Release Of Magic: The Revelations of Oriceran (The Leira Chronicles Book 2)

by Martha Carr

  “So you wouldn’t have to share. I get it.”

  “Amusing and somewhat true. The aroma in this lobby. I’m not sure even a spell could have kept him from diving into that glass popcorn box.”

  Leira shifted her weight from one foot to the other, trying not to look anxious, but Correk noticed anyway.

  “It was good of you to invite him.”

  “Just keeping my word. I should have done it years ago.” Leira let out the breath she was holding. It was getting easier to talk to Correk. Working with the magic was having the unexpected side effect of helping her to open up and just talk. “I didn’t like reminders of her. One, it was too hard to see other girls with their mothers and go home alone, and two, I always had this worry in the back of my mind that crazy is contagious. Someday I would end up just like her.”

  “Prophetic.”

  “Just not in the way I expected.” Leira shook her head, pain crossing her face. “It makes me wonder if I had fought harder years ago, would I have figured all of this out sooner.”

  “Perhaps, or something worse could have happened, or a thousand other outcomes. There’s no way to know and no point in torturing yourself with the shinier, better options. You did the best you could. After, all you’re only partly human.” He tossed a handful of popcorn into his mouth, satisfied, chewing away.

  “You’ve been saving that one for a while.” Leira rolled her eyes.

  “Worth the wait.”

  “There he is! Act normal, please.”

  “I take it you mean human normal. All of that TV watching is about to pay off. Kidding, don’t give me that look. As long as you explain that I go by Correk now, I will do whatever you want.”

  “Bert’s a great name.”

  “Not doing it. It’s a yellow puppet with a unibrow.”

  “Leira!” Ralph wrapped his arms around her, squeezing tight, not letting go for a few seconds. He was tall and wiry but Leira knew from watching him work on cars when she was little that he was freakishly strong.

  I don’t remember being hugged by so many people in just a couple of days, well, ever, Leira thought. What is happening to me?

  “Ralph, you’re cutting off my air.” Her voice was muffled, pressed tightly into his shoulder. The smell of Lava soap clung to him, pulling her back into her childhood.

  With one move, she could have wrapped a heel behind his foot and leveled him, sending him straight to the floor. No magic required.

  But he was an old family friend. She waited for him to let go.

  “Sorry. Just glad to see you. Hi again, Bert, right?”

  Leira looked away, trying not to let out a snort.

  “I’ve changed it actually. Bert didn’t really suit me. It’s Correk, from my father’s side of the family.”

  “How do you say it?” Ralph screwed up his face, cupping a hand over his ear. Leira’s shoulders started shaking as she held in the laughter, turning to face the concession stand.

  “Core-eck. Correk. Simple.”

  “Right, well nice to see you again. What are we seeing?”

  Leira turned back around, biting her lip, determined not to laugh. Ralph looked at both of them.

  “Ask Leira,” said Correk. “She said it’s a timeless classic.”

  Leira said it quickly. “Lord of the Rings. Fellowship of the Rings.” She doubled over, laughing again.

  Ralph smiled, putting his hand on her back. “What? Nerves? I get it. Great movie, loved all of them. Have you seen it?”

  “No, what’s it about?” Correk rolled his eyes, still eating the popcorn.

  “A quest by a hobbit named Frodo to get a magical ring back to the fire. There’s elves, dwarves, all kinds of creatures.”

  Correk lowered his chin, looking at Leira with narrowed eyes. “Really.”

  “You’ll love it. You want popcorn?” she said quickly, “He’s not the best at sharing. You better get your own.”

  Ralph laughed, putting his arm around Leira, smiling at Correk. “Nah, I’m good. I try to eat healthy these days. Not getting any younger. Let’s go get seats. High in the back, just in the middle work?”

  “Perfect!” Leira found herself struggling to embrace what she felt. Part of her wanted to just observe all of this, feel less. Maybe not this time, maybe. “You still do the thumbs up, thumbs down at the previews?”

