by Viola Grace
Abby's mind was racing. Was magic a good thing if it caused that kind of prejudice? Was there any way to keep people from abusing it?
"Abby. Bad people will always do bad things. Magic doesn't make you evil, but it doesn't make you good either. You will be what you are. No matter what."
The calming voice of the gorgon slowly began to sink into her mind. You will be what you are, no matter what. Words to live by. Abby nodded to herself and reached for another cookie. Munching at the chocolate chip that seemed made by angels, she worked at her next question. “Why did this happen to me? I mean, why didn't a Nexus appear in the magical community at large?"
The two invaders of her home looked at each other as if trying to communicate telepathically. It seems that they came up empty. “I think you will have to ask Xander that one. Nexus's are things of legend, creatures of myth so rare that they appear only once or twice every five hundred years or so. The last one was only seventy five years ago, but he died in the war."
Abby had a giggle at that one, “So I am a creature now. Good to know."
"I didn't mean...” Seesee's hair went wild with confusion. It was picking up cookies and rearranging them on the plate.
"I don't take offence to it, Seesee. I am just not used to being a rare anything.” She reached out to touch the gorgon's hand and her hair calmed.
"The fact that you can laugh about this lets us know that you may just adapt to your situation.” Randy looked relieved.
"Has that been a problem in the past? A Nexus not adapting, I mean."
"Do you want the honest answer?"
"Yes."
"They tend to go mad. Most had been restrained and confined by various magical factions and the confinement drove them insane."
"Is that what the plan is for me?"
"No! No. I mean, that is why we are all here at Oak Point Way with you. It was a way to have representatives from a variety of magical races here so that no one organization could squirrel you away."
The shock that she felt reverberated through her with a thud. Her coffee mug slipped from her hand as she had been preparing to take a sip and her mind went blank with shock.
"Abby? Abby, are you all right?” She could hear their voices, but it was if they were miles away.
The whole neighbourhood had been seeded with magical creatures, for her benefit. Or for their peace. Whichever one it was, her brain felt like it was going to burst or her stomach was.
She bolted to her feet and out the patio door, only vaguely registering the gnomes doing more gardening. She ran hell bent to the rock and laid her hands on it, dumping the magic that had risen with the adrenaline. As the blessed relief of removing the charge filled her, she looked over at the oak that seemed to be looking at her wistfully. She addressed the tree directly. “Look, I am not going to let you suck me dry again, but if you can shift your roots like you did when you tripped me, you can touch the rock and get the magic. I will feed it and it can feed you. Okay?"
She didn't know if it mattered, but the oak rustled happily at the idea and she left it to work out its method of contact. Relaxed, but still a bit tense, she returned to the ladies who were waiting for her on the tiny deck. “Where were we?"
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Chapter Thirteen
The little meeting deteriorated after her episode. She really couldn't think of anything else that she needed answered or at least nothing that they would be able or willing to tell her.
The gnomes were nowhere to be seen and she only half-heartedly worried about where they were and what they were up to. This was her perfect moment to go explore her new town and the people within it.
The drive was abominably short, she could probably have walked it in fifteen minutes. It gave her no time to think so she did a few passes of the town square, which actually seemed to be more of an octopus, main streets radiating from the center. The streets between the arms were lined with tiny boutiques and the mother load. A grocery store. She needed toaster waffles in the worst way.
Parking in the small lot in front of the store she exited her beloved station wagon and grabbed one of the well-used carts from the lot to transport her booty in. Her shopping booty that was, her butt hadn't been in a shopping cart in over a decade. She twisted to check it out. Nope, it wasn't going to fit any time soon.
She laughed at herself as she pushed the protesting cart into the store to the interested looks of the other shoppers. She gathered her spoils and headed for the checkout.
The checkout clerk greeted her. “You are new in town, aren't you?"
"I am. I just moved in this week.” She gave the middle-aged woman behind the counter a bright smile. “Carla, nice to meet you. My name is Abby.” She read the nametag and extended her hand in welcome. The handshake was a welcome contact for Abby, no magic was transferred and it was simply a mark of normalcy.
Carla continued the checkout process and kept chatting, “Where are you living, Abby? Our town has some fantastic views and amazing houses."
She paid for the bill on the electronic display. “I live on Oak Point Way. It's a great street.” She kept her smile on her face right up until Carla dropped her toaster waffles.
"Are you insane? Get out of there, weird things happen there. Inexplicable things."
"Um, the house is paid for so I won't be going anywhere. And the neighbours are friendly.” She found herself defending the street and its inhabitants and realized that it was how she actually felt. She fit in there. One more freak in the freak show. “What kind of weird things?"
"Dogs howling at the moon, but only at the moon. The fishing there is ample, but there are no fish in that river, except in that one spot."
"That seems normal for dogs, but just good luck for the fishermen.” Retrieving her waffles, she loaded them into the cart herself.
Carla seemed nonplussed and rallied with, “Well, I wish you luck and welcome to Sargent."
With a heartfelt, “Thank you,” and a smile, Abby moved her cart out the door and took her precious supplies to the car.
