by Martha Carr
He’d been staying at Richard Randolph’s apartment, only slightly better than the one he had abandoned after he was ripped through a portal from his grimy bathroom.
Most of his time was spent studying old documents and working on the timing of wearing the necklace to open the portal. Everything he read that talked about doorways or openings to a better place said the same thing. It took a living host to access the energy in the artifact and stream it outward to open the portal.
He was still tempted to wear the necklace again, if only to calm his nerves. He patted the front of his jacket, checking that it was still safe inside his pocket. “Wait, just wait,” he mumbled. “Nothing can go wrong.”
Besides, there was no telling where the portal would open up this time and he didn’t want to risk running into any more large beasts that could rip his throat out.
“Soon enough,” he said quietly, wiping his face with a small cocktail napkin embossed with a shiny gold ‘one hundred’. He ran the checklist through his head again. He had been doing it all day, finding a small amount of comfort in it.
Mingle with others for the first part of the party. Wait till a few minutes before Muston’s speech and put on the necklace in the men’s room. Go back to mingling and work his way slowly toward the podium on the stage up front. Give himself the time to let the energy flow through him again. Maybe even make some points with his charm, for once. Let others, like the dean see his easygoing, positive side, even if it was enhanced.
Just as Muston was winding things up, Somers planned to slip backstage where the two plants were hidden and stride out onto the stage. The plants would be a small sideshow after the main event.
He closed his eyes and imagined the looks on everyone’s faces, especially Dean Muston, when it turned out Somers had been right all along, and the dean was a close-minded fool.
“You have everything ready?” Randolph was practically leaning against him, whispering in his ear, his hot breath against his face. Somers jumped, sloshing the drink in his hand.
“Don’t sneak up on me,” he hissed, a flood of anxiety pouring over him. “There’s too much at stake here!”
“You mean your career,” said Randolph, taking a step back. “People are going to freak when they see you disappear. You’re an intergalactic Houdini!”
“Those were sleight of hand. Stupid magic tricks,” snapped Somers. “This one night will finally reset the world’s history and everyone will remember I was the one who showed them the way. Like Moses.”
“You think he could have been from Oriceran?” asked Randolph, stopping a waiter to scoop several hot crab balls off the tray, popping them into his mouth. “Hot, hot, hot,” he said, holding his head back, his mouth wide open.
“Sometimes I have to wonder why we’re friends,” said Somers.
Randolph grabbed a half empty glass of champagne off a nearby table that an older woman was reaching for.
“Sorry,” he said, throwing it back. “Medical emergency. Ate too fast.”
Somers took the glass from Randolph’s hand, putting it back down. “Sorry, sorry,” he said in the direction of the scowling woman, and he pulled Randolph away.
He looked around for the dean and saw him chatting away with a small circle of men and women, using the charming laugh he reserved for large donors. He pulled Randolph behind a pillar, keeping his eye on the dean.
“You want to get us kicked out before we even get the chance to show everyone? Please tell me you have everything ready,” he demanded.
“I do, I swear I do,” said Randolph, biting down on the last crab ball. “Man, I never get to eat like this,” he said, looking around for a napkin. “Okay, okay, yes, I do. I paid the guy doing the lights for the stage the fifty bucks like you said to keep the spotlight on you, no matter what.”
“And?” he prompted, pulling the details out of Randolph.
“And I’ll be near the sound system to make sure no one cuts off the microphone till your big reveal. You really think this will work? You know, it’s not the worst thing in the world if it doesn’t. I mean, like, doesn’t work tonight. There are other days. You just have to have an audience. We could do that over and over again. Take it on the road even.”
“It’s not a Vegas act. This is science,” said Somers sternly. “Besides, you have no idea what I’ve gone through to show everyone,” he said. Not my fault, he thought, his stomach twisting into a knot. “When I pull this off tonight it will make up for all of it. Sometimes, sacrifices are made in the name of advancement. It’s an age old saying for a reason. People will look back and say, it was tragic but necessary. Besides, he wasn’t even from this planet!”