  “Of course! We’ll show you how it’s done, Correk. Don’t you work at that medieval theme park? I’d have thought they’d insist you see this movie. You guys are into that sort of thing. That’s what I hear.” Ralph chattered happily, filling up the space. Leira enjoyed his arm around her shoulders, watching Correk eat popcorn and make faces at her on the way to their seats. Normal.

  ***

  The door of the Paranormal Defense Force was always kept ajar, mostly so that Lois was spared the trouble of magically opening it just to get something from the snack machine to fly down the hall and into her hands. She did her best to not leave her chair. She moved her government issue ID badge to the side and swiveled her chair around to face the door.

  “Yummina.” She gestured with her wand, focusing on what she wanted. A loud rattle and shake down the hall and in no time, the peanut M&Ms were in her hand.

  “Good catch,” Patsy said, pushing her bangs out of her face.

  “Thanks. It doesn’t always work so well with the chips. Sometimes the little door at the bottom of the machine slams on ‘em and they’re nothing but crumbs.”

  “I thought you didn’t really like these.”

  “We’re almost empty. They’ll do in a pinch.”

  The sound of birds twittering suddenly echoed throughout the nondescript building.

  “What the hell is that?” Lois pushed her brown frames back up her nose, squinching her face.

  “You like it? That’s the alarm system we installed. Very pleasant.”

  “That is nice. What is that, a wren? Even if the humans hear it from the parking lot…”

  “Which they won’t.”

  “Even if they do, they’ll think it’s for mood.”

  “It is. Ours.” Patsy swirled her wand at the virtual screen, putting the show General Hospital in a small square in the corner. Images from the parking lot appeared. A small cadre of military were approaching the building, the short-statured general leading the way.

  “They’re baaaaacccck,” Lois sang. She let out a laugh and hiccupped.

  “Has to be about that second explosion in Chicago.” Patsy looked up at the screen and raised her government issue wand, getting the information to scroll back to the right moment. “First time I’ve ever seen so many whirlygigs in a row! An actual magical battle!”

  “That was a bad day. The Beechams are still reeling. The Order has put the whole family on administrative leave. I can’t remember that ever happening, either!”

  “Hannah still hasn’t surfaced.”

  “I wonder if she’s with the fishes.”

  “Oh, don’t say that.”

  “You think that Berens woman had anything to do with that one, too?”

  “Hard to say. From the looks of things she’s still tucked away in Austin. Pulled off some pretty good magic by Lavender Rock. More than she should have been able to with the gates closed. Then, she did it again last night during the full moon. Keeps drawing in energy.”

  “You put both of those in a report?”

  “Like I had a choice. Too many people saw it both times. We’re a big bunch of gossips. G-men would have found out eventually and then wondered what else we didn’t tell them.”

  “A lot,” said Lois.

  “Exactly. If the detective wants to be reckless, there’s not much we can do about that. But wooohooo what a pull she has on the magic!”

  “Imagine what she could do if the gates were open!”

  “Put the bobackslappyass on someone, that’s what! The BBSA!” The two women cackled just as the birds chirped louder. Patsy looked up at the screen.

  “Getting closer.
Look at them,” she laughed. “Looking everywhere like they expect something to pop out at them! It’s not a haunted house,” she yelled at the screen.

  Lois gave her a look. “Don’t even mention the world in between. Gives me the willies.” She shuddered. “Pass me an M&M. A green one. They’re the diet ones,” she said, popping one into her mouth.

  “Not unless you put a charm on them yourself.”

  “Not a bad idea.”

  “You hear the Order brought in an outsider?” Patsy nodded her head. “It’s true. An Atlantean,” she whispered, fluttering her fingers around her head. “Tentacles and a bitchy attitude to go with them. Glamours them most of the time.”

  “Will wonders never cease,” said Lois, her mouth open in surprise.

  “Probably not. We’d be out of a job if they did.” Patsy gave another laugh and a hiccup, and waved her wand again, just in time.

