by Martha Carr
“Wouldn’t it be better if there was some planning going on now?” Leira asked, scooping up the troll and sliding him into her pocket. She was getting used to having him along. She got out of the car and adjusted her jacket, and noticed Correk was watching her.
“What?” She looked around, turning in a circle, trying to figure out what Correk was looking at so intently.
“Are you wearing your gun?”
“They call it carrying. Are you carrying your gun,” Leira said. “And yeah, I am. I’m still an officer of the law.”
“Now who sounds like bad cable TV?” Correk narrowed his eyes at her. A thought occurred to him and he hoped he was wrong.
“You’re unhappy that you’re Elven, aren’t you? This is some kind of self-hate thing!”
Leira was taken aback, her face warming as she stammered, “It’s not that… I don’t trust, well - anyone.” The words hit her square in the chest and knocked the wind out of her. She put the thought away and pushed past Correk, marching toward the large rock.
“I’m also not afraid of anything,” she said over her shoulder.
“That first part, that not trusting anyone. It’s not even true,” Correk declared. He was taking long strides to catch up with her. “Craig, Mitzi, Mike, Scott, Estelle…”
“Okay, I get it. I have a tribe. That’s what the Huffington Post calls it these days, right? They’re more of a team than a tribe. I take care of myself. It’s been that way, more or less, since I was ten years old. I’m an independent spirit who kicks ass, motherfuckers!” She spit the words out, feeling the anger growing inside of her.
She felt it before she saw it. The magic was taking over her body.
She looked down and saw the symbols blossoming under her skin, crawling up her arm. She clenched her fists but that only made the color deepen and the symbols spread to her neck. The tall grass around them bent away from her and a nearby tree rattled as a flock of starlings shook loose and rose to the sky, turning north and flying away. The troll stirred in her pocket.
Correk thought about saying something but instead held out his hand and waited.
“I can take care of myself.”
“No doubt of that at all. You are very independent. That doesn’t mean you have to be alone. It just means you get to choose to let people help you. It’s a choice.” His hand was still extended. “It takes courage to ask people for help, even when you can do it yourself.” He looked into her eyes, lit from within, and the angry set of her jaw, and he waited.
Leira slowly opened her hands. It was taking all her willpower to harness the magic flowing through her. Part of her wanted to let it have its way and flow out from her, just to see what it could do. What she could do.
The troll trembled in her pocket and burrowed deeper, curling up in a ball.
“You have a choice right now,” Correk said gently. His hair was flowing out behind him from the blast of energy coming from Leira. The nearby pines were starting to bend in the direction of the flow of magic.
He was using his own magic to steady his heart rate and center the energy within himself. The harder she pushed, the calmer he became. A calm in the middle of a storm.
Leira felt like she could hold the pulse forever. It was like a runner’s high. Just there, and endless. She pulled her shoulders back, standing up straighter, lifting her chin. A familiar defiance came back to her. It’s easier to just do it alone, she thought.
Thin streams of lightning within the energy flow crackled and popped and suddenly started to reverse themselves. Correk watched with some concern but he did nothing to interrupt the flow. The sharp blue tendrils of magic continued to find their way through Leira’s wide open surge, traveling back to the source. To Leira.
The opposing energy was now pulsing blue and white, climbing up the outside of Leira’s body until it reached her chest and disappeared into her body in tiny spirals.
An ache appeared inside of her as she felt the connection of the other energy meeting hers. Something familiar that she recognized, but it had been too long. She did her best to ignore it, wanting to hold on to the feeling of power, but it kept spiraling inside of her, tapping away at her consciousness.
“Mom,” she whispered, shocked. Her mother was making contact, again. The energy surged forward, doubling its strength and weaving in on itself. Leira could hear the sounds within the energy. Like the singing speech of Light Elves on Oriceran. Her eyes widened as she realized their music were small pulses of magic energy. She opened her mouth and the same stream flowed out of her. She knew how to do it without anyone teaching her. It was a part of her.
The energy from her mother wrapped itself around her, searching for answers.
Leira let go of the pulse she created and the energy abruptly reversed itself, flowing back into Leira with a whomp that made her stagger backward a few steps. Leira reached out for Correk’s hand, still open in front of her. He closed his fingers around hers and held tight, pulling until he could wrap his arms around her. Leira held on as a shudder moved through her.
Her knees buckled and she felt her legs give way but Correk held her up until she could find her feet again. There were tears streaming down her face
The air around them settled and the grass stopped moving. Leira pushed away from Correk and turned away as her stomach lurched.
“What the hell was that?” she asked Correk. The world seemed to be spinning in front of her. Correk reached out to grab hold of her again but she took a step back. He looked pained but dropped his arms and stepped back.
“That was an amazing display of magic, Cousin. You are a natural channel of energy. A rare being. I have never seen a display of magic like that. I’ve only heard about something like this from hundreds of years ago at the time of the defeat of Rhazdon.”
“My mother…” Leira gasped, trying to catch her breath. Another wave of nausea threatened to overtake her. She pressed her palm into her stomach.
