by Martha Carr
Wilmark tensed, pulling out his bow and nocking an arrow as Maggie ran down the steps, jumping in front of Bernie.
Bernie scrambled back out in front of Maggie, holding his paws out wide, his whiskers twitching in anger. "What's the matter with you? Why would you shoot an arrow at a raccoon, especially one who's wearing clothes? You do know whose house you're at, don't you?" The words whistled through his sharp little teeth. "Next thing you know, he'll be taking a bead on Dexter. That's right mouse dog, hide under the porch!" He dropped to all fours, snarling and hissing.
"Easy there, Bernie. You don't want to make any of the raccoon things permanent."
"We may be past that point."
"What have you done now?" Wilmark put the arrow back in his quiver, but even the sight of Bernie in short-shorts and a t-shirt didn't bring a smile to his face.
Maggie was the first to notice. "Something's gone wrong, hasn't it?" She looked at Kathleen who was staying back by the garage, keeping an eye on the body and making sure no one came through the gate. "What is the Fire Fae guarding?" Maggie tapped the edge of her gun, her badge hanging from her belt. She looked back and forth between the two, glancing at the garage. "Tell me or I'll find out for myself."
Bernie stayed in front of her, his fur bristling. "I can smell trouble. What have you guys gotten into, elf?"
"Okay, don't tell me..." Maggie stepped around Bernie and strode toward her garage. "I remember when the garage was just storage," she muttered.
Wilmark put out his arm to stop her, but she tried to go around him. He grabbed onto her, holding her back, even as she pushed harder. "Don't go in there," he whispered into her hair. "There's no time to tell you gently. The Kashgars are torturing Jake and are going to kill him, if they haven't already."
Maggie pulled her head back, her eyes wide, staring at Wilmark's face only inches from hers. "How do you know that's true?"
"What? What? Somebody tell me something." Bernie circled the two, running around them and trying to listen in but Wilmark kept his voice low, unsure of who might be nearby and unseen.
Wilmark gently pulled her head closer. "I heard it from a reliable source. There's a complication. There was a fight near sacred ground and a Kashgar died."
"Revenge?" Maggie whispered.
Wilmark pulled back to look in her eyes. "No, but I have no remorse over it."
Maggie let out a gasp. "That's what's in my garage, isn't it?" She didn't wait for a nod, already certain of the answer. "Let's go get Jake." The ache in her chest was replaced by a burning anger. She quietly slipped the badge off her belt and into her pocket. She pulled out the compass and held it tight in her hand.
Wilmark glanced down at Bernie but Maggie cut him off from saying anything.
"The raccoon comes with us."
Wilmark held up his hands as they made their way to the back of the fence. "Why are you wearing shorts?"
"Why are you wearing tights?"
They arrived in the alley behind the CVS and were standing in front of the wall where Bernie had seen a door. "I'm telling you, this whole thing opens up."
"If we can't figure out how, it's not going to matter that no one knows we're out here." Maggie looked closely at the masonry, running her hand over the rough surface. There was nothing to give away the magical spell that hid the secret entrance.
"Doesn't this place ever close?" Bernie stood up on his hind legs, pulling on his shorts. He sniffed the air and dropped to all four. "Somebody's coming. It's a Kashgar, sour smelling bunch."
He scampered behind the dumpster as the others held their ground, pulling out weapons all pointed at the back door of the drugstore.
"Okay, that's another way." The raccoon came back, striking a pose, claws bared.
A young Kashgar came out the back carrying a large trash bag, mindlessly whistling an old Britney Spears tune.
"I know that one," said Bernie. "Hit me baby one more time," he sang. The Kashgar dropped the bag, his mouth forming a perfect 'O'. "Hey kid." Bernie waved a paw, growling.
"A talking raccoon. That's a first." The Kashgar backed toward the door until he spotted the body lying at Wilmark's feet and he froze, confusion and anger crossing his face.
"Is that... is that Ben? Is he dead?" He looked up at the assembly in front of him, flustered. The words spilling out of him. "Who killed him?"
