Transformation!

by Martin, Deborah

  Tuesday was hectic, trying to clean up as much as possible, not knowing how long I would be gone from the office. Thankfully, there was a lot I could put on Sally’s desk. It would certainly keep her busy!

  Wednesday morning, Gregory picked us up in the Hummer and we headed to Flying Cloud Airport, Fudge grumbling in my head the entire way.

  “There is no room in this thing! How am I supposed to see out?”

  “Quitcherbitchin’. You’re in a carrier meant for a medium-sized dog, which means you have plenty of room. There’s nothing to see but road and traffic. Once we’re in the plane, there will be even less to see. And it’s only for a few hours.”

  “We will be landing in Lake Charles,” Gregory told us, “which is only about a half hour from the wildlife refuge we think Ev is in. Since we will need to be able to see bats, Nelion has used his influence to allow us access after the park closes. There’s a lot of ground to cover so I hope you’re up for a lot of walking.”

  “And a hotel for sleeping and such?” I asked.

  “We will figure that out later. I am more concerned with getting down there and getting Ev. We have to meet with the elves before anything else happens.”

  “I have to be near elves? This gets worse and worse.”

  I privately agreed with him but there was no helping it.

  “Wait. I just had a thought,” I blurted out.

  “And that would be?”

  “What do you need me for? You can track Ev’s beacon spell if there’s no masking on it, right?”

  As he navigated us to a parking spot, he frowned. “And what makes you think there is no masking? If Obrist is indeed in the area and is aware of the search, why would he not continue to hide my spell?”

  Duh. But… “I still don’t understand what Ev has to do with any of this. If there is some conspiracy or insurgency going on, I don’t think Ev would know about it.”

  “Nor do I. It’s not his style. But he must have seen or heard something to make someone uncomfortable. Now, no more discussion until we land.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEEN

  Two-plus hours of flying in a small plane later, we finally landed. My stomach was grateful. Smaller jets don’t plow through air currents as well as the larger ones. Fudge expressed relief, as well.

  “When we are able to return home, please ask Gregory just to give me a boost. That was an unpleasant experience I would not care to repeat.”

  “Yeah, well. I have to fly and misery loves company, so I may just make you return with me.”

  Gregory left us for a few moments and returned with a bundle of paper. He glanced once at it, then stuffed it in his back pocket.

  “Come on. We have a meeting to get to.” He grabbed Fudge’s carrier in one hand and his overnight bag in another, leaving me to haul my stuff in his wake. He was in a hurry!

  Once ensconced in the rented SUV, he reached around and opened the carrier door for Fudge, who immediately clambered into my lap and put his front paws on the dashboard. “Freedom!”

  A half hour later, we were in the main parking lot of Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. As we pulled in, four elves emerged from a black SUV parked near the entrance. One raised his hand in greeting. I recognized Nelion, Alberon and the two guards who were with them in New Orleans. “No limo this time,” I mused to myself.

  Gregory maneuvered the car over near them and parked. Fudge nearly flew out the door as I opened it, making for the other side of a nearby tree.

  Alberon followed his progress with interest. “Do you always travel with your cat, Ms. McCollum?” he asked.

  “Only if I think it necessary,” I replied with a smirk. “In this case, his nose is better than even yours for finding my boss.”

  Alberon grunted and muttered something to himself.

  “Please do not antagonize them on my account,” Fudge pleaded. “That one can do nasty things to both of us.”

  “Do they not like cats?”

  “I do not know. But I do not like them.”

  “It’s a short-term association, probably for a good cause. So, pull up your big girl panties and deal with them.”

  “I am no female, nor do I wear panties.”

  “I know. It’s another figure of speech. It means…”

  “I can deduce its meaning, thank you.”

  Nelion waited for us to walk over to their vehicle, rather than advance toward us. [Such arrogance!] He addressed Gregory: “It will be easier for us to determine the necessary area in daylight hours. I have a map of the refuge from the ranger we know. The refuge is over nine thousand acres. Perhaps we can narrow it down somewhat?”