“What are you talking about? What exactly did you do on that planet? Are there some kind of intergalactic police after you?”
Somers went pale when he realized he’d said too much. “No, no,” he said, shaking his head. He grabbed Randolph by the shoulders. “Look, it was an accident.”
“What was an accident?”
“It happened so fast. I…”
“Somers!” Dean Muston stood next to them, frowning. “Staying out of the way over here. Probably for the best.” He fingered the lapel of Somers’ tuxedo. “Very nice, Somers. If I didn’t know how much you make I’d swear this was handmade. Glad to see you take something seriously, even if it’s not your work,” he sneered. “Randolph, are you in a wedding later?”
“I take my work very seriously,” he said quietly, his jaw clenched.
“What’s that? Couldn’t make out the words. Speak up. Oh, Mrs. Jarvis, so nice to see you,” he said, distracted by a large woman with a small dog in her purse. The dean was gone without waiting for an answer. There was a small, oval grease stain on Somers’ lapel where the dean had touched it.
“It’s time,” said Somers, clenching his fists at his side.
“But, you said you wanted to wait till Muston gave his speech. Had everyone settled down and bored to death so they’d pay attention. Not miss a thing!”
“I’m tired of waiting,” he said, his voice carrying. Several heads nearby turned to look. Somers gave a nervous smile and a small wave.
“I’ve waited long enough. Hell, a giant hole in the very air around them should attract enough attention. Give me fifteen minutes to rev this thing up and I’ll be good to go.”
“Should we do a hand thing or a high five for good luck?” asked Randolph, holding his hand up in the air. “Fist bump?” he asked, “No? Nothing? Okay, then,” he said, “ready to go. On three.” Somers turned, scanning the crowd and walked away, ignoring Randolph.
“Not even that. Hard to feel like I’m on a mission without some kind of official sendoff,” he said. “One, two, three, you can do this, Randolph,” he said. “Hey, how are you? Nice to see you,” he said to the couple passing by. “Nice night,” he said. “Hard to change the world these days. Hey, Bobby, we on target?” he asked, flagging down the man in charge of the spotlight.
Somers made his way to the men’s room, holding open the door for someone leaving as Correk and Leira entered the hall.
“Invitation,” said the large man in a tuxedo straining against his oversized biceps. A small woman in a long red dress stood next to him, checking off names. They both looked first at Correk and then to Leira.
Correk’s eyes glowed for only a moment.
“Nastratium,” he said softly. The pair blinked their eyes, glanced at each other and smiled at Correk and Leira.
“Welcome,” said the young woman.
“Enjoy yourself,” said the overdressed guard. “Ticket,” he said to the couple behind them.
“Nice move. How much energy did that cost you?” asked Leira.
“Child’s trick. A five-year-old knows how to do that one to convince a parent to let them stay up late. Even the Silver Griffins will ignore a trace of magic that small.”
“The Silver Griffins. We’ll need to straighten that out later. Giving back the necklace should go a long way with them
.”
“We may be okay.” Correk hesitated. “The necklace is here,” said Correk. “I can feel it.”
“Is that what that is?” Leira put her hand on her stomach, feeling the energy pulsing through her.
Correk looked down at Leira, dressed in a dark green velvet ballgown. “I believe there is a saying here. You clean up well,” he said, taking in the curves that had emerged in the form-fitting sleeveless dress.
“Good thing we spotted that costume shop. Right out of Beauty and the Beast,” she replied. “Aren’t we cousins or something? Eyes up here,” she said, pointing at her face. “You can rock a hat. Lucky break, men sporting man buns, satchels, and hats indoors these days. Don’t know how we would have hidden your ears.”
“There’s a spell I found in an old book from the library but if I can avoid using the energy.”
“So you can save it for Somers.”
