by Martha Carr
He leaned back against his cell wall. "I told you, Peabrains are a stubborn bunch. Even when presented with the truth, even at a young age, no one wants to leave this damn orbit. I should have known Ranger was an old friend of yours. She lead the revolt and took a bunch of Peabrains with her. Some of our best fighters. Traitors, every one of them. Worse than someone like you."
"Where do I find Ranger?"
"Oh no, that's all you're getting out of me till I get a little news on that door. It's the key to everything!"
Maggie smiled and turned, walking away. He doesn't know how to find her.
Simon jumped off his cot and ran to the bars, gripping them and pushing his face between them, screaming. "The door! Tell me about the door! I have the right to know my own fate. I've earned this."
The sound faded as she passed through the metal door and it shut with a click. The officer behind the desk looked up at her and she smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "He didn't enjoy our meeting."
"That happens," said the officer, shrugging as he went back to what he was doing.
20
Wilmark stood at the open door to Maggie's bedroom and watched Jake sleep, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He saw Maggie's shirt and underwear lying just underneath the bed, barely visible in the dark room. "Where have you gone now, Maggie Parker?" he muttered, quietly closing the door. He went back down the stairs and found Bernie waiting in the kitchen.
"Well, was she up there? Was I right about those two?"
Wilmark flinched in anger, figuring out his next move. "She's gone. She slipped out of the house somehow."
"Some guardian you are."
Wilmark lunged at the raccoon and Bernie bared his teeth and claws, ready to defend himself. The knight pulled back just in time. "You are entrusted with her care as well, in case you've forgotten," Wilmark said evenly, an edge to his voice.
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm barely handi-capable at the moment when it comes to magic. I'm killin’ it over here, but being a raccoon has its limits. But come at me again, Stretch Armstrong and I'm digging in for a snack."
"Don't challenge me, raccoon. You wouldn't be my first fur hat."
"You don't scare me. Very little does, except for losing Maggie. We have to find her." He smoothed the front of his stained t-shirt that had a few new holes in it.
"Maggie Parker has a way of going undetected when she wants to and I have other things that need tending to just as much."
"Like what, pray tell? I thought that was your only duty."
"To find a few Kashgars."
"Tall bastards," muttered Bernie. "What do you need with them? We emptied their gulag. You think they'll tell us what they know?"
He ignored Bernie's protests and headed out the back, stepping off the porch as he whispered a spell, disappearing into the night and vanishing into thin air.
Bernie stood on the porch as Dexter came out to sit next to him. "I have to admit, Dexter. That was a pretty cool exit. I may have to add that one to my repertoire. I hope he knows what he's doing. Come on, let's go raid the kitchen while everyone's out. I'll share everything but the chocolate with you. I have no idea how that will play with your mouse and dog thing and I have enough regrets for now." He held open the screen door and waved at a neighbor squinting in the dark, trying to get a better look at Bernie. "I think I saw some brownies in there. Those are mine," he said, as he went into the kitchen and climbed up onto the counter.
Wilmark walked out of the darkness into the dimly lit alley behind the Kashgar drugstore. He heard the back door open and stepped back into the darkness, waiting. A young Kashgar stepped out, carrying a large bag of trash, heading to the dumpster as he practiced his air guitar. "Life it seems will fade away. Drifting further every day..." He was screaming more than singing as he leaned into fingering the neck of his imaginary guitar. He never saw Wilmark walk up behind him, neatly placing a dagger at his throat.
"Where is Iliad?" Wilmark's muscled arm carefully held the sharpened blade at the skin, pressing gently. With his other hand, he quickly searched the Kashgar's pockets, pulling out his phone and dropping it, smashing it under his boot.
"Hey, I worked all summer to buy that!" Wilmark grunted, pressing the knife a little harder. "Okay, okay, I can see things are tense here. You're that Godwin knight, aren't you? I told them you'd come back, but no, my buddies said there was no way."
Wilmark grew impatient and pressed the knife enough to draw blood. The Kashgar stopped mid-sentence and swallowed hard, holding up his hands but not moving anything else.