Time for her second stop.
Montrose's Munchies was a block away from the Sargent Grocery and the parking area was almost completely full. She squeezed her car into place and then darted into the shop. She thought she would only be a minute, but the line-up in the shop was incredible. The heady scents of yeast, sugar, chocolate, berries and cream filled the air. It was enough to make her an addict.
She was waiting her turn in line when Seesee saw her, her hair bound by a net, and gestured for her to take a seat in the small snacking area that was the right hand side of the shop. As she approached from the front, Seesee approached from the rear and two patrons at a table rose and left as if by magic. “That was cool,” escaped her lips as she sat across from the gorgon.
"What was? Oh that. It's a basic spell that lets me clear the place at closing time. After all, I am the owner.” It was a sparkling grin that reached over the table and warmed her heart. She was welcome here. There was no doubt.
"All righty, I need some details from you.” Without preamble, Abby blurted out the question that had been haunting her for days, “How do you deal with it, the magic I mean?"
"You just do. You need to either reject it completely or embrace it completely. There can be no halfway."
Now she had to ask the question that she hadn't dared to contemplate before, “What would happen to my gnomes if I rejected it?"
"I don't know. They might survive, but the energy that animates them might drain off or be drained by a warlock trying to gain the extra energy.” Seesee was giving her a pitying look. “They would not survive long without you, but they would simply revert to the statues you created."
Abby sat in thought for a while, Seesee let her have the silence. It seemed as if all the chatter of the busy bakery was miles away. So she could let her precious little guys and girls be picked off one by one or she could suck it up and embrace the insanity that was rapidly becoming her lif
e. “I have noticed, their energy is slowly changing color.” She had been wanting to ask someone about this.
"I don't know enough about the animation, you need to ask Xander that one. As well as the details of the Nexus’ of the past."
A slice of cheesecake was placed in front of her. “You truly are a wonderful hostess, Seesee. I have to ask, is there a man in your life?” That question came unbidden.
Seesee blushed to the roots of her considerable hair. “Well, there is someone, but he is hardly ever around."
"Oh, who is it? Dish."
"His name is Miklos, he is one of the guardians of Oak Point Way. No one can pass him during the night and make it to you with hostile intent.” Her eyes became dreamy, small tendrils of her hair curling and uncurling.
"I thought that there were more houses than the amount of people I had met."
"There are two guardians at the entrance to the lane. They were installed first to secure the area and the rest of us moved in after that."
"How long ago was that?"
"Five years."
"For five years you have waited for me?"
"Waited for you here. The councils have been debating the method of your introduction for thirty years."
Wow, major stalker time. “They felt when I was born then."
"Yup, and have been keeping an eye on you ever since."
"Fantastic.” She smashed the residue of cheesecake crumbs ruthlessly with her fork. “I always wanted to be stalked by magic users. It makes a change from the usual nutcases that engage in that sort of activity."
Seesee sighed and started to tidy up the plates and cups on the table. “They didn't stalk you, they just kept an eye on you until you came into your power."
"Fantastic. They were checking to see if I was ripe yet.” All right, she was sulking, it was hard to miss. Her bottom lip came out and she crossed her arms defensively. Yup, she was feeling hard done by, all right. She needed a hug.
"You need to discuss this with Xander. He has far more information of the council's activities regarding you than anyone else.” Seesee was now looking distinctly uncomfortable with the questions she was asking.
"Well, thanks for the cheesecake, it was fantastic.” Abby rose from the table and impulsively leaned forward to give her a hug. There was only a tiny bit of power transfer and Abby was pleased with herself. Every bit of control she gained was precious.
"You are welcome. Come back anytime. It usually slows down after lunch so I would be glad of a break if you happen to want to chat or just get away from your critters.” She was earnest.
With her gaze aimed at the sugar-filled display case, her voice sounded a little petulant, “Can I just come in for cookies?"
Laughter lit Seesee's face and made her look like a cheerleader with amazing hair. “Of course you can. I am working on some new recipes and I think you just might just qualify as a beta tester."
"It's a deal.” With her heart a bit lighter than when she walked in, Abby headed back to her car, belatedly remembering that she had frozen waffles in the backseat.
She reached back from the driver's seat and touched her groceries. She blinked in surprise when she found them still cold. A quick check of the clock in her car and she giggled in surprise and a bit of shock. The whole visit with Ms. Montrose had only taken five minutes.
Driving home, she tried to come up with a clever excuse to talk to Xander and came up empty. She pulled up in her drive and immediately the car was swarmed by gnomes. So were her legs. She limped to her front door with Bitsy firmly on her ankle. The gnomes had the door open and were running a mini relay from her car and into her home. Teeny little butlers, they put her shopping away with a maze of upended boxes, stepladders and chairs. She had to watch in amazement. There was a circus act in her kitchen.
Bitsy was slowly crawling his way up her leg and she reached down to scoop him up. They had a nice cuddle as the rest of the troops handled the dispensation of her purchases. She finally turned to the tiny gnome in her arms and asked, “So did you guys have a good day?"