This time Correk insisted and steadied her, holding her arm. His eyes glowed dimly for just a minute and he sang in a low voice, letting the small pulses of magic vibrate around her, steadying the stream. Slowly, Leira began to feel normal again. She held her hands out in front of her to check, but they were rock steady.
“One more time. What the fuck was that?”
“Basically, a pure stream of energy, of magic. You were able to channel the energy coming off of the nearby rock, straight through you. You were a part of the kemana for a little while.”
“But my mother. She was here! I could feel her!”
“Yes, I saw what happened. Your magic is so strong it reached out to her. She felt your pulse of energy and responded to you. That doesn’t entirely surprise me. After all, you share the same DNA. But I can clearly see from the varying strength of your energy flow not all of your powers came from your mother. Your father must have had some magic as well.”
“Yes, well, he’s a big question mark. My mother would never talk about him.” Leira shook out her arms and blinked a few times. “I don’t feel tired or worn out from that,” she said, surprised. “I would have thought that would take something from you. You said you have to recharge when you perform magic.”
“It can and I do. That’s what I mean. You are a very special being. A natural channel. You can use the magic flowing through you and pull in even more. We’ll have to look into that, but for now, we should go introduce ourselves.”
“What about my mother?”
“It’s good news. Her ability to control her emotions is still strong enough for her to send a pulse this far, and to basically check on you. Your mother was making sure you’re alright.”
“We have to go see her.” Leira turned to head back to the car. Correk pulled her back and rested his hands on her shoulders.
“Every magical being within ten miles felt the hum of that surge. It’s a lot like the bomb blast in Chicago but in the opposite, positive way,” he said sternly. “They’ll be coming off the rock to see wh
o it was. Best we just go say hello. We’ll go to see your mother, just like we talked about. We’ll even get her out. Did you just see what you could do? What in this world or the next could stop you? But we do it right. For now, let’s go let everyone know that nothing other than the usual weirdness happened. Stop them from making up their own stories.”
“So, it’s a good thing I brought my gun.”
“You put out that kind of magical energy and still think you even need a gun.” He shook his head and trudged ahead of her, up the hill toward the rock, mumbling about missing the obvious and newbies.
“This all still feels like an episode of Oprah during sweeps week,” Leira called, taking off at a run and passing him easily. It felt good to use her muscles and feel her legs move up the rough terrain. She leapt over a small boulder and felt more of the fragments of energy still clinging to her burn away, the energy rising in waves through the air. “Last one there eats too much junk food!”
“First one there has to introduce herself!” Correk called out. Leira stopped and looked back at him.
I can choose to be with others. She waited until he caught up with her and changed her mind, running ahead. And I can choose to do it my way. A smile spread across her face. My mother came to check on me. She’s okay. I will bring her home. Leira ran as fast as she could, leaping up the first few steps of Lavender Rock.
She stopped, a thin sheen of sweat on her face and looked back at Correk who was walking up the path at a fast clip. She looked up toward the top of the rock and realized there was a small crowd, all peering over the edge, staring at her with varying degrees of curiosity and worry.
Leira waved just as the troll popped his head out of her jacket pocket. He gave a small wave of his own. She froze, not sure what to do next.
“First the magic quake and now Oriceran trolls,” she said quietly. Correk caught up to her and saw what had made her stop in her tracks.
She looked at him, and asked, “Is this good or bad?”
“I’m learning, Leira Berens, that with you there will have to be entirely new definitions. It’s not a great way to walk into this world but it could be worse. At least we won’t have to explain who we are.”
“I thought they could all do that little thing we did the other night and tell who’s magical and who’s not.”
“It’s not like we do that all the time, but yes, they could. That only goes so far. It reads the magic but doesn’t give you any history and it can tell you how powerful the being is, but only up to a point.
“Well, are you coming up or not?” A woman with a large, bouncy afro was shouting down to them, a welcoming smile on her face.
“So far, so good.”
“I told you, even Oricerans who have been on Earth for generations don’t separate themselves out like human beings are so fond of doing. That woman is elven. She’s happy to meet more family.”
“Now, that’s a concept. Like fast food family.”
“Yes!” Correk smiled at her but Leira only shook her head.
“Dude, I’m going to introduce you to some Texas barbeque. That’s the real fast food. And fingers crossed, these people are more like that. Substance along with being wonderfully delicious, rooted in tradition. Not false hopes that just make your ass fat and your face break out.”
“Welcome, I’m Toni,” said the woman, as she held out her hand and helped pull Leira up onto the mesa. Correk followed behind her and stopped for a moment to take in the view.
“Earth is really very beautiful.” He turned around and around to get a better look at the rolling green landscape topped with groves of pine trees and the distant limestone cliffs.
“This part of Texas is called hill country. I take it you’re a recent immigrant? A real alien?” Toni offered an easy laugh, her hair bobbing gently in the breeze.
“So peaceful up here.” Leira felt her worries fall away.