Maggie stepped forward before Wilmark could say anything. Her eyes were backlit and glowing and she could feel the energy running through her, a cool thread sparking through her head and the buzz at the top of her spine. "Open the door." There was menace in her voice as a bubble grew in her hand, a dark cloud rumbling inside of it.
The Kashgar looked back at the door he just came out of and back at Maggie who nodded her head toward the blank wall. He licked his lips nervously as his understanding grew. "You know about the door."
"Open it," she said. "I won't ask again." A red stain grew inside of the bubble, slowly overtaking the storm. The color drained from the Kashgar's face. "Dark magic..." he gasped, his legs shaking.
Wilmark shifted his weight, gripping his sword tighter, angry at the sight of a blood bubble in Maggie's palm, as he glanced down at the raccoon, swinging his sword through the air.
"Calm down, muscle man. This was the Elemental's doing. Have a little faith in her magic. She's more powerful than you realize."
Maggie tilted her head to the side when the Kashgar didn't move, blowing gently on the bubble. It started to divide in two, fangs appearing in the center and a lonesome howl erupting from it.
The Kashgar slid along the wall, tripping over a discarded box. He pressed against the wall and turned his head to the side, muttering, "Apertum in concilio. Kashgar Rollo." The masonry pulled apart and the door appeared.
The bubble slowly formed itself back into a round orb, the black and red storm spinning inside of it.
The young man took short glances at the bubble and pulled on the door. He was about to go in when the Fire Fae stopped him, holding him back with restraints made of fire. She trapped him just inside the open door. Wilmark picked up Ben's lifeless body and laid him inside, sitting up against the wall right next to the young Kashgar who shuddered at the sight of ashes around Ben's mouth.
Maggie stopped in front of the Kashgar and put her face close to his, her eyes casting a blue glow on his terrified face. "Where are they keeping the Kashgar, Jake?"
"In the prisons, below the chamber room. It's the door in the back of the room. Only place that passageway can take you, but you'll never make it in there. It's fortified and there’s only one way in and one way out. Guards everywhere and magical wards. You don't get in or out without permission."
"I guess this is gonna be a night of firsts," she growled, pressing closer to his face.
Bernie looked up at Maggie, concerned. "I'm not sure this new look is working for you, Maggie. Okay, okay," he said, holding up his paws. "Don't let me be the Debbie Downer. Let's go scare some Kashgar, although I still don't see how this all turned into Jake being the hero of the story."
Maggie crouched down next to him. "Do you need to wait out here? You're either all in or stay out here." She raised her eyebrows, waiting for a response.
Bernie hesitated, watching the red stain grow in the bubble, wondering if he was part of whatever haunted her from the past. "No kid, I'm coming with you. If you have a beef with somebody, I have the same beef. Let's go tear it up. We can get more Taco Bell afterward. You know how I get an appetite after a brawl."
Maggie let the bubble lead the way down the stairs as Wilmark formed a ball of light throwing it up overhead to light their way. The door closed behind them as the rest of them made their way behind Maggie, leaving the lone Kashgar trapped at the top. They came to the chamber door and Maggie held up the blood bubble, drawing her gun with her other hand. Wilmark opened the door, sliding through first, his sword at the ready but the chamber was empty that late at night. Bernie came into the room and smelled the air, his whiskers twit
ching. He made a face, shaking his head and climbed up on the council desk to get a better view. He climbed down and ran to the back, getting up on a chair, balancing on the arm rest.
There was a window in the door at the back of the room but no light coming from it. Bernie got on his hind legs, peering into the darkness. "There are three Kashgars, big ones, and not much light. Tall bastards," he whispered. "I see swords but no other weapons." He climbed down and waited by the door for someone to open it.
Wilmark put his hand on the door and looked back at the others. "The only way to get to Jake is to fight our way in. That's not going to be pretty. If anyone has a problem with death, back out now. You'll only put the rest of us in harm's way." He didn't wait to see who was still behind him and opened the door, alerting the Kashgars guarding the tunnel. The one furthest away went to call out but found himself choking before he could utter a sound. The blood bubble had done its work and found its victim, choking the breath out of him.
