by Martha Carr
"Now hold on, only a few can go upstairs and the others have to take care of the second thing. Everybody have a clear head and is going to listen till I'm done? Including you Elias?" Bernie took in a deep breath and quickly said, "The Kashgars have the Dirt Elemental and apparently he's spilling the beans about the door." Bernie winked at them. "You know, the door."
The Huldus froze where they stood and it was Jack who first reacted. He turned around and faced the other mechanics. "Shamus and George, you stay here and help me with the young Kashgar. The rest of you, go with the Godwin Knight and track down the Dirt Elemental. No harm can come to any Elemental, no matter what."
He turned back to Bernie and tucked his thumbs into his overalls. "Show me where the young gnome is."
"You know, he's as much Peabrain as he is Kashgar," said Diana, leading the way into the kitchen.
The gnomes nodded, grumbling as they bustled through the house, shaking the floor boards. Diana lead the way up the stairs, skipping over the third step and the other Huldus noticed and did the same, as Bernie ran nimbly up the banister, beating everyone to the top.
"Wait, let me go in first." Diana gave Bernie a stern look as she gently tapped on the door. "Maggie, it's me. The mechanics are here to help Jake." She opened the door to find Maggie sitting in her overstuffed chair pulled up close to the bed. She had slept there all night, waking every hour to check on Jake's condition, putting her hand on his body to connect their energy. It was steadily waning. The sun was rising outside the window and the light shone on Jake's pale face.
"Wilmark was able to give him enough relief so he could sleep but he's been restless and his breathing has been shallow."
"Let's see what we can do about that," said Jack, gently pulling Maggie out of the way so he could get a closer look. He took his large, calloused hands and easily rolled Jake to one side, eliciting a groan as Maggie reached out to stop him. But he put up his hand and shook his head. "It's necessary."
He narrowed his gaze and studied the wounds on Jake's back, clucking and shaking his head. "Kashgars," he muttered, "and to one of their own, no less. Beasts." He gestured to the other two Huldus to join him. "Brothers?"
They joined hands in a line along Jake's body, combining their energy. A humming filled the room and Maggie leaned forward to see that it was the gnomes harmonizing. They opened their mouths as a pop, pop, pop erupted followed by streams of bubbles, gently floating down on top of Jake turning into a lavender liquid that ran over his skin. The wounds began to stitch themselves back together, creating just enough flesh over the largest areas.
"I'm afraid that's the best we can do for now. That will make it possible for him to sleep more deeply. The bubbles contain a certain amount of magic that will put him in a deep sleep for the next few days." He gently rolled him till he was lying prone on his back again.
Maggie gently put her hand on Jake's shoulder and could feel the difference in the energy flowing through him. She leaned over and kissed his damp forehead, breathing in the mild scent of cherries.
"Maggie, come get some sleep in the guest room." Diana put her arm around Maggie's shoulder. "I'll sit here with him and keep watch."
18
Maggie slept for only a few hours until her phone buzzed, waking her up as she rolled over to see who it was. "Hello? Hi Taylor, what'd we catch?" She sat up quickly, the drowsiness shaking off quickly as adrenaline surged through her veins. "Is Carl okay?" She pushed her hair back, off her forehead and was already standing, looking for her shoes and a clean shirt. She was still wearing the clothes she had on when she rescued Jake, covered in some of his blood.
"Say again?"
"I said, there's a witness who said they caught a good look at one of the burglars and they had a tattoo on their arm of four small stars. I'll meet you there."
He was gone in an instant. Neither one was big on chitchat when there was something that had to be done.
She pulled on a clean shirt and brushed her teeth, splashing water on her face before checking on Jake. Diana and a Huldu had him rolled to one side and were putting bandages on his wounds. Diana looked up at her sister, surprised. "Are you headed out?"
Maggie heard the three other questions that were buried in those four words. "Somebody broke into Carl's place and there's something weird about it."