“That’s a combination of the view and the energy that leaks out of this big ol’ rock,” said Toni, tapping it with her foot. “And maybe the wine we brought with us. Want a glass? It’s a Riesling. I thought it went with the view.”
Leira wasn’t sure if she should introduce herself. She wasn’t used to people jumping into the middle of conversations and taking her in like they’d been waiting for her to arrive.
“Sure, very good idea.” She cleared her throat, mentally kicking her butt for feeling so awkward. So much to learn. So much to get used to. “Leira Berens,” she said, pointing to herself like Toni might be confused. That just made Toni laugh again as she handed Leira a paper cup half full of wine.
“Sorry about the paper cup. No glass allowed on the rock. Safety hazard.” She pulled another cup out of a canvas backpack and poured, handing the wine to Correk.
“Now,” she said. “Let’s see if we can introduce you to a few more people. Leira, right? And?”
“Correk.” He said his name quickly before Leira had a chance to say Bert.
“Oh, Light Elf, of course. You too, I suppose. That was a groovy energy pulse you had going down there. A little intense but the backdraft was amazing! Come on,” she said, waving for them to follow her.
CHAPTER NINE
Folding canvas chairs were scattered in the middle of the plateau, and people were playing guitars or talking loudly, laughing and telling each other long stories. There was food in plastic containers and straight out of boxes.
Toni watched Leira taking it all in. “It’s our own small, weekly family reunion that helps to center our energy and remind us of who we are as a whole being. Not just human. This is how we stay connected.”
“And get recharged,” Leira added, feeling the hum through her feet.
“And stay recharged, as much as that’s possible.” The woman gave Leira a puzzled look. “Although, that doesn’t seem to be an issue for you.” She looked Leira up and down. “There’s something rarefied about you. Okay, enough of me pecking away at you,” said Toni, grabbing Leira by the arm. “You’re coming with me. Time to meet the local magnificent magical beings.”
Leira looked back at Correk, who was standing there, looking amused, sipping his wine. He shrugged at her, arching an eyebrow. She was getting used to that look.
“Jim, this is Leira, one of our kind,” she said, smiling and giving an exaggerated wink.
“I kind of gathered that,” he said, pointing with his cup at the troll poking out of Leira’s pocket. The troll trilled and jumped out, running toward the food.
“Yumfuck!” Leira gasped and lunged for him, still not sure if this was a good idea but everyone else just laughed.
“Love the name!” exclaimed Jim.
“You’ve been to Oriceran and you rescued the little thing, didn’t you,” said a small woman with long auburn hair wearing a long peasant dress and sandals. “Been there, did that. I’m Mary Ellen. Most people just call me Molly.” She stretched out her arm making the long line of silver bracelets on her arm slide down toward her hand with a tinkling sound.
“That’s Perry, and over there is Lucy, and the twins are Fran and Fern. And there’s more of us,” Toni explained.
“A lot more,” agreed a middle-aged man with a bushy mustache that was only outdone by the bushy hair on his head.
“That’s Eric. The philosopher of the group. He’ll help enlighten you.”
“So you finally see things my way,” he said, smiling as he sat down. He pulled off a small chunk of the cheddar cheese, and fed it to the troll.
“Mmmmm, mine. Yum fuck.”
“Aw, he knows his name!”
“He kind of named himself,” said Leira.
There was a chorus of laughter and Eric broke off another piece to see if the troll would do it again.
“Yum fuck! Yum fuck, mmmmm.” The troll chewed the cheese heartily, even going back to lick Eric’s fingers.
“I take it you swear a lot.” He smiled at Leira.
“Only when necessary, which is when I’m awake.”
“
You’re going to fit right in!” yelled Molly. “Sit by me!”
“Who’s the big one hanging back over there?” Jim pointed at Correk.
“Come on, don’t make me pull you over too!” Toni waved at Correk. “Entire group, Correk. Correk, your home away from home.” She looked at him slyly. “You don’t usually hang in these parts, do you?”
Correk said nothing but gave her a half smile, and turned back to the view.
“No worries. No one here is a member of the Order and we’re not rats. We don’t need to do their job for them. What happens on the rock, or down in the parking lot,” she said, raising her cup, “stays in the parking lot!”
“Here, here!”
Leira settled into the chair next to Molly and sat back, watching everyone, absorbing it. Another tribe. It’s a lot to take in but I think I like this.
***
Mara Berens moved as quickly as she could through the thick, gelatinous ether that made up the world in between. The substance was there, and then it wasn’t, impeding movement and making it harder to reach out toward the living world just beyond.
There were malevolent forces living in the world in between who were using darker magic they brought with them to slice through the filmy substance and move rapidly, showing up in different places in only a heartbeat. Even though most of them no longer had a heartbeat.
The dead existed alongside the living on this side of the thin veil.
The world in between permeated the world of the living where time still passed in a linear progression, even if it didn’t in the void where Mara was trapped. The world in between stretched around and through and mingled with both Earth and Oriceran, giving a peculiar view to the myriad of inhabitants trapped there, watching time pass. Wanting it to pass for them again, or at least stop forever.