by Martha Carr
He stepped back, trying to gain the cover of the old oak trees behind him, unable to look away from Iliad rising in the air, dangling from the Dirt Elemental's fist. He could see Iliad waving his arms, creating an endless stream of bubbles. He recognized the black bubbles. They were used to transmit innate information from one being to another. But they bounced harmlessly off the Elemental, absorbing into the ground. This part of Iliad's plan was falling apart and it was going to get him killed.
Casper swore softly under his breath and lifted his hands, setting an intention to join his magic with Iliad's and attempt to save him. "I already know I'll regret this." He formed a bubble in his hand, letting it fill with an orange glow and swung his hand around, twisting back and then spinning around, letting loose with the projectile. It sped through the air, picking up speed and changing shape as it went, turning into a pattern of tiny shards of orange glass meant to wound but not destroy.
The glass pieces found their mark, decorating the long torso of the Dirt Elemental, making him cry out in pain, but he didn't let go of Iliad and only squeezed harder, stomping in the direction of where Casper stood. The shards quickly faded leaving small pockmarks in the dirt of the creature's chest that quickly filled back in, but not relieving his anger.
The young Kashgar used bubbles to form a large scythe hanging in the air, as he wondered if killing Iliad was better than killing off an Elemental, even a raging, homicidal one. It still contained a fundamental piece of the engine.
There was the sound of metal crunching from below the overlook and more cars hitting their breaks. The Elemental paused, listening and leaning down to touch the ground with his free hand. Iliad was turning blue in his grip and was close to passing out but Casper wasn't sure what to do next.
The Elemental stood up and walked to the edge, inadvertently dangling Iliad over the side as the Dirt looked down at the ground below. There was a loud crack in the air and more metal bending and Casper ran to the far right of the Elemental to get a look over the edge. Far below, there was a sinkhole the size of a house opening up, pulling cars inside of it. People could be seen scrambling out of their windows, climbing over the hoods, trying to scramble up the side of the crumbling ground to get to safety.
The hand of the Dirt Elemental swung back and he threw Iliad onto the ground. "Why is the ground erupting? What have you done?" His voice echoed off the trees.
"It's the Huldus," choked out Iliad. "They've failed at running the ship and the Earth is breaking down. We have to put the machine back together but we need to make sure it stays out of the Huldus hands."
"Where are the other Elementals?"
Iliad did his best to get to his feet, smoothing back his silver mane. There was a ring of dirt around his throat. "They are appearing, one at a time, but are in the hands of the Huldus. I'm afraid we may be losing this war. You saw the hole open up practically at your feet. Your slumber would have been disrupted one way or the other. The Kashgars want to give you the chance to save this great ship." His showmanship was already back.
The Dirt Elemental tilted his head from one side to the other, studying Iliad. Casper drew back into the shadows, watching and waiting.
"Where are you gathering?"
"The old lands out by the upper waterfalls," said Iliad. "Do you remember?"
The Dirt Elemental nodded as the ground shook again and Casper put out his hand, leaning against the trunk of an old oak tree. The Dirt Elemental shifted into dirt form starting at the base and sinking into the Earth, disappearing altogether, leaving behind a tremor that passed under their feet as he traveled quickly underground, shifting the dirt.
"What just happened?" asked a shocked Casper. "Did you cause that sinkhole to open?"
Iliad brushed off his arms, pleased with himself. "That was a happy accident," he said, gently touching his tender throat. "The Earth is having a harder and harder time holding it together. Always best to tell as much of the truth as you can. I find you get better results."
Casper ran back to the edge and looked over the side at the Peabrains struggling to help each other. Sirens could be heard in the distance traveling toward the scene. Casper held out his hand to blow a string of bubbles and help without being seen. But Iliad grabbed him by the arm, jerking him back.
"They're not our concern. We have too much at risk and I'm not going to take the chance that we lose this opportunity for the second time in a millennium. Help is coming for them and we're leaving before anyone comes looking up here."