Diana gently lowered Jake onto his back. "Go, go take care of Carl. He's family and has been through enough. I'll be here all day. I cleared my schedule and Shamus has agreed to stay for as long as I need him."
"Anyone who protects the Elemental with his life..." he said, nodding his large head and wiping his hand across his large white mustache that hung down to his chin.
Diana got up and hugged her sister, pulling back to take a good look at her. "But when you get back, we're having a beer together. It's been too long."
"It's only been a few days."
"That is way too long, little sister. I'll make sure we have plenty."
Maggie passed in front of Hopkins Antiques and found a parking spot for the El Camino not far away. She gulped the rest of the coffee she got on the way, slurping down the last bits.
She got out and slowly turned her head from left to right looking for anything out of the unusual and caught sight of a young woman across the street, lingering in front of a small art gallery. The woman quickly looked away and went inside the gallery but Maggie felt the familiar tingle across the back of her neck and hesitated before going into the antique store. Something seemed oddly familiar.
Carl was sitting on one of his antique dining room chairs, his head in his hands and his elbows resting on his knees. He looked a lot more frail than he had just weeks ago, and when he looked up at the sound of the door, Maggie could see the dark circles under his eyes. Simon Wesley has a lot to answer for.
Taylor approached carrying his iPad, a somber look on his face. It was standard issue for a crime scene. "Hey Parker, the premises are secure. No sign of anyone lingering when we got here and the only thing missing is a..." He looked down at his iPad, squinting and simultaneously patting his pockets for his reading glasses. Maggie gently lifted them off the top of his head and handed them to him. "Oh, yeah, thanks... A crystal opal."
Carl looked up and shook his head, staring at Maggie. "Okay, thanks Taylor. I'm going to have a chat with Carl and take a look around. No fingerprints? No sign of breaking in to the place?"
"No sign of anything except the alarm went off and a woman who was walking her dog and almost tripped over someone quickly exiting the back of the shop. That's what made her take a second look. Mr. Hopkins has done a pretty good look around and he says nothing else has been disturbed." He glanced over at Carl and shook his head, lowering his voice. "He doesn't look very good to me. I suggested we call the EMTs but he was adamant that we don't. I will leave that little bit of business to you. I'll be out back looking around if you need me."
"Thanks Taylor," she said, patting him on the shoulder. Taylor nodded and signaled to the officer to follow him out, leaving the store empty except for Carl and Maggie. Maggie crouched down in front of Carl and gave him a crooked smile.
"How are you doing?" Her voice was soft and low and she put a hand on his knee, resting it there. She lifted her chin, smelling the air. Roses.
Carl picked up her hand, holding it tightly. "What's become of this neighborhood? It used to be so quiet and you could even leave things outside for people to browse. But now, I need an alarm and a magical watchdog to be safe." His hand had a slight tremor in Maggie's.
That's new. "Can you tell me the significance of the crystal opal? I saw the look you gave me."
He sat up straighter, shaking his head. "Not good, not at all. That was a special artifact. It was more like a vessel. In the magical world objects can be used to hold magic like a pitcher holds water. That magic can be accessed by any other magical and used at a later date. It never expires, never goes bad."
"What made this one so special?"
He brushed b
ack the few remaining hairs on the top of his head. "Crystals are able to hold vast amounts and this one held particularly powerful magic. It must have been from someone who was very clever or unusually powerful in their day. The original owner probably carried it with them as a backup, just in case. Like an energy boost. With that opal, an ordinary magical could perform much greater feats, both good... and evil." He looked toward the office. "I wish I'd told Lucinda to stay home that day." His voice broke and he let out a frustrated grunt, letting go of her hand and slapping his knee.
"That's enough of my grousing." He cleared his throat and stood up, his hands on his hips. Maggie smiled at the familiar stance. "What can I do to help?" he asked.
Maggie stood up, furrowing her brow. Give him something to do. "You have connections in the magical world, don't you? It's the only thing that makes sense," she said, looking around. "Apparently, they're your real clientele."