All the small faces turned to look at her and beaming grins broke out around the room. It was at that moment she realized that she had never addressed her creations directly. A part of her heart broke as they gathered around her and she sat on the ground to hug them all. She greeted them all by name. One by one. Even Skint got a full on hug, while Harby got a smack on his leather bottom for unhooking her bra again.
She was a Nexus and these were her creations.
Now she just needed to find out what that meant. Off to Xander's she went.
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Chapter Fourteen
She straightened her hair before ringing his doorbell and waited. She admired the tidiness of his yard and the panels of stained glass in the door she was facing. Abby was just about to examine her nails for chips when the door swung open to frame Xander. “Hiya. I have a few questions that I need to ask. Is now a good time?"
"That is one question already.” He smiled.
Her pulse sped up. Magic began to pound in her veins and she ruthlessly calmed herself.
"Come on in."
"Thank you.” She followed his tight ass and meandered through a home that was packed with antiques. “You know, no straight man should have this many antiques.” It popped out of her mouth without notice. Her blush could probably have sparked a fire.
"It's my job."
"What?"
"I uncurse family heirlooms and objects that have been deemed dangerous to the public, both magical and non.” He escorted her to a living room with walls lined with portraits and tables covered with objects. “Until the council assigned me here, it was how I made my living.” Two glasses of lemonade floated through the air at his gesture, one into her hands and one to his.
"Well, you would have been able to make a fortune in the hospitality trade.” She sipped at the drink and found it pleasantly sweet. Curiosity dragged her gaze around the room and she burst out laughing as one painting caught her attention. “Why is there a clown painting in here? How cursed could that be?"
He leaned forward to grip a palm-sized object from the table. “You have enough magic in you to use this. It is a viewer that I use in my work. It will show you the last time that the curse was activated.” He rose to put it in her hands.
She studied it for a moment before setting her glass down and moving to the ridiculous portrait on the wall. The clown was the standard pose, his mouth open with laughter, his nose ridiculously large. She fumbled for a moment with the object in her hand and finally managed to open it. It was built like a large pocket watch, but the large case was completely crystal and the face was a mirror. “So I aim it at the object and look into the mirror."
"Exactly. It will show you the details of the curse involved."
"Great.” She aligned the reader with the portrait until she could see the image in the mirror and nothing happened. She twisted her lips, focussed and let a tiny bit of her energy leak into the object. The show started.
It was Laura Exner. The clown in the painting had been watching her for some time. It was only after the move to Oak Point Way that it was able to make its move. It was out of the painting and very hungry. Laura smelled so good.
It followed her down the hall and when she wasn't looking, it lapped at the back of her thigh, looking for a taste to match the fabulous smell. She did and a light nip was next. If only she hadn't screamed, smashed it in the head and locked it in a cupboard. It could have had its first good meal in ages.
"Abby. Abby, close the mirror.” The voice seemed so far away and she was trapped in the cupboard.
A sharp jolt to her hand and the viewer snapped shut. Abby blinked in astonishment at what she had seen, felt and heard. “Holy crap.” He leaned over her and took the viewer from her hand. Contact was minimal, but she still managed to keep her power to herself.
"I am surprised that it took you that powerfully."
He still kept h
is hands free of her as she wobbled to her feet and that act of separation made her grit her teeth. “I had to jump start the mechanism, it may be a little stronger now until you work the charge off it.” She settled back in on the sofa and took another slug of the lemonade. “Who knew that a seal could be that angry?"
He was putting the viewer back and turned to her in shock. “A seal?"
"Yeah. It was a seal's soul trapped in that painting. A small magus sealed it in there after he found the seal almost dead on the beach. He then had a clown painted on the treated sealskin. He wanted people to be as scared of clowns as he was.” She relaxed back and let the images she had seen wash over her. It was a small child's frustration and humiliation that drove him to create that painting. That he had control of enough magic to do it was just another tool for his plan.
"Seriously? A child did that?"
"Yeah, in the late sixties or so."
"Do you know who it was?"
"No. But with the upped charge, you should be able to investigate. And the reason he attacked Laura was that she smelled a bit like a piece of herring. What seal could resist?” She kept her eyes closed as she heard him pick up the viewer and move to the painting again.
A few short moments later he closed the tool with a snap. “Sonofabitch. It was so simple and yet I couldn't see it."
"I am betting that it happens a lot with older mechanisms that rely on magic. But back to the reason I am on your couch. I need to know about what I am.” She didn't have any room to put her feet up on his coffee table so she kicked off her shoes and curled her feet up on the couch.
"You are a Nexus."
"Yeah, but why did the council put all of you here?” This question had been bugging her. “And who the heck is on the council anyway?"
"The council is a group of elected officials from the differing magical races that have survived to modern day.” He answered the second question first and crossed his own legs in the lotus position on the other couch.
Oh, he is limber. This has possibilities.
"The last few times a Nexus has been found, it has been drained dry by whoever found it and has died shortly after. We didn't want that to happen to you."