Casper walked quickly next to Iliad, full of questions but he chose carefully, hoping to get an answer to the one thing he most wanted to know. "What about Jake? You have what you want."
"I only have the beginning and there's still a lot to do if we are going to finally gain control of the ship. Jake's allegiances are in question and he can't be trusted."
"But he's your grandson..."
"I know, making it even more bittersweet."
Casper felt a shiver across the back of his neck as he saw the corners of Iliad's mouth turn up into a gruesome smile.
13
Maggie came outside after locking up Simon and looked around the parking lot for Bernie. There was no sign of him.
She ducked down, looking under a few cars for a raccoon trying to get out of the wind, but there was still nothing. "Bernie? Bernie!" she hissed, as loud as she dared.
"Lose something?"
Maggie stood up quickly, almost knocking her head on the side mirror of a Chevy truck. Fozzie stood behind her holding his lunch in a brown paper bag, heading into the building for the night shift. "What? Uh, yeah, a friend's cat. It's been missing for a week. Thought I saw it run across the parking lot. Big, fat grey and white striped cat," she said, holding her hands far apart. "Don't want to keep you. Maybe it was a raccoon. How are the Cowboys doing?" She spit out the sentences quickly, trying to remember any football statistic Taylor had spouted lately. "The Cowboys need a little more defense on their roster."
Fozzie looked confused but quickly smelled a possible opportunity and let it go. "You looking for some action? Small stuff, of course."
"Of course, put me down for twenty."
"On this Sunday's game?"
Maggie was already walking away, zigzagging between the cars. "Sure, I mean, yes, this Sunday's game. What's the spread?" She ducked down again, hoping to see some evidence he had been there. "I'll take any kind of food, a wrapper. Come on, a sign," she whispered.
"Three points for Dallas."
"Okay, I'll take it."
"What? Do you know how to bet?"
Maggie walked away a little further, ignoring the last question because the answer was no. She got to the edge of the parking lot and checked her watch. There was no sign of Bernie and it had been more than an hour. "Where are you, my fat, furry friend?" She let out a sigh and smiled, looking at the blinking Taco Bell sign down the street. "Vanna, can I buy a vowel."
Maggie pulled the El Camino into the Taco Bell parking lot and slowly drove around to the back, parking near the dumpster. There was a long line at the drive through around the side and there were teenagers milling about in the parking lot in front. She scanned the background behind the people, looking for two glowing eyes or a furry striped tail waiting for someone to leave their food unattended. But she couldn't see any kind of creature other than Peabrains.
There were a few people huddled together, sitting on a concrete divider in a parking space in the back, but Maggie briefly hit the lights and siren sending them scurrying in different directions. She parked the car and got out, waiting to see if anyone came out to find the cause of the commotion, but no one did.
"Bernie? Bernie are you out here?" She called out as loudly as she dared, looking right and left but there was nothing. She stopped, frustrated, wondering where to look for a magical raccoon when she heard a loud rustling in the dumpster.
"Maggie? Is that you? Thank God, I've been waiting for hours."
She heard claws scratching o
n the metal and the sound of trash bags being moved around as she went and got a nearby cinder block, turning it on its end. She stepped up gingerly to get a better look over the side and found Bernie balanced on top of large green trash bags, torn open, the contents spilled out and half-eaten, everywhere. "It looks like you threw a rave for one."
"Hey, this was a great plan, till I got to the part about exiting." Bernie let out a loud belch, grabbing his belly, rubbing under his t-shirt.
"It hasn't been hours More like one hour and I'll bet you didn't notice most of that, either. That t-shirt is not going to fit you much longer if you keep eating like this."
"I'm not sure I can resist. They don't call these animals trash pandas for nothing. I think I was in a nacho blackout. I remember finding the old liquid cheese bag, but after that, nothing." He shook his hands like he was calling someone out at home base.