"Kashgars talk too much. Where is Iliad?"
The young man opened his mouth reluctantly. "I don't know?"
Wilmark's arm tensed and the Kashgar stuttered, trying to get out more. "He was here, he was here, okay? But he left hours ago. Something about checking on the dirt, whatever that means. Some location in Williamson County. I mean, what is the guy, a farmer? Why does he need to check on the dirt? I've seen him in HEB a few times myself buying up Little Debbies."
Wilmark sheathed his dagger in one fluid motion and lifted the Kashgar off his feet, tossing him easily into the dumpster and throwing in the trash bag after him.
"Oh nice, leave me in here without a phone. How am I supposed to get out of here?" His voice echoed in the oversized metal box.
But Wilmark was already gone, tracking the Elemental to the last Kashgar stronghold in the next county over from Austin.
Wilmark found himself further away from the encampment than he intended, standing on a gravel road in the darkness. He looked up at the clear, dark sky full of stars, still wanting to send out a request for backup, knowing there were no knights to respond. He looked down at the burning campfires down the road and the ones responsible for his lost brothers.
He could feel the pulse from the wards around their camp and he slowly walked the perimeter, measuring how wide it was and looking for soft spots. The ground softly rumbled under his boots and he crouched down, putting his hand to it, letting the nearby magic course through his veins. The Elemental was stirring. Wilmark had found him, but there was no simple way to get any closer to him. Not without a battle.
He stepped back from the edge of the wards, not interested in setting off any alarms and alerting guards.
"Per spatium temporis et voce," he muttered, hiding the glow from the light ball he was forming in the palm of his hand. He ran two fingers around the ball, shrouding it in inky blackness and let it go. The ball circled the property, pushing at the magic that kept it out till it found a suitable spot.
Wilmark waited, muttering into the darkness. "No one can get in, but that doesn't mean sound can't get out."
The ball of light acted as a transmitter, sending the different conversations to Wilmark, sorting through the noise until it found the one he had requested.
"Your arrival is in alliance with the earth and everything on it. You saw the trees. They're suffering and the mechanics, those Huldus can't do anything about it. Their time has passed."
Wilmark bristled at the sound of Iliad's voice.
"Where are the other Elementals? When will they be arriving? We will need the compass." The Dirt Elemental's deep baritone boomed out over all the others. The ground quivered under Wilmark's feet again.
"The young Elemental has aligned herself with the Huldus and has her own plans. But..." The ground shook and Wilmark listened to Iliad plead with the Dirt Elemental. He held still, hoping for a chance.
"But..." said Iliad, "even the Earth is standing against her. Surely you felt it. She's an unwelcomed plus one. Soon, there will be a new Elemental, as soon as she is out of the way, and then you will be in the right place to help everyone put the machine back to its original operating abilities and save this ship."
"First, we get rid of the Elemental who guards the compass." The Dirt Elemental’s voice boomed again.
"Exactly our thoughts and even there you will be crucial to it being a success." Iliad's satisfied voice made Wilmark grind his teet
h, longing for the chance to slit his throat.
He held out his hand, silently summoning the ball back to him and letting it dissolve in a puff of smoke. "Our time is coming, Kashgar," he whispered, and turned back into the darkness to go and warn Maggie Parker.
Simon sat on his cot, his head in his hands. "This can't be my ending."
"What are you going on about now?" A voice from another cell yelled out. "Go to sleep and for the love of my sanity, shut up!"
"Hey, what the..." yelled out another inmate. "Where the hell did all these bubbles come from? Guard! Guard!"
The door opened and the officer on duty came into the wide hallway with cells lining one side, clicking on the light. "Calm down, enough with the loud chitchat."
"It's that weird guy. He won't shut up."
"He's been yelling something about his destiny."
"He belongs on a psych ward!"
The officer walked along the cells, glancing in at each one. "Alright, alright. Hey, who's been sudsing up in here? What's with the bubbles?"