“Besides, satchels are quite common on Oriceran,” said Correk.
“Mmm, not a newsflash,” said Leira. “Let’s move around the room and see if we can ferret out Bill Somers and hopefully, the necklace. Maybe this will work like a kind of magic GPS.”
“You may be right. The rules are not proving to be exactly the same for magic here in your world as they are on Oriceran.”
“Unsettling to know,” she said, scanning the room. “I don’t see him. He has to be here.”
“He’s here. The necklace is growing more unstable and the presence of magical people is only making that worse.”
“We’re making things worse. Great. Is there some kind of app that will give me all of your magical rules?”
“We learn them as children. You’ll have to pick them up as we go along. There’s too many to stop and try to tell you. And, it’s not just us,” said Correk. “Believe it or not, you brush up against people whose family is originally from Oriceran all the time. We’ve been here for thousands of years.”
Leira saw a woman fanning herself with one of the programs listing tonight’s events. She looked flushed and confused. Here and there, around the room were different people, tugging at their collars or drinking down a glass of water.
“Hidden in plain sight,” said Leira. Her scalp prickled with the slowly growing heat from the energy already seeping out of the artifact. “There!” she pointed.
Bill Somers was leaving the men’s room, his face red and splotchy, making his way toward the steps that led up to the stage.
“You take the left side,” said Leira, hiking up the front of the dress. Underneath she was wearing her running shoes.
Correk looked down, raising his eyebrows.
“I’m still on the job,” said Leira. “My service weapon is under here, too. I’m not here for the party,” she said, elbowing her way through the tight crowd.
“Young lady! Young lady!” Dean Muston was shouting over the crowd at Leira. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Somers looked back to see what the dean was yelling about and saw Correk first. Even with a tuxedo and hat, it was clear to Somers that he was a Light Elf. He swung around and spotted Leira, who had pulled her badge out of the top of her dress and was flashing it at Somers.
“Stop right there!” she shouted.
“Somers!” shouted the dean. “What have you done?”
“Now!” said Randolph, signaling Bobby. The spotlight switched on and shone directly on Somers, blinding him. He staggered backward, not sure what to do next.
The necklace burned against his skin, and his confidence surged.
“This is my time,” he said, holding his arms out like a showman. “Screw the plants. I can show them later,” he said, closing his eyes and willing himself to feel the energy course through every particle of his being.
Leira reached out to grab his arm, followed closely by Dean Muston who had scrambled up the front skirt of the stage. He wanted to be sure to fire Somers before he was carted away.
Somers’ skin turned a deep red and a calm, deeper than anything he’d ever experienced, enveloped him. “It was just an accident,” he said. There was loud humming in his ears that made it difficult to hear all the shouting that was going on right in front of him.
Correk watched in horror as steam poured out of Somers’ collar, soaking his new suit.
“Welcome to Oriceran,” Somers shouted, opening his eyes. He looked confused and surprised looking out at the audience, turning in a circle as if he was expecting to see something else.
“No!” shouted Correk. “It’s too late. Something has gone wrong.”
“Got you,” said Leira, reaching for Somers. Correk yanked her arm away, lifting her off her feet. “What the hell?” She didn’t have the chance to say anything else.
Correk threw her as far as he could, knocking over several people who were watching the fight on the stage. She instinctively tucked and rolled, one hand on the front of her dress, the other reaching for the gun strapped to her thigh.
She stood and turned in time to see Correk leaping through the air, trying to pull the dean with him. At the last moment, Somers opened his eyes and saw the dean, grabbing him in a tight embrace.
Correk rolled over in mid-air, stretching out his arms toward the stage, his eyes glowing like embers and his entire body glowing with fiery symbols. “Hoomanna protector,” he yelled, throwing up an invisible wall of protection.
On the stage, a swirl of light started around Somers feet, encircling the dean as well, as it wound higher around them, faster and faster, until it was hard to see the two of them through the solid, pulsing light.