"You were always very quick," he said, managing a tight smile.
"Be observant about who's hanging around your store or anywhere nearby and keep an ear to the ground for any magical suddenly pulling off bigger stunts than they were doing before." She picked up a marble egg and felt the surge of energy run through her. "Magical batteries, who knew? Is everything in here tied to that world?"
"Not everything, but most of it." He picked up a small brass candle snuffer and held it out for her. "Hold this piece. It's a recent acquisition and one of my favorites."
Maggie put down the marble egg and held out her hand. The moment the snuffer made contact with her skin she felt a rush that went straight to her head. She put it down, opening her eyes wide and smiling broadly, amazed at her change in mood. "What was that? Is that even legal? I felt like I was breathing in the fumes from one of my mother's parties."
"It's trickster energy. It's meant to distract whoever holds it. Takes away all your cares and concerns, but also leaves you wandering around in a fog."
"It lingers. I can still feel it." Maggie put her hand to her chest, surprised at the absence of the weight that had been sitting there. "How much is that snuffer?"
Carl managed a laugh. "It's yours. I think of you and Diana as my own children and I've been remiss lately, not checking up on you."
"I think that goes both ways. I'm sorry..."
He held up his hands, shaking his head. "No explanation needed. You have other, bigger duties these days. I remember what it was like for your father."
"You don't talk much about him."
"No, not for a long time. It was too hard and too many of the stories had magical endings that would have been hard to explain. But, maybe that should change. You know, he helped me find quite a few of the things for the store. He was very charismatic. Other magicals really liked him and none of them knew he was the Elemental. They just saw him as an awakened Peabrain. One of the few they let into their inner circles. I'll bet you could achieve the same distinction."
Maggie picked up a silver tea pot and felt energy zip through her, running up one side and down the other, out her arm and back into the tea pot.
"That one only lends out the energy for a brief moment. Not very useful. Magic is a lot like everything else. It takes on the personality of the person who holds it." He held out his arms wide, encompassing his small shop. "So, each of these has a different flavor to the magic that's stored inside."
"And the crystal opal?"
"I had a few trusted magicals try tapping into its energy and it was a balanced object. It walked a fine line between light and dark magic and made the user decide which way they wanted to go. You know, your compass is an artifact..."
"And takes on the magic of who possesses it?"
Carl clapped his hands together, smiling. "So clever, yes! Especially the essence of who last used it on a frequent basis. Some artifacts are filled with intention, some inadvertently. The flow of energy is constant and eventually, even if we don't mean to, we leave bits behind."
Maggie pulled the compass out of her pocket and held it, the familiar buzz passing through her. She opened her eyes wide, holding very still and let the feeling settle into her. "It's a piece of Dad left behind for me..."
"Maybe this day is not so bad after all," Carl said quietly, watching the look of awe spread across Maggie's face. "Let me wrap up the snuffer for you. Use it judiciously. It's meant to distract and delay, as well as relieve."
Maggie walked out the back of the store looking for Taylor, the snuffer tucked into her purse and the remnants of her father's energy still echoing inside of her.
Taylor was leaning against his car, waiting for her and drinking an energy drink. "What? It's got coffee in it."
"That is not coffee. Coffee is an experience."
"Not the way you drink it. Your tongue has to be so tough by now that you don't taste it anyway. Did you learn anything new? Besides the obvious that something weird is going on."
Maggie shook her head. "The magical kind of weird, too. No, only that people are very resilient and they have their limits. Do you think we can have a patrol car cruise by here more often? At least for a while."
"I already put in the request." He tapped the side of his head. "Great minds. This may be a hard one to solve for us mere, what are we called? Peabrains?" He finished off the drink and tossed it into a nearby trash can. "I'll see you back at the station, later." He waved and opened his car door, getting in and starting the engine.