"Simon's not talking, not yet."
"I didn't forget that. I'm still in here. One hundred percent Huldu heart!" He pointed a paw in the air, a claw pointing toward the night sky. He scrambled to the edge of the dumpster, bouncing over the trash and pressed his palms against the metal interior. "Help me get out of here. Geez, these shorts are riding up my butt. I don't remember them being so tight before."
"Hang on, I need to see what I can use to hoist you out of there. Too bad I don't still have the boat hitch on the back of the El Camino." She jumped down, looking around for anything she could use to get Bernie out of the dumpster.
"Very funny, pick on the raccoon. How was I supposed to know the exit would be so difficult? I thought they could climb out of anything."
Maggie found a long board propped against the building and propped it against the dumpster. She jumped back on top of the cinder block, balancing carefully as she lifted the plank, swinging it down into the metal bin. She banged the plank against the lip of the dumpster, almost dropping it inside, but managed to hold on and swing it down carefully over Bernie's head.
“I'm hoping you can take it from here. Otherwise, I'm going to have to call Diana and get her help. As a matter of fact, she would love this. One of our better adventures, and we could swing through the drive through. Winner, winner, taco dinner."
Bernie adjusted the plank, pushing it against the far wall to keep it stable, and climbed on, easily scampering to the top and running along the thin ridge at the top.
Maggie jumped down, watching him circumnavigate. "That is impressive. I wonder if you'll remember any of these instincts when you change back."
Bernie made his way to the cinder block, jumping down till he got to the pavement. "Thank you for holding out hope that my magic stops going on the fritz. You know, while I was stuck in there with nothing left to eat..."
"For fifteen minutes..."
"I figure that the whole thing between you and the Earth and how she's not quite on her game is causing all these magical mishaps. First the Peabrains getting woke with no warning all over the ship, then there's been a few unexplained sinkholes popping up, and now this," he said, holding out his paws. "A Huldu who can't do bubbles is not gonna be much good to the ship whether I'm a gnome or a raccoon."
He ambled off toward the car, walking next to Maggie, pulling down on the shorts, shaking a leg. "We need to shake some information out of Simon Wesley. Maybe he knows where there's another Elemental. Too bad the beacon didn't work." He looked up at Maggie. "Your mother told me. She got the low down from the Fire fae."
"My mother is good at networking, even on a global scale."
"Hey, we need to go through the drive through."
"You've had enough. I'm doing a spontaneous intervention."
"I promised Slim I'd bring some back for him."
"Well, in that case you have a deal. Come on, let's find Wilmark. Maybe he knows more. Have you asked Jack how you might reverse your condition?"
Bernie rubbed his face with his paws. "I've been avoiding him, kind of. I mean without the bubbles I can't exactly visit the mechanics. Not sure how he could help."
"I could use the puzzle box to call the mechanics. They would come running."
"In a panic. Only to find a raccoon. Save it for if we get desperate. Not sure we're there yet."
"Not sure? You feeling desperate?"
"No, but I'm wondering if we should feel that way. Something with the Earth is off and I have no way of checking or doing anything about it. And, any minute the Earth may remember you and autocorrect." He counted on his claws. "Then there's the Kashgars and Jake."
"Jake... No matter what he may have done wrong, I don't think he'd outright betray us."
"Kid, they're probably throwing him a party at Kashgar central right about now, electing him their mayor."
Jake bit down hard, grinding his teeth as the whip hit his back again, splitting his flesh. His head was throbbing and swimming from the pain. He was tied at the wrists, stretched over a boulder, not quite standing, not quite able to rest his weight. Spells were whispered in the beginning, leaving him powerless with no magic, no energy to reach out to and pull him away. He had lost track of how much time had passed and was letting his mind wander, pushing out to a better place.
Maggie's face floated in front of him and he took a breath, the muscles in his back quivering and his shoulder shook violently, pulling him away from the leather ties.