"I'm telling you, it's the psycho."
He rounded the corner and stopped in his tracks as his gaze followed the trail of bubbles to the empty cell. His mouth opened and it took him a moment to reconcile what he was seeing. He went to the door and tried the lock but it was still firmly shut. He pressed the button on the radio attached to his shoulder, still glancing back and forth in the cell and crouching down to see if he could be clinging to the under side of his cot. Nothing.
"Sergeant, we have a problem. There's been a breakout. Dr. Wesley, I mean Simon Wesley, he's missing from his cell, and get this, the door is still locked. Like some kind of hocus pocus. You better get in here."
21
Wilmark came back to the blue bungalow on Pressler Street searching for Maggie but she was nowhere to be found. Bernie was gone as well and had left Dexter outside Maggie's bedroom to guard Jake. He barked and squeaked when he saw Wilmark, standing up and wagging his tail. Wilmark crouched down to scratch behind the dog's ears. "Not much of a guard dog, are you?" he whispered.
"Who's there? Who is it, Dexter?" Jake called out from behind the door.
The knight hesitated in front of the door but kept going, taking the stairs two at a time. He needed to find Maggie before two tons of dirt in the form of an Elemental found her first. He went back down the hall and out through the kitchen, down the steps and stopped by the largest tree in the yard.
"Tell her for me. Tell her the danger that's coming, and help her." He pressed his hand against the bark and could feel the pulse of energy, but that was it. He couldn't hear the messages passing back and forth and had no idea if the tree could understand him. "Help me find her, please, and keep her safe."
The ground shook underneath his feet and he steadied himself holding onto the tree. He recognized the seismic lurch and drew his sword, ready for anything. The Elemental was close and he was all that stood between what was coming and a weakened Jake.
The ground ripped in a large circle as the creature rose up, towering over Wilmark, silt pouring off the front of its body. The roots of nearby trees were exposed, curling in toward each other and interlacing the tendrils, pulling themselves back into the dirt. The few nearby grackles squawked at the intrusion, taking flight to send a message. An Elemental was out in the open.
"It really is you..." Simon Wesley stepped out of the shadows of the side of the house, his mouth open, staring up at the Elemental. The creature roared, stomping a foot and took a swipe at Wilmark. He leaned back, resisting the use of his sword.
Simon took a few steps forward, his hands raised. "I can help you. I'm on your side. Let me be of service to you."
The Elemental swatted his hand at Simon, knocking him down and rolling his across the grass. He stood up, adjusting his glasses, still determined to be heard.
"Get back!" Wilmark glanced back at Simon and up at the Elemental. "He can crush your ribs with one hand."
"No, this is my chance." Simon's eyes were wide with wonder. "It can still work out."
Wilmark ducked behind the large oak as the Dirt creature bobbed to the right and the left, growling. "You've betrayed our sacred cause!"
Anger rose up in the Godwin Knight. "You are as old as this ship and contain all the wisdom that has been gathered by her." Wilmark was shouting over the rumbling of the ground and the roar of the beast. "The Elementals are a team with a single mission. You're a part of that team. Your entire being is dedicated to the one who holds the compass."
The Dirt Elemental stood up, staring down at the knight. "Too much time has gone by without any progress. Everything has taken longer than we expected. Perhaps the other Elementals have forgotten their original calling as well."
Simon rushed forward, standing in front of the tree. "Yes! Yes, that's it! Everyone has forgotten that this is just a ship that was meant to go somewhere. I can help!" He tapped his chest, pleading with the Elemental.
The creature leaned down to get a better look at Simon. "You are a Peabrain, not an Elemental of any kind. You're an annoyance." He brushed him aside, rolling him into the hole he had left in the yard and began to stomp his way toward the house
Wilmark came out from behind the tree and placed himself between the Dirt Elemental and the house, finally raising his sword. "I have never forgotten my oath. Have you forgotten yours?"
