. That’s what’s wrong,” I said.
He looked at me as if I were serious.
“Oh, hell, I’m yanking your chain,” I said.
“Oh, okay,” he replied.
“Who are your mother and father?” I asked.
“Mary Beth and David Rearden. Mom left a few years ago. My Dad is drunk half the time. Mom died last year. Breast cancer. Why do you ask?”
“Sorry about your Mom. You have any siblings?”
“No,” he said.
“Adopted?”
“No, why do you ask?”
“Nothing, you just look familiar to me,” I said. Familiar as in half-fairy, half-human. Levi was a changeling, and that changed the game. Because of his state of emotional distress, the signature aura of a fairy flashed around him brightly. This was why Jeremiah brought him to me, and why the Sanhedrin wouldn’t teach him. They would kill him if they got the chance. I pulled out my cell phone dialing him.
“Grace,” he said.
“I’m gonna kick your ass when you get back,” I said.
“Took you long enough to figure it out,” he replied. “Just look out for him for me, please.”
“Yeah, yeah. But Jeremiah, you realize you could just trust me from time to time. We’ve known each other for too long for you to play stupid games,” I said hanging up the phone. Unlike the rest of the Sanhedrin, Jeremiah loathed to see any living thing die, even creole witches and Texas changelings. But he would do what was right even if it meant taking a life. However, I supposed he played on my senses and brought Levi to me knowing that I didn’t mind killing things that needed killing, but I hated to see someone hunted by the Sanhedrin.
“Are we going to talk about that phone call?” Levi asked.
“When we get back, I will. Let’s focus on these kids. You realize that they probably aren’t alive, right?” I said. Skepticism was my friend. It’s how I survived all the crap I’d seen. He looked sad, but nodded. “If you at any point want to go back to the truck, you go ahead. I won’t hold it against you.”
“I’m not afraid,” he said.
“You will be,” I replied.
We pulled up behind the houses at the entrance to a neighborhood, and I got out of the truck opening the rear driver’s side door. I took out a long black cloak with a hood putting it on over my shoulders. I clasped it together at my neck, flipping the hood over my head. It flowed down covering me to my feet. Levi rounded the truck and stared at me.
“What’s up with the Potter cloak?”
I rolled my eyes. It wasn’t as cool as Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak, but it did hide things I didn’t want anyone to see. “You will see,” I said, winking at him. He blushed again, and darn, if it wasn’t adorable.
Dylan approached us, “You ready?” He cocked his head sideways when he saw me leering at the blushing Levi.
I hadn’t introduced him properly to Dylan. “Sheriff, this is Levi. He’s Jeremiah’s apprentice. We are ready whenever you are. Who all do you have here?” I asked about his personnel because most of them knew I had some sort of ability. He told them I was psychic which was worse than being trailer trash. Either way, it kept them from asking too many questions.
“Nice to meet you, Levi. All my normals, except for Amanda over there. She’s new,” he said.
“Yikes, rough one to start out on,” I said.
“Okay, Grace. Do your thing,” Dylan said impatiently.
Turning to Levi, I said, “Look through your sight. I need you to focus on darkness. I’ll be focused on light such as magic and the residue of life. Dylan, keep everyone out of these woods. The last thing I need is a false reading.” I used a psychic term just to keep with the ruse, but the fact of the matter was if someone else came into the woods while I was focused on finding the children, we would have to start the process over again. It was getting dark, and I didn’t want to be in the woods any longer than I had to be.
“Troy and Amanda are going in with us. Everyone else will stay behind. Here,” he said handing me a teddy bear and a baby doll. Both items were soft, cuddly toys. Much too babyish for 10-year-old children, but we all have that one thing we love and hold on to for life. These items probably had a long history with their owners. It would make it easier to connect to the children. I needed to match the residue aura from the toys to the children. I just hoped there was enough of the kids left to find them.
I took a deep breath smelling the children on the items with enhanced fairy senses. Pulling down the hood of the cloak, I hid my face from everyone except Dylan and Levi. Dylan knew what I was and had seen it before now. Levi hadn’t, but he might as well get indoctrinated from the beginning.
Walking over to a giant oak tree, I put my hand on it drinking in its power through its connection to the Otherworld. The intricate tattoo on my wrist pulsed with the power that I drew in, storing it in the tattooed jewel at the center which flickered like a ruby. All of my senses heightened. I smelled rain moving in from the west about two hours away. About six miles away, I heard a train on the tracks on the other side of the interstate. Rippling over my skin, I felt the breeze of fall still several weeks away. Holding the toys out before me, my glamour dropped as my true form burst through with the rush of power and magic. The cloak would hide my platinum hair and turquoise eyes, plus the natural radiance of my skin that came with the transformation. Levi’s eyes widened, mesmerized by my fairy form.
Removing my hand from the tree, I nodded to Dylan as I ha
nded the toys back to him. He passed them off to another officer, and I led the way into the woods. As we walked, I reestablished my glamour flipping off the hood of the cloak. The faint scent of children tickled my nose, so I pressed forward deeper into the woods. However, they were still a long way off.
“It’s going to be a hike, Dylan,” I said.
“Alright. Let’s pick up the pace,” he said as walked up next to me. “You see them?”
“Just smell right now,” I said. “In mile or so, I’ll have a better idea.”
We trudged through the woods as the day turned to twilight. Levi stayed several paces off to my right, and Dylan walked on my left. The two cops followed us.
“Levi, do you see anything?” I asked.
“Unnatural darkness. Looks like thick smoke,” he said. Someone was masking the children with a spell. I took a deep breath, pushing away the concealment with a breeze of magic, and the stench of rot hit my nose. I winced at the decaying smell of dead bodies. If I’d had any hope the children were alive, at that moment, that hope evaporated. Trying to back down my magic and senses, I paused my trek through the forest.
“Grace?” Dylan’s voice filled with concern.
I turned my face to him, shaking my head. He hitched his hands on his hips, watching me closely. I continued to walk, so he followed. Finally, I knew that if I looked again, I could see them. I touched the nearest tree, pulling power once again. Looking through my sight, I saw the reddish hue of a dead body about 20 yards to my left and another 20 yards ahead to the right. I reeled in the power as I motioned for Dylan to move closer.
He put his hand up to the two following us, cautiously moving closer to me. “What is it?”
“One of them is about 20 yards to our left, and the other is up 20 yards to the right.”