  The door flew open hard enough for the large silver knob to hit the wall and bounce back on the small general standing in front of the group, legs spread, arms behind his back. The four men behind him took a similar stance. The general caught the door and pushed back more gently this time. He paused, his mouth in a determined frown. He meant business today.

  The small cadre of military marched in, keeping close ranks, doing their best to look like they were in charge. Patsy and Lois were happy to play along. It was better for everyone. Lois gave them a reassuring smile and Patsy slid her wand into her pocket.

  “Hello ladies!” he said, a little too loudly, clearing his throat. He blinked a few times, gathering his thoughts before barreling into his speech. “We’ve come to ask for your advice! We want to find Leira Berens and offer her a position with the United States government.” He was practically shouting, trying to put a smile on his face. It wasn’t working. A sheen of sweat showed on his forehead and upper lip.

  Patsy jerked in her chair, almost dropping her M&Ms, and grabbed one of the arms to steady herself.

  “It’s about time,” said Patsy, smiling triumphantly. “We thought you’d never ask. What do you want to know?”

  The general looked relieved, his shoulders relaxing. He seemed to be melting into his uniform.

  “What?” Patsy gave Lois a look but Lois was firmly focused on the general.

  “Will the detective be joining us here?”

  “Oh no, you ladies are doing a fine job,” the general said nervously, waving his hands in front of him. The men behind him didn’t move. “We have been reading your reports with interest. We have a special consultant job for Detective Berens. Her unique skills could be of great use to us… and, well, everyone.” He gestured at Patsy and Lois as if they represented all of the magical community. Patsy made a face, barely hiding her exasperation.

  “Oy vey,” she mumbled under her breath.

  “What do you need from us?” asked Lois patiently, doing her best to ignore Patsy.

  “What’s the best way to contact such a powerful being?”

  “I hear the telephone works really well,” said Lois, smiling, her eyebrows raised.

  The general looked startled and someone behind him made a note. Lois slipped her wand out of her pocket, quietly mumbling a spell to send Patsy a sharp poke.

  “Ya!” Patsy yelped, grabbing her side and looking at Lois, hurt and offended. Lois frowned at her. The group of men looked confused, glancing back and forth at each other but none of them said anything.

  “You were saying?” Lois asked innocently.

  “The phone works but we were wondering if there was another way… a kind of back channel?”

  “You mean something magical that she’ll recognize came from one of her kind?”

  “We’re not all the same species, you know,” said Patsy, giving Lois a warning look. “We’re not like human beings who separate themselves out by all kinds of things.”

  The general looked stymied and turned to look at his entourage, as if he was thinking of leaving.

  “That doesn’t mean you don’t have a good idea.” Lois pushed her glasses back up her nose. “Or that we can’t help. Patsy’s right, you know. Leira Berens is not a witch. She’s part Light Elf, most likely. No D&D players? It’s like a bigger, taller magical pixie. Like a giant Tinkerbell.”

  The group of men nodded their heads solemnly.

  “But we can send her a message. We’re well trained, highly qualified at what we do.” Lois was constantly offering reasons to be given another raise. “What do you want us to tell her?”

  “This letter we prepared has an outline of the job.” The general handed Lois a folder with a single sheet in it.

  Lois opened the folder and looked at the paper. One sentence. She rolled her eyes at all the pomp and circumstance for nineteen words. But the last part still made her let out a short gasp.

  Act as a liaison between the human beings and the magical world at large, including other worlds or dimensions.

  “Other worlds?” she squeaked.

  “That’s classified,” the general said, holding up his hand. “We can only discuss that with Detective Berens. Can you get her the message?”

  “It doesn’t say anything in here about pay, or how to call you back, or where she’d work.” Patsy looked over Lois’ shoulder, flipping it over to see if anything might be on the back.

  “All negotiable. Let Berens know that,” he said firmly.

  Patsy’s eyebrows shot up.