“Crack!” The sound was sharp and loud, and a rolling wave of clear energy spread out from the two men on stage, so powerful it pushed against the magical protection, bowing it in the center, sending shivers of blue electricity rippling through it, and knocking everyone to the floor.
Leira fell backward, her head hitting the wooden floor, making her squeeze her eyes shut for a moment. The impact knocked her breath out, making her gasp for air.
“Dammit,” she said, clenching her teeth against the pain. She made herself open her eyes and looked down to see if she was hurt. Her gun was still in her hand. She rolled over and saw Correk flat on his belly, starting to stir. The hat had flown off his head and his long hair was neatly pulled back, exposing his pointed ears.
“No time to worry about that one, right now,” said Leira, grimacing as she stood up, helping a woman nearby to her feet.
A man next to her was reaching for his glasses, the frames slightly bent in the blast but the glass still intact.
She made her way toward Correk and knelt next to him.
“You okay?” she asked, touching his shoulder. It was hard for Leira to hear over the ringing in her ears. Everything was muffled. She gave him a thumbs up with a questioning look and he nodded, pulling himself upright.
Leira ran for the stage.
All that remained was two piles of ash where Somers and the dean had been standing only seconds ago. Everything was incinerated.
“It’s all gone. Even the necklace,” Leira said to Correk as he rushed up next to her.
“Impossible,” he said, digging through the ashes with his bare hands. “That artifact by its nature would not destroy itself. It has to be here somewhere.”
“Where’s Bill?” asked a confused Randolph, staring at the ashes. Correk spread them out all over the floor, searching for the necklace. “That’s not…” Randolph said in horror.
“It’s gone!” Correk said, standing to get a better view of the crowd. He turned his attention to the back of the stage and found an exit to the alley.
Leira followed, looking in both directions, but there was nothing.
“I take it this is bad,” said Leira, “for many reasons.”
“Your assessment is on point. Somers was a full-blooded human being and his being couldn’t handle the surge of energy. He had no idea he was supposed to take it in small doses and store it or channel it. That crack you heard was the speed
of light being passed as the energy surged forward.”
“That was a lot of magic back there. Our suspect has evaporated and the necklace is lost. Plus, you lit up like a Christmas tree and threw down with a magical shield.” Leira looked pensive.
“That about sums it up. We’ve exposed magic on a grand scale.”
A minivan pulled into the alley spitting gravel as it pulled to a stop right next to Leira and Correk. The side door slid open and out piled three wizards and a witch, their wands already out in front of them. They were all dressed in some form of workout clothes.
They nodded to Correk and Leira and rushed into the hall through the back door. The red exit sign glowed in the darkness.
The passenger side door opened and a witch with long dark hair and bangs said, “Get in and stay put.” She pushed her glasses back up her nose. “We’ll take it from here. We’ve been tracking you.” The witch jumped out of the car and followed the others.
Leira hesitated and went after her.
“This is my world,” she said. “Damned if I’ll turn over everything to out of town cops.”
“You’re from out of town,” said Correk, right behind her.
“I outrank anyone not from this planet.”
“You’re not…”
“Okay, I get it,” she snapped.
Inside, the wizards and witches stood in a tight circle, their backs to each other, as they held out their wands and chanted in unison, “Never was, never will be,” freezing everyone where they stood.
“What did you do?” Leira asked, waving her hand in front of a man frozen in mid-sentence. “Are they all right?”
“What, you’re still moving?” The wizard was startled. “You must be Leira. We heard about your elven blood. It must be strong in you. Let the others know we’ve located her,” he said into his phone. “The detective is safe and sound.”
“It’s that obvious,” said Leira. “The elven blood.”
“Quite. Royal Elven blood is hard to hide. Come on,” said one of the witches. “If you’re going to interfere at least help us get everyone back up in normal party poses. We only bought ourselves an extra few minutes doing the spell as a group.”