"Remind me to never get you that mad," muttered Bernie.
"He's not dead, only passed out and we don't have much time." Maggie raised her gun. "Doesn't mean there won't be a few dead before we're done. Let's try to make sure it's only Kashgar."
"What if he decides to call out after we're gone?"
"It'll choke him again."
"Good to know." Bernie ran down the tunnel, seeing easily in the dark and bit the nearest Kashgar's ankle, sinking his teeth into his flesh. The man cried out in pain, banging his sword against Bernie's head and sending him flying hard into the wall. Shaken, Bernie stood, even as Wilmark rushed forward, his sword making contact, clanging against the Kashgar's sword, slicing open the top of the gnome's arm.
The other two Kashgars raised their swords and came running at them, growling and yelling, their swords swinging. Maggie got off a clean shot but it passed right through the Kashgar and out the other side, leaving no hole. The bullet embedded in the wall behind him. He smiled and ran at her with his sword outstretched to run her through.
Wilmark was still fighting off the Kashgar in front of him and was doing his best to end the fight, distracted by Maggie. But she was focused and ready for the attack.
She holstered her gun and held out her hand, tilting her head to the side with a cold expression on her face. A bubble formed in her hand that was opaque and seemed to have nothing inside of it.
"No!" Wilmark cried out, gnashing his teeth as he swung, the muscles across his back straining, even as he looked back at Maggie.
But she never blinked, never looked concerned, driving the Kashgar back, piercing him through the shoulder and pinning him to the wall. He gasped for air, only his toes touching the ground.
Maggie turned her attention to the wounded Kashgar facing down Wilmark. She held out her hand again as another bubble rapidly formed. The gnome pressed his sword against Wilmark's, shoving him backward as he glanced at the opaque orb floating just above Maggie's hand. She threw the orb directly at him and he ducked, watching it crash into the wall behind him, shattering into glass that turned, spraying his back with the shards.
He screamed in pain, collapsing and dropped his sword. Wilmark roared at the last Kashgar still standing and he ran down the tunnel, alerting the others.
"Kathleen, can you tie this one up?" asked Maggie, pointing at the fallen Kashgar. She waited till the taller gnome was secured before blowing out a string of bubbles that settled over his back, pulling out the shards of glass. She looked at Wilmark who was closely studying her. "The dagger will hold the other Kashgar right where he is for at least a couple more hours. It won't kill him, and it'll make him think twice before attacking an Elemental again."
Bernie nudged her with a paw and said in a low voice. "You okay, kid?"
"Why is that the theme today?"
Bernie shrugged, choosing his words carefully. "You aren't your normal law-abiding, cheerful self. Your creativity with the bad guys is really on fire. Yeah? Peaches?" A shudder went down his spine as he said it, sensing something was different. Even her skin was becoming a pale white.
"We're in a magical underground fighting warlord gnomes on a ship literally the size of a planet to save my boyfriend from being tortured. Keep up."
"Fair enough." He leaned closer, trying to reassure her. "Jake is still alive, I can feel it in my furry little heart." It didn't work. She fixed him with a steely gaze.
"Then let's stop chatting and go rescue him before they can take another ounce of flesh." She opened her hand, conjuring a large bubble that instantly grew into a sword, wrapping her hand around the handle and taking off down the tunnel, not waiting for anyone to answer.
Wilmark glanced at the Fire Fae who shook her head. He took off after Maggie with Bernie and the Fire Elemental right behind, Bernie occasionally looking back to make sure they weren't being followed.
Maggie came to the entrance into the prison and kicked the door down, swinging the sword in her hand and pressing the tip against the nearest Kashgar's throat, pressing on his flesh. "Show me the Kashgar named Jake. One chance," she hissed. He hesitated and she pressed a little harder piercing his skin as a thin rivulet of blood ran down his neck, pooling against his collar. He stared into her eyes and saw that she was not bluffing. "The cages are at the back, almost to the end of the tunnel. You'll find him there. What's left of him," he sneered.