Maggie turned to go back through the shop but was distracted by the sound of something in the dumpster. She approached slowly, looking over the top, wondering if someone had found a good place to spy on the shop. "Bernie!"
Bernie rolled over, stepping over an old pillow as a flurry of small feathers floated around him. "Hey kid, how's it going?"
"How did you get here?"
"This isn't that far. Okay, I got Shamus to help me. Man, I miss those bubbles. Badabing and I could be in India."
"You can't get out again, can you?"
"These things are surprisingly tough to conquer, even with some trash to help me maneuver. Come on, help me out."
Maggie let out a snort and went in search of something she could put inside the dumpster. She came back with a broken piece of siding and slid it inside, watching Bernie quickly climb it to the top and onto the edge of the dumpster. "I'm going to have to start carrying something in the car."
Bernie leaped down to the ground, a half eaten donut in his paw. "Not a bad idea." He took a large bite, finishing it off as Maggie winced. "Don't judge," he said.
"You wait till three a.m. you can get a whole dumpster full behind the Krispy Kreme."
Bernie's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you just playing with me now? Because that would be kind of cruel."
Maggie laughed and put out her hand. "All true. How did you not know that, even as a gnome? Come on, I’ll give you a ride."
Bernie took her hand, walking beside her. "Maybe we go around the side of the building, instead of through the shop. I mean, I know your friend is cool with the magic, but a talking raccoon after the day he's had."
"Good call, Bernie, very thoughtful."
They made their way through the side yard with Bernie hugging the bushes to stay hidden.
"You know, if you weren't wearing clothes, you wouldn't have to hide so much."
"This is Austin. No one reacts to me being dressed, especially in this part of town."
"What does that..." Maggie let the rest of the sentence go. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the young woman dart down an alley across the street. I'm being watched...
"Come on, you live near here. Your mother lives near here. People are used to a certain level of weird."
Maggie was no longer listening to Bernie. She was walking toward her car, going through the motions and keeping an eye on the other side of the street. The hum started along the back of her neck, and the compass pressed itself against her leg, inside of her pocket, surprising her.
She caught a glimpse of the woman ducking out
of the alley and turning to go the other way and she turned, feeling the presence of cool energy inside her head. She let go and focused at the same time and saw what she expected to find. A magical.
The woman glanced behind and saw Maggie looking at her. She turned back and kept walking, quickly turning into a run, her long blonde braid sweeping across her back.
Maggie's instincts kicked in and she took off, running after the woman, even as Bernie was in mid-sentence.
"What just happened?" Bernie held up his paws, confused, but only for a moment. He began running behind Maggie, doing his best to keep up and quickly found a tall tree to climb to get a better view.
Maggie closed the distance between them, letting the magic guide her. She ran without getting winded and felt the muscles in her legs responding, moving faster. She got close enough to see the telltale tattoo along the woman's wrist. Four stars set in a constellation.
Just as she was within reach to grab the woman's shoulder, bubbles separated them, creeping up around the woman. At the last moment, her face turned toward Maggie, separated only by a couple of feet. A cold chill went through Maggie and she dropped her arm in surprise.
"Stephanie?" she gasped, just as the woman disappeared, leaving behind the scent of roses.
Bernie came scrambling down from the tree and ran across the road to catch up with her. "What happened? You look like you saw a ghost. Are you injured? That happened so fast. That is one clever Peabrain."
Maggie let Bernie's words wash over her. "I think I did just see a ghost from my childhood. What is going on?"
19
Maggie left Bernie standing in her backyard. Grackles were settled along the power lines, intermittently squawking.
"I'm going to go check on Jake and find my sister. You stay here. He's been through enough."
"I helped rescue that half Kashgar."
"Saying something like that is why you're staying outside. Go pet the dog and make peace with Dexter." She crept upstairs and knocked gently on the door as she opened it. Inside her room she found Shamus fast asleep, snoring in her overstuffed chair and Jake propped up on pillows. His eyes opened as she came in the room and he tried to smile.