  “Here’s my card,” said the general, taking a step forward, finally separating himself from the rest of his group, looking even smaller as he held out the small square ivory-colored card. “My private number is on there. She can contact me there, and only there. I’ll need the file back,” he said, holding out his hand. “You have the message committed to memory?”

  Lois shut the folder, handing it back. Patsy went back to frowning. “It’s just the one sentence. I think we’ve got it.”

  “Send as soon as possible?”

  “Right away, sir,” Lois said, a look coming over her face. Patsy saw it and looked back at the general.

  “Thank you for your service, ladies,” he said, clicking his heels together and nodding his head. The men turned and waited, peeling out after the general. The sounds of the birds tweeting followed the men out, growing fainter as they got to the parking lot.

  “We added that feature to let us know where they were when they’re here,” said Patsy. “Those are mourning doves. Very soothing.” She waved her wand and put General Hospital back up, front and center. “Now, what was that look all about? You looked like you were sucking a lemon!”

  “Didn’t you get it? They know more than we told them.”

  “So? They’re not obligated to tell us anything. We tell them. That’s the gig.”

  Lois looked annoyed. “No shit, Sherlock. But if we didn’t tell them, and they’re hinting at other worlds, other dimensions, then who did and what do they know? What are they so worried about that they’re looking for someone powerful to help them? And mark my words, Ms. Berens is very powerful. They seem to know it too.”

  “Ours is not to reason why. Ours is to do our job and get our paycheck.” Patsy popped an M&M into her mouth.

  “You’re not at all worried? When has more information about our world in the hands of humans ever been a good idea?”

  “Things are changing. The gates opening is getting closer, you know that. It’s coming whether we like it or not. Besides, from the looks of the reports we got, Leira Berens can handle herself. She may be just what we need in there with them. Send the message.”

  “Like I had a choice,” said Lois, pulling out her phone. “If they only knew. We use their technology half the time. Hello, Herman? Yeah, I need a favor. Can you send a ball of light with a message to that Light Elf, Leira Berens? Yeah, I know you saw her at Jackalope! Why do you think I’m calling you? She needs to call me at this number, right away. Tell her it’s about a case.”

  “Oh, that’s good.” Patsy gave her the thumbs up
. “What if she doesn’t call back?”

  “Then we send a ball of light.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Leira hung up the phone.

  “Well?” Correk stood next to her, impatiently leaning over the kitchen counter, his hands on his hips.

  The troll was hanging from the handle of the refrigerator, grunting and pulling, trying to get it open.

  “They offered me a job.” Leira shook her head. Everything in her life was changing. “That was a General Anderson. He said I can name my salary, name my hours and can even have a fancy title if I need one.”

  “What would you do for them that would rate all of that?”

  The troll finally got the door of the fridge open, with a triumphant, “Aha!” He swung backward, still hanging on. He let go and dropped down, scurrying for the opening. Correk reached out and shut it swiftly with his foot, leaving the troll standing in front of the closed door. “Motherfuckers!” he squeaked.

  “That’s a new one. Your vocabulary is growing, two syllables,” Leira said, looking down at the frustrated troll. “Why doesn’t he just grow a little and push you aside?”

  “There’s a fortunate loophole to all of that. Once attached to another being he can’t grow or shrink on his own. He needs your emotions to do it. What’s the job?”

  “They want me to act as a kind of consultant between human beings and magical beings. They said there’s more but we would have to have a face to face meeting and they need to know right away.”

  “Where are you meeting them?” Correk look concerned.

  “Here, in Austin. They’re coming here. I’m to go alone, which is a good idea. I don’t want the U.S. government getting a good look at you. We still have black sites and I have no idea how advanced our technology really is. What if they have something that can block magic? Besides, you’re running low. That last spell you tried at the party kinda fizzled. Sorry bro, that was a flop.”

  “It was a perfectly acceptable full-size unicorn made out of light from a fireball that ran around the room. Twice.”

  “Before mooing. Don’t even say that was on purpose. It’s okay, I get it. You need a recharge.”

  “Smug doesn’t look good on you. At least tell me where you’re going.”