The muscular Kashgar holding the whip leaned down by his face, a snarl on his face. "Tell us about the Elemental," he sneered, "and this can all end. You can be at peace."
A smile crept across Jake's face. Maggie. The feel of her skin under his fingertips helped ease his mind. "Bring it."
14
Wilmark and the Fire Fae stood in Toni's living room, away from prying eyes. "How are we going to find the Dirt Elemental?" Wilmark shifted the bow on his back, pacing the room. His nerves were still raw from finding out he was the last Godwin Knight. "Too much time is passing."
Kathleen smiled calmly, but didn't answer him.
There was a whoosh despite the closed windows and doors, and a rush of air toward the Fae making Wilmark gasp for air, his eyes widening in surprise. A swirl of blue, pulsing light surrounded her curves, crawling up her body and jumping across the gap between them, engulfing Wilmark before he could even react. When it subsided, he found himself standing in a dense cluster of trees on a hilltop in sight of the Colorado River and expensive homes dotting the Austin cliffs in the distance.
A strong Texas wind was blowing around them, making the nearby pine creak and sway in the dark. The Elemental's blue flame flickered along her smooth, blue skin and she squinted, shading her eyes with her hand.
Wilmark looked at the tight, gauzy dress that clung to her, not the first time he had noticed. "You could have given me a heads up."
"You said you were bored. I thought I'd mix things up."
"I never said bored. I'm not used to waiting patiently."
"Patience is an asset to be cultivated."
"Not for a warrior."
"Especially for a great warrior."
"I thought Elementals were more serious."
"That's just legends, and Maggie without coffee. It's possible to be dedicated to a cause and still have a life."
Wilmark turned away from her, looking at the view, but she could see the muscles in his jaw working.
"That wasn't meant as a rebuke. It was more of a suggestion."
The Godwin Knight let out a deep sigh. "Do you know what was meant by ancient stand of trees?" Wilmark flexed his shoulders, restless to finally do something.
"All business, I can respect that... for now. Fine, I've heard rumors," said the Fae. "There are legends told about everything on this ship and where we all came from. It can be hard to know what is truth and what has become fiction over time."
"Tell me what you do know." He pulled his hair back, tying it with a thin piece of leather cord.
"It was said that when these ships were built they were infused with the magic from all the great tribes."
> "You mean like an artifact."
The Elemental stepped back into the line of trees, hidden from nearby hikers who passed by on a trail without seeing the two magicals standing nearby. Kathleen waited till she was sure they had passed. "More powerful than an artifact. The ships were given the ability to be sentient. To think for themselves within a set of guidelines. But, there was a fear that they could run into a set of circumstances and be unable to solve it. Or worse, take action that could harm the ship or those on it. It would be bad for business."
Wilmark let out a dry chuckle. "It's hard to remember at times that the Earth was part of a business."
"But it was, and a passenger getting harmed would cut down on travelers. So they came up with a backup system. The trees were installed and given their own ability to think, but with a difference. Trees were known to create community and to protect each other, even at their own expense for the greater good. They were the perfect balance to the ship."
"Like a conscience." He crossed his arms over his chest, the cold wind blowing across his neck.
"A compassionate conscience. And, for this ship, a saving grace, and probably the only reason the ship still runs. It's amazing that it's been kept alive all these years. The mechanics have done an amazing job."
"I get it. It's been the trees that gave the mechanics the chance to talk to the ship and change its thinking."
The Fae nodded her head. "At times, it was the trees who told the Earth to calm the seas or to finally make it rain, or enrich the soil. But, this particular ancient stand of trees is something else, entirely. My mother, the last Fae Elemental, told me a story when I was a child about a particular ancient stand of trees that were said to hold the secrets of the Earth. They were the silent guardians of the ship and to this day hold the wisdom needed to repair or restart everything."
"Was there anything in the story that gave a clue about where the trees could be found?"