Maggie's jaw worked from side to side as she controlled a rumbling anger inside of her body. She could feel something inside of her pushing her to take revenge. She was breathing hard, her chest moving up and down and she pressed a little harder, a different kind of energy mixing with her own. Diana, I need you. She felt the connection to her sister pop up, unbidden. An ache replaced the anger she felt moments ago. She could hear Diana's voice in her head, looking for solutions, worrying about anyone in her path. Even the monsters.
A balance came back to her and loneliness left her. That was the darkness. That's how it got in to my brain. The loneliness I feel. She doubled over, a rush to her gut knocking the wind out of her as the darkness tried to creep back in, poisoning her magic. She reached out, grabbing Wilmark's arm, squeezing hard and pulling in a thread of his energy to mix with her own. He whipped around, concerned and looked her up and down, gripping her arms.
Her body convulsed, tremors passing through her as her muscles flexed painfully. Think of Diana, think of her. Thoughts of her father passed through her head instead, pulling her back into the sadness. A memory flickered of her father's broken body and a yard filled with gnomes. Her mother's drawn and shocked face pushing her and Diana back into the house. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. That's not who he was. Those aren't your memories. Not all of them.
"Look at me," said Wilmark. He could feel the darker energy swirling between them, trying to strangle her magic and wrapping around it like a vine. He kept his gaze with her, emptying his mind of anything else and letting his magic find its way on its own.
She felt the push of energy from him and ran her hand down his arm, grabbing onto his hand and holding tight. "I can do this."
He nodded, his brow furrowing. "I never had any doubt. You are a gentle warrior, Maggie Parker. The ship knew what it was doing when you were chosen as the Elemental to guide the others. You are fierce and determined, and you care more than anyone I have met in a long time. Do not let anything steal either piece from you."
"That is the best speech I have heard in a while," said Bernie, wiping his furry face with the ZZ Top t-shirt. "Well done, and from an uptight elf who likes his weapons, no less. Jack will love this story."
Wilmark arched an eyebrow but didn't take his eyes off Maggie. "I believe in you," he said, his deep voice filled with determination.
Maggie's eyes filled and she glanced over the knight's shoulder at Bernie and the Fire Fae and then back at Wilmark's concerned face. She threw herself against him, wrapping her arms around him tight till she almost couldn't take a breath.
She held onto him for just a moment longer u
ntil Bernie cleared his throat and let go, reluctantly. "I'm just gonna erase that last part from my raccoon mind. Can we get back to stabbing Kashgars?"
Maggie let go of Wilmark and wiped her nose on her sleeve as the color returned to her skin, pinking it up. But she could feel the remnants of the dark magic lingering just in the background, waiting for an opportunity. She gave a crooked and tired smile to Wilmark and nodded hard. "Let's get Jake," she said, her voice sounding stronger.
They made their way down the sloping tunnel, carrying them further underground, Wilmark in the lead. More guards came in from behind them and the Fire Elemental cried out, "I'll hold them off. Keep going." She unleashed a line of blue flame as a Kashgar snarled and leaped over it, his clothes catching fire as the flame danced up his body, encircling him. The others fell back behind the line as Kathleen held the flame there.
Wilmark entered the prison chamber letting out a battle cry, his face twisted in a snarl and he swung his sword, slicing through a muscled Kashgar who rushed at him, long daggers in each hand. The man fell back, gurgling, the knives falling from his hands.
Maggie grasped the sword she had created, feeling a cool thread of magic sliding through her head and down her spine, buzzing as it passed over the base of her neck. Two Kashgars rushed her at once and she raised the sword, fighting off the first attack but left herself open to the large Kashgar bearing down on her. Bernie ran between her legs and sunk his teeth into the Kashgar's ankle. The man cried out but still lunged forward just as Bernie raised a small knife in his front paw and drove it into the inner thigh. The man hesitated where he stood, his heart pumping out blood through his leg and he fell forward, hitting the hard ground with a clang against his daggers.
Maggie's eyes were wide as she glanced down, still fighting off the other guard. The compass emerged from her pocket, the wings unfurled and placed itself between her and the attacker. He stared in surprise, the smile on his face growing as he put out his hand to grab it.