  He reached a hand back and one of the guards put a roll of paper in his hand. He and Gregory spread it out on their car’s hood. “It was woody, so the grasslands and wetlands are probably out. Amy, give us an opinion, please?” Gregory said.

  I wandered over, Fudge at my heels, having completed his business. Nelion glared down at him. Ignoring that, I looked at the map.

  “The ground was sort of squishy, so maybe here?” I pointed to an area marked “gallery forest” which, I’d learned in my research, meant forested wetlands. “Or, here’s another place marked the same. And here’s yet a third. Until I see it, I don’t know which.”

  Nelion nodded. “We will drive to each area and walk around. Will that be sufficient? Unfortunately, we do not have room in our vehicle for all of us. Mr. Tremayne, perhaps it would be best to follow us. Our driver knows the area.”

  We all piled back in our respective cars. Fudge settled himself with his rear in my lap and front paws on the dash, ears twitching this way and that. Gregory followed the elves out the parking lot, down the main road and onto a side road. Ten minutes later, we pulled over to the side, alongside what appeared to be pasture with trees in the distance.

  The four elves emerged from their car. Nelion waved at the trees. “This is the first of the wet forests marked on the map. We will have to walk across the grassland to get to it.”

  Gregory looked at my feet. “You may want to change your shoes,” he said. “There can be snakes…”

  I shuddered. Although logically, I know they’re more afraid of me than I am of them, the thought of one slithering over my feet gave me the willies. I hurriedly grabbed my expensive hiking boots from my bag in the back seat and changed.

  “I can hear them before you see them. I will warn you.”

  “Thanks.”

  And so the six (“seven”) of us started walking toward the trees, most of us keeping an eye on our feet. Fudge ranged hither and thither, nose to the ground just like a good bloodhound, sometimes startling a bird out of taller grass, which he half-heartedly chased before going back to his search.

  As we approached the trees, Fudge slowed, then stopped. “Please tell everyone to stop walking. There is elven spoor here, and it does not belong to any of these.”

  I stopped in my tracks and cleared my throat. “Fudge has asked us to stop here. He smells something.”

  Everyone stopped. “Arrogant familiar,” Alberon grumbled.

  My cat had disappeared from sight. “You okay, bud?” I thought.

  “I will rejoin you in a moment. The spoor stops a few yards in, so this is not the place.”

  He came trotting out of the trees and, uncharacteristically, jumped into my arms. I was so startled I barely caught him. Once he’d settled himself, he turned to look at the elves and, I kid you not, put his nose up in the air.

  “Please relay what I tell you. Elves have been here, and recently – since the last rainfall. Two that I can smell, and one werewolf. However, they only went a few yards into the trees, then returned. Therefore, I do not believe this is the place for which you search.”

  Nelion’s eyebrows raised. “I’m told it rained three nights ago. Werewolves? With elves? What are they up to? Very well. We will return to the vehicles and continue our search.”

  Meanwhile, Alberon was glaring at Fudge, who returned his own stare. I
would find out what was between elves and familiars at some point!

  As we made our way back to the cars, Fudge yelled, “HALT!” and since I must have screamed when my brain hurt from the shriek no one else could hear, everyone else stopped, too.

  “There is a cottonmouth three yards in front of the elf in the blue robe.”

  “Nelion, there’s a cottonmouth three yards in front of you.”

  “How…? Oh. Of course.”

  Alberon stared at the spot in question and a moment later, we saw the grass sway ninety degrees away from us. “It is safe to proceed.”

  “Could you not yell? That hurt! Literally!” I thought.

  “My apologies. I did not mean to hurt but it was imperative to stop everyone immediately before the snake was trod on.”

  “Hold one moment,” Gregory said. “Do you have a headache from that?” he asked me.

  I nodded. The section of my head right inside my ears really did hurt, just like that sharp ache you get after attending a rock concert without earplugs.