The Elemental lunged at him as Wilmark dodged to the left, swinging his sword as the edge sliced a superficial wound into it side, exposing roots as rivulets of water mixed with the dirt. "Draw back! Our kind have always stood by your side, but my first allegiance has to be to the one who holds the compass."
Simon pulled himself up and saw the wound in the creature. "You're part of the ship. You're connected to all of it." He stood up in the hole. "You have to help me, help us!"
The creature turned to grab Simon and Wilmark pierced his other arm with the sword, causing him to turn back and pound his large fist into the center of Wilmark's chest, breaking several ribs and knocking him unconscious. Jake appeared at the kitchen door, leaning against the jamb, dressed only in his blood-stained jeans.
The Elemental stood up to his full height and roared as he swung around and placed a heavy foot on top of Simon, knocking him down and pressing him into the dirt.
Jake stumbled his way to the edge of the porch, grimacing, trying to make his way down the stairs to help Wilmark, staying out of the line of sight of the creature.
"I can't breathe..." Simon could barely get the words out.
The Dirt Elemental leaned over, growling at Simon. "Where is the Elemental? The one who holds the compass?"
Simon was close to passing out when he felt the darkness overtaking him again. "No..." The inky blackness spread throughout his eyes as he mumbled an ancient spell with the last of his breath. A rot grew along the edge of the Elemental's foot and he drew it back, surprised, glaring down at Simon who leered at him with delight. "I'm not your bitch, and she's not here."
The Dirt Elemental tore at his foot, peeling off the rot before it could spread any further. He backed up from Simon as the Peabrain sucked in air, getting to his knees and then his feet, holding up his hands to perform another spell.
The creature roared in anger and pain and dissolved into the ground, shaking the house as he tunneled away to hide and take care of his wounds. Simon let out a loud, high-pitched laugh and turned for the alley leaving Wilmark unconscious. Jake made his way to him and dropped to his knees, groaning in pain and his back covered in newly forming scars. His breathing was labored as he held his hands over Wilmark's still body and whispered a spell, "Vita restituite incolumem municipio." Bubbles poured from his hands covering Wilmark's body and sapping the last of Jake's limited energy. He collapsed next to the knight just as Wilmark began to stir, quickly sitting up to find the Dirt Elemental gone and Jake lying passed out next to him.
22
"I had a feeling I'd find you here." Maggie was standing on a footstool, peering over the
top of a dumpster. "You've become predictable." Bernie was standing in the center of a dumpster behind the Krispy Kreme surrounded by donuts that had been thrown out.
His fur was matted with wet glaze and there was a ring of sugar around his mouth. He was busy licking his paws when he looked up and saw Maggie. "Huh? Where did Slim go to? I thought you were him."
"Being a raccoon just might kill you."
Slim appeared on the other side of the bin with a long piece of wood. "I found this a couple streets over. Hey, you brought your girlfriend." He gave her a small wave, balancing the plank against the side of the dumpster.
Maggie arched an eyebrow, not sure if she should laugh or correct him. "How did you two manage to find each other and make it here?"
"Where there's a will..." Bernie bit off another piece of donut as he made his way over to an old Austin Chronicle spread out with donuts laying on top of it. "I saved all of these for you, Slim. Still intact. I didn't lick a single one, I swear." He held up a paw that Maggie noticed was slightly quivering.
"You've had enough sugar, young man or what do they call a young raccoon?"
"A kit," said Slim, smiling. He leaned over the edge of the dumpster till Maggie wondered if he would slide right in, reaching for the edge of the newspaper. Bernie did his best to bundle them up and lift the edge toward him.
"He's good like that," said Bernie, with an "oof", finally getting under the large pile and shoving them toward Slim. "They let him in the library and he can read whatever he wants."
"Just can't check stuff out," said Slim, his mouth already full of donut. "It's the no address thing."
"Technicality," shouted Bernie, waving his sticky paws.
Maggie rested her chin on her hand, waiting for Slim to finish another donut. "Can I help you with that piece of wood, Slim? I'm kind of in the middle of a quest. Life on the line, that kind of thing..."