  Gregory waved both hands over the sides of my head and, just like magic (heh), my headache was gone. He looked down at Fudge, still cradled in my arms. “You know better,” was all he said before motioning everyone forward again.

  We piled back into the cars again, Fudge once more perched so he could see outside the windshield. As he followed the other car, Gregory asked Fudge, “What’s up with you and the elves?”

  “I’d like to know that same answer,” I said.

  “Ask the Head Witch to ask Waldo. It is not my story to tell,” was all he would say.

  “I will definitely do that. There’s something here that witches and wizards probably need to know,” Gregory said when I relayed the reply.

  “Probably not, but he is welcome to the information if Waldo deems it appropriate.”

  Familiars. Who can tell what goes on with a species as long-lived as them? (Is species the word? They changed species, genus, even taxonomic family, dependent on their witch or wizard, so what are they called?)

  “Species will do.”

  We stopped once more at the side of another gravel road, this time closer to trees. Once more, Fudge hopped out quickly and started sniffing around. This time, he honed in on a scent quickly and started moving in almost a straight line into the trees. “Wait here. I believe I may have found your spot.”

  After I relayed Fudge’s command, everyone leaned against the cars. One of the guard elves even lit what appeared to be a cigarette but put it out quickly at Alberon’s glare.

  Ten minutes later, Fudge came back out of the trees. “This is your area. The elves and werewolf went about a hundred yards into the trees, where there is a clearing similar to what you saw in your dream. But it is still too bright for the bats to be out and about. Shall I find their nests?”

  After I’d told everyone what Fudge found, Alberon cleared his throat. “I believe we would be better served to come back at twilight, about,” he looked up at the sky, “three hours hence. Shall we repair to our respective homes and meet back here?”

  Gregory pulled his cell phone out, did something on an app, closed it and looked at the elves. “That will give us enough time to get back to Lake Charles, find a hotel and get a bite to eat. We will see you back here?”

  The elves got into their car and pulled away in the direction we’d been headed. Gregory did some searching on his phone, then plugged it into the car. “Make a U-turn,” Siri told us.

  Three hours later, we’d found a pet-friendly hotel, eaten a delivered pizza, and were back on the deserted road, waiting for the elves to arrive. Fudge, taking advantage of the opportunity for unrestricted outdoors, had gone roaming. The longer we waited, the lower the sun got, and the more I fidgeted.

  “Calm yourself,” Gregory told me while handing me a small spray bottle. “They will be here shortly, I’m sure. In the meantime, spritz yourself with this.”

  “What’s this?” I asked as I followed his instructions, then handed the bottle back and watched as he did the same to himself.

  “Insect repellant of my own making. We are in a damp area so there are undoubtedly gnats and mosquitos.”

  I picked at the hem of my shirt. “Why do we have to wait for them? It’s nearly twilight out here in the open. It should be dark enough among the trees for the bats to come out. Can’t we just go find Ev ourselves?”

  Gregory sighed. “Politics. Because of whatever is happening with these youngsters, I have instructions from both Howard and Althea to cooperate with the elves. Actually, I have been told to let them take the lead. And do remember that my beacon spell has been masked. I cannot find him on my own.”

  “But I can,” I reminded him. “Remember in my dream? I felt the tingle I always feel when magic is being used around me and saw the sparkle of your magic in the tattoo.”

  “Perhaps. Or perhaps it was just in your dream. Nonetheless, we will wait.”

  And wait we did. It was nearly full dark before we saw headlights barreling in our direction. Headlights that swerved toward us, making me think we were going to be run down. At the last moment, brakes squealed, and the car came to a skidding stop three feet in front of us.

  The two guards nearly knocked each other to the ground in their hurry to get out of the car. Nelion and Alberon descended with all their dignity intact but you could tell there was a sense of urgency with them, too. Still inside the car, the driver killed the ignition and sat stoically in his seat.

  “My apologies for our tardiness,” Nelion said as he came around to us. “There was a crisis at the enclave. Thirty young elves, approximately the same age as my son and his friend, stormed into our meeting, demanding elves take our place in the outer world. It took some time to restrain them. The unrest is growing.”

  Gregory just nodded. “I believe we will need torches. Amy, please call Fudge back because we will need him, too.”

  As I put out a mental call to Fudge, Alberon cleared his throat. “No torches will be needed. We can see in the dark well enough. If you like, I am able to enhance your eyesight to match ours.”

  I think a growl escaped my throat. I didn’t want anyone, especially an elf, messing with my physiology.

  Fudge stood in front of me, hackles raised. “Do not let them perform any magic on you.”

  “No shit?” I thought. I was about to open my mouth to say that out loud, but Gregory beat me to it, albeit much more politely than I would have done.

  “Thank you, but no. We have torches, which we will keep pointed at the ground to avoid scaring the bats. Fudge, if you will lead the way, the elves can follow you, and we will follow them.” He reached into the pocket of the light jacket he was wearing and handed me one of two small flashlights he pulled out. The man must have been a Boy Scout because he was always prepared.

  So our little parade trooped through the grass and into the woods, me bringing up the rear because, of course, women had to be last in everything. Fudge daintily trotted ahead, lowering his nose on occasion and making slight course corrections.

  Once we were actually inside the woods, it was slower going. (Not really woods, per se. More like a stand of trees. But a big one.) We had to watch where we put our feet, to avoid tripping on exposed roots and fallen branches. It had been quiet, out here in the middle of nowhere, but now the silence seemed oppressive. I expected to hear night critters, as I did in the woods of northern Minnesota, but nothing stirred.

  “Another three minutes walking at this pace will bring us to the clearing. Someone is there before us, although I am not close enough to determine who, what, or how many.”

  I reached ahead of me and tugged on Gregory’s jacket to get his attention. I whispered what Fudge had told me and he, in turn, touched the shoulder of the guard in front of him to repeat what I’d said. I expected the pattern to continue all the way to the guard in front, but a second later, everyone had stopped. Elves had telepathy?

  Nelion beckoned Gregory forward. Being the nosy type,
I followed.

  “Please wait here while we investigate. If whoever the familiar says are there are elves, there will be nothing you can do.” He didn’t whisper but spoke so quietly I barely heard him from behind Gregory.

  “I disagree,” Gregory retorted in the same low voice. “Elves are not immune to physical acts. And if they are not elves, then I can be of assistance. I will remind you that it is my employer we are here to rescue.”

  Nelion shrugged his shoulders. “If you insist.”

  Gregory and I shut off our flashlights, hoping to rely on the elves’ sight. Once again, we moved forward, this time with more stealth. I know Fudge and the elves made absolutely no noise as they walked. Gregory and I, despite our care, snapped the occasional twig. The noise seemed to echo in the quiet.

  True to Fudge’s prediction, about three minutes later we came to the edge of a clearing. It was indeed the same one I’d seen in my dream, complete with the fallen logs and moonlight casting shadows. The ground seemed soft beneath my feet, although it didn’t feel too squishy. I squinted up at the sky and saw small shapes flitting around, although I saw no magical sparkles.

  The front guard moved to his left, the one between Nelion and Gregory to his right, in a flanking motion. Gregory positioned himself between Nelion and Alberon, with me directly behind him, Fudge at my feet on my left side.

  The clearing appeared to be deserted but Fudge had been certain someone or something was there, so we waited. A moment, two, then a crashing sound on the left side of the clearing. Nelion spoke quietly.

  “One of the guards has subdued a werewolf. They are searching for others. Please wait.”

  But waiting was out of the question. The noise had disturbed nesting birds – and bats. With a frightened cry, birds took to the air, mixing with the bats already there and the ones that had joined them. At the same time, Alberon held up his hand and I felt an explosion in front of him. Gregory instinctively dropped to the ground